Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Title: Nowhere But Here
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: May 26th 2015
Source: BEA!

Summary from Goodreads:

An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

Review

It says a lot when I dislike an audio book's narrator yet continued with the book. Nowhere But Here was worth the read/listen.  While the narrator's voice didn't sit well with me, the story was great and I had to continue.

Nowhere But Here teleported me into what felt like a TV drama (in a good way).  At times the motorcycle club drama seemed a bit excessive but it worked.  I was drawn into this vastly different world.  It all seemed so foreign  to me but the main character was having the same feelings so it was easy to relate in that sense.  Oz is the picture perfect bad boy; he is rough around the edges, has a strong protective nature, and loves fiercely.

The dynamic between Emily and Oz is cute and slow building with no love triangle.  Emily's choices at times and her overall attitude was not always my favorite.  Oz, on the other hand, I really liked him as a character.  The family of both main characters play a huge role in the overarching plot.  There are a lot of pieces in this motorcycle club territory battle/love story.  Nowhere But Here reminded me a bit of Jay Crownover's book in their plot execution and characters, just with a younger MC.

Overall there were a lot of pieces to this story that had me engaged from start to finish. I look forward to the next companion novel!

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, #1) by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, #1)
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Length: 392 pages, Hardcover
Release Date: 7/31/12
Rating: 4 stars

Summary on Goodreads:
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

There is a LOT going on in this book. I will try to break down the main themes...

1. Tragic event causes life to spiral out of control and protagonist struggles but eventually succeeds at moving forward (x2)
Echo lost her brother in the Marines and soon after she was attacked by her own mother (bipolar disorder). Her mind supressed the memory of that night but she has the scars on her body to remind her. She struggles to regain the memory so she can understand and make sense of things.  She can't move forward until she does and meanwhile, her world is crumbling around her. Noah and his two younger brothers were put in foster care after their parents died but Noah lost visiting rights after hitting his first foster father in defense of another kid. After being branded "emotionally unstable" Noah has been screwed by the system time and time again until he said screw it to trying. But Noah is desperate to put his family back together and needs to refine his bad boy ways if he wants any shot of getting his brothers back. 

Any one of these stories could have been a book in itself. I felt for both Echo and Noah. Their hopelessness, desperation, confusion, anger, fear, unease... it was all in this book. Their entire life was turned upside down and they didn't know how to make it right again. I felt both stories started, progressed and ended well. No loose ends. 

2. Two misjudged teens find that they understand each other when no one else does

"'You didn't do that, did you?' It was done to you?'"

"No one ever asked that question.

They stared.

They whispered.

They laughed.

But they never asked.

My entire world collapsed around me as I answered, 'Yes.'"

Echo and Noah are unexpectedly thrown together and are surprised to find themselves drawn to each other. Neither one of them is like the other expected. As they grow closer, they begin to tear down each other's defenses and they learn to trust again. Together they start to face their demons, heal their wounds, and regain some of the normal they both long for. 

I liked how Echo and Noah gave each other strength. Their personalities complemented each other well and together they learned how to move forward. I think they made a good team and I enjoyed the growth we saw in each character as a result of their interactions. 

3. Bad boy and good girl fall in love
Even though Echo has lost her popularity and sense of normalcy, her reputation precedes her as they good, smart girl. She gets near perfect grades, stays out of trouble, and is still a virgin. Noah on the other hand, does drugs, sleeps around, disobeys authority all the time, and his grades are what brought Echo and Noah together in the first place. This part of the story is the classic case of bad boy falls for good girl and "wants to be better because of her". 

"Luke used to give me butterflies. Noah spawned mutant pterodactyls."

At last, the romance part of the book. Noah and Echo are both gorgeous (of course) and attracted to each other. Noah, your quintessential bad boy player doesn't know how to commit, so naturally we have to wait forever for him to grow some and tell Echo how he really feels. I liked the chemistry between Noah and Echo but if I had a dollar for every time I read the word "siren" or "baby" I'd have...maybe 100 bucks. It was a little much for me.

Overall, I think there was a just a tad bit too much of everything. So much was happening in this story it took me a while to actually digest everything. So many lessons to be learned, hurdles to overcome, stereotypes to break. 

But all in all I enjoyed this book. It got a lot of raving reviews, I was just a little late to jump on the bandwagon to read this.