Kami Garcia

"Romeo and Juliet meets The Fast and the Furious in this edgy romance set in the suburbs of Washington, DC"--

The Lovely Reckless

Jazelle H

"Sometimes scars make people stronger."

After she witnesses her boyfriend’s murder, Frankie decides that it’s time to live a little recklessly. She leaves the life of luxury and privilege to move in with her undercover cop father, transfers to a school where fistfights are a natural start to a Monday morning, and meets Marco--the type of dangerous, hypnotic heartthrob no father wants their daughter to bring home. Frankie soon learns that Marco is caught up in the type of recklessness her father definitely doesn’t approve of, but sometimes a little risk is exactly what the healing heart ordered.

“The lovely reckless souls that hear your battle cry / So beautiful and broken / Making wrong turn back to right...”

As Frankie adapts to her new life in the Downs, she also tries to shed her old skin--and the grief-fueled memories that come with it. In order to heal, however, Frankie needs to remember what happened that night--if not for her sake, then for Marco’s. Frankie’s grief and self-reflection encourage character investment, but the material is also a little repetitive. The plot is also easy to anticipate, which makes it difficult to invest in the second half of the story. The romance reads as a little cliche too--bad boy with a warm heart trope, anyone? While the story is decent enough, the language is a little lackluster, which leaves out that adrenaline-fueled spark this story really needed.

“Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing for the right reason. The trick is knowing when the reason is right. It’s a lot like the bite point. You know it when you feel it.”

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Frankie has started to spiral out of control. She has PTSD from when her boyfriend was murdered right before her eyes. She's the only witness but she can't remember much of what happened. The girl with 4.0 GPA, always happy and friendly, who never got into trouble and wanted to go to Stanford is now getting drunk, not caring which college she goes to, and ignoring all her friends. One night and a mistake later land her with her father, an undercover cop in the ugly side of town, Downs. It is at her new school where she meets Marco, a tattooed street racer. She's been pushing the boundaries lately, stepping out of the norm of what she would normally do, and Marco will be one of them.

Before Noah died, I never took risks. I was afraid of disappointing someone or screwing up the Plan. Now I've disappointed everyone. There's no Plan and no Noah, and I'm still afraid.

I felt so much sympathy for Frankie. She's dealing with so much: PTSD, trying to piece together the night of the murder, moving to a new school, adjusting to a new "life". It hurts her to think of the past, how her life used to be, so she distances herself from her best friend. I didn't agree with this decision since Lex is the best friend anyone could ever ask for and both girls needed one another. I loved how tough Frankie truly is and her development. Along the way she had to take risks in order to save those she loved and I was loving her fierceness.

If there is a god, please don't let this guy sit next to me.
My mouth goes dry as he approaches. Marco drops into the vinyl chair across from mine, which is worse than if he sat next to me, because now I have nowhere to look except him.
Apparently, God is alive and well, and he has a sense of humor.

Can we talk about Marco now? Let's talk about Marco. Gosh, where do I even start?! As soon as Marco was introduced and he smiled, I swooned. He has this bad boy vibe to him but there's so much more to him! My heart was so torn for him and I just wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and then hug him tight. He went through so much as a child and now he's taking care of his little sister, Sophia. Life hasn't been easy for him and he has had to do things he never wanted to do. But he will do anything to keep Sophia safe, even if it means putting himself in danger. His relationship with Frankie turned out to be so cute and kind of sexy! The kisses were very steamy! It was kind of insta-lovey and I was ready to protest, but I couldn't help but love them together!

“Marco will fight for his sister, for his friends, and I’m willing to bet he'd fight to the ends of the earth for you. But he won’t fight for himself. He only sees one door, Frankie. He needs someone to show him the other ones.”

Frankie built a lot of friendships and I was so happy to see these friends standing by her side. Lex and Cruz are at the top of the list. They are great friends that I'd love to have! Both are bold, eccentric, outgoing, a little reckless, and fierce. So yes, I totally want them as my best friends. They stood by Frankie's side, especially Lex. Frankie and Lex used to be friends before Noah's death. After that, Frankie pushed her away and it hurt Lex a lot. I'm glad that Frankie was able to reconnect with her.

I need to talk about my feelings here. Guys, my heart broke so much while reading. I can't go into detail, but I will say prepare yourself. I was not expecting to feel so much, to the point of having tears in my eyes, for this story. But I did. It was so heart-breaking at times and I didn't know how to deal with this! It ended up being very beautiful, though. It was totally worth the heart-breaking moments.

I actually wish this story had more racing and more cars. I've only read ONE other book that's YA, has humor yet it's somewhat dark, and it involves racing and it's a book on Wattpad. I've re-read that book so many times over the years. When I found about The Lovely Reckless would have a similar approach, I knew I had to read it. I'm so happy Kami Garcia took the plunge and wrote this story since it really is great. Now, I'll be hoping that she writes another story with these characters, but maybe another couple :D

Overall, The Lovely Reckless is a thrilling fast-paced and heartfelt contemporary with a cute and sexy romance that readers will adore!

I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Julie D.

Chelsea Hunter

I'm really glad that I decided to give Kami Garcia's books another chance (could not get into Beautiful Creatures), and didn't think I would ever pick up another book by Garcia. I would have missed out on a fantastic story. I highly recommend this book (especially if the concept of street racing in a ya book sounds really exciting).

I loved how real this story was, it was raw and emotional, and just absolutely well-written. This is the kind of story that hooks your attention from the beginning, and does not let go. The pacing of the story was perfect. The plot was fantastic, it wasn't like anything I have ever read.

I loved the characters. Sofia was absolutely adorable. And I'm a sucker for the bad boy (whose also a really nice guy) and the good girl (who had somewhat of a bad streak herself). The characters were just amazing, and flushed out. They were flawed, and that is one of the things I really enjoy in a story, when the main characters have as many flaws as they have good characteristics. I didn't love Abel or Lex, but I did think they were a good addition to the story. But I did love Cruz. I thought she was pretty kickbutt, but with a nice side, at least one she shows to Frankie.

It was for the most part a really quick read. If you have the time, it is the kind of book that you could easily read in one sitting. I thought it ended really nicely, and overall the book was wonderful. The one thing I wished didn't happen, not in the book but for me, is that I figured out something (I feel quite early on in the story... definitely way before it was mentioned), and I would have liked it being more of a suprise.

Alex Hill 

From #1New York Timesbestselling author Kami Garcia, a contemporary romance full of loss, love and redemption… Seventeen year-old Frankie Devereux would do anything to forget the past. Haunted by the memory of her boyfriend’s death, she lives her life by one dangerous rule:nothing matters. At least, that’s what Frankie tells herself after a reckless mistake forces her to leave her privileged life in the Heights to move in with her dad—an undercover cop. She transfers to public school in the Downs, where fistfights in the halls don’t faze anyone and illegal street racing is more popular than football. Marco Leone is the fastest street racer in the Downs. Tough, sexy, and hypnotic, he makes it impossible for Frankie to ignore him…and how he makes her feel. But the risks Marco takes for his family could have devastating consequences for them both. When Frankie discovers his secret, she has to make a choice. Will she let the pain of the past determine her future? Or will she risk what little she has left to follow her heart? Your own heart will race with each page turn of this heart-stopping star-crossed love story. An Imprint Book

Tiffany Engler

I wanted to enjoy this book so much! I heard so many great things about it and that's the main reason I picked it up. I just did not enjoy it at all!

The story moved way too fast. Everything happened all at once. Insta-love and drama on every page, and not the good kind. This book was actually quite annoying to me. I don't think there was one character in this book I liked. 

I think this book would have been better if it had more mature characters. If they were adults, everything would have made more sense to me. All I thought about in this book is that every character is childlike! They're too young to get themselves into this messes. 

It took me way too long to read this book and I don't think I'll ever pick it up again.

b.andherbooks

I can't believe how much is going on in this book. A murdered boyfriend, PTSD, partial memory loss (or suppression?), car racing, car stealing, a West Side Story romance plot-line, insta-love, gambling addiction, lying, undercover cop parent, asshole absent parents, and a one-eyed alley cat. I may have also missed a few things, but with all that, wow.

While highly readable and one I did finish, this book had every cliche known to YA romance. It felt very reminiscent of Katie McGarry's work, which I find much more believable. Unfortunately, I just could not buy the instant love between Frankie and Marco because they spent the least amount of time together on the page. I do believe this will be a great seller, and teens will eat it up.

Celia Adams

Cheesy but fun. The emotional parts where heart-wrenching, but everything was just a little cliche to get really attached.

Bibi Disco

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

As most of you know, I’m a total contemporary girl. I’ve seen Kami’s other books around quite a bit, but I never picked one up, simply because they weren’t a genre that I normally read. When I saw she was coming out with a contemporary YA, I knew it was a must-read for me. I went into this book with a completely open mind and no idea what to expect… and I ended up enjoying it. SO MUCH!

Frankie, who has recently lost her boyfriend who was murdered right before her eyes, is now trying to move on from that trauma. After making a bad decision to drive while intoxicated, Frankie is forced to leave her lavish lifestyle in the Heights with her mother and move in with her father, who lives in the much more poor area, known as the Downs. She’s now attending a new public high school, along with community service hours. Frankie has definitely hit a low point. That is until Marco catches her eye. He’s a bad boy with a horrible player reputation, but she’s unable to deny the attraction between them. Both have lied. Both have secrets. Both are trying to make the right choices, while constantly making the wrong ones.

This story is basically my guilty pleasure: filled to the brim with DRAMA! I loved the non-stop story line that never paused, even for a second. There was always something going on, keeping me hooked and unable to put this book down. It was intense, gritty, dramatic, and outright sexy at times. There was car theft, abuse, drag racing, and murder. I loved the way Kami Garcia portrayed the struggle between rich and poor, the raw sense of entitlement of some, and the complete wrongdoings of others for all the right reasons. This story had quite a bit of impact and kicked me in the gut a time or two.

What kept me from giving it a higher rating? Basically, this story road the line of insta-love a little too closely for my liking. I can totally handle insta-lust or any instant attraction between teens, but flat-out insta-love and I just don’t get along. I totally get when you’re attracted to someone, and even feel a connection that’s, to a point, undeniable. What I can’t understand is the “I love you” that comes after only being together a handful of times for short little spurts. While reading, this story progresses at such a fast pace that I didn’t really notice it at first… but when I neared the end and realized that this all happened in such a short period of time, the fact that these two were totally in love and couldn’t live without each other was a bit hard for me to grasp.

Nonetheless, this book was so much fun and I really enjoyed it!! It totally reminded me of The Fast and the Furious, which was a favorite movie of mine when it first came out. Though racing wasn’t necessarily as prominent as it was in the movie, it had a similar feel with tortured teens who were racing for different reasons, all trying to find their place in life and better themselves and their families. Perfect for fans of Katie McGarry (who is a personal favorite of mine!), this book is sure to please many teens, especially those craving a darker, grittier YA romance.

(Thanks to Fierce Reads for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!