Whitney D. Grandison

He's never met a rule he didn't break... She's followed the rules her whole life... When they meet, one golden rule is established: stay away. Sparks fly in this edgy own voices novel, perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon, S. K. Ali, and Kristina Forest. They were supposed to ignore each other and respect that fine line between them... Guillermo Lozano is getting a fresh start. New town, new school, and no more reckless behavior. He's done his time, and now he needs to right his wrongs. But when his work at the local community center throws him into the path of the one girl who is off-limits, friendship sparks...and maybe more. Regan London needs a fresh perspective. The pressure to stay in her "perfect" relationship and be the good girl all the time has worn her down. But when the walls start to cave in and she finds unexpected understanding from the boy her parents warned about, she can't ignore her feelings anymore. The disapproval is instant. Being together might just get Guillermo sent away. But when it comes to the heart, sometimes you have to break the rules and be a little bit reckless...

The Right Side of Reckless

Ahaana Bhargava

aside from regan's parents really annoying me, i loved this! 

3.75 stars; top 5 reasons to read to come!

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Right Side of Reckless

Author: Whitney D. Grandison

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Diversity: Black MC and Mexican American MC

Recommended For...: contemporary, young adult readers

Publication Date: July 13, 2021

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 15+ (sexual content, romance, slight violence, crime mentioned, misogyny, some language)

Explanation of CWs: The main male character (Guillermo) is on probation for some crimes he committed. He has anger issues and there is some violence mentioned in according to him. Regan (main female character) has a boyfriend who is misogynistic and pressures her for sex. 

Publisher: Inkyard Press

Pages: 416

Synopsis: They were supposed to ignore each other and respect that fine line between them…

Guillermo Lozano is getting a fresh start. New town, new school, and no more reckless behavior. He’s done his time, and now he needs to right his wrongs. But when his work at the local community center throws him into the path of the one girl who is off-limits, friendship sparks…and maybe more.

Regan London needs a fresh perspective. The pressure to stay in her “perfect” relationship and be the good girl all the time has worn her down. But when the walls start to cave in and she finds unexpected understanding from the boy her parents warned about, she can’t ignore her feelings anymore.

The disapproval is instant. Being together might just get Guillermo sent away. But when it comes to the heart, sometimes you have to break the rules and be a little bit reckless…

Review: For the most part I really liked this book. It was intriguing to me and immediately drew me into the story. The world building was well done and the writing was well done as well.

However, this book kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t like the inconsistencies with how the author talked about the juvie kids and with what I’ve seen in real life. The book fell into the good girl/bad boy/good girl fixes bad boy trope and that just doesn’t vibe with me as many kids are in the juvenile system because of trauma and other outside influences. Rarely did I see a kid in the program who was there because they liked to commit crime, at least 90% of the time it was because of home issues, relationship issues, or some other extreme issues that were outside of the kids hands. I also thought that the characters weren’t well developed and the side characters weren’t easily distinguishable from others. The book also dragged pacing wise and the book doesn’t have a good ratio of cute moments to angst/will they won’t they. Finally, I didn’t like the romance in this book and I thought it was weird. Regan is in a committed relationship with someone else until about 80% of the book through and then after she finds out her boyfriend cheated on her she kisses Guillermo. That doesn’t send the right message to kids and it makes the main love interest feel more like a rebound than anything else.

Verdict: It’s ok, could be wrote a bit better.

Leelynn Brady

Full review on my blog  Sometimes Leelynn Reads 

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to TBR & Beyond Tours, Netgalley, and Inkyard Press for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Grandison has done it again! Yet another novel that I couldn’t get enough of, and to think this is just her sophomore novel! So, so happy to be able to support her and her work again by reading and reviewing this book.

The more I was reading this novel, the more I was just completely infatuated with Guillermo. Seriously, for someone who used to not give a F about anything, and with him truly trying to change his life for the better, he was just so wise and respectful and wow. He literally was a dream guy, and I couldn’t believe he was just in high school! I truly think that he would make a great mentor for other troubled teens that are trying to get their lives back on track. Ugh I could keep going on and on but that would be WAY too long of a review. This was just amazing, and one of my favorite stories of 2021. I highly recommend!

Jawahir M

Didn't work for me. 

Review to come soon on blog. 

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Jess Ostrander

This book. It hooked me from page one. I was so drawn to Guillermo's story. I work with juveniles in the system, so his story hit close to home, and I think it was told with sensitivity and beauty. I loved Reagan too. Seeing her learn her worth and fight for what she wanted was awesome. This whole book is just such a great read. I loved that the romance wasn't the only focus. We got to see family relationships and great friendships too. It all felt so authentic and real. I loved the whole thing and it's definitely going to stick with me for a while. Mo and Rey had such great chemistry. I loved their relationship's development and how there was a solid connection built first. And how Guillermo respected her and her boundaries. It's refreshing to see consent play out so well in a YA novel. I liked the exploration of what it means to be a "bad" kid and how that labeling can follow someone. A lot of the characters have been labeled based on what they've done or the rumors about them. I think it was a great portrayal of second chances and what happens when you push past the labels and seek to truly know someone. I like the realness and diversity too!
Overall I was really taken with this book, and really recommend it!

The Right Side of Reckless

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