Early Review: Nowhere but Here by Katie McGarry

Nowhere But Here
by Katie McGarry
Read: April 15 - 17, 2015
Published: May 26, 2015 by Harlequin Teen
Source: Edelweiss (THANK YOU!)
Category: YA, Motorcycle clubs, contemporary, romance
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound 

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.
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In Nowhere But Here Katy McGarry introduces readers to a new cast of characters centered around a motorcycle club called the Reign of Terror. It was refreshing to move onto new faces that are not part of the Pushing the Limits series, though we still get the familiarity of being in a Kentucky setting.

Emily is happy living in Florida with her mom and step-dad. She doesn't have much of a desire to spend time with her biological father who lives far away and seems to care more about the Reign of Terror than her. But when a short visit to Kentucky turns into most of the summer, she is forced to reevaluate everything she's believed. 

Oz wants nothing more than to join the Club, which Emily cannot understand at all. This does not endear her to him (and vice versa). But then Oz is asked to keep Emily safe for the summer, and all that time they spend together changes both of their perspectives more than they ever anticipated. 

The motorcycle club atmosphere was as new to me as it was to Emily, and I tend to agree with her perspective of it (the culture sleeved me out a bit). But I like how both she and Oz came to appreciate it in different ways than they both expected. I did want Emily to step out and start exploring earlier than she did - she spends a lot of time just hanging out at Olivia's house and following directions from others. I was ready to see more of this town and for her to interact further with others, but this also fit who Emily was. The end of the book was pretty wild and hard for me to believe it all happened like that - again this motorcycle stuff is way out of my comfort zone. Still, I was satisfied with how the book ultimately ended.

I liked the slow progression of Emily and Oz's relationship, especially the way it grew from antagonism to love through the story. They had great chemistry and challenged each other well. Miraculously, there wasn't the obligatory contemporary romance break between them at the 3/4 mark! 

I did feel like some things were glossed over that I'd like to have seen more of, and I still have lots of questions. But as this is the start of a companion series, we were introduced to a lot of characters, and I know we'll get more of this world and this cast to come. However, the one thing I really wish is that we'd been able to see in this first book was an honest conversation between Emily and her mom. Meg is talked about a lot, and we're told she's a good mother, but all we see is her hysterical side. I wanted her perspective in the end, especially because she was the catalyst for a lot of the family drama and her choices greatly affected Emily throughout this story.

However, overall I enjoyed this latest release from Katy McGarry, and I'm interested in seeing how their stories develop in the companions. 

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Companion series (Razor's story is next)