Nowhere but Here

So good! Loved loved love it! I am a new forever fan!

I really liked this book. I’ve been wanting to read more MC books and this was just what I needed. I find MC’s to be so fascinating. I loved learning about their world and how they operate.Eli reminded me so much of FP Jones from RIverdale. Both are biker dudes who will stop at nothing to protect their kids. I liked the romance even though it was a bit cliche. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books and finding more out about the other characters.

Loved Loved Loved this book! Think Sons of Anarchy meets YA love story.

This was another amazing story by Katie McGarry. Emily likes her life the way that it is - safe, predictable, and simple. She loves living with her dad and mom in Florida and only sees her biological father Eli once a year. But things are changing this summer.She and her family go to Tennessee supposedly to attend Eli's mother's funeral but learn that she isn't dead yet. She's dying of cancer and wants a chance to get to know her granddaughter. But coming to Tennessee puts Emily in danger from a rival motorcycle gang and Eli convinces her parents that he can protect her better if she stays with him in Tennessee for a while.Eli tasks Oz with watching out for Emily. Oz has grown up around the club and his only future goal is to become a full member. They are his family. He doesn't expect to ever like Emily because he blames her for the grief that Eli has felt because she was gone. He certainly never expects to fall in love with her. Emily tries to remain aloof but gradually comes to like - even love - her grandmother, father and other members of the club. But they are all keeping secrets from her. She learns that her parents are also keeping the same secrets. This is a really hard summer for Emily because the foundations that she has grown up with are being shaken. Loving Emily is also causing Oz to take a new look at his life too. This story was filled with emotion. I teared up more than once as I was reading. And it was filled with information about the culture of motorcycle clubs. I almost felt like I was visiting another alien planet because that life is so different than mine. I can't wait to read Razor's story which is coming next in this series.

I really enjoyed this book. The suspense of it captured me. I wanted to know the big secret and why everyone was always on edge. I was kind of disappointed when I found out. I don't think that was a good enough reason to get her away from her biological dad's family. I get wanting to keep her safe, but making her believe her father and his family didn't really care for her was a tad cruel. The two MC had my heart. I loved every fight and every stolen kiss. Their love and the grandmother made the book for me. The lesson in all this tell the truth in the beginning. Everything done in the dark will eventually come to light.

Katie McGarry books are always an emotional ride with intense romance and strong family focus.

For me, this one was a tad slow in the beginning, but by midway... I was hooked. Oz was complex and I loved the character progression of Emily. Their romance had a forbidden feel blended with naive first love. It's not an easy journey, but by facing their fears they learn how to live.

The plot was action packed with a bunch of mystery and while I really enjoyed it, I did struggle a bit with connecting. This could be because ever since SOA I find myself criticizing and comparing... I know MC reads have a theme and that's why I tend to steer clear... Luckily the family turmoil gave this one the depth that I craved.

Normally at this point I would say if I recommend it or not... Well with this one, I'm not sure. While I think some will love, others may cringe at the over the top sexy talk (ex: we were told Emily has curves x10 and Oz was described as the cliche bad boy). It's pushing YA and leaning towards NA. If you like indie MC books you will most likely love this one. For me, it lacked the elegant raw tone that I love Katie for. I needed more "in the moment" and less "onlooker from the outside".

I don't think Katie McGarry can write a bad book. Seriously.

But - I am hurting for Violet and Chevy's story soooo much -can't wait for book three!

I really liked this book. I’ve been wanting to read more MC books and this was just what I needed. I find MC’s to be so fascinating. I loved learning about their world and how they operate.Eli reminded me so much of FP Jones from RIverdale. Both are biker dudes who will stop at nothing to protect their kids. I liked the romance even though it was a bit cliche. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books and finding more out about the other characters.

McGarry's No-Where But Here is the first in a series called Thunder Road, following the members of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club. Despite its name, Reign of Terror is a rather benign group that controls the small town of Snowflake, Kentucky. They do not break the law unless they find it necessary to protect one another. In this volume, Emily's family is accidentally summoned to the wake of Olivia, Emily's blood grandmother that she has never met. Her father, Eli, a member of Reign of Terror, is Emily's biological father that she sees once a year in the summer. Emily's arrival puts her in danger so her father has her guarded by Oz who is Emily's age, but hoping to become a patched member of the club. Emily and Oz rub each other the wrong way from the start, but have trouble denying their attraction for one another. There is nothing new here, but this is still a well told story with interesting characters with emotions that come through loud and clear. The supporting characters provide both background and depth to the story, especially Emily's grandmother, Olivia who turns out to be very much alive. The way that Emily finds out about her grandmother makes for an interesting way to introduce that character. The ending provides a couple of nice twists. Overall this was a good read that kept me interested enough to read it in one sitting.

(3.5/5 stars) I wasn't expecting to like this book.Motorcycles, clubs, violence... Yeah, that's not my thing.But, somehow, Katie McGarry made me fall in love with everyone in the Reign of Terror.I felt the romance between Emily and Oz was cute, but what really kept me reading was the secrets behind Emily and her mom. I liked the pacing, even if I feel like the book could have taken 100 pages from keeping those secrets to focus on Emily and Oz's relationship. Olivia was an amazing character. I learned to love and respect her. Eli was another gem. God, if I was 20 years older... Like I said, I liked their romance and the way they fell for each other, but I also felt like it was a bit too... Instantaneous. There wasn't much growth. I believe the relationship should grow with the person, and Emily had a huge growth, Oz changed a lot from the beginning of the story, but their relationship was almost a horizontal line.Overall, Katie McGarry sure knows how to make 500 pages feel like 200. Can't wait to grab the next book. And I'm DYING for Violet and Chevy's story next year. *-*

My Opinion: I first discovered Katie McGarry when I read her Pushing the Limit series, and I can honestly say that I loved every book in that series. When I learned that she was starting a new series, I was right there requesting it from NetGalley because I had to learn for myself whether she could top her first series, and boy did she! I can see why she called this series Thunder Road, but it is also about each and every character in Nowhere But Here pushing the limits of their own lives, but in a much deeper way, which will make sense when you read the book, and I highly recommend that you do.The story is told from two points of view: Emily's and Oz's. Eli is Emily's biological father who, as she's heard all her life, hooked up with Meg (Emily's mother) and when she found out she was pregnant he took off, wanting nothing to do with Meg or their baby. Meg remarried when Emily was 5 and Eli signed away his parental rights so Jeff could adopt her. They've had a good life, and Emily loves Jeff as much as if he were her biological father, and he loves her back just as much. Emily is 17 now, and for the last 7 years she has seen Eli once a year when he comes to visit her where she lives in Florida, but she doesn't feel a bond with him at all. Emily's life changes when Eli sends a message to Jeff containing a copy of his mother Olivia's obituary, saying she has died of cancer. Emily has always heard that Olivia and Meg hate each other and have ever since she turned Meg away when she became pregnant while still in high school. So it strikes Emily as very strange when Meg and Jeff decide to take Emily to Olivia's funeral in Snowflake, Kentucky, especially since Emily never even met the woman when she was alive. Meg has always refused to talk about her life in Snowflake except to say that Eli, who belonged in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, and his whole family are crazy and violent and how lucky she was to escape that life. Now at this point in the book I remember thinking that this story was a bit edgier than the books in Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series, but I was loving it because it was written so well you can't help but feel invested in the new characters. You can feel Emily's confusion over all of this and her wish that they could just stay in Florida since she doesn't want to have anything to do with Eli or his family, but she goes along with what her mother and Jeff want because it seems important to them that she go.While there, many, many unexpected things happen, and Emily finds out that she been lied to her entire life when it comes to Eli, Olivia, and the rest of her family in Snowflake. She finds out that she and her mother actually lived with Olivia and her husband (Emily's grandfather) Cyrus until Emily was 2 years old. Olivia tells her that they were very happy there until Meg stole Emily in the middle of the night and took off for Florida with no warning at all. Olivia learns that Meg told Emily that Eli's family is crazy and that "the people in Snowflake are the worst kind of evil," which breaks Olivia's heart. Unfortunately, Emily finds out that Olivia is not dead yet when she is saying hello to Eli, who is standing next to the casket Olivia is laid out in, and Olivia, in her excitement to see Emily, sits up and starts talking to her! Apparently Eli accidentally sent a copy of Olivia's obituary (which she had written herself to make sure it was done right) instead of an invitation to the party Olivia was throwing to celebrate her life while she was still alive to enjoy it! To add to the horror Emily experiences, she already has a major fear of dead people because when she was 8 years old she fell in a hole already occupied by a dead person in the middle of the woods and after screaming and screaming for help, she ended up spending 12 hours alone with the body until she was finally rescued. Needless to say, Emily agrees with her mother that this whole family is nuts and she doesn't want to have anything more to do with therm. You can imagine her surprise when her dad, Jeff, and her mother decide she should spend a month or so with them so she can learn about that side of her family! Everybody in Snowflake says she's in danger if a rival motorcycle club, The Riot, learn that she is Eli's daughter, and they feel, since she just showed up there with no warning, word might get out and the best people to protect her are the Reign of Terror. Emily is really not down with this at all but is out voted by her mom and dad. This is when we really get to know Oz, who is 18 years old and has only wanted one thing his entire life: to become a full member of the Reign of Terror. Eli gives him the job of babysitting Emily while she's in Snowflake and making sure no danger touches her. This doesn't go over well with either Oz or Emily, since it's not exactly love at first site! But as they spend time together, Oz discovers that Emily's not a pushover, that she has a spark in her that he comes to appreciate and love, and Emily discovers that Oz isn't just a dangerous motorcycle driving Reign of Terror follower and future member, that he has a soft side and a very tender one that she falls in love with. I can't say any more about the story, although I could honestly write page after page about this amazing love story. I loved every character in this book, and can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series to come so I can find out about some of my favorites: Razor, Chevy and Violet are at the top of that list!Emily and Oz grow so much as characters during this story, but Eli also does his fair share of changing too. Emily's life changes so drastically during the book, and in her own words: "Without what has happened, there's no doubt I would have stayed in the same bubble I was raised in and I'm not just talking about remaining in Florida. I never would have experienced anything new in life." I couldn't have said it better myself!There is so much to love about this book - the characters who are amazing, the plot which contains secret piled upon secret, and the ending, which was so heartwarming that I can't even begin to describe it. I recommend this book to anybody who read Katie McGarry's first series, Pushing the Limits, and to anyone who hasn't read any of Katie's books yet - What are you waiting for, people?! You're missing out on some amazing and heartfelt stories here!I give this book a very, very enthusiastic 5 stars and I'll be holding my breath to read the next story in line, which stars Razor, and is called Walk the Edge. Nowhere but Here is definitely a must read book of 2015 :DI received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Brilliantly written story that has sexy romance, amazing characters, and a meaningful message. I loved every minute of this book and would highly recommend it to everyone!Opening Sentence: Top three awful moments of my life:Meeting my biological father at tenBreaking my arm in the three spots at nineFalling into a hole and being trapped there overnight with a dead body at eight.The Review:Emily is a happy seventeen year old girl that has a wonderful life. She has amazing parents, a beautiful home, and great friends. She would be perfectly content with her life never changing much, but soon her oh so perfect life is about to get an interruption. Her biological father Eli hasn’t ever really been a part of her life. He didn’t want to be a father when Emily’s mom found out she was pregnant and until just a few years ago Emily had never even met him. But Eli’s mother just passed away and to show their respects Emily travels with her family to the funeral. The visit turns into an extended stay and Emily finds herself spending her summer vacation in Snowflake Kentucky. She is surrounded by family she never knew existed and an extremely attractive boy that drives her nuts. As she learns about her family and her parents past she comes to realize that maybe her perfect life wasn’t as perfect as she thought.Oz has wanted to be a member in the Reign of Terror motorcycle club ever since he can remember. The club has been his family and joining them is the next natural step. Oz plans to become a prospect as soon as he graduates from high school, but just before he has a chance to join he is given the task of watching out for Emily, the gorgeous sheltered daughter of one of the most respected members of the club. This could be his one chance at his dream or maybe getting to know Emily will make him realize that he has others dreams. He knows that falling for Emily is a bad idea, but sometimes bad ideas turn out to be something amazing!Emily was a really interesting character that I grew to love. I will admit at first I found her to be a tad bit frustrating because of how naïve she was, but as the story progressed it made perfect since why she written the way she was. She grows tremendously throughout the story and as things unfold you learn to understand her so much better. She is a really sweet girl that has been thrown into an impossible situation, and I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic towards her. She has a hard time trusting people and she tends to shy away from change. So when she is forced to move to a new town with all new people I can see why it would be hard to open up to anyone, especially when everything is so different from what she is comfortable with. In time I learned to appreciate her courage and witty personality. She doesn’t take crap from others and I admired that she wasn’t afraid to express her opinion. Somewhere along the way I developed a strong connection with Emily, and by the end of the story I ended up really loving her character.Oz is one of those dangerous boys that you can’t help but be attracted to. Not only is he gorgeous to look at he is also kind, charming, confidant, loyal, tough, and committed. He has spent his entire life wanting to be a part of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club and I loved that he was such a consistent character. His character does grow throughout the story but his core ideals never waver. He is really rough around the edges, but deep down he is a really good person. He is extremely loyal and will do anything for the people he cares about. I loved that the story was told from a dual POV, being inside Oz’s head really helped me to understand his character better. His relationship with Emily is so perfect. They have undeniable chemistry and tons of sexual tension between them. They don’t really like each other at first, which lead to a great slow burning romance! Oz always treats Emily with respect and the way he flirts with her was so much fun to watch. I loved all the dynamics of their relationship and Oz has easily become a favorite book boyfriend.Nowhere But Here is an inspirational story filled with emotion, romance, and suspense. From the moment I picked this up I instantly fell in love with everything about it. The characters are developed perfectly and so easy to connect with. The pacing was spot on and there was never a dull moment even though this was almost a 500 page book. I loved the setting of the story and the way McGarry featured motorcycle clubs was unique and interesting. I know that there are plenty of adult books that feature motorcycle clubs, but I don’t know of many YA books that do. The love story was done perfectly, it was a slow burning romance that was very believable. As always McGarry’s writing was amazing, and she really knows how to deliver a meaningful message in an entertaining way. I loved how she addressed friendship, love, loyalty, and family in the story — it made it feel so realistic. I have read most of McGarry’s other works and while I really enjoyed them this is by far my favorite book of hers. Suffice to say, I loved everything about this book and would highly recommend it to all young adult contemporary fans!Notable Scene:The girl’s my kind of gorgeous, no question: sexy, beautiful dark hair and eyes like a doe’s. Gotta admit, her curves turned me on and that dress she wore sealed the deal. It clung to her in all the right ways, but what was smoking was the way she wore it. Mysterious. Classy. Never seen anyone from Emily’s world walk up to the Reign of Terror as if they didn’t have a single fear.But Emily is bad news. She’s been a thorn in this family’s side and has continually caused the people I love to bleed. Her being here will rupture already vulnerable arteries.FTC Advisory: Harlequin Teen provided me with a copy of Nowhere But Here. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Ahhh. The appeal of the bad boy. Emily grew up knowing her biological father was a member of a motorcycle gang/club and that he signed away his rights to her many years before so she could be raised far away by her mother and stepfather, the man she always called dad.When she has news of the passing of the grandmother she never knew, a visit to Kentucky caused her to question everything she had been told her whole life. Things just didn't make sense, so many unanswered questions and it's possible that Emily is in danger just being in Snowflake, Kentucky? And why won't anyone tell her? And throw in some romance with a boy/man who has dreamed of being a member of this club his whole life. Her whole life she has judged what she didn't know, her visit to Snowflake opens her eyes to a lot of things, can she love someone who is a part of what she has always detested?I would give this a 3.5. Good enough story but some of the lines were so cheesy. And if I had to hear one more time how absolutely beautiful and breathtaking and gorgeous Emily was, I might have to have thrown the book. Some parts of the book were just not logical or believable. Do I think Emily has any idea of the life she'd live with Oz? I think not, she's pretty naive and inexperienced. If Oz remains committed to the club, Emily will come second, she is no way ready to be anyone's "old lady". If he gives it up for her, he will resent her. I don't hold out a lot of hope for a future for them.There were a few surprises, and things I never saw coming. I will likely still read the next one in the series to see where it goes. For the most part, I do love this author's writing but this one I didn't enjoy as much as her other series.

I wanted to read Nowhere But Here because I have loved Katie's other series, the characters and the romances have been amazing. So of course I wanted to try the first in a new series by her. The story, much like her others, is told in dual perspective from Emily and Oz. They are two very different people, brought up in different ways. Emily has a nice home in a nice neighborhood and a nice school. She was adopted by her mom's new husband at five, and although she sees her biological father once a year, she still doesn't have a good sense of who he is. She just knows her mom raised her own her own for the first four years and Emily can't completely let that go. Her mom had a rough go of things, and that has colored Emily's view of her biological dad, their hometown, and the family she doesn't know there. Oz has grown up around Eli, Emily's biological dad, who is one of the founding members of their bike club and security company. Oz just graduated and he wants in the club and he is loyal to Eli. There is a lot of confusion on both sides. Oz and a lot of the other people in his town, Snowflake see Emily and her mom as deserters and they think that Emily has just been avoiding them, causing Eli and his mom Olivia pain. When Emily goes into town after getting an invitation to attend her grandma's wake, things really blow up on both sides because of miscommunication. But in the process both sides learn truths that they weren't really ready to face. Oz and Emily are thrown together because the motorcycle club had been having issues with their rival cycle club and Eli wanted to make sure that Emily was safe. Oz accepted because he wanted to prove himself, and he was given an in by keeping her safe. Their chemistry was great and I loved seeing them get closer to one another and fall for each other. They challenge each other and broaden the others' horizons. Emily's whole life is thrown into question, and she has always valued honesty. So finding out things from her past, lies told all around really hurts her deep. She finds out things little by little and it seems like for her sake it should have been told all at once, so I suppose that for her character development and to have an amazing book, it couldn't work out for her. But she also had to learn to love the other side of her family, and really understand the unique lifestyle of their biking community. It really takes the it takes a village motto and puts it to life. They all take care of one another, and are close and tight knit. I loved Olivia, Emily's grandma. She is spunky and commands attention and respect, and causes people around her to love her deeply and honor her. She is dying of cancer, and she is the one who gives pieces of the truth to Emily. At first their relationship is tense, but I love seeing Emily realize that Olivia loves her and begin to love her back. The ending was well done in my opinion. It really showcased their character development and the bond that were formed during the course of the novel. It showed the importance or honesty and of family and community support. It also showed Oz making some very brave choices and Emily broadening her mind to different lifestyles. It was a hard road for both of them and some of the plot lines could only come to a sad end, but overall its very hopeful and gave me a good sense of the direction life will take Emily and Oz. I will def read more in this series, the companion novel for Razor and a new girl will be next. Bottom Line: Another great one by McGarry exploring love and relationships with family and friends.