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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Book Review: The Lovely Reckless

The Lovely RecklessAbout the Book:
Title: The Lovely Reckless
Author: Kami Garcia
Pub. Date: Oct. 4, 2016
Publisher: Imprint

Pages: 384
Rating: 4/5 stars



Synopsis:

I’ve become an expert at avoiding things that could hurt me—which means I will figure out how to stay away from Marco Leone.

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 a public high school in the Downs, where fistfights 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?

Review:

When I found out that Kami Garcia was writing a new book I knew I had to add it to my TBR right away! And when I read the synopsis, I was definitely eager to get my hands on it. I have a thing for novels that feature street racing (who knows why, but it's this awesome bad-ass thing to me). While I had some ups and downs with the book, overall this one is another winner from Ms. Garcia, and seriously addicting. Even though there are things that normally bother me, for some reason Kami Garcia won me over and made me forget that I actually hate those things. I never wanted to stop reading because I fell for these characters so much. Kami just has a way of writing that makes you love to read the story she is telling, and I can't wait to read what she writes next!!

The story follows Frankie, who after her boyfriend dies in front of her, becomes a completely different person. Gone are the days of the good girl who lives by the rules...instead is a girl who is traumatized, angry, and rebellious. She doesn't care about the rules she breaks or going after the good guy. She wants to live on the edge and not look back. I actually liked watching Frankie rebuild her life more so than the actual romance of the story purely because it was quite a transformation to watch. I wasn't always the hugest fan of her character, but overall she was a great MC to follow. Marco is your stereotypical bad boy, but I did like when we saw a different side of him (one he doesn't show to many people). I think in many ways seeing this different side of Marco allowed Frankie to grow into a better person as well. Lexie, Frankie's BFF, was one of my favorites in this book. The way she stuck by Frankie no matter what (even when Frankie was an absolutely terrible friend to her, was extremely admirable. She was a constant that Frankie desperately needed, and I loved how well Lexi balanced Frankie out. Lastly, Cruz...I LOVED this girl! She was hilarious, amazing, and unapologetically herself. I seriously would love to have a friend like this, and I truly enjoyed the friendship that blossomed between her and Frankie. 

The couple of things that I didn't like about this novel were mainly the romance and Marco (hear me out on this one). First, the romance was way too insta-love for me. If you follow my reviews, you know I can't stand insta-love, and this is no exception. Frankie and Marco fall for each other after basically one conversation (and trust me, that convo isn't that long!) and then for the entire story, they aren't really together all that much. Yet, they fall madly in love with each other and trust each other implicitly. They put their lives in the others hands and have full faith that the other will catch them if they fall. I don't know, it just didn't fit well to me especially when you consider the plot and the personalities of the characters. However, it didn't bother me enough (for who knows what reason) that I didn't enjoy the book. The other problem I had was with Marco. I personally loved him except for how possessive he got at times. This ties back into the whole insta-love thing, but no one should be that possessive really at any point in a relationship, but especially after just meeting/getting to know some girl. 

Kami Garcia has written an edgy read that will make you desperate to find out what will happen as soon as you finish the first chapter. This book is a great read (I know it might not seem that way from some of the things I said), and I highly recommend checking it out when you get the chance!! Kami Garcia certainly didn't disappoint and I look forward to reading whatever she writes next!


Happy reading :)

~Cassie

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