I am thrilled to be a part of Kami Garcia's blog*tube*stagram tour for her upcoming YA novel, The Lovely Reckless. You can check out my spoiler-free review below along with a fun Q&A with the author.
Blurb:
From #1 New York Times bestselling 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.
Releases: October 4, 2016
Buy Links:
Amazon , B&N , Kobo , Google Play
Q&A with Kami Garcia:
How would your friends describe you?
Kami: Loyal, stubborn, and fierce. (I cheated and asked them.) My friend and fellow author Marie Lu said kind, but I think there are lots of people kinder than me. But I do try to help people whenever I can.
Tell us one song you would be fine with never ever hearing again.
Kami: Anything by John Mayer or "Gangnam Style"
What’s one movie you could watch 100 times and never get tired of it?
Kami: Rocky II or Rocky III
What song do you currently have on repeat on your iPod?
Kami: "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks
What was the first concert you ever went to?
Kami: The Cure
What’s your favorite reality TV show?
Kami: Pawn Stars
If you ever won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would splurge on?
Kami: A trip to Italy with my family
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
Kami: Aside from my kids, the Magneto helmet my husband gave me and a print from Chris Berens, the artist who created the paintings for my novel, Unmarked.
What book is next up on your TBR?
Kami: Open Road Summer by Emory Lord. I'm working backward from When We Collided.
If you could have dinner with one author (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
Kami: Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite books. I actually collect different editions. He was such a versatile writer -- and impossible to pigeon hole.
If you could trade lives with a fictional character for a day, who would it be and why?
Kami: Lestat from Anne Rice's Interview With a Vampire. He's such an epic character and one of my all-time favorites.
If you were to write your autobiography, what would it be titled?
Kami: Tales of a Part-Time Writer and Full-Time Fangirl
Did you always want to be an author?
Kami: Actually, I wanted to be an artist. I ended up being a teacher, but I painted on the side. A gallery in Los Angeles sold my work, and I had one show.
About the Author:
Kami Garcia is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and the coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures and Dangerous Creatures novels. Kami's solo novels include Unbreakable and Unmarked, in The Legion series, and her forthcoming YA contemporary romance, The Lovely Reckless, which releases on October 4, 2016 (Imprint/Macmillan).
Kami was a teacher for seventeen years and coauthored her first novel on a dare from seven of her students. If she isn't busy watching Supernatural, she can teach you how to escape from a pair of handcuffs or bake a Coca-Cola cake. She lives in Maryland with her family and their dogs, Spike and Oz. Visit Kami at kamigarcia.com and on Instagram & Twitter @kamigarcia.
Social Media Links:
Review by Yvette:
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I can count on one hand the number of Young Adult novels I’ve read this year, yet when I heard the co-author of one of my all-time favorite series (Beautiful Creatures, anyone?) was coming out with a contemporary YA romance, my curiosity was piqued. I mean, there’s street racing and a forbidden romance. Enough said, I think. If The Fast and the Furious met Pretty in Pink, made sweet sweet love, then had a baby, the result would be something a bit like The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia. Fast-paced, action-packed, and suspense-filled, The Lovely Reckless is an addictive page-turner that’ll keep you captivated from beginning to end.
The Lovely Reckless is told through the perspective of protagonist, Frankie Devereux, a high school senior whose world was turned upside down with the death of her boyfriend, Noah. Lost and confused, Frankie questions everything she thought she knew about herself, dealing with her pain by rebelling against her former life as an ordinary, college-bound rich girl. Frankie is the type of girl who seems mature beyond her years, jaded and cynical in her newfound view of the world. It’s often easy to forget that she’s a teenager, coping not just with PTSD from having witnessed her boyfriend being killed, but also dealing with dealing with the aftermath of her rebellion. I empathized with Frankie because high school is a difficult enough experience without the added pressure of starting a new school, making new friends, and reexamining who you are and what you want to do with your life.
The narrative is part mystery (in which Frankie tries to remember the events leading up to Noah’s death), part action (two words: street racing), and part romance (allow me to introduce me to your next book boyfriend…). When Frankie starts her new school, one of the first people she meets is the tattooed bad boy, Marco Leone. *cue wistful sigh* I’m going to purposely ignore the fact that he’s in high school for a minute because I. Loved. His. Character. I loved that he had this devil-may-care vibe but he’s also incredibly sweet and considerate. Yes, there's a *slight* issue with him partaking in illegal activities but how important is that really in the course of true love? (I’m only partly joking.) Marco and Frankie's relationship is very much of the insta-love variety – that all-consuming, butterflies-in-the-stomach, swoon-worthy kind of love. Marco reduced me to a giggling schoolgirl, one step away from doodling his name on my notebook (which is admittedly part of the fun of reading this). I’m not typically the biggest fan of insta-love but I think it worked for their particular situation.
Overall, The Lovely Reckless is a thought-provoking journey about taking chances and finding yourself – a journey that will tug on your heartstrings and set your emotions awhirl. This is a book that stands out for its unique premise as well as for the author’s brilliant storytelling abilities, which had me zooming through the pages, eager to see what would happen next. There’s so much going on in every chapter that you think it won’t be possible to resolve everything before the book’s end, yet Kami Garcia brings everything together in a way that will leave you perfectly content.
*complimentary copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4.5 Stars