Book Review: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Nowhere But Here was nothing like I expected.

I had a lot of issues with Nowhere But Here, the first novel in the Thunder Road series. The novel is written by none other than Katie McGarry, and I have always liked every book that I have read by her. If you haven't heard of her, she wrote the Pushing the Limits series, which so far has four novels out. McGarry has been pushing books like women did babies in the 1700s, and unfortunately, they've lost their luster. The past couple books have seemed really similar to me, and this one didn't stand out.

Nowhere But Here follows two main characters: Emily and Oz. Emily's biological father is part of a national bike club, and she is dreading coming to his town after she hears that her grandmother has passed away. Oz lives in the town where the club is dominant, and is about to become a prospect to the club. This means that in about six months time, he's supposed to be part of the big ol' group.

I'm sad to say that nothing really stuck out for me in this novel. The plot was a bit predictable the first half and I didn't like the characters that much. Emily seemed stuck up and wasn't open to new things,  and the same goes for Oz. What they know is religion; they don't ever stray away from what they've been taught.

The other half of the novel is a completely different story. The dynamics between Oz and Emily changed from dull and predictable to sexy and fun. I started really liking both the characters; they started to look at the world in a different way. The relationships that both Oz and Emily had with the secondary and minor characters were really interesting. I would not mind having a novel in this series about one of the secondary characters.

One of the main drawbacks I had to this novel was that I completely predicted the 'twist'. I didn't see if from a mile away, but I had an inkling and feeling for about half of the novel. To be honest, I am so tired of being able to predict the surprise twist. I've done it in TV shows and movies for quite awhile, and have started to get really good at it in books.

Basically, the second half of the book was a four star read while the first half was a two star read. The characters were dull and basic in the first half and I couldn't connect with them at all, but they developed really well and I was rooting for them in the end. The whole entire part of the plot that dealt with Reign of Terror, the club the book was centered on, was intriguing. One of the conflicts that really struck me was the club's rival bike group, which was actually a gang. Before reading this, I wasn't too clear on the differences between a motorcycle gang and a motorcycle club. Though I don't exactly know if the way Katie McGarry portrayed the gang or the club is realistic in real life, it did hold my attention.

Overall, the book was just about average. Romance wise, the plot has been done over and over, and I got bored. The last 100 or so pages were really cute. However, the biker aspect was what really held my attention. I didn't like the characters at first, but they grew over time, which is realistic. The secondary characters is what really kept me going in the book and made me keep on chugging when I didn't necessarily want to. Nowhere But Here was an average read that I would recommend if you don't mind reading a contemporary with some slow parts. If you like Katie McGarry's other novels, my bet is that you'll like this one as well.

With that, I give this book

3 Stars! 

Have you guys read this book? If so, what did you think about it? Have you read any of Katie McGarry's other novels?

Leave a comment down below! I would love to talk about it!

Thanks for stopping by and I'll see you guys soon with another post!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!