Review: Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia

Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia

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?

Pages: 374

Format: E-Book

Published By: Imprint

Genre: YA - Contemporary, Romance

Rating:
✮✮✮✮

Review:

I'm really glad that I decided to give Kami Garcia's books another chance (could not get into Beautiful Creatures), and didn't think I would ever pick up another book by her. If I hadn't, I would have missed out on a fantastic story. I highly recommend this book (especially if the concept of street racing in a ya book sounds really exciting).

I loved how real this story was, it was raw and emotional, and just absolutely well-written. This is the kind of story that hooks your attention from the beginning, and does not let go. The pacing of the story was perfect. The plot was fantastic, it wasn't like anything I have ever read.

I loved the characters. Sofia was absolutely adorable. And I'm a sucker for the bad boy (whose also a really nice guy) and the good girl (who had somewhat of a bad streak herself). The characters were just amazing, and flushed out. They were flawed, and that is one of the things I really enjoy in a story, when the main characters have as many flaws as they have good characteristics. I didn't love Abel or Lex, but I did think they were a good addition to the story. But I did love Cruz. I thought she was pretty kickbutt, but with a nice side, at least one she shows to Frankie.

It was for the most part a really quick read. If you have the time, it is the kind of book that you could easily read in one sitting. I thought it ended really nicely, and overall the book was wonderful. The one thing I wished didn't happen, not in the book but for me, is that I figured out something (I feel quite early on in the story... definitely way before it was mentioned), and I would have liked it being more of a suprise.