The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia

The Lovely Reckless
by Kami Garcia
Publisher: Imprint
Release Date: October 4th 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Sports, Racing

Rate: Loved it (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?

The Lovely Reckless is definitely in my "Perfect Summer Reads" list! This book reminded me so much to Simone Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry series that I fangirled a lot while reading it. But don't panic! Although the story might sound familiar, Kami Garcia found a way to create unique characters that will make you love this sexy and addicting romance story.

The synopsis pretty much sums up what this story's about: Frankie witnesses the murder of her boyfriend and doesn't remember much of that night. As a result of that tragic event, she has PTSD and a new personality where everything's spiraling out of control from her parents' point of view.

I'm not sure how the "old" Frankie was, but I found the character we met in The Lovely Reckless real. Her emotions are all over the pages of the book, raw and painful and she's afraid she's broken inside due to her grief. Despite all this negative emotions, she's an approachable character and you end up understand her as well as her situation. And in the end you find that she's just another teenage girl, lost and hurt waiting for someone to understand her and accept her for what she is and not for what they all want her to be.

As for Marco, can we just say that he's the exact definition of perfect fictional book boyfriend? He has a bad ass exterior but he's caring, compassionate, protective and basically a good person though certain circumstances in his life might make you doubt it. However, he knows what he has done and sees the differences between right and wrong which makes him irresistible. Plus he's beyond selfless *swoons*.

It's true that the story itself is not anything new or creative and it would be wrong to say this book reminds us a bit to the movie Fast and Furious. There's cars, illegal racing and car lessons but it's a tamed version of what we have seen in those movies. So in case you're expecting this story to get that wild, don't! But this did not bother me. On the contrary, I think it has the perfect amount of "car scenes". Otherwise it would be excessive and would miss the whole point of the story which is Frankie and Marco's story.

Their relationship is one similar to Romeo and Juliet from the very beginning. They belong to different social circles. Frankie's family is wealthy, Marco's not. Frankie's father is a cop, let just say that Marco does not fancy cops at all. Frankie's father forbids her to see Marco, they sneak out to see each other because they just cannot be apart. But do not fear! Their love is a progressive thing as well as their relationship. They do not fall in love at first sight. Which makes this story even more credible and approachable for the reader.

I didn't give 5 stars, merely because to my taste the ending seemed a bit rushed. The story arrived at a point where everything is spiraling out of control and the "mysteries" are being solved and out of a sudden you have finished the story. It's like there's no time for the reader to process we are not having more Marco and Frankie's moments. However, I liked that Kami gives a sort of conclusion to all her characters at the end from Frankie's point of view. 

Overall, this story has everything in my opinion to be a favorite read this year: it has romance, forbidden love, illegal racing, a mystery to solve, danger and friendship. I am highly encouraging the author to write another book similar to this one because now I am hooked and I need more! I am that greedy with this story.

Perfect for all those YA readers searching for a fast summer read filled with romance, illegal racing and heartache! And of course, fans of Simone Elkeles will definitely adore this book.

The cute guy who sits at the table to the left and has been staring at Cruz for most of the class drops down on one knee next to her, his hand over his heart. "It's like falling in love. You know it when you feel it."

***

Because If I let myself feel one thing, I'll feel everything. Because if my walls come down, the dam inside me will break, and I'll drown. Because I can't risk losing someone else I care about.

***

"I don't want to stay away from you, Frankie. I'm not even sure I can. But I'll try if that's what you want."

***

"We've both have things in our pasts that we would rather forget, and we've both made mistakes. We look at the same stars and see the same sky."

"I wish that was true. But the stars don't look the same in the Downs. It's though to see past the projects to notice the sky."

I take his face in my hands. "You just have to look harder."

Listen to my playlist for THE LOVELY RECKLESS

Kami Garcia is the #1 New York Times & USA Today bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures novels & the Dangerous Creatures novels, and the author of the instant New York Times bestseller & Bram Stoker Award nominated novels UNBREAKABLE & UNMARKED in the Legion Series. Her contemporary romance THE LOVELY RECKLESS releases on October 4th (Imprint/Macmillan).

Kami grew up outside of Washington DC, wore lots of black, and spent hours writing poetry in spiral notebooks. When Kami isn't writing, she lives to bake, watch bad disaster movies, and listen to Soundgarden. She lives in Maryland with her husband, son, daughter, and their dogs Spike and Oz (named after characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer).