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Nowhere But Here

(Thunder Road #1)

Katie McGarry (Goodreads Author)

4.02 · Rating details · 14,455 ratings · 2,007 reviews

An unforgettable new series from acclaimed author Katie McGarry about taking risks, opening your heart and ending up in a place you never imagined possible.

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the ...more

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Hardcover, 496 pages

Published May 26th 2015 by Harlequin Teen

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Average rating 4.02 ·

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· 14,455 ratings · 2,007 reviews

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May 11, 2015 Emily May rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2015, arc, young-adult, romance

Oh god. Why is it so difficult to find a sexy summer romance that isn't annoying or laden with cliched characters?

I didn't finish Nowhere But Here - and feel free to judge me for writing a little review anyway - but I just couldn't make it through all the constant irritations.

The female MC (Emily) is a bland "good girl" from the right side of town and she comes into Oz's "bad boy" life and turns his head away from the slutty, trashy girls he's used to sleeping with and forgetting about. Because ...more

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Apr 08, 2015 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it really liked it

Shelves: own

Re/read Still enjoyed it!

Old Review

I thought this was a wonderful book.

Emily is caught up in having to go spend some time with her biological father Eli, who is in a motorcycle gang. She thinks her father abandoned her and her mother when she was little but that is not the case. I was very surprised when I found out the truth of what happened!

Oz is a boy around her age and they fall in love over time as he is forced to watch over her because of some issues with a rival gang.

This story is ...more

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Nov 28, 2013 Jennifer Kyle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4~4.5 Stars

”You’re smart. You know the truth. You haven’t been looking for someone to prove it. You’ve been searching to disprove it.”

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This is a very pricey book and I’m on the fence as to whether friends will find the story “worth” the price however for me it definitely was. This story leads into some great new characters in an exciting new series centering around get this… a legit motorcycle club!!

This story brought a lot of mystery as our heroine, Emily is asked to attend her ...more

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Jan 23, 2015 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* added it

Shelves: liburry-book, is-this-a-kissing-book, boring-as-hell, read-2015, dnf

This book is damn stupid. I've been picking it up and throwing it down and finally even the boy child said to give it up. DONE

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Mar 10, 2015 Pearl Angeli rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-physical-copy, 2015-reads, young-adult-contemporary, strong-female-characters, cute-book-couple

“Isn't it always the things that you can't see that hurt you?”

It took me two weeks to finish this book. It was a struggle. This book offered a lot of potentials but unfortunately it lacked on so many levels.

The plot was too weak and the pacing was too slow. I had very high expectations for this book because I enjoyed Pushing the Limits a lot that I was really certain I will enjoy this, too.

Nowhere But Here begins when Emily went to Snowflake and discovered that there are secrets that were ...more

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Mar 27, 2015 Brandi rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, emotional

4.25

Nowhere But Here is the first book in a new contemporary young adult series from Katie McGarry. I really enjoyed this first installment, that focuses on the bonds of family, secrets and finding the truth. While Oz and Emily didn't really wow me, and their romance felt more like a side story, I adored the secondary characters. Olivia and Eli were excellent, they truly made the story for me. I would love to see Katie write Eli's story, and try something a little more adult.

“I learned a long ...more

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Jun 10, 2015 Lainey rated it really liked it

This was my first Katie McGarry book I've read. Prior to meeting her at BEA, I remember reading the description to this book and knew I had to eventually get it. It's about motorcycle clubs and immediately my mind went to a YA Sons of Anarchy and I was so there. After finishing this book, I am not disappointed.

Because it dealt with heavier themes that most YA contemporary romances, I felt like it was high/ya low/na when it came to how this was written, the themes, the characters. Another thing This was my first Katie McGarry book I've read. Prior to meeting her at BEA, I remember reading the description to this book and knew I had to eventually get it. It's about motorcycle clubs and immediately my mind went to a YA Sons of Anarchy and I was so there. After finishing this book, I am not disappointed.

Because it dealt with heavier themes that most YA contemporary romances, I felt like it was high/ya low/na when it came to how this was written, the themes, the characters. Another thing about the structure I really enjoyed was that it was told in a dual perspective. When it comes to stories like these, I like being in the head of both the girl and the boy because I like learning about each character separately, but also getting perspective and insight from both sides as they build their relationship.

Quickly, this story takes place in Kentucky, where Emily goes to the funeral of a grandmother she's never met by her biological father she rarely sees. Things happen, and a quick trip turns into more of a summer where Emily learns more about the side of the family she doesn't know. Oz is a prospect-hopeful in the motorcycle club Emily's biological father and grandfather are a part of. This is the only life Oz knows and wants nothing more than to be a part of it. Oz and Emily - they start out hating each other so I was pretty much in love with these two when I discovered that because that is my favorite kind of relationship-starter.

I really loved Emily. I really related to her and really felt for her. We've gone through similar things and her conflictions with her adoptive father and her biological father were feelings that hit extremely close to home for me. I just really enjoyed this chick. I also really enjoyed Oz, he was awesome, I loved his chapters, especially the ones that tied closely to the motorcycle club and the inner-workings of it. It also got me extremely excited for the companion novels. We're introduced to other side characters like Violet, Chevy, and Razor where while I was reading it I knew that they would be the focus of the other companion novels. I enjoyed them so much, I was trying to guess which characters would be the focus next novel. Omg, Violet and Chevy break my damn heart. I want to know about that whole relationship, but I am SO excited that the next novel has to do with Razor. I love him and his dark, reserved behavior.

Another thing I loved was the length of the novel. At nearly 500 pages, this has got to be the biggest ya contemporary romance I ever read. Shit. And it didn't even feel that way! I inhaled this book and wanted more and when I finished, I thought I had read something that was more 300 pages (in a good way.) There's so much story in here, that I was so absorbed in not only Emily and Oz's, but everybody else's.

Of course, there were a few things I didn't like because if I liked everything, it would have been a 5 star book for me. I know the relationship between Oz and Emily has a lot of angst, but I wanted a little bit more romance on both ends. They built a good emotional connection, but hey, I came here for the romance and felt like there could have been more. Maybe I am just too used to NA at this point. Also, the pacing had some hiccups for me. Scenes would be skipped over or there would be some deal of summarizing. It's a hard balance to have and I just wanted some of those "few days" "the following week" transitions to be less that and more of the reader seeing Emily interacting with this side of her family she knew little about. And while everything made sense in the end with the mystery surrounding what happened in the past, getting there was tough for me. I was getting frustrated. BUT, I overall LOVED this book and am completely committed to the Thunder Road series.

Bring it. ...more

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Jan 30, 2015 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss, read-with-abbie, young-adult, romance, as, r2r-complete, contemporary, read-2015, death, multiple-pov

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Harlequin (UK) Limited and NetGalley.)

“Why are you giving up?” I beg. “You swore to me you’d never give up.”

This was a YA contemporary romance about a girl with ties to a motorcycle gang.

Emily was quite a naïve girl in my opinion, I felt like she should have been a little more receptive to what was going on around her, and to have maybe thought a little more. It was like she didn’t compute things she ...more

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May 17, 2014 Lani rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adorable

I'll write my thoughts later when I stop sobbing.
(And yes, I was right. Isaiah's dad, James, IS in fact a part of this story. Well not really a part of it since he is dead, but he is mentioned a few times)

Okay, so overall I liked this enough to give it five stars, but I didn't love it as much as the PTL series (specifically Crash Into You).
With that said, I'd like to add that this was quite different from Katie's other books ( ~~Crash Into You~~ ).
As always, there's the dual point of view, the sweet ...more

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Oct 22, 2015 Amy | Foxy Blogs rated it really liked it

Shelves: february-2017, headphones, hoopla, 99-pennies-deal, canaries-conquer-tbr-s-in-2016, 2017-books

I found this to be a solid 4 star read for me. My love for motorcycle romance started years ago after watching the tv show - SOA (which really isn't a romance tv series). I was drawn to the gritty world of bikers. So, when I discovered there were books that were about motorcycle clubs and they had romance in them, I knew I found a genre I'd be reading a lot of.

Emily is a 17 years old who has spent her life in the dark about her mother and biological father's past. She's met her father a few ...more

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Jun 07, 2015 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley, young-adult, new-adult, m-f, contemporary, read-to-review-arc, romance

Old school Katie McGarry, where did you go??

I usually love Katie McGarry. Her Pushing the Limits series was like popcorn for my angsty, YA-loving self. It was pure misunderstood teenagers living hard lives and battling their demons. This book felt like one giant tantrum.

I didn't like the MC, Emily, at all. She came across as spoiled, whiny, and judgmental, and I hated how she was all "purer-than-pure." She was pretty unlikeable for me. I also didn't really like Oz, who seemed like a caricature ...more

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Aug 10, 2013 Angela marked it as to-read

Shelves: wishlist-hardcover, arc-physical, contemporary, 2015-may

VERY excited for this new series!

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Mar 28, 2018 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-contemporary-romance, hardcover, young-adult, 3-stars-aint-the-devil

3 stars

This is a book that started out strong but then fizzled out a bit. Overall I still really enjoyed it, but it needed to be a lot shorter and there was some last minute drama thrown in at the end that I didn't enjoy. What I mean is the pacing was all off, very slow and then super fast!

I did love the writing and the characters and I want to read the other books in the series. This just isn't McGarry's strongest work.

Remember, as per Goodreads rating 3 stars means I liked it! So that's how ...more

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Oct 04, 2014 AJ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series-book-1, arc, romantic, young-adult, drama, pb-i-own-signed, bikers

5 stars - I love this book!

I’m a massive fan of Katie McGarry. She writes wonderful YA romantic drama, and when I heard that she was starting a new series featuring the younger generation of a motorcycle club, I knew I had to read it.

I went into it feeling nervous, because Pushing the Limits is one of my all-time favourite reads, and I didn’t want to unfairly compare this book to my obsession with Noah and Echo, but Katie has given us something original, exciting and completely engaging. The ...more

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Jan 16, 2014 Elena marked it as to-read

Shelves: i-could-die-for

"West Side Story meets Sons of Anarchy"

This
description

meets this?
description

OH MY-

No...

I NEED THIS NOW!
NOW LIKE NOWNOWNOWNOW

I NEED A DATE
I NEED A COVERRRRR!

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Apr 24, 2015 Lo Bookfrantic rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, mc, loan-overdrive, high-school, in-the-feels, young-adult

4.5 Stars

I really loved Oz he is eighteen years old trying to prove himself in the eyes of his family to become the next prospect in the MC club. However his loyalty is put on the test when he is forced to babysit Emily, the daughter of one of the MC members.

Emily is seventeen years old, living in Florida she grew up with no worries or care in the world. She was an only child and she kinda got on my nerves at the beginning haha but I slowly warned up to her.

This story was different and ...more

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May 26, 2015 Lindsey Rey rated it liked it

Shelves: 2016, contemporary, romance

I found these characters very difficult to relate to and they were very frustrating to read about. I'm not sure if I'll be continuing this series even though I love Katie McGarry.

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May 22, 2015 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: failed-to-impress, arc-2015, mira-ink, alternating-povs, contemporary-fiction, romance, young-adult, reviewed-in-2015

2.5 stars
It is now abundantly clear that McGarry and I will never find common ground. I’ve read several of her books by now, and while I tried very hard not to nitpick, I inevitably struggled to finish them. It needs to be said that I went into this book with the best of intentions. I was hoping that a new series would mean a clean slate, a new opportunity and a chance to build a very different opinion. Alas, it was not meant to be.

I have to say that I fully understand the appeal of Katie 2.5 stars
It is now abundantly clear that McGarry and I will never find common ground. I’ve read several of her books by now, and while I tried very hard not to nitpick, I inevitably struggled to finish them. It needs to be said that I went into this book with the best of intentions. I was hoping that a new series would mean a clean slate, a new opportunity and a chance to build a very different opinion. Alas, it was not meant to be.

I have to say that I fully understand the appeal of Katie McGarry’s books. They’re passionate and clever and they rely on well proven formulas. McGarry always seems to know what she’s doing, why she’s doing it and how she should go about doing it, and the end result is always a YA contemporary romance built to please her readers.

The effect on me, however, is precisely opposite.

It is awfully nice to see McGarry move to a different settings, with different characters and different circumstances. Nowhere But Here takes us to the world of motorcycle clubs, be it legit or otherwise, and people who live within these brotherhoods and consider them to be more important than anything else in the world. I applaud McGarry for her attempt to show that bikers aren’t all criminals and brutes, but in order to actually achieve that, her characters needed much more nuance. I felt that Emily’s newly discovered family members were all clichéd and some scenes and descriptions made me slightly uncomfortable.

Emily herself was somewhat of a cliché, which bothered me to no end. In order to create a strong contrast between her and Oz, McGarry made her too innocent and pure, far too naïve and forgiving. It’s a common problem I have with her characters – they never quite seem real to me. Oz was even more of a cliché. A womanizer and a bad boy all around changed his ways the second he met a beautiful, innocent girl. But what really made me pause was how he seemed brainwashed at certain times, a club drone with no thoughts of his own. I understand now it was a journey he needed to take, but at times it was pushed too far.

There’s no denying the quality of Katie McGarry’s writing, though. She may re-write the same formulas, but she does it exceptionally well. Her style is clean, precise and capable of evoking just the right emotions at exactly the right time. It is, I dare say, her saving grace in my eyes and it’s why I kept trying with her books even after several disappointments.

It’s clear, however, that it’s time to give up. My aversion to contemporary YA is certainly to blame, but several authors like Melina Marchetta, Jandy Nelson, Kirsty Eagar, Cath Crowley or Laura Buzo have been able to temporarily cure me of it and yet Katie McGarry never did. I suppose that alone says all there’s left to say.

...more

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Dec 12, 2014 Shannon (leaninglights) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-read-favorites

THIS BOOK TORE ME UP. I laughed, I cried and so many things in between. I wasn't sure how I would feel about a new series by Katie, since I really love her Pushing the Limits series but I am happy to say I loved it. ALL THE FEELS. I fell in love with these characters, each and every one. I felt like I was a part of the family and I was deeply invested in their fates.
Katie is a FANTASTIC contemporary author. This book borders the line between the line of YA and NA, which I think was refreshing THIS BOOK TORE ME UP. I laughed, I cried and so many things in between. I wasn't sure how I would feel about a new series by Katie, since I really love her Pushing the Limits series but I am happy to say I loved it. ALL THE FEELS. I fell in love with these characters, each and every one. I felt like I was a part of the family and I was deeply invested in their fates.
Katie is a FANTASTIC contemporary author. This book borders the line between the line of YA and NA, which I think was refreshing and realistic. I appreciated the fact that there were young people of all different walks of life and levels of experience.
YES, this world reminded me of Sons of Anarchy (TV show) because it is the only other thing I have seen/read that involves motorcycle clubs. There are elements that reminded me of the show but it is a really different story and setting and I just wanted to put that out there in case you were like me and wondering how it compared.
I loved our main characters - Oz and Emily - the book worked perfectly as dual perspective, just as all of Katie's books have in the past. She is one of the authors who really knows how to execute dual narrative well.
And ultimately, I just loved this story. There were elements that some people might find cheesy, it's obviously not realistic for most teens, BUT that being said, I think it accomplished everything it set out to and I think it's a fantastic first book in Katie's new companion series. If I nitpicked, I might be able to find a moment or two to knock my 5-star rating, but honestly, I simply don't want to because my love for the characters and the story outweigh any minor issues. The next book is about Razor, and you KNOW I am excited for that.
PS - if you haven't picked up a Katie McGarry book, I would challenge you to give her a try because her books are SO GOOD and they are about family, love and growing up. She tackles real issues like broken homes, adoption, parent/child relationships (including unconventional parents), peer pressure, grief and loss, and finding your place in the world. And it doesn't hurt that Ms. McGarry can WRITE A ROMANTIC SCENE. *fans self* Basically I am telling you that I think she is worth the read and I hope you all pick up her books if you haven't already!!

REIGN OF TERROR: Can I be a Terror Gypsy? ...more

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Oct 28, 2015 Kelli C ~ Jack Sawyer's Heart rated it really liked it

Shelves: fab-writing, series, vanilla-love, bad-bikers, kick-ass-female, taboo-love, v-card-intact

This is the start of something great for Katie McGarry! If you are looking for a really good young adult read then this should be an automatic one click!

Set in a small town run by a tight MC forged in brothethood, she delivers a journey of self discovery and first love for two young people that will steal your heart!

Emily is a 17 year old "all American girl" living her life happily until news from a town that claimed her mother's past changes her entire existence. Life in Snowflake is nothing ...more

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May 26, 2015 Vilma Iris rated it it was amazing

Sizzling, sexy, suspenseful and unputdownable. A gripping story about finding freedom, forgiveness and love.

I get it now. I get why there’s just something both intangibly and clearly special about Katie McGarry and her writing. Her stories. Her style. It’s stripped and gritty in a way that’s relatable… heck, that’s even so when she’s talking about motorcycle clubs and all kinds of things I’ve no experience in. But her voice is real and gripping and honest in a way that kept me flipping the pages ...more

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May 21, 2015 ♥Rachel♥ rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult

I’ve really enjoyed Katie McGarry’s writing in the past, and the prospect of reading a young adult romance set within a Motorcycle Club had me really excited. While I did enjoy parts of Nowhere But Here there were a few complaints that kept it from being a knockout read for me.

Emily’s plans for the summer change when a member of her biological father, Eli’s, family gets sick. Eli is part of a Motorcycle Club, Reign of Terror, a legit club who obey the law of the land, but that doesn’t mean I’ve really enjoyed Katie McGarry’s writing in the past, and the prospect of reading a young adult romance set within a Motorcycle Club had me really excited. While I did enjoy parts of Nowhere But Here there were a few complaints that kept it from being a knockout read for me.

Emily’s plans for the summer change when a member of her biological father, Eli’s, family gets sick. Eli is part of a Motorcycle Club, Reign of Terror, a legit club who obey the law of the land, but that doesn’t mean their lifestyle is anything normal to Emily. She’s been raised to think (by her mother) they are a dangerous and rowdy bunch, and Emily is not really an open minded girl when her visit begins.

Oz has been raised around the Reign of Terror and it’s his dream to finally get his patch and join the family security business. His plans are put on hold when he’s assigned to keep guard over Emily when her life is put in danger by a rival club.

I think my main issue with this story was the continual lies. Emily’s mother, adoptive father, biological father, and basically everyone else do nothing but lie to her, and as the reader I was in the dark, as well, on almost everything until about 80-85% mark of the book. Being that this is a long book, 496 pages, that’s a substantial amount of pages! I think this story would’ve greatly benefited from some editing down. I wanted to know what happened! I wanted Emily to know what happened so she would stop judging these people when it was pretty clear there was much more to her story than her father just abandoning her! Had the book been shorter or maybe if I was distracted by some danger or action maybe I would’ve been less frustrated. Or maybe if I could’ve felt the romance more wouldn’t have minded. As it was, Emily and Oz are mostly at odds for the first 65% of the book, alternately lusting after each other and then judging each other. I really wasn’t on board with them as a couple until the last 35% of the book. Plus, I couldn’t understand why Emily wasn’t grilling these people to get to the bottom of things when she supposedly stayed to find out the truth about her family.

Once the romance kicked into gear, I really wanted things to work out for Emily and Oz. I was happy with the choices Oz made when he stepped out of the Motorcycle Club mindset. Yes, he still loved the MC and his extended family, but Oz was in it on his terms by the end. I’m still a bit mixed over Emily. I wished she put more effort into trying (to get to know them, not be judgmental, get to the bottom of things!) with Eli’s family.

I know it sounds like I didn’t like this book at all, which is not the case. I was glued to the pages for the last 35% of the story. I finally got the answers, action and romance I wanted through the whole book. I did have some moments in the end there were I had to suspend my disbelief, although, that doesn’t necessarily put me off a story. This is fiction after all. With all of this it’s been really hard for me to come up with a rating. I’ve been trying to decide anywhere between 2-3.5 stars. In the end I think I’ll settle on 3 stars. I am excited for Razor's story next.

A copy was kindly provided by Harlequin Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is also posted at The Readers Den. ...more

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Sep 10, 2014 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own

I have had this book on my shelves for sooooo long but had never gotten around to actually reading it. I absolutely adore Katie's YA contemporaries, but for some reason I just never picked this one up. When I drew this title from my TBR Jar for May, I could not have been more excited. I read it and ended up loving this book even more than I thought i would!

Emily has a pretty good life with a great mom and stepdad who are always there for her. At 17, she's used to only seeing her birth dad once I have had this book on my shelves for sooooo long but had never gotten around to actually reading it. I absolutely adore Katie's YA contemporaries, but for some reason I just never picked this one up. When I drew this title from my TBR Jar for May, I could not have been more excited. I read it and ended up loving this book even more than I thought i would!

Emily has a pretty good life with a great mom and stepdad who are always there for her. At 17, she's used to only seeing her birth dad once a year. While she's always been curious about him, Emily knows that she'll never be a part of his world. But when word comes that her grandmother has passed away, Emily finds herself back in her parents' hometown and falls head first into her father's motorcycle club world where everything she's known might not all be the complete truth. Throw in the crazy things she's feeling for Oz, the recruit assigned to look after her while she's with her father, and Emily is definitely in way over her head.

I recently read my first adult motorcycle romance book and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to enter this YA motorcycle world. Oz's character is definitely an interesting one; he's been working his whole life to earn his cut for Emily's father's club and will do anything, including protect Emily, to earn his place. You can imagine the conflict he feels, then, when he starts to feel things for Emily, who is basically the boss's daughter. I loved their relationship and how they started off not really liking each other and then started to play with each other to get what they wanted. Emily may have never known the world her father was a part of, but she sure could hold her own there!

While I definitely loved the romance in this book, there was some mystery and danger in this book that had me very intrigued. So many of the characters were hiding things from Emily and wouldn't tell her in order to protect her relationship with certain people. We're just as in the dark as she was, which was infuriating and intriguing at the same time. What was the huge secret about her past?? The whole motorcycle family was very close and, while they did have their secrets, I enjoyed seeing how loyal they were and how close Emily grew to them by the end.

If you couldn't tell, I loved every second of this book. The romance was through the roof between Emily and Oz and there was also a very strong family dynamic that was really important to the plot line that I really enjoyed. With mystery, danger, romance, and some hot motorcycle men, you can't go wrong with Nowhere but Here. ...more

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Apr 30, 2015 Debbie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-books, on-my-kindle, series-companion, romance, mature-upper-young-adult, new-adult, bad-ass-bikers, alpha-male, contemporary-romance, new-book-release

Holy smokes! Katie McGarry has done it again. McGarry just blew me away with her new series, a mature young adult/new adult, Thunder Road. I didn't think McGarry could outdo her Pushing the Limits series but boy, oh boy, she has done it with Nowhere But Here. Emily and Oz grabbed my heartstrings and all I could do was hold on and enjoy the wild, sexy, and deeply touching ride with these two broken, stubborn and totally hot for each other teenagers and the Reign of Terror motorcycle club.

Nowhere ...more

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Oct 18, 2017 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, teen-novels

I really liked this book. I’ve been wanting to read more MC books and this was just what I needed. I find MC’s to be so fascinating. I loved learning about their world and how they operate.

Eli reminded me so much of FP Jones from Riverdale. Both are biker dudes who will stop at nothing to protect their kids.

I liked the romance even though it was a bit cliche.

I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books and finding more out about the other characters.

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Sep 05, 2014 Lisa (lifeinlit) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015, favorites, netgalley, e-arc

Talk about a book hangover. DAMMMMMMM! I’ve got it BAD!

I’ve loved Katie McGarry’s writing since the first book I read. The Pushing the Limits Series is one of my favorites. I’ve read them all, except for Take Me On, (which I have patiently waiting on my Kindle) and every single one of them has impressed me. This is an author that can have you smiling one minute, then BAM! tears galore the next. It’s always an intense experience when reading one of her books. I’m beyond excited about this new ...more

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Mar 21, 2015 Aly (In Wonderland) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, young-adult, contemporary, netgalley

It’s what people do. Judge before they bother getting to know someone. Judge before they understand what the club’s about.

Seventeen year old Emily has had a simple, safe life so far. With doting parents, a good school and social life, and safe plans for her future, Emily doesn’t want to change a single thing. Although she is curious about her biological father, she’s made a point of never asking her mother about him. After all, he chose a motorcycle club over being a parent; what’s there to ...more

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Sep 30, 2014 Sophie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars, 2015-releases, 2019-contemporary-romance-challenge, arcs-read, read-in-2019, read-in-2015, own-read

Also reviewed on Sophie Reads YA

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This is no way impacted in my view.

Nowhere But Here is my first Katie McGarry book, but I can definitely say it won't be my last.

In this book we meet 17 year old Emily, who is visiting her biological father's family for the first time ever. All her life she thought her father never wanted her, that her whole paternal family didn't want her, and she is now faced with the knowledge that there's a Also reviewed on Sophie Reads YA

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This is no way impacted in my view.

Nowhere But Here is my first Katie McGarry book, but I can definitely say it won't be my last.

In this book we meet 17 year old Emily, who is visiting her biological father's family for the first time ever. All her life she thought her father never wanted her, that her whole paternal family didn't want her, and she is now faced with the knowledge that there's a whole other life she could've had. Throughout the entire story Emily discovers new aspects to this world, a lot of which concern her. I especially loved the character development we saw in the majority of these characters, but especially Emily's development - I can't wait to see how she grows further in further instalments of this series. Emily was not the only memorable character though. Out of the whole cast, I especially loved Oz and Olivia, particularly the way they act towards, and around, Emily, who was, quite understandably, terrified to be thrust into a new world.

I've heard so many positive things about McGarry's writing, and especially her romance, and I was in no way disappointed here. I don't read many Contemporary YA's, or chose OTPs easily, but I can safely say that Emily and Oz are definitely my newest OTP. Their interactions were cute from the first meeting, and the intimacy just blossomed the more they were together. I ultimately loved the fact that it was not an "insta-love" situation here, that we could be there with the characters as their feeling grew - it undoubtedly made the book so much enjoyable, as if we were actually a part of the story.

I've never read anything to do with motorbike gangs before, nor seen Sons of Anarchy, which this book has been compared to, but the detail in which McGarry went to fully immerse the reader into this world was outstanding. Though I was scared at times of the craziness of gang, I loved that they were definitely close, they were a family.

The fact that it took me less than two days to basically devour a nearly 500 page book is testament to how amazing the plot line was, and how the writing just flowed, and was so enjoyable to read. I desperately can't wait to read book 2 (and books 3 & 4), and would encourage everyone who loves YA Contemporary novels to definitely try this book! ...more

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Apr 27, 2015 Aditi rated it really liked it

Shelves: harlequin, humor, friends, my-reviews, ya, family, contemporary-romance

"Focus on where you want to go not on what you fear. "

----Anthony Robbins

Katie McGarry, an American author, pens her new novel, Nowhere But Here which is the first book in the Thunder Road series. This book traces the journey of two teenagers trying to find the gravity and meaning of their lives, thereupon falling in love and realizing the difficulties attached with this sweet feeling, well, you can clearly say, this a book about teens and their road to self discovery.

Synopsis:

...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015, arc, new-adult, mc-romance, young-adult, young-love

Copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

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Nowhere But Here is the first book that I have read from Katie McGarry and I have to say that I am quite impressed with this book. Ms. McGarry took her readers like myself on an emotional, heartfelt, touching journey of a young girl rediscovering the truths about her family especially in regards to her biological father's side and the secrets her parents kept. Though this book started off a bit slow for me in the beginning ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Contemporary romance, girl's mom dies, goes to live with father who runs a motorcycle gang. [s]	10	39	Dec 05, 2018 08:38AM
What did you think of this book?	14	56	May 25, 2018 10:50AM
Shut Up & Read: October - Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry	1	12	Sep 27, 2017 06:23AM
Crazy for Young A...: Nowhere but here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry → Start Date: September 4th, 2016	31	19	Sep 27, 2016 06:06AM
Read-along: Romance \| Nowhere But Here	49	30	Jun 06, 2016 02:42AM
Young Adult Conte...: #50 Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry	26	19	Jan 29, 2016 12:00PM
Books4ever: GIVEAWAY: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGArry	1	6	Jun 01, 2015 03:03PM

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About Katie McGarry

Katie McGarry

12,434 followers

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. Contact her via her website, katielmcgarry.com, follow her on Twitter @KatieMcGarry, or become a fan on ...more

Other books in the series

Thunder Road (3 books)

Books by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, #1)

Crossing the Line (Pushing the Limits, #1.1)

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Quotes from Nowhere But Here

“You’re beautiful,” I say, and the honesty of my words stings. “You’re beautiful inside and out. I like how you challenge me. I like how I can never figure out what you’re going to do or say. I like how we’ve thrown weird shit in your direction and you take it like a pro.”
I cup her face with one hand and caress her soft skin. “I like how you smile and how you laugh. I like how you love and defend your family and I like how you’re trying to love mine. I love how you trust. But mostly, Emily, I like how I feel when I’m around you.”
Shit. My heart bursts as the words tumble out. “I’m falling for you.” — 46 likes

“This is your family … If you learn to love us then you will forever have our love in return.” — 37 likes

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