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A review by onceupon_a_bookdream
The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison
2.0
[I received a digital arc for an honest review]
After I finished reading The Right Side of Reckless, I went back and reread the synopsis because I was under the impression that this was a YA contemporary romance. That's exactly what the synopsis' leads one to believe, however that's not what I just read.
RANT TIME:
Regan has no backbone, she lets her parents dictate her future, and her boyfriend was the worst. They had only been together a year, but he was constantly pressuring her for sex. Regan is in a committed relationship with her boyfriend until the 75% mark of the book when she finds out he cheated on him and then kisses Guillermo right after that ugh. HOW IS THAT A ROMANCE STORY?!? Regan and Guillermo aren't even friends have the book. The characters all just felt flat, and I'll be honest I almost DNFd more than once, but I'm trying to not do that with arcs anymore. Then we have Guillermo is our "bad guy" who for his first two strikes was really just a kid with crap luck. Yes he had anger issues, but he obviously learned from his mistake and had a good head on his shoulder. However, his ability to dish out lengthy Dr.Phil type advice would have been more believable if he was at college age, not high school. I felt the author was trying too hard with his preachy speeches of wisdom.
RANT OVER
There are some silver linings to this not as advertised YA novel. It has a fantastically diverse cast and some really great side characters. Most of the time, I enjoy Guillermo , especially when he was with his new group of friends. The novel also focused on some really important subjects. Such as not letting yourself be pressured into sex, standing up for yourself, respect, consent, and learning from your mistakes.
In the end, I was just really disappointed in this book. The plot had such potential, but I just don't think this author executed it well. I don't think I'll be reading any more by her and note for future me to not be fooled by a cute cover and perfect synopsis.
After I finished reading The Right Side of Reckless, I went back and reread the synopsis because I was under the impression that this was a YA contemporary romance. That's exactly what the synopsis' leads one to believe, however that's not what I just read.
RANT TIME:
Regan has no backbone, she lets her parents dictate her future, and her boyfriend was the worst. They had only been together a year, but he was constantly pressuring her for sex. Regan is in a committed relationship with her boyfriend until the 75% mark of the book when she finds out he cheated on him and then kisses Guillermo right after that ugh. HOW IS THAT A ROMANCE STORY?!? Regan and Guillermo aren't even friends have the book. The characters all just felt flat, and I'll be honest I almost DNFd more than once, but I'm trying to not do that with arcs anymore. Then we have Guillermo is our "bad guy" who for his first two strikes was really just a kid with crap luck. Yes he had anger issues, but he obviously learned from his mistake and had a good head on his shoulder. However, his ability to dish out lengthy Dr.Phil type advice would have been more believable if he was at college age, not high school. I felt the author was trying too hard with his preachy speeches of wisdom.
RANT OVER
There are some silver linings to this not as advertised YA novel. It has a fantastically diverse cast and some really great side characters. Most of the time, I enjoy Guillermo , especially when he was with his new group of friends. The novel also focused on some really important subjects. Such as not letting yourself be pressured into sex, standing up for yourself, respect, consent, and learning from your mistakes.
In the end, I was just really disappointed in this book. The plot had such potential, but I just don't think this author executed it well. I don't think I'll be reading any more by her and note for future me to not be fooled by a cute cover and perfect synopsis.