Blog Tour-Review: “The Right Side of Reckless” by Whitney D. Grandison
About The Book
The Right Side of Reckless
Whitney D. Grandison
On Sale Date: July 13, 2021
Page Length: 416 pages
About the book:
When a bad boy in need of a second chance meets a good girl who is off limits, sparks fly and forbidden friendship forms in this edgy own-voices romance, perfect for fans of Katie McGarry and Kristina Forest.
They were supposed to ignore each other and respect that fine line between them…
Guillermo Lozano is getting a fresh start. New town, new school, and no more reckless behavior. He’s done his time, and now he needs to right his wrongs. But when his work at the local community center throws him in the path of the one girl who is off limits, friendship sparks…and maybe more.
Regan London needs a fresh perspective. The pressure to stay in her “perfect” relationship and be the good girl all the time has worn her down. But when the walls start to cave in and she finds unexpected understanding from the boy her parents warned about, she can’t ignore her feelings anymore.
The disapproval is instant. Being together might just get Guillermo sent away. But when it comes to the heart, sometimes you have to break the rules and be a little bit reckless…
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Review:
Told in dual point-of-views The Right Side of Reckless follows the stories of Guillermo and Regan. Guillermo is struggling to adapt to the new town that his family moved to. He wants to show that he’ll make things right after his time in juvie but everyone including his family doesn’t believe in him. Reagan is a teenager who hates that people are trying to make decisions for her in her life. Though she seems happy on the outside she is tired of feeling like she has to please others.
Not only is this novel an opposites attract tale, but it also touches on prejudice, racism, sexism, classism, and a lot more topics. I really appreciated how Grandison discusses a wide variety of issues through the open conversations the characters have. People label the main characters as a stereotype and try to force them into a mold or perceive them as a threat. It just reminds us the readers how assumptions can be so damaging.
Whereas I thought Grandison’s debut novel was okay I really enjoyed The Right Side of Reckless a lot more. For me, I thought that the overall narrative and character development was even stronger in her sophomore novel. I felt like rears can really connect to Guillermo and Regan’s stories. From an outside perspective, both of them seem very different people but in reality, they’re sort of the same. Both are trying to hold up this image of perfection and it’s eating them inside. Guillermo because he wants to be better for his family and not cause any trouble and Regan wants to try not to make waves even though she doesn’t want to follow the careers and path that her family has bestowed upon them. And because both of their families had such overbearing parental figures they really work hard to change or to speak up for themselves and show that they are trying to make changes
The story has a lot of relatable coming-of-age themes and talks about how to find your way again when you aren’t sure what direction to take next. I also found the romance to be very cute. there’s obviously flirtation and initial interest and both parties with her trying to deny. I loved the quick banter and their conversation was really endearing to read.
Final Verdict:
About The Author
Whitney is dedicated to telling stories about teens of color and teens in difficult but relatable situations. Some of her works can be found on Wattpad, one of the largest online story sharing platforms, where she has acquired over 30,000 followers and an audience of over fifteen million dedicated readers. Outside of writing, she is a lover of Korean dramas, all things John Hughes, and horror films. Whitney currently lives in Akron, Ohio. She is the author of A Love Hate Thing and The Right Side of Reckless. Visit Whitney’s website www.whitneydgrandison.com and follow her on Twitter @whitney_dg and Instagram @wheadee.
