Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of The Right Side of Reckless in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Gist
I may almost be 40, but that doesn’t discourage me from reading young adult fiction. It’s one of my favourite genres and it can be such fun to read.

Having said that, I have noticed a change in the last couple of years. A good change. It has become more inclusive, grittier and more realistic when it comes to describing the struggles teenagers face.

It has shifted from the typical teenage angst of “no one understands” to the more realistic existential crises we all faced as we transitioned from child to adult.

What I’m trying to say here is that I appreciate this more realistic take on teenage struggles and anxieties. I also appreciated that this is a large theme in The Right Side of Reckless.

There were just a few aspects of this story that felt glossed over which made it difficult to fully immerse myself in it.

The Details
The Right Side of Reckless started out very promising. We have a boy and a girl trying to make it work at home and at school, each in their own way. Possibly even trying to right some wrongs.

The introduction of the two protagonists was well done. It grabbed my attention and I wanted to know more. But this is where it fell short. Throughout the story the characters were kept at arm’s length. I wanted to get closer to them, but I felt the narration just kept on scratching at the surface.

It frustrated me and it took me quite a bit of motivation to keep reading.

Furthermore, I noticed that almost 20% into the story we were still somehow stuck in the introduction phase of the book. It really began to drag. There were a lot of details, yet not enough substance to keep me interested.

I mean 20% of over 400 pages is almost 100 pages dedicated to introductory chapters. I felt the story never got past that initial stage which is a shame.

The writing in general is very good. I could feel the protagonists’ inner conflict and I was really rooting for them to get their happy ending. It just wasn’t enough for me.

The Verdict
Overall, I thought The Right Side of Reckless had great potential and I know that others may disagree with my opinion here, but I think the story could have benefitted from further editing and cutting of some chapters.

It isn’t a bad story. It just doesn’t have the pace that makes it a page-tuner for me. I would still suggest it, though.

The alternating voices work really well here, and I can see our teens really liking this. I'll be handing it to fans of Jenny Han and maybe those kids who like high school stories that fee more realistic, messy parts included.

There were so many things to like about this book. The author brought me on an emotional and powerful voyage. I enjoyed watching all of the characters grow and develop. And it wasn't just the main characters, all characters were real and had a story to tell.
I also appreciated having Regan and Guillermo grow and mature into adults. Having them deal with difficult problems and their response to the challenges made the story more interesting and compelling.

Cute young adult book, with some diverse characters which I appreciated. It was a good read, but there were pros and cons. Not the first book of the summer I would recommend, but it's not bad!

This story had a little bit of everything when it comes to realistic fiction, some sports, some romance, some feminist power, family drama, multi-cultural hints, etc. While, at times, I thought the story was a little slow, overall I enjoyed it. Also, Guillermo was my favorite from the get-go.

From page one, I knew I was going to love THE RIGHT SIDE OF RECKLESS. The description of characters, the obviously strained family dynamics, the mystery surrounding Guillermo's crimes... I was instantly addicted.

Described as: "He’s never met a rule he didn’t break… She’s followed the rules her whole life… When they meet, one golden rule is established: stay away. Sparks fly in this edgy own voices novel, perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon, S. K. Ali, and Kristina Forest."

Summary: 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 into 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…

Both of our main characters are in total opposite, both in personality as well as the family situation. They have their own struggles but those differences make reading this story interesting. Both of our characters really grow throughout the story. And seeing that kind of development in both of our characters is what really stands out about this book.

It has a fantastically diverse cast and some really great side characters. It also brought up some important topics such as not letting yourself be pressured into sex, standing up for yourself, and learning from your mistakes.

Reading this book as an adult also reminds me of how important parental support is for children. And how easy it is for parents to slip up and not realize they've been giving pressure to their children instead of support simply by not allowing them to speak their opinion.

What I feel missing in this book is the romance. This book clearly has the potential for a great slow-burn romance, but the process to get "there" was too long and makes the earlier part feel draggy.

The Right Side of Reckless is a very sweet romance featuring Guillermo, a reforming delinquent, and Regan, a high achieving people pleaser. This book read easily, even though many of the characters were frustratingly obtuse. Guillermo and Regans’ story was captivating, and Whitney D. Grandison wrote them with so much chemistry. I kept expecting these characters’ lives to implode, and it never happened. This is going to be the first book in a series set in the same high school, and I look forward to reading the rest!

2.5 stars

This is my first book by this author and I went in not knowing what to expect.

On the one hand, I loved the premise (good girl/bad boy romance) and thought the author did a good job in executing it without being too predictable. The romance between Regan and Regan and their growth throughout the story was interesting to read. I enjoyed how the author went about bringing their connection and growth to the page. I also appreciated the author's effort in bringing real issues to the page. Although some were handled predictably, others were emphasized which showcased how the characters were affected and their growth as a result of it.

On the other had, there was a lot more telling than showing throughout the story--which always affects my enjoyment of a story. I also felt like the story dragged in places and took away from Guillermo and Regan's romance. In the end, everything resolved itself and I was left wanting to experience the actual romance.

All in all, an okay story.

I really enjoyed reading about Guillermo and his commitment to be a better person. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy reading about Regan, but I just felt like Guillermo's story was more impactful and influential for me than Regan's. There were also some parts of Regan's POV chapters that I really was not a fan of, but I also don't want to put spoilers in this review!

{4.5/5 Stars}

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for review*

The Right Side of Reckless follows our two main characters, there's Guillermo and Reagan. The former is the reckless type, ready to fight, and stands up to people who pick on people he cares about. Reagan is the opposite: a goody-two-shoes just trying to live up to her father's standards while trying to have her own choices. Of course, they aren't allowed to be together.

This was amazing, holy shit. The characters were so thought out and well-rounded. The side characters were not there just to drive the main characters' actions. The romance was slow-burn and adorable.

I find many reviewers complaining about the length; however, I felt that these characters needed to be fleshed out, and having 413 pages was just the right length to do so.

Would I read it again? Absolutely. Would I recommend it to everyone? Yes. Why did I not give it five stars? Because it's not quite a favorite book of all time, but one I supremely enjoyed.

This was such a cute YA Romance. The author's writing was amazing and she did a wonderful job of incorporating a little bit of everything into the book (romance, inspiring themes, etc.)

I loved the characters, Guillermo was perfect in my eyes (despite the whole being on probation thing, he was a wonderful guy in every aspect) and Regan was so likable and relatable. I could totally relate to Regan wanting to please her family despite not being happy with it. Most of us have at least someone in our lives we strive to please and hope we make them proud.

The plot was so interesting too, there was never a dull moment that made me want to put the book down. It's the perfect YA contemporary romance.

Overall, this is a definite recommend!

I liked it. Didn't love it. There were some plot points I didn't care for. Just an easy quick summer read.

Top 5 Reasons to Read The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison

1. A badass female main character who’s also messy, relatable, and unsure. Although Regan wasn’t my favourite character in the book, she was one I really appreciated. She broke all stereotypes, and I’m so glad to say that she was actually proud of her culture! In so many books, when the main character is BIPOC, they neglect their cultural identity, but Regan was proud of it, and I loved seeing that part of her! She did have her flaws, but she was independent, loyal, and stood up for herself (most of the time).

2. Guillermo’s (the love interest’s) family dynamics that WILL make your heart soft. Guillermo’s family (and their interactions) were one of my favourite parts of the book. His dad is tough on him, and so is his mother, but you can see how proud they are, and how much they really care about him. Seeing the family bond over breakfast, Guillermo treating his sister, having heart to heart talks with his dad, or even a wild phone call with his uncle was honestly so heartwarming 🥺🤍 His sister was also a pure ray of sunshine omg!!

3. The character development, and journeys. The character development in this book was simply phenomenal. The starting point for both our main characters, and even the smallest of side characters is made very clear from the start, and just when you start thinking they’re incapable of change, they improve. The growth of especially Guillermo, captured my entire heart. Seeing him thinking of himself as monster, and trying SO hard to make amends was beautiful, and yet heartbreaking at the same time.

What I also really loved was that none of Guillermo’s past actions – no matter his initial intentions, were never romanticized. They were depicted exactly as they were, brutal, and he knew that too. He never made excuses about his past, and he simply worked towards creating a better future. Seeing that create a reaction within the other characters, and relationships was really interesting too.

4. The themes and messages within the book. Although the main storyline was the romance, there was also a huge discussion and focus throughout the book on consent, and other topics that I would mention, but I’m afraid I’ll spoil the book! It stressed upon the fact that your body is not a trophy, and neither are you. The commentary on standing up for yourself, and not letting anyone else own you was moving, and packed a punch, as well as added to the otherwise light and fluffy storyline.

5. The effortless diversity. I’m not going to elaborate on this much, but The Right Side of Reckless was such a beautifully diverse book, with so many characters from so many different ethnicities and backgrounds. One thing I think the author did a really good job of was stressing on the fact that it wasn’t easy to be BIPOC in America, but also managed to make each of these individual characters proud of their cultures!

The angstttttttt! I loved this contemporary YA romance. I’m a huge fan of narratives that deal with the pressures of living up to (or even more interestingly, down to) expectations. I very much enjoyed this one.

The story was so beautiful. As someone who loves dramatic, angsty romances, I thought the author did a fantastic job incorporating all the elements into the Young Adult genre. Not only do we get a sweet romance between the two leads, but we also get a heartwarming story of them individually trying to move past their conflicts. On a side note, I also adored the playlist that the author incorporates with the storyline. I found myself humming some of the tracks when the characters mention them to picture the scene realistically.

The author also wrote the characters wonderfully. Guillermo is my favorite character and so dynamic in the lead. Even though he is on probation, he is very mature. Guillermo learns from his mistakes and tries not to get into further trouble. Yet, at the same time, he also protects his friends and family. For instance, I loved the scene where he stands by Jenaya in front of the bullies.
Similarly, I also liked Regan and felt the author depicted her nicely. She lives with demanding parents and wants to please them, even if she is not happy. It was interesting to see how Guillermo opened her mind to various possibilities and made her confident and feel free. The author also wrote the supporting cast like Jenaya, Raviv, and Malika nicely.

My only minor criticism of the story is Troy. I was not too fond of Troy throughout the tale for the way he treats Regan. Yet, Regan civilly treats him, which shows what a lovely person she is. However, I wished the author had not focused too much on Troy and Regan as it strayed from Regan’s feelings for Guillermo.

But, overall, “The Right Side of Reckless” is a beautiful contemporary YA romance that I loved reading.

I found this story to be a distant cousin of enemies-to-lovers, so there were some “hot” moments, but the tension between Regan and Guillermo went on for too long in my opinion.

Guillermo is determined to get back on the right track after doing some time for assault. He needs to stay on the right track for his family’s sake; no sketchy business, no fighting, and no girls. Unfortunately, the no girls rule is in jeopardy when he meets Regan, the daughter of his community service mentor who looks to have the perfect life on the outside. On the inside, Regan might need Guillermo more than Guillermo needs her. It might not be easy to stay away.

I loved Guillermo’s character more than Regan’s, to be honest. He had a good head on his shoulders and, normally with character arcs like his where he has to stay straight, the character normally screws up at least once or twice before they change for good. Guillermo is different, though. He really does work hard to stay on the straight and narrow, even with the temptation of Regan and one moment where he nearly blows up. It was a sense of relief with this book to see him be so wise and smart for his young age. It’s like, yeah there is Regan, but his main focus was being good and making amends with his family.

Regan wasn’t really likable for me. It was kind of a turn off when she acted all love struck just by looking at him for the first time, almost as if her mind told her that she had to have this man even if she did have a boyfriend. Speaking of, her boyfriend Troy is a piece of work. He is the typical football star and treats Regan like crap. He constantly pressures her to give up her freaking virginity and could care less about anything else but football. He is a total fake and the fact that Regan puts up with that for way too long is really annoying. Even near the end of the book, it was hard to believe that she grew a backbone. I still don’t think she did, but maybe in time, it will. I just don’t think she was a strong female lead compared to Guillermo’s character.

The two of them did have good chemistry and, of course, when it’s a romance that shouldn’t happen, there has to be tension. Near kisses, knowing looks, closeness. It’s a lot in the formula. However, their tension seemed to bubble over and it went on for way too long. I’ve never seen a should-they-shouldn’t-they situation in a book that was too much, but here it is. It just went back and forth a lot.

The book was pretty good, but it wasn’t great. The only bright spot for me was Guillermo’s character, so my focus was more on him and his journey to the right path. Everything else felt like a side dish.

Okay, so I didn't hate this book, and there were definitely some pros, so I can see why some people liked it. But I don't think it was for me.

It was a fairly easy read and a nice way to pass the time. The romance is cute, the last chunk of the book was great, and the character's solid. This book really plays on the good girl/bad boy trope, if you're into that, so aspects of that were fun. Of the two main characters, I think Guillermo was the most developed and was the most fun to read.

Just overall, the whole thing fell flat to me. The plot just felt like events happening in succession, rather than the characters facing hardships and driving the story forward. Nothing seemed really connected and it took a while to get from point A to B to the rest of the book. Some things felt so out of place, too. I don't want to be too spoilery, but an example would be the part with the dogs later in the story. It was pretty weird to me.

Not a lot of plot works okay, though, when you have great characters. Like I said, I enjoyed Guillermo, but not enough to make up for the lack of plot. And Reagan didn't do it for me, either. She spends most of the book afraid to stand up for herself to her family or her current boyfriend Troy, and while her finally getting a backbone was fairly satisfying, it definitely took too long to get there. And while the light romance between Reagan and Guillermo was cute, it was hard to fully get on board. I appreciate that the author didn't have Reagan full-on cheat on Troy, but they did stay together for a huge percentage of the book—and yikes.

Anyway, I don't want to just drag this book forever, so the last thing I'll say is that I didn't love the writing style, either. It felt like a draft, honestly, and not a completed, publishable manuscript. Some parts were messy and the language just super awkward and others told too much, instead of showed.

Overall, I didn't hate reading this book, but I definitely didn't love it, either.

This YA romance had a strong start but unfortunately it wasn't solid enough as a novel to hold it out for me, with too many pages unnecessarily it impacted my attention as a reader, characters' growth, plot lines, and overall enjoyment.

My favorite part about this book is the positive messages that Grandison manages to convey, both of these characters turn out to be positive influences and I think it'll educate teens on important lessons on friendship, standing up for yourself, consent, empathy, and not judging a book by its cover.

This oozed Wattpad writing style, and though I don't mind it especially since it's geared towards younger teens. But as mentioned I do have an issue when authors tend to write more words to fill the pages, and I do not think this type of story needed 400 pages.

Regan and Guillermo were great leads, each growing and changing into better versions of themselves. Regan’s journey taught her to stand up for herself, and Guillermo’s journey helped him learn self control and patience.

We will definitely be adding copies of the books to our libraries. Thank you to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the ARC.