This book had a great pace to keep you pulled in. The characters had great dynamics. This has romance, and drama. It deals with social issues, class division, and seperated parents.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! An "other side of the tracks" romance. I did like the story, especially main character, Frankie's back story and character growth.

I don't know if you guys have noticed yet or not, but I'm a complete sucker for books with a steamy romance. Kami Garcia delivered, yet again, another excellent book with phenomenal writing, an engaging plot line, and a sizzling red-hot romance. The Lovely Reckless is a book that will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride. It's about learning to redevelop the trust within yourself and with those around you, discovering that not everything is as it seems, and to never judge a book by its cover. This story is more than just a romance.

The Lovely Reckless is so addicting. It was so difficult to get myself to put it down. Right off the bat, we're thrown into the heart of the story. The writing is so intriguing and wonderfully written, the storyline has elements that are complex and weighty, but also heartfelt and passionate. When I first read the synopsis and found out it was dubbed as a combo of fast and furious meets Romeo and Juliet, I thought to myself "there is no way that's how this book will play out." But lo and behold, Kami Garcia is wonderful at her craft and that was exactly how this book turned out. The Heights meets the Downs, and there are super fast cars and alluring bad boys - how much better could it get?

I really enjoyed all the characters in this book. Usually there will be at least two characters in a book with a complex background, but pretty much every character touched on in this book came with a well thought out past. Our main protagonist Frankie, is going through a hell of a lot. Her situation is extremely emotionally taxing, and you can see that in the way she tackles her days. Frankie is strong willed, which keeps her tough as nails against her father and the downs. I really like her voice in this book. She's angry, confused, upset, which adds all the more character to her point of view. Frankie is reckless, a complete 180 to the prodigy she was, but the change isn't stopping her - it's propelling her. Marco Leone, resident hot bad boy in the Downs, is not all that much of a bad boy. He's thoughtful, caring, and much more multiplex than you'd expect. His background is messy and interesting to get into, making the story even juicier. Together, their love is spicy and sweet at the same time.

To be honest, I was not expecting to love this book so much. I picked it up because I was in need of something a lil fiery, but I did not foresee this. I will be throwing this book in the face of a lot of people in the future. There was a bit of instalove that I know a lot of you don't really like, but honestly it wasn't that in your face or forced into the plot. Besides, Kami makes it work with the bad boy trope. I liked the addition of a Fast and Furious theme, I thought it was interesting in a ya novel. Those racing scenes were probably my favorites out this entire book, because it felt real, reckless, and spontaneous. It was also pretty nice to see the involvement of both parents to some extent. Though that familial trust and dependence was not there and as developed, you could still feel that a parents' presence was there. If you need a fast read, this is the book for you. It'll get you out of your slump, trust me. Stay lovely and reckless.

I’ve come to the conclusion that sadly I’m just not a fan of Kami Garcia’s writing. This romcom sounded right up my alley but it was just a little too heavy for my liking.

I am not actually sure why I keep reading Kami Garcia's books. None of them are well written, and overall I think she tries to write teens into situations where it would be more believable for people in their 20's. I appreciate her trying to tackle adult themes in YA titles, and it can be very well done, but not here and not with these characters. Honestly, it read like Twilight fanfiction, and I do like a star-crossed lovers trope, but it did not work well here.

A great romance with interesting issues discussed. Great set of characters, who have interesting lives and hobbies.

The Lovely Reckless was a sweet and fun read. I learned quite a lot about cars so that was a plus to take away from reading this (thanks, Kami!). Loved witnessing the characters journey individually and to each other. Reckless by Julia Lauren is so the song of this book. I dedicated a story diary post to the book.

Not my favorite YA/New adultish romance but it could definitely appeal to readers who appreciate romance in those genres. I just thought it was okay, not great.

This is a story about young love which ends in a tragic way. My heart hurt for the main character because her struggle to remember was an emotional journey. The plot thickens when she finally remembers who? I could not put my kindle down until the end. I was so glad it was a happy ending.

Garcia, although super popular, is very good at writing quieter YA that lays below the line.

A story of finding your way after a mistake and finding out the truth. After the death of her boyfriend and a series of bad decisions Frankie has to earn the trust of her parents and learn to trust herself.

After her boyfriend's death, Frankie 'goes off the rails' and not only gets arrested for drunk driving, gets kicked out of private school. Her society mom passes her off to her father, the undercover cop, and Frankie transfers to public school. Here she falls for 'bad boy' Marco who is under surveillance by her father. Anger, confusion, and tension ensue.

The story is not unpredictable. Frankie Deveroux is beautiful and has a mother and stepfather who are obscenely wealthy. Frankie’s dad is an undercover state policeman whose job it is to put car thieves out of business. His residence could not be more different, since it fits with his disreputable look that allows him to blend in with miscreants. Frankie is also traumatized. Months before she witnessed her boyfriend being beaten to death in front of her, and the details are mercifully—if aggravatingly—fuzzy. Her mother doesn’t understand why Frankie isn’t just getting over it, her stepfather is annoying, and Frankie goes on a bender that ends with her being arrested for a DUI and going to live with her father. It’s a new life, and comes with a new school and a new requirement for community service at the rec center in an unsavory part of town. Enter Marco, a bad boy with a bad reputation and a penchant for stealing cars. A romance ensues, that ends—predictably—with Marco being arrested by Frankie’s father. Also not surprisingly, Marco is a little more complex than his bad boy persona as are his motivations for stealing cars. The cover is utterly enticing, and the story is going to appeal to fans of Allison Van Diepen’s “Snitch.” Reluctant readers will warm to the pace and the scenes of street racing. Frankie isn’t so enamored of her former wealth and privilege that she turns other readers off, and the cast of supporting friends are likable. Marco is the consummate bad boy boyfriend that every teen looking for a swoon-worthy story will love. Garcia explores Post Traumatic Stress and anxiety with sensitivity, and doesn’t “cop out” by relying on easy answers. In the end, both characters rescue one another, which keeps Frankie—though vulnerable—from being dismissed as a helpless damsel in distress. The steamy scenes remain off page, so this is a title that more mature middle school readers can enjoy.

The teens in my library have been loving this book! The cover is eye-catching, and they love the dramatic storyline.

Not previously having read any of Kami Garcia's other books, but knowing how popular she is amongst teen readers, I was eager to read The Lovely Reckless. Sadly, it was a disappointing read. The book read like a cheese teen version of the Fast and the Furious franchise. I appreciated Garcia introducing teens to a lifestyle they are not familiar with and using her book to appeal to car enthusiast (especially with all the car lingo), but it was done in a cheap manner.

The lack of character development with all of the characters was the biggest miss because you never get to understand or care about them. Everything just seems to work out a little too perfectly for protagonist Frankie and her bad boy boyfriend Marco. There are never any real consequences to their actions. Even Frankie's best friend Abel has this big life-altering change he goes through, but it's simply bushed aside and handled at the end in a few pages. Everything is too easily forgiven and people continue to live in their fantasy world without any real fear of repercussions. It's a little too after school special.

Similarly, there is no depth to Frankie and Marco's relationship. The whole "you're not like other girls/guys" line just doesn't cut it and the way they fell fast for one another makes no sense. They go from a few encounters that last a handful of minutes to head over heels in love with one another; they're so in love that they even tell each other their biggest secrets -- some of which are not their secrets to tell. Garcia needed to develop that relationship better, especially since Frankie literally risks her life for him in the end.

I will still purchase a copy of this book for my collection for fans of her work, but it is not one I will be recommending. It's too dumbed down and juvenile, and I think teens deserve better than The Lovely Reckless.

This book is not perfect, BUT it did keep my attention. I liked the main character and her best friend, but a lot of the book felt cliche and the romance was not flushed out at all. Also, I have never street raced, but I have driven manual transmission and some of the descriptions were not correct, like, putting the car in "park"... a car with a manual transmission doesn't have "park." Overall I enjoyed the book, and as others have said, it was kind of a YA fast and furious. Dark, but also kinda fun.

DNF.

This book was slow. Took a while to get into the details of what happened. Frankie was an annoying character, and her parents were worse. I couldn't stand them and the story didn't grab me.

I really liked and enjoyed this book. Was very intrigued and pulled in from the moment I started this book. Definitely can't wait to read more.