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

Thank you so much to TBR and Beyond Tours, as well as the author and publisher for giving me a copy of ‘The Right Side of Reckless’ in exchange for an unbiased, and honest review!! This is my stop for the tour, and you can click the banner below to view the full schedule, and explore other posts!!

Title: The Right Side of Reckless
Author: Whitney D. Grandison
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance
Series: None
Publication Date: July 13, 2021
Trigger Warnings: Anxiety, References to drug use and selling, References to violence
Final Rating: 3.75 stars

Synopsis (via Goodreads):

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.

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…

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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!

About the Author

Whitney D. Grandison is an American young adult fiction writer. 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 sixteen million reads. Outside of writing, she is a lover of Korean dramas, all things John Hughes, and horror films. Whitney currently lives in Akron, Ohio with her two cats Poe & Hemingway. A Love Hate Thing is her first novel.

AUTHOR SOCIALS:
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Have you read The Right Side of Reckless yet? Is it on your TBR? What are some other super diverse romances with swoon-worthy love interests you’ve read recently?