Echoes Between Us Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Echoes Between Us

Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: January 14, 2020
Publisher: Tor Teen
Hardcover: 384 pages

Description:

Echoes Between Us is bestselling author Katie McGarry’s breakout teen contemporary novel about a girl with everything to lose and the boy who will do anything to save her.

Veronica sees ghosts. More specifically, her mother's ghost. The afterimages of blinding migraines caused by the brain tumor that keeps her on the fringes and consumes her whole life haunt her, even as she wonders if it's something more...

Golden boy Sawyer is handsome and popular, a state champion swimmer, but his adrenaline addiction draws him to Veronica.

A girl with nothing to live for and a boy with everything to lose--can they conquer their demons together?

Praise for  ECHOES BETWEEN US:

"One of my favorites she’s ever written. SO INCREDIBLE.” ―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series
 
Praise for ONLY A BREATH APART:

“Katie McGarry knows what YA is, how it works, and what it can do better than anyone, but she always takes it one step further.” ―Hypable

"Fair warning: Picture-perfect Scarlett and misunderstood Jesse will have you in your feels." ―Girls' Life Magazine

“Beyond a haunted teen romance is a beautiful, moving exploration of domestic violence, forgiveness, and self-love. ...Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming.” ―Kirkus, starred review

“McGarry ably captures the feeling of desperately wanting to come home to a friendship that has radically changed. The novel manages to tackle domestic violence in a way that never feels clichéd, and the romance is sure to win over even the most cynical reader. This is a story you’ll want to read slowly, just to be able to stay with the characters for a moment longer.” ―Booklist

“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love.” ―Wendy Higgins, New York Times bestselling author

“Powerful, emotional, and ultimately hopeful. An unforgettable story that will leave its mark on your heart.” ―C. J. Redwine, New York Times bestselling author

“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.” ―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series

“Meticulously weaves a fragile love story through a minefield of loss, broken trust, and familial curses both real and imagined. Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful.” ―Tammara Webber, New York Times bestselling author

“A painful, beautiful, and utterly magical story about the family you’re born into versus the family you choose.” ―Trish Doller, author of In a Perfect World

“A touching tale of love and fate straight from the heartland.” ―Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species

“Scarlett and Jesse’s story will stay in your heart long after you finish the book.” ―Simone Elkeles, New York Times bestselling author

“Southern Gothic at its finest, this is Katie McGarry’s best book to date!” ―Miranda Kenneally, author of Catching Jordan and Breathe, Annie, Breathe

You can purchase Echoes Between Us at the following Retailers:

        

Echoes Between Us is an amazing new young adult contemporary novel that readers are sure to love. I personally don't usually read YA contemporary because it's just not my thing, but the paranormal/ghost aspect drew me in. I've also read the author's work before and really enjoyed it, so I knew this was bound to be a great read. I'm incredibly glad that I took a chance with this one. It was everything I hoped for and more.

After reading the description, it becomes obvious what the major plot of the story is. Sick teenage outcast girl plus golden boy who feels caged in his own life come together for one reason or another. It sounds like a redundant theme in the genre, which is part of the reason I don't read it, but it ended up being so much more than that. The general plot is there but the author adds in these complex main characters with so much happening in their lives. I got drawn into their lives and the story - but the author talks about some serious topics throughout the book as well. Things like accepting and loving yourself, grief, loss, love, friendship and family, dysfunction, and a lot more. The author subtly adds these topics into the heart of the story so easily that it feels natural and the author doesn't even realize they're thinking about these topics while they're reading. 

The two main characters, Veronica and Sawyer, were both very well rounded and realistic. I immediately connected with Veronica at the beginning of the story. She is who she is and she's proud of it. Other kids think that she's weird and avoid her, but she tries not to let it bother her. She doesn't hide her eccentricities but displays them proudly. She doesn't pretend to be someone that she's not and she won't put up with that crap with other people. She's sick - she's had a brain tumor since she was eleven - so her life tries to revolve around it. But she refuses to let it. She's strong, smart, brave, compassionate, fiercely loyal to her friends and her Dad, and loving. She can also be a bit odd, cold towards others, and standoffish, which only makes her more realistic to the reader. I loved getting to know Veronica throughout the book. The author's writing style allowed for me to really connect with her.

Sawyer is the golden boy with the seemingly perfect life, but who's secretly ashamed of his learning disability, his family situation, and feels caged in by everyone's expectations of him and plans for his future. He's also an adrenaline junkie - which seems to be the only thing that allows him to feel alive and in control. He took a bit to warm up to for me, but I eventually got to know his character and liked seeing his story play out. He was realistic too with good personality traits and flaws, which made him easier to empathize with throughout the book.

The author's writing style is a huge deal for me with this book. If you've read any of my other reviews, you know that this incredibly important and can seriously make or break a book for  me. The author chose to write this story in the first person (my favorite!) with alternating chapters between Veronica and Sawyer. So we get to form a deeply personal connection with each of the main characters throughout the book. We see everything from their perspective and with the added bonus of knowing their innermost thoughts, hopes and fears, dreams, memories, and everything in between. I absolutely love that the author used this writing style for the story! I think it's a perfect fit and perfectly allows the reader to know both Veronica and Sawyer personally and see their stories (both alone and together) through the characters' own eyes. It was the icing on the cake for me and what really made me love this book as much as I did. Very highly recommended for fans of YA contemporary fiction, paranormal/ghosts, and romance.

 Photo Content from Katie McGarry

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. She is the author of the Pushing the Limits and Thunder Road series.

      

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*

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WEEK ONE 

JANUARY 13th MONDAY Tween to Teen Book Reviews REVIEW
JANUARY 14th TUESDAY Nay's Pink Bookshelf REVIEW
JANUARY 15th WEDNESDAY Twirling Book Princess EXCERPT
JANUARY 15th WEDNESDAY Ya It's Lit REVIEW
JANUARY 16th THURSDAY Wishful Endings REVIEW
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WEEK TWO
JANUARY 20th MONDAY A Court of Coffee and Books REVIEW
JANUARY 21st TUESDAY A Dream Within A Dream REVIEW
JANUARY 22nd WEDNESDAY BookHounds YA REVIEW
JANUARY 23rd THURSDAY Book Briefs REVIEW
JANUARY 24th FRIDAY Kait Plus Books EXCERPT
JANUARY 24th FRIDAY We Live and Breathe Books REVIEW

 

Only a Breath Apart Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Only a Breath Apart
Author: Katie McGarry
Release Date: January 22, 2019
Publisher: Tor Teen
Hardcover: 368 pages

Description:

Bestselling author Katie McGarry’s trademark wrong-side-of-the-tracks romance is given a new twist in the gritty YA contemporary novel, Only a Breath Apart.

Jesse Lachlin is cursed.

So the town folklore says, but while Jesse’s had his fair share of tragedy, the only curse he believes is in his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year, Scarlett Copeland.

Scarlett Copeland is psychic.

Glory Gardner tells Scarlett she has hidden psychic abilities, but Scarlett thinks Glory is delusional. What is real is Scarlett’s father’s irrational fears, controlling attitude, and the dark secrets at home. Scarlett may have a way to escape, but there’s a hitch: she’ll have to rely on the one person she used to trust, the same boy who broke her heart, Jesse Lachlin.

Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings for each other. But as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…

Praise for ONLY A BREATH APART:

“Katie McGarry knows what YA is, how it works, and what it can do better than anyone, but she always takes it one step further.” ―Hypable

"Fair warning: Picture-perfect Scarlett and misunderstood Jesse will have you in your feels." ―Girls' Life Magazine

“Beyond a haunted teen romance is a beautiful, moving exploration of domestic violence, forgiveness, and self-love. ...Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming.” ―Kirkus, starred review

“McGarry ably captures the feeling of desperately wanting to come home to a friendship that has radically changed. The novel manages to tackle domestic violence in a way that never feels clichéd, and the romance is sure to win over even the most cynical reader. This is a story you’ll want to read slowly, just to be able to stay with the characters for a moment longer.” ―Booklist

“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love.” ―Wendy Higgins, New York Times bestselling author

“Powerful, emotional, and ultimately hopeful. An unforgettable story that will leave its mark on your heart.” ―C. J. Redwine, New York Times bestselling author

“Gritty and real, Only a Breath Apart is a story of hope conjured from pain, strength drawn from innocence, and love earned from self-respect. Beautiful, poignant, and fierce.” ―Kristen Simmons, critically acclaimed author of the Article 5 series

“Meticulously weaves a fragile love story through a minefield of loss, broken trust, and familial curses both real and imagined. Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful.” ―Tammara Webber, New York Times bestselling author

“A painful, beautiful, and utterly magical story about the family you’re born into versus the family you choose.” ―Trish Doller, author of In a Perfect World

“A touching tale of love and fate straight from the heartland.” ―Mindy McGinnis, author of The Female of the Species

“Scarlett and Jesse’s story will stay in your heart long after you finish the book.” ―Simone Elkeles, New York Times bestselling author

“Southern Gothic at its finest, this is Katie McGarry’s best book to date!” ―Miranda Kenneally, author of Catching Jordan and Breathe, Annie, Breathe

You can purchase Only a Breath Apart at the following Retailers:

        

I don't normally read YA contemporary, especially romance, but the description had me curious. I'll admit that I usually give this genre a shot and I'm almost always disappointed. That was definitely NOT the case with this book. I'm so glad that I gave it a shot because it was sad, full of hurt and hope and healing, of friendship and family and love, and so much more. In short - I loved it.

The plot might not have been the most original one out there, but the author put her own twists on it to make it stand apart from others like it. I loved the whole "curse" aspect along with the psychic elements. It was a big plus for me and added an extra layer to the story that only made me like it more. The main characters - Scarlett and Jesse - were complex and realistic. And I'm not just saying that. They've both had hard lives growing up - in different ways - and their friendship was one of the only good things in their lives. Until that went to hell. Anyway, I easily connected to each of them and really enjoyed watching them both grow and mature throughout the novel, as well as seeing their friendship rekindle and blossom into something more. One huge thing for me was the writing style the author used. She uses the first person point of view and has alternating chapters between Scarlett and Jesse's perspectives. This is my favorite writing style because it allows the reader to create such a deeper bond with the narrator(s), and this was no different. In my opinion, it only made the book that much better. I highly recommend this book to fans of YA contemporary, romance, and magical realism.

Photo Content from Katie McGarry

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. She is the author of the Pushing the Limits and Thunder Road series.

        

*JBN is not responsible for Lost or Damaged Books in your Nerdy Mail Box*
 

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WEEK ONE

JUNE 13th MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW

JUNE 14th TUESDAY A Court of Coffee and Books REVIEW

JUNE 14th TUESDAY A Bella Fairy Tale REVIEW 

JUNE 15th WEDNESDAY Movies, Shows, & Books EXCERPT

JUNE 15th WEDNESDAY Tween 2 Teen Book Reviews REVIEW 

JUNE 16th THURSDAY Lauren's Bookshelf REVIEW 

JUNE 16th THURSDAY TTC Books and More EXCERPT

JUNE 17th FRIDAY Bookish Kali REVIEW

JUNE 17th FRIDAY Postcards for Ariel EXCERPT 

WEEK TWO

JUNE 20th MONDAY BookHounds YA REVIEW & INTERVIEW 

JUNE 20th MONDAY Booklovers For Life REVIEW 

JUNE 21st TUESDAY Wishful Endings INTERVIEW 

JUNE 22nd WEDNESDAY A Dream Within A Dream REVIEW

JUNE 22nd WEDNESDAY Sabrina's Paranormal Palace REVIEW

JUNE 23rd THURSDAY A Bookish Dream REVIEW

JUNE 23rd THURSDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW

JUNE 24th FRIDAY Nay's Pink Bookshelf REVIEW 

JUNE 24th FRIDAY Sophie Reads YA REVIEW

 

 

 

 

Release Day Launch + Giveaway: Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

 

The highly anticipated third book in Katie McGarry’s Thunder Road Series is being released today! LONG WAY HOME is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance being published by Harlequin Teen! Grab your copy of the next book in this emotionally charged series, and don’t miss Violet and Chevy’s story!

   

LONG WAY HOME Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.

It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving. To protect herself, and her vulnerable younger brother, she needs to cut all ties with the club—including Chevy, the boy she’s known and loved her whole life.

But when a rival club comes after Violet, exposing old secrets and making new threats, she’s forced to question what she thought she knew about her father, the Reign of Terror, and what she thinks she wants. Which means re-evaluating everything: love, family, friends . . . and forgiveness.

Caught in the crosshairs between loyalty and freedom, Violet must decide whether old friends can be trusted—and if she’s strong enough to be the one person to save them all.

"An intoxicating and unforgettable story that kept me glued to the page." —Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Walk the Edge

Amazon | Kobo | BAM | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | IndieBound

 

CHEVY 

The instructions of the English homework I didn’t do hangs out from the top of my folder: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both. 

Story of my life. 

According to my football coach, I chose wrongly on the two crap paths I had to face last week. I just ran into Coach on the way to English, and he ripped into me for my sorry decision-making skills when it came to me choosing to stand up for the Reign of Terror Motorcycle Club instead of a member of my football team. 

I didn’t just get my ass chewed out, his tirade made me late for English with no tardy note. Which is great since my English teacher hates late students like I hate riding my motorcycle in forty degree weather while it rains. 

I round the corner, then peek through the small window on the door of my class. Ms. Whitlock stands in front of her desk in her patented white button-down shirt, gray pencil skirt, and dark-rimmed glasses. From the back row, my best friend Razor meets my eyes and shakes his head. Damn. That means she’s in one of her moods where she’s refusing to let anyone in. 

I’m not a tail-tucked-between-my-legs type of guy, but this lady is one of the few who can reduce me to begging. If she doesn’t let me in, then she’ll mark me as absent, the front office will think I skipped, and that means I won’t be able to play at tonight’s football game. 

The window rattles when I knock. The entire class turns their heads in my direction, but Ms. Whitlock doesn’t. The muscles in my neck tighten. She is one of the hardest core people I know and my grandfather is the president of a motorcycle club. That says something. 

She starts for the white board and I knock on the door again. This time, Ms. Whitlock does look my way and she grants me the type of glare reserved for people who kick puppies. I got it. I’m late. I’m the scum of humanity, so let my ass in so I can play football. 

There’s this guy in my club, Pigpen. He’s about the same age as Ms. Whitlock, late twenties, and he’s a walking hard-on for this woman even though she would never give him the time of day. He practically runs into walls when she’s around because he’s too focused on checking her out. I don’t see gorgeous—all I see is seriously pissed off and the person standing between me and playing. 

Ms. Whitlock points at the clock over her desk. She’s telling me I can wait. If I’m lucky, she’ll open the door after the quiz that I’ll receive a zero on. If I’m not so lucky, she won’t open the door at all. 

Two pathetic paths and I could only travel one. Nowhere in that stupid poem did it mention there was good and bad to both paths and that sometimes it’s best not to choose, but to set up camp at the fork and do nothing at all. 

I slam my hand into the nearest locker, almost relishing the sting. 

“Feel better?” 

A glance across the hallway and I freeze. Doesn’t matter how many times I see her in a day, she still manages to take my breath away.

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

Don’t Miss the First Two Titles in the Thunder Road Series! Grab your copies today!

NOWHERE BUT HERE

WALK THE EDGE

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, NOWHERE BUT HERE, and WALK THE EDGE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.    

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Chapter Reveal + Giveaway: Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

   

The highly anticipated third book in Katie McGarry’s Thunder Road Series is being released on January 31^st! LONG WAY HOME is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance being published by Harlequin Teen! Pre-order your copy of the next book in this emotionally charged series, and don’t miss Violet and Chevy’s story! Check out the first chapter below and be sure to pre-order your copy for the amazing bonus scenes!

CHAPTER ONE:

Chevy

The instructions of the English homework I didn’t do hang out from the top of my folder: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both. 

Story of my life. 

According to my football coach, I chose wrongly on the two crap paths I had to face last week. I just ran into Coach on the way to English, and he ripped into me for my sorry decision-making skills when it came to me choosing to stand up for the Reign of Terror Motorcycle Club instead of a member of my football team. 

I didn’t just get my ass chewed out, his tirade made me late for English with no tardy note. Which is great since my English teacher hates late students like I hate riding my motorcycle in forty degree weather while it rains. 

I round the corner, then peek through the small window on the door of my class. Ms. Whitlock stands in front of her desk in her patented white button-down shirt, gray pencil skirt and dark-rimmed glasses. From the back row, my best friend, Razor, meets my eyes and shakes his head. Damn. That means she’s in one of her moods where she’s refusing to let anyone in. 

I’m not a tail-tucked-between-my-legs type of guy, but this lady is one of the few who can reduce me to begging. If she doesn’t let me in, then she’ll mark me as absent, the front office will think I skipped, and that means I won’t be able to play at tonight’s football game. 

The window rattles when I knock. The entire class turns their heads in my direction, but Ms. Whitlock doesn’t. The muscles in my neck tighten. She is one of the hardest core people I know and my grandfather is the president of a motorcycle club. That says something. 

She starts for the whiteboard and I knock on the door again. This time, Ms. Whitlock does look my way and she grants me the type of glare reserved for people who kick puppies. I got it. I’m late. I’m the scum of humanity, so let my ass in so I can play football. 

There’s this guy in my club, Pigpen. He’s about the same age as Ms. Whitlock, late twenties, and he’s a walking hard-on for this woman even though she would never give him the time of day. He practically runs into walls when she’s around because he’s too focused on checking her out. I don’t see gorgeous—all I see is seriously pissed off and the person standing between me and playing. 

Ms. Whitlock points at the clock over her desk. She’s telling me I can wait. If I’m lucky, she’ll open the door after the quiz that I’ll receive a zero on. If I’m not so lucky, she won’t open the door at all. 

Two pathetic paths and I could only travel one. Nowhere in that stupid poem did it mention there was good and bad to both paths and that sometimes it’s best not to choose, but to set up camp at the fork and do nothing at all. 

I slam my hand into the nearest locker, almost relishing the sting. 

“Feel better?” 

A glance across the hallway and I freeze. Doesn’t matter how many times I see her in a day, she still manages to take my breath away. Violet leans against the lockers as beautiful as ever. Red silky hair flowing over her shoulders, a pair of ripped jeans that look like they were tailored for her curves and enough bracelets around her wrists that they clank together when she moves. 

Do I feel better? Not really, but I nod anyway as I try to judge if being alone with Violet causes more pain than having my balls ripped off. “Didn’t hurt.” 

“Yes, I can see how slamming your hand against a locker didn’t hurt at all.” 

My lips tilt up because she got me, and on top of that, Violet made a joke. Since she broke up with me last spring, things between us have been tense. On her side and on mine. Some people, like me and Violet, aren’t supposed to break up. Some people, like me and Violet, don’t know how to be near each other when we do part ways. “Are we talking now?” 

“I’m locked out of class. You’re locked out of class. I could ignore you if that’s what you want.” 

It’s not. Her ignoring me is never what I wanted. “Why are you late?” 

Violet presses her lips together and looks away. A sixth sense within me stirs.Something’s wrong. I’ve known her my entire life. We were born only a few weeks apart and we learned to crawl on the sticky floor of the Reign of Terror clubhouse. We were friends, always friends, until one day, we weren’t just friends anymore. We became more until we lost it all. 

“Late’s not your thing,” I say. Violet’s unconventional. Marches to her own drummer, but she’s not the type to be late to class. It’s a respect thing for her, something her dad taught her and Violet may never listen to another living soul, but she listened to her father. “What’s going on?” 

She’s silent and frustration rumbles through me. Violet used to tell me everything. Used to see me as someone who could help solve her problems. She doesn’t see me like that anymore and it pisses me off. I’m angry at her for making us this way. Angry at myself for not figuring out how to fix us. 

“You being late wouldn’t have anything to do with Stone, would it?” Stone’s her brother and the question’s a shot in the dark, but I don’t want to miss the chance to keep conversation with her going. 

“Why are you late?” she replies as a nonanswer and my head snaps up. Guess sometimes blind shots do hit their mark. Violet was late because of Stone. 

“What happened?” I push. 

“I’m not talking about it.” 

“Vi—” 

She cuts me off. “I told you how to help me and my brother six months ago and you told me no.” 

By running away? No again to that insane solution. 

“Tell me why you’re late,” she says. “If you don’t, then you need to stop talking, because the last thing either of us needs right now beyond missing a quiz or possibly being marked as absent is detention for getting into a shouting match. At least it’s the last thing I need, okay?” 

I back up to the lockers across from her and lightly hit my head against the metal. Yeah, I don’t want to talk about why I’m late either. I shove a hand into my pocket and try to think of a change in subject. Telling Violet I’m late because my football coach tore into me for hitting a guy who was causing problems for the Terror, a guy who had been causing problems for her, won’t help me and Violet stay civil. She’s mad at the club, which makes her mad at me. 

Violet’s watching me, and her expression is a lot like someone trying to figure out a word problem for math. Unfortunately, she knows me as well as I know her. 

“Being late is going to cost you, isn’t it?” she asks. “You can’t play tonight if she marks you absent, can you?” 

I meet her blue eyes, and my chest hurts at the sympathy I find there. I’d willingly miss tonight’s game if I could rewind back to a time where I could talk to Violet with ease and that’s not the type of trade I’d normally make. 

Football is my life. So is the motorcycle club. The Reign of Terror are my family—the blood kind and the bonds of brotherhood kind. I don’t know who I am without the Terror, but to be honest, I don’t know who I am without football either. 

Lately, I’ve been torn between the two, just like that poem, and everyone in my life has chosen a side. Violet used to be the person I could talk to, but then she walked. 

Six months ago, Violet asked me to run away with her.She was driven by grief, driven by something she wouldn’t tell me about. When I told her no, that we needed to stay home, to be near our family, to be near the club, Violet returned the next night and announced I was choosing the club over her and that we were done. 

Being a running back, I’ve taken more than my fair share of hits over the years, but I’ve never been as blindsided as I was that night. Never experienced the type of pain her leaving me created. 

The door to the classroom opens and a sense of relief washes over me. I’ll have to bust my ass to bring up my grade thanks to that zero on the quiz, but at least I’ll be able to play tonight. 

Ms. Whitlock steps out and sizes me up, then Violet. “I’m only letting you in if you have a note, otherwise you can head to the office and hope they give you one.” 

Screw me. There’s no way I’ll make it to the office, get a note and return in time. Right as I’m about to kick the hell out of the locker, Violet glides past me and hands in her note. “This is Chevy’s.” 

My head whips in her direction. “It’s what?” 

“Yours.” Violet meets my eyes. “Thanks for offering it to me, but it’s not right for me to take it. I’m the one who didn’t have a note, and I’m the one who needs to make it right.” 

She begins walking backward, and my short-circuited brain sparks back to life. I can’t let her do this. “Violet—” 

“Have a good game tonight,” she says, then disappears down the stairs. 

“Are you joining us, Mr. McKinley, or not?” Ms. Whitlock demands. Never met a person I hate as much as this lady and it takes everything I have to force one foot in front of the other. 

Everyone watches me as I stalk down the aisle then drop into the last seat in the row, the one next to Razor. He’s calm, cool, blond hair, blue eyes, and he’s watching me like an owl who’s considering whether it wants that unsuspecting mouse for a snack now or later. 

Ms. Whitlock is lost in her own world as she continues babbling about poem interpretations and people who died too long ago. I can do little more than open my folder and stare at the top of my homework. 

“Chevy,” Razor whispers, and I glance over at him. He points to the paper on his desk and in his messy handwriting is You okay? 

Yes, because I get to play football tonight. No, because Violet sacrificed herself for it to happen. Hell no, because the world’s messed up and I don’t know how to fix it. Worse no, because I don’t know if I should read more into what Violet did—if it means somewhere deep inside she still thinks we have a chance. 

I shake my head, Razor nods and the two of us stare at the whiteboard. Two roads. One path. Can’t take both. The guy who wrote it acts like the choice should be easy. It’s not. And he also didn’t mention what happens when people like Violet shove you onto a path regardless of your thoughts. 

“So how many of you liked the poem?” Ms. Whitlock asks. 

The entire class raises their hands. Almost everyone, except for me and Razor.
 

And don’t miss the next chapters of LONG WAY HOME! January 12: YA Books Central January 13: Vilma’s Book Blog

   

LONG WAY HOME Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.

It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving. To protect herself, and her vulnerable younger brother, she needs to cut all ties with the club—including Chevy, the boy she’s known and loved her whole life.

But when a rival club comes after Violet, exposing old secrets and making new threats, she’s forced to question what she thought she knew about her father, the Reign of Terror, and what she thinks she wants. Which means re-evaluating everything: love, family, friends . . . and forgiveness.

Caught in the crosshairs between loyalty and freedom, Violet must decide whether old friends can be trusted—and if she’s strong enough to be the one person to save them all.

"An intoxicating and unforgettable story that kept me glued to the page." —Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Walk the Edge

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Pre-order LONG WAY HOME by Katie McGarry, and fill out THIS FORM, to receive three previously unreleased bonus scenes featuring important “firsts” in the lives of your favorite characters from the world of Katie McGarry! Complete the form to register your pre-order at https://wyng.com/campaign/820152.

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, NOWHERE BUT HERE and WALK THE EDGE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.  

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