The Right Side of Reckless by Whitney D. Grandison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
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.
