The wait is over for “Walk The Edge”

Finally the wait is over for Walk The Edge, and as always, Katie McGarry does not disappoint. Fans have been waiting for the second novel in the Thunder Road series for longer than six months now, and have been anticipating what was to come of McGarry’s new Young Adult fiction love story. Suffice it to say that every page was worth the wait, and without a shadow of a doubt, McGarry has given us a story to remember, a story that will remain in our hearts, that teaches us that finding the truth makes us stronger, even when it’s easier to believe the lies.

Smart. Responsible. That’s seventeen-year-old Breanna’s role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behaviour puts her into a vicious cyber-bully’s line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas “Razor” Turner into her life.

Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don’t belong. But when he learns she’s being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it’s time to step outside the rules.

And so they make a pact: he’ll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she’ll help him seek answers to the mystery that’s haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they’re both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they’re going from here.

Walk The Edge is the follow up novel to Nowhere But Here, where we followed another Reign of Terror member, Oz, and his love interest Emily.

What I loved most about this book, is that it teaches us about truth. The truth is never pure and it is rarely simple, but nothing was ever as true as “the truth will set you free.” People will always find a reason to lie, because it is easier than being honest. People will lie and tell you they did it to protect you, or maybe because they didn’t have the heart to tell you the truth, or even to make you feel better. But none of that’s true, is it? They don’t lie to make you feel better, but to themselves feel better.

A small white lie can cause a ripple effect, and soon before you know it you get caught in a tangle that completely covers the truth. It can cause rumours, and this is exactly what happens in Walk The Edge. One lie causes a rumour that nearly destroyed the relationship between the two main protagonists, as well as each one having to sort out the lies they’ve been told in their lives.

Lies then cover up what is actually true, sometimes so much so that we can’t even begin to see what’s underneath. This is what happened to Razor. Someone told a lie which caused a rumour about the death of his mother, and then because of this, no one (other than those who really knew him before) really knew who he was. They see him, they hear of him; hear the rumours and the lies about him but never really know him themselves.

Yet, the same could be said about Breanna, only in a different light. Everyone knows who she is but no one really sees her, because she covered herself up. People saw a slither of the truth that burns inside her and because of it, held her up for ridicule. So she lied about her gift and covered it up so that no one could really see who she really was.

“The boy everyone sees but nobody knows is with the girl who everybody knows but nobody sees.” – Katie McGarry, Walk The Edge

But in the end, each of the characters tackle their own demons, and each of them tear apart the lies that box them in and stare the truth straight in the face. And do you know what? They’re better for it. It allows him to move on with his life, teaches him to let go of the past, and it lets her be free from the anchors she chains herself to, and allows her to be her true and authentic self.

The truth is powerful, and it will always prevail.

Overall, I fell in love with Walk The Edge by Katie McGarry and it was well worth the wait. It has a steamy romance, dark issues, sweet love and protagonists that pull you right in. McGarry has given us a brilliant and compelling second novel in her Thunder Road series that is for lovers of YA Contemporary and anyone else who loves romance in dark times.

For more from Katie McGarry:

• Click here for an interview with the author as she talks about Walk The Edge.
• Click here for an interview with the author as she talks about the meaning of true love and soulmates.