Book Review: Long Way Home

Rating: Fire

The long awaited sorry of Violet and Chevy in the Thunder Road series by Katie McGarry has finally arrived! I don’t know about you, but every time Violet and Chevy was mentioned in Thunder Road I got more and more curious about why they loved each other, yet refused to be together. And finally we get to find out.

“Some people, like me and Violent, 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.”

The story starts with innocent car troubles that turns into a kidnapping of Violet and Chevy by the Riot. Alone in a dark basement, the two push aside their anger and comfort each other the way they used to. When they finally escape, they are both emotionally scarred, but nobody else seems to understand the effect the kidnapping had on them. The Riot gave both of them some information that tears them up inside, and leads to distrust of others. As Chevy and Violet grow closer in the aftermath, the problem that tore them apart threaten to break them apart again. Even though they both love each other so much, some things need to change for them to be together. And with the conflict with the Riot heating up, Violet and Chevy’s lives may be in danger.

“Her spirit is hurting, weak and in need, and so is mine. I don’t know much either. I’m confused and blinded by the fog we’ve stumbled into, but Violet is real and warm and a fortress by which I fall to my knees whenever I come into contact. I need her, she needs me and tonight we just need to hold each other.”

This book was amazing. It was different than I expected, but better. I thought the reason Violet and Chevy broke up was going to be huge, messy, and the main focus of the novel. But in reality, it’s how they grow together again, and how both of them mature in ways that allow them to be a couple.

Violet was a controversial character in the previous books, mostly because she comes across as heartless, angry, and bratty. But in this book, we get a glimpse into her heart, her mind, and learn that she is only this way because she has to be. She was very close with her father, so his death killed her too. I think we forget that his death happened less than a year ago, so it is still very fresh for her. We learn how loyal she is, down to the bone, and how much she cares for her family. We even start to understand why she broke things off with Chevy. Violet is only brash, sassy, and bold because her father raised her to be. That was the only way her voce could be heard in the patriarchal club. But we learn that Violet never wanted to overpower the others. She just wanted to be an equal.

“I am not your property, I am not a dog … I am your equal, and I deserve the love and respect that comes with that because that’s what a real man does when he loves a woman.”

Chevy. Oh Chevy. He is a true Hufflepuff. Yes, he’s a part of the motorcycle club, which makes him pretty badass. But in his core, everything he does is for his family and Violet. He doesn’t like weapons and fighting, but does it to protect those he loves. He is understanding and unbelievably loving to Violet, even after all she put him through.

Together, Chevy and Violet just fit. They are each other’s best friends, and love each other in a real way, not a dramatic, over-the-top way. The glimpses into their past show that even as young teenagers, what they felt for each other was true. It’s amazing to watch them both mature and grow to understand the others point of view, which makes their relationship stronger.

“I love you,” I whisper. “I can’t remember a time when I haven’t loved you.”

One of my favorite aspects of Thunder Road in the past was the motorcycle club. To me, they’ve always seemed perfect. They are a family. They look out for each other, care for each other, understand each other, and help each other, no questions asked. But through Violet’s eyes, I was able to humanize he motorcycle club. While both Razor and Oz had seen the club as mostly perfect, Violet sees it as flawed, and together their views make it more realistic. The club’s misogynistic, no doubts about it. The men have the view that they must take care of the women, and don’t respect their opinions as equally. But everything they do is done out of love, and the club is fiercely loyal to its members and their families.

My favorite part of this novel was the friendship between Oz, Razor, Chevy, and Violet. In previous books, we learned that the four of them used to be close, but Violet has since drifted away. In this book, they become close again, and I could really see how amazing their friendships were. Things like how Oz and Razor would support Violet even if they disagree with her decisions, how they protect her, and how they communicate warm my heart. My absolute favorite scene between them, that I keep thinking about five days after I finished the book, occurred when Violet and Chevy were preparing to take on the Riot. Th two of them had been hiding information from Oz and Razor after their kidnapping, but after an incident, the four of them sneak into Church and have a discussion about what’s going on, The fact alone that they are in Church made my heart warm because 1.) they weren’t invited in, so it was pretty disrespectful of them to break the rules and 2.) Violet isn’t allowed in, but they did it anyway because they needed to protect each other, I also love how when they formulate a plan, they adopt an “us against the world” ideology, not even trusting the rest of the club to know what’s going to happen. They truly are a family.

“How can you fully hate someone who does all the stupid things because that’s the way he loves?”

Overall, the wait was well deserved to read this amazing book full of family, love, second chances, decisions, and danger. The overall motif of two roads verging was beautiful, and there was even a special surprise for fans of Katie McGarry’s Pushing the Limits series that made me gasp wit joy.The love between Chevy and Violet is so true, it will make you believe in love, as we see beyond the initial falling in love portion and into staying in love portion of relationships.

What did you think of this book? Was it better or worse than the previous books in the series? Did it do Chevy and Violet justice?