Published HQ YA, 30th Jan 2018, 464 pages, £3.99

A great read, but unfortunately not the most powerful of Katie McGarry stories. Walk The Edge  still remains for me the most intense and romantic. Say You’ll… is about a privileged but stifled governor’s daughter and an alleged convict on a government rehab scheme. Drix was convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. The time he spent away was still a reality check for the reckless lifestyle he led and when he was chosen to take part in the governor’s ‘Second Chance’ program, it seemed like an opportunity to get his act together concerning school and family. The program aims to keep young offenders from returning to crime and reintegrate back into society, as well as providing publicity for the governor’s campaign trail. His daughter, Elle faces constant pressure to be the perfect politician’s daughter, in the way she acts, looks and creepily who she might be dating. Everything is planned, cultivated and controlled. This leaves little room for exploring her identity and interests, especially if she has been raised to do what she is best at rather than what makes her happy.

The whiff of Drix and Elle’s instant attraction is caught immediately by Elle’s parents, who make it clear that Drix is completely off the radar; especially if it indicates her father’s program being tainted with bias. Likewise, Drix is fully aware that getting involved with the governor’s daughter, a man who has given him the only lifeline he has had in many years, is the worst first step he can make.

I really wanted to be swept up in this story. There is plenty of feisty flirting, but the dialogue carried on longer than it needed. There was a lot of sentimental and motivational talk, but repeated and continued rather than amounting to action. This novel taps into many interesting topics such as controlled and abusive relationships, double standards in politics and rehabilitation programs. There is also the mystery of who actually committed the crime, resulting in an action packed struggle at the end.  However, I just didn’t latch on as I normally would for a McGarry instalment, maybe just needed more punch and heat rather than emotion. I will of course keep reading and I can’t wait for the story, be it in this series or a Thunder Road (please!) one.

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