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Bad Boys Make Good Drivers #1
Racing Hearts
Georgia is making history in the F1 world as the lead racer of the first all-female team. Already at the top of her game, she wants to win the World Driver’s Championship—but that means proving herself among the men.
Luca’s racing career has been different: a whirlwind of fame and women. But his love for racing is starting to wane, and after a reckless yacht incident he now faces losing his precious Hermes seat.
While at a club post-race, Georgia and Luca fatefully cross paths. Although it was only a drunken, meaningless tryst, the paparazzi strike. Fans love it. With the best public relations either of them have had, their teams urge them to fake a romance until the end of the season.
Luca’s racing career has been different: a whirlwind of fame and women. But his love for racing is starting to wane, and after a reckless yacht incident he now faces losing his precious Hermes seat.
While at a club post-race, Georgia and Luca fatefully cross paths. Although it was only a drunken, meaningless tryst, the paparazzi strike. Fans love it. With the best public relations either of them have had, their teams urge them to fake a romance until the end of the season.
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2023
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April 2, 2024
➸ 2.5 stars
“I was a lion living in a man’s world, and nobody would stop me.”
Tropes:
↬ Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Praise Kink, Light Dom/Sub, Bondage)
↬ Contemporary Sports Romance
↬ Dual POV; First Person
↬ F1 Romance
↬ Enemies to Lovers
↬ Brother’s Teammate
↬ Faking Dating/PR Relationship
↬ Female F1 Team + Drivers
Ratings:
↬ Characters: 4/5
↬ Romance: 2.75/5
↬ Plot: 3.5/5
↬ Structure 1.5/5
↬ World-Building: 3/5
↬ Writing: 3/5
↬ Uniqueness/Creativity: 3.5/5
↬ Overall Enjoyment: 2.5/5
↬ Read: on Audio
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
Hmm, I didn’t really love this one. This was my first F1 romance, and while I enjoyed the premise, the execution was lacking. I really don’t like to tear apart indie authors, especially when a book is their debut. But A Man’s World had a lot of issues, many of them common for a first time author. I think one of main issue with this book was how disjointed it felt. It felt like this author knew how they wanted to start the story, and how they wanted it to end, but had no idea how to outline the middle of it. The middle feels very clunky and not at all pasted together. It also made the relationship between the MC’s feel not complete, and by the end of this book, I still didn’t feel as much chemistry between Luca and Georgia as I wanted to.
The other bigger issue I had with this was the length. A Man’s World clocks in at 469 pages, and absolutely does not need to be as long as it is. There’s so much filler and repetitiveness to this story, that it often times feels like an absolute slog to get through. These characters just keep going and doing the same things over and over again, and after awhile I just kept saying, ”Ugh, really?” This book desperately needed a better editor, which I know with self-published books is harder to come by, so I’m trying to be gentler on this author. But the other points I’m going to make also involve the topic of an editor too, albeit less annoying than the length issue.
The info dumping in the first 15% of the book is quite a turn off to me. I found myself slightly skimming, and skimming through those first 60+ pages because of how many characters, info about the characters, info about F1, and the fictional F1 female team this author created was just thrown in your face. It was a little exhausting to read, and definitely could have been spaced out better (again, something an editor usually helps with). The spelling errors and grammar issues were pretty glaringly obvious throughout the book, as well. And again, this is obviously due to this story being self-published with either volunteers for editors or a free lancer editor. So I’m really trying not to be too hard on this author.
Aside from the writing, I had some trouble rooting for the main romance in the book with Georgia and Luca. I said above that I thought their relationship didn’t feel “complete” and I think a lot of that has to do with their limited interactions before getting together. This book has nothing at all like a slowburn, and it’s them sleeping together with a lot of miscommunication. That’s just not a trope I enjoy, and I don’t think it was well done in here. There’s so many opportunities for Luca and Georgia to discuss their relationship, and they just kind of go off what they think the other will say and it’s just so infuriating. I hate miscommunication as a plot device, and again, it just wasn’t done well in here.
Now this book did have some positives despite my handful of issues. The characters were funny, and all very charming. Both Georgia and Luca were characters that grew on me a lot as the story went on. I also enjoyed a lot of the side characters who I did manage to distinguish after the first 25%. I also liked the usage of mixed media in this book (although I questioned whether a lot of the pictures used were legally used by the author…). The social media posts and little articles involving the PR relationship with Georgia and Luca were fun and creative. I thought they were a nice edition to the story.
I think my favorite thing about Luca and Georgia’s interactions were the PR dates and events they were forced to go to together. It was both humorous, and fun to read about, and it was one of the few repetitive things in the book that I rarely got tired of. Of course as always with the fake dating tropes, everyone around the two MC’s realize how good they’d be together and try to push them more and more together. It’s been done a thousand times before, but it didn’t get tired at all in here. I also want to state that I think this author is very passionate about F1, and it really shows in their writing. This wasn’t just a few characters loving the sport, this was also the author, and it was nice to really feel that emotion coming from the pages.
I don’t think this authors writing was terrible either, it really just needs the polish of a better editor, maybe another draft or two, and some more outline work. The character building was probably the best work this author did in the entire story. I could see this author coming a long way, this just kind of read like your typical debut.
“I was a lion living in a man’s world, and nobody would stop me.”
Tropes:
↬ Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Praise Kink, Light Dom/Sub, Bondage)
↬ Contemporary Sports Romance
↬ Dual POV; First Person
↬ F1 Romance
↬ Enemies to Lovers
↬ Brother’s Teammate
↬ Faking Dating/PR Relationship
↬ Female F1 Team + Drivers
Ratings:
↬ Characters: 4/5
↬ Romance: 2.75/5
↬ Plot: 3.5/5
↬ Structure 1.5/5
↬ World-Building: 3/5
↬ Writing: 3/5
↬ Uniqueness/Creativity: 3.5/5
↬ Overall Enjoyment: 2.5/5
↬ Read: on Audio
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
Hmm, I didn’t really love this one. This was my first F1 romance, and while I enjoyed the premise, the execution was lacking. I really don’t like to tear apart indie authors, especially when a book is their debut. But A Man’s World had a lot of issues, many of them common for a first time author. I think one of main issue with this book was how disjointed it felt. It felt like this author knew how they wanted to start the story, and how they wanted it to end, but had no idea how to outline the middle of it. The middle feels very clunky and not at all pasted together. It also made the relationship between the MC’s feel not complete, and by the end of this book, I still didn’t feel as much chemistry between Luca and Georgia as I wanted to.
The other bigger issue I had with this was the length. A Man’s World clocks in at 469 pages, and absolutely does not need to be as long as it is. There’s so much filler and repetitiveness to this story, that it often times feels like an absolute slog to get through. These characters just keep going and doing the same things over and over again, and after awhile I just kept saying, ”Ugh, really?” This book desperately needed a better editor, which I know with self-published books is harder to come by, so I’m trying to be gentler on this author. But the other points I’m going to make also involve the topic of an editor too, albeit less annoying than the length issue.
The info dumping in the first 15% of the book is quite a turn off to me. I found myself slightly skimming, and skimming through those first 60+ pages because of how many characters, info about the characters, info about F1, and the fictional F1 female team this author created was just thrown in your face. It was a little exhausting to read, and definitely could have been spaced out better (again, something an editor usually helps with). The spelling errors and grammar issues were pretty glaringly obvious throughout the book, as well. And again, this is obviously due to this story being self-published with either volunteers for editors or a free lancer editor. So I’m really trying not to be too hard on this author.
Aside from the writing, I had some trouble rooting for the main romance in the book with Georgia and Luca. I said above that I thought their relationship didn’t feel “complete” and I think a lot of that has to do with their limited interactions before getting together. This book has nothing at all like a slowburn, and it’s them sleeping together with a lot of miscommunication. That’s just not a trope I enjoy, and I don’t think it was well done in here. There’s so many opportunities for Luca and Georgia to discuss their relationship, and they just kind of go off what they think the other will say and it’s just so infuriating. I hate miscommunication as a plot device, and again, it just wasn’t done well in here.
Now this book did have some positives despite my handful of issues. The characters were funny, and all very charming. Both Georgia and Luca were characters that grew on me a lot as the story went on. I also enjoyed a lot of the side characters who I did manage to distinguish after the first 25%. I also liked the usage of mixed media in this book (although I questioned whether a lot of the pictures used were legally used by the author…). The social media posts and little articles involving the PR relationship with Georgia and Luca were fun and creative. I thought they were a nice edition to the story.
I think my favorite thing about Luca and Georgia’s interactions were the PR dates and events they were forced to go to together. It was both humorous, and fun to read about, and it was one of the few repetitive things in the book that I rarely got tired of. Of course as always with the fake dating tropes, everyone around the two MC’s realize how good they’d be together and try to push them more and more together. It’s been done a thousand times before, but it didn’t get tired at all in here. I also want to state that I think this author is very passionate about F1, and it really shows in their writing. This wasn’t just a few characters loving the sport, this was also the author, and it was nice to really feel that emotion coming from the pages.
I don’t think this authors writing was terrible either, it really just needs the polish of a better editor, maybe another draft or two, and some more outline work. The character building was probably the best work this author did in the entire story. I could see this author coming a long way, this just kind of read like your typical debut.
June 19, 2024
│╭─┈ ↷
│ ✎┊ 𝘼 𝙈𝙖𝙣'𝙨 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘽𝙮 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙢𝙖𝙣
│╭──────────────────╯
││• 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 6 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴
││• 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘦: 3/5
││• 𝘈𝘨𝘦: + 16
││𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴
││• 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴
││• 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴
││• 𝘚𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴
││• 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 (𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘴)
││• 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵
│╰───────────── · · · · ✦
│
💙 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚊 "𝚂𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚢" 𝙳𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚒𝚜
Wow! We love Georgia! She is an empowering Female who never backs down in a fight. She is ready to stand up for what she believes! She has a messy past. But she has moved past it. She has to fight the reporters, journalists, and all of the sexist comments. She needed to prove she wasn't "Sleeping to get higher" She proved that she was better than the boys and didn't need to "Sleep to get into f1" Honestly that is so stupid. But she is a force to be recon with. To the public she is sassy Debois twin, the boring one with no love life, the cheater. But to her family, friends, co-workers, and drivers she is the care free loving Georgia!
💜 𝙻𝚞𝚌𝚊 "𝙿𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚢" 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒
We loved Luca! He isn't your typical playboy honestly. He isn't like a "Bad boy" He is honestly a golden Retriever. Okay yes his past actions weren't the best but they were clouded by the thought of not being enough for people. Anyways he was the sweetest character i read in this book. I love how supportive he is and not like oh your weak I need to protect you. NO! He let's Georgia fight her battles cause he knows she can! Which is amazing the support he gives to people!
💙 𝙻𝚒𝚕𝚢 & 𝙷𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚒💜
We love Henri the amazing twin brother and we love Lily the amazing teammate! Honestly both of them were the amazing like side characters! I always love how Lily was the "YAY LUCA AND GEORGIA ARE DATING" one while Henri was the "LUCA YOU CAN'T DATE HER FOR REAL" like the │dynamic in these too! I cannot wait to read their story in the next book!!
💛 𝙴𝚍𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 & 𝙴𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚝 🧡
Yes amazing side characters also!! Love the dynamic with Edward and Luca their friendship was amazing! and Eliot oh my gosh he was funny!! There isn't very much to say except Edward and Georgia's prank war was legendary!
│╭・・・・・・・・・・・╮
│𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨
│・Fake Dating
│・Second Chance
│・He fell First
│・Black Cat x Golden Retriever
│・F1 Romance
│╭・・・・・・・・・・・╯
│Favorite parts
│・Coffee Beans proposal
│・the Vacation scene
│・The Prank Wars
│・ EVERYTHING
│╰・・・・・・・・・・・╯
╭ → ❝ Nicknames ❞
✧ - - - - Luca & Georgia
┊♡ ‧₊˚ Georgia
☆ Peaches | GG | Georgie | Amore | Sassy Debois|
╰ →Lucaෆ
| Mon Amore | Playboy| Flash|
Overall Thoughts
Overall this book was amazing! i was craving for a formula 1 romance book for awhile and this was perfect! And also it was very reliable and gave actual information on this amazing sport. So if you are like me and new to the sport and want to read F1 romances with correctish knowledge read this book! I absolutely love these characters so much. I hope you will consider reading it and put it on │
your tbr! have a nice day and please like and comment!!
│ ✎┊ 𝘼 𝙈𝙖𝙣'𝙨 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘽𝙮 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙢𝙖𝙣
│╭──────────────────╯
││• 𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 6 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴
││• 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘦: 3/5
││• 𝘈𝘨𝘦: + 16
││𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴
││• 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴
││• 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴
││• 𝘚𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴
││• 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 (𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘴)
││• 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵
│╰───────────── · · · · ✦
│
💙 𝙶𝚎𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚊 "𝚂𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚢" 𝙳𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚒𝚜
Wow! We love Georgia! She is an empowering Female who never backs down in a fight. She is ready to stand up for what she believes! She has a messy past. But she has moved past it. She has to fight the reporters, journalists, and all of the sexist comments. She needed to prove she wasn't "Sleeping to get higher" She proved that she was better than the boys and didn't need to "Sleep to get into f1" Honestly that is so stupid. But she is a force to be recon with. To the public she is sassy Debois twin, the boring one with no love life, the cheater. But to her family, friends, co-workers, and drivers she is the care free loving Georgia!
💜 𝙻𝚞𝚌𝚊 "𝙿𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚘𝚢" 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒
We loved Luca! He isn't your typical playboy honestly. He isn't like a "Bad boy" He is honestly a golden Retriever. Okay yes his past actions weren't the best but they were clouded by the thought of not being enough for people. Anyways he was the sweetest character i read in this book. I love how supportive he is and not like oh your weak I need to protect you. NO! He let's Georgia fight her battles cause he knows she can! Which is amazing the support he gives to people!
💙 𝙻𝚒𝚕𝚢 & 𝙷𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚒💜
We love Henri the amazing twin brother and we love Lily the amazing teammate! Honestly both of them were the amazing like side characters! I always love how Lily was the "YAY LUCA AND GEORGIA ARE DATING" one while Henri was the "LUCA YOU CAN'T DATE HER FOR REAL" like the │dynamic in these too! I cannot wait to read their story in the next book!!
💛 𝙴𝚍𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 & 𝙴𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚝 🧡
Yes amazing side characters also!! Love the dynamic with Edward and Luca their friendship was amazing! and Eliot oh my gosh he was funny!! There isn't very much to say except Edward and Georgia's prank war was legendary!
│╭・・・・・・・・・・・╮
│𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨
│・Fake Dating
│・Second Chance
│・He fell First
│・Black Cat x Golden Retriever
│・F1 Romance
│╭・・・・・・・・・・・╯
│Favorite parts
│・Coffee Beans proposal
│・the Vacation scene
│・The Prank Wars
│・ EVERYTHING
│╰・・・・・・・・・・・╯
╭ → ❝ Nicknames ❞
✧ - - - - Luca & Georgia
┊♡ ‧₊˚ Georgia
☆ Peaches | GG | Georgie | Amore | Sassy Debois|
╰ →Lucaෆ
| Mon Amore | Playboy| Flash|
Overall Thoughts
Overall this book was amazing! i was craving for a formula 1 romance book for awhile and this was perfect! And also it was very reliable and gave actual information on this amazing sport. So if you are like me and new to the sport and want to read F1 romances with correctish knowledge read this book! I absolutely love these characters so much. I hope you will consider reading it and put it on │
your tbr! have a nice day and please like and comment!!
November 28, 2023
4,5 stars
"Wear it, and remind the vultures that a lioness has arrived at the paddock, and she has a bone to pick with them."
This is a two POV book, told by the POV´s of Georgia and Luca.
Georgia was a complete badass who always stood her ground and stayed true to herself. I really liked her character and I loved how sweet and caring she was towards the people she loved but how she absolutely ripped into people who were being unfair and rude. The only thing I didn´t really love was how the author tried to made her into this big "prankster" when the only pranks she does are like three towards the ending of the book. I really liked Luca´s easy-going and charming personality and I feel like he and Georgia complimented each other quite well. I think he easily moves into the book boyfriend ranks with how sweet and comforting he always was towards her, always looking after her but also being a great dirty talker.
I loved Henri, Georgia´s brother, and the relationship him and her were having. You could clearly tell the sibling love that was there. Overall I really liked the friendship group they were having and how protective they were of each other. It really gave found family vibes.
I absolutely loved how Formula 1 is the main focus in this book! To any F1 girlies who like romance, I´d say this one is a must. Plotwise this explores the idea of an additional all female team in F1; so there are 22 drivers instead of 20, and 11 teams instead of 11. With that it also points out some "gender issues" in motorsport and how women have it much harder to be respected; which also comes through in the way Georgia gets treated by the media. I loved how the focus was on race weekends and the biggest part of the book took place on track. The romance itself is a delicious slow burn with the trope being fake dating and I would argue that a bit of it is rivals to lovers. At the beginning I had a bit of trouble getting into the story because it felt like a lot of info dumping, but that thankfully settles down after three chapters and the pacing picks up a bit. The book itself does feel a bit lengthy sometimes, which makes the pacing feel a bit of at parts (which is the reason for the 1/2 star being deducted) but overall the pacing itself is fine. The story is written mostly from Georgia´s POV, but I absolutely loved when Luca´s POV came in and you could see him be totally smitten. There are some really hot spicy scenes in here, with really good dirty talk might I add.
Overall it was a great F1 romance and gave me what I was looking for.
trigger warnings: -
"Wear it, and remind the vultures that a lioness has arrived at the paddock, and she has a bone to pick with them."
This is a two POV book, told by the POV´s of Georgia and Luca.
Georgia was a complete badass who always stood her ground and stayed true to herself. I really liked her character and I loved how sweet and caring she was towards the people she loved but how she absolutely ripped into people who were being unfair and rude. The only thing I didn´t really love was how the author tried to made her into this big "prankster" when the only pranks she does are like three towards the ending of the book. I really liked Luca´s easy-going and charming personality and I feel like he and Georgia complimented each other quite well. I think he easily moves into the book boyfriend ranks with how sweet and comforting he always was towards her, always looking after her but also being a great dirty talker.
I loved Henri, Georgia´s brother, and the relationship him and her were having. You could clearly tell the sibling love that was there. Overall I really liked the friendship group they were having and how protective they were of each other. It really gave found family vibes.
I absolutely loved how Formula 1 is the main focus in this book! To any F1 girlies who like romance, I´d say this one is a must. Plotwise this explores the idea of an additional all female team in F1; so there are 22 drivers instead of 20, and 11 teams instead of 11. With that it also points out some "gender issues" in motorsport and how women have it much harder to be respected; which also comes through in the way Georgia gets treated by the media. I loved how the focus was on race weekends and the biggest part of the book took place on track. The romance itself is a delicious slow burn with the trope being fake dating and I would argue that a bit of it is rivals to lovers. At the beginning I had a bit of trouble getting into the story because it felt like a lot of info dumping, but that thankfully settles down after three chapters and the pacing picks up a bit. The book itself does feel a bit lengthy sometimes, which makes the pacing feel a bit of at parts (which is the reason for the 1/2 star being deducted) but overall the pacing itself is fine. The story is written mostly from Georgia´s POV, but I absolutely loved when Luca´s POV came in and you could see him be totally smitten. There are some really hot spicy scenes in here, with really good dirty talk might I add.
Overall it was a great F1 romance and gave me what I was looking for.
trigger warnings: -
April 14, 2024
This was an unexpected amazing read. I had such a fun time with the character and it was so refreshing to be back in the f1 fictional universe. Having a bad ass FMC a was a dreammmmmm. Can’t wait for the sequel!
November 26, 2023
i mean it was no throttled, but it was still pretty decent. the characters annoyed me at times but 3.5 bcz i love f1 romance
March 1, 2024
Loved it!
February 25, 2026
DNF @ 70% 2/25/26
Unfortunately, I don't care. I am discovering that I don't like when a woman is introduced into a predominantly male sports field in fiction because it ends up just being about how she has to date someone and show personality to be taken seriously with 0 emphasis on her winning and being good. This one had a mix of both but I still wasn't buying it.
- Georgia is a rookie driver on the first all female team but she wins EVERYTHING? I don't follow F1 but that seems out of the ordinary
- For some reason, she has to fake date Luca because in all her interviews she chooses to keep it about sports but that's not enough. Why anyone cares about who she's dating? Idk. I hate "PR fake dating" as a concept because who is that for? How does that help you keep your job?
- Luca, exists. He's a good driver who had scandals and now he's fake dating as if that isn't a scandal in and of itself. Georgia is also his teammates sister which...to me low key can be taken as sabotage.
- The relationship has the spice of cracked pepper. It's on the "boring attempt at fake dating" list because the chemistry was not in the room with us. Luca is hot, Georgia can't admit it, then he's eating her out! RIGHT!
I see that F1 books usually are a miss for me and I'm not sure why that is? I choose not to torture myself anymore with this one. We move on.
I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Unfortunately, I don't care. I am discovering that I don't like when a woman is introduced into a predominantly male sports field in fiction because it ends up just being about how she has to date someone and show personality to be taken seriously with 0 emphasis on her winning and being good. This one had a mix of both but I still wasn't buying it.
- Georgia is a rookie driver on the first all female team but she wins EVERYTHING? I don't follow F1 but that seems out of the ordinary
- For some reason, she has to fake date Luca because in all her interviews she chooses to keep it about sports but that's not enough. Why anyone cares about who she's dating? Idk. I hate "PR fake dating" as a concept because who is that for? How does that help you keep your job?
- Luca, exists. He's a good driver who had scandals and now he's fake dating as if that isn't a scandal in and of itself. Georgia is also his teammates sister which...to me low key can be taken as sabotage.
- The relationship has the spice of cracked pepper. It's on the "boring attempt at fake dating" list because the chemistry was not in the room with us. Luca is hot, Georgia can't admit it, then he's eating her out! RIGHT!
I see that F1 books usually are a miss for me and I'm not sure why that is? I choose not to torture myself anymore with this one. We move on.
I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
April 13, 2024
We love women winning instead of men
May 6, 2024
Tbh, I don’t really write reviews, but i feel like a review like mine could really help someone. I usually never rate books this low, my minimum is always around 3 stars, so it is STRANGE that I am giving this book such a low rating.
But, I hated everything about it. The book was poorly written, it seemed like nobody proofread it before publishing. There were grammatical mistakes, plot mistakes and it essentially made me cry blood every chapter.
Also, Georgia is the most infuriating character I have EVER read. The way she interacted with other characters, terrible, her own thoughts, annoying, and her idea of “pranks” made me cringe SO much, I had to literally stop reading.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good enemies to lovers, brothers teammate, rivals, etc. But this was just not good; every trope was written in a very cliché way, and it just wasn’t for me.
I was on a roll, reading a book every two weeks or so, and I spent MORE THAN A MONTH on this one, not because its a long book, but because it felt like a chore to read it.
But, I hated everything about it. The book was poorly written, it seemed like nobody proofread it before publishing. There were grammatical mistakes, plot mistakes and it essentially made me cry blood every chapter.
Also, Georgia is the most infuriating character I have EVER read. The way she interacted with other characters, terrible, her own thoughts, annoying, and her idea of “pranks” made me cringe SO much, I had to literally stop reading.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good enemies to lovers, brothers teammate, rivals, etc. But this was just not good; every trope was written in a very cliché way, and it just wasn’t for me.
I was on a roll, reading a book every two weeks or so, and I spent MORE THAN A MONTH on this one, not because its a long book, but because it felt like a chore to read it.
May 23, 2024
A Man’s World Book Review: Rating: 5/5⭐️ Spice 2.5/5
Tropes:
* Enemies to loers
* F1 drivers
* Fake dating
* Brother’s teammate
I cannot say enough great things about this book! I received a copy from Grace of newest edit/edition. The details of the F1 world with references to IndyCar and the triple crown of motorsport made me so excited! Grace balanced the details of romance with the f1 romances and technical side so well with the knowledge of a f1/racing fan.
Mental health is also discussed in this book and I am so appreciative of authors really diving into this topic. Grace’s struggle with anxiety is well explored and explained helping you really understand her better. It really gets the message across that you never know exactly what is going on in someone’s life no matter who they are/what they do.
I appreciated the character ARC not only of Georgia and Luca but the side characters of their family/friends. Luca’s relationship with his father changes quickly in the last 1/4 of the book due to eye-opening moments. The change in Georgia from appearing cold to relatable along with Luca being unfocused to serious racer with a new confidence to re-brand himself.
Overall, I laughed and cried during this book due to several swoon-worth moments. I loved the little details of a lightning bolt necklace, him buying her jersey and the bracelet he discerned just for her. My heart strings were really pulled even during the most competitive scenes/moments. I highly recommend this book if you love f1 romances and watch races (or even if you don’t). I hope you pick this one up and maybe even watch a race.
Tropes:
* Enemies to loers
* F1 drivers
* Fake dating
* Brother’s teammate
I cannot say enough great things about this book! I received a copy from Grace of newest edit/edition. The details of the F1 world with references to IndyCar and the triple crown of motorsport made me so excited! Grace balanced the details of romance with the f1 romances and technical side so well with the knowledge of a f1/racing fan.
Mental health is also discussed in this book and I am so appreciative of authors really diving into this topic. Grace’s struggle with anxiety is well explored and explained helping you really understand her better. It really gets the message across that you never know exactly what is going on in someone’s life no matter who they are/what they do.
I appreciated the character ARC not only of Georgia and Luca but the side characters of their family/friends. Luca’s relationship with his father changes quickly in the last 1/4 of the book due to eye-opening moments. The change in Georgia from appearing cold to relatable along with Luca being unfocused to serious racer with a new confidence to re-brand himself.
Overall, I laughed and cried during this book due to several swoon-worth moments. I loved the little details of a lightning bolt necklace, him buying her jersey and the bracelet he discerned just for her. My heart strings were really pulled even during the most competitive scenes/moments. I highly recommend this book if you love f1 romances and watch races (or even if you don’t). I hope you pick this one up and maybe even watch a race.
March 27, 2024
This was a good book, it was enjoyable and kept me interested. It just lacked the final touch ups that it needed to be four starts. Depending on how picky I'm being I could say it was only 2.5 stars because it got, in my opinion, a bit lost in the middle as if the author had the beginning and end really well planned out but wasn't entirely sure how to link them. Basically it needed one last good edit to pick up the places where things could've just been done better and I'd have easily given it four or five stars.
June 7, 2026
a little too spicy but this is now my favourite romance book
May 6, 2026
It was relatively accurate to the sport but relied too heavily on the FMC Georgia being one of the only women in a male-dominated sport and the MMC Luca having daddy issues that get solved at the end. We were missing the integral part of a romance book… the ROMANCE! It felt like jumping from one end of the pool to the other without touching the water so when they DID get together, it felt out of place. Still fun though and a very quick read!
June 24, 2026
Overall impression of the book:
Georgia is blunt about the issues that she faces and I love that for her. I think a lot of FMCs are written to perceive their problems that generate from sexism or misogyny as subtle, or it's implied as something that just exists, but Georgia is upfront about what she has to overcome--to herself and others. This aspect of her personality is what lands her in the position of needing to "fix" her image by fake-dating the MMC.
Speaking of their "relationship": Both Georgia and Luca have two dimensional ideas about each other, Georgia as an uptight serious racer and Luca as a playboy. As their fake relationship progresses, they obviously grow to respect, admire, and care for each other. Luca is protective, kind, observant, and genuinely crazy about Georgia. Georgia is brave, smart, witty, and fun. She's a one-of-a-kind racer in the best possible way, but sucks at interacting with the media. Luca is better at media than Georgia, but they both make each other more composed in high-stress situations. I loved all the side characters that brought family, competition, and love to life.
As a sports fan, I felt SO IMMERSED in the racing. Grace Newman did not skimp out on the--what I can only describe as--the domain of "athletic imagery." I'm not the type of reader that likes romance to dominate the entire personality of a FMC and I genuinely think Georgia's character was written spectacularly, catering to F1 as much as romance.
My personal notes [which I wrote as I was going through the book]:
When I first started reading this book and got to the part where her team reveals the project of her having to date Luca to improve her public appearance, I thought that Georgia was acting a little too childish. She stomped her foot, ran out of the room, and cried in some corner. But then I read this:
“The truth was – I was mad and petty, and for one day in my life, I just wanted to be mad and petty."
And I realized, you know what, her reaction is completely valid.
Luca's initial impression of her as “She’s the most boring woman on the planet. I don’t think she’s even capable of having a conversation that isn’t centered around racing” only intensifies how I feel about this.
I wanted criticize Georgia's personality for acting out, but that only demonstrates the double standard that exists when a woman works in a male-dominated industry. A man can act out however he wants because he's a hard worker and cares a lot about his responsibilities, but when a woman exhibits the same drive and motivation, she's reduced to "overreacting" or "overconsumption of her personality." She's a "know-it-all." Don't get me started on, "do you ever relax?"
Women have to participate in "impression management" at a more constant and diligent rate than a man because they are being evaluated, judged, and compared on levels that wouldn't even occur to a man. As someone who has a good amount of experience working in a male-dominant field, I state this as a fact. And it's relieving to see this book bring this social aspect of our society to the pages. The whole premise of Georgia having to "fake-date" Luca is because public appearance is no longer formed on talent alone. Now, I'm not saying that men don't have to participate in "impression management," because obviously Luca needs the image reconstruction too. But I will point out that Luca's image is in crisis FROM HIS OWN ACTIONS. Buddy, you screwed up with the "yacht incident." Partying was your personal choice that blew up spectacularly! Georgia, on the other hand: her image is in crisis because she simply speaks her mind in press conferences. He has the privilege to party and not have to think about the consequences. Meanwhile, Georgia points out the double standard to journalists, and that pulls her into deeper waters.
There are "tamer" female characters in this book that the press take well (as in they know what to say and how to say it). But why do we have to do that? Like why as women do we have to put so much fucking effort into change ourselves? Modifying our speech? Controlling our thoughts and emotions? Why is this a responsibility we have to burden every second of our lives? I may be projecting a bit, but I curse myself for criticizing Georgia's reaction for having to date Luca just to fix her career because yeah, it's a big fucking deal. You're allowed feel however it is you feel without moderating your reaction (as long as you don't hurt yourself or anyone else).
"The only thing she had going for her was that she was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women in the paddock. It was a shame her good looks were overshadowed by her dull personality and propensity to dress like a grandmother.”
I know this specific line of thought exists for the purpose of showing how much Luca has grown by the end of the book AND TRUST ME, HE DOES. He's actually such a kind, well-thought out man, defending Georgia against a sexist question in their first press conference together and on other instances. He's always there for her, meeting her emotional needs and definitely matures rather quickly. Georgia is undeniably an amazing driver but the journalists at the press conferences are set to push and provoke her. By the end of the book, though, she obviously masters the art of "media" and grows to appreciate it.
I think something we all learn as individuals trying to succeed in this world is that you need versatility in your character. People respect and look up to those who strike a balance between work & life, or personal & professional. If your response to that is "work is my life," then I'm sorry but you're doing something wrong and it will catch up to you. Presenting yourself as good at what you do but also down to earth and relatable makes it easier to form connections and inspire others. But it's not "presentation" alone that matters. When you force yourself to embrace a balance, it makes you feel more happy and fulfilled. YOU live a better life for YOURSELF. This, I believe, is the underlying lesson that Georgia learns. She mentions that prior to this publicity stunt, she hid her goofy side from the press. No one besides her brothers and close friends knew she was this epic prankster and possessed a wicked sense of humor. She felt like it made her seem bad to the public, but in reality, it's what makes her likable. I think the fake relationship works not only because--let's be real--people are overly consumed with gossip and the things happening in other people's lives, but also because for the first time Georgia comes across as a super amazing driver AND distinctly dynamic.
I have to add: I loved Luca's character development more than I thought I expected to. Playboy turned into boyfriend material isn't a unique arc, but Grace Newman does it justice.
“As much as I want you in the shower, Amore, I want to worship this body with the respect that it deserves.”
AHHH. A man worshipping a woman is what it takes for me.
“If there’s someone on the grid that doesn’t need help defending herself, it’s Georgia Dubois. I do, however, feel as though the press have been unfair to her this season, and it’s hard to watch someone you lo-,” I carefully stopped myself as the word ‘love’ started to come out of my mouth, trying to decide what word to choose instead, “-care deeply about get hammered by the press. But make no mistake, Georgia Dubois is a lion, and she doesn’t need me defending her.”
AHHH.
“'Remember Georgie, curiosity killed the cat.' But I wasn’t a house cat. I was a lioness.”
FUCK YEAH.
The media accusing Georgia and Luca's relationship of being fake, of Georgia "sleeping" her way up the charts, and Luca "ALLOWING GEORGIA TO PASS" HIM is absolutely diabolical. Georgia's refusal to go along with the trained media response is fucking amazing. IT PISSES ME OFF THAT MERE SUSPICIONS AND FALSE ACCUSATIONS ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP CAN DERAIL HER ENTIRE FUCKING CAREER...ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT GEORGIA IS 10X THE DRIVER THAN HER COMPETITORS. How can men have such frail egos? Does it bother you this much that a woman is objectively better than you?
Female rage goes a fucking long way and I'm so here for it.
“ 'I don’t care if this doesn’t go away. I don’t care if the press keeps up with this for the next ten years. I’m not backing down, Isabelle. I won’t let them treat me this way. I won’t show little girls who watch me on TV that it’s okay to let male journalists attack female athletes like that,' I said finally, finding my own voice.
'It doesn’t matter that what they’re saying is true. This relationship started as a fake one, but that doesn’t give them the right to attack my racing or who I am as a person.
I’m going to win this championship, Isabelle. I’m going to win Sunday’s race, and then Singapore, and then I’m going to keep winning until there’s no more races to win. You hired me to win, to fight – and that’s what I’m doing. I’m not going to back down, and if I lose my race seat for being me, then so be it.' ”
She's going to keep winning until there's no more races to win. She's not going to allow them to fuck with her career or attack her character like that. And spoiler alert: SHE DIDN'T. The end was amazing and I felt so proud! (yes I know this book is fiction...but I can't help it)
This was a long review but I don't give 5 stars very often. I feel like I read the story of a legend that walks our on earth. I had an itch to read a sports romance about a female F1 driver and this definitely satisfied it!
Thank you to anyone still with me on this review :) Happy reading!
Georgia is blunt about the issues that she faces and I love that for her. I think a lot of FMCs are written to perceive their problems that generate from sexism or misogyny as subtle, or it's implied as something that just exists, but Georgia is upfront about what she has to overcome--to herself and others. This aspect of her personality is what lands her in the position of needing to "fix" her image by fake-dating the MMC.
Speaking of their "relationship": Both Georgia and Luca have two dimensional ideas about each other, Georgia as an uptight serious racer and Luca as a playboy. As their fake relationship progresses, they obviously grow to respect, admire, and care for each other. Luca is protective, kind, observant, and genuinely crazy about Georgia. Georgia is brave, smart, witty, and fun. She's a one-of-a-kind racer in the best possible way, but sucks at interacting with the media. Luca is better at media than Georgia, but they both make each other more composed in high-stress situations. I loved all the side characters that brought family, competition, and love to life.
As a sports fan, I felt SO IMMERSED in the racing. Grace Newman did not skimp out on the--what I can only describe as--the domain of "athletic imagery." I'm not the type of reader that likes romance to dominate the entire personality of a FMC and I genuinely think Georgia's character was written spectacularly, catering to F1 as much as romance.
My personal notes [which I wrote as I was going through the book]:
When I first started reading this book and got to the part where her team reveals the project of her having to date Luca to improve her public appearance, I thought that Georgia was acting a little too childish. She stomped her foot, ran out of the room, and cried in some corner. But then I read this:
“The truth was – I was mad and petty, and for one day in my life, I just wanted to be mad and petty."
And I realized, you know what, her reaction is completely valid.
Luca's initial impression of her as “She’s the most boring woman on the planet. I don’t think she’s even capable of having a conversation that isn’t centered around racing” only intensifies how I feel about this.
I wanted criticize Georgia's personality for acting out, but that only demonstrates the double standard that exists when a woman works in a male-dominated industry. A man can act out however he wants because he's a hard worker and cares a lot about his responsibilities, but when a woman exhibits the same drive and motivation, she's reduced to "overreacting" or "overconsumption of her personality." She's a "know-it-all." Don't get me started on, "do you ever relax?"
Women have to participate in "impression management" at a more constant and diligent rate than a man because they are being evaluated, judged, and compared on levels that wouldn't even occur to a man. As someone who has a good amount of experience working in a male-dominant field, I state this as a fact. And it's relieving to see this book bring this social aspect of our society to the pages. The whole premise of Georgia having to "fake-date" Luca is because public appearance is no longer formed on talent alone. Now, I'm not saying that men don't have to participate in "impression management," because obviously Luca needs the image reconstruction too. But I will point out that Luca's image is in crisis FROM HIS OWN ACTIONS. Buddy, you screwed up with the "yacht incident." Partying was your personal choice that blew up spectacularly! Georgia, on the other hand: her image is in crisis because she simply speaks her mind in press conferences. He has the privilege to party and not have to think about the consequences. Meanwhile, Georgia points out the double standard to journalists, and that pulls her into deeper waters.
There are "tamer" female characters in this book that the press take well (as in they know what to say and how to say it). But why do we have to do that? Like why as women do we have to put so much fucking effort into change ourselves? Modifying our speech? Controlling our thoughts and emotions? Why is this a responsibility we have to burden every second of our lives? I may be projecting a bit, but I curse myself for criticizing Georgia's reaction for having to date Luca just to fix her career because yeah, it's a big fucking deal. You're allowed feel however it is you feel without moderating your reaction (as long as you don't hurt yourself or anyone else).
"The only thing she had going for her was that she was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women in the paddock. It was a shame her good looks were overshadowed by her dull personality and propensity to dress like a grandmother.”
I know this specific line of thought exists for the purpose of showing how much Luca has grown by the end of the book AND TRUST ME, HE DOES. He's actually such a kind, well-thought out man, defending Georgia against a sexist question in their first press conference together and on other instances. He's always there for her, meeting her emotional needs and definitely matures rather quickly. Georgia is undeniably an amazing driver but the journalists at the press conferences are set to push and provoke her. By the end of the book, though, she obviously masters the art of "media" and grows to appreciate it.
I think something we all learn as individuals trying to succeed in this world is that you need versatility in your character. People respect and look up to those who strike a balance between work & life, or personal & professional. If your response to that is "work is my life," then I'm sorry but you're doing something wrong and it will catch up to you. Presenting yourself as good at what you do but also down to earth and relatable makes it easier to form connections and inspire others. But it's not "presentation" alone that matters. When you force yourself to embrace a balance, it makes you feel more happy and fulfilled. YOU live a better life for YOURSELF. This, I believe, is the underlying lesson that Georgia learns. She mentions that prior to this publicity stunt, she hid her goofy side from the press. No one besides her brothers and close friends knew she was this epic prankster and possessed a wicked sense of humor. She felt like it made her seem bad to the public, but in reality, it's what makes her likable. I think the fake relationship works not only because--let's be real--people are overly consumed with gossip and the things happening in other people's lives, but also because for the first time Georgia comes across as a super amazing driver AND distinctly dynamic.
I have to add: I loved Luca's character development more than I thought I expected to. Playboy turned into boyfriend material isn't a unique arc, but Grace Newman does it justice.
“As much as I want you in the shower, Amore, I want to worship this body with the respect that it deserves.”
AHHH. A man worshipping a woman is what it takes for me.
“If there’s someone on the grid that doesn’t need help defending herself, it’s Georgia Dubois. I do, however, feel as though the press have been unfair to her this season, and it’s hard to watch someone you lo-,” I carefully stopped myself as the word ‘love’ started to come out of my mouth, trying to decide what word to choose instead, “-care deeply about get hammered by the press. But make no mistake, Georgia Dubois is a lion, and she doesn’t need me defending her.”
AHHH.
“'Remember Georgie, curiosity killed the cat.' But I wasn’t a house cat. I was a lioness.”
FUCK YEAH.
The media accusing Georgia and Luca's relationship of being fake, of Georgia "sleeping" her way up the charts, and Luca "ALLOWING GEORGIA TO PASS" HIM is absolutely diabolical. Georgia's refusal to go along with the trained media response is fucking amazing. IT PISSES ME OFF THAT MERE SUSPICIONS AND FALSE ACCUSATIONS ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP CAN DERAIL HER ENTIRE FUCKING CAREER...ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT GEORGIA IS 10X THE DRIVER THAN HER COMPETITORS. How can men have such frail egos? Does it bother you this much that a woman is objectively better than you?
Female rage goes a fucking long way and I'm so here for it.
“ 'I don’t care if this doesn’t go away. I don’t care if the press keeps up with this for the next ten years. I’m not backing down, Isabelle. I won’t let them treat me this way. I won’t show little girls who watch me on TV that it’s okay to let male journalists attack female athletes like that,' I said finally, finding my own voice.
'It doesn’t matter that what they’re saying is true. This relationship started as a fake one, but that doesn’t give them the right to attack my racing or who I am as a person.
I’m going to win this championship, Isabelle. I’m going to win Sunday’s race, and then Singapore, and then I’m going to keep winning until there’s no more races to win. You hired me to win, to fight – and that’s what I’m doing. I’m not going to back down, and if I lose my race seat for being me, then so be it.' ”
She's going to keep winning until there's no more races to win. She's not going to allow them to fuck with her career or attack her character like that. And spoiler alert: SHE DIDN'T. The end was amazing and I felt so proud! (yes I know this book is fiction...but I can't help it)
This was a long review but I don't give 5 stars very often. I feel like I read the story of a legend that walks our on earth. I had an itch to read a sports romance about a female F1 driver and this definitely satisfied it!
Thank you to anyone still with me on this review :) Happy reading!
January 7, 2024
I was really craving an F1 book to fill the hole in my heart from the Dirty Air series. I had high hopes for this book in the beginning but as the story continued it fell flat. The plot was very repetitive, with nearly identical events happening multiple times throughout the book. The relationships were weirdly childish and by the end I really just got the ick from all the characters…
April 27, 2024
3,5 ✨
I've been looking for a F1 book with a female driver for a LONG time (since Lauren Asher is making us wait FOREVER for Marko x Stella 🥲) so when I found out about this book totally at random but had exactly what I was looking for I couldn't wait to pick it up.
Overall, this story was good but it wasn't great. . . there were a lot of repetitive stuff and also a lot of things that weren't exactly necessary to the plot so I ended up reading it because I wanted more but to be honest there were a few parts where I ended up being kind of bored. . .
BUT there were a lot of things that I also enjoyed. And I'm mostly talking about the characters. Georgia was a good character and such a bad ass but I wanted more. . . idk "juice" from her. Luca was also good and don't get me started on how hot and sweet he was every time Georgia was concern. They were really good together and they complement each other so well but I also wanted more development of their relationship. . .
There were also amazing secondary characters even if they were a lot 🤡 and the relationship between everyone on the grid was also cute.
So yeah, maybe it was my fault because I had big expectations since I've been looking for a book like this for a long time and like I said before this was good but I feel that it could be CRAZY good and it wasn't. . .
I'm curious thought to see what Grace has planned out for the future.
▬ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, opposites attract, brother's friend, obsessed boy, friends to lovers, sports (F1)
▬ 𝐭𝐰: cheating, prejudice, mental health disorders
I've been looking for a F1 book with a female driver for a LONG time (since Lauren Asher is making us wait FOREVER for Marko x Stella 🥲) so when I found out about this book totally at random but had exactly what I was looking for I couldn't wait to pick it up.
Overall, this story was good but it wasn't great. . . there were a lot of repetitive stuff and also a lot of things that weren't exactly necessary to the plot so I ended up reading it because I wanted more but to be honest there were a few parts where I ended up being kind of bored. . .
BUT there were a lot of things that I also enjoyed. And I'm mostly talking about the characters. Georgia was a good character and such a bad ass but I wanted more. . . idk "juice" from her. Luca was also good and don't get me started on how hot and sweet he was every time Georgia was concern. They were really good together and they complement each other so well but I also wanted more development of their relationship. . .
There were also amazing secondary characters even if they were a lot 🤡 and the relationship between everyone on the grid was also cute.
So yeah, maybe it was my fault because I had big expectations since I've been looking for a book like this for a long time and like I said before this was good but I feel that it could be CRAZY good and it wasn't. . .
I'm curious thought to see what Grace has planned out for the future.
▬ 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, opposites attract, brother's friend, obsessed boy, friends to lovers, sports (F1)
▬ 𝐭𝐰: cheating, prejudice, mental health disorders
May 10, 2026
Ich liebe starke Protagonistinnen - und Georgia ist das in meinen Augen.
Nicht nur das sie wie ein Badass ein Formel1 Auto fährt, nein, sie steht auch noch für sich und ihre Meinung ein, egal was andere deswegen über sie denken. Und das machte sie einfach so sympathisch. Luca hingegen fand ich zu Beginn etwas arrogant und eingebildet, aber sobald man ihn erst einmal besser kennenlernt, verfliegt dieser Eindruck ziemlich schnell.
Das Setting fand ich super, vor allem das die Protagonistin nicht nur ein Beibild der F1 ist, sondern selbst Teil davon! Auch dass die Rennen teilweise beschrieben wurden fand ich in diesem Zusammenhang super und machte das Setting noch realer. Auch die Umsetzung des Fake Datings fand ich gut und nicht total künstlich herbeigezogen. Die Entwicklung der Lovestory hat mich gleich noch einmal mehr abgeholt.
Hier und da hätten ein paar Szenen für mich noch etwas ausführlicher sein dürfen, da war mir die Handlung zu schnell vorbei. Gerade das Ende hätte man noch etwas mehr auskosten können.
Ich mochte den Schreibstil sehr gerne, er locker und leicht zu lesen, so dass man schnell durch das Buch fliegen konnte. Dazu eine Prise Humor und Biss.
Für mich, die im realen Leben absolut kein F1 guckt, war dieses Buch ein grandioser Auftakt und ich freue mich schon darauf, wie es weitergeht.
Nicht nur das sie wie ein Badass ein Formel1 Auto fährt, nein, sie steht auch noch für sich und ihre Meinung ein, egal was andere deswegen über sie denken. Und das machte sie einfach so sympathisch. Luca hingegen fand ich zu Beginn etwas arrogant und eingebildet, aber sobald man ihn erst einmal besser kennenlernt, verfliegt dieser Eindruck ziemlich schnell.
Das Setting fand ich super, vor allem das die Protagonistin nicht nur ein Beibild der F1 ist, sondern selbst Teil davon! Auch dass die Rennen teilweise beschrieben wurden fand ich in diesem Zusammenhang super und machte das Setting noch realer. Auch die Umsetzung des Fake Datings fand ich gut und nicht total künstlich herbeigezogen. Die Entwicklung der Lovestory hat mich gleich noch einmal mehr abgeholt.
Hier und da hätten ein paar Szenen für mich noch etwas ausführlicher sein dürfen, da war mir die Handlung zu schnell vorbei. Gerade das Ende hätte man noch etwas mehr auskosten können.
Ich mochte den Schreibstil sehr gerne, er locker und leicht zu lesen, so dass man schnell durch das Buch fliegen konnte. Dazu eine Prise Humor und Biss.
Für mich, die im realen Leben absolut kein F1 guckt, war dieses Buch ein grandioser Auftakt und ich freue mich schon darauf, wie es weitergeht.
November 3, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Racing Hearts by Grace Newman!
As a big F1 fan, this book ticked so many of my boxes (especially with a female driver in the spotlight). I loved the concept and appreciated seeing a fresh perspective in a sport that’s mainly a male-dominated.
That said, while I enjoyed the setup and the racing elements, I found myself wanting a bit more emotional depth and tension between the leads. The chemistry was there, but it didn’t always hit as hard as I hoped.
Still, it’s a fun, easy read with a great premise and strong representation, I’d definitely pick up more from Grace Newman in the future.
As a big F1 fan, this book ticked so many of my boxes (especially with a female driver in the spotlight). I loved the concept and appreciated seeing a fresh perspective in a sport that’s mainly a male-dominated.
That said, while I enjoyed the setup and the racing elements, I found myself wanting a bit more emotional depth and tension between the leads. The chemistry was there, but it didn’t always hit as hard as I hoped.
Still, it’s a fun, easy read with a great premise and strong representation, I’d definitely pick up more from Grace Newman in the future.
May 28, 2024
Overall I really enjoyed this F1 romance. I loved getting to see a woman dominating the sport and not backing down from standing up for herself. The banter between her and Luca was great and you couldn’t help but just love him. Henri and the other supporting characters made a welcome addition and I’m really looking forward to seeing the budding romance of Henri and Lily in Book 2. This was a great length too, not too long not too short.
October 15, 2025
Racing hearts
⭐⭐⭐(3/5)
It has been quite a while since I read any f1 romance books despite loving it, my last read was dirty air series which I read years ago.
I was immediately attracted by the premise of a female driver in f1 with an all female tea, wow. and rivals to lovers and fake dating is one of my favourite tropes !
And...
It was good, filled with banter and simmering tension. And a lot shenanigans involving racing, rivalry and interviews, Loved how both Luka and Georgia helped each other overcome their issues- their unwavering support towards each! I did quite dislike the third arc- it was not a breakup but he was giving her "space" that he thought she needed, she didn't ask foe it tho- but it was resolved fairly and Luka also apologised and told her his reasons.
The fake dating, the races, the backstory resolution are all done real well.
Overall a really fun book! I enjoyed it.
⭐⭐⭐(3/5)
It has been quite a while since I read any f1 romance books despite loving it, my last read was dirty air series which I read years ago.
I was immediately attracted by the premise of a female driver in f1 with an all female tea, wow. and rivals to lovers and fake dating is one of my favourite tropes !
And...
It was good, filled with banter and simmering tension. And a lot shenanigans involving racing, rivalry and interviews, Loved how both Luka and Georgia helped each other overcome their issues- their unwavering support towards each! I did quite dislike the third arc- it was not a breakup but he was giving her "space" that he thought she needed, she didn't ask foe it tho- but it was resolved fairly and Luka also apologised and told her his reasons.
The fake dating, the races, the backstory resolution are all done real well.
Overall a really fun book! I enjoyed it.
February 14, 2026
In the beginning it started out a bit slow, was a bit hard to get into it and I really didn’t like Georgia but the moment I was hooked in, I couldn’t stop reading!! I loved the plot and I absolutely loved Luca (Georgia not so much). I also think it represents the F1 world quite close to reality and I hope one day we can actually see a woman run F1 team because that would be too damn cool!!
February 23, 2024
It has been a while since I’ve stayed up into the night to finish a book!
I needed this book, it was incredible 🕺 It really felt like a dream not only with the characters, but the motorsport world🏎️ I can’t wait to read more
I needed this book, it was incredible 🕺 It really felt like a dream not only with the characters, but the motorsport world🏎️ I can’t wait to read more
February 1, 2026
This was nothing to write home about, but I like F1 so will read just about anything about it.
The story felt pretty disjointed at times and the pacing was all over the place. I didn't necessarily buy into the romance between the FMC and the MMC, but they had cute moments.
The story felt pretty disjointed at times and the pacing was all over the place. I didn't necessarily buy into the romance between the FMC and the MMC, but they had cute moments.
February 3, 2024
female f1 team lets gooooooooo
April 16, 2024
this is a good first draft of a book that has potential. just needs 10% off the cringe, 20% off the repetitiveness of the phrase '"noppppppe," i said, popping the p at the end of the word', and 49% more plot. also the use of italics in this book just pissed me off
August 9, 2026
I liked the majority of it exept 3rd act conflict and resolution it was so fake and made to fit the story. And Luca's characters could have been deeper
August 18, 2026
# 🏎️ Chasing Hearts
**Grace Newman | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆**
## 🖤 Persönlicher Einstieg
Ich habe immer noch keine Ahnung von Formel 1 und verspüre auch weiterhin keinerlei Bedürfnis, diese Bildungslücke zu schließen. Dass ich trotzdem schon wieder zu einer Formel-1-Romance gegriffen habe, lag diesmal ganz allein am Klappentext.
Eine Rennfahrerin, die als erste Frau Formel-1-Weltmeisterin werden möchte, ihr größter Konkurrent und ausgerechnet diese beiden sollen für ihre Karriere eine Beziehung vortäuschen? Damit hatte mich das Buch erstaunlich schnell. Besonders die Mischung aus Rivals to Lovers und Fake Dating klang einfach nach genau der Art von kontrolliertem Chaos, die bei mir hervorragend funktioniert.
Also durfte *Chasing Hearts* bei mir einziehen. Nicht wegen der Formel 1, sondern trotz der Formel 1.
## 📚 Ausgangslage
Georgia wirkt auf den ersten Blick wie eine ehrgeizige und zielstrebige Rennfahrerin, die genau weiß, was sie will: gewinnen und als erste Frau Formel-1-Weltmeisterin werden. Auf der Rennstrecke scheint sie damit auch deutlich weniger Probleme zu haben als daneben. Ihr persönlicher Endgegner sind nämlich ausgerechnet die verpflichtenden Pressekonferenzen nach den Rennen.
Dabei leidet Georgia nicht nur unter Lampenfieber. Regelmäßig muss sie sich mit Fragen auseinandersetzen, die ihre männlichen Kollegen so vermutlich niemals gestellt bekommen würden. Dass ihr dabei irgendwann die Hutschnur platzt und sie mit schnippischen Antworten reagiert, konnte ich vollkommen nachvollziehen. Für ihr öffentliches Image und das ihres Teams ist das allerdings weniger hilfreich. Und in einem Sport, in dem Sponsoren und Geld beinahe genauso wichtig sind wie die eigentliche Leistung, entwickelt sich Georgias Umgang mit der Presse zunehmend zum Problem.
Luca kämpft dagegen mit ganz anderen Schwierigkeiten. Als Sohn eines erfolgreichen ehemaligen Rennfahrers versucht er seit Jahren, in dessen Fußstapfen zu treten. Schlagzeilen macht er inzwischen jedoch weniger durch seine Leistungen auf der Strecke als durch Frauengeschichten und andere fragwürdige Aktionen.
Das eigentliche Problem liegt allerdings tiefer: Luca hat längst die Freude am Rennsport verloren. Trotzdem fährt er weiter, weil sein Vater es von ihm erwartet und Luca glaubt, ihn ohnehin schon oft genug enttäuscht zu haben. Dass sein Vater stattdessen ausgerechnet Georgia und ihren Bruder Henri lobt, der gleichzeitig Lucas Teamkollege und der gefeierte Goldjunge ist, macht die Sache nicht unbedingt besser.
Entsprechend wenig begeistert ist Luca von Georgia. Doch auch ihre Abneigung gegen ihn kommt nicht aus dem Nichts. Jahre zuvor sollte es zwischen den beiden nämlich schon einmal zu einem Date kommen. Das Problem: Luca ist schlicht nicht aufgetaucht.
## ❤️ Fake Dating & Romance
Ausgerechnet ein aufdringlicher Ex-Freund sorgt schließlich dafür, dass Georgia und Luca überhaupt in dieser Situation landen. Als Georgia nach einem erfolgreichen Rennen mit ihren Freunden feiern geht, trifft sie auf ihren Ex Anthony. Um ihn endlich loszuwerden, behauptet Georgia kurzerhand, dass zwischen ihr und Luca mehr läuft als gegenseitige Abneigung. Als selbst das nicht reicht, küsst sie Luca einfach.
Das Problem: Jemand fotografiert den Kuss und schon ist das Internet vollkommen begeistert von der vermeintlichen Lovestory der beiden. Ihre Teams erkennen schnell das PR-Potenzial dahinter. Georgia könnte von Lucas souveränerem Umgang mit den Medien profitieren, während eine feste Freundin seinem angekratzten Playboy-Image ausgesprochen guttun würde. Und so wird aus einem spontanen Kuss eine sorgfältig geplante Fake-Beziehung.
Was folgt, sind von den PR-Teams organisierte Dates und gemeinsame Auftritte. Obwohl Georgia und Luca weiterhin behaupten, sich nicht besonders leiden zu können, ist die gegenseitige Anziehung von Anfang an spürbar. Gleichzeitig tragen beide einige Vorurteile mit sich herum. Luca hält Georgia für langweilig und glaubt, dass ihr Leben ausschließlich aus Rennsport besteht. Georgia sieht in ihm dagegen einen verwöhnten Schwerenöter, der mit seinen Privilegien nichts Sinnvolles anzufangen weiß und zuletzt hauptsächlich dadurch aufgefallen ist, eine Yacht zu stehlen. Wahrlich ein Mann mit Referenzen.
Gerade durch die erzwungene gemeinsame Zeit beginnen diese Bilder jedoch langsam zu bröckeln. Hinter der öffentlichen Fassade entdecken beide Seiten am jeweils anderen, die sie vorher überhaupt nicht wahrgenommen haben. Besonders schön fand ich, wie aufmerksam sie füreinander werden. Schon bald reichen kleinste Veränderungen im Verhalten aus, damit der andere merkt, dass etwas nicht stimmt. Luca lernt Georgia schließlich so gut zu lesen, dass er teilweise schneller erkennt, was in ihr vorgeht, als ihr eigener Bruder.
Genau davon lebt für mich auch die Romance. Natürlich spielt die körperliche Anziehung eine Rolle, aber die eigentliche Verbindung entsteht in den kleinen Momenten. Die Geschichte lebt mehr von Gesten als von großen Worten.
## 👥 Figurenentwicklung & Nebenfiguren
Besonders schön fand ich, welchen Einfluss Georgia auf Luca hat. Durch sie entdeckt er langsam wieder, warum er den Rennsport überhaupt einmal geliebt hat. Gleichzeitig erkennt er, dass er gar nicht in die Fußstapfen seines Vaters treten muss. Vielmehr muss er endlich aus dessen Schatten heraustreten und herausfinden, welchen Weg er selbst gehen möchte.
Damit entwickeln sich Georgia und Luca gegenseitig weiter. Während Luca Georgia dabei hilft, mit dem öffentlichen Druck und den Medien besser umzugehen, zeigt sie ihm wiederum, dass Rennsport nicht nur aus Erwartungen, Erfolgen und dem Vermächtnis seines Vaters bestehen muss.
Eine wichtige Rolle spielt auch Georgias Bruder Henri. Obwohl die Geschwister für unterschiedliche Teams fahren und damit direkte Konkurrenten im Kampf um die Weltmeisterschaft sind, ist ihre Beziehung von enger Verbundenheit und gegenseitiger Zuneigung geprägt. Bei Luca hört diese familiäre Harmonie allerdings ziemlich abrupt auf. Henri hält seinen Teamkollegen für einen Nichtsnutz und ist überzeugt davon, dass dieser seiner Schwester früher oder später das Herz brechen wird.
Mit Lily und Nora hat Georgia außerdem zwei Menschen an ihrer Seite, die weit mehr als bloße Teamkolleginnen sind. Beide gehören zu ihren besten Freundinnen und werden gerade dann zu einer wichtigen Stütze, als Georgias Gefühlschaos zunehmend überhandnimmt. Nora übernimmt zusätzlich die Planung der inszenierten Dates und öffentlichen Auftritte und ist damit nicht ganz unschuldig daran, dass Georgia und Luca überhaupt so viel Zeit miteinander verbringen müssen.
Auf Lucas Seite spielt vor allem sein Vater Michele eine entscheidende Rolle. Als dreifacher Weltmeister betrachtet er seinen Sohn weniger als eigenständigen Menschen und vielmehr als jüngere Version seiner selbst. Luca soll in eine Form passen, die überhaupt nicht für ihn gemacht ist. Gleichzeitig vergleicht Michele ihn ständig mit Henri und Georgia und lobt deren Leistungen, während für seinen eigenen Sohn kaum ein aufmunterndes Wort übrigbleibt.
## ✨ Was das Buch besonders macht
Der Rennsport ist in *Chasing Hearts* deutlich mehr als nur eine hübsche Kulisse für die Romance. Da sowohl Georgia als auch Luca selbst Rennen fahren, erleben wir nicht nur das Geschehen hinter den Kulissen, sondern sitzen während der Rennen praktisch mit im Cockpit. Trotz meines weiterhin äußerst überschaubaren Formel-1-Wissens konnte ich der Handlung dabei problemlos folgen. Die meisten Fachbegriffe lassen sich gut aus dem Zusammenhang erschließen.
Besonders interessant fand ich die weibliche Perspektive auf einen stark männerdominierten Sport. Georgia muss sich nicht nur auf der Strecke gegen ihre Konkurrenten behaupten, sondern ständig gegen Vorurteile ankämpfen. Frauen seien körperlich zu schwach, zu emotional oder schlicht nicht für diesen Sport gemacht. Gerade in den Pressekonferenzen wird deutlich, mit welchen Fragen sie konfrontiert wird und wie anders sie behandelt wird als ihre männlichen Kollegen. Dass Georgia darauf nicht immer mit einem freundlichen Lächeln reagiert, konnte ich ihr wirklich nicht verübeln.
Der Schreibstil ist angenehm und flüssig und trotz des großen Rennsportanteils steht die Romance nie im Schatten der Formel 1. Besonders gefallen hat mir, wie selbstverständlich sich die Beziehung zwischen Georgia und Luca entwickelt. Es braucht keine permanenten großen Liebeserklärungen, denn ihre Gefühle zeigen sich viel stärker in den kleinen Gesten und darin, wie aufmerksam beide miteinander umgehen.
Ein persönliches Highlight war für mich Georgias Liebesgeständnis. Ohne genauer auf die Situation eingehen zu wollen, war es einfach zauberhaft und passte perfekt zu ihr und zu der Beziehung, die sich zwischen den beiden entwickelt hatte.
## ⚖️ Kritik
Einen klassischen Third-Act-Breakup gibt es erfreulicherweise nicht. Gerade bei einer Fake-Beziehung mit eingebautem Ablaufdatum hätte sich dieser schließlich geradezu angeboten. Ganz ohne Kommunikationsprobleme kommen wir allerdings trotzdem nicht davon.
Statt miteinander zu reden, beschließen Georgia und Luca gegen Ende lieber, dem jeweils anderen Freiraum zu lassen. Natürlich. Warum ein Problem direkt ansprechen, wenn man auch schweigend leiden kann?
Immerhin reflektiert Luca sein Verhalten im Nachhinein selbst und erkennt, dass ein Gespräch vermutlich die deutlich sinnvollere Variante gewesen wäre. Dadurch hat mich dieser Konflikt weniger gestört, als es bei einem künstlich aufgebauschten Missverständnis der Fall gewesen wäre.
## 🌙 Persönlicher Abschluss
*Chasing Hearts* hat mir gezeigt, dass ich offenbar weiterhin Formel-1-Romances lesen kann, ohne auch nur das geringste Bedürfnis zu entwickeln, mich mit echter Formel 1 zu beschäftigen. Und das meine ich durchaus positiv.
Besonders überzeugt hat mich die Beziehung zwischen Georgia und Luca. Aus gegenseitigen Vorurteilen und einer inszenierten Beziehung entwickelt sich langsam etwas Echtes, das vor allem durch Aufmerksamkeit, kleine Gesten und gegenseitige Unterstützung funktioniert. Gleichzeitig bleibt der Rennsport ein wichtiger Bestandteil der Handlung und Georgia bringt mit ihrem Kampf um Anerkennung eine Perspektive mit, die der Geschichte zusätzliche Tiefe verleiht.
Nicht alles war für mich perfekt und auf das obligatorische „Wir reden jetzt einfach nicht miteinander“ gegen Ende hätte ich verzichten können. Insgesamt hatte ich mit Georgia und Luca aber eine richtig gute Zeit.
**Grace Newman | ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆**
## 🖤 Persönlicher Einstieg
Ich habe immer noch keine Ahnung von Formel 1 und verspüre auch weiterhin keinerlei Bedürfnis, diese Bildungslücke zu schließen. Dass ich trotzdem schon wieder zu einer Formel-1-Romance gegriffen habe, lag diesmal ganz allein am Klappentext.
Eine Rennfahrerin, die als erste Frau Formel-1-Weltmeisterin werden möchte, ihr größter Konkurrent und ausgerechnet diese beiden sollen für ihre Karriere eine Beziehung vortäuschen? Damit hatte mich das Buch erstaunlich schnell. Besonders die Mischung aus Rivals to Lovers und Fake Dating klang einfach nach genau der Art von kontrolliertem Chaos, die bei mir hervorragend funktioniert.
Also durfte *Chasing Hearts* bei mir einziehen. Nicht wegen der Formel 1, sondern trotz der Formel 1.
## 📚 Ausgangslage
Georgia wirkt auf den ersten Blick wie eine ehrgeizige und zielstrebige Rennfahrerin, die genau weiß, was sie will: gewinnen und als erste Frau Formel-1-Weltmeisterin werden. Auf der Rennstrecke scheint sie damit auch deutlich weniger Probleme zu haben als daneben. Ihr persönlicher Endgegner sind nämlich ausgerechnet die verpflichtenden Pressekonferenzen nach den Rennen.
Dabei leidet Georgia nicht nur unter Lampenfieber. Regelmäßig muss sie sich mit Fragen auseinandersetzen, die ihre männlichen Kollegen so vermutlich niemals gestellt bekommen würden. Dass ihr dabei irgendwann die Hutschnur platzt und sie mit schnippischen Antworten reagiert, konnte ich vollkommen nachvollziehen. Für ihr öffentliches Image und das ihres Teams ist das allerdings weniger hilfreich. Und in einem Sport, in dem Sponsoren und Geld beinahe genauso wichtig sind wie die eigentliche Leistung, entwickelt sich Georgias Umgang mit der Presse zunehmend zum Problem.
Luca kämpft dagegen mit ganz anderen Schwierigkeiten. Als Sohn eines erfolgreichen ehemaligen Rennfahrers versucht er seit Jahren, in dessen Fußstapfen zu treten. Schlagzeilen macht er inzwischen jedoch weniger durch seine Leistungen auf der Strecke als durch Frauengeschichten und andere fragwürdige Aktionen.
Das eigentliche Problem liegt allerdings tiefer: Luca hat längst die Freude am Rennsport verloren. Trotzdem fährt er weiter, weil sein Vater es von ihm erwartet und Luca glaubt, ihn ohnehin schon oft genug enttäuscht zu haben. Dass sein Vater stattdessen ausgerechnet Georgia und ihren Bruder Henri lobt, der gleichzeitig Lucas Teamkollege und der gefeierte Goldjunge ist, macht die Sache nicht unbedingt besser.
Entsprechend wenig begeistert ist Luca von Georgia. Doch auch ihre Abneigung gegen ihn kommt nicht aus dem Nichts. Jahre zuvor sollte es zwischen den beiden nämlich schon einmal zu einem Date kommen. Das Problem: Luca ist schlicht nicht aufgetaucht.
## ❤️ Fake Dating & Romance
Ausgerechnet ein aufdringlicher Ex-Freund sorgt schließlich dafür, dass Georgia und Luca überhaupt in dieser Situation landen. Als Georgia nach einem erfolgreichen Rennen mit ihren Freunden feiern geht, trifft sie auf ihren Ex Anthony. Um ihn endlich loszuwerden, behauptet Georgia kurzerhand, dass zwischen ihr und Luca mehr läuft als gegenseitige Abneigung. Als selbst das nicht reicht, küsst sie Luca einfach.
Das Problem: Jemand fotografiert den Kuss und schon ist das Internet vollkommen begeistert von der vermeintlichen Lovestory der beiden. Ihre Teams erkennen schnell das PR-Potenzial dahinter. Georgia könnte von Lucas souveränerem Umgang mit den Medien profitieren, während eine feste Freundin seinem angekratzten Playboy-Image ausgesprochen guttun würde. Und so wird aus einem spontanen Kuss eine sorgfältig geplante Fake-Beziehung.
Was folgt, sind von den PR-Teams organisierte Dates und gemeinsame Auftritte. Obwohl Georgia und Luca weiterhin behaupten, sich nicht besonders leiden zu können, ist die gegenseitige Anziehung von Anfang an spürbar. Gleichzeitig tragen beide einige Vorurteile mit sich herum. Luca hält Georgia für langweilig und glaubt, dass ihr Leben ausschließlich aus Rennsport besteht. Georgia sieht in ihm dagegen einen verwöhnten Schwerenöter, der mit seinen Privilegien nichts Sinnvolles anzufangen weiß und zuletzt hauptsächlich dadurch aufgefallen ist, eine Yacht zu stehlen. Wahrlich ein Mann mit Referenzen.
Gerade durch die erzwungene gemeinsame Zeit beginnen diese Bilder jedoch langsam zu bröckeln. Hinter der öffentlichen Fassade entdecken beide Seiten am jeweils anderen, die sie vorher überhaupt nicht wahrgenommen haben. Besonders schön fand ich, wie aufmerksam sie füreinander werden. Schon bald reichen kleinste Veränderungen im Verhalten aus, damit der andere merkt, dass etwas nicht stimmt. Luca lernt Georgia schließlich so gut zu lesen, dass er teilweise schneller erkennt, was in ihr vorgeht, als ihr eigener Bruder.
Genau davon lebt für mich auch die Romance. Natürlich spielt die körperliche Anziehung eine Rolle, aber die eigentliche Verbindung entsteht in den kleinen Momenten. Die Geschichte lebt mehr von Gesten als von großen Worten.
## 👥 Figurenentwicklung & Nebenfiguren
Besonders schön fand ich, welchen Einfluss Georgia auf Luca hat. Durch sie entdeckt er langsam wieder, warum er den Rennsport überhaupt einmal geliebt hat. Gleichzeitig erkennt er, dass er gar nicht in die Fußstapfen seines Vaters treten muss. Vielmehr muss er endlich aus dessen Schatten heraustreten und herausfinden, welchen Weg er selbst gehen möchte.
Damit entwickeln sich Georgia und Luca gegenseitig weiter. Während Luca Georgia dabei hilft, mit dem öffentlichen Druck und den Medien besser umzugehen, zeigt sie ihm wiederum, dass Rennsport nicht nur aus Erwartungen, Erfolgen und dem Vermächtnis seines Vaters bestehen muss.
Eine wichtige Rolle spielt auch Georgias Bruder Henri. Obwohl die Geschwister für unterschiedliche Teams fahren und damit direkte Konkurrenten im Kampf um die Weltmeisterschaft sind, ist ihre Beziehung von enger Verbundenheit und gegenseitiger Zuneigung geprägt. Bei Luca hört diese familiäre Harmonie allerdings ziemlich abrupt auf. Henri hält seinen Teamkollegen für einen Nichtsnutz und ist überzeugt davon, dass dieser seiner Schwester früher oder später das Herz brechen wird.
Mit Lily und Nora hat Georgia außerdem zwei Menschen an ihrer Seite, die weit mehr als bloße Teamkolleginnen sind. Beide gehören zu ihren besten Freundinnen und werden gerade dann zu einer wichtigen Stütze, als Georgias Gefühlschaos zunehmend überhandnimmt. Nora übernimmt zusätzlich die Planung der inszenierten Dates und öffentlichen Auftritte und ist damit nicht ganz unschuldig daran, dass Georgia und Luca überhaupt so viel Zeit miteinander verbringen müssen.
Auf Lucas Seite spielt vor allem sein Vater Michele eine entscheidende Rolle. Als dreifacher Weltmeister betrachtet er seinen Sohn weniger als eigenständigen Menschen und vielmehr als jüngere Version seiner selbst. Luca soll in eine Form passen, die überhaupt nicht für ihn gemacht ist. Gleichzeitig vergleicht Michele ihn ständig mit Henri und Georgia und lobt deren Leistungen, während für seinen eigenen Sohn kaum ein aufmunterndes Wort übrigbleibt.
## ✨ Was das Buch besonders macht
Der Rennsport ist in *Chasing Hearts* deutlich mehr als nur eine hübsche Kulisse für die Romance. Da sowohl Georgia als auch Luca selbst Rennen fahren, erleben wir nicht nur das Geschehen hinter den Kulissen, sondern sitzen während der Rennen praktisch mit im Cockpit. Trotz meines weiterhin äußerst überschaubaren Formel-1-Wissens konnte ich der Handlung dabei problemlos folgen. Die meisten Fachbegriffe lassen sich gut aus dem Zusammenhang erschließen.
Besonders interessant fand ich die weibliche Perspektive auf einen stark männerdominierten Sport. Georgia muss sich nicht nur auf der Strecke gegen ihre Konkurrenten behaupten, sondern ständig gegen Vorurteile ankämpfen. Frauen seien körperlich zu schwach, zu emotional oder schlicht nicht für diesen Sport gemacht. Gerade in den Pressekonferenzen wird deutlich, mit welchen Fragen sie konfrontiert wird und wie anders sie behandelt wird als ihre männlichen Kollegen. Dass Georgia darauf nicht immer mit einem freundlichen Lächeln reagiert, konnte ich ihr wirklich nicht verübeln.
Der Schreibstil ist angenehm und flüssig und trotz des großen Rennsportanteils steht die Romance nie im Schatten der Formel 1. Besonders gefallen hat mir, wie selbstverständlich sich die Beziehung zwischen Georgia und Luca entwickelt. Es braucht keine permanenten großen Liebeserklärungen, denn ihre Gefühle zeigen sich viel stärker in den kleinen Gesten und darin, wie aufmerksam beide miteinander umgehen.
Ein persönliches Highlight war für mich Georgias Liebesgeständnis. Ohne genauer auf die Situation eingehen zu wollen, war es einfach zauberhaft und passte perfekt zu ihr und zu der Beziehung, die sich zwischen den beiden entwickelt hatte.
## ⚖️ Kritik
Einen klassischen Third-Act-Breakup gibt es erfreulicherweise nicht. Gerade bei einer Fake-Beziehung mit eingebautem Ablaufdatum hätte sich dieser schließlich geradezu angeboten. Ganz ohne Kommunikationsprobleme kommen wir allerdings trotzdem nicht davon.
Statt miteinander zu reden, beschließen Georgia und Luca gegen Ende lieber, dem jeweils anderen Freiraum zu lassen. Natürlich. Warum ein Problem direkt ansprechen, wenn man auch schweigend leiden kann?
Immerhin reflektiert Luca sein Verhalten im Nachhinein selbst und erkennt, dass ein Gespräch vermutlich die deutlich sinnvollere Variante gewesen wäre. Dadurch hat mich dieser Konflikt weniger gestört, als es bei einem künstlich aufgebauschten Missverständnis der Fall gewesen wäre.
## 🌙 Persönlicher Abschluss
*Chasing Hearts* hat mir gezeigt, dass ich offenbar weiterhin Formel-1-Romances lesen kann, ohne auch nur das geringste Bedürfnis zu entwickeln, mich mit echter Formel 1 zu beschäftigen. Und das meine ich durchaus positiv.
Besonders überzeugt hat mich die Beziehung zwischen Georgia und Luca. Aus gegenseitigen Vorurteilen und einer inszenierten Beziehung entwickelt sich langsam etwas Echtes, das vor allem durch Aufmerksamkeit, kleine Gesten und gegenseitige Unterstützung funktioniert. Gleichzeitig bleibt der Rennsport ein wichtiger Bestandteil der Handlung und Georgia bringt mit ihrem Kampf um Anerkennung eine Perspektive mit, die der Geschichte zusätzliche Tiefe verleiht.
Nicht alles war für mich perfekt und auf das obligatorische „Wir reden jetzt einfach nicht miteinander“ gegen Ende hätte ich verzichten können. Insgesamt hatte ich mit Georgia und Luca aber eine richtig gute Zeit.
June 23, 2024
I love ford vs Ferrari
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