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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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
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.
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!
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
June 23, 2024
I love ford vs Ferrari
October 16, 2023
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of A MAN'S WORLD, and let's say I really liked this book.
The fact that there is an F1 team composed only of women is a refreshing concept, and the way it was handle was beautiful.
You could really see all the double standards going on for male drivers and female drivers.
The fake dating trope was of course, to die for, as usual.
What also was a real plus to the book was the media elements in it.
All in all, I really liked A MAN'S WORLD and would definitely recommend you read it.
The fact that there is an F1 team composed only of women is a refreshing concept, and the way it was handle was beautiful.
You could really see all the double standards going on for male drivers and female drivers.
The fake dating trope was of course, to die for, as usual.
What also was a real plus to the book was the media elements in it.
All in all, I really liked A MAN'S WORLD and would definitely recommend you read it.
Review of advance copy
Eine Formel 1 Saison voller Höhen und Tiefen
„Chasing Hearts“ erzählt die Geschichte von Georgia Dubois und Luca Rossi. Sie ist eine von zwei Formel 1 Fahrerinnen, die für das rein weibliche Valkyrie Formel 1-Team fährt. Er fährt für den großen Traditionsrennstall Hermes und ist der Sohn eines dreifachen Formel 1 Weltmeisters. Das Buch wurde von der britischen Autorin Grace Newman geschrieben und ist 2026 als eBook und Taschenbuch im Knaur Verlag (Verlagsgruppe Droemer Knaur) erschienen. „Chasing Hearts“ ist der erste Band der „Love at Full Speed“ Reihe. Das englische Original ist unter dem Titel „Racing Hearts“ erschienen.
Ein Sports Romance Buch mit Formel 1 Setting von einer Autorin, die diesen Sport scheinbar genauso sehr liebt wie ich, wollte ich unbedingt lesen. Bereits nach dem Lesen des Klappentextes hatte ich gefühlt hundert Ideen, wie Grace Newman diese spannende Idee umgesetzt haben könnte. Rückblickend betrachtet, muss ich leider sagen, dass die Liebesgeschichte von Georgia und Luca für mich zwar fast perfekt war, mich die Umsetzung des Formel 1 Settings aber fassungslos zurückgelassen hat.
Mit den beiden Hauptcharakteren hat Grace Newman zwei Charaktere erschaffen, die für mich perfekt zur Geschichte gepasst haben. Georgia ist eine junge Frau, die ihre Ziele ganz genau kennt und die definitiv nicht auf den Mund gefallen ist. Ein weiblicher Hauptcharakter, der mir auf Anhieb sympathisch war. Ich habe sie für ihr Rückgrat bewundert und für ihren scheinbar unerschütterlichen Ehrgeiz meinen imaginären Hut vor ihr gezogen. Luca ist ein junger Mann, der am Scheideweg seines Lebens steht und im entscheidenden Moment großen Mut beweist. Trotz seiner großen Klappe war auch er mir auf Anhieb sympathisch. Wer Geduld hat und sich nicht vom ersten Eindruck täuschen lässt, der lernt einen männlichen Hauptcharakter kennen, der einfühlsam sein kann und der für die Menschen, die ihm am Herzen liegen durchs Feuer gehen würde.
An Georgia und Luca haben mir tatsächlich ihre Ecken und Kanten gefallen. Die beiden wirkten dadurch nicht nur authentisch, sondern wurden für mich dadurch auch greifbarer. Besonders gefallen hat mir, dass ich sowohl das Verhalten als auch die Entscheidungen der beiden unabhängig vom „Black Moment“ stets nachvollziehen konnte. Das hat mich positiv überrascht, weil ich in der Regel mit dem Verhalten und den Entscheidungen des weiblichen Hauptcharakters meine Probleme habe und das war bei Georgia überhaupt nicht der Fall.
Meiner Meinung nach ist es Grace Newman gelungen eine fast perfekte Liebesgeschichte zu schreiben. Auf Anhieb habe ich Georgia und Luca in mein Herz geschlossen und ich habe von der ersten Seite an ihrem gemeinsamen Happy End entgegengefiebert. Ich habe mit den beiden gelacht und geweint, mich riesig gefreut, als sie sich endlich ihre Liebe füreinander gestanden habe und jedes Mal vor Spannung den Atem angehalten, wenn die beiden eine weitere Hürde auf ihrem Weg zum gemeinsamen Glück überwinden mussten. Ja, ich war ein bisschen enttäuscht als ich feststellen musste, dass sich Grace Newman für den „Black Moment“ das größte Romance Klischee ausgesucht hatte, sie konnte das Ganze für meinen Geschmack aber damit retten, dass sie die Situation zwischen Georgia und Luca nicht zu sehr in die Länge gezogen hat. Der „Black Moment“ hat meiner positiven Stimmung zwar einen kleinen Dämpfer verpasst, er hatte am Ende aber keinen nennenswerten negativen Einfluss auf mein Leseerlebnis.
Wäre „Chasing Hearts“ ein normales Romance Buch, dann wäre die Geschichte von Georgia und Luca für mich ein 5 Sterne Buch, dass definitiv Potenzial zum Jahreshighlight hätte. „Chasing Hearts“ ist aber kein normales Romance Buch, sondern ein Sports Romance Buch mit Formel 1 Setting. An dieser Stelle möchte ich erwähnen, dass ich ein großer Formel 1 Fan bin und diesen Sport seit mittlerweile 20 Jahren verfolge. Ich gehöre also weder zu den „Fans“ die die Formel 1 nur durch die Netflix Serie „Drive to Survive“ kennen noch zu den Lesern, die diesen Sport erst durch ein anderes Sports Romance Buch mit Formel 1 Setting kennen gelernt haben. Ich bin also eine Leserin, die gewisse Erwartungen an diese Art von Sports Romance Büchern hat. Erwartungen die „Chasing Hearts“ definitiv nicht erfüllen konnte.
Ich könnte mich an dieser Stelle jetzt über all die kleinen und großen Fehler aufregen, die die Welt der Formel 1 völlig falsch darstellen und die sich leider wie ein roter Faden durch die Geschichte ziehen. Fehler die einer Autorin, die sich selbst als „Formel 1 Fan“ bezeichnet, meiner Meinung nach nicht passieren sollten. Ich lasse es aber, weil es nicht nur den Rahmen meiner Rezension sprengen, sondern auch massiv spoilern würde. Trotzdem finde ich es Schade, dass sich Grace Newman bei der Darstellung der Formel 1 so wenig Mühe gegeben hat.
Mein größter Kritikpunkt ist gleichzeitig der Grund, warum mich die Umsetzung des Formel 1 Settings fassungslos zurückgelassen hat. Grace Newman beschreibt in „Chasing Hearts“ ein ganz bestimmtes Szenario. Sowohl Georgia Dubois als auch das Valkyrie Formel 1-Team befinden sich in diesem Szenario in einer ganz bestimmten Phase innerhalb ihrer Karrieren. Man könnte jetzt argumentieren „Chasing Hearts“ ist eine fiktive Geschichte also ist dieses Szenario so doch völlig in Ordnung. Das passt vielleicht für Jemanden, der von der Welt der Formel 1 keine Ahnung hat. Nach 20 Jahren habe ich von diesem Sport aber genug Ahnung, um zu wissen, dass dieses Szenario sehr unrealistisch ist. Für mich ist daher nicht nachvollziehbar, warum sich Grace Newman, die sich selbst als „Formel 1 Fan“ bezeichnet, für dieses Szenario entschieden hat.
Positiv überrascht hat mich hingegen die Darstellung der weiblichen Charaktere. Aktuell (Saison 2026) ist die Formel 1 ein reiner Männersport und wenn man sich Mal anschaut, was es braucht, um einen der 22 Plätze in der Formel 1 zu bekommen, dann wird sich an diesem Zustand wahrscheinlich auch nicht so schnell was ändern. Eine Geschichte über eine Formel 1 Fahrerin fand ich daher ganz besonders spannend und für mich hat die Autorin, das Ganze authentisch umgesetzt. In den unterschiedlichsten Momenten dürfte ich als Leserin miterleben, wie sich Georgia gegen ihre männlichen Kollegen beweisen musste und dabei auf sehr viel Widerstand stößt. Meiner Meinung nach hat man auf Anhieb gemerkt, dass Grace Newman hier ihre eigenen Erfahrungen verarbeitet hat.
Den Schreibstil einer Autorin anhand einer Übersetzung zu bewerten finde ich immer schwierig, weil beim Übersetzten meiner Meinung nach leider immer ein Stückweit, der Charakter des Schreibstils verloren geht. In „Chasing Hearts“ fällt das sogar bei der Wortwahl auf, die für mich leider nicht zum Formel 1 Setting gepasst hat. Glücklicherweise ließ sich die Geschichte halbwegs flüssig lesen. Ja, ich finde es positiv, dass die Geschichte sowohl aus der Sicht von Georgia als auch aus der von Luca erzählt wird. So hatte ich wenigstens die Chance an den Gedanken von beiden Hauptcharakteren teilzuhaben, trotzdem hätte ich mir eine gleichmäßigere Verteilung der Sichten gewünscht.
Fazit
„Chasing Hearts“ hatte dank der fast perfekten Liebesgeschichte Potenzial zu einem 5 Sterne Buch, leider wird dieses Potenzial durch die unrealistische Darstellung des Formel 1 Settings Zunichte gemacht.
„Chasing Hearts“ erzählt die Geschichte von Georgia Dubois und Luca Rossi. Sie ist eine von zwei Formel 1 Fahrerinnen, die für das rein weibliche Valkyrie Formel 1-Team fährt. Er fährt für den großen Traditionsrennstall Hermes und ist der Sohn eines dreifachen Formel 1 Weltmeisters. Das Buch wurde von der britischen Autorin Grace Newman geschrieben und ist 2026 als eBook und Taschenbuch im Knaur Verlag (Verlagsgruppe Droemer Knaur) erschienen. „Chasing Hearts“ ist der erste Band der „Love at Full Speed“ Reihe. Das englische Original ist unter dem Titel „Racing Hearts“ erschienen.
Ein Sports Romance Buch mit Formel 1 Setting von einer Autorin, die diesen Sport scheinbar genauso sehr liebt wie ich, wollte ich unbedingt lesen. Bereits nach dem Lesen des Klappentextes hatte ich gefühlt hundert Ideen, wie Grace Newman diese spannende Idee umgesetzt haben könnte. Rückblickend betrachtet, muss ich leider sagen, dass die Liebesgeschichte von Georgia und Luca für mich zwar fast perfekt war, mich die Umsetzung des Formel 1 Settings aber fassungslos zurückgelassen hat.
Mit den beiden Hauptcharakteren hat Grace Newman zwei Charaktere erschaffen, die für mich perfekt zur Geschichte gepasst haben. Georgia ist eine junge Frau, die ihre Ziele ganz genau kennt und die definitiv nicht auf den Mund gefallen ist. Ein weiblicher Hauptcharakter, der mir auf Anhieb sympathisch war. Ich habe sie für ihr Rückgrat bewundert und für ihren scheinbar unerschütterlichen Ehrgeiz meinen imaginären Hut vor ihr gezogen. Luca ist ein junger Mann, der am Scheideweg seines Lebens steht und im entscheidenden Moment großen Mut beweist. Trotz seiner großen Klappe war auch er mir auf Anhieb sympathisch. Wer Geduld hat und sich nicht vom ersten Eindruck täuschen lässt, der lernt einen männlichen Hauptcharakter kennen, der einfühlsam sein kann und der für die Menschen, die ihm am Herzen liegen durchs Feuer gehen würde.
An Georgia und Luca haben mir tatsächlich ihre Ecken und Kanten gefallen. Die beiden wirkten dadurch nicht nur authentisch, sondern wurden für mich dadurch auch greifbarer. Besonders gefallen hat mir, dass ich sowohl das Verhalten als auch die Entscheidungen der beiden unabhängig vom „Black Moment“ stets nachvollziehen konnte. Das hat mich positiv überrascht, weil ich in der Regel mit dem Verhalten und den Entscheidungen des weiblichen Hauptcharakters meine Probleme habe und das war bei Georgia überhaupt nicht der Fall.
Meiner Meinung nach ist es Grace Newman gelungen eine fast perfekte Liebesgeschichte zu schreiben. Auf Anhieb habe ich Georgia und Luca in mein Herz geschlossen und ich habe von der ersten Seite an ihrem gemeinsamen Happy End entgegengefiebert. Ich habe mit den beiden gelacht und geweint, mich riesig gefreut, als sie sich endlich ihre Liebe füreinander gestanden habe und jedes Mal vor Spannung den Atem angehalten, wenn die beiden eine weitere Hürde auf ihrem Weg zum gemeinsamen Glück überwinden mussten. Ja, ich war ein bisschen enttäuscht als ich feststellen musste, dass sich Grace Newman für den „Black Moment“ das größte Romance Klischee ausgesucht hatte, sie konnte das Ganze für meinen Geschmack aber damit retten, dass sie die Situation zwischen Georgia und Luca nicht zu sehr in die Länge gezogen hat. Der „Black Moment“ hat meiner positiven Stimmung zwar einen kleinen Dämpfer verpasst, er hatte am Ende aber keinen nennenswerten negativen Einfluss auf mein Leseerlebnis.
Wäre „Chasing Hearts“ ein normales Romance Buch, dann wäre die Geschichte von Georgia und Luca für mich ein 5 Sterne Buch, dass definitiv Potenzial zum Jahreshighlight hätte. „Chasing Hearts“ ist aber kein normales Romance Buch, sondern ein Sports Romance Buch mit Formel 1 Setting. An dieser Stelle möchte ich erwähnen, dass ich ein großer Formel 1 Fan bin und diesen Sport seit mittlerweile 20 Jahren verfolge. Ich gehöre also weder zu den „Fans“ die die Formel 1 nur durch die Netflix Serie „Drive to Survive“ kennen noch zu den Lesern, die diesen Sport erst durch ein anderes Sports Romance Buch mit Formel 1 Setting kennen gelernt haben. Ich bin also eine Leserin, die gewisse Erwartungen an diese Art von Sports Romance Büchern hat. Erwartungen die „Chasing Hearts“ definitiv nicht erfüllen konnte.
Ich könnte mich an dieser Stelle jetzt über all die kleinen und großen Fehler aufregen, die die Welt der Formel 1 völlig falsch darstellen und die sich leider wie ein roter Faden durch die Geschichte ziehen. Fehler die einer Autorin, die sich selbst als „Formel 1 Fan“ bezeichnet, meiner Meinung nach nicht passieren sollten. Ich lasse es aber, weil es nicht nur den Rahmen meiner Rezension sprengen, sondern auch massiv spoilern würde. Trotzdem finde ich es Schade, dass sich Grace Newman bei der Darstellung der Formel 1 so wenig Mühe gegeben hat.
Mein größter Kritikpunkt ist gleichzeitig der Grund, warum mich die Umsetzung des Formel 1 Settings fassungslos zurückgelassen hat. Grace Newman beschreibt in „Chasing Hearts“ ein ganz bestimmtes Szenario. Sowohl Georgia Dubois als auch das Valkyrie Formel 1-Team befinden sich in diesem Szenario in einer ganz bestimmten Phase innerhalb ihrer Karrieren. Man könnte jetzt argumentieren „Chasing Hearts“ ist eine fiktive Geschichte also ist dieses Szenario so doch völlig in Ordnung. Das passt vielleicht für Jemanden, der von der Welt der Formel 1 keine Ahnung hat. Nach 20 Jahren habe ich von diesem Sport aber genug Ahnung, um zu wissen, dass dieses Szenario sehr unrealistisch ist. Für mich ist daher nicht nachvollziehbar, warum sich Grace Newman, die sich selbst als „Formel 1 Fan“ bezeichnet, für dieses Szenario entschieden hat.
Positiv überrascht hat mich hingegen die Darstellung der weiblichen Charaktere. Aktuell (Saison 2026) ist die Formel 1 ein reiner Männersport und wenn man sich Mal anschaut, was es braucht, um einen der 22 Plätze in der Formel 1 zu bekommen, dann wird sich an diesem Zustand wahrscheinlich auch nicht so schnell was ändern. Eine Geschichte über eine Formel 1 Fahrerin fand ich daher ganz besonders spannend und für mich hat die Autorin, das Ganze authentisch umgesetzt. In den unterschiedlichsten Momenten dürfte ich als Leserin miterleben, wie sich Georgia gegen ihre männlichen Kollegen beweisen musste und dabei auf sehr viel Widerstand stößt. Meiner Meinung nach hat man auf Anhieb gemerkt, dass Grace Newman hier ihre eigenen Erfahrungen verarbeitet hat.
Den Schreibstil einer Autorin anhand einer Übersetzung zu bewerten finde ich immer schwierig, weil beim Übersetzten meiner Meinung nach leider immer ein Stückweit, der Charakter des Schreibstils verloren geht. In „Chasing Hearts“ fällt das sogar bei der Wortwahl auf, die für mich leider nicht zum Formel 1 Setting gepasst hat. Glücklicherweise ließ sich die Geschichte halbwegs flüssig lesen. Ja, ich finde es positiv, dass die Geschichte sowohl aus der Sicht von Georgia als auch aus der von Luca erzählt wird. So hatte ich wenigstens die Chance an den Gedanken von beiden Hauptcharakteren teilzuhaben, trotzdem hätte ich mir eine gleichmäßigere Verteilung der Sichten gewünscht.
Fazit
„Chasing Hearts“ hatte dank der fast perfekten Liebesgeschichte Potenzial zu einem 5 Sterne Buch, leider wird dieses Potenzial durch die unrealistische Darstellung des Formel 1 Settings Zunichte gemacht.
March 7, 2024
I got A Man’s World as an ARC copy from the author in exchange for my honest review… so here it is!
This debut F1 inspired novel is everything! Georgia is one of the few female drivers and is nickname Georgia “Sassy” Dubois because of how she handles the press (she doesn’t take crap, it’s amazing LOL) and Luca “Playboy” Rossi…. Well I be you can imagine with his nickname were he could use a little help… so in turn, these two start fake dating. The only problem with that is Georgia absolutely despises Luca as he stood her up for a date years ago and never gave her an explanation why. Oh! And to top it off…. He’s Georgia’s twin brother, Henri’s, best friend.
Once they start this act of fake dating… the lines blur.. and the real feelings start emerging.
My gosh. The enemies to lovers/fake dating is so well done and will have you hooked the entire read. ALSO if you want a new book boyfriend, Luca freaking Rossi is it my friends. The filth, the nicknames, and the love he has for Georgia is just *chefs kiss*
This novel is releasing October 6th, 2023. Get this one on your TBR’s friends!
Tropes:
•enemies to lovers
•brother’s best friend
•F1 drivers
•forced proximity
•fake dating
This debut F1 inspired novel is everything! Georgia is one of the few female drivers and is nickname Georgia “Sassy” Dubois because of how she handles the press (she doesn’t take crap, it’s amazing LOL) and Luca “Playboy” Rossi…. Well I be you can imagine with his nickname were he could use a little help… so in turn, these two start fake dating. The only problem with that is Georgia absolutely despises Luca as he stood her up for a date years ago and never gave her an explanation why. Oh! And to top it off…. He’s Georgia’s twin brother, Henri’s, best friend.
Once they start this act of fake dating… the lines blur.. and the real feelings start emerging.
My gosh. The enemies to lovers/fake dating is so well done and will have you hooked the entire read. ALSO if you want a new book boyfriend, Luca freaking Rossi is it my friends. The filth, the nicknames, and the love he has for Georgia is just *chefs kiss*
This novel is releasing October 6th, 2023. Get this one on your TBR’s friends!
Tropes:
•enemies to lovers
•brother’s best friend
•F1 drivers
•forced proximity
•fake dating
October 9, 2023
✨️A MAN'S WORLD✨️
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice: 🌶🌶.5 / 5
Okay, @authorgracenewman , I see you. 👀
Fast news and even faster cars mixed in with a slow burn romance? I ran AS FAST AS I could when I heard an F1 romance debut was about to drop. 🫣
This literally has it all:
🏁 Sports romance
🏎 An FMC F1 racer
🏆 Slow burn
💖 Forced proximity
🍝 Fake relationship
☕️ Brother's teammate
🇫🇷 Enemies to lovers
I could not put this down. When Grace told me she could sneak in an opportunity to read this before its debut, there was no doubt from me. I DEVOURED it. 😈
Not only did we get a badass and "take no sh*t" FMC, Georgia "Sassy" Dubois, but we got a hot as hell and confident F1 Italian man, Luca "Playboy" Rossi. Mix those two together with a fake relationship for some good PR and force some proximity, and the flames are almost too much to bear. 🫣
Newman has written this in a way that is seamless and just makes sense. 🤌 The banter and the wit, and the way the story progresses...it was the perfect tempo and the perfect amount of spice mixed in. A comparable author would be @marianazapata , she's just that good!
Go give this new author some lovins, and snag this book while you can on KU. It's one you won't want to miss. 🏎💨
.
.
.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Spice: 🌶🌶.5 / 5
Okay, @authorgracenewman , I see you. 👀
Fast news and even faster cars mixed in with a slow burn romance? I ran AS FAST AS I could when I heard an F1 romance debut was about to drop. 🫣
This literally has it all:
🏁 Sports romance
🏎 An FMC F1 racer
🏆 Slow burn
💖 Forced proximity
🍝 Fake relationship
☕️ Brother's teammate
🇫🇷 Enemies to lovers
I could not put this down. When Grace told me she could sneak in an opportunity to read this before its debut, there was no doubt from me. I DEVOURED it. 😈
Not only did we get a badass and "take no sh*t" FMC, Georgia "Sassy" Dubois, but we got a hot as hell and confident F1 Italian man, Luca "Playboy" Rossi. Mix those two together with a fake relationship for some good PR and force some proximity, and the flames are almost too much to bear. 🫣
Newman has written this in a way that is seamless and just makes sense. 🤌 The banter and the wit, and the way the story progresses...it was the perfect tempo and the perfect amount of spice mixed in. A comparable author would be @marianazapata , she's just that good!
Go give this new author some lovins, and snag this book while you can on KU. It's one you won't want to miss. 🏎💨
.
.
.
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