⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I devoured this!
I started it thinking "just a few chapters" and next thing I know I'm up way too late, still reading, still thinking about them.
Elliott Reid is my kind of heroine. Sh been building fast cars and winning races for years while everyone else got the credit — especially her ex. She walks away, decides she's finally going to make a name for herself, and she means it. She's stubborn, she's talented, she's competitive, and she does not back down. I loved her immediately.
Then she goes to work for Torrin Paul. And Torrin? Oh my God. He owns the performance shop she's always dreamed of, he actually sees her talent, and the tension between them from the very first race? I was hooked. He's older, he's experienced, he's the most respected name in street racing — and he's also her ex-boyfriend's father. The forbidden part of it is so good because it's not just for drama, it makes everything so much more complicated and so much more delicious.
The slow burn killed me. The banter, the forced proximity, the yearning, the "we absolutely should NOT do this" of it all - and it was SPICY. Like, fan-yourself, need-a-minute spicy. And it's earned, which makes it so much better.
But what really got me is this isn't just a romance. The racing scenes had my heart pounding, the friendships and the shop crew and the family stuff made me care about everyone, not just Elliott and Torrin. I loved the side characters.
You absolutely do not have to be a car person to love this. If you loved Fast & Furious, you will love this world.
I finished it and I wasn't ready to leave them. That's my tell for a 5-star read every time. Elliott fighting to be known for herself, Torrin learning to let someone in, and that messy, complicated, impossible pull between them — it just hit me.
If you love age-gap, ex-boyfriend's dad, forbidden romance, forced proximity, top-tier banter, and a strong FMC who can hold her own on the track and in the garage, run — don't walk — and add Outrun Me to your TBR.
Caitlin Titman, you took the checkered flag with this one.
I was provided an ARC copy of this book by the author and am voluntarily leaving my personal review.