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storieswithbee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age range: 18+
Trope: Enemies to Lover, Fake Dating
Spice: 2/5
Overall: 3/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Writing and Setting: 4/5
Content warning: *spicy scenes, cultural stereotyping*
The gist of my review:
Flirty, fun and fast! Tamara Lush’s ‘Drive’ will have romance readers in love with Dante and Savannah!
Characters: 2.5/5
I loved Savannah. Savvy is a determined and down to earth young woman who has big plans for not only herself, but also for the future of the sport she loves. I think readers will find her relatable and adorably innocent.
And then there’s Dante….
Dante is hot, sensual, dark and oh so tantalising…but he can be very problematic at times. I think his views about women, especially towards the first half of the book, will grate on some readers’ nerves. He’s very driven and focused on his goals as an athlete, and when his feelings develop for Savvy, he can be a very ‘young’ and loveable character, but I must admit, I didn’t swoon for him as hard as I have for other male love interests.
In addition, there’s a few cultural stereotypes that are presented that I couldn’t help but arch a brow up at. For one, there’s an Australian character in this book. As an Australian myself, I can tell you that it’s not an accurate representation of how we talk.
Second, Dante is expressed as having an Italian background. There were times where Lush used this character’s heritage as an excuse for misogynistic opinions and behaviour. I understand why this kind of stereotype is associated with the culture but I don’t believe it’s exactly reflective on the culture as a whole in a modern sense. There were particular lines used in this book that readers may be unhappy about.
Plot: 3/5
I think the romance plot itself came out as a gripping slow burn, however, the progression of the story and the timeline of events was expressed really quickly.
In other points of the book, I felt like the story became a little repetitive with all of the races and the partying, but I digress, that is the nature of Formula One as a sport.
Writing and Setting: 3/5
In my opinion, the writing in this novel wasn’t all that up to par. I felt like it was a bit juvenile in parts, but the winning point for me was that the author really captured the elements of F1 that only a fan/ avid watcher would know.
Conclusion:
Do I recommend this book? Yea absolutely. The book was an easy read that swept me up in the glitz and glam of the F1 world, and the saucy romance between two very hot characters. It may not be for everyone, but I definitely appreciate the work the Lush has done.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual content
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