Scan barcode
literaryhaylee's review against another edition
4.0
Drive
By Tamara Lush
Published by Wattpad Books
*I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I did not know where this book was going and Wattpad itself gets a bad reputation. However, this book surprised me and I freaking loved it.
This book will really take you through an emotional rollercoaster. There will be moments where you are pissed off at the character and moments when you are swooning - It’s called balance.
Dante is our Male Main Character and he is a 32 year old Italian Race Car driver - and not the kind at NASCAR. He drives through the streets of cities. So yes, Italian is spoken and yes you will swoon!!
Dante is also the best driver and has won 6 championships; however, this will be his last year before he retires. Because he is retiring his team has a younger driver to fill his spot, Max. Max is young and wild. He is constantly getting in trouble and Dante has to use his image to overrule the scandals Max causes. Due to this, Dante is not the biggest fan of Max’s.
But because this sport cannot be done solo, Dante relies heavily on his crew in order for the success of a win. But his life is scrambled when the owner of his crew hires a new female pit member. Dante is irritated with this decision - he has misogynistic views of women being on the crew. There is a reason for why he believes women should stay out of this sport, most of which is uncovered in the first chapter. But chances are you will not like Dante at first because of this.. He gets much better! Ages like fine wine! ;)
But that doesn’t stop Savannah, Savvy, our 24 year old American from Georgia from working with the crew. Savvy comes from a wealthy family, her father owns a parts company for race cars and most of her younger years she spent in beauty pageants. But the thing is, beauty pageants were something she never truly wanted. Thus, all her free time was spent with her father learning the ins and outs of race cars. This is how she ends up getting her degree in this subject matter and getting on with Dante’s crew.
Savvy is a gorgeous redhead who instantly catches Dante’s attention and they are caught in a sticky situation. Simultaneously, Max has gotten into trouble with the media. But before the spotlight can cover Max’s issues, the owner decides the best way to squash Max’s story is to have Savvy and Dante fake-date. Since this is all a publicity stunt put on by the owner, they are subjected to fake-date for the entirety of Dante’s final year of racing. Meaning they will spend the next 6 months together. The lines start to blur and what is fake and what is real…
But can Dante overcome his misogynistic views? Can Savvy keep her focus?
By Tamara Lush
Published by Wattpad Books
*I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I did not know where this book was going and Wattpad itself gets a bad reputation. However, this book surprised me and I freaking loved it.
This book will really take you through an emotional rollercoaster. There will be moments where you are pissed off at the character and moments when you are swooning - It’s called balance.
Dante is our Male Main Character and he is a 32 year old Italian Race Car driver - and not the kind at NASCAR. He drives through the streets of cities. So yes, Italian is spoken and yes you will swoon!!
Dante is also the best driver and has won 6 championships; however, this will be his last year before he retires. Because he is retiring his team has a younger driver to fill his spot, Max. Max is young and wild. He is constantly getting in trouble and Dante has to use his image to overrule the scandals Max causes. Due to this, Dante is not the biggest fan of Max’s.
But because this sport cannot be done solo, Dante relies heavily on his crew in order for the success of a win. But his life is scrambled when the owner of his crew hires a new female pit member. Dante is irritated with this decision - he has misogynistic views of women being on the crew. There is a reason for why he believes women should stay out of this sport, most of which is uncovered in the first chapter. But chances are you will not like Dante at first because of this.. He gets much better! Ages like fine wine! ;)
But that doesn’t stop Savannah, Savvy, our 24 year old American from Georgia from working with the crew. Savvy comes from a wealthy family, her father owns a parts company for race cars and most of her younger years she spent in beauty pageants. But the thing is, beauty pageants were something she never truly wanted. Thus, all her free time was spent with her father learning the ins and outs of race cars. This is how she ends up getting her degree in this subject matter and getting on with Dante’s crew.
Savvy is a gorgeous redhead who instantly catches Dante’s attention and they are caught in a sticky situation. Simultaneously, Max has gotten into trouble with the media. But before the spotlight can cover Max’s issues, the owner decides the best way to squash Max’s story is to have Savvy and Dante fake-date. Since this is all a publicity stunt put on by the owner, they are subjected to fake-date for the entirety of Dante’s final year of racing. Meaning they will spend the next 6 months together. The lines start to blur and what is fake and what is real…
But can Dante overcome his misogynistic views? Can Savvy keep her focus?
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
kyleigh_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
5.0
More...