Watch-me-descend-into-madness is one of my favorite genres, and Your Driver is Waiting does not disappoint. Driving through “the city” (my guess is that it’s New York) with Damani is a wild ride that offers a perspective I don’t often see. I’ve been to NYC a couple times and been in the back of taxis and Lyfts, and I feel overwhelmed as a passenger. To get inside the mind of a driver—they really are the backbone of major cities—is to appreciate them more in real life.

Your Driver is Waiting has a lot to say in a relatively short novel, but Priya Guns is very good at pacing and exposition. The irony of Damani driving past these protests, while no one offers to actually help her, is entertaining and alarming. The “unspeakable thing” that Jolene does is truly deplorable, and it made me feel unsettled, but I also thought about how that could and probably has happened in real life. I can think of 3 people I could put this book in the hands of right now, and it would probably blow their minds. A lot of (white, privileged) people are going to read this book and feel emotions they’ve been trying to avoid, and for that, I applaud Priya Guns.

This is a great read for anyone who enjoys character studies. It’s slow, and at some parts it felt really scrambled. I felt like the author had so many thoughts that they all got mixed together to create a chaotic book.

I found this one darker and drearier than I expected - which is saying something... I found the protagonist difficult to relate to - and as the writng style seemed to rather perfectly reflect her personality, that difficulty meant this was a more ponderous read than I would have liked. I think I just wasn't really the target audience...

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Damani and her mother are going through a rough spell. Damani's father was killed at the cafe he worked at. His death devastated them. Damani had to shoulder her family's bills and other expenses as she was the only child. To do so she was a driver for an app. Her mother fell apart completely, adding to Damani's burden. Damani begins to heal gradually. She meets a person she becomes interested in and they begin a relationship. Damani's life begins to improve but her mother is still struggling. After Damani's new friend makes an unforgivable mistake, how does her world change?

Priya Guns' main character Damani initially seems completely lost. She is uncertain what the future will hold with her beloved father gone. She resents being saddled with so much responsibility and chafes at her new role as head of household. She is coming of age, exploring a new relationship, and trying to map a way forward for her and her mother. It is messy, as life can be. Damani is likable and slightly self-centered. She makes mistakes and is flawed but learns to cope with her new life and alongside her mother, they move on.

Oh my! Incredible first novel from Priya Guns. Extremely gut wrenching and tense beyond mixed up with hopefully fucked romance. This is the day in the life and damn if it isn’t hard!

A gender-flipped Taxi Driver, Damani is working her butt off driving for the bare minimum to support her mother and her-self after her father's passing. Her mother is in a catatonic state and Damani's commentary on he world around her is very bleak and cynical until she meets Jolene on one of her rides. Jolene and Damani quickly form a bond until Jolene does the unforgivable and turns Damani's world upside down. Damani has to learn how to fix what has been broken. All throughout this story is filed with social action and honest look at the messed up unjust world around.

This is a very quick read. The writing style and flow of the story was hard for me to get into but I was intrigued to see how it would end. I do feel like there wasn't a good cohesiveness with all of the concepts that the author was trying to address. Instead of building this up the themes and concepts it was just speeding through and forcing into the story instead of it feeling natural. The way the story if told, the social issues are so in your face it doesn't give you the chance to come to your own conclusions. The characters story weren't fleshed out enough and I fund myself confused most of the time.

Overall the story premise was entertaining. Wasn't a terrible read however wasn't that great either.

I found 'Your Driver Is Waiting' to be a fairly sharp, witty, and clearly purposeful piece of writing that had plenty to say. While I found it to be pretty entertaining in what it set out to do, especially with its commentary on performative activism, racism, and society as a whole, the writing itself wasn't really the right fit for me. Though, that isn't to say I wouldn't personally recommend it, I would just say this is a book that will most definitely find the right audience.

Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns was a dark humor, incredibly well crafted, amazing storytelling with fascinating characters.
A super quick read, as I found it extremely hard to put his book down.
I've never read anything by this author but I must say Guns took this story and made a masterpiece here.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Doubleday,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Your Driver Is Waiting is unlike anything you've ever read, A gender-flipped Taxi Driver with shades of Joker, Damani is a jaded taxi driver struggling to make ends meet in a grimy city alive with constant protests. Her father's sudden death leaves her no choice but to take care of her mother, whose husband's death has rendered her severely depressed and nearly catatonic. She meets Jolene by chance - a privileged, wealthy, self-described "ally" of all oppressed - and their connection is instantaneous, but their stark differences are only fuel for the political fire around them and the trigger for a descent into madness Damani is on the brink of.

This is not a romance, nor is it really a thriller. It's the definition of literary fiction - a slow-moving character study that pivots hard halfway through into an adrenaline-inducing sprint to the last page - crossed with political satire and dark comedy. It's excellent social commentary on the disparity between the privileged advocates for social justice and the ones experiencing injustice, and absolutely nails what it promises to accomplish through finely crafted storytelling.

Guns is a talented writer with a special gift for world-building and character studies. Her voice is unique and bold, and she clearly is a master of "show, don't tell". There's just enough small details and suggestion that makes the story feel realistic and uncomfortable (in a good way) instead of obnoxiously preachy. She is now on my auto-buy list, and I really look forward to her future releases!

Your Driver Is Waiting is about obsession and, very broadly, expectations vs. reality. It is an incredible, powerful and fast read guaranteed it will be one of the best books you'll ever read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Pub date: February 28, 2023

As someone who has never seen Taxi Driver, I found this novel exhilarating and hard to put down. Full of tense moments that had me wanting to jump out of my own car, YOUR DRIVER IS WAITING will keeping readers hooked for hours.

Initially I had trouble getting into Your Driver Is Waiting because the author's voice was so strident. As I got perhaps a chapter or two into it, though, I realized why and ended up really liking a fresh voice.
Damani’s father has just died. Her mother is depressed to the point of catatonia. Working many shifts as a driver for an Uber-like organization, she is constantly tired. Between giving rides, she runs home to feed her mother and carry her to the bathroom. She begins to see nothing but endless drudgery. Her friends feel much the same. The city is overrun by various protest groups, but she doesn’t have time to get involved—she’d rather sleep. Until she gives a ride to Jolene, a white woman of the five-star variety. They quickly become obsessed with each other—until Jolene performs an unforgivable act and sets off a devastating chain of events. 
The strident voice is perfect for Damani—she is fiery, frustrated, and barely holding her life together. The novel is darkly comedic, a social commentary on the haves and the have-nots, the meaning of friendships and family, sexual orientation, stigmatized communities of various kinds, and the inequalities in the United States where “all men are created equal.”

This is a thriller but it’s incredibly timely and just a really amazing story. I was immediately pulled into the main characters world. Apart is extremely fast paced but I could not stop reading. Highly recommend this one.