BOOK REVIEW: Offtrack by Esha Patel

A huge thank you to @avonbooksuk for the e-arc provided through @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I received my final physical copy early as a preorder from @waterstones

Wow. Just, wow.

I must confess that I’ve never been a romance girl, finding the characters in romances to be incredibly over exaggerated. However, since the age of 7 I have been a huge F1 fan.

Esha has created something very special. The fact our FMC is a female F1 driver made my little heart so happy and the incredible detail into the races had me smiling from ear to ear.

I loved how Esha managed to expertly convey and navigate the challenges a woman would have in such a male dominated sport and did so with such grace and respect. I also thoroughly enjoyed the sprinkling of our MC’s cultures within the story, making me google and explore another culture with such fascination.

This book changed my perspective on romance books entirely and I’ve been well and truly flung into my F1 romance era, this truly is something special and I will forever hold it dear to my heart.

But Esha, my bank account isn’t happy with you…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to netgalley and Avon Books UK | Avon for allowing me access to this book. This was a cute, fun, and fast read.

off track - esha patel
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

really love an f1 book - this one was different. i really enjoyed having a female f1 driver and the deception of countries we barely see.

i enjoyed both main characters and was rooting for both of them. it’s extremely hard to pick a favourite when they were both racing for the same title. i was actually kinda glad to see who won.

the romance was fairly decent, it did come out of nowhere tbh but like the moment they saw the photos of eachother and remembered made my heart SWEELLL.

it was a really fun read tbh! i would recommend and thank you again to NetGalley and the author for the arc🫶🏻

The premise of Offtrack sounded very intriguing, and I was super excited to see this F1 romance published by a South Asian author. However, I had a very hard time reading this novel due to the writing. This book desperately needed better editing--I found myself cringing at how awkward the dialogue and prose felt. Additionally, I wish the author did not assume that all readers know exactly how F1 works. I was confused throughout several moments where the characters would throw out F1 jargon without a proper explanation for the non-F1 fans reading the book. Because of these reasons, I had a hard time enjoying the novel, and would ultimately give the book 3 stars.

From the point of view of a F1 fan, this was amazing. Now from a romance reader... this was lacking.
I liked the setup and the f1 atmosphere was amazing but I couldn't find the chemistry between our mcs.
Also I didn't like Miguel. He was whiny and I didn't like the last scene before the epilogue where Diana had to put his feelings before hers. Didn't like that.
Overall this was fast paced and action packed but wish the romance was better.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for in-depth F1 analyses or a spicy enemies-to-lovers romance, do not read this book.
If, however, you are looking for a sweet, romantic story centred around a female driver breaking into the F1 world, absolutely go for it. (People having healthy conversations about boundaries and the future? Unconditionally supporting each-other? Mindbending. Could not be other romance books. Five stars for that alone!)
I had a great time, and, to be honest, a lot of the reviews I’ve been seeing are taking things a lot more seriously than they probably should. Is it a perfect book? No. But it’s an interesting story and I had a great time, and if that is what you are looking for, definitely pick it up!

This story is a sport a motorsport story. I believe all three tropes were developed and implemented considerably better. The novel will keep you engaged and entertained throughout.

Diana is the first woman to drive in Formula One this century. Miguel, the World Championship favourite, does not take any rookie, let alone a woman, seriously.

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of the story, the characters, the F1 drama and players, and Diana's story. What I found lacking was chemistry between the two main characters, as there was no romance in the relationship. I enjoy slow-burn romances, but this one didn't do it for me. The description was extensive, and some of the information was unneeded.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books Uk for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review

never read a motor cross romance and this was a fun little time! didn’t connect to the characters too much but i enjoyed my time reading!

What better way to spend the week when there’s no F1 by reading an F1 romance?

Trust me when I say this is for the fans.
The detail in the races, the determination, the anger, the friendships, the love, all the emotions were felt in this book.

I do love how the plot evolves through the book however I do feel it was missing some things. I wished there was a bit more time dedicated to Miguel and Diyana’s romantic relationship and how it evolved, I feel there was some bits missing for me to enjoy it fully.
The description for the races was phenomenal however maybe either too long or too short, sometimes it did seem like the race was dragging and I was getting a tad confused, and then it just said P1. So I did get a bit of whiplash if I’m being honest.

I did enjoy the book and will definitely recommend it, especially to F1 lovers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. :)

I love F1. I’ve been watching since my oldest decided he wanted to be a race engineer when he was 12. (And he was for a few years!) So, I am excited by this trend of F1 sport romances.

Unfortunately, the first one I read does not win any trophies.

The author wants to address the misogyny that’s rampant in sport. And while I applaud that, and acknowledge that *that* wasn’t the problem here, there was much else wrong.

On a positive note: I found the paddock interviews early on to be cute and fun. It felt most realistic - in the after race high, drivers are more likely to do silly things to each other and for the cameras.

I also enjoyed the characters modeled after some of my favorite, and least favorite, current drivers.

But that’s about it.

There’s no chemistry between the two main characters. Both are likable but feel wooden when together, and there’s no real spark. I didn’t buy the twist about their go karting days; they were late teens so there is no way they didn’t remember each other, especially given the significance of their successes back then.

I have no idea why Miguel is in an arranged marriage with Jatziry; it’s never explained and feels so very out of time that it’s hard to believe.

F1 drivers are arrogant and strong willed and unforgiving. Diana’s personality does match with what a driver needs to do and be to win in an elite sport.

No way a new driver in a mid level team makes Q1 and podium in the first race of the season, much less a championship. Just…no.

——
Miguel is at the top of F1 and this is his year to win the championship. Diana is a young upstart from F2 hired possibly as a stunt, possibly for her talent. As the season progresses and Diana matches and then outshines Miguel, there’s a shake up in the paddock. But despite being promised to someone else, Miguel finds himself falling for Diana. An ultimatum will force these two to make difficult decisions and choose what will make them happiest.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to read and review. Available May 9, 2024.

Offtrack follows Diana Zahrani, Formula 1's first female driver and Miguel De La Fuente who Is a seasoned driver. Diana has worked her whole life to be in F1 and finally gets the opportunity to. Miguel is trying to stay focused to win his first championship. As Diana and Miguel race, they are forced to see each other all the time. Sparks start to fly between them but they must keep focus for the sake of their teams

As an F1 fan, I was really excited to read the book.
I loved reading Diana's story a lot more than Miguel's. I liked how Esha highlighted the struggles a woman has in a male dominated sport through not only Diana but Paula as well.
I enjoyed the plot overall although if you are looking for a spicy sports romance, this is not it. It was VERY slow burn but does have some very sweet moments. It did lack quite a lot of chemistry between Diana and Miguel and think there ended to be more. I did also feel that it was sometimes difficult to keep up with the duel POV.
I did think the ending was a little unbelievable but does end the story nicely
Overall, it is a quick and fun read for any sports romance readers!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. Views are my own.

I was excited to read a F1 romance since most of them lately are about hockey or other sports.
The characters are great and their growth is so well done, the dialogue is compelling and the story overall is so great.
But the romance itself felt so flat to me for some reason. I couldn’t feel any chemistry or attraction between them, it was more like they have been put together by chance and they had to give in just because that’s how the story needs to flow.
Maybe next time I will enjoy it more but for now, I’ll leave it to that.

Very grateful to the publisher for this copy, opinions are my own.

Offtrack by Esha Patel is a sports romance and motorsports story about racing cars and drivers who start as competitors, friends, and lovers. I think all these three tropes were developed and implemented in a much better way. The book will keep you hooked and entertained throughout the way.

Diana Zahrani is Formula One’s first female racing driver this century. World Championship favorite Miguel de la Fuente is not taking any rookie seriously, let alone a woman. Since I am someone who has recently developed an interest in F1, I knew I had to pick this up.

I enjoyed the plot, I enjoyed the characters, and I enjoyed the F1 drama and players, along with Diana's story and what she has to deal with being the single female player in the racing. What I felt lacked was chemistry. It truly felt forced at times, even due to it being a slow-burn romance.

Also, I felt there were places where there was too much description and unnecessary information. The multiple POVs did not help either. The romance felt forced, and it was more like the story of Diana alone and not Miguel at all. But overall, I was drawn towards it since there aren't many motorsport romance books out there.

An easy read and I enjoyed the F1 parts (which as a fan of watching f1 prior to reading f1 romance was lovely).
However, the romance just wasn't for me, if I can really classify what was going on as romance. I found the multiple POVs really disorientating and I wasn't fully sure who I was or wasn't meant to like as I ended up not really liking any of the characters.
Also the prospect of her winning in her first year just felt like pandering as this doesn't really happen in normal F1 and it felt forced that she would do it in her 1st year. A podium yes, but a win was very unlikely.

I really enjoyed this F1 romance! I love sports romances and this was my first Formula 1 read, so I had high expectations. Thankfully, Patel delivered. Diana and Miguel were wonderful characters and I loved reading about a woman in racing. So good!

Offtrack by Esha Patel is a sports romance and motorsports story about racing cars and drivers who start as competitors, friends, and lovers. I think all these three tropes were developed and implemented in a much better way. The book will keep you hooked and entertained throughout the way.

Diana Zahrani is Formula One’s first female racing driver this century. World Championship favorite Miguel de la Fuente is not taking any rookie seriously, let alone a woman. Since I am someone who has recently developed an interest in F1, I knew I had to pick this up.

I enjoyed the plot, I enjoyed the characters, and I enjoyed the F1 drama and players, along with Diana's story and what she has to deal with being the single female player in the racing. What I felt lacked was chemistry. It truly felt forced at times, even due to it being a slow-burn romance.

Also, I felt there were places where there was too much description and unnecessary information. The multiple POVs did not help either. The romance felt forced, and it was more like the story of Diana alone and not Miguel at all. But overall, I was drawn towards it since there aren't many motorsport romance books out there.

I've been enjoying some other F1 romance books and was very excited to pick up this one. And all of the things that I was looking forward to in this book, did not end up existing. Enemies to lovers? Not present. This was more childhood friends to work rival to lovers. It was a romance, with no romance in the plot and no chemistry between the two MCs. The entire book was formula 1, the storyline took a major backseat. It was unclear for most of the book who we were supposed to be rooting for since MC is engaged for half the book...I love dual POV but oddly enough this was one book where you really couldn't tell which chapter was read by who unless you backtracked a bit since they were SO similar. This book had potential, but did not measure up.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK
for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I loved this book! I thought having a woman as part of an F1 team was really refreshing and made for an amazing book. The main characters, especially Diana, were well-written and I was so invested in their stories and in the events of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to any F1 and/or romance fans.

The F1 x Romance lovers community is huge. The explosion of the sport with women in recent years has seen a craving for our favourite romance books to now be melded into the world of our favourite sport, and that is no mean feat. Esha Patel has managed to bring not only a wonderful book into the romance world, but in terms of sports romance she has upped the stakes of what we deserve. Her writing of action scenes in particular is as addictive and compelling as watching real life racing, only now we also have the bonus of a romance worthy of swoon town mixed in. I loved this book and I can't wait to see what Esha does next. A top recommendation for all sports romance gals who have a particular penchant for cars that go vroom ;)

Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for the early arc in exchange for an honest review!

Ce livre me tentait depuis un petit moment et quand j’ai vu qu’il allait être retravaillé pour être publié traditionnellement, j’ai sauté sur l’occasion pour le lire…

Dans le monde très masculin de la Formule 1, Diana va être la première femme à l’intégrer en tant que pilote mais elle va se heurter à tous les préjugés de ce milieu… Miguel de la Fuente est le champion du monde actuel et veut tout faire pour avoir un autre titre, il ne se soucie pas des rookies mais Diana va venir tout bouleverser…

J’avais beaucoup d’attente en débutant ce livre et malheureusement, j’ai vite déchanté… J’ai eu beaucoup de mal avec le style de l’autrice que j’ai trouvé décousue, un peu brouillon et puis le fait qu’on est trop de point de vue (pas forcément de nos personnages principaux), c’est déroutant… J’ai eu du mal aussi à m’attacher aux personnages que j’ai trouvé tête à claques et exaspérant… J’avoue que j’ai survolé la seconde partie du roman car c’était assez prévisible..

En bref, un livre qui a du potentiel mais qui ne m’a convaincu