A fun sci-fi adventure, but I had a hard time enjoying the characters. This premise needs to have something fresh added to it to be memorable, and unfortunately Into the Churn didn't have that.

Very mad max in the best way possible. fun, wacky, and a dangerous, ferocious ride. worth it. take a look!

I immediately was drawn to the hunger games vibe of this book and I really loved it! It had suspense, good slow burn tension, and a cool concept. I would 100% recommend for anyone looking for a fun sci fi romance read!

I only got about 30% through this before I had to DNF it. For me personally I didn’t enjoy the writing style or the main character which made it hard to get into. Thank you for the Arc!

Once again, Hayley Reese Chow proved herself to be made for this! I read her previous fantasy book and thought the writing was brilliant, and it continues to be so. I absolutely loved this book. It was such a fun read. The racing and action-packed plot was fast and exciting. The characters were so lovable, especially the found-family aspects. The world-building is immersive. I adore Sterling/Hart! It was just everything I could have wanted from a story like this. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. Absolutely deserves all the stars - highly recommend!

I love the cover! The actual book was a lot of setup and while I am a pretty big sci-fi person this one didn't personally catch my attention enough.

Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me. The premise sounded so intruiging and fun and I personally think this was just a me problem because despite the fact that this wasn’t a book that stood out to me, I can admit that the writing was really good and the author did a great job at developing the characters!

It was a good story and I enjoyed the characters. The star reflection is more because its not my type of book normally, however I enjoyed what I read and I would recommend it on to others. Thank you for gifting me this arc

I loved this book. the world building. the teammates to lovers!!! the characters and every interaction
it was splendid and I went back to reread my favorite chapters as soon as I finished the book,
I totally recommend it for those who love YA, Science Fiction and some romance <3


(Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review)

"Into the Churn" by Hayley Reese Chow is a thrilling sci-fi adventure that whisks readers away to the rugged and perilous world of Belethea, where survival hinges on speed, skill, and a dash of daring.

At the heart of the story is seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart, whose dream of transforming her planet's storm-ravaged skies leads her to enter the Race Royale, a high-stakes competition that promises both fortune and peril. With the fate of her family and her home world hanging in the balance, Ezren must navigate treacherous terrain and deadly storms while forging an unlikely alliance with the jaded ex-prodigy royaler, Foster Sterling.

Chow's world-building is masterful, painting a vivid picture of Belethea's harsh landscape and the cutthroat world of interplanetary racing. From the adrenaline-pumping action of the race itself to the simmering tension between Ezren and Foster, every page crackles with excitement and intrigue.

What sets "Into the Churn" apart is its richly drawn characters and their complex relationships. Ezren's determination and courage shine through as she fights to save her planet, while Foster's inner turmoil adds depth and nuance to the narrative. As they race against time and deadly adversaries, their bond grows stronger, fuelling both the romance and the suspense.

With its blend of pulse-pounding action, slow-burn romance, and high-stakes drama, "Into the Churn" is a gripping read from start to finish. Chow's skilful prose and immersive storytelling make this a must-read for fans of sci-fi and adventure alike. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride across the unforgiving terrain of Belethea.

'Into the Churn' is an entertaining YA sci-fi story where young adults are sent into deadly races on a storm-ridden planet in the pursuit of fame and fortune.

Thank you to NetGalley and Whimsical Publishing for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this book, we're following the dual POVs of Ezren, a terraforming intern who stumbles into the race royale by circumstance, and Foster, a young man trained to become a 'royaler' from a young age. In the beginning, Ezren has little interest in the race but a string of events ends with her trying out for the local team. Foster has already been on said team for a year, but budget cuts to the failing team sees even seasoned royalers needing to try-out, and he is thrust into a team with Ezren.

'Into the Churn' is action packed and fast paced. However, the fast pace and constant time skips of weeks and months at a time do make parts of the story feel a little disjointed - in particular, the development of both platonic and romantic relationships. I would have liked to have seen more of the training and character development in action, rather than just bring told it had happened over a time skip.

As a YA novel, swearing has been replaced with alternate slang. These slang phrases are repeated quite often and become very repetitive.

Overall, I would recommend this book to YA readers who enjoy competition style stories with romantic subplots. It is not without its flaws, and I found it did read a bit too young for me personally as an older reader of YA, but I enjoyed it fine nonetheless.

I know I’m reading English but it still registers as a different language. It took me some time to understand the technical terms, I was also surprised by how quickly paced this story was, one year went by in a blink of an eye. Even with the story being so quick paced, I connected to Erzen soo quickly. I have never before read a book like this, but I was so intrigued by the book cover, and I’m so glad I was. If you’re into racing, science and future technology then you need to read this book! It was such a fun read.

What a novel!!! From start to finish I was engaged and hooked. Fast pacing, heart pumping moments. Likeable characters. 5/5!!

A romantic sci-fi adventure that will make your heart race and flutter!

“Into the Churn” follows Ezren Hart as she enters her planet’s deadly and most lucrative race in hopes of saving her mother’s terraforming lab. Her partner and veteran racer Foster Sterling has reasons of his own for partaking in Belthea’s Race Royale: to uncover the truth behind the death of his former teammate. It’s a race against time to the finish line, but they can’t outrun the mysterious string of accidents befalling them or the spark that ignites between them.

Admittedly science-fiction isn’t my cup of tea because I can easily become overwhelmed by abstract concepts, but I’m so glad I decided to branch out with this book because it is just so fun! I was immediately swept up in Chow’s Casolla system from the very first page. Through Ezren’s point-of-view the reader is organically introduced to Belthean customs and traditions, including slang unique to those who inhabit the planet and the race royale. The stakes are high for both Ezren and Foster with savage and volatile storms being a part of the course they have to navigate. The added threat of other racers sabotaging their competition paired with the elements of mystery and fast pacing made it so that there was never a dull moment!

With so much on the line I also couldn’t help but root for both Ezren and Foster to be the first to finish and was desperate to see their relationship take off. This book is advertised as a slow burn and while I wouldn’t say that is the case, I really enjoyed watching their feelings for each other grow from both of their perspectives. The inclusion of the fake dating trope pushes Ezren and Foster to spend more time together as part of a publicity stunt until the line between what is pretend and what is real begins to blur. I couldn’t get enough of their chemistry!

This was a captivating story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I really liked the unique parts within the story that had me invested from the first page. Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book.

This was good for the first 50%, but then it got really draggy in the second half. The last 50% was almost impossible to get through, and I wish that the author had put some of the care and attention to detail from the first half into the second. Besides that, the first 30% was great. I enjoyed that a lot, but then it kind of fell off for me.

I went into this book looking for some fun and a cozy adventure and I came out crying like a baby and loving many many of the characters. The main two characters are to die for and I just loved the general vibes too, I can't wait to read the next part and see the new adventures.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Not my cup of tea but was an interesting read. I really enjoyed Ezren's POV more than Foster's. It was a bit hard for me to picture the events and the world they lived in, which made it hard for me to grasp a liking/understanding to the story. I most likely will not be reading book 2.

I had initially requested this after seeing the cover and reading the synopsis, thinking that this would be some sort of romantic space opera. I was imagining "These Broken Stars" meets Tron, and it was. I just struggled to connect with any of the characters, I also found that the romance was developed very flatly. There are a lot of time jumps, where we watch as the characters go from strangers to friends or friends to lovers with very little information on why.

I liked a lot about this book, the world and characters were set up great and I was excited to get into their story but it lacked a lot in actual development: character, relationship, and world.

This is a fast-paced Sci-fromance novel. We follow two professional athletes that are partners in a high-danger race/fighting ring. It's YA in an accessible but not annoying way, and I would easily recommend it broadly.

What this book does best is in its setting. It really sets the mood with its planet full of deadly storms, and every scene where the characters were out there had real gravitas. I felt the danger and the excitement. This book also nails the pacing in the competition plot. I was very invested in how our protagonists would place in every round, and it kept me enthusiastically reading.

I also especially loved our protagonist Ezren, who was passionate about the race and the planet, and was given really strong motivations that helped me cheer for her.

It's a little disappointing that this book that is marketed as "slow burn" takes very little time to explore the yearning of the characters, and has the first kiss before even halfway through the book. It's a fine romance, but not quite one that will sweep you off your feet.

A video review featuring this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle

Thanks to Netgalley and Whimsical Publishing for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.