In all honesty, I have struggled in almost the entire first half of the book.

First of all, I was lost with the sport itself. As someone who doesn’t know anything about Formula 1, in book 1 I still felt it was easy to follow the book and understand the sport storyline. This aspect was lost in this book which made it hard to enjoy.

In parallel the romance in the first part was lacking to me. It took a long time to feel the connection between the characters, it wasn’t until about half of the book that I was really in. Until then I had wondered if I should just DNF. At mid-point, I started to enjoy the book a lot more and thought it would be smooth until the end and the second half would redeem the book for me. Unfortunately, there had to be another twist around 80% which felt completely unnecessary and led to a pretty annoying third act drama, which honestly we could have done without.

The one thing I thought was very well done is the description of grief, and the associated guilt of being alive and if you can / how to move on. This felt really true and made Shantal a very relatable character.

*I received an ARC of this book, this is my honest opinion*

A big thanks to Avon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.

3 stars :)

One of the main things I liked about this book was that a big part of it was that the mmc was an immigrant and that he still managed to become big and successful, and I just haven't seen that before in any other books, which is why it was quite interesting to read.
I think this book centred around grief a lot of the time, and it was interesting to see how it was being dealt with and I think the author didn't overplay it, which I think some do, which then leads to the story being more grief than romance.
I don't really prefer books with the insta-love vibe which I found to be the case here, and I also thought it to be quite lust over love, because there wasn't as big of a connection between them.
It personally was not anything special, but it was still a quick read so it was read in one sitting.

Thank you again :)

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I will start by saying I didn't realize this was the second book in a series. That being said, this one can definitely be read on its own but it seems it will spoil some stuff from the first book. It's more like an interconnected stand alone with cross over characters and relationships. I see that the MMC, Darien, from this book appears in the first book and perhaps if I had read that, I would have understood and liked his character a bit more.
I know F1 is the hot thing right now and I've been craving those books because I really enjoy the races. This is my third book in this type of world and I was hoping it would be the one to hit the spot. I have high expectations of what will happen in these books, of how things will play out, of what the authors will present when it comes to racing. I think Patel did a fairly good job of this overall. This sport is tough and highly competitive. Plus, very technical. I will say there were some areas that confused me, even being an F1 fan. Some technical stuff that didn't necessarily need to be included as I'm not sure the regular reader would really get it without more of an explanation.
Overall I liked Shantel and Darien enough to want to know where things went. I did struggle at times with their personalities. I definitely liked Darien more than Shante. I can see Darien is kind of the golden retriever type, though there wasn't as much joy coming from him as I would have liked. I didn't necessarily feel the chemistry between them, either. It felt a bit like insta-love with no growth. It felt like the author was forcing the characters to have a connection and become romantically involved. I wanted to slow build burn the author was trying to establish but it just felt flat. And nothing truly happened until about 3/4 of the way through the book. Normally, I'm good with this if the author shows how the characters are becoming connected and forming a relationship, but that wasn't the case with this book. Also, I didn't necessarily feel the characters' growth as I'm sure the author intended. Both are going through a grief process, which should help them connect, but it didn't. This theme was very heavy but it felt superficial in this book. The author continuously told us how sad the characters were but didn't really show that to us in a meaningful way. And I didn't see them developing and learning from what they were at the beginning of the story.
I feel like the author included a lot of the F1 information to try and move the story along. But it just made it boring, to be honest. It felted forced on the reader than than a way to show them the sport.
I will say the author describes the settings well. I liked that she took us from race to race and showed us some parts of where those races take place. And she did make me want to perhaps visit Brazil, it sounds like an interesting place.
Lastly, this author does a lot of telling rather than showing. Every little detail of what the characters are doing is told to the reader rather than making the reader feel like they are in the scene and experiencing what the characters are going through. It killed the pacing for me and I often times felt like I needed to skim the scene, rather than immerse myself in it to find out what was going on. It took me out of the story and didn't make me want to pick it back up. Often the author added information to the story which did nothing to move the plot forward. There were a lot of things that were mundane and unnecessary. At times it was even confusing when the characters were speaking or when the author was trying to show a scene but it was all described to us in minute detail.
I don't think I will be continuing with this series. This one was truly a struggle for me. The author has some potential but needs to hone things better to make the story more cohesive and enjoyable. The execution was poor and just didn't work for me. I do think that F1 fans may enjoy the depth the author goes into regarding the sport but if they are looking for a great romance with amazing character growth to go along with that, I think they will be disappointed.

Me and a Formula 1 romance good together real bad. I enjoyed this book so much. The pining, cozy feels, this was so enjoyable.

4.5 stars!!

Thank you Avon Books for the early copy!!
Darien and Shantal’s story is emotional, exciting and heart-wrenching. Their connection truly is other-worldly and I’m in awe!!
I loved being back in the Offtrack world, seeing the characters and getting right into the exciting world of racing. I do wish we spent a tiny bit more time on track but I believe the things that happened off the track really solidified the characters’ connection and made me believe in them.
It’s a delicious slow burn - agonising at points! but the end result is so so so worth it.
As usual, the writing was absolutely beautiful, captivating and stunning - I’ll never get over Esha’s writing. It truly is like a movie playing in my head and I can visualise every last detail.
I truly want to be friends with these characters and am devastated they aren’t real. This is talent!!! I will read anything this woman writes.
The last 20% especially was jaw-dropping. Some of the quotes will stick with me for a long time, and I was sobbing at the end. Incredible!!!

2.75 stars ⊹₊⋆

“they say you van hear a heart when it breaks, but i realise today that it’s the same for one that’s being put back together”

⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚

shantal joins the formula one world to test out her racing simulator on the high performance drivers to help analyse and improve the skillset of the driving team - where we meet darien a very passionate formula one driver who is feeling the pressure of this years championship.

i did enjoy this book more than the first in this interconnected stand alone series.. but it still was just okay? nothing really blew me away nor did i have a connection with either main character. this storyline played a lot on grief and i did feel that it overpowered the characters meaning we didn’t get to see much of them or their growth. it kinda gave slight insta-love vibes { he was smitten for her and she like the look of him } or lust over love? because nothing happened again until 70% through the book! and again there was no tension or build up between characters? it kinda felt a little like two good friends helping each other through their grief?


౨ৎ˚ main characters

again, like the first book i’m going to do the characters together rather than separately cause there isn’t much to say.
i liked darien’s character, i liked him in offtrack and i had a lot more hope for this book cause of how much i enjoyed him in the first. again his accident with the grief of his father just seemed to overpower him and we didn’t get to enjoy his happy self we met in book one. shantal was a new character introduced through this book, again i enjoyed her more then diana but she also fell short for me. I kinda understood her job but also didn’t all at the same time. i wished in both books we got to really connect and understand the characters a lot more to help us appreciate the characters.

overall I fell like the stories are getting better as the series carries on, but i still am waiting for more. more connection to the characters, more development and more tension and love between our main characters to really help get us gripped. I feel like Esha has the formula one knowledge done so well but the romance portion is just lacking.


a massive thank you to netgallery for sending me an arc copy of this book to devour before the launch date!

After working tirelessly to build a high tech racing simulator, Shantal gets the opportunity to move to Brazil and test it out on Formula One racing drivers — including Darien, a Brazillian driver willing to do anything to make his country and family proud. From the second they set eyes on each other, the chemistry is clear, but with the pressure to succeed weighing on both on them, can they keep focused on their goals or will there be romance on the racetrack?

I had a good time reading this over the weekend! I think Esha Patel has found the perfect balance between light-hearted and emotional depth in Overdrive, with both Darien and Shantal containing multitudes as characters. The F1 racetrack setting added a fun flair to the story and upped the stakes for them both individually and as a couple which made for fast-paced reading and deep investment in the plot. The romance itself was a love letter to acts of service and true, meaningful connection. I also loved the found family aspects with the other team members and drivers. overall, this was a solid four star read for me!!

What a beautiful, heartbreaking book that was also so full of joy and featured a love for the ages. This contemporary F1 romance gripped me and didn’t let me go until the HEA.

THOUGHTS 💭
🏎️ I love that this book takes us to new countries and introduces us to diverse characters from all over the world! There are also strong female characters that I loved.
🏎️ The author does an incredible job of weaving a story around a sport (F1) that I know little about, making it understandable and exciting.
🏎️ Our main characters are amazing in their own right and work so well together; they try their hardest to not take things out of the friend zone. This book features a slow burn to end all slow burns.
🏎️ Darien is a laid back, cinnamon roll F1 driver; Shantal is a determined, smart woman in STEM. Both are dealing with familial trauma and tragedy.
🏎️ There’s so much pressure on Darien and Shantel to succeed in this new tech endeavor and it was amazing to watch it play out. Your heart is pounding in the intense moments alongside these characters.
🏎️ The author pulls you into the story with her beautiful writing; you can’t help but wonder “what will happen next?!”

Thanks so much to Esha Patel, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Great read about an F1 driver falling for someone who develops software for F1 drivers to enhance their performance. Engaging characters, some parts are slightly unreal and unbelievable but that is what makes it good and enjoyable! Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy

Having read a few other F1 romances around the same time as Offtrack, it hadn’t been my favourite but I was still intrigued to read Patel’s latest offering and I was so much more impressed!

The characters felt a lot more engaged and developed and the actual F1 content felt a lot less forced and cheesy as well!

Of course there were still some aspects that were quite unbelievable in the world of F1 but it’s fiction so I don’t mind letting that slide!

I would definitely be interested to read more of Patel’s F1 world!

Great romance book by a great author. Loved the story and plot line. The cover is beautiful and will definitely read from this author again

romance set in the world of an F1 racer. He’s a F1 driver. She’s developing new racing software. The two are set to work together. The F1 aspects of this read are enjoyable. I must admit the romance wasn’t great for me and lack a bit of depth. Is an easy light hearted though!

4 stars⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for the e-arc of this book for an honest review. I loved this book so much! The characters were perfect! I love formula 1 books so much!

I read an ARC of 'Overdrive' by Esha Patel, and I found it to be okay. I got a little enjoyment out of it, but overall, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I can see how others might really enjoy this book, as it has its merits, but for me, it didn't quite hit the mark. If you're curious, I'd still recommend giving it a try!

Don’t you just want to grab this, switch off the phone and curl up on the sofa
By far one of my favourite books I've read this month… I loved every minute… I laughed out loud so many times!!…

I was really excited for this one and overall I did have a good time. I liked the first one more but Darien and Shantel were cute. I loved when he got her name put on the back of his wheel. The way they bonded over their family members that have passed, it warmed my heart. I just wish that there weren't as many time jumps. I wanted more time in the moment so that we got to know the characters better.

I received an arc through netgalley.

An interesting insight into Formula 1 Driving - not just driving around a track. Technology, skill with love thrown in

This is an okay romance read - it's probably a lot more fun and interesting if you're into F1/motorsports but it's a standard dislike-ish to love romance. The pacing felt quite off at times and I personally didn't gel with the characters but this isn't a *bad* book!

i usually love a formula 1 romance but i just didn’t love this. The pacing was off and I didn’t love how the storyline was so focussed on grief, not character development. I just couldn’t believe in their love. There were some really sweet moments though.

This book is the second in the series. I didn't read the first one before starting it and I don't recommend it. I think the story would have been more engaging if I had started with book one. With that said, I struggled to like the main characters and actually took a break from the book for a couple of months before continuing.

Things I liked: the setting. I loved the way she described being in Brazil, makes me want to go visit.

If you're looking for an F1 series, these are the books for you. And make sure to read them in order or you may struggle like I did.