Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publishing date: June 11th, 2024

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Rep: LGBTQIA+

Synopsis:

After years racing go-karts and looking up to her mother, a celebrity Formula 1 racer, Jojo Emerson-Boyd should be starting her own racing career. But when she loses her mom in a tragic crash, Jojo’s future comes to a screeching halt. Now her dad won’t let her get a license, much less race. Instead, she’s stuck working at her grandmother’s mechanic shop in the sleepy small town of Dell’s Hollow.

But Jojo’s heart quickens when Motorcyle Girl Eliana “El” Blum shows up at the shop. El grew up on the motocross circuit sidelines, watching her sister and idol Maxine compete. When El mysteriously loses all contact with Max, she’s determined to find her, with her first clue leading straight to the mechanic shop, and to Jojo.

United by fate, the two quickly bond over Mario Kart showdowns and the Fast & Furious films. As their friendship shifts into something more, they’ll have to confront both their growing romance and the grief woven into their complicated families if they hope to chase down their dreams and make it across the finish line.

Content Warning: death of a parent, grief, trauma

Playlist

Born To Be Wild-Steppenwolf

I Want You To Want Me- Cheap Trick

Love Song -Sara Bareilles

I Just Wanna Dance With You from The Prom

Life Is A Highway-Rascal Flatts

Review

Review 5/5 or 9.43/10

Characters-10
I enjoyed Jojo and El in this story. They had different backstories, but there was a connection because they were both a part of male-dominated industries. They also bonded over The Fast & the Furious, specifically Letty Ortiz, and I loved that. They were both in a small town and had dreams of leaving and starting life on their own with college. The supporting characters in this book were great as well, I loved Jojo’s Grandmother the most. The characters kept me reading this book because I wanted to see the friendships and the relationships built throughout the story. \Writing-10 I loved the writing in this book. This was my first book by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos. I loved how there were two points of view as I felt that was the best way to tell the story. I felt the writing style was perfect for this because the style was easy to read. There were fun scenes where the characters were having a good time and enjoying the moment. Furious also had some more intense scenes which I enjoyed reading because the characters were learning. Plot-9 with I went into this not knowing much about F1 or Bikes. I loved how the story progressed here. We started with El and Jojo meeting, and then we saw the relationship blossom throughout the story. I loved how there were multiple elements to the story. The mystery was great, and the race elements were fun to see. The story developed at a great pace for me, and I could see the progression of the story. Enjoyment-9 I enjoyed this one a lot! I thought the characters were wonderful, and I loved the personalities they had. The story was fun, and I will definitely read more from these authors.

Writing-10

I loved the writing in this book. This was my first book by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos. I loved how there were two points of view as I felt that was the best way to tell the story. I felt the writing style was perfect for this because the style was easy to read. There were fun scenes where the characters were having a good time and enjoying the moment. Furious also had some more intense scenes which I enjoyed reading because the characters were learning.

Plot-9

I went into this not knowing much about F1 or Bikes. I loved how the story progressed here. We started with El and Jojo meeting, and then we saw the relationship blossom throughout the story. I loved how there were multiple elements to the story. The mystery was great, and the race elements were fun to see. The story developed at a great pace for me, and I could see the progression of the story.

Enjoyment-9

I enjoyed this one a lot! I thought the characters were wonderful, and I loved the personalities they had. The story was fun, and I will definitely read more from these authors.

Jamie Pacton is a bestselling, award-winning Young Adult and Middle Grade author who lives in Wisconsin with her family. Her YA contemporary books include Furious, Lucky Girl and The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly. Her YA fantasy novels include, The Absinthe Underground and The Vermilion Emporium. Her adult fantasy romance debut, Homegrown Magic, is forthcoming from Del Rey in 2025.

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads

Becca Podos’ debut novel, The Mystery of Hollow Places (Balzer + Bray), was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a B&N Best YA Book of 2016. Her second book, Like Water (Balzer + Bray), won the 2018 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Children’s and Young Adult. From Dust, a Flame (Balzer + Bray) was her latest release. Her next novel, FURIOUS, a contemporary YA romance co-written with Jamie Pacton, will be published by Page Street YA in June of 2024; their adult fantasy debut, HOMEGROWN MAGIC, will be published by Del Rey in 2025. Rebecca is an agent at the Rees Literary Agency in Boston by day.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

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