
Member Reviews

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!

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.

This is a good book that gets you hooked from the first pages all about a F1 racing car driver called Darien who is eager to win the championship and is introduced to Shantal who works for a computer sim company and has been assigned to Darien to use the latest technology and a sim car to improve his chances.
The chemistry between them builds up and is exciting especially when Darien is involved in a accident which nearly ends his career but he manages to get back to racing with Shantals help and they fall in love but then fate steps in and pulls them apart and they have to fight to be together.
Thoroughly enjoyed the story full of action and the description of the racing is great would highly recommend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I really liked the plot of this book and the characters, I just wish the pacing was a bit better. I feel like the characters themselves were really interesting but I honestly did not see any chemistry between them until the end. The main focus was on grief and I think the author did a wonderful job on explaining that but I feel it took over the book instead of being part of the romance plot. This author has great potential and I would love to read future books.

Esha Patel had me hooked with Offtrack, her debut Formula 1 romance, but she upped the ante with her follow-up Overdrive. This book is deeper, hotter, and somehow even better! The romance is great, the writing style is easy to love, and the characters are so relatable! The representation is so beautiful and highly-appreciated and fans of Lauren Asher and should definitely check this one out!

Thank you, Esha Patel, NetGalley, and Avon Books, for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Where do I begin?
I enjoyed the first book in this series; however, this second instalment fell flat for me. Though the beginning was strong and engaging, I found that the story did not flow as smoothly as I had hoped. The romance felt disjointed, and the events were confusing and inconsistent. I also struggled with the Formula 1 aspect of the story, as the characters involved in racing seemed muddled.
Would I recommend this to others? No, although, if someone asked me for a f1 romance, I would say Esha Patel because I see the promise of the books. It just needs better execution.

My husband loves to watch racing so I've watched a lot of F1. It was so fun to enter the world of F1 in this wonderfully written romance! Darien and Shantal are the best and I loved their story! I hope we continue to see more racing romances!

Once again Esha Patel has written an incredible f1 romance.
I received an arc for Offtrack at a time when I was starting to get into f1 and it really helped get me excited for the sport. I was thrilled to receive the confirmation email for the arc for Overdrive!!
Since it was race day in Brazil I just had to post my review of this incredible book, that is mostly set in this city, today.
In this one we follow Darien, a Brazilian f1 driver, and Shantal, a Guyanan programmer working on improving the team's simulations.
Seeing the behind the scenes of practices and everything they do to get ready for races was really interesting.
I also loved seeing a woman in STEM in this type of environment. Not only that, but a woman working in something similar to what my job entails. I'm really grateful to authors that write women in professions normally represented by men.
Overall, a slow burn, heartwarming book with a lot of emotions in the exciting world of Formula 1.
I highly recommend giving these books a go.

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!

Overdrive by Esha Patel is the second book in the Offtrack series featuring F1 sports players and their romance story. I enjoyed reading the first book and it was a smooth read with equally good characters.
With the second book everything felt flat and very forcedfit.When Shantal and Darien meet, the romance also felt very forced and did not seem natural at all. I did not enjoy reading this book as much as I did the first one. Darien is the F1 rider whereas Shantal works for the high tech company which provides support to these drives during their races.
The pacing of the book was totally off. The slow burn romance between the two took ages to rekindle and actually it was kind of boring. At the same time it also felt very instalove to me because the chemistry was missing throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Esha Patel, and Avon Books for the eARC of this book. I gave this 2.5 stars
Maybe because I’m an F1 fan I’m more critical of F1 books, but this was just missing something for me. Compared to other F1 books I’ve read I enjoyed this, but the pacing overall just felt really off.
I liked how the author spent a good amount of time at the beginning of the story letting us learn about the characters as individuals before blending them together. I also love that Shantal is a a sports-simulation programmer, but I would have loved to see her as an expert in F1. I’m excited that so many F1 books are being written and that more careers besides the drivers and influencers are being highlighted, but let’s highlight women in Motorsports at the top of the male dominated field.
I loved Shantal and Darien as individual characters going through their own struggles and together as a couple, but this romance went from slow burn to extreme passion in a nano second which made it seem unrealistic. I almost didn’t finish the book when Shantal made a certain decision, but the ending rounded things out nicely.

I am utterly confused how a book with such heavy themes of grief and loss felt so superficial. I found it impossible to connect with the characters. They felt immature despite the struggles they had experienced and there was no real character development or arc.
The pacing of this book was hard to handle. The author spent so much time on the characters individually before they interacted, that by the time we got to see them together I was bored and ready for the end. The author overwhelmed us with fairly irrelevant and mundane information that failed to add to the story.
slow burn needs tension and chemistry to cause the burn, otherwise its just a slow moving plot.
mildly offended at the casual ageism - since when is mid-forties too old for physical activity?
I’m usually able to come up with some positives even with a book I didn’t love but I’m struggling to find something redeeming in this one. Honestly this is my fault for not checking the reviews for the authors other books before requesting this one - this was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.