I liked the story for the most part. It was a cute quick read and I enjoyed the different characters like Pearl, Di, Top, and Barb. I liked the different twists like Pearl's family aspect and working it out throughout the book. I liked Jordan's racing journey and the progression of his growth from his accident to meeting Pearl and the end of the book. However, there were some aspects that I found kind of hard to follow like I wasn't quite sure how long Jordan's accident was (I could've read it wrong but I swear at one point it said less than a year, another said a year, and I think there was another mention of more than a year but I can't remember how many). It had a slow start for me but once Jordan and Pearl were reunited it was easy for me to finish. Overall I enjoyed the story it was cute & fun. Jordan and Pearl were an adorable couple.

3.5⭐

A solid read with some great moments, although it had uneven pacing, a somewhat bland plot, and I wish it had more racing in it than just the end. Definitely better than the last book.
Enjoyable, but not unforgettable.

The premise of this book was brilliant. A race car driver licking his wounds stumbles across a magazine column writer who’s having the most confusing summer of her life. It’s set in the idyllic backdrop of Wales, Scotland and various spots around the US. It’s forced proximity and a road trip romance. It had really good bones.

The book was good, but it definitely felt like it was missing something.

I will admit I didn’t read the first book in the series before reading this one, however I didn’t feel my reading experience was impacted by that as you were brought up to speed with things that happened in the first book.

The whole scenario of Pearl and her ‘mothers’ was really odd. It would’ve worked had it been written well, but instead it felt disjointed. Like we never truly understood the reasoning behind the switch. Yes, one of the jewel sisters was trouble as a teen, but the situation didn’t hold the weight that it had the potential to.

The relationship between Jordan and Pearl seemed to move really quickly. Yes, they’re in their 30s, but neither had any responsibilities which would put an urgency on the timeline.

I felt like in parts there was a bit of over-explaining which led me to skim read quite a bit, but at the same time the characters felt quite surface level. We didn’t get to know any of their ‘quirks’ and they didn’t feel real.

Overall it was a good read but one I’d likely not purchase myself. I would, however, recommend this to readers who enjoy racing romances.

I was very kindly sent this eARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Racing Heart by Darci St. John

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5)

Racing Heart is a beautifully written redemption story, and I absolutely loved following Jordan Rubie’s emotional journey. The characters are vibrant, lovable, and full of personality—it’s like being adopted by a chaotic but charming pit crew. 🏁❤️

The story is well-paced and cleverly woven, with just the right mix of heart, heat, and healing. A huge thank you to NetGalley and Booksgosocial for the ARC—it was a ride worth taking!

I didn't realise it was a second book but I gave it a try either way because of my love for books about racing. It was a little too much of an insta love for me and I found the book a little confusing in some parts. Overall it was a decent book. I would recommend it for lovers of insta love or if you want a quick comfort read.

I personally am not a fan of third person point of view and the way this was written, just had me feeling lost most of the time and not sure who I was reading about!

I was really excited for this book and it has such a fun story but I just couldn't connect to the characters, it was boring and so insta lovey.

I absolutely loved this book!!!! I loved the first one in the series so when I was given the. Opportunity to read this I knew it would stay in my heart,Darci you have done it again I loved how the characters developed

Jordan and Pearl! Honestly I wanted to love this book a lot! But somehow I just liked it.
It did feel quite a bit flat and as if there were plot holes- so the flow was quite a bit here and there, sometimes confusing me and making me read backwards to read a few chapters again and again to realise, OH this means that!

I, however, did like the fact that even though I haven’t read the first book in this standalone interconnected series, i somehow got the grasp as to what had happened in it.
And the family dynamics were quite fun to read
My favourite part is THE SHEEP tilting 😭✋🏻 yesss! And oh I love Barb!!

Though again, it was a pretty good read but also a little incomplete. The potential of this book was and IS highhh!

Pearl’s “Mom” situation, took me till the end to realise why it happened and how it happened and that too because I know stuff like this happens— otherwise it would’ve been much more confusing.

There are still parts that I’m pretty much confused how it happened or why, but I’m not stressing on it now. And one last thing that would’ve helped my (PERSONAL) opinion/review be higher if— there had been clarity about a few incidents and situations like regarding Topaz’s after surgery, Madeline disdain towards Pearl, and a LOT MORE clarity on this book being an F1 sports romance (no complaints that the real life stuff was switched for a made up one but yeah).
I could only get a little bit of Racing part towards the ending and was quite sad about it.

Nonetheless, it’s surely a one time read and y’all will find it cute and a slow read!

2.5 stars

If you like sweet, happy romance with family drama, this is the book for you. This book warmed my heart in many places. The book follows an FMC who drunkenly stumbles upon a famous race car driver as he overcomes grief and a crash that changed his life. Throughout the book, he characters go on a journey to heal their grief and get their lives on track again while falling in love.

The story is sweet and great to follow, has some popular tropes and themes that are among my favourites, like "there is only one bed" and road trip. This was fun to follow and a good way to get to know the characters. The characters were also fun to follow as they showed growth in their mental health journeys and the ways they dealt with the bombshells thrown their way.

It didn't quite reach 3 stars, however, as I felt the relationship was quite rushed and very instant love. Therefore, there wasn't relationship building as they were kissing and travelling the country without knowing each other. This meant I didn't feel connected to their relationship as there was no like tension building.

Did I know this was the second book in the series before I picked up the ARC? Nope. Am I a race car fan? Also no. But did I struggle to put this down when I had to go to work or see to something else? Absolutely yes, I did. Am I going to go back and read the first one now? Also yes.

I was intrigued from the start. The MMC is already in therapy? Amazing! I love seeing the representation of men taking responsibility for healing themselves! Crazy family drama on both sides they need to deal with is also so well done. This story really has the perfect amount of whimsy for me for suspension of disbelief.

Other things I liked: found family, dealing with trauma responses, understanding that certain things are trauma responses and not a direct reflection of the person who accidentally triggered it, finding oneself where you never thought you would and it being the best for you. I (unsurprisingly) also liked the level of spice. The tension she build without being very explicit was very well done.

Even if you don't read the rest of the series (who am I to judge?) read this book. A great read, I could have totally read this on the beach. Lake Huron's beach to be specific, and that's not even because this takes place largely in Michigan with travel elsewhere!

i would say that it felt like insta love, and I wish we had more of a focus on developing the romance and characters. the slight disconnect might be partly because it was in third person so we weren't inside of the characters' heads seeing how they felt about each other so their relationship seemed to develop very quickly. you could tell that they both really cared about eachother though which i did love. because of this I struggled through this one.

3.5 stars!
this was my first racing book ive ever read and i did enjoy it! i would say that it felt like insta love, and I wish we had more of a focus on developing the romance and characters. the slight disconnect might be partly because it was in third person so we weren't inside of the characters' heads seeing how they felt about each other so their relationship seemed to develop very quickly. you could tell that they both really cared about eachother though which i did love. i also liked all the different relationships in this book as they all felt very raw and realistic. i also LOVED the wedding part of the story as the chemistry was so good and jus seeing all the different relationships and characters was very refreshing. but overall i did enjoy it and i would recommend it.

I enjoyed the part of the book set in Scotland and would've loved if the majority of the book was set over that wedding.

All the characters seem like caricatures rather than fleshed out characters. I don't feel like we got to know any of the characters on a deep level, which meant I wasn't connect to them so didn't care what happened to them.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was given an opportunity to read and review “Racing Heart” by Darci St. John. Jordan, whose life is drastically changed after a career-altering race car accident, is traveling to Scotland for his sister’s wedding when he runs into (pun intended) Pearl. Our heroine is reeling from her own familial discoveries and when Jordan asks her to be his date in his sister’s wedding, she readily agrees. What follows is a sweet journey of pivotal growth for both main characters.

Apparently, “Racing Hart” is the second in a series that I didn’t discover about until I was halfway through the book. You don’t need to read the books in order, though the background information on Jordan’s family might have helped. I also admit that I am not a fan of race car driving but fortunately, this book doesn’t dwell so much on that as it does on the blooming relationship between Jordan and Pearl.

This was a quick read but still enjoyable. I would recommend to romance fans, especially those looking for something slightly different.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book.

Thank you for NetGalley and Darci for the ARC.

When I say I struggled through this book, I really meant it. I tried so hard to connect with this story I felt like I was going everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
There was so much going on and to much focus on side plots that were happening and a lack of on character development to really feel the characters stories.

I enjoy reading a sports romance that is not hockey, baseball, or football (boooringg!). While this was a cute read, I had trouble connecting to the characters. I don't know, I guess they just weren't written well. The story as a whole was good though.

I sure as hell, like it is said about Mia, enjoy all things Scottish. And the cherry on top to this book was that it combined two proffessions I love: race driver and writer.
The books was light, funny, packed with fluffines and honestly very easy to read. I went through the first quarter while doing my skincare. Second quarter I did while packing and just had to seat down and buckle up for the second half.
It was worth it giving it the pole position of my digital TBR list.

As a huge sport romance fan, I wanted to like this book. It had the elements needed for a great book, but I didn't enjoy it. I found it hard to connect with the characters. I think I felt this way because the characters just were not developed enough.

The plot was not well structured. There wasn't any consistency with the writing. It felt almost jumbled together. Lots of great pieces, but the puzzle wasn't put together properly, so it was hard to stay engaged.
I also think it's important to mention that I often felt distracted by secondary plots with minor characters. It just wasn't melded together properly.

I do think this book has the potential to be great if edited again to add more character development and if the plot is structured a bit better.

I do think the author tried to shed some light on the trauma associated with grief, but it didn't quite come through appropriately.

thank you netgalley for the ARC! at times this book felt silly and then would randomly get very serious/deal with a very serious topic? also im not one to say every book i read needs to be realistic--most truly are not. but the insta-love and insta-trust in this random man was truly so unrealistic i couldn't get past it. i had fun reading it but definitely not my favorite

Racing Heart by Darci St. John is a light, enjoyable read with a cute setting and an opposites-attract romance. The story follows Jordan Rubie, a race car driver recovering from a serious crash, and Pearl, an advice columnist. Their spontaneous road trip through the Welsh countryside to a Scottish castle wedding provides a picturesque backdrop for their developing relationship.

While I enjoyed the story, some parts were somewhat predictable, and the character development could be deeper.

Overall, Racing Heart is a fun read for those who enjoy contemporary romance.