I love a good F1 romance or nonfiction book, those are the two genres I usually gravitate toward when reading about my favorite sport. So when I saw that a Formula 1 mystery was coming out, I was all in.

“The Trouble with Speed” is part of the Hale Mary Mystery series but can absolutely be read as a standalone. I had no trouble diving into the story and never felt like I was missing any background. The characters were well developed, and I instantly recognized who was who without any confusion.

The beginning threw me off a bit. It was kind of weird, to be honest. All the talk about her toenail (like why, spare me pls???) felt a little off putting, and the setup was a bit unrealistic for my taste. But that shifted fairly quickly, especially once the F1 elements kicked in. Her role as a manager and the behind-the-scenes details felt authentic and well researched.

The mystery itself was compelling. I liked Hale’s determination to find Sabrina and protect Javi, and the relationships and character dynamics were genuinely enjoyable. I’m definitely tempted to check out the other books in the series.

My issue, and the reason I’m giving it 3.5 stars, is the ending. Midway through, I had a hunch about the direction the story would take, and unfortunately, it played out exactly as I suspected. The motive behind everything and how it unfolded felt a little lazy. I wish it had leaned more into the “eat the rich” vibe. It would have made the finale so much more satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A good read fast paced mystery that will have you turning the pages thinking you figured it out and you haven’t thank you for this read