Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Driven

by Lisa Nowak (Goodreads Author)

4.52 of 5 stars 4.52 · rating details · 23 ratings · 8 reviews

The last thing on 16-year-old Jess DeLand’s wish list is a boyfriend. She’d have to be crazy to think any guy would look twice at her. Besides, there are more important things to hope for, like a job working on cars and an end to her mom’s drinking. Foster care is a constant threat, and Jess is willing to sacrifice anything to stay out of the system. When luck hands her th...more

ebook

Published May 10th 2012

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Indie Young Adult – May New Releases

19th out of 23 books — 17 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 254)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 13, 2012 Alice Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book, and think most readers will too. When Jess DeLand takes center stage as the main character in the third of Lisa Nowak’s Full Throttle series, we are immediately captivated. Jess enters the world of stock car racing to take her place among familiar faces (if you’ve already read Running Wide Open and Getting Sideways). Jess, at sixteen, is smart and savvy with a strong sense of responsibility.

A talented mechanic, Jess is fascinated by cars and the internal combustion engine. Com...more

like · see review

May 10, 2012 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Stars: 3.75

DRIVEN (YA) by Lisa Nowak

DRIVEN is the third book and May 2012 new release from Lisa Nowak’s Young Adult series. Driven focuses on Jess Deland, a shy 16 year girl trying to keep up appearances in a world full of betrayal and shame. Knowing your mother is a drunk and thinking your father never wanted you forces Jess to put all of her time and effort into her studies and re-building cars. But when she meets Teri-Sue Cline and Cody Everett at the local speedway, she doesn’t know how her...more Stars: 3.75

DRIVEN (YA) by Lisa Nowak

DRIVEN is the third book and May 2012 new release from Lisa Nowak’s Young Adult series. Driven focuses on Jess Deland, a shy 16 year girl trying to keep up appearances in a world full of betrayal and shame. Knowing your mother is a drunk and thinking your father never wanted you forces Jess to put all of her time and effort into her studies and re-building cars. But when she meets Teri-Sue Cline and Cody Everett at the local speedway, she doesn’t know how her life is about to change.

Jess knows how to keep secrets. For years her mother’s drinking has forced the young girl into being the parent. But when Teri-Sue Cline, a beautiful, young amateur racecar driver offers Jess a position with her pit-crew, she jumps at the opportunity to earn more money-and the fact that she will be working on racecars makes it the best job (ever).

Cody Everett is a fellow amateur racecar driver. But living in the shadow of the infamous racecar driver and uncle-Horatio “Race” Everett, places Cody in the unenviable position to try and prove worthy. Cody’s love and worry for his uncle is well placed, following the previous year’s harrowing accident that almost killed the man. But when he sideswipes Teri-Sue’s car on the track, he finds himself the target of a very emotional and pretty 16 year old mechanic. And now his prime motivation will be to meet and get to know-Jess Deland.

Jess is determined to keep her distance. Hoping no one will discover her family secrets, Jess has few friends and is determined to push Cody away. Teri-Sue’s family has welcomed Jess with open arms, and she is reluctant to accept any favors or gifts. And Teri-Sues younger brother Rhett tugs at Jess’s heart. An easy-going young boy of 10, Rhett’s desire is to have contact with his absentee mother. But a horrific accident has placed the Cline’s family at odds with each other, and Jess seems to be the only person who is able to break through Rhett’s façade. And Jess soon learns that appearances are not always what they seem. She is not the only person to keep secrets buried. Cody’s demons ride him hard and it will be a 16 year old girl who will help tame and wipe away the tears of a young man.

Life for Jess is about to change. As her relationship with Cody grows, the relationship with her mother pushes further apart. But finding herself alone and homeless will force Jess to test the limits of her abilities. Keeping secrets and fearing the authorities will take her from the people that she has grown to love, Jess begins to risk her health and her happiness in an effort to keep the others from discovering the truth. But it will be the love of her new family that will help discover the real-truth about her past.

DRIVEN is a fictional young adult storyline. Written in first person POV from the heroine’s perspective, the reader is taken on a journey of discovery into first love and the feeling of betrayal by a parent. The character of Jess was, at first, a little difficult to like with her misplaced anger at Cody Everett, but looking beyond the obvious, Jess is a wounded child hiding a multitude of pain. Anger is an emotion she knows only too well. Driven is a sweet story about accepting who you are and asking for help when the going gets tough.

see all of my reviews at : thereadingcafe.com

(less)

like · see review

May 26, 2012 Tiffany Mahaffy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, arc, own

This book starts just before the last book ends. We meet Jess and start to get a feel for who she is. Not the kind of girl to push to be in the light but mold into the background. She takes a step into the pits for the first time. She had paid the extra to be there and didn't plan on being there long but Teri Sue's drawl drew her in. That's where our story starts but far from what it is really about.

Jess our protagonist is somewhat of a tom boy. She lives and breathes to work on cars. Not that...more This book starts just before the last book ends. We meet Jess and start to get a feel for who she is. Not the kind of girl to push to be in the light but mold into the background. She takes a step into the pits for the first time. She had paid the extra to be there and didn't plan on being there long but Teri Sue's drawl drew her in. That's where our story starts but far from what it is really about.

Jess our protagonist is somewhat of a tom boy. She lives and breathes to work on cars. Not that she had ever worked on a race car but she dreams of it. The one time she takes a chance everything seems to settle right into place for her. Living the life she has though , she has many worries. It's hard to keep all your secrets locked up when your employer is as friendly and as straight forward as they come. When she lands not only 1 but 2 of her dream jobs life seems almost perfect. Life can never be that perfect though can it. I seriously feel for her so much through out the book.

"Prob'ly too busy stuffing big engines in little cars," Teri Sue
said giving me a grin.

Cody is back in this book as well. He is not the main but his and all the characters from the last book are a big part of this one as well. Still dealing with everything that he had to before but now he is trying to catch Jess as well. The connection that the two of them have is something.... What it is I wont say but there is really a lot that they can relate to and because of that Jess may just find someone that she can trust. As much as she likes Teri Sue there just isn't that kind of connection there. I must mention that Cody's shirts also make some appearances in this book.

"Ham and eggs- A days work for the chicken, a lifetime commitment
for the pig."

I am once again completely in love with Lisa Nowak's novel. This book isn't just about a tom boy that wants nothing more than to work on cars but so much more. It's has some down right real life issues that people deal with every day and struggle through themselves. This novel shows the problems that people have with opening up and getting the help they need. The most important thing though is that it shows up that there is hope. No matter what happens there is always someone that cares and there is always hope. I look forward to reading anything else that Lisa puts out!!(less)

like · see review

May 21, 2012 Arla (Leave Mommy Alone) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Thank you to Lisa Nowak for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Driven is hands down my favorite book in the series. Pure literary joy. I didn't think Running Wide Open could be topped. I was wrong. I really couldn't put this one down. I've never given a book higher than 5 stars, but I'm throwing in a plus on this one - I loved it that much.

In book 3 of the Full Throttle series, Lisa Nowak has taken a different approach with her story. Instead of the story bein...more

like · see review

May 24, 2012 Carla rated it 5 of 5 stars

So, if you have read my many of my blogs before, you know that I AM A SUCKER FOR SERIES!!! Yes I am! And the Full Throttle series is one that I have enjoyed so much! So when Lisa asked me if I would be interested in being part of her blog tour, I was very excited and honored! I have REALLY enjoyed this series! Trust me, I was totally skeptical when I read the first book. Cars? I thought. Really? How am I going go enjoy a book about cars and racing. BUT I did! I not only enjoyed it, I couldn't wa...more
So, if you have read my many of my blogs before, you know that I AM A SUCKER FOR SERIES!!! Yes I am! And the Full Throttle series is one that I have enjoyed so much! So when Lisa asked me if I would be interested in being part of her blog tour, I was very excited and honored! I have REALLY enjoyed this series! Trust me, I was totally skeptical when I read the first book. Cars? I thought. Really? How am I going go enjoy a book about cars and racing. BUT I did! I not only enjoyed it, I couldn't wait for the next one! And I sped through it as well. So of coarse, I couldn't wait for Driven to be released! And boy was it totally worth the wait!

In this book, all of the beloved characters are back, only not so much in the fore front. This book is about a teenage girl named Jess and her life and love of the race track. Jess has had it rough for most of her life. Her dad left when she was 8 and after that, her mom turned into a alcoholic and was never able to fight her way out of that addiction. Adding her failed relationships with looser after looser who mistreated her did nothing but add to her reason for depression and continued drinking. This only made life harder for Jess. As soon as she was old enough, she started to work and even began to hide money in a book so that she could help cover the bills if they were ever in a situation where they needed it. Living with her mom was like walking on egg shells. She never knew what her moms mood would be from one day to the next so she mainly just tried to stay away as much as possible. This lead her to the race track where she found herself one Saturday night at the right place at the right time.

She had always had a love for cars, pretty much as long as she could remember. When she was very young, she used to watch her dad work on them and eventually, he gave in and started showing her the ropes. She carried on her love affair with them even after he left and when she was in high school, she even took shop class so that she could learn more. When she got a car of her own, she talked her shop teacher into letting her use the class to change out the motor in her pinto to a 351 Windsor. (OK, so I admit, I have NO CLUE what that is, but it sounds tough.) So as fate would have it, on this particular trip to the track, Jess bought a pit pass instead of a seat in the stands to take a look at the cars before the races began. On this particular night, Teri Sue, a female driver of the baby blue number 70 camaro, was having problems with her car and her crew chief and as it turned out, Jess could help. Before the night was out, Teri Sue had offered her her dream job and what would turn out to be a very special friendship with Teri Sue and her family.

Over the next weeks, Jess became familiar with a lot of the other racers as well, and after an accident with Teri Sue, Cody made his way quickly to Jess's crap list. She even tried to fight him in the pits. She couldn't stand the sight of him, and to make it worse, he started coming around Teri Sue's when she was there working on the camaro. Every time she laid eyes on Cody, her blood began to boil. Why did he have to come around all the time? They had work to do. But then, the more he came around, the more she got to know him and the more she started to realize that maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Maybe she even liked him a little......maybe a even a little more than that. But Jess was such a private person. She was really struggling with letting these people into her life. How could she trust these people she just met, when she couldn't even trust her own parents?

One night after working on the car, Teri Sue invited Jess to a camp out at her house and just as Jess started to loosen up and have some fun, she got a call from her mom. She was in jail for a DUI. How could she tell them what had happened. She rushed off with only a quick goodbye and prayed they wouldn't ask too many question. But with Teri Sue, that was nearly impossible and her questions nearly ended their friendship. But after some time, Jess found herself wanting to open up about it, to of all people, Cody. She had seen how devoted he was to his uncle and had learned a lot about what he had been through due to Race's wreck the year before. She felt like she was safe with him. Before she knew it, she found their relationship getting closer. And things at home were even getting better, until, well, they just weren't anymore. Her mom went from sober back to drunk again before she even realized it was happening. Jess couldn't take anymore and she finally opened up to her mom about how she felt. Only to find herself alone and broke a few days later. Her mom just took off and left her alone. What was she going to do? How could she make it all on her own? She couldn't turn to anyone and let them find out what was going on. She could loose everything she has worked so hard for. But at the same time, she was just a kid, how could she get through this alone? Well, you are just going to have to read and find out.

Like the other books in this series, I really loved Driven. These characters are so full of heart, even behind their tough as nails exteriors. I think that's what makes them so much fun to read about. At first, you only see their tough exterior, but as you read on, the layers begin to peel back and you finally get to see whats really in their heart. Lisa is such a talented writer in this way. To begin with, her characters are the one that if you met them on the street, that would probably be the people that you would love to hate. But if you ever really took the time to get to know them, you would be amazed at how much you will love them in the end. So maybe the next time that you see someone like Jess on the street, shy and closed off from the world, say hi and give them a smile. You never know when they might really need to see that someone cares. (less)

like · see review

Jul 17, 2012 Michelle Cornwell-Jordan rated it 5 of 5 stars

MY REVIEW

This is the story of Jess Deland a young woman who is living a difficult life. Her father left when she was young and her mother drinks and will never win parent of the year. Jess works at a job she hates, pays the bills and tries keeping up in school, she is living a life way beyond her years. But things seem to take a turn for the better for Jess; she is given the opportunity to work on a race car and begins to make real friends. Jess also meets a young man and things become even swee...more

like · see review

May 26, 2012 Tara Chevrestt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-release, ya

I just finished this book and I'm actually at a loss for words. It was fantastic. Trying to explain all the plot lines and the way they touched me seems daunting. But I shall try.

First, my attention span is short nowadays. Rarely do I pick up a full length novel and manage to read it without skimming. Too many of them are full of irrelevant, boring details. Not this one. This one grabbed me and held me tight. I didn't want to put it down.

ess is a young teenage girl who loves working on cars and...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 27, 2012 M.R. Bode rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved Jess, I wanted to shake some sense into her, and hold her hand at the same time. Cody, ahh ever the charmer. I really hope the sample of redline becomes a book. I want to know what happens to them!

like · see review

May 22, 2013 Amber marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 22, 2013 Iroulito91 marked it as to-read

Apr 20, 2013 Samantha marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 09, 2013 Kitty_kat98 marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Mar 06, 2013 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Feb 20, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Feb 15, 2013 Jhanu marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Feb 10, 2013 Brenda marked it as to-read

Feb 08, 2013 Barry marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Feb 01, 2013 Illi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jan 01, 2013 Megan added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013-tbr-reading-challance

Dec 14, 2012 Grace marked it as to-read

Dec 15, 2012 Casey Dake rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reading-list-so-far-for-2012, e-books-i-own

Dec 04, 2012 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nov 01, 2012 Charlene marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Oct 28, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oct 19, 2012 Nicole marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Oct 19, 2012 Melissa marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Oct 19, 2012 Tami marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Oct 19, 2012 Clara marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Oct 19, 2012 Susan marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Oct 19, 2012 Donna marked it as to-read · review of another edition

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Contemporary

2 users

See top shelves...

About Lisa Nowak

In addition to being a YA author, Lisa Nowak is a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smartass. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors who love them for who they are.

Lisa has no spare time, but if she did she’d use it to tend to her expansive perennial garden, wa...more

More about Lisa Nowak...

Books by Lisa Nowak

Cultural Landscape Report for Governors Island National Monument

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Driven

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Driven
avg rating	preview: Driven Goodreads rating: 4.52 (23 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13246873-driven?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335813455l/13246873.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13246873-driven?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Driven by Lisa Nowak[/url]

Driven

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (2)

Genres

About Lisa Nowak

Books by Lisa Nowak

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Driven

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (2)