OVERALL RATING
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.3 out of 5)
SPICE LEVEL
🌶 (1 out of 5)
TROPES
🏁F1 sports romance
🏁Brother's best friend
🏁Grumpy x sunshine
🏁Childhood friends to lovers
🏁Closed door romance
🏁Forced proximity
🏁Only one bed
🏁Slow burn romance
🏁Age gap romance
"It's lights out and away we go!"
First off, I want to thank Belinda Mary, the author of Away We Go, for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC before its June 11 publish date. As someone who loves a good sports romance, this book was my introduction into the Formula 1 world. And, after reading this book, I'm waving that checkered flag and ready for more!
Away We Go is about two childhood friends, Cherry and Nicky, who try to navigate the F1 world and their feelings for one another. As things heat up on the race circuit, so does their relationship. With Nicky being a global superstar, the two must work through the complexities of his world while Cherry tries to push away her own insecurities rooted from a past toxic relationship.
The book never took its foot off the gas and I thoroughly enjoyed how fast-paced it was. As my first foray into a F1 romance, I loved how the book was divided into sections based on each race location. It helped me understand the pacing of an F1 season and created a more realistic pacing of Cherry and Nicky's relationship. A full season, which spans over almost an entire year, is so hectic that it makes sense why the romance would be slower to develop. We love a good slow burn over here!
Like many romance books, it had its fair share of drama, but it made sense in the world they're in. Nicky's fame meant a zero privacy and media scrutiny, which naturally caused moments of tension and insecurity. Cherry was also clearly still dealing with the emotional abuse from her past relationship. Without giving away too much, I liked how the story eventually allowed her to have a proper revelation that she hadn't fully healed from her past, which was holding her back from her future.
The lighter moments between these two were fun and sweet to read. It was funny how awkward they both could be around each other - constantly blurting out their inner thoughts accidetally. As a Bravoholic, I appreciated all the Bravo show references, including "Scandoval". When Cherry and Nicky were on a yacht and she kept mentioning Below Deck, it not only made me laugh, but also made her more relatable in such a luxurious setting. Their back and forth flirty text messages were entertaining to read and offered another perspective on their connection.
The dual POV throughout the book was definitely important. While it's obvious to the reader (and the secondary characters) that Cherry and Nicky are falling for each other, the dual POV offered reasons for why they each had doubts about the other person's feelings. It also offered a view of the F1 world through the lens of the driver (Nicky) and the spectactor (Cherry).
As mentioned, this is a slow burn romance, but is also a closed door one. On a spice level scale, I would give it a 1 out of 5 peppers, which is great for those who prefer a romance novel with minimal to no spice. It is important to mention that this is also an age gap romance, with the two characters being eight years apart. That being said, I felt it was approached carefully and thoughtfully in the storyline.
As an avid sports romance reader, I always appreciate when writers actually include moments or elements of the sport (i.e. what an actual race day is like) instead of having it as simply a backdrop for the characters. Belinda Mary thoughtfully intertwined the F1 world with Cherry and Nicky's story. I could visualize the busy crowds, the feeling of holding your breath as a race is about to start and hear the sound of the cars whizzing by on the track.
I really did enjoy my time reading Away We Go. From the moment I started, I couldn't put it down and finished it in record time. I even enjoyed reading Belinda's "Acknowledgements" at the end where she explained why she wrote a romance book in the Formula 1 world. My overall rating for this book is a 4.3 out of 5 stars!