This isn't your typical plot-driven book; in fact, the plot ventures into outlandish territory at times. The writing is satirical, toeing the line between absurdity and a strange believability, making the more eccentric plot elements stand out. Don't expect a straightforward, point-A to point-B romance here. Instead, it's a fun, biting exploration that satirizes capitalism, activism spaces and the gig economy.

The character-driven narrative, featuring somewhat unlikeable yet familiar personalities, brought to mind Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey. Much like Heisey's polarizing work, this book seems to elicit strong reactions – either love or hate.

If you're up for a read that challenges norms and pokes fun at societal structures, Your Driver is Waiting might be it.

Priya Guns’ debut is about a bi Uber-like taxi driver stalled in her life taking care of her bed-ridden grieving mother and avoiding the ambitious activism of her friends until she meets a rich white “woke” passenger named Jolene who she becomes completely obsessed with despite knowing they’re deeply incompatible. Her romance with Jo shakes up everything about her life, for better or worse.

There was a lot I liked about this debut but a whole lot that didn’t work for me too. Guns is clever in the way she brings her audience into the hustle culture struggle and how interconnected and systemic so many problems are. I liked what she had to say about white privileged allies and how performative and self serving it is as well as the darkness that can still linger at the core of even the pushiest activists. There was something smart and unhinged about telling this story from her MC Damani’s POV who really is just tired and trying to get by without contributing to the fight. Unfortunately the way she writes Damani is annoying as hell—the sheer amount of time spent discussing her body and muscles? Just why? She really thinks she’s a lot funnier and smarter than she is, the jokes weren’t landing. Also, the romance for me didn’t feel entirely believable and I found myself cringing through a lot of scenes. But when things breakdown and the stalking obsession kicks in? Loved that. Also loved the end.

In the end I found this an interesting debut, it had some issues but is worth reading and I think the more queer POC voices that are out, the better. I’d be curious to read what she writes next.

Pretty good. .

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns

⭐️⭐️⭐️

* Thank you to @netgalley and @penguin for providing a digital copy of Your Driver Is Waiting in exchange of a honest review.

What a fun ride, I loved the friendships, the realness of it all. I don't know why but I always find it conforting reading about the day to day life of people.

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this one just didnt do it for me - there were parts i liked but i just didn't vibe with the whole thing - i also didn't like how vulgar it sometimes got (and i know that's crazy to say bc i read a lot of romance) but thinking about the sexual 'smells' of passengers coming into your car just didn't sit right with me

I can see what the author was trying to do with this book, and while the promise was there, unfortunately it didn’t quite land for me. The writing was clunky, and at times insufferable. Our heroine was almost a really cool character, but fell flat, despite the attempts at depth and nuance to her character. The only thing that really stuck out to me was how obsessed she was with her muscles, it was almost a quirk, but got boring very quickly. I appreciated the satire and social commentary, but it felt a bit heavy handed, and dull to me, unfortunately. Overall, It was hard to get into the story when there was nothing to hold on to, if that makes sense.

I wanted SO badly to like this book, but alas… I think this book has an audience - it’s just not me!

I'm not sure why this didn't hook me, but it didn't. I ended up DNF-ing about 40% through. I wanted so badly to like it, and I loved that it had been likened to Taxi Driver, but, I just couldn't get interested. The characters just didn't grab me the way I need my MCs to.

3.5 or 4 I am not sure yet! I enjoyed the satire and the social commentary. I did enjoy it and would recommend it, but parts seemed a little scattered. I also loved the shorter chapters, that always makes for an unputdownable read!

The premise was better than the execution. I appreciated the social commentary and I get that Damani was meant to be read as unhinged. since it’s supposed to be a gender-bent Taxi Driver, but it just felt messy to me. I don’t feel like I got to know her at all.

This was fantastic. Our narrator is a Sri Lankan RideShare driver who's on the brink of collapse; her father passed away just six months ago, and it has fallen on her shoulders to support her and her mom since. She works long days, scraping by paycheck to paycheck, watching the RideShare app take the bulk of her wages while she drives around rude customers who barely tip, if they do at all. She's tired -- she's tired of the city, she's tired of her job, she's tired of her role as caretaker, and she's tired of trying to survive in a world that seems fundamentally rigged against her.

What makes life bearable for Damani are her friends, all in similar positions, all trying to advocate for livable wages and justice in the limited free time they have. They meet at the Doo Wop, a community hub, to dance, smoke, drink, talk, offer support, and organize. One day, while working, Damani picks up a beautiful lady named Jolene: they instantly have chemistry. Jolene is a proud ally who joins the daily protests that seem to erupt around the city, is a social worker, and hosts expensive fundraisers to raise awareness and funds... all between weekends at her family's summer cottage, a packed schedule of yoga and spin classes, and, of course, with a beautiful home and expensive champagne to return to each night. A relationship with golden, sparkling Jolene seems so ideal for Damani..... until it totally is not.

This book is satirical, dry, and biting - the first half is slow moving as we get the know Damani and her world, while the second half is an explosive, one-sitting read. If you like characters who are cool until they snap, spiralling downwards, happy to watch the world burn along with them, mixed with queer romance and piercing social commentary, I am confident you will like this!