A cute, pretty well-researched F1 romance—thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC!

While I enjoyed the mentions of IRL racing teams and drivers, it does date the book a bit (RIP Checo)—and the romance of it all went from zero to 220 a little too quickly for my liking! I felt like we needed a little more transition from the WTF to the ILYSM.

Lots of “dude” and “bro” from primarily British characters, dialogue would pull me out of the book occasionally—and it aggravated me SO much to see every single man diminishing Chloe’s accomplishments without a single thought, but… that’s life, isn’t it. Hate that for us! Realistic, as painful as it is.

Last but certainly not least—Toto would rather lick Christian Horner’s boots than be out the night before a quali or a race day doing shots and drinking with his drivers. Plz.

Three stars... maybe.

I began with a strong appreciation for this book, but as I continued reading, my enthusiasm started to wane.

The character development was lacking throughout the book.

Chloe's struggle to assert herself in a male-dominated work environment was evident, but her journey to find her footing ultimately felt unfulfilled.

That resolution was wrapped up simply in the epilogue with a quick exchange, which left much to be desired. Matt says "You've come a long way." And Chloe states (inner monologue) "I really have. I believe in myself now. And so does everyone else."

While there were moments of dialogue where she was rather "dominant", I feel like I did not truly witness her abilities on full display as I had hoped.

She consistently expressed her strategies for making an impact on the team and as the Principal, but when the opportunity arose those plans never materialized.

Chloe was someone who had navigated that field for years now and was well-acquainted with its dynamics, I believe she could have been more assertive and respected despite the fact she was a girl—that just felt amiss. There was also nothing in her background that suggested she could not take a dominant role (no trauma, past bad work experiences, etc. not saying it's a need but WHY was she so scared) I just found her character to be lacking in depth.

There was many different tropes layered on to each other that it was hard to keep up with all of them.

The childhood lover trope was delightful, and it truly should have been the sole focus, aside from the work proximity aspect, of course.

And while I recognize that workplace romance can be risky, especially in a high staked job, I feel that at their age, there should not have been a need for secrecy and I found Chloe's reasoning for her actions a bit unclear. (She aimed to assert herself) which ties back to the point I made earlier.

The romance felt quite hurried, lacking a deeper emotional connection beyond a few fleeting references to childhood and the nickname "bug," which did not resonate well.

The main plot of the story was engaging and dynamic, but it felt like certain elements could have benefited from a more measured approach. For instance, the races had the potential to be more thrilling if the pacing allowed for greater tension and emphasis on the action. The romance could benefit from a slower pace and a deeper emotional connection, rather than just fleeting moments.

It was an enjoyable read with strong writing, though the pacing and character/plot development could have been improved.

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like F1, strong female main characters, childhood friends to estranged to lovers, and all the drama that comes with the world of F1, then this book is for you!

I adored Chloe so much and seeing her in a team principal position was awesome and it's actually the first F1 romance I've read that had a strong woman running the show! Using the angle of a failing team bringing on a woman to lead the charge to blame if they continue to fail felt like a scenario that could be all too real in the real world and I truly thought that the author's knowledge of F1 shined! Chloe was so likeable and relatable, especially in how she was the best for the job but men being men had to steamroll her and mansplain things to her until she finally found her footing. I loved how she and Matt grew up kart racing together and how her childhood crush led to her feeling betrayed when he left for the big leagues. I ate up the drama with him joining her failing team and how once she found her voice and was able to do things her way with Matt supporting her, they became unstoppable. That being said, I did think Matt should've stepped back a little more at times to let Chloe have her time to shine more on her own and I think they needed more time for emotional connections over lust, but to each their own. The ending also felt a little rushed there after such a long buildup as the team was pushing to finally succeed.

This book was a strong F1 romance and I did appreciate the thought that the author put into it. I love reading sports romances where the author is familiar with the sport and that was certainly the case here. I enjoyed it and really connected with Chloe so that was a podium in my book! (IYKYK)

If you’ve read Simone Soltani’s Lights Out Series you’re going to love Lizzy Dent’s Formula One novel Drive Me Crazy. This truly is the type of sports romance from the Formula One niche genre that I adore. Lizzy delivers a fast paced, heart racing, and memorable read. I admit I wasn’t familiar with Lizzy’s previous works but I truly hope this book is the start of a series because the potential is baked right into the plot and its characters.

I often wondered when we would get a Formula One novel with a female team principal and Lizzy brought Chloe to life. We all love Claire Williams and the space she held in the F1 world for such a long time has left a legacy. While the sport is dominated by men, opportunities are opening up and Lizzy takes advantage of that spark with Lizzy. She’s passionate about the sport, shy, guarded, and truly a leader. In contrast, the race car driver Matt for Team Arden is going through PTSD from a harrowing incident that occurred on the race course. They’re paired together on Team Arden and the chemistry flickers and then roars. Yes the comparisons are going to be made to ‘Ride With Me’ by Simone Soltani, but these two books stand alone and honestly have different takes and perspectives on the sport.

One thing I’d like to mention? I didn’t really enjoy the world building in this. There were ample opportunities to create fictional teams and characters and it needed to be stronger. The heavy reliance on the reader knowing the sport of Formula One is strong.

Overall I adored my time reading this book and I’m happy to give this book 4 stars! This book is out in January 2026 but honestly, get your pre-orders in NOW!

Thank you so much Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the digital arc!

A delight!!! I’ve been in a reading slump and this book is just what I needed. I know nothing about F1 racing and this didn’t get too in the weeds with the details there. The love story is fun and sexy while being mindful of the real life issues that could come from a relationship like this. I’ve read all of Lizzy Dent’s books and they do not disappoint.

3.2 ⭐️ For a book about racing this felt funnily rushed in a lot of aspects. I wanted to like this story a lot, and the characters themselves were great, however I felt everything lacked somewhat. I wanted more. It felt like there wasn't enough focus on the racing aspect, only on the actual races, what about the process of getting to the races? The practices, fittings, the work. Same with their relationship, I felt there wasn't enough, it just felt rushed. What was there was great! The story was funny, and captivating, but felt sped through and lacking some much needed details. I would have just loved more in depth on their relationship and the racing process.

This was such a fun read!! I love a good second chance romance & work place romance. I loved how the FMC was so knowledgeable and passionate about what she did and it really made the relationship that much stronger. I felt like it made sense why they still had feelings for eachother and that part of the story was written well so it wasn’t out of the blue that they’ve been in love with eachother over the years. I loved the healing and growth that was done and the overall pace of the book! Would highly recommend! More detailed post on Goodreads and Instagram to come, closer to publication date ✨

2.75/5, rounded to 3 stars. I had such a fun time reading this book. Chloe was a relatable character that I found pieces of myself in. Her banter with Matt and the supporting characters was enjoyable. Something that I did not like about this book was the lack of chemistry between Chloe and Matt! Based on what I read, it was incredibly difficult to believe that Matt had any romantic interest in Chloe.

'Drive Me Crazy' reads more like a childhood friends-to-friends with benefits than childhood friends-to-lovers. I wish we could've seen more emotional intimacy between Chloe and Matt instead of (essentially) jumping to physical intimacy. Although I liked the main characters, when reading, I was not remotely invested in their love story.

I also have my gripes with the conclusion, I thought that it was unsatisfying. I wanted to see more of Chloe and Matt's relationship and where Chloe's career was.

Overall, fun read for those interested in F1, I just desired to see more romance from the main characters!

This one was good but found myself getting a little bored by the romance. Felt all of a sudden rushed in the middle of the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Putnam Publishing for granting me the ARC!!!
Im conflicted about this book, on one side there is the f1 aspect which i LOVED on the other the romance which i couldn‘t have cared less about.

The F1 theme was wonderful I loved it soo much. An underdog Team that rises up during the course of the book. I loved how the author portait it!! The FMC is a strong character, I loved it.

On to the Romance, as I said I couldn‘t have cared less. I couldn‘t connect with our Main Charakters. The Author tells us that they have history together and therefore a connection but I didn‘t feel it. I found the Romance to fast and lacking the emotional connection.
Also why are they always hooking up - puplicly i might add - instead of talking with each?Every time they wanted to talk they hook up?! Why can‘t they have a single conversation?! And when they do talk it is too short for me. I think the author could’ve drawn the dialogue a bit out.
Besides, they want to keep it a secret but hook up in public a few times and do everything they can to get caught? Why?! It does not make sense to me and did disturb me a bit much.

The writing was okay, it was simple. While reading it i had the impression that the author wrote scenes and not a book, if that makes sense. It was jumpy and kinda all over the place. It did not flow. But also maybe it is too early on to judge that part because the book doesn’t come out until next year. Maybe the author will adjust it until it will be officially published?

All in all I had fun, it was a good read if you want an F1 Story. I could not but it down despite the Romance. I would recommend it!

Three and a half stars.

I received an ARC of this title from Net Galley for my honest review. I enjoyed the premise of F1 racing - I haven’t read another romance book that takes place in this field. That the overall story was cute but predictable. I would read this author again if I was looking for something light, like a summer read.

While I really enjoyed reading about F1 and getting into the story, I agree with others that it felt a bit rushed at times. The pacing moved quickly—though it was easy to follow, I would have preferred a more fully developed plot and deeper character exploration.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of sports romance or readers looking for a fast-paced, engaging read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lizzy Dent, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I throughly enjoyed the FMC in this story. I found her character well developed and strong. Which you don’t often seen in many sports romance novels so major plus for this!

The dialogue was well written. And the writing quality was amazing. Good transitions and scene descriptions. I’d definitely recommend others to read this when it comes out!

I don’t usually read F1 romances but the ones I’ve read I’ve enjoyed and I enjoyed this one. It’s always so lovely reading about women working in sports fields. It’s a very cute book and it is perfect if you want to read something quick. The fmc is amazing, especially watching her grow! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

I grew up watching racing thanks to my dad and it's a breath of fresh air to have a racing romance among the millions of hockey, baseball and football romances that all blur together after awhile. With that said, this book was quite enjoyable with fun characters and great tension. I will read more by this author!

DNF at 60%
I didn't *love* Just One Taste, but I liked the plot blurb enough on NetGalley to request this one. I'm really bummed to report that this just wasn't for me. I didn't feel any chemistry between the two MCs, and the dialogue was extremely choppy. It seems like there was supposed to be some earth-shattering fight or confrontation of some sort between the two MCs prior to Chloe getting hired that would've made their reconciliation surprising and sweet, but after getting 60% of the way through and not really knowing many details about it, I lost my patience. I wrote in my Just One Taste review that I feel like British authors tend not to nail a slow burn the same way American authors do, and I think that still stands. There just wasn't any burn or chemistry between the two MCs, which was made more apparent by a significant amount stilted "telling not showing" emotions being narrated to the reader, basically asking me to believe what was happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🏎️

4.5 stars ✨🏁🩷This was my second F1 romance and I had such a great time reading it! Chloe and Matt’s story gave me everything I wanted—childhood crush tension, emotional growth, and a sweet but fiery connection that kept me hooked. Chloe is such a strong lead, trying to prove herself in a tough sport while dealing with pressure and self-doubt. And Matt? Ugh he was very swoony. Their chemistry was so fun to watch build!

I really liked that their relationship felt real and not rushed. The story had a great balance between racing action, romance, and emotional depth. I do wish we got a bit more time with the ending, but overall it left me smiling and kicking my feet. If you’re new to F1 romance or just love stories with great banter and a bit of heat, this one’s worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read Lizzy Dent, but I will be on the lookout for her books from now on. This book was just such a cute, fun, and fast-paced read. It follows Chloe in a male-dominated profession, teaming up with Matt. Her writing was very simple in the best way, so I was able to follow the book and the lingo, as I am not an F1 watcher.

Read if you like:
- F1 Romance
- Childhood crush
- Friends to lovers
- Dual POV
- Forced proximity

This book was ridiculously fun and sweet!

When I saw the book contained a female team principal in F1 I was already sold! Even more so when I saw that her mmc was her ex-best friend and now her top driver. The tension between Chloe and Matt in the first half was delicious!! And I truly truly enjoyed watching them BOTH grow into who they were meant to be, aside from the relationship they were developing. Even the team owner showed us some growth of his own, which pleasantly surprised me!

I love a man that knows how to own his mistakes, and a woman that doesn’t let him off too easily. Also the spice was spicing!! Any time these two got near eachother, the heat would increase.

I will say, I would have loved to see a bit more of the disrespectful team strategizer causing more drama and then getting his comeuppance since he contributed to Chloe’s self doubt in the beginning but then kind of flew off the radar.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this ARC. All opinions are my own!

Favorite quote:
“ ‘So, you’re quietly mine?’ He says, his eyes a little misty. ‘I always was,’ I say, leaning forward and shutting the door behind us.”

Even though this book isn’t coming out until January 2026, it felt right to read a racing story during May in Indianapolis, where everything revolves around the Indy 500. I’m not a racing fan (but I do know that Indy Car and F1 are not the same!) so I can’t speak to whether the racing related plot points are accurate or realistic. I’ll leave that analysis to the very passionate fanbase! Lizzy Dent books have been reliably good, not great, and this is no exception. This seems to bend harder into the romance genre than her previous books. There’s still the “FMC finding her way” angle here, but even that was more tied into Chloe’s childhood friendship with Matt. This won’t land in first place of my rankings of her books, but Lizzy Dent will continue to be an author I look forward to reading.

Thanks to @netgalley and @putnam for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!