I must start this review by saying I read this book in 24 hours, as I absolutely could not put this down. From the opening lines, I was STRESSED by how these two men would make things work, and James certainly put them through the ringer.

Told in three parts, with Travis’s POV dominating the first half, Jacob’s the second, and a combination of both for the third, the formatting of this book felt unique and completely drew me in. This is an incredible duet audiobook performance with infrequent POV shifts, which felt suspenseful as I waited to see what the other person was thinking.

The book opens about a year into their relationship following a major F2 crash, and I found myself desperate to know how they got together and the depth of their relationship. Immediately, we see Travis all consumed by this relationship. The opening lines left me caught up in his emotions, the fallout of this crash, and the ANGST.

I am not sure I have read a book that had me so desperate for a reconciliation between characters. Because these men yearn, ya’ll. My heart was pounding with apprehension over where this romance was headed.

There are several trigger warnings for this book. Still, I would be remiss if I did not state that one of the better representations of ICU and trauma care. I felt James did the medical community justice in her portrayal.

I love a book where the characters do the work for each other, and each character's growth has an incredible arc. Previously a loner, Travis learned to let others in (and his found family is stellar perfection that brought me to tears several times). Then we have Jacob, who is unlikeable on the surface, but below that, filled with so much loathing, primarily directed at himself. The therapy representation was well done, and I loved seeing Jacob confront the idea that children “owe” parents.

This audiobook!! I felt I was being held captive by this all-consuming audiobook performance. Patrick’s voice as Travis is bordering on one of the top performances I have listened to this year. The pain, anxiety, and loneliness he experiences are heartbreaking, and his performance was stunning. I feel that Gary helped bring Jacob to life. I especially thought his depiction of anger and the turbulent emotions Jacob experienced after his crash helped me understand his character better.

Overall. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire performance of this book, and now I will be thinking about Jacob and Travis for months to come

This book sucked me in from the start, an amazing self discovery journey with so many beautifully depicted raw emotions. A must read that I wish I could read again for the first time!

Audiobook review: Narrated by Gary Furlong and Patrick Zeller

I loved this book!! This storyline was so good and the parallel timelines were a great way to introduce the relationship while already having hooked us with that epic beginning. I was choking on the angst and emotion and had a visceral reaction to some of the scenes, particularly Travis POV. The author did an amazing job with character progression in the second half of the book, especially with Jacob's redemption. I do with there was a bit more of a fight at the end but that's just not Travis's style! The Formula1 aspect was prominent which I really appreciated as I find the sports aspect lacking in some romances that advertise that as the trope. The found family Travis grows was beautiful and provided a well rounded story.

The narrators were perfectly cast. They each embodied their character so well and added a huge amount of personality to the performances. Patrick Zeller was especially good at the more emotional scenes and had my heart hurting. Definitely recommend listening to this one. It was un-pausable!!

Thank you to Harper Audio for providing me an early copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Gripped from the start, tears running down my face, binged it in one sitting (*by which I mean, doing things around the house); what a fantastically angsty and emotional ride, and the audiobook was FANTASTIC. 🙌

There’s a horrific and fatal F2 crash right at the start, and Travis’ secret boyfriend, Jacob, was involved and is now in the hospital in critical condition. But because their relationship is secret…well, it is very difficult for Travis to deal with. 😭

The hospital scenes, Travis’ inner turmoil, Jacob’s Family, and frankly Jacob himself, this book takes you through IT. And I was completely riveted throughout.

So much growth and healing for both characters, which finally gets us to their HEA in the end. 🫶

Audiobook notes: Done in Duet!! First off, Patrick Zeller absolutely blew my socks off with his emotional performance of Travis. He carries most of the first half? (Look, I binged this thing in once sitting, I wasn’t looking at how far in I was 🙈), and he had tears running down my face several times throughout. Gary Furlong is, of course, always fantastic, and he did such a great job with Jacob, and his emotional journey. In addition, there were several accents, and some foreign languages that need to be performed, and those were all delivered seamlessly.

What this book is giving:
✅ MM Romance
✅ Duet Narration
✅ F1 (and F2) Drivers
✅ ANGST!
✅ Tragic Car Accident
✅ Found Family
✅ Therapy Rep

⚠️ Potential Triggers: car accident, death, homophobia (including internalized)

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️ / 5

A surface-level good time, Crash Test feels like a strategically-timed 'product', riding the promotional wave of this summer’s soon-to-be blockbuster (the F1 movie with Brad Pitt), rather than a story written from the heart. That’s not to diminish its entertainment value—Crash Test checks all the boxes of a solid contemporary romance, and in a year that’s been relatively dry for a traditionally published M/M romance hit, it’s refreshing to have one that feels timely and taps into the cultural zeitgeist.

The best way to experience Crash Test is through its audiobook, which features two male narrators, each voicing one of the heroes. Not only does this format smooth over some of the rougher patches in the writing (the tonal shifts between overwrought melodrama and banter-filled rom-com can be jarring), but the energetic performances—even a touch over-the-top at times—breathe vivid personality into the leads. By the end, I was genuinely invested in their happy ending.

There’s plenty I can objectively critique about Crash Test, but the fantasy of a queer romance set in a hyper-masculine world (one already in the media spotlight thanks to a big-budget film), combined with the excellent narration, elevates what might otherwise be a mediocre story into a genuinely enjoyable guilty pleasure. I wholeheartedly recommend the audiobook as the way to go.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read/listening to the arc for my honest option.
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this one. There is practically no F1 in it and I feel like it was just a bunch of whining from Jacob and Travis just kind of bored me.

I requested this book because I saw multiple rave reviews on Instagram, and I was NOT disappointed. This book had so much emotional depth, and I experienced so many different feelings throughout. Travis and Jacob each had their slew of problems, and we get to see a lot of them worked through throughout the book, which caused a heavy amount of angst and drama. I was truly invested in their relationship and rooting for them to work through everything and reach that HEA. The character development was incredible! Loved this and will absolutely be recommending it. The narration was well done, and both narrators did a fantastic job of embodying the quirks and nuances of their respective characters.

A favorite quote- “I didn’t realize how lonely my life was until I met you.”

*ALL THE SPOILERS AHEAD*

CW: death, car crash, Islamophobic comment, toxic relationships, homophobia, biphobia, outing (so much outing)

I did not really enjoy this book. I have been seeing it ALL OVER my social media, then found out it’s a local author who is doing a launch with one of my favourite authors, so figured I would give it a try. And… I guess I’m glad that I did? But also, it wasn’t very good?

At the beginning of the book we see a horrific F2 crash where 2 drivers end up dying and one is left in very bad shape. This is Jacob, who was secretly dating Travis, an F1 driver. Travis obviously visits the hospital to see how Jacob is doing, and in so doing ends up outing Jacob to most of the hospital staff as well as his family. Due to this, Jacob breaks up with Travis hours after waking up from being in a coma/unconscious for two weeks.

Then there is a lot of pining and angsting.

Jacob ends up living back with his family, who are fucking awful and homophobic. But after a few therapy sessions Jacob realizes he was a complete dick to Travis the entire time they were dating (about a year) and flies off to London to win him back. At this point it’s been 9-10 months since Jacob broke up with him. After some annoying back-and-forthing and missed connections, they finally connect again and immediately have sex. Travis takes Jacob back with almost zero discussions on what happened when they were together previously or with the breakup. It felt WAY too easy and made Travis come across as someone who could just be walked all over. The extent of their talking about things was:
Travis: things need to change
Jacob: I know, I was a dick
Travis: no you weren’t!
Jacob: I’m in love with you
Travis: I love you, too
HEA

I did appreciate that the book showed Jacob going to therapy and finally accepting it, but that’s about the only positive about the book. Jacob and Travis are constantly outing each other, which isn’t okay. At one point when Jacob is in an angry spiral about Travis he thinks something that is Islamophobic. Once they’re magically back together they go for dinner with Travis’ new friends, and they rightfully give Jacob a hard time, where he immediately proclaims that he will never ever break up with Travis. Which is just completely unbelievable. These characters are in their early 20s and the book does a terrible job of arguing for their future as partners. Based on their previous relationship and lack of meaningfully talking about it, I don’t buy them staying together.

Also, and this is a minor thing, because I don’t really care about the level of “spice” in a book, but I’m pretty sure this book is marketed as SUPER SPICY!!! and it’s just not. There are, I think, two pretty tame sex scenes? Also, WHERE WERE THE CONDOMS?!? The lacking of these details really pulls me out of a story. Like, wait, what? They haven’t been together for ten months and Travis was dating someone else, WHERE ARE THE CONDOMS?!?

Anyway… I’m giving this two stars because I did actually read the whole book, but that’s barely two stars.
Probably closer to 1.5.

“…𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧.”

How do you like to spend a Friday night in? Last Friday, I ugly cried alone on my couch, devouring 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵 by Amy James in a single sitting.

Before you scroll away at the words “sports romance”—really, Jen? No wings or shadows?!—I promise that the real race here will be your heart pounding out of your chest as you blow through each chapter. I was hooked from page one, anxious within minutes, and full-on sobbing just a few chapters in.

I cried because it was heartbreaking. I cried because it was beautiful. I cried because it was hopeful and earnest and healing.

There’s something about James’s writing that has such immediacy and pull to it. Her prose is lyrical, immersive and so raw I was truly living in the heads of these tragically lonely, loving boys. She masterfully weaves past and present; one minute you’re in a gray walled hospital waiting room, and then next you’re whisked away to a cabin in Scotland or a hotel room in Abu Dhabi watching two boys collide and fall apart.

Each of the three “sectors” stands on its own, but it was Travis’s journey that left me the most damaged. His deep isolation, his quiet longing for connection—I rooted so hard for him that I was ready to throw fists. Jacob, on the other hand, with his beautifully selfish and self-doubting ways, took longer to win me over. I can’t say he did, by the end, but I also would never deny sweet Travis anything.

𝑶𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆:
🏁 Travis is elite book boyfriend material (if the F1 skills weren’t enough, this boy spends his limited free time 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴)
🏳️‍🌈 Beautiful M/M rep—with genuine discussions about sexuality and public perception
✨ Amazing friends who go to bat for their boy
🏎️ A genuinely compelling, well-researched depiction of F1 (coming from a casual fan, aka sometimes watcher of 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 and spectator at exactly one Grand Prix)
🏥 Thoughtful portrayal of medical workers and hospital dynamics
🔥 Close-minded parents that will make you want to set something on fire
🚑 Did I mention the ugly crying? Seriously, prepare for emotional damage

This is a romance, and the physical side of that romance works, but at its core it’s about intimacy, belonging, and hesistation. I can’t think of any published works that have struck this chord quite so deeply for me. And honestly, I’m stunned to have found it here.

𝑻𝑳;𝑫𝑹: 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘦𝘴𝘵 is a lyrical, tension-filled, heartfelt F1 romance that will wreck you on the side of the track before stitching you back together. Bring tissues for the ugly crying.

𝑩𝒐𝒏𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔: After getting approved for the ALC, I had to give this one a relisten, even if it’s only been a few days. Even knowing what would happen, it somehow almost hurt just as much this time, largely because of the FANTASTIC narrators. Patrick in particular killed me as Travis—his emotion destroyed me in the best way. Gary also somehow made me like Jacob more with his performance which is saying something, because I was mad at that boy on the first read.

Thank you, thank you to Harper Audio for granting me access to this one!!!

4.5 stars

Absolutely loved this story. The narrators really brought these characters and this story to life! The narrator for Travis broke my heart listening to his pain and heartbreak in the beginning scenes, and both characters showed a lot of growth. Thank you to Harper Audio & Netgalley for the ALC. I've already ordrered my shelf trophy.

(Preface for the non-racing fans, F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport, and F2 is the league right below that.)

This story of a gay F1 driver and a bi F2 driver is told in two parts: the first half is from the F1 driver’s perspective, begins with tragedy, and has flashbacks to fill in the history, and bring us on his character’s journey of healing. The second half is from the F2 driver’s perspective, picks up from where the first half’s narrative ends and takes us on his character’s journey of growth. The audiobook is done mostly in dual narration with each narrator performing their character’s POV chapters, but the dialogue is performed in duet style, meaning each narrator performs the lines his character says, which I like a lot!

I’ll be honest when I say I struggled to get into this one at first, but after contemplating why, I think it was due to the audio narration (more on that at the end). Once I was in it, I couldn’t put it down!! The characters completely captured my attention and affection, and I’m honestly a little sad to see them go now that I’m done with the book. I’ve never wanted a slice of life novella/bonus chapters more than now!

I think this book will appeal to F1 fan and non-F1 fans alike. The characters take readers on such a delightful journey of love, heartbreak, growth, and healing.

Additional notes concerning the audio narration specifically: the first half of the book was quite difficult to get into because of the narrator. The story is about a tense and emotional time, so it’s understandable that he made the choice to put those emotions in his voice, but it felt *really* over-acted, and it was almost unpleasant to listen to. The second half (and therefore second narrator) was much better.
I still maintain that this book was a delight, despite this.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ALC!

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This book made me so MAD. Seriously, Jacob's parents are the actual, literal worst.

Anyway, this is tied for first with Slipstream for my top favorite F1 novel. I mean I've only read 3, but still. This book is TOP TIER pining and angst and longing and (complimentary) fools in love.

F1 driver Travis is very much a loner, portrayed as sort of shy and socially awkward. (Apparently he's also very attractive, which Jacob's friend says much later on, but I legitimately have no clue what either of these dudes looked like!) He and F2 driver Jacob have a chance meeting and begin hooking up and eventually dating, despite Jacob sort of keeping Travis at arm's length.

The book actually opens in the middle of the story, with a huge F2 crash involving Jacob. Travis races to the hospital and is confronted with BIG SURPRISE homophobic parents. Travis's half of the book alternates between flashbacks and going forward from the crash, meeting Jacob's parents and being rejected by Jacob. Jacob's half is told going forward from his return home, and is mostly focused in the present.

The longing in this book is palpable, leaving you as desperate for Jacob and Travis to get back together as they are. Because they both are desperate. It's very sweet and soft and cute and MEN GO TO THERAPY??

Definitely recommend for readers who enjoyed Something Wild and Wonderful or fans of Casey McQuiston and maybe M.A. Wardell (who I haven't personally read but is on my tbr and seems to have a similar vibe?) I really enjoyed this one! 4.5/5 stars

Thanks to HarperAudio for the ALC!

5 stars

Gah I completely devoured this in basically one sitting! And look I really enjoyed the wordle based romance by this same author but this was a on another level! From the jump, you are completely drawn in to the drama and then we get flashbacks to the relationship starting and coming together and it worked SO WELL! It was gripping and even though I knew this was a romance and would have to have an HEA, at times I was really worried I would end up devastated. I also cried so many times throughout the book. During the hospital stuff and the flashbacks, during the breakup period and the reconciliation. Speaking of the reconciliation, it was fast but it really worked for the story and then we got multiple chapters after which I loved.

The narrators! Both are fantastic, and the acting was AMAZING! I usually listen at 2x but I did slow down to 1.5x because some of the quieter parts were hard to hear/understand at that speed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC!

I really preferred the second half of this book. I liked the structure of this story and how the crash was what forced both characters to grow and heal apart from one another, but the first fourty percent was depressing in a way I don’t prefer in a queer story. The second half was more hopeful I liked following Jacob’s journey I think he developed a lot. The side characters were my favourite the whole time though.

Of all the sports romances I’ve read, I think that Crash Test might be my favorite! As a Formula 1 fan, I was immediately drawn in by the premise, and it did not disappoint.

F1 driver, Travis, and his boyfriend, Jacob, have their worlds turned upside down when the latter is in a horrible F2 crash. Will Jacob pull through, and what will this mean for his relationship with Travis and career in racing if he survives?

The story is told through split POVs and unfolds in dual timelines. We follow Travis and Jacob as they deal with the aftermath of the crash in the present, and we also see their relationship develop over the course of the past year.

The main characters are flawed, vulnerable, and experienced growth over the course of the story. They were surrounded by a lively crew of supporting characters as well.

I really enjoyed Amy James’s writing. She wrote an emotionally charged story, and I was already tearing up by the end of the first chapter.

The audiobook was read in duet, and both of the narrators were excellent! They each embodied the characters and conveyed their emotions they felt so well.

Thank you to HarperAudio for providing this advance listening copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

I have never read a book that centers around F1 or any car racing. I'm not a fan of any type of car racing IRL but this book really intrigued me so I had to give it a try. I'm so glad I did it was so good! I was on a rollercoaster ride of emotions the entire time. One chapter I was so sad and the next I was happy and then I was angry and then back to happy. Back and forth the entire time. But it was worth it. I loved every moment of it even when I hated what was happening I still loved it. Just be warned this book starts out rough right from chapter 1 so be prepared. I thought the way the story was split up was a great choice. It worked really well with the story. When the POV changed it made a lot of sense for the story. I will say that in part 3 when it has booth characters' POVs instead of just one it would have been nice to have an indication at the beginning of each chapter especially since it's in first person, but that being said there was enough context right away to figure out who was speaking. It's even easier on audio because there are 2 narrators.
Overall a fantastic story that takes you on an emotional ride you hopefully won't regret going on. And even though I have never been interested in F1, I now want to read more books centered around it. Another sport to add to my list of sports romances. I can't wait to read more from Amy James.

I also want to note that it says it's "formula 1 meets red, white, & royal blue" I honestly don't really see how it's red white & royal blue besides the fact that there is a secret and I guess because they're in the public eye. . But I would have expected politics or royalty. It just doesn't scream red white & royal blue to me.


audiobook specific: I loved both of these narrators! They were amazing. Will definitely need to check out more from them both.
Content warning: car crash, homophobia, biphobia coma/medical content (no amnesia), death, some spicy content

Thank you HarperAudio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen early.

I loved this book. It was so emotional and so beautiful!
It had some of my favourite tropes
•found family
•I only sleep good next to you
•secret relationships
•grumpy x sunshine

Travis and Jacob are to racing drivers. Travis: F1 and Jacob: F2. They have been in a secret relationship for a year when Jacob gets into a 6 car crash that has his life in critical condition.
The first half of the book is from Travis‘s perspective of him, dealing with the aftermath of the crash as well as reminiscing on the past year. I found at times Travis’s narrator was very difficult to understand so I had to have the volume turned all the way up only for him to essentially yell the next line.
Part two of the book follows Jacob with his recovery from the crash and dealing with self hatred. HIS FAMILY SUUUUUCKS. Jacob’s narrator was easy to understand.

Part three is Travis and Jacob finally talking and reconciling. Here Travis’s narrator I could understand the whole time.

Over all, I really enjoyed the audiobook. I just wished some moments I could understand a bit better. It had me wishing for subtitles 😂 (that’s just the book silly)

I personally really enjoyed the pacing of this book. I liked how we started with Travis’s POV and seeing his emotional turmoil with the present and past POVs and then also the way it transitioned to Jacob’s POV and the trauma and healing he was experiencing and the parallels of his present and past POVs. I teared up for them, I got angry for them— I was experiencing similar emotions as to when I read Forget Me Not by Julie Soto. Following their journeys to recognizing their love and how different it was for each of them— I was just hoping for the day that either Travis found peace or that Jacob found his healing and that they would find their way back to one another.

Also I love the support characters— the friendships Travis made and also Jacob’s therapist. Quite frankly, I’m glad she really called him out on his BS.

Thank you Harper Audio for the gifted ALC.

Grabs you from the first chapter and doesn't let go.

Overall: 5
Spice: 2.5
Narration: 5

Patrick is an F1 racecar driver known for his surly demeaner and lack of a social circle. He has been seeing a fellow driver, Jacob, for the last year in secret and is finally finding some happiness. That is all in jeopardy when Jacob is in a horrific accident during a race. Can Patrick keep their relationship a secret while Jacob's family is hovering and will Jacob want him when he wakes up.

The word on IG was positive for this one, so I was excited to get the ALC on NetGalley thanks to Harper Audio. I sped through this book because its written in a way that wouldn't let me hit stop. The first part of the book is all from Patrick's POV and then switches to Jacob's around the mid point. Each of their parts is unique in its tone and approach just as the two characters are unique. This is one I would highly recommend enjoying on audio due to the great casting and the duet narration. I just listened to another book with Patrick Zeller and thought he was mis-cast, but he is *perfect* as Patrick in this one - you feel Patrick's emotions. I knew nothing about F1 racing going into this book and it didn't hamper my reading at all. For spice, this one is hard to pinpoint a rating. There are a few spicy scenes, but they use vague imagery and fade to black for most. A perfect read for Pride Month and understanding how far we still have to go for everyone to feel accepted for who they love.

Unfortunately, this couldn't catch my attention and I never found myself reaching for it. Great concept though and I love a good F1 romance. The narrators were great, but the first few chapters just didn't draw me in.