Scan barcode
carnimdream's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
jrae13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tanya_luvs_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mdisaac1's review against another edition
5.0
Only Kate Stewart can have me falling in love with more than one book boyfriend in the same book ❤️
Stella is a young, music loving, aspiring journalist who falls into a whirlwind passionate romance that ends abruptly and too soon. Reid, in a small town band that Stella gushes over, has his demons. And Nate, her boss at the job she demanded, is everything she ever wanted. And it goes from there.
Seriously this is raw and emotional and truly has you in the feels. The angst and passion of being in love in your twenties is shown and the love story is amazing.
My FAVORITE part was knowing how Nate’s story of how he got into journalism comes full circle.
It’s a masterpiece.
Stella is a young, music loving, aspiring journalist who falls into a whirlwind passionate romance that ends abruptly and too soon. Reid, in a small town band that Stella gushes over, has his demons. And Nate, her boss at the job she demanded, is everything she ever wanted. And it goes from there.
Seriously this is raw and emotional and truly has you in the feels. The angst and passion of being in love in your twenties is shown and the love story is amazing.
My FAVORITE part was knowing how Nate’s story of how he got into journalism comes full circle.
It’s a masterpiece.
roniphillips's review against another edition
2.0
2 ⭐️
The beginning of this book had me. I think halfway through, I would have rated it 3 or maybe 4 stars.
Around the middle, I started wanting to throw my kindle at the wall. I’m all for a complicated love story, but this one stressed me out so much. By the end, I wasn’t sure I liked any of the characters anymore. I’m still not sure.
Not a bad story, just not my cup of tea.
Update: I just thought of a better way to explain this.
One of my favorite romcoms is Something Borrowed but I can’t watch it often because I wish it ended differently. That’s kinda how I feel about this book.
This will probably make sense to no one but maybe it will help me when I look back at this review in the future.
The beginning of this book had me. I think halfway through, I would have rated it 3 or maybe 4 stars.
Around the middle, I started wanting to throw my kindle at the wall. I’m all for a complicated love story, but this one stressed me out so much. By the end, I wasn’t sure I liked any of the characters anymore. I’m still not sure.
Not a bad story, just not my cup of tea.
Update: I just thought of a better way to explain this.
One of my favorite romcoms is Something Borrowed but I can’t watch it often because I wish it ended differently. That’s kinda how I feel about this book.
This will probably make sense to no one but maybe it will help me when I look back at this review in the future.
nichi17's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
cala_p's review against another edition
5.0
I received an ARC of Drive from the author.
I never read a Kate Stewart book before, but I will definitely give more a shot because this was NOT what I was expeciting of this book. If I were to sum up this novel in one signle word, that word would be: REAL. This novel is real. It drags you through real life, realistic situations of love and relationships and life in the young to mid-twenties. The level of angst was perfect.
It was a bit of a slow start, but picked up very fast. For a while, I didn’t know which guy the novel would take her to: Reid or Nate. When she did eventually get with one of them, this is where the realness started. Their relationship blossomed at a good pace. There was a lot of arguing, avoidance of each other, and then finally a hook up and admittance of feelings. But problems between them arise. The struggling music artist trope was introduced here, and then a break up. And thus begins the stomach-tingling novel. She moves on after a while and does get with Nate. They start a slow but steady romance. When New Years Eve rolled around and Reid showed up…my goodness It think my heart cried too.
The time jumps in this novel, in the second half, definitely threw me for a loop. Three years, 8 months, 5 months, etc. Major plot things happened at each of these timelines. The three year gap definitely saw a lot of changes between her and her relationship, all in which Reid never showed his face. But eventually, more gaps and more changes.
The characters are nice too. Stella is refreshing. Follows her heart but is also very focused on herself and fixing her life after everything. Nate was a sweetie. I was pretty well taken by him from the first introduction and hoped we would see him and Stella together. After everything he went through in the novel, I hope he gets his happy ending too. Reid helped bring that realness I keep talking about into the novel. He’s the one with the job and financial and family issues. He’s the one who chooses to leave. He’s the one who initially comes back for Stella and explains his reasons and makes my soul cry. He’s an ideal book boyfriend giving that ideal level of romance but strong character to the book.
This novel deserves all five stars I am giving it. It’s such a wonderful, heart-wrenching read and I am not sorry I read this at all. Thank you to the author for the ARC of Drive. This won’t be the last novel I read of yours.
I never read a Kate Stewart book before, but I will definitely give more a shot because this was NOT what I was expeciting of this book. If I were to sum up this novel in one signle word, that word would be: REAL. This novel is real. It drags you through real life, realistic situations of love and relationships and life in the young to mid-twenties. The level of angst was perfect.
It was a bit of a slow start, but picked up very fast. For a while, I didn’t know which guy the novel would take her to: Reid or Nate. When she did eventually get with one of them, this is where the realness started. Their relationship blossomed at a good pace. There was a lot of arguing, avoidance of each other, and then finally a hook up and admittance of feelings. But problems between them arise. The struggling music artist trope was introduced here, and then a break up. And thus begins the stomach-tingling novel. She moves on after a while and does get with Nate. They start a slow but steady romance. When New Years Eve rolled around and Reid showed up…my goodness It think my heart cried too.
The time jumps in this novel, in the second half, definitely threw me for a loop. Three years, 8 months, 5 months, etc. Major plot things happened at each of these timelines. The three year gap definitely saw a lot of changes between her and her relationship, all in which Reid never showed his face. But eventually, more gaps and more changes.
The characters are nice too. Stella is refreshing. Follows her heart but is also very focused on herself and fixing her life after everything. Nate was a sweetie. I was pretty well taken by him from the first introduction and hoped we would see him and Stella together. After everything he went through in the novel, I hope he gets his happy ending too. Reid helped bring that realness I keep talking about into the novel. He’s the one with the job and financial and family issues. He’s the one who chooses to leave. He’s the one who initially comes back for Stella and explains his reasons and makes my soul cry. He’s an ideal book boyfriend giving that ideal level of romance but strong character to the book.
This novel deserves all five stars I am giving it. It’s such a wonderful, heart-wrenching read and I am not sorry I read this at all. Thank you to the author for the ARC of Drive. This won’t be the last novel I read of yours.
frafrin's review against another edition
5.0
OKAY, KATE STEWART, OKAY
listen. I said to my friend this very morning, “if anyone can get me out of a reading slump, it’s Kate.”
I sat down this afternoon and opened up Drive, turned on the playlist that pairs with the book and got to reading. I started 2022 by reading The Ravenhood trilogy which I deeply loved but a book about a young woman finding her way determined to make a career out of writing about music? Well if that wasn’t 2002-2003 me’s dream- so this was fate. I felt connected to Stella throughout all her ups and downs. Some of it even reflecting the never ending emotions you feel learning how to be an adult and finding your way in the world. Kate wove this story through time and through Stella’s loves. Throughout most of the book you do not know who Stella is driving home to see as she revisits these memories from her early to mid 20s and I loved that.
“Music was my touchstone, my place of worship.”
listen. I said to my friend this very morning, “if anyone can get me out of a reading slump, it’s Kate.”
I sat down this afternoon and opened up Drive, turned on the playlist that pairs with the book and got to reading. I started 2022 by reading The Ravenhood trilogy which I deeply loved but a book about a young woman finding her way determined to make a career out of writing about music? Well if that wasn’t 2002-2003 me’s dream- so this was fate. I felt connected to Stella throughout all her ups and downs. Some of it even reflecting the never ending emotions you feel learning how to be an adult and finding your way in the world. Kate wove this story through time and through Stella’s loves. Throughout most of the book you do not know who Stella is driving home to see as she revisits these memories from her early to mid 20s and I loved that.
“Music was my touchstone, my place of worship.”