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A review by azieyosabor
Offtrack by Esha Patel
challenging
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
quick plot summary.
miguel de la fuente, a formula 1 hotshot, is this close to winning it all. but things get interesting when his rival, eddie palomas, bows out unexpectedly. suddenly, there's a spot open, and a rookie, diana zahrani, swoops in. miguel, confused but intrigued, is told to be careful around diana. turns out, she's not just here for kicks, and sparks fly on and off the track. drama, surprises, and racing showdowns – diana's rookie season in F1 is a rollercoaster. miguel's got to figure out if he's playing it safe or taking a gamble with diana.
my thoughts.
so, long story short, i was hella bored 🥱. at first, i blamed myself, thinking maybe it's 'cause i've never read a formula 1 book and don't know much about the sport. but as i kept reading, plot twist – it ain't on me.
i'm actually really into the formula 1 storyline, gave this book two stars, because of that alone. what i ain't vibing with is the writing, the characters, and the romance.
let's break it down with a list and figure out why it's not clicking 😄
1) the writing.
dude, the writing in that book was a total mess. no structure, just yanks you in randomly (which is cool sometimes, just not here). besides the plot, the grammar was off, and the bilingual talk? not even believable, often very cringe, and they messed up phrases in both english AND spanish… como se dice “yikes”? 😬
throughout the book, everything's crammed in without rhyme or reason. pacing? nope, it's all over the place – too quick start, slow ending. plot holes and random, pointless tropes thrown in outta nowhere, and they're super cliché. confusing as heck, had a tough time getting through it 😭
nah, not my thing at all. it felt chunky and monotone, like, what even. and oh, brace yourself for the worst part – multiple POVs, like six of 'em 😵💫. why, though? unnecessary. got me lost with too many characters. if i didn't HAVE to finish it for an honest arc review, i would've DNF’d it. plus, i hoped it would get better.
spoiler: it didn't.
2) the characters.
alright, so we got a bunch of characters in this story, but the only one i actually vibed with till the end was the male main characters sister, paula. everyone else? not really bringing much to the plot, kinda meh.
but, let's get to the main duo – miguel de la fuente and diana zahrani.
diana, oh man, i was all about her in the beginning. total badass, right? strong female lead, killer driver in a men-dominated sport, and she had a heart of gold. but then, plot twist – she falls in love and loses all her self-respect. like, what the heck? she goes from badass diana to just down bad for a guy who doesn't even deserve her. too nice, felt forced and boring. i mean, why wouldn't she overtake other drivers in races just 'cause they were nice to her…? and risking losing the championship for a dude? excuse me? it's a sport, who cares if they're nice – if you're better, you're better. i'm sorry, but i'm baffled 🤦🏾♀️. you've got the chance to be the best, win the championship (first female in years, hello!), and you wanna throw it away for a guy? a miguel? 😭 nah, he doesn't deserve that. seriously, diana, what are you doing? my love for her just tanked a bit.
moving on!
miguel, man, he's on a whole new level of stupidity. the whole situation with jatziry? don't wanna spill much, but if you know, you know – had me tossing my kindle way too many times. he's a total simp for diana, no denying, but he's so basic, no depth. suddenly, he's in love and all down bad, but like, why? i'm always asking why, and with miguel, there are way too many whys and hows in my head. it's cute, i guess, but seriously, how? why? and it's not like we only get diana's POV – we get his too, and i still don't get him 🤨. too many open questions about this dude. the author should've dived way deeper into his character, and not just him, but diana too. all the characters were kinda meh, probably 'cause there were too many. cut the extras – main characters and like 2-3 important side characters would've been plenty. i don't hate miguel 'cause i don't know him, but i don't like him either. that's the deal. 🤷🏾♀️
3) the romance.
okay, i'm all about romance, give me a book with even a hint of it, and i'm there 😋. but this one? nah, didn't need the romance subplot. diana falling for miguel messed up her whole vibe 😭. loved the female empowerment, but with the romance thrown in, it felt iffy. it feels a bit like saying that if a woman joins F1, she's for sure gonna end up dating one of men drivers 🙃. maybe not the actual intention, but that's the vibe i got, gotta be honest. so, cool, there's a romance subplot, and i wouldn't have minded if it was done right.
spoiler: it wasn’t.
their relationship was way better off as just friends. the romantic part felt forced, zero chemistry between miguel and diana. falling in love is supposed to be gradually, right? well, this was like they were racing into it, not falling (no pun intended 😅). happened too quick, had potential but didn’t live up to it. needed some development, emotional depth, but nope, none of that. the romance was pretty much useless – didn’t make me swoon, wasn’t excited when they declared love, ‘cause i didn’t see love 🤷🏾♀️. saw attraction, and that’s it. made everything awkward, while them just being friends felt natural and fitting. i get it, romance is awesome, but if it doesn’t fit, it just doesn’t. to all authors out there, no need to force in a romance subplot every time. if the book’s good without it, it’s good without it. no need to squeeze it in, ‘cause sometimes, it just doesn’t work – like in this case. 🥲
more thoughts.
after all that griping, let's talk about the F1 storyline, like i said i was into it from the start. it was pretty cool, got me hooked, learned some new stuff – had to google a thing or two, but it was a blast 😅. i can see myself diving into more books about this sport. not gonna stick with this author, but i'm open to checking out others' take on it. if y'all got recommendations, drop 'em in the comments! 🤭
hey, author, don't read this review (just kidding, kind of 😭). so, you asked for honesty, and here it is – might sound a bit harsh, my bad. wasn't aiming to hate on the book, wanted the opposite, but it just didn't click for me 🤷🏾♀️. doesn't mean others shouldn't give it a shot though. not my top recommendation, but hey, tastes vary!
on a positive note, major props to the author! self-publishing ain't a walk in the park, and writing, editing, and publishing solo deserves a round of applause 👏🏾. it's cool to see that effort. sure, the book might not be perfect, but everyone improves over time. maybe, maybe our paths will cross again, and i'll be all about that next book 😙
”thank you netgalley, avon books uk, and the author for sending me a copy of this e-arc. opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”
miguel de la fuente, a formula 1 hotshot, is this close to winning it all. but things get interesting when his rival, eddie palomas, bows out unexpectedly. suddenly, there's a spot open, and a rookie, diana zahrani, swoops in. miguel, confused but intrigued, is told to be careful around diana. turns out, she's not just here for kicks, and sparks fly on and off the track. drama, surprises, and racing showdowns – diana's rookie season in F1 is a rollercoaster. miguel's got to figure out if he's playing it safe or taking a gamble with diana.
my thoughts.
so, long story short, i was hella bored 🥱. at first, i blamed myself, thinking maybe it's 'cause i've never read a formula 1 book and don't know much about the sport. but as i kept reading, plot twist – it ain't on me.
i'm actually really into the formula 1 storyline, gave this book two stars, because of that alone. what i ain't vibing with is the writing, the characters, and the romance.
let's break it down with a list and figure out why it's not clicking 😄
1) the writing.
dude, the writing in that book was a total mess. no structure, just yanks you in randomly (which is cool sometimes, just not here). besides the plot, the grammar was off, and the bilingual talk? not even believable, often very cringe, and they messed up phrases in both english AND spanish… como se dice “yikes”? 😬
throughout the book, everything's crammed in without rhyme or reason. pacing? nope, it's all over the place – too quick start, slow ending. plot holes and random, pointless tropes thrown in outta nowhere, and they're super cliché. confusing as heck, had a tough time getting through it 😭
nah, not my thing at all. it felt chunky and monotone, like, what even. and oh, brace yourself for the worst part – multiple POVs, like six of 'em 😵💫. why, though? unnecessary. got me lost with too many characters. if i didn't HAVE to finish it for an honest arc review, i would've DNF’d it. plus, i hoped it would get better.
spoiler: it didn't.
2) the characters.
alright, so we got a bunch of characters in this story, but the only one i actually vibed with till the end was the male main characters sister, paula. everyone else? not really bringing much to the plot, kinda meh.
but, let's get to the main duo – miguel de la fuente and diana zahrani.
diana, oh man, i was all about her in the beginning. total badass, right? strong female lead, killer driver in a men-dominated sport, and she had a heart of gold. but then, plot twist – she falls in love and loses all her self-respect. like, what the heck? she goes from badass diana to just down bad for a guy who doesn't even deserve her. too nice, felt forced and boring. i mean, why wouldn't she overtake other drivers in races just 'cause they were nice to her…? and risking losing the championship for a dude? excuse me? it's a sport, who cares if they're nice – if you're better, you're better. i'm sorry, but i'm baffled 🤦🏾♀️. you've got the chance to be the best, win the championship (first female in years, hello!), and you wanna throw it away for a guy? a miguel? 😭 nah, he doesn't deserve that. seriously, diana, what are you doing? my love for her just tanked a bit.
moving on!
miguel, man, he's on a whole new level of stupidity. the whole situation with jatziry? don't wanna spill much, but if you know, you know – had me tossing my kindle way too many times. he's a total simp for diana, no denying, but he's so basic, no depth. suddenly, he's in love and all down bad, but like, why? i'm always asking why, and with miguel, there are way too many whys and hows in my head. it's cute, i guess, but seriously, how? why? and it's not like we only get diana's POV – we get his too, and i still don't get him 🤨. too many open questions about this dude. the author should've dived way deeper into his character, and not just him, but diana too. all the characters were kinda meh, probably 'cause there were too many. cut the extras – main characters and like 2-3 important side characters would've been plenty. i don't hate miguel 'cause i don't know him, but i don't like him either. that's the deal. 🤷🏾♀️
3) the romance.
okay, i'm all about romance, give me a book with even a hint of it, and i'm there 😋. but this one? nah, didn't need the romance subplot. diana falling for miguel messed up her whole vibe 😭. loved the female empowerment, but with the romance thrown in, it felt iffy. it feels a bit like saying that if a woman joins F1, she's for sure gonna end up dating one of men drivers 🙃. maybe not the actual intention, but that's the vibe i got, gotta be honest. so, cool, there's a romance subplot, and i wouldn't have minded if it was done right.
spoiler: it wasn’t.
their relationship was way better off as just friends. the romantic part felt forced, zero chemistry between miguel and diana. falling in love is supposed to be gradually, right? well, this was like they were racing into it, not falling (no pun intended 😅). happened too quick, had potential but didn’t live up to it. needed some development, emotional depth, but nope, none of that. the romance was pretty much useless – didn’t make me swoon, wasn’t excited when they declared love, ‘cause i didn’t see love 🤷🏾♀️. saw attraction, and that’s it. made everything awkward, while them just being friends felt natural and fitting. i get it, romance is awesome, but if it doesn’t fit, it just doesn’t. to all authors out there, no need to force in a romance subplot every time. if the book’s good without it, it’s good without it. no need to squeeze it in, ‘cause sometimes, it just doesn’t work – like in this case. 🥲
more thoughts.
after all that griping, let's talk about the F1 storyline, like i said i was into it from the start. it was pretty cool, got me hooked, learned some new stuff – had to google a thing or two, but it was a blast 😅. i can see myself diving into more books about this sport. not gonna stick with this author, but i'm open to checking out others' take on it. if y'all got recommendations, drop 'em in the comments! 🤭
hey, author, don't read this review (just kidding, kind of 😭). so, you asked for honesty, and here it is – might sound a bit harsh, my bad. wasn't aiming to hate on the book, wanted the opposite, but it just didn't click for me 🤷🏾♀️. doesn't mean others shouldn't give it a shot though. not my top recommendation, but hey, tastes vary!
on a positive note, major props to the author! self-publishing ain't a walk in the park, and writing, editing, and publishing solo deserves a round of applause 👏🏾. it's cool to see that effort. sure, the book might not be perfect, but everyone improves over time. maybe, maybe our paths will cross again, and i'll be all about that next book 😙
”thank you netgalley, avon books uk, and the author for sending me a copy of this e-arc. opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”