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A review by the_love_librarian
Lights Out by Kayla James
emotional
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
“We do this together.”
A top read of this year for me!
What’s better than one F1 racer? TWO. Ryder is a champion F1 racer who gets an opportunity to join a new team after recovering from a bad accident. Blake is an amateur racer who catches the eye of the new team. After a test race in which she beats her opponents, she is offered the second spot on the team, making her and Ryder teammates.
My favorite part of Ryder and Blake’s journey is that there was never any misogynistic behavior from Ryder regarding Blake’s talent and right to be a racer in a sport that is primarily male dominated. From the moment he met her, he was in awe, and did everything he could to support her. Of course, aside from being teammates, their obvious chemistry becomes more apparent when Ryder lets Blake move in with him during the season. Y’all know I love me some forced proximity and CARETAKING (like I melted).
I just really don’t have words to express how supportive this couple was of each other. Whether it was friends, teammates, or lovers, the little things (and the big things) were the actions of love before either one acknowledged how they felt. Aside from his accident, Ryder struggles with the death of his parents, and Blake refuses to let him suffer and carry that weight alone. Likewise, Ryder constantly encourages Blake, hyping her up and doing all he can to watch her succeed. I was happy there was no third act break up, because once these two were all-in, they did not look back, and handled any issues that came up together.
This debut was just everything I love about romance. Blake and Ryder’s friend group were amazing and I can’t wait for their books!
A top read of this year for me!
What’s better than one F1 racer? TWO. Ryder is a champion F1 racer who gets an opportunity to join a new team after recovering from a bad accident. Blake is an amateur racer who catches the eye of the new team. After a test race in which she beats her opponents, she is offered the second spot on the team, making her and Ryder teammates.
My favorite part of Ryder and Blake’s journey is that there was never any misogynistic behavior from Ryder regarding Blake’s talent and right to be a racer in a sport that is primarily male dominated. From the moment he met her, he was in awe, and did everything he could to support her. Of course, aside from being teammates, their obvious chemistry becomes more apparent when Ryder lets Blake move in with him during the season. Y’all know I love me some forced proximity and CARETAKING (like I melted).
I just really don’t have words to express how supportive this couple was of each other. Whether it was friends, teammates, or lovers, the little things (and the big things) were the actions of love before either one acknowledged how they felt. Aside from his accident, Ryder struggles with the death of his parents, and Blake refuses to let him suffer and carry that weight alone. Likewise, Ryder constantly encourages Blake, hyping her up and doing all he can to watch her succeed. I was happy there was no third act break up, because once these two were all-in, they did not look back, and handled any issues that came up together.
This debut was just everything I love about romance. Blake and Ryder’s friend group were amazing and I can’t wait for their books!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders