Book Review: The Fast Track by Angelica Cheng

July 31, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sports Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Angelica Cheng
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: August 4th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An ambitious racer who dreams of becoming the first female F1 champion finds her plans going off track when she catches feelings for her biggest competition in this dishy, delicious contemporary romance for fans of love, Lynn Painter, and Lewis Hamilton.

Justine Kwong has always dreamed of becoming a Formula 1 champion. There’s just one problem: no female driver has ever done it before. So when she’s offered a coveted chance to race in Formula 3, she leaps at the opportunity. Sure, half the fans think she’s just there to fill a diversity quota, and her teammate—the infuriatingly cute Cameron Evans—mistakes her for an intern, but Justine knows her talent will leave them all in the dust.

But driving well isn’t the only prerequisite to getting noticed, and Justine’s forced to fend for herself in a sea of prejudice, paparazzi, and petty backstabbing. There’s a lot riding on her ability to navigate the complicated trackside hierarchy—like the open F2 seat that could be her ticket to the big leagues.

Except…when Justine and Cameron’s bickering gives way to unexpected chemistry, the boy she’s falling for may be the one person standing in the way of her dreams—because while they may be teammates, they are also each other’s biggest competitor. And with her only shot at glory on the line, this race could break more than just hearts.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook and Simon Teen for the gifted book.

A GOOD YA.

Y’all know I love when a young adult novel is actually meant for young adults. And this one was! It’s also the first F1 romance I’ve read that I have genuinely liked so good things all around. It’s a fast paced and short novel that you could read in an afternoon kind of thing.

Justine can be a bit frustrating but in that I’m an adult with a fully formed front cortex reading vs. actually bothersome. I liked her overall character arc and the way she worked through issues and moved forward when life threw her backwards. Combining that with a sweet rivals to lovers-esque romance and it made for a wonderful read. I really liked Justine and Cameron together and the push and pull as they figured out how to communicate with each other.

🎧: Great audiobook! I loved the narrator and can’t recommend this format enough.

Overall audience notes:

YA Sports Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: low

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: July 2026

July 31, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

How are we halfway through the year?

Here’s my thirty six books for the month of July! I feel like this month went super well reading wise. I loved many of these books. Reviews are out now or coming soon!

[ARC/ALC] Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
Spies, Lies, & Alibis by Natalie Walters
The Stranger I Wed (The Doves of New York #1)
[ARC] To Have and To Fold (Love Stories in Sheet Cake #5) by Emma St. Clair
[ALC] A Forsaken Prophecy (The Artisan Trilogy #2) by Stacey McEwan
Crown of Blood and Ruin (The Broken Kingdoms #3) by L.J. Andrews
Out of the Woods (The Mountains Are Calling #3) by Madison Wright
The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee
Strange Familiars (The Seamere College Duology #1) by Keshe Chow
[Reread] A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas
The Scattered Bones by Nicole Scarano
[Graphic Novel] Dungeon Crawler Carl Vol. 1 by Matt Dinniman
Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances
Home Safe by Tracy Baack
Songs of the Dead (The Strata Wars #1) by Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian
[Graphic Novel] To Dance the Moon and Stars by Tasia M.S. and Barbara Perez Marquez
Eliza and the Duke (The Doves of New York #2) by Harper St. George
[ARC] A Lass Beloved (The Earls of Cairnfell #2) by Nichole Van
[ARC/ALC] Armor for Liars by S.E. Grove
All Hail Chaos (Time of Iron #2) by Sarah Reese Brennan
Ice Shy (Ottawa Otters Legends #1) by K.M. Gillis
[Reread] A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas4
[ARC] To Dance with Death (The Edge of Glass #2) by Brittney Arena
[ARC/ALC] Fire to the Stars by Morgan J. Watchorn
The Name Game by Beth O’Leary
In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto
North Country by K.A. Tucker
[ARC/ALC] The Fast Track by Angelica Cheng
Echoes of Emerald Isle (McLaughlins #1) by Ashley Weston
[ARC/ALC] Lost and Found (Spunes, OR #3) by Tarah DeWitt
The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4) by Matt Dinniman
Here for the Cake Serendipity & Shenanigans #1) by Jennifer Millikin
Not That Kind of Proposal by Victoria Lavine
Light Wielder (Fire & Metal #2) by Rachel Schneider
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum

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Book Review: Fever Dream (Emerald Lake #1) by Elsie Silver

July 21, 2026 GoodeyReads1 Comment

Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Cowboy Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Elsie Silver
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: May 19th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Elsie Silver comes a small-town, forbidden, rivals-to-lovers romance, the first book in the brand-new Western romance series Emerald Lake.

Professional bull rider Emmett Bush is not looking for love. He’s looking for a paycheck to save his family’s farm from bankruptcy. So, when he agrees to be the leading man on a hot new reality dating show, Romance Ranch, he’s already decided it’s all one big performance.

Until Julia Silva walks onto his property. Smart, snarky, beautiful, and off-limits in more ways than one. As the location consultant on set and the little sister of his most bitter professional rival, she’s the last woman who should pique his interest.

Julia has been warned about Emmett. She knows better than to fall for his cocky swagger, broad shoulders, and smoldering good looks. Plus, she’s sworn off relationships.

But as Julia and Emmett work together, mutual distaste grows into an unexpected connection and then… something more.

Soon, they find themselves searching for excuses to spend time together and out of reach of the cameras. Knowing glances. Stolen kisses. Secret rendezvous.

Still, Emmett signed up to play the role of an eligible bachelor searching for the one. His family’s land and legacy depend on him completing the show.

The problem is, he’s already fallen in love.

Just not with a contestant.

WELL HERE WE GO.

Alright, it might surprise many of y’all that I’ve only read one Elsie Silver book. But I ended up listening to my sister when she said to go read it and it’s DUET NARRATION so like, of course I had to??? And yes, I do plan on continuing!! I just really love a cowboy romance y’all.

My nitpicky thing is that I don’t love bachelor-esque plots. I kept getting frustrated over the TV drama and the awful people and wanted to keep going back to Julia and Emmett.

And wow did I love Julia and Emmett. I’ve read multiple books recently where the guy is tearful about something and these emotions are everything??? ILOVEITSO. Emmett is incredibly stoic until he isn’t and I’m here for his head over heels fall for Julia. The forbidden vibes did work for me at least. These two were hella magnetic.

Minus the TV show the setting was stellar. Give me all of the ranch settings with amazing side characters who are a cheering section for the leads. This a small town I can’t wait to see more of and the future pairs too!!

Overall audience notes:

Cowboy romance
Language: strong
Romance: 4ish open door
Violence: mildish
Content warnings; mentions of attempted SA through drugging of a drink, attempted blackmail, illegal surveillance

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ARC/ALC Book Review: All’s Fae in Love and War by Lee Nichols

May 26, 2026May 24, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 371 pages
Author: Lee Nichols
Publisher: Second Sky
Release Date: May 28th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Pandora Voss has one last summer to unlock her powers—or lose all memory of magic forever.

No pressure.

Pandora returns to her enchanted hometown in Maine to nurture the magic she knows must be inside her. Time is running out, and the last thing she needs is a distraction…

Which makes the return of her high-school heartbreak, Leo Carter, deeply inconvenient.

The handsome antiquarian bookseller has come back to the island in search of a rare book. Leo still has that warm, devastating smile that sets pulses racing wherever he goes… Not that Pandora has noticed because she is absolutely, completely over him.

But when an unexpected encounter at Leo’s family boathouse ends in a wildly sexy kiss, Pandora’s plans are blown apart. Andwhen she’s “volunteered” to work with him at the library the next day, the tension between them unleashes a spell that goes spectacularly wrong.

As enchantments wreak havoc across the island, Pandora and Leo team up to save the town. Racing to contain fairytale creatures and dodging unresolved feelings, Pandora must decide what’s more untamed magic… or falling for Leo all over again.

With magical mayhem, spicy romance, and laugh-out-loud humor, All’s Fae in Love and War is the first book in a trilogy that’s perfect for fans of fantasy rom-coms like The Ex Hex and Rewitched.

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy.

DID NOT WORK.

On soooo many levels. And honestly I am convinced these two don’t even make it past the last page. That’s how this romance felt.

🎧: One of the few positives was that the audiobook was good and easy to listen to. There’s two narrators for the two POV’s and they do a good job.

I didn’t love that it was written from the perspective of a diary for only Pen’s POV? It came across as breaking the fourth wall rather than an epistolary style story. The romance was just Pen and Carter finding and making up over and over again. And over the same thing. The spice between them was cringey and just didn’t fit the tone of the novel.

There were some things that felt whimsical? Though none of the humor felt humorous. Overall the book felt stale and lackluster. I won’t be continuing the series.

Overall audience notes: