‘Some kisses stoke a passion. Some kisses heal the soul. Kissing Chloe is a combination of two—the sweetest medicine that leads to a lifelong addiction.’
‘It hits me that playing guitar isn’t the only music that feeds my soul anymore. Chloe’s laughs are the sweetest melody, a harmony of sounds that can’t be recreated by any strings or notes. They fill me with a warmth, banishing the darkness that grew and festered over the years after my accident.’
‘I’ve lived the past three years in a world of black and white. Depression and isolation ate away at the man I was, creating someone I don’t recognize. So, yes, I want to experience the world through Chloe’s eyes because it’s like seeing color for the first time. It’s breathtaking and spectacular, fundamentally shifting life as I know it.’
‘“Fear motivates me. It reminds me how the best things in life will always make us afraid, but that shouldn’t stop us from pursuing them anyway. I spent three years of my life allowing fear to guide my decisions and look where that got me. I’d rather be afraid and drive anyway than be afraid and watch life pass me by. Because in the end, nothing is more fearful than realizing life goes on, with or without you.”’
‘“I won more than a Championship. I won a woman who makes me appreciate every day how lucky I am to have survived that crash in the first place. Because I couldn’t imagine never meeting the one person who completes me. I never believed in soulmates before you, but I’ll be damned if you didn’t make me a dreamer with your wishes and wildflowers and smile that could make any bad day instantly better.”’
— Story Synopsis —
Santiago Alatorre
One mistake destroys my career.
I go from most eligible bachelor to monster, hiding from the world.
At least until Chloe breaks into my home.
My new fake girlfriend is a temporary fix to my biggest problem.
But as our game changes, so do my feelings.
There’s only one issue stopping me from claiming her.
Me.
Chloe Carter
It all started with a birthday wish, some vodka, and an ancestry kit.
That’s how I end up in Italy, finding my long-lost father.
But one decision lands me a fake boyfriend I don’t want.
The more we pretend, the easier our ruse becomes.
I told myself not to fall in love with a liar like Santiago.
I should have listened.
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
— My Thoughts —
I’m so not ready to let go of this series 💔🥲 This series has easily become my favourite. My interest and love for F1 grew after reading all four books from this series and I’m not ready to move on 😭 It sounds silly but it feels as if I now know the characters personally as I read book after book.
Santiago’s accident broke my heart and it was great to see him loving and accepting himself for who he is again, pursuing his love for racing. As a reader, I felt like I understood his emotions and struggles well.
Chloe was also such a lovable character!! The banter between the both of them was 10/10 😂 The part where she kicked Santiago’s leg got me laughing because I wasn’t expecting it. The things she says got me cracking up, especially when she met Noah and Maya for the first time and had to pretend to be Santiago’s girlfriend.
Lauren is a queen for writing this series and I am so thankful I decided to read all four books. Her writing style is amazing and every time the characters are racing, it felt as if I was there with them.
Now, excuse me while I struggle with a book hangover 🥲
— Book Analysis —
Characters Analysis
- Chloe (Main Female Character)
In the beginning, we see that Chloe was having a rough relationship with her mother. Her mother was a drug addict and constantly took money from Chloe to get her relief. Chloe grew up not knowing who her father was and was determined to find out his identity. Hence, Chloe never understood the concept of love.
When she met Santiago, she was never once looking down on him just because of his differences. She always treated him like a normal person and was optimistic about everything. Their relationship took the next step and through him, she learnt about love.
One of her motivations in the story was to learn and reconnect with her father. When she found out that her father had already passed on, she was devastated as she never got to know what he was like. It was through wanting to reconnect with her father that led her to cross paths with Santiago.
Another of her motivations could be to earn love. One of the plot points of the story included Santiago and Chloe inviting her supposed father, Matteo over for dinner. Matteo asked his son Giovanni to tag along and it turns out that Giovanni is a huge fan of Santiago. They were constantly talking to Santiago and leaving Chloe out. During dinner, Chloe thought, “Matteo and Giovanni seem to forget I sit beside their favorite racer. Santiago attempts over and over to include me, answering in a way that should bring their attention back to me. Nothing works. I hate the look of concern Santiago sends my way. It’s one I’ve spent my entire life seeing on everyone else’s faces. He might as well call me out on being the poor foster kid who found her family, only to realize they’re not interested in me at all”.
This proves and supports the fact that Chloe feels the need to be accepted by someone after so many years of neglect. She wanted to feel what it is like to be loved by others and hated that she was always being pushed aside.
From the start to the end, she grew from someone who was trying to seek out and live to love, to becoming someone who truly learnt to love and was loved by those who mattered. She thought to herself, “I’ve been living scared, which isn’t really living at all. I’m done experiencing life on pause anymore. I want to challenge myself to be better. To be someone I’m proud of, whether it’s pursuing a degree or traveling around the world. All I know is it’s about damn time I focused on the people who matter, rather than the ones who don’t”.
- Santiago (Male Main Character)
The story starts off by showing Santiago getting into an accident, causing him to lose a leg. He can’t continue racing anymore and he fell into a depressive state. He hated the fact that news outlets kept covering his accident. He isolated himself away from everyone and was not as open to his sister Maya and Noah despite them constantly trying to get him to open up again. At the beginning part of the story, Santiago mentioned, “Wishing for the impossible is stupid. Chloe would kill me for saying it, but it doesn’t make my words any less true. Wishes lead to disappointment, and disappointment leads to depression, and I’m done battling that darkness. It’s exhausting fighting an invisible war inside of my head”. Santiago was a pessimist, constantly viewing himself as someone lesser because of his leg and being unable to pursue his passion anymore. He wasn’t able to see the silver linings or to seek out other options that were favourable to him.
One of Santiago’s thoughts, when he spent time with Choe, was, “Her mood is infectious. I absorb it, allowing her positive energy to pulse through me. I’m growing to enjoy Chloe’s presence as we spend more time together. And honestly, part of me wonders what more I can do to have her stay a bit longer around me”. When Santiago met Chloe, he didn’t understand how she viewed the world so positively. She was also treating him like a normal person, unlike others who were obviously treating him different because of his leg injury and status.
One of Santiago’s motivations in the story was to get back on the grid. With his passion for racing, he realised he never wanted to stop racing. Noah was constantly trying to get him back to racing, in hopes that
Throughout the story, he grew from someone who was closed off to becoming someone who lives to seek positivity and to continue pursuing what he wants to do in life. At the mid-point of the story, he thinks, “There’s a power about being behind the wheel. A mix of adrenaline and a God complex, intertwined to create athletes who test their limits each and every day. I want to be that guy again. I want to be that guy so damn badly, I’m willing to work through the bad memories and stress to get there. Because in the end, broken champions don’t make history”. At the end of the story, he says, “Winning isn’t about a Championship title anymore. It’s about making me proud, no matter the outcome. Other people’s praise is only an added bonus now. Because in the end, I spent way too many lost years focusing on the opinions of people who didn’t matter”.
His mindset has changed and he started to understand the concept of self-love. He was starting to take the steps toward pursuing his dreams again and wasn’t hiding like he used to.
Key Themes
- Taking The First Step Is One Step Closer To Achieving Your Goal
This theme was portrayed through Santiago’s character. Due to his accident, he lost his leg and wasn’t able to race anymore. He fell into a depressive episode and isolated himself from others. From someone who was competitive, he became a pessimist. When he met Chloe and their relationship progressed, Chloe encouraged him to continue racing with the help of Noah who was helping to create a car that would suit him well. He mentioned, “I don’t need my leg to race. All I needed was a dream, the courage, and a badass girlfriend who called me out on my shit time and time again. I needed someone to teach me how to accept that I wasn’t broken but lost. Life isn’t about chasing the rush anymore. It’s about wanting to slow time down and enjoy every single second because I don’t want to miss a thing“.
This shows that he was finally accepting himself for who he was. He didn’t feel lesser of himself simply because he lost his leg. Despite being different from other drivers, the most important thing was that he was determined to still pursue his dreams.
- Exploration of Love
The way this book portrayed this theme was through Chloe. For someone who grew up with an abusive mother and without knowing who her father was, she wouldn’t know what it would be like to love or be loved. When she got into a relationship with Santiago and he said, “I love you, Chloe. And it’s okay if you don’t know what it means to be loved by someone, let alone love someone else because I promise to love you enough for the two of us. To love you every day to make up for everyone else who failed miserably”.
Later part in the story, we see that Chloe says to Santiago, “I love you. I’m so in love with you. The kind of love that does leave me desperate in a way that makes me think I’m going crazy”.
These two examples show the growth in Chloe when she starts to understand the concept of love. She wasn’t questioning her feelings anymore and wasn’t wary about them either. It shows the progress she had after being shown by Santiago how it feels like to be loved.
- Accepting Your Imperfections
This theme was portrayed through Santiago’s character once again. He mentioned, “My eyes drop to my prosthetic leg, and a rush of emotion hits me. But it’s not the usual negative thoughts. I’m not concerned with how Chloe views me because of my leg. I’m not worried about showing this part of myself and bracing for disgust. I’m not worried. Period. End of story. But rather, I’m proud. The idea hits me out of nowhere, and I stumble. Proud? I straighten my spine. Yes, proud. This is me, and this is the person Chloe has always accepted”. This shows the difference in his mindset. In the beginning, he was this man who was hiding from others and was constantly depressed as he couldn’t race like how he did in the past. When he got to know Chloe and fell in love with her, he saw how optimistic she was and how she never once looked down on him because of his leg. He tried viewing himself and the world from her perspective and learned to love himself the way he is.
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