THE FAST TRACK

Racecars and racing hearts collide in Cheng’s debut.

Asian American F3 driver Justine Kwong has a tough road ahead of her if she wants to be the first-ever female F1 champion. She possesses the drive, skills, and overbearing momager (who helps maintain her girlboss social media image) to make it happen, but it’s the patriarchy of it all—the pressure of feeling like a diversity hire—that’s her greatest obstacle to achieving her dreams and feeling respected in the formula racing world. When Dietrich Lange, a German who’s the youngest-ever F1 champion, is assigned to mentor her, Justine, who’s based in the U.K., is determined to prove that she’s destined for the big leagues. Readers will feel secondhand embarrassment as Justine fumbles in her attempts to fit in with her male peers and fails to impress Dietrich with her risky strategies on the track. They’ll also admire her tenacity and resilience when the odds are unfairly stacked against her. Justine’s budding romance with Cameron Evans, her dashing and incorrigible British teammate, further complicates her already challenging journey to formula racing stardom. Though somewhat saccharine, their cutesy teenage bantering and vulnerability with one another make the pair’s casual traipsing around the world for racing more believable—off the track, they’re just two young people exploring life and love. Overall, however, the romance feels secondary to the interesting exploration of gender in the racing world.

An energetic and lighthearted romp.