Throttled (Deluxe Edition) (Dirty Air, 1) Paperback – May 7, 2024

Thank you, Lauren, for bringing back my love for F1!Maya’s brother Santiago is signed to the Bandini F1 team, and she joins him during the season. Her brother and Noah Slade, his new teammate, are not friendly, but she wasn’t expecting his air of superiority. But she doesn’t back down. Ever.Their banter is fun. She’s aware he’s wrong for her, but she can’t stop herself from staring. He knows he shouldn’t want her, but he can’t help himself.This is what Lauren excels at—developing feelings. They both know they’ll be in a world of trouble if her brother—or anyone—finds out, but it doesn’t matter. They still wonder what if. And when Maya becomes an F1 vlogger and starts being around a lot more, avoiding each other becomes impossible.I loved seeing who Noah is outside his F1 persona and how gone he is for her. He falls first, even if he would probably deny that because he’s fine with taking risks while driving but not where it matters. Yet he takes the leap anyway. And there’s one specific thing he does for her that melted my heart.When it finally happened, I was squealing! It’s every bit as hot as I imagined. The two of them together are incredible. That couch scene...There's no third-act breakup and I loved the secondary characters. The two McCoy boys, who have their own books, and Santi—I already know I’m going to love his. I loved seeing their friendship develop, leaving the rivalry on the track. And I loved how Noah finds a family. Not all family is blood, trust me.The guy who didn't believe in love falls for the girl who showed him what unconditional love is. It may sound simple, but the best things often do.

"Hi, this is Maya. Do you copy?""Hi, this is Noah. I copy."I've read this series earlier in the year and I still find myself thinking about these books months later, specifically Wrecked and Redeemed. However, Throttled provided a wonderful introduction to the Dirty Air Series and I enjoyed it.Son of a prominent racing legend, Noah Slade is an unstoppable force on the race circuit. Santiago Alatorre's little sister, Maya, is following him around the world as he starts his F1 journey racing for Bandini as Noah's new teammate and rival. Despite being off-limits, Maya knew there was an instant attraction between the two as their forbidden romance unfolds.I enjoyed the slow build-up between Noah and Maya, and watching their chemistry progressed in different stages. Both of them knew they were clearly attracted to one another, but didn't want to cross that line. The tension in this story is sky high and I was dying from it till the first kiss happened.Noah's character progression was so good. He gradually went from F1's bad boy to a softie over Maya! Is this the same man that went to therapy to better himself and sort out all his personal feelings for her? Yes! Maya's love for her family is the one thing that has been missing from his life, and it makes him want a life he never even considered. After learning about his relationship with his parents, I felt so bad for him and understood outlook on life. I found Maya to be super relatable and easy to identify with. She's determined to find her purpose while travelling with Santi, and it turns out to be vlogging and going behind the scenes of F1. She's sweet, feisty, and wouldn't settle for less.I did cringe at a few scenes here and there, but I'll give it a pass since it was Lauren's debut novel. I loved seeing the McCoy boys, Jax and Liam, and Sophie. I have no complaints with all the characters, bringing the story (and the rest of the series) to life. I also liked how she explained every aspect of F1 so that readers who aren't familiar with it could get the full picture.

Love the idea behind this story and the characters, though would have loved to see some of the side characters more involved throughout the whole plot rather than just a couple scenes. I think the writing style just isn’t for me- there were a few points where we were told about something that happened, rather than actually having the thing happen (if that makes sense) and it was a bit more of a slow burn than I typically enjoy. I did also expect the “vlogging” aspect to have more involvement in the story ie. fans of her vlogs coming up to her, people suspecting something between them, etc. but that just didn’t happen, which is fine, just something to note. The conflict also felt a bit rushed- all this build up to it, only for it to be pretty much resolved within the same scene. Overall, I wouldn’t say don’t read it, I just probably wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it to a friend either.