Do you love cars, motorcycles, the Fast and Furious movies, or sapphic YA stories? If so, I have the book for you! Welcome to my stop on TBR & Beyond Tours’ bookstagram and blog tour for Furious by Jamie Pacton and Becca Podos, which came out earlier this week. Today I’ll be sharing my review of the book, but check out the tour schedule here for more Furious content from other hosts!
About Furious
Authors: Jamie Pacton and Becca Podos
Publisher: Page Street YA
Release Date: June 11, 2024
Page Length: 304 Pages
Genres: Young Adult Contemporary, LGBTQ+ Stories
Purchase Links: Bookshop.org, Libro.FM, Amazon, Goodreads, Storygraph, Barnes & Noble
Synopsis of Furious
After years racing go-karts and looking up to her mother, a celebrity Formula 1 racer, Jojo Emerson-Boyd should be starting her own racing career. But when she loses her mom in a tragic crash, Jojo’s future comes to a screeching halt. Now her dad won’t let her get a license, much less race. Instead, she’s stuck working at her grandmother’s mechanic shop in the sleepy small town of Dell’s Hollow.
But Jojo’s heart quickens when Motorcyle Girl Eliana “El” Blum shows up at the shop. El grew up on the motocross circuit sidelines, watching her sister and idol Maxine compete. When El mysteriously loses all contact with Max, she’s determined to find her, with her first clue leading straight to the mechanic shop, and to Jojo.
United by fate, the two quickly bond over Mario Kart showdowns and the Fast & Furious films. As their friendship shifts into something more, they’ll have to confront both their growing romance and the grief woven into their complicated families if they hope to chase down their dreams and make it across the finish line.
Content Warning: death of a parent, grief, trauma
My Review of Furious
Furious was the perfect summer read for me- it’s quickly paced, has a dual-perspective narrative with two interesting protagonists, and has an original premise that excited me! I loved both Jojo and El’s emotional journeys, as they dealt with grief and family strife to come into their own strength. For me, the sapphic romance in this story made it an obvious pick for my reading list, but the emotional arcs of the characters made this a five star read!
I have loved every single book Jamie Pacton has written- she does an incredible job writing strong protagonists in interesting situations, so when I saw she was one of the authors of Furious, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy! This was my first read from Furious‘s co-author, Becca Podos, but with how much I enjoyed this book I know that I will be following her work in the future!
My Recommendation:
If you love heartfelt yet exciting young adult novels, you need to grab a copy of Furious! This book was a solid five-star read for me, and was such a wonderful addition to my pride month reading list!
About the Authors
About Jamie Pacton:
Jamie Pacton is a bestselling, award-winning Young Adult and Middle Grade author who lives in Wisconsin with her family. Her YA contemporary books include Furious, Lucky Girl and The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly. Her YA fantasy novels include, The Absinthe Underground and The Vermilion Emporium. Her adult fantasy romance debut, Homegrown Magic, is forthcoming from Del Rey in 2025.
About Becca Podos:
Becca Podos’ debut novel, The Mystery of Hollow Places (Balzer + Bray), was a Junior Library Guild Selection and a B&N Best YA Book of 2016. Her second book, Like Water (Balzer + Bray), won the 2018 Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Children’s and Young Adult. From Dust, a Flame (Balzer + Bray) was her latest release. Her next novel, FURIOUS, a contemporary YA romance co-written with Jamie Pacton, will be published by Page Street YA in June of 2024; their adult fantasy debut, HOMEGROWN MAGIC, will be published by Del Rey in 2025. Rebecca is an agent at the Rees Literary Agency in Boston by day.
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