Author: Devyn Sinclair

First Published: 28 March 2025

“Don’t need luck when you have skill.”   

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. Thank you so much to Devyn for sending a copy my way!

Being the first female Formula 1 driver in the sport’s history is like being struck by lightning. Powerful, electrifying, and dangerous. Don’t get me wrong, it’s incredible. Plenty of racing fans are celebrating. Plenty more are enraged, hoping I either quit or crash.

They can hope all they want. I’ll never quit.

But there’s more than Formula 1 fans to worry about. Like shaking hands with my Team Principal for the first time and his scent turning my entire world upside down. Like the rest of his pack—including the current Formula 1 champion—matching with me too. One breath, and we belong to each other, body and soul.

In their arms I’m more than just a racer. I’m an Omega. I’m safe with them. For the first time, I can be what my designation craves instead of what my sport demands. Soft, spoiled, pleasured, and loved. Their fierce desire to win is only matched by one thing—their passion for me.

But the rookie Omega in a pack with her boss, the champion, and her crew is a PR disaster of global proportions, and I won’t be the only one with a target on my back. If the five us want to make it through the racing season? No one can ever know.

I devoured Just Drive. The minute this book hit my Kindle, I dropped everything to read it. I loved everything about this. The romance is amazing. Vanessa is a related character. We have so much F1, which is what I want from a sports romance. And we have the bonus of this being an omegaverse, which is a sub-genre I cannot get enough of.

Vanessa Lennon created history; she’s F1’s inaugural female driver and only its third omega. She signed with Paragon Racing, and they kept the contract secret to avoid a media frenzy. To maintain secrecy, they held all contract negotiations virtually. The Paragon team announces their drivers for the season only days before preseason starts. To no surprise, it causes a stir in equal parts excitement and outrage. Some of Paragon’s sponsors drop, staff quit and Vanessa’s teammate Lars Bachman is furious. During the press conference, Vanessa meets Paragon’s Team Principal, Grayson De Clare, and instantly recognises that they are scent-matched. The rest of the De Clare pack includes Paragon race engineer Beck Huxley, Paragon mechanic, Elias Coleville and the Grand Prix’s reigning champion and Xelerate driver, River Daniels. Talk about timing. Vanessa and the De Clare pack decided to keep their relationship under wraps at the start of the season to give Vanessa a chance to show off her racing skills without people assuming she only got the job because of who she’s mated to. And queue the chaos of dealing with a new relationship in the fast-paced world of F1.

Vanessa has been fighting for her space in the racing world since she started racing go-karts. She possesses serious skills, but others have never given her the same opportunities because of her gender. Vanessa’s tough demeanour is shaped by the misogynistic hate comments thrown at her and the dismissal of her abilities. She is hyper-independent and finds it difficult to let people in and show her emotions. Because of her career and the media attention it attracts, Vanessa has developed this protective armour. I adore watching her find a safe place with the De Clare pack to let down her walls and embrace her softer omega side.

Thankfully, Vanessa has good people in her corner, including her grandfather, Vance Lennon, a racing legend. I adore the relationship between the pair. Vance is a take-no-shit old man and is not afraid to call Vanessa out on her bullshit. Trigger warning for health issues – Vance is currently battling cancer. Several moments in this left me sobbing. The way this handle was beautiful, raw and realistic hit me with all the feels.

I adore the De Clare pack. Greyson is the head of the pack. He is reserved and exudes leadership. Honestly, thank god for him and all his planning; otherwise, things could have got even more complicated. Greyson will move heaven and earth to ensure his pack has everything they need. Elias is our sweet beta. He is the second son of a lord who disowned him due to his chosen career. I adored the moment Vanessa called his parents out on their bullshit and gave him the strength to get rid of their toxicity. Beck is the quiet, dominant one. He is the one who seems the most in tune with Vanessa. He gives her a safe outlet to let go of everyone’s expectations and just be herself. And then we have River, who’s our cocky, golden retriever with a heart of gold. The fact that he had the biggest crush on Vanessa before they met was so cute. And the tattoo he gets for her? Stop, that was possibly the hottest thing I’ve read.

You know me; I love a why choose moment and Devyn always does a fantastic why choose. We get little moments where Vanessa develops her relationship with each guy. The date with Elias was so cute. Also, I love how River and Vanessa learnt how not to let their frustrations on the track impact their relationship. There is some tension as the guys try to give Vanessa the space to fight her own battles, even if it goes against their instincts. They communicate and ensure everyone’s getting what they need from their relationship, which we love to see. The heat scene here is fantastic. The steam is hot. We have some fun kinks in here like somo. We also have piercings and hand necklaces. The balance between steam and non-sexual intimacy was perfect.

Though I’m not an F1 fan, the story’s F1 backdrop was fantastic. And don’t worry if you like me and know nothing about the sport because Devyn does a fantastic job of seamlessly explaining it. I love the amount of F1 we get since Vanessa and River are F1 drivers and the rest of the pack work on a racing team. So, we get an added insight into the prep for a race and how the cars operate. On top of this, each chapter starts with an article, TV commentary and/or social media posts, which add to the world of F1 and are a fun touch.

Safe to say, I loved every second of Just Drive. I completely adore these characters and honestly could have read 400 more pages of them. I cannot get enough of Devyn Sinclair’s Omegaverse and will continue to read anything and everything she writes. If you love omegaverse, you need to pick this up. Or if you are a fan of F1 and are curious to try an omegaverse for the first time, you should also pick this up.