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.
Praise:
"[A] whirlwind romance based on understanding and empathy. This fast-paced read by Pacton and Podos, told via the teens’ alternating perspectives, perceptively balances grief and levity in the form of an easy-to-root-for romance."
—Publishers Weekly
"Complete with street racing and a car heist, it is a worthy homage to Letty Ortiz—the girls’ mutual crush. [...] Teens who like fast cars and simmering romance will appreciate this perfect beach read or road trip sidekick."
—Booklist
"The authenticity of the characters’ emotions and the sweetness of their romance will surely capture many hearts [...] A high-speed queer romance."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Furious is a beautiful sapphic love letter to wild girls who yearn for what they've lost, only to discover the missing pieces in each other."
—Roselle Lim, author of Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune and Night for Day
"When it's not snort-out-loud funny, it's I'm-not-crying-you're-crying poignant, and El and Jojo are both fully realized characters from the beginning—complex, and completely loveable. And the kissing scenes . . . look, just read it. Thank me later."
—Maxine Kaplan, author of The Accidental Bad Girl and Wench