thank you so much to netgalley and whimsical publishing for this arc!

this book was so fun and well-written! If you enjoy sci-fi competition type books, then you should give this one a try. added bonus, there’s a romance subplot!

this story follows Ezren, a passionate and determined terraforming intern on the planet Belethea, and Foster an ex-prodigy athlete in the Belethea Race Royale circuit. fate and flightiness brings them together to compete in the BRR tryouts as a duo. this story follows them as they train and compete, all while trying to figure out their feelings for one another. not to mention something sinister is lurking in the background.

I truly enjoyed this. though it took me a little longer to get through, I was interested from start to finish. the world building wasn’t as smooth as I typically prefer but I was able to understand the intricacies of the world not too long after starting. this had the perfect balance of adventure, self growth, and romance.

I would’ve loved to see more of the training interactions, especially between Foster and Ezren. while we get to see their wonderful dynamic at play in the actual races, we don’t get much in terms of build up.

if you enjoy YA competition-based novels with a touch of romance, pick this one up!

This was the kind of high stakes space adventure (with romance) that I needed in my life. Ezren is cute, clever and a little chaotic. She’s determined to help her home and her family survive in a dicey space world, where the land outside is dangerous and terraforming necessary to improve conditions for the people living there. I was cheering for her all the way and loved watching her bring something to the game that nobody else did. She’s a tough little cookie and a total asset to the team.

It’s not smooth sailing, with such a dangerous race to prepare for, it’s no surprise that there are problems along the way - especially with competing teams looking to sabotage each other. I was kept on my toes with this one and the romance added an extra hook to the story which I loved to see unfold. All in all a great read!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

A compelling science fiction tale featuring high-stakes races, a budding romance, and a vividly depicted cosmic setting. The story, with elements reminiscent of popular franchises, offers an exhilarating atmosphere and conveys a potent message about resilience. The romance between the main characters, Ezren and Foster, is tender and captivating. The book is an excellent introduction to the genre for young adults, without compromising on quality.

This was such a great sci-fi romance. I do not read a lot of sci-fi. But I really liked this one. The romance and banter was so good!

Into The Churn is a really great sci-fi book. I initially became interested in it for the beautiful cover artwork but I found myself pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed Hayley's writing. There wasn't a moment I wasn't hooked to this book whilst reading it, every page brings new revelations and I fell head over heels for the characters she created.

The action is exciting and I was so nervous reading this book until the end, desperate for Ezren and Foster to be safe.

I actually loved this book so much I now own a physical copy and have preordered Into the Fire. Definitely cannot recommend this book more if you are looking for something refreshing.

i'm very torn about this book. i liked the fast pacing of the romance plot-line, i loved the characters, the world-building was decent, but part of it was the slang the characters used which i personally grew a little tired of as it continuously interrupted my reading flow. i struggled not to dnf it.
i think someone else will love this book exactly as it is, and it simply wasn't for me at this point in time.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my review.

I’m not used to reading sci-fi but I love fantasy/paranormal romance books, so going into this I was expecting to struggle, but I was extremely pleasantly surprised. The world building was drip-fed perfectly to follow the story where necessary and to grasp the technology norms, and the jargon was easy to pick up and understand.

The characters were brilliant, I loved every one of them. Ezren’s relationship with her mother and little brother was so satisfying and wholesome (rooting for Sam all the way!), and her friendship with Micah was rich and fulfilling. Foster was such a fun character to read, and I loved his dry humour and how protective he was.

The romance between Foster and Ezren progresses really smoothly, and I love all the sweet moments of awkwardness between them.

The writing was clear and enticing from the start, and the execution of the premise was thrilling. The pacing was super well done, nothing felt rushed and nothing dragged.

As an added bonus, the cover art is stunning!

If you’re unfamiliar with sci-fi like me, I think Into The Churn is a great stepping stone from fantasy/paranormal romance genres. Would definitely recommend!

<b> Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ☺️ </b>

First of all I love love lovee the cover! It’s so pretty and I totally judged this one by its cover … definitely lives up to the hype <3

This world is amazing! There’s obviously a lot of thought and care that went into crafting this world and I love it sm! Tbh, I had a hard time getting into it at first just because there was so much information about the world being thrown at me all at once but after a few chapters, I started to really get into it.

The plot was interesting and the action kept coming which was awesome. Ezren and Foster were so cute together and the chemistry was so sweet <3 I recommend this book if you’re into elaborate and expansive worlds and a cute, fluffy romance 💙

In short, this was awesome. A super fun ride like the Illuminae Files, Death Race, and the Hunger Games had a book baby. And that’s just the fun action side.

For the romance, boy falls first and hard, and his pov when he’s stressing about his feelings was so cute.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC, Into The Churn was a cute and funny reading, I really enjoyed the race the characthers are training for and how the final chapters settle the whole story.
Talking about Ezren and Foster, they were really cute together, I liked the way she's so passionate about her dreams and he puts his life back together after they meet. My only little complain is that their relationship was a bit rushed, but in the end they really seem to complete each other and they are a great example of a healthy relationship.
My favourite parts were about the race, it was an original concept and well executed, especially for the setting.

Into the Churn was a fun and fast paced read with a sweet romance added into it. I found both Ezren and Foster to be likable characters who were easy to root for. I enjoyed the deadly race aspect of the book and the preparation leading up to the races were written well too. I’m a sucker for a good underdog story and this delivered with the ragtag team we follow in this book. I had a good time reading this, but I never fully connected to the characters so I’m not sure how memorable this will be for me in the future. I’d recommend trying it out though, cause there’s still a lot to love overall.

This was a great start to a fun new YA space opera. It was a face-paced read with action, adventure and interesting characters. I think the romance was a bit fast for my liking a this seems to be the start of a series and so I would've liked it to be dragged out a bit.
Overall, a light read with some depth and I'm looking forward to the next book.

I received an eARC copy of this book from NetGalley.

“Into the Churn” by Hayley Reese Chow
3.75 ⭐ (rounded to 4 due to ranking system)
-Sci-Fi
-YA Romance
-Underdogs
-High intensity

-Duel POV
If you are looking for a story that will give you a wonderful blend of The Amazing Race and The Hunger Games but taking place in an extremely thought out detailed sci-fi setting, then “Into the Churn” is for you!

Ezren is our FMC who just wants to stay on her planet of Belethea interning at her mother’s lab and finding a way to help Belethea flourish. She has no interest in this systems’ high stake race royale. That is, until she is forced to enter to save everything she cares about.
Foster is our MMC who is in a royaler who has had a tragedy lead him to losing all passion he had with the races. That is, until Ezren storms into his life and reminds him.

This story was such a fun time. Chow keeps you on your toes with the action of the races and the mystery that is unfolding around Ezren and Foster. Ezren and Foster have fabulous chemistry and it’s no surprise that they end up together. Plus, can I just say THANK YOU to Chow for making a couple that TALKS to one another. There is no miscommunication trope here folks!

The world Chow created is impressive and vast and I can tell she has poured herself into creating this high intensity sci-fi setting. My main nitpick is that at times, I got bogged down with odd lingo, tech, and just other setting terms that at times left me feeling unmotivated to continue. Especially in the beginning. At times I felt just withdrawn from the story due to my confusion which is a bummer because I can feel Chow’s passion for the world. I may find I enjoy it more during a future reread since I’ll have some familiarity with what confused me. #IntotheChurn #NetGalley

I will be cross posting on Goodreads (3/28)

A sci-fi full of action, Into the Churn is a fast paced and exciting read. I wasn't totally sold on the romance, but to be honest there were so many other things going on that it didn't bother me as much as it usually would have. One for lovers of action on other planets!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Into The Churn by Hayley Reese Chow
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: 4 April 2024

I’m just going to start off this review by clearly stating that I am in fact not a sci-fi girl at all. Nope, not one bit, but boy was Into The Churn packed full of edge-of-your-seat suspense and pure unadulterated underdog action.

17-year-old Ezren has a lot of her shoulders. Not only has she been told that she’s lost her internship at the terraforming lab she’s been working at, but she’s also found out that the place she calls home is under threat of being shut down. Also, her brother, Sam, who was injured in a horrific accident when he was younger also requires major surgery, but now that she is out of a job and her mother possibly out of her job too, it’s yet another problem she has to solve.

This was an action packed read. I enjoyed watching the slow burn between the main characters Ezren and Foster, as well as the additional banter from the secondary characters. I only wish there had been more written about the actual BRR, the days just seemed to fly past too quickly.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Whimsical Publishing for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thankxx for the arc !!

This is probably my first time reading high (?) sci-fi and I absolutely love this. And greater than that I LOVE Ezren and Foster's chemistry !! the book is based on the sports which has race across a planet with pretty PRETTY bad weather.

--> They became lovers too soon really.. I would really have loved a slow burn SO MUCH
--> The ending was rushed, its just my opinion but i think this one book could've been longer, even how they found out abt the fraud it was too rushed. Like trust me the starting and middle was reallyy great

AND OMG I heard its a series sooo what is book 2 going to be abt !?!!

My emotions are all over the place and I'm still trying hard to recover from it.
So, a science fiction. After the loooongeesttt time ever! While I dove in expecting outer space, crazy universe shit, I never thought it'd be THIS CRAZY. This book is very well written and has great character development, abeautifully crafted plot, unique setting and a nicely established pace. The romance was so authentic and not at all over the top which makes you actually be in the story and not be bombarded with the lovey-dovey.
However, I would've loved to see more of Ezren's lab rat side to make the beginning stronger and a peek into Ezren and Foster's uni life.
But
Did I love it? HELL YES!
Will I read more such stuff? DUHHHH
Am I madly in love with Sterling/Hart? ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY!!!!

Into the Churn by Haley Reese Chow
Ezren Hart wants nothing to do with Belethea’s Race Royale, but when a budget cut could shut down her mother's terraforming lab, the only way to achieve her dreams for her planet might be to run, drive and fight her way to the top of the Royale. Foster Sterling is an ex-prodigy whose fall from grace is still weighing him down. He lost his partner and his passion for the Race in what was thought to be an accident. But when Ezren comes bursting into his life he becomes more convinced that these accidents are not so accidental. Will these two be able to overcome their fears to save their planet or will this race, and its racers, take them out?

Thank you to NetGalley and Whimsical Publishing for lending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was such a fun, light, and easy read, the pacing was fast but the plot wasn't overly exciting. I absolutely loved both Ezren and Foster. Ezren was an incredibly empowering female character without being standoffish. Foster was so sweet on Ezren. I love how grumpy, my only thing is that he was constantly jealous of any guy that even talked to Ezren but he was a pessimist so I'll give him a break. The communication between these two characters is top tier, there was never a moment where I was screaming at them to talk to each other. I'm not a huge fan of the sci-fi genre, but this book's world and gadgets felt overly complicated, I felt like none of it was ever really explained. I am still confused about the details of the Race Royale and the meaning of all the replacement cuss words like chaff and fodding. This book is definitely a Sci-fi, YA novel but I would recommend this to friends who are fans of slow burns and underdog stories. I will 100% be looking out for the next book in this series.
Characters- 4/5
Plot- 3/5
Spice- 0/5
Overall rating- 3.5 stars (rounded up)

I had a really great time with this book!

This was such a cool sci fi world that felt three dimensional and lived in. I appreciate that, although humanity had expanded into the stars, there was still wealth inequality which effected the lives of the citizens. (I mean Ezren signs up for an insanely dangerous race to help pay for her brother's healthcare , if that isn't an accurate reflection of our times, I don't know what is).

I loved Ezren and I loved Foster. They were such great characters and off the bat, I was like oh these two were made for each other. I wouldn't necessarily call this a slow burn but more of a realistically developed romance. Thank you to Hayley for making the romance unproblematic. They supported each other, apologized for their mistakes and knew when they needed to be apart in order to cool down from a fight. Why is that so hard to find in books?!

I freaking loved the description of the race and the deadly elements. Each race was such a wild ride and I was on the edge of my seat in the very end. Also the prerace prayer was a banger.

I did have a few small quibbles that kept this from a 5 star:
1) some of the worldbuilding exposition in the beginning was clunky
2) why wasn't Ezren given an electronic message about the exhibition being rescheduled instead of a handwritten one? That seemed like an excuse to have the two leads trapped together in the storm. The use of a written message took me completely out of the story and I think there was a better way to set up that situation.
3) Not enough training montages
4) The ending climax was again clunky and a little rushed.

But overall, I'd love to read another book set in this world.

Title: Into the Churn By Hayley Reese Chow

Release date: April, 4th, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars


"Into the Churn" is a thrilling blend of underdog resilience, budding romance, and gripping sci-fi adventure, set against the backdrop of savage storms and cutting-edge racing technology.

In a world where deadly storms threaten the planet Belethea, seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart is on a mission to save her mother's terraforming lab from closure. With her sights set on entering Belethea’s perilous Race Royale, Ezren teams up with the jaded ex-prodigy royaler, Foster Sterling. Together, they race against time and a series of mysterious accidents to secure the future of their planet and Ezren's family. As they navigate treacherous landscapes and unravel secrets, Ezren and Foster face tough decisions about their dreams and the risks they're willing to take.


With heart-pounding action and swoon-worthy romance, Chow kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Ezren and Foster's journey is filled with twists and turns, making it impossible to put down.


But what truly sets this book apart is its unique concept. From the adrenaline-fueled Race Royale to the meticulously crafted world-building, Chow's creativity knows no limits.

Whether you're a fan of YA, sci-fi adventures or slow-burn romance, this book has something for everyone.

Tropes:

Underdog Heroes
Slow-Burn Romance
Deadly Competition
Found Family
Dual POV
Sci-Fi

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.