The Fast Lane by Sharon M Peterson is a cute, laugh out loud, brother’s best friend, second chance, friends to lovers romance.

I loved the chemistry between Theo and Ali, they are sweet, lovable characters.

This was my first Sharon M Peterson read and am looking forward to reading others.

This is a cute story with forced proximity, friends to lovers, and disability representation.
Well written, highly recommend.

3.5
This was a cute story but it was seriously missing a few things for me to absolutely love it.

Read if you love:
🩵she falls first but he falls harder
🩵forced proximity
🩵epilepsy rep
🩵childhood friends to lovers
🩵closed door
🩵brothers best friend

The Fast Lane is a cute read.
It has unrequited love, forced proximity, enemies to lovers trope.
Going cross country in a car presents its own sets of challenges but what if it’s with a certain special someone who isn’t yours yet?
The carousel of supporting characters is what makes this novel work because they provide depth and context to Theo and Allie.
A good summer read if you’re panning a road trip.

I absolutely ADORE the amazing Sharon M. Peterson, and The Fast Lane is her best book yet! Ali and Theo’s relationship sparkles with chemistry, somehow managing to be romantic, emotional, and hilarious all on the same page. The situations the couple encounter during their road trip feel like scenes from classic 90’s romcoms in the best way. And the cast of side characters is so well-developed and adds so much warmth and humor to the story that I found myself wishing for a separate book for each and every one of them. This will be one of my all time favorite comfort reads that I’ll go back to again and again when I’m craving something funny and uplifting with a ton of heart.

I laughed out loud to this hilarious friends to lovers romance. Theo and Ali were lovable characters who had each other’s backs in the good and tough times. I loved their dynamic. The love they had for each other was believable. I also enjoyed the subplots. I enjoyed reading about Ali’s epilepsy. It was nice to see some representation in today’s literature. This was an entertaining fast paced romance. I’m looking forward to more of Sharon M. Peterson’s work 3.75⭐️

This one is a difficult one to review without giving away too many spoilers!

Ali is amazing. Her personality shines through, she's hilarious, and her love of revenge pranks had me rolling.

Theo's secret that Ali discovers is seriously one of the best secrets I have read in a long time, and her guesses regarding the secret were very amusing 😅

Ali's long lost brother and another secret just added something sweet and endearing to the book- I want more of them! 😉


Alec is a 'juice canoe'. I want to wring his damn neck- side, note juice canoe is a new favourite term in my vocabulary.

A character from a previous book appears as a cameo character, and I still adore them.

And Oh lordie, the drama, I loved every moment.

The ending was perfect, I love how Theo sees her, respects her and embraces her Ali quirks. My new book boyfriend is Theo- sorry Chris.

Friends to lovers? Check.
Brothers’ best friend? Check.
Absolutely hilarious side characters? Check.

I loved this book! It was such a quick read because I just couldn’t put it down.

I adored Ali and how strong she was. She was so dynamic and I loved the epilepsy representation we got through her. As the only sister, I also felt so seen in her interactions and pranks with her brothers. She did toothpaste Oreos, I did toothpaste in the toes of socks; she’s a kindred spirit.
Theo was the cutest; I usually like my MMCs to be broody and snarky but he was a breath of fresh air. I loved how obvious it was to absolutely everyone how down bad he was for Ali and how he wasn’t afraid to show it.
The side characters were so, so good (Mack and Karen killed me) and added just enough to the story where it didn’t feel like too much, but also didn’t feel like there wasn’t enough happening to keep me engaged.
Also, I just want to put out my public call to action for a book with Abe as our MMC!

Overall, it was well-paced and it didn’t take long to feel like we got right into the action. I love a good road trip story that spans the course of the book; it feels like we, as readers, get to go on the journey with the characters which is always so fun. I also loved how we were introduced to the characters over the course of the story, and not all at once which can be really overwhelming. Meeting Ali’s parents, then Mack, then Abe and Hallie was so well done; the complex family dynamics were written so wonderfully and felt so realistic. I got teary-eyed when they got to Colorado! I just cannot say enough good things about the story.

If you want a light, closed-door, low-conflict but absolutely hilarious rom-com, I can’t recommend this enough. I found myself smiling and giggling so many times—it was just so fun! I would also totally recommend Sharon’s books “The Do Over" and "The Fake Out" if you find yourself looking for more books like this!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sharon M. Peterson, and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Such a light and adorable book! Some parts in the beginning of the story were a little too random, but once the plot hit me, I just couldn't stop reading it! Ali has a lot of personality, while Theo is just so sweet and lovely, and they complement each other perfectly! I thought the side characters, who hop on the trip along the way, would overshadow them, but no! They are also very likeable and you just wish you could squeeze into the car with all of them. It's really good how the author manages to approache other subjects, including delicate ones, like family issues and illnesses, whithout taking away the lightness of the story or that swoony feeling. As soon as I finished this one, I was reading "The Fake Out"! I'm so glad I found Sharon! Can't wait for more!

The Fast Lane by Sharon M Peterson is the second book in the Two Harts series. Alicia Ramos needs a ride to her oldest brother’s wedding in Portland after her mother went overboard and there is no room for her in her parents’ car. Family friend, Theo Goodnight, is the man to give her a ride. However, a big problem! Ever since she proclaimed her love for Theo many, many years ago, their relationship has been lukewarm. After a recent break up, she was taking a dating sabbatical. He’s the last person she wanted to be alone with on a six day road trip, especially when he only sees her as a sister. However, as the trip begins, they fight over the playlist, banter and flirt. The close proximity and two thousand miles has her heart race. With each mile, she can’t help but wonder if Theo feels the same?
Sharon M Peterson has become my new auto-buy author. The Fast Lane is another hilarious friends-to-lovers, second-chance, brother’s best friend romantic comedy. I laughed. I sighed. I cried and I grinned ear to ear as I read well into the night. I could not put this book down. I loved Alicia and her antics. I loved the sibling banter between Alicia and her brothers. I also loved Alicia’s “note to self” notes at the beginning of each chapter. It added to the humor in the story. There was a bit of family drama as well. What is a wedding without family drama? I also loved Theo and his love for Alicia. He just gets her. You do not really need to read the first book, The Fake Out, to enjoy this story. However, I highly recommend reading it as it is another enjoyable story. I highly, highly recommend The Fast Lane.


The Fast Lane will be available in eBook on June 19, 2024

Brother’s best friend is one of my favorite tropes and this one definitely didn’t disappoint.

I already enjoyed Ali’s shenanigans in The Fake Out but she definitely topped them in the Fast Lane. You immediately get to know what kind of person she is when you read the first chapter, but of course she also has her insecurities, her worries, fears and struggles.

Since I’ve read/listened to The Do-Over and The Fake Out by the author, I already knew her characters feel unique yet relatable and her stories are just extremely funny but with a lot of heart and special family dynamics.

Ali is so brave and unashamedly herself. I loved how she cares for friends and family (even though her revenge schemes tend to be slightly illegal…) and that she tries to do right by everyone and still learns to set boundaries. The plotline about epilepsy was very well done IMO and we see both Ali’s POV who feels suffocated by all the worry, but also her mothers’ one who of course is scared and thinking of all the different scenarios where an epileptic attack could be fatal.

There were so many different situations Ali and Theo lived through together on their road trip. Some absolutely hilarious, others sweet and swoony.

I would have enjoyed a few flashbacks with previous interactions between Ali and Theo or maybe dual POV, because from Ali’s POV it felt like a giant punch to the gut when she was still a teen and professed her feelings for Theo but he rejected her.
But I definitely rooted for them and they were absolutely adorable. I think Theo could have been more open about his feelings earlier in the story because since he rejected Ali years before, his flirting of course was confusing to her. Despite her best efforts she fell more and more in love with him (again) but didn’t want to be hurt. So I think Theo could have made things a bit less emotionally stressful for Ali.

But there was one scene at the wedding that was so extremely sweet and swoony, it absolutely made up for his slight cowardice before. (Other readers might see this differently, but since Ali made herself vulnerable so many times when she was head over heels in love with Theo years prior, I think he could have done the same thing and just come right out with it with the risk of being rejected himself this time. Of course, this would have been a very short story, but still.^^)

The only thing I didn’t care for was the Pirate Romance side plot because I am a clean romance reader for a reason. There are no open door scenes (and no actual closed door scenes either since there is nothing happening aside from kissing) but especially this Pirate part comes with a lot of innuendo and of course the references to spicy books which I personally don’t like.
This is only a tiny part of the story but maybe other clean romance readers like to be aware of these contents before diving into the story.

To say “I still enjoyed the story” would sell the book short.

I LOVED the book and I love everything Peterson writes. I said it before and I will say it again - I absolutely love how real her characters feel. With all their flaws I would love to have her characters (especially Mae and Ali) in my life and the way she writes family bonds and friendships is absolutely amazing. The romantic love is always based on a strong friendship (in this case a very long friendship where both characters were always there for one another) and the physical attraction is a bonus, not the starting point. Peterson has an absolute gift of writing characters where we can just feel the chemistry and the emotional connection, stories with the best mix of heart and humor.

Absolutely enjoyed it and I hope there will be an audio version because I love to buy the audiobooks of my favorite stories to enjoy them in all ways possible.

* Thank you to the author for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. I leave this review voluntarily and the expressed opinions are my own. (I received an eARC via NetGalley.)

This was honestly such a breath of fresh air of a read!
I fell in love with Ali & Theo almost immediately, in this heartfelt, funny, cosy comfort of a romcom in a book. An essential holiday read, Sharon M. Peterson's writing is the perfect salve for summer sun!

Ali and Theo have known each other since they were kids, Theo being Ali's brother Cal's best friend ( squeal one of my favourite tropes!). The story centers on the journey to Cal's wedding in another state, and when Ali is stuck for a lift, it's Theo's car she ends up in. Queue hours in close proximity and a road trip!! Both characters have undisclosed feelings that are put under the spotlight as they suddenly have to face what they've been avoiding half their lives-the truth!

I haven't read a secret feelings book like this before, where both characters are secretly on the same page, but I really enjoyed it. Ali was heartfelt and fun as a character, and Theo was sweet and funny in the way that made him so easy to fall for I was right there with Ali the whole time.

My first Sharon M. Peterson book was a joy and I can't wait to check out some more. If you love Emily Henry, Catherine Walsh or Hannah Grace then this book is a must read for you!

Thank you to Bookouture & Netgalley for the early arc in exchange for an honest review xoxo

I loved this book! All the chapter header notes to self were funny and a cute precursor to the plot moving forward. I laughed out and snickered many times. It is not only funny, but has wonderful character development, pacing, and you get a good understanding of their history without having to go back and forth between dual timelines. There wasn’t a single character that didn’t seem well developed. The epilogue is also so sweet and fun. I highly recommend this book!
*There are a few mild curse words and some mild, humorous innuendo.

You know how sometimes you mean to finish something sooner than you do, and then once you’ve actually done it, you kick yourself for taking so long?

That’s how I feel about reading The Fast Lane. I received an advanced copy of it for my honest opinion and here it is: I loved it. I loved it so so much. I started reading it as soon as I got the ARC but then, as you do, I got distracted with life and a bunch of other books I’d actually already read. I’m a bit of a book hoarder and do have a tendency to reread things that brought me joy when life gets a little bonkers, and I needed those at the time. Now I could kick myself because this is most definitely one of those books I’ll be rereading. Again and again. And again.

I loved Sharon’s first two books as well but there was something extra special about this one. Ali and Theo are just… the best. She’s sass and spunk and a little bit of spite and he balances her out so effortlessly. I knew going in that this would be a fluffy happily-ever-after book, and it so is. I wouldn’t change a thing. And I got a call back to a certain sassy lady from The Do-Over who I want to be when I grow up thrown it unexpectedly!

Truly, if you love sweet and fluffy romance novels, please do yourself a favor and pick this one up. You won’t regret it.

4.5 stars rounded to 5

I sprinted to NetGalley when I saw this one was up for grabs. I read The Fake Out by Sharon M. Peterson and have been dutifully following her ever since.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one and liked the nods to the last book. I loved the misadventures in this story and the fun characters along the way. It definitely encapsulated Peterson's zest for quirky characters! That being said, the FMC was a little *too* quirky at times. I would have liked to see her be a bit more sure of herself as a grown woman. I also hated all of her pranks, another trait that made it feel like she needed to grow up more, especially if she intended to be taken seriously as *spoiler* mayor *end spoiler*.

The MMC was very much a cinnamon roll guy and seemed very sweet, but I felt like his character needed a little more depth in the beginning. I did love Theo, though, don't get me wrong! It's a single POV from the FMC which is probably why I feel like I know a lot more about her than him.

All that aside, there were some extremely relatable moments in this story and I cried during the epilogue (happy tears). Another great one from Peterson for sure!

The Fast Lane is a sweet and funny rom-com, perfect for taking with you on vacation!

This was an easy read! Ali and Theo were perfect for each other and I just loved their history and their friendship. The banter and the hilarious situations they got themselves into made me giggle and kick my feet.

This book was also full of family drama and great secondary characters. I especially loved the granddad, he was such a quirky character!

I definitely recommend this book if you love the brother's best friend trope, it was a really cute read!

The Fast Lane by Sharon M. Peterson illustrates the journey is just as important as the destination!

Two Hearts, Texas has always been Alicia’s (Ali’s) safe haven. So when she discovers the town mayor had his eye on destroying a beloved landmark, she can’t help but take a stand. Luckily when law enforcement has to get involved, Theo, her brother’s best friend is there to bail her out.

While Theo has always been a staple in Ali’s life, her unrequited feelings have stirred up trouble. Determined to keep things platonic between the two, she has distanced herself. But when the two must roadtrip to Portland, Oregon for her brother’s wedding it will be difficult to maintain boundaries. Will one trip be the undoing of a lifelong friendship, or will it prove that timing is everything?

We first met Ali in Peterson’s second book, The Fake Out. Despite making a lasting impression on reader’s with her prankster personality, she was sidelined as a secondary character. In getting her own book we see her as a full fledged main character.

I loved getting to learn more about Ali in this book. It would be easy to see Ali as somewhat of a caricature due to her awkward, spunky, and prankster personality. But if you look a little deeper you see that she has lots of depth. After being diagnosed as an epileptic at the age of sixteen her life drastically changed. She went from a carefree teenager to feeling like an unnecessary burden.

The representation of epilepsy in this book was terrific. While not a suffer of it myself I witnessed a classmate have one during our senior year. To this day it is one of the most traumatic things I have experienced. Peterson does a phenomenal job of describing what it is like to both be the person living with epilepsy and those close to them.

The outstanding character development Peterson showcased in her third book solidified this as a five star read. I highly recommend this and the rest of her book to anyone looking for a laugh out loud read with tons of heart.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture, and Sharon M. Peterson for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture, and Sharon M. Peterson for the early access copy of The Fast Lane.

The Fast Lane follows the story of Ali, a strong-willed, resilient, hilarious protagonist, who has had a crush on Theo, her brothers' best friend since she was a teen. Ali professed her love to Theo when she was in her teens and learned the heartache that came with the rejection. After that situation, she has kept her heart at a distance.

Theo is a caring, gentle, fiercely protective golden retriever protagonist, who was asked to drive Ali to her brother's wedding, which is a six-day road trip. Thus, begins the antics of car issues, fighting over playlists, keeping passengers both human and not happy, and opening up to the potential of something real. The Fast Lane is a forced-proximity, brother's best friend, closed-door romantic comedy, with family issues, epilepsy representation, witty humor, flirting, rambunctious situations, and a lot of passion,

This story was hard to put down and greatly missed now that I have finished it.

The Fast Lane

Alicia seems to just float through life and is 100% the main character in her own mind. In the beginning of the story she seems to be rather immature for her 27 years. Playing pranks on folks in her small town and chaining herself to a tree to stop it being cut down are a few examples. A point of conflict for Alicia is that her family and the whole town treat her like a child who is incapable of taking care of herself (this appears to be due to her having epilepsy). However, if she wants people to take her seriously as an adult, maybe she should act a bit more like one?

Theo appears on the page to be THE perfect man. I enjoyed the banter back and forth between Alicia and Theo and liked to get to know more of his backstory with the Vegas/father side plot and his writing (I want so much more - an entire novella maybe about this). But in the end, Theo still felt surface level. This is often a comment from me though when the story is told from single POV (The Fast Lane is told from Alicia’s POV). I wish we just had a little more knowledge on Theo’s love for Alicia before the final chapters and beautiful epilogue.

Alicia’s friends - Ellie and Mae. We’re introduced with an overload information and hints of a backstory that was written as if it was a call back to a previous book. So much that I had to check to see if this was part of a series. While not marketed as such, this appears to be a book including characters from some of the author’s previous works. All the call backs without reference made me feel awkward like an outsider to the friend group rather than a part of it.

The overload of information feels constant in the beginning of the book. It’s too much detail and side comments and takes me out of it. This eases up about 1/3 of the way through.

In the beginning, it felt like too many plots and side stories. The wedding. The family drama (the accident). The mayor. The mayor race. The crush on Theo. The football stadium fight. Most of this went away once the group finally hit the road.

While I enjoyed reading The Fast Lane in the end, it felt rather disjointed and it took me time to get into the story. It did leave me interested in checking out more of the author’s work though.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"The Fast Lane" by Sharon M. Peterson is a delightful, humorous road trip romance that deftly combines sweetness with a dash of sass. The story revolves around a protagonist on a six-day journey to her brother's wedding with Theo, her brother's best friend and the man she's secretly harboured feelings for.

The plot starts with a charmingly relatable problem: an overpacked car and an unexpected offer for a ride from Theo. The tension between the protagonist's embarrassment over a past romantic confession and her lingering crush on Theo creates a lively dynamic right from the start. Peterson does a fantastic job of balancing humour and heart, making the interactions between the two characters engaging and often laugh-out-loud funny.

Theo is masterfully depicted as the archetypal good guy with a rugged charm, complete with his penchant for plaid shirts and hiking. His protectiveness and steady demeanour provide a perfect foil to the protagonist's more chaotic energy, resulting in banter and a growing chemistry that feels authentic and well-paced. The road trip setting provides ample opportunities for shared moments that are both sweet and sizzling, ensuring readers are captivated as the miles roll by.

What sets "The Fast Lane" apart is its refusal to rely on the tired trope of a third-act breakup. Instead, the story focuses on the natural development of the relationship, allowing the characters to confront their feelings and fears without unnecessary drama. This makes the resolution more satisfying, as it feels earned and authentic.

Peterson's writing style is a breath of fresh air, light and breezy, a perfect match for Emily Henry and Sarah Adams fans. The road trip shenanigans, from playlist disagreements to car troubles, inject a sense of adventure and spontaneity that enriches the romantic narrative. The protagonist's introspective musings and reflections on past heartbreaks add depth to her character, elevating her beyond the typical lovesick heroine.

Overall, "The Fast Lane" is a thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy that combines humour, heart, and a dash of road trip magic. It's a perfect read for anyone looking to escape into a story filled with love, laughter, and the hope of second chances.