The Fast Lane is a wonderful captivating and often laugh out loud read.
Ali having loved Theo her brothers best friend for ever and when 16 going to his dorm at college to tell him how she felt even writing a poem for him she was devastated and embarrassed when he told her gently he didn’t feel the same and only saw him as his friends little sister.
Now going to attend her brother’s wedding in Portland Oregon she is having to travel there with Theo from Dallas as there’s no room in her family’s car. Despite being in a long relationship that is now over she’s never gotten over Theo so is dreading the journey.
From the start of the journey Theo appears to be flirting with her even occasionally holding her hand in the car, Ali is totally confused and doesn’t dare hope it means anything. The journey is eventful and with some very funny scenes.
A lovely feel good romance with a great cast of characters young and old that had me giving a big happy sigh at the finale.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly

"Fast Lane" by Sharon M. Peterson is like a rollercoaster ride through the craziness of life. It's all about how people deal with the ups and downs of chasing their dreams in a world that never slows down. The cool part? It's not just about the hustle – there's plenty of juicy romance mixed in too. You'll get hooked on the characters and their messy love lives, but it's all super relatable. Peterson nails the whole "love in the fast lane" thing, showing how it can be both exciting and challenging. So, if you're up for a wild ride with a side of heart-fluttering romance, this book's your jam.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.

What a sweet romance. It really is a family road trip/wedding story. Ali and Theo are childhood friends. She has had a crush on him for years, but he let her down easy when she was 16. They are just friends now. Except she still kinda has a crush. And they have to drive from Texas to Oregon for a family wedding. Their story is just sweet and like a hug. The supporting characters are gold though. Top notch dialogue. It is told from Ali’s POV (except the epilogue) and she was a little hard for me to get into. She is 27 but a very young 27. But once you read her story, it makes sense why she is the way she is. Very enjoyable, I read an ARC.

4.5⭐️ I really enjoyed this book and read it all in a day! The book felt well paced, jumped right into the action, and revealed parts of the back story as things unfolded rather than all at once which was nice.

The flirting and chemistry between Ali and Theo was great, and seeing them finally confess to each other was great (Ali is so brave and I wish I was more like her!!).

I do wish we got to see a few first-hand flashbacks/feelings of their interactions as they were growing up rather than them talking about things in the past, but those small recountings were good.

Note: There are some deeper familial/health topics that get touched upon in this book, but I think it was executed well.

The mayor plot line was a little unexpected and felt a little out of character for her when it was first introduced, but maybe I just didn’t understand her fully and was surprised (but not in a bad way).

I loved loved !! This book❤️ I couldn’t put it down. I finished it in 4 hours and let me just say I can’t wait for a book about Abe because 😍😍😍😍 oh and her friend Ellie ❤️ such a cute Rom-com. I highly recommend for anyone looking for a cute , feel good love story ❤️

A huge thank you to NetGalley, bookouture and Sharon Peterson for the incredible opportunity to read and arc of her new book coming out June 19th,2024❤️
My review will be posted on : StoryGraph, Goodreads , Barnes and noble and Amazon ❤️

Sharon M. Peterson became a must-read author for me with the release of her first book, and The Fast Lane (her third) simply demonstrates to me that I make great decisions. This one has a tidy handful of classic romance tropes with some fun twists to keep it fresh, a main couple that are super relatable and easy to connect with/root for, a supporting cast that is utterly charming and hilarious, and there's even a brief but spectacular cameo from a beloved character from a previous book. I swooned, I gasped, I giggled and kicked my little feet. All in all, a truly top-shelf reading experience. I'm ready for more, Sharon M. Peterson!

Sharon M Peterson is quickly becoming one of my must-read authors! I fell in love with her work in The Do-Over but this book, The Fast Lane could not have been more perfect. This book really had it all; I laughed, I worried, I cried, I swooned. I can’t wait to read more by her.

“The Fast Lane” was such a cute, sweet read, and I’m always such a sucker for a good brother’s best friend romance <3 All of the side characters were the best, especially Mack & Karen, and I’d definitely recommend this if you want your heart to feel good & happy things.

A fun, brothers bestie, forced proximity, and the ultimate scheming family and friends for when Theo and Ali would get together. This was a faced paced fun read, following along as Ali and Theo road trip from a small town in Texas to Portland, OR for the wedding of one of her brothers. The adventures (the 'retreat and spa') they have, and the family they run into along the way (Hallie of course stole the show), and the feelings they've both been fighting for far too long made for such a fun story. For the years of pining though, I was anticipating a bit more depth/chemistry, even though the two of them were truly inevitable, and everyone knew it. The epilogue was positively perfect, and now I need to go back and read Mae and Chris's book!



Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Read The Fast Lane immediately if you're looking for:

🍬SUPER SWEETNESS - a super sweet story but also sweet romance. There is zero spice in this book, the romance consists of lingering looks, hand holding, thigh touching and kissing.
💪STRONG FEMALE PROTAGONIST - Ali was such a great character. She was so strong and feisty!
🍭SWEET TROPES - friends to lovers and brother's best friend.
🍫SWEET LOVE INTEREST - Theo was such a decent, sweet and kind guy!
😌LOW STAKES - the stakes and tension are super low and the conflict is minimal which makes this a really easy chill read.
🏡BIG FAMILY - so many brothers and in-laws and this book featured FOUR generations!
🎭FAMILY DRAMA - but nothing too dramatic or traumatic.
👯‍♀️GREAT SIDE CHARACTERS - there are SO MANY great characters in this book! I loved Mack and had a huuuuge fictiony crush on ABE! Sorry, I know we were meant to be all over Theo (who was truly LOVELY) but ABE!!!
⚡️EPILEPSY REP - I love when books raise awareness in this way!
🚗 ROAD TRIP!! - Honestly one of my fave tropes ever!!

The Fast Lane was such a fun, easy and chill read.

A perfect read for those who like their romance sweet and their stakes low.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC. 💞💞💞

Review to come…

Cove is so good.
Description has me hooked.
New author to me.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and Sharon M. Peterson for this arc!
Plus all the beautiful publishers behind it as well!!

Release Date: June 19th

This is one you need to mark on your calendar, guys!!

He's the only one able to take her to her brother's wedding, and he happens to be his brother's best friend and the guy she's been in love with most of her life.

This book was 100% Swoon-worthy.

Ali is a fierce, independent, tell-it-how-she-sees-it woman. I loved reading her character development; she was so easy to relate to. She was also utterly hilarious, which made the reading experience so enjoyable.

Theo was as loyal as they come, one of the most reliable character's I've ever read about. Plus, his soft spot for her baking (Banana choc chip muffins, anyone?) made me utterly obsessed with him from the start (Don't ask too many questions, aha).

This book was a light-hearted romance with beautiful character and relationship development. A little bit of family drama added well to the storyline.

The Fast Lane is bursting with heart and humor! Ali and Theo are endearing characters and I fell in love with them as they did with each other! Ali is devoted and fierce, she is hilarious and independent, and she has had a crush on Theo since she was a teenager. Theo is a loyal friend to Ali’s brothers, and he is as charming as any character I’ve ever met in a book! This is a road trip story that is engaging and heartfelt; it’s a novel about love, it is a book about family and reconciliation—and I loved it all! I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.

If you love a good old 'brothers best friend' trope, then you will LOVE this story. Within the first couple of chapters I was hooked. This is my first story from Sharon M Peterson, and I will definitely be going in for more. The characters were just so relatable! Alicia, the fun prankster that everyone worries about, was just plain awesome. She was goofy and funny and her inner voice and witty banter were perfect for this story. Theo, gosh what a guy! Such a sweetheart! I wish my brothers best friends were as loyal and caring as him.

From her choc chip banana bread, to dragon wings fluttering, to the hilarious but also emotional journey they take on their road trip to Alicia's brothers wedding, this story had my flying through it to see what would happen next. Not often you get a story with side characters written as well as the main characters but this book connected the reader to everyone. I can't wait to read more of Sharon's work!

Tropes

Brothers best friend
Epilepsy rep
Her teenage crush
Forced proximity
Friends-to-lovers
No third act break up

I loved this one. For me a heartwarming, funny, slow burn with a lot of love, a lot of family drama, and a lot of laughs. I loved it a really enjoyed reading it.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgalley

This was a delightfully quick and mostly lighthearted read. As Ali is forced to look inside herself and accept some of her limitations it show great growth and that everyone deserves to live their truth. I would highly recommend picking this up and giving it a read! Totally worth it, enjoy!

I recently read ‘The fake out’ by Sharon M. Peterson and I totally LOVED it (you should definitely read it!) so I was thrilled to read another one of her books.
This one is about Alicia and Theo. Apparently she’s had a crush on Theo since high school but she had a bad breakup with Alec whom she’d been dating since then. Now there’s a lot going on in Alicia’s life. There’s a sub plot involving Alicia’s brother Abe, there’s the trip to her brother Cal’s wedding, the unexpected visit to Theo’s dad, un obnoxious major with an inflated ego, an unexpected child, a secret in Alicia’s past, her epilepsie and all kinds of secondary characters and emotions. The question is: Will Alicia and Theo reconnect?
There's a lot of individual elements that were enjoyable, but as a whole book I came away feeling like the chemistry and relationship build between Alicia and Theo got a bit lost in the process. I would have preferred a bit more focus on them. But it is an easy read with likeable characters and a slow romance to build, and a few funny parts that made me laugh. I specifically liked her pranks on the major, and on Tammy.
As for the author, like I said, it's the second book I've read of hers and I thoroughly enjoyed the first, and I already bought other books by her and am looking forward to reading them all!
Thank you Netgalley, Dragonblade Publishing and Sharon M. Peterson for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
..

5 stars. An absolutely brilliant book.

Ali has always had a bit of a crush on his brother's best friend. As a young girl, she confessed her love, but unfortunately Theo did not reciprocate her feelings. So Ali tried to get over it and went on with her life.

Now Ali's brother is getting married on the other side of the country, and Ali travels there with Theo: there is a long road trip ahead and there will be family drama and surprises.

The book immediately drew me in, and was quite unputdownable. The characters were lovable (I really liked the characters in this book a lot!) and the plot flowed smoothly.

I liked that the main characters communicated and there was no overly dramatic third act break up in the book. That's always a plus! There were no sex scenes in the book, but the chemistry between the main characters was incredibly strong.

This book also really made me laugh. Many times! I recommend the book to lovers of romantic comedies. And I will definitely read the author's other works as well!

WHAT TO EXPECT:
* Big brother’s best friend
* Family drama
* Forbidden love (a bit)
* Friends to lovers
* Forced proximity
* Hea
* One bed
* Second chance
* Slowburn
* Small town
* The one that got away
* Third act: NO break up
* Weddings

The Fast Lane by Sharon Peterson
-Two Harts Book 2-

4.5/5⭐️
🚪/🌶️
2/3🦋

•My Thoughts•
I really enjoyed this one and had a smile on my face the whole time. It was sweet and swoony and FUNNY. This was road trip comedy gold but also full of heart and hard lessons. The pinning and slow burn was just the right about to keep you on the edge of your seat and analyzing every hand graze and eye contact. I ate up every moment of it. Our FMC, Ali, is a fun and sassy prankster who has epilepsy. I loved reading her story and it made me thoughtful about epilepsy and how it affects the person and the family. Dealing with worry and a lack of freedom as well as the physical affects would be so tough! Our MMC, Theo, was the BEST cinnamon roll but with a few secrets that were so fun to discover…my man has LAYERS. The banter and rapport between all of the characters was fantastic, I laughed a lot. Definitely recommend for when you need some happy!

Thank you to Sharon Peterson and Bookouture for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! There were fun characters and funny situations. Will reread again and again!