Book Review: Crash Test: A Novel by Amy James

Crash Test: A Novel by Amy James
Publisher: Avon/Harper Audio
Release Date: July 1, 2025
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

Formula 1 meets Red, White, & Royal Blue in this contemporary romance in which an F1 phenom battling for the championship is sent spinning after his secret love is involved in a massive crash.

Twenty-four-year-old Formula 1 driver Travis Keeping is halfway through an incredible racing season, with the championship well within his sights. But when a massive crash in Formula 2 leaves driver Jacob Nichols in critical condition, Travis’s world is flipped upside down. No one knows, but he and Jacob have been dating for almost a year.

Now the only boy he’s ever loved is clinging to life, his F1 team can’t understand why his performance is faltering, and he’s locked in a cold war with Jacob’s parents, who want him as far away from their son as humanly possible. Travis is sure everything will get better when Jacob wakes up, but he soon realizes he’s underestimated Jacob’s parents’ influence on their son.

As the F1 season barrels on, Travis and Jacob find themselves alone and miserable on opposite sides of the globe. But with some new friends by their sides, both drivers will be pushed outside of their comfort zones and onto a journey of self-discovery—one that just might lead them back to each other in the end.

When Formula 2 driver Jacob Nichols is involved in a huge crash that leaves him in the ICU in critical condition, Formula 1 driver Travis Keeping’s first instinct is to run to his side. However, no one knows that he and Jacob know each other, let alone that they have been dating for the past year. Travis’s performance falters and his team can’t figure out why. Not only is he worried about Jacob, but also Jacob’s parents discover their relationship and manage to keep Travis away from Jacob by moving him back to his hometown so they can take care of him. Jacob is not happy that Travis outed him to his parents.

Jacob is Travis’s first love and he’s lonely and miserable without him. Can he convince Jacob that their love is worth fighting for?

I loved Crash Test. Travis reminded me of Roy Kent from Ted Lasso – gruff on the outside but secretly sensitive. I listened to the audiobook which has duet narration. The narrators for both Jacob and Travis are perfect for the characters. Patrick Zeller, who voices Travis has the sexiest voice. He reads the character with so much emotion in his voice; it’s more like listening to a radio play. I was truly amazed. Jacob’s character is carefree and that came across wonderfully in Gary Furlong’s reading.
Usually, I only listen to audiobooks when I’m doing something else, like driving or working out. This book captivated me so much that I listened to it while following along in my print copy before bed because I couldn’t stop.

Highly recommended.