Overdrive by Dawn Ius review + giveaway!

Overdrive by Dawn Ius
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: September 13th, 2016
Pages: 320
Rating: 4 stars

Jules Parish has screwed up.
After three years of boosting cars, she got caught. She's too good to get caught, but she let her (ex)-boyfriend talk her into a questionable job. And now, her and her little sister, Emma, will be kicked out of their foster home, left to survive on the unforgivable streets of Las Vegas alone.
Unless.
Eccentric, wealthy Roger Montgomery wants to open up his mansion to Jules and Emma. The only catch? Jules must steal seven of the rarest, most valuable muscle cars in the world -- in seven weeks. Even worse, she's forced to put her trust in three complete strangers to help her do it.
First, there's Chelsea, the gorgeous redhead with a sharp tongue and love for picking locks. Then there's Mat, who hasn't met a system he couldn't hack. And finally,
 there's the impossibly sexy car thief Nick, whose bad attitude and mysterious past drive Jules crazy.
With nothing in common and everything to lose, can Jules and her amateur crew pull off what could be the biggest car heist in history? Or will things spin out of control faster than a Nevada dust devil?

I've never read anything involving cars heists before. I've obviously seen some of the Fast & Furious movies, but they're virtually the same every time and I don't feel a particular pull towards the subject. But since I had never read a book about it (and apparently it's tooooootally different from watching the movie version), I decided to give Overdrive a shot, and was surprised by how easily I fell into the story.
The plot was fast-paced and transitioned smoothly, and I loved reading about how they planned and executed their heists. I'm a horrible planner, so reading about someone like Julia, who's nicknamed "The Ghost" because she steals cars so effortlessly and deceptively, was insane. I understood and respected her need to keep her sister safe and sheltered, and loved their family dynamic.
Ius crafted her characters with an amazing amount of depth, so everyone can find someone to root for in here, and you ended up caring about each and every one of them. I loved the banter between the four of them, and how they could go from being serious, to quickly throwing jabs and jokes at each.
The romance was slow-burning and sweet, which tempered out the intense scenes. Nick was absolutely adorable, and made me squeal multiple times.
Overall, this was an engaging, fast-paced read that I highly recommend to anyone!

About the author

Dawn Ius is a short story author, screenwriter, professional editor, and communications specialist. She is the cofounder and senior editor of the Vines Leaves Literary Journal; the assistant manager of The International Thriller Writers (ITW) Association e-zine, The Big Thrill; and the author of ten educational graphic noels. When she's not slaying fictional monsters, she can be found geeking out over things like fair tales, Jack Bauer, Halloween, sports cars, and all things that go bump in the night. She lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband, Jeff, and their giant English mastiff, Roarke.

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Follow the tour!
Week 1
9/5: Polished Page-Turners - Spotlight
9/6: Latte Night Reviews - Review
9/7: Little Book Wyrm - Review
9/8: No BS Book Review - Makeup Inspirations
9/9: The Book Belles - Review

Week 2:
9/12: Swoony Boys Podcast - Character Interview
9/13: In Wonderland - Review
9/14: Here's to Happy Endings - Q&A
9/15: Vibin With Books - Review
9/16: Bibliobuli YA - Guest Post

Giveaway

3 finished copies of Overdrive (US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway