Story for the Week
Everyone knows the definition of unconditional love. It means I love you no matter what—even if you piss me off, even if you hurt my feelings, even if you do something wrong. I will go out of my way to care for you, to make sure you have what you need. Unconditional love is hard.
There are a ton of people in my life who I love and can’t imagine not loving—friends, family, parents. I feel like I’m pretty much surrounded by decent human beings. I can’t think of anyone in my circle of people who would do something egregious. But if they did something egregious? Would I defend them if I thought they were wrongly accused? Of course. Would I support them while they fought to defend their innocence. Again, of course. If I found out they actually did the egregious thing of which they were accused? 😬 I would probably be walking away.
And I’m not expecting a double standard. I would never do anything that could land me in a jail cell. If I did, I would deserve to be there. I would expect my people to walk away and not look back.
People talk about how you should love your spouse unconditionally. You should definitely love your spouse. But if Dennis had ever done something that deservedly landed him in a jail cell (or would land him in jail if he were caught), he would have been on his own. And I would probably be really mad at myself for falling in love with someone who could do something that bad.
I’m not talking about wrongfully accused. I’m not talking about suspected. This example would require that I knew for a fact he did the thing that would land him in jail. I would walk away, never look back, and not feel bad about it.
It wouldn’t even have to necessarily be a jailable offense. I was crystal clear with Dennis when we got married that he was stuck with me unless he cheated on me or hit me. If either of those happened, we were done. I even went so far as to tell him that, if he ever decided he wanted to cheat, he should just leave because there would be no coming back. (And yes, hitting your spouse should be a jailable offense, but sadly, we all know that’s usually not the case.)
My point is that, besides my parents, there are plenty of people in my life who I could walk away from if push came to shove…with one exception. I could never not love my daughter Corinne. That is not to say she can do no wrong. She’s far from perfect. There have been plenty of times I’ve been so angry that I screamed every curse word I know…multiple times. I mean, just ask her about the time she broke my wine glass with a hula hoop or when she mentioned on the way to confirmation that she still had homework to do.🤷♀️
If she ever did something egregiously wrong, I would be angry with myself for the way I raised her. But could I walk away? Could I stop loving her? Not a chance. That’s not to say I would defend her for doing something wrong. That’s not to say I would make excuses for her because I love her. But it does mean that there’s nothing she could do that would make me stop loving her. I might be angry or disappointed or sad or any combination of emotions. But I could never stop loving her.
In the book below, the female main character is focused on having a child. She lost her own mother at 14, and her father wasn’t very present, but she knows she wants to be a mom. “…when my mom died, I was left with all the love I had for her but nowhere to put it. That unconditional love, you know? The kind that’s so specific to a parent and child. I was young, but that’s when I really knew I wanted to raise a kid one day. Someone to give that love to.”
Book Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 Stars for Crash Into You by Simone Soltani
416 pages
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Publication Date: November 10, 2026
I received an advance copy of this title from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Publisher’s Description
Formula 1 driver Zaid Yousef is back—though he’s not sure he wants to be. After a crash last season left the seven-time world champion with two broken wrists and a hesitance to get back behind the wheel, his future in the sport is nothing short of uncertain. Saddled with an unfinished contract and expectations to win a record-shattering title, the only choice is for him to return…right?
The press turned Ava Farahani’s life upside down in the last few years, forcing her to leave her job in marketing and the world of F1 she grew up in. She knows she should stay far away from the track, but the draw of the sport she loves is too strong to resist.
A preseason event brings the two together for one hot, reckless night, and weeks later, results in a positive pregnancy test. Ava desperately wants to be a mother, and the baby gives Zaid a newfound drive to survive the season and break the world record.
There’s just one little problem: Ava is a team principal’s daughter…and Zaid is their biggest rival.
************
Main Characters:
- Ava Farahani – 34 years old, lost her mother at 14, previously worked with the Specter Energy Formula 1 team, moved to the United States after an unwarranted scandal, works in graphic design as a freelancer since leaving Formula 1, wants to be a mom, has had a crush on Zaid Yousef for quite some time, her family is Iranian but many of them live in the UK
- Zaid Yousef – 39 years old, seven-time Formula 1 world champion, lead driver for Mascort, the face of Formula 1, was involved in an accident the previous season caused by another driver that almost killed Zaid and Axel Bergmüller, has had a crush on Ava for some time, “Iraqi kid from North London”
- Axel Bergmüller – 26 years old, two-time Formula 1 world champion, lead driver for Specter Energy, has a brother/sister energy with Ava since he came under her father’s guidance when he was a teenager
- Edith Maxwell-Brown – Ava’s best friend, COO of one of the companies sponsoring another Formula 1 team, her brother Thomas drives for McMorris
- Omid Farahani – Ava’s father, sent her to boarding school after his wife died, worked his way up from engineer to the principal for the Specter Energy Formula 1 team
- Stella Margaux Maxwell-Brown – married to Thomas, Edith’s sister-in-law, owner of a thriving international bakery chain, considered to be the hottest Formula 1 wife
Simone Soltani is a new-to-me author…who I immediately added to my must-read list. I am not a Formula 1 aficionado. I only watch racing on television when someone else is watching. This is the first book I have ever read with a racing theme. I actually went to the Indy 500 once with a friend’s family, and all I remember is that it was loud. But I will be going back to read the other two books in this Formula 1 romance series.
Ava Farahani was forced out of her job working with the Specter Energy team after a photo surfaced of her with Zaid Yousef, the lead driver for Specter’s biggest rival. Despite the photo at his father’s memorial service being completely innocent, Zaid’s delay in responding to the photo resulted in a major scandal. Ava, unfortunately, was the expendable one, so she left the Specter team and the motorsport world and moved to the U.S.
Having come back from horrible injuries after a crash last season, Zaid feels a lot of pressure going into the upcoming season. He has the potential to break a record by winning an eighth title, but he’s not even sure he wants to get into a racecar.
When Ava’s best friend Edith invites her to a pre-season event in London, she can’t resist the draw of Formula 1. Despite their complicated past, she rescues Zaid from an uncomfortable conversation and invites him to a local pub where no one will know who he is. After a couple of drinks and some darts, one thing leads to another, and they agree to one night together. Ava figures this will be a good way to get Zaid out of her system…until she ends up pregnant with the baby of her father’s biggest rival.
The story unfolds with alternating points of view between Ava and Zaid, intermingled with online articles from Lights_Out_Gossip. The articles are a really authentic touch, and the comments included with the articles made for amazing realism. Keyboard warriors can be extremely cruel, and Soltani does a great job at capturing the type of responses that made Ava leave the racing world to begin with.
Unplanned pregnancy, forbidden love, PTSD, racism, online bullying, distant parents, and really amazing diversity…this book has it all. And Soltani weaves this into a story that had me smiling the whole way. She even works in cultural references that add to the book as a whole. If I can learn about other cultures and about an industry I know nothing about AND enjoy the romance for the romance, that’s a huge accomplishment in my opinion.
For those who like a little spice in their romance reads, you won’t be disappointed. The chemistry and banter between Ava and Zaid are exceptional.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve always thought you were cute. Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late,” he murmurs, hands sliding to my ass and rocking me against him. “My ego is growing.”
“I don’t think that’s your ego I feel.” I pull his shirt free from his pants with adrenaline-trembling fingers. “But I’ll check just to be sure.”
“Are you sure you want to hang around?” I ask her, needing to get my mind on something else. “You’ve already had a bit of attention today.”
Ana waves it off. “I’m fine. I’ve always wanted to see how Mascort operates.”
“Sure, but—”
“Zaid,” she interrupts, eyes alight with humor. “This isn’t my first rodeo, you know.”
I level her with a mock-serious stare. “But it is while pregnant and you really shouldn’t be on a horse in your condition.”
I also loved the secondary characters—Axel as a little brother figure, Edith as the best friend. You can tell how much they love Ava, and I think Soltani does a great job at showing us the nature of their relationships.
Edith is the unabashedly straightforward best friend:
She sits beside me and frowns. “You look terrible.”
I sigh. “I must have the flu or something. I slept twelve hours last night and still woke up exhausted. Plus, my stomach hasn’t been right for days. It’s felt like a weeklong hangover without even drinking.”
Edith’s eyes narrow a little more. “So, you’re tired and nauseated.” Then, to my shock, she pokes my boob.
“Ow!” I bat her hand away and cradle my aching right tit. “What the hell was that for?”
“And your boobs are sore,” she continues like a scientist who’d just conducted a successful experiment. “Is there a chance you’re pregnant?”
I roll my eyes. “Women are allowed to be tired and sick and not be pregnant, Edith.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Axel is the publicly annoying bad boy but the privately over-protective little brother:
“I don’t think your dad is upset for the same reasons I am,” he says, jaw tight. “Unlike him, I actually paid attention to what you went through last time with Zaid. I saw how you were treated by everyone. I watched you keep trying to pretend that everything would be okay. I even helped you pick up the pieces with your little McMorris friend when Zaid didn’t do shit past putting out some bland public statement.” He stops himself to draw in a shuddering breath, dipping his head so he can look me hard in the eyes. “Is he actually going to do more this time? Is he going to help and protect you? Be there for you?”
“He wants to,” I confess, the words coming out as little more than a whisper. “It’s just up to me to let him.”
“Then let him, Ava. Because being tied to him nearly ruined you once, and I won’t sit by and let it happen again.”
Even the parent/child relationships are done well. Ava’s dad didn’t father her well after her mother died, but you can tell how important they are to one another. And Zaid’s mom clearly taught him the importance of family. It is said that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his mother, and Soltani has created a character who really loves his mom and his entire family.
I honestly can’t say enough good things about this book. Put this on your TBR. You won’t regret it.
If you enjoyed this post, please comment below. Subscribe for regular updates, and share it with your friends. If you’re interested in starting a conversation, send an email to booksundertheblanket@gmail.com.
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using the links on my site.
