I love reading – it’s probably my favourite hobby. But I’m not going to lie, I’ve always been hesitant about audiobooks. In my mind, nothing can live up to the feeling of holding a physical book in my hands, inhaling the wonderful scent of the pages, and escaping into my own imagination.
Many of my friends and family have raved about audiobooks but I’ve never been game to try one for myself – until now. I was given early access to the brand-new Audible Original The Winning Formula, and here is my honest review.
A PLOT TO SET HEARTS RACING
The Winning Formula by Cara Veloce is an Audible Original audiobook that follows Sienna Skye, a racing engineer working on the F1 circuit. She butts heads with her team’s new driver, Finn Di Santis, but their tense relationship quickly sparks into a heart-racing romance.
To add fuel to the fire, their team, GreenSkye, is also followed and filmed to be included in a documentary series about F1, called Full Throttle.
Together, Sienna and Finn navigate their complex working relationship, the public’s perception of them and the high-pressure environment of the F1 circuit.
But it’s more than just a romance; it also speaks to misogyny in the sports industry as well as touches on grief and trauma.
It’s an epic enemies-to-lovers story that gripped me right from the get-go.
A STELLAR AUSTRALIAN CAST
The Winning Formula takes the term “all-star cast” to a whole new level.
Maddy MacRae, an Australian actress known for her character comedy skits on social media, stars as Sienna Skye, making her audiobook debut.
For Sienna, the opportunity to work with Finn is a big career opportunity, as she’s determined to make a name for herself outside of her famous father.
Meanwhile, Ryan Corr (House of the Dragon, Packed to the Rafters) portrays Finn Di Santis, a once-great driver who is trying to make his F1 comeback.
Tai Hara (Colin From Accounts, Return To Paradise) and Lucy Bell portray the TV race announcers and commentators, while Aussie legends Aaron Jeffrey and Vince Colosimo play GreenSkye Racing Team’s principal and engineer respectively.
I was lucky enough to chat with the cast, who shared all about their experience recording the book and immersing themselves in the world of F1.
“I really enjoyed once we got into the race, and I was in a helmet and the mic was inside the helmet and Mads was over there,” Ryan told Woman’s Day. “So working out where we were in those high-octane moments, and Maddy and I trying to ramp up the stakes where they didn’t exist, was really fun.”
Maddy echoed those sentiments, sharing, “My very first day in the studio was with Ryan and with the multi-part scenes, so they were my favourite to do.
“Because building that chemistry – if we were alone in the booth, I don’t think it would have been built the way we did.”
The cast had a lot to do with one another and recorded many scenes together, and by the sounds of it, they had a blast doing so. Their joy and natural chemistry really came through in the audio.
MY REVIEW & RATING
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this audiobook.
I loved that my reading time wasn’t just limited to my commute to work and before I went to sleep. I was able to listen to the book while I completed dreaded household tasks, and even while I was at work.
Maddy MacRae did an incredible job as Sienna Skye, flitting between different characters and various accents with ease. Meanwhile, Ryan Corr portrayed Finn Di Santis’ flirtatious tendencies and bad boy nature to perfection.
The duo had great banter, and in certain scenes I genuinely felt like I was intruding because the chemistry was out of this world. I was also rooting for them the entire time.
The background noises really set the scene and made me feel like I was immersed in the story. The sounds of cars racing, crowds cheering and phones ringing, as well as the countdown signals, the microphone echoes, and the distorted audio that simulated the headset radio, made the story feel really authentic and realistic.
My one qualm would be that I struggled to focus on the story more than I would reading a physical book, but that may be something I get used to in time as I start listening to more audiobooks.
Overall, I was pretty impressed and I’m rating the book 4 out of 5 stars.
So, would I recommend it? Absolutely. Especially to those who are partial to a cute and swoon-worthy sports romance!
You can listen to The Winning Formula on Audible now. Sign up here!
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