A Light and Enjoyable Watch
The story is light and fun to follow. The OST is nice to listen to, and the visuals are beautiful—I really like the color tone of the cinematography. The actors did a great job, and the chemistry between Jiang Mu and Jin Chao is strong, it makes you smile without realizing it.Jiang Mu is cute and adorable, but she also has a cool side. She’s a navigator, knows a lot about cars, can do taekwondo, drives a pink truck, drifts, dances, sings, and even cooks. She’s truly a multi-talented female character.
I hope Esther Yu is always happy, continues to be successful, and is surrounded by kind people and good days.
Was this review helpful to you?
Esther is so beautiful in every single scene. I really can't stop looking at her because she looks so stunning in this show. But she is not just a pretty face; her acting is also very amazing and feels so real. She brings so much charm to her character, making the story feel alive. You can really feel her emotions in every part of the drama. She is truly a great actress who makes this show very special to watch.
And can we talk about how handsome Heyu is? He has such a strong screen presence and his acting is top-notch. He perfectly captures his character's emotions, making it impossible not to fall for him. The chemistry between Esther and Heyu is just perfect. Both of them are not only good-looking but also very talented actors.
If you are looking for a great drama with amazing visuals and great acting, you must watch this. My long wait was not wasted at all!
Was this review helpful to you?
Too mesmerizing and cool drama
The leading male actor "YU HE" becomes the centre of attraction. Those cool racing and stunts add an another flare to the story line. The chemistry between actor and actress was great. you can feel the tense and good vibe between them. and off course the romantic scenes where beath taking. The other actor and actors were also too good. A full package of romance, danger, humour and racing in one drama. I became a big fan of the leading actor due to his superb acting skills and the way he portrayed his character. In another hand the actress "ESTHER YU" as usual is cute and adorable which makes the drama more eye catching.Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
When ‘Not by Blood’ Isn’t Enough: A Deeply Uncomfortable Siblings Romance
Drama that has received surprisingly positive reviews, but for me, it was deeply uncomfortable and ultimately unwatchable.The story centers on a “not-by-blood” siblings-to-lovers romance. The ML was adopted by the Jin family, and the FL was born later. They grew up as siblings until their parents divorced and never saw each other again. Years later, as adults, the FL learns that the ML was adopted and immediately flies to see him.
While the drama technically removes the blood relation, it completely ignores the psychological and emotional reality of the relationship. These two characters grew up as brother and sister, and that context is never meaningfully addressed. No one in the story seems to mind, nor the viewers who rated this positively. There is no internal conflict, no moral hesitation, no boundary-setting—nothing.
What disturbed me most is how the romantic and physical tension starts in episode 1, literally the day the FL lands. There is zero transition. Let's bear in mind that the FL’s entire memory of the ML is of her childhood brother, yet overnight the overly skinship didn't matter. There is no gradual shift, no self-reflection, no struggle with the idea that flirting with the person you grew up calling “brother” might be wrong or, at the very least, confusing.
The show treats this shift as if it’s the most natural thing in the world—brother one day, romantic interest the next. The FL doesn’t hold back at all. There’s no conscience, no hesitation, no acknowledgment of boundaries. It feels less like a developed romance and more like the characters were simply waiting for a technical loophole to justify their attraction.
The most repulsive aspect for me is the constant use of childhood flashbacks showing their innocent sibling bond, immediately followed by scenes of overt flirting and intense skinship in the present. The contrast is jarring and unsettling. By episode 13, when they are openly all over each other, I had to stop watching.
I’ve watched dramas with sibling-like relationships turning into romance before—Go Ahead, for example—but those stories handled the transition with care, emotional growth, and moral awareness. The characters didn’t behave as if they were itching to jump into bed the moment a non-blood-related excuse appeared. Side note: In Go Ahead, the characters were not related by blood, not adopted siblings, and not legal siblings. They were neighbors who grew up extremely close and formed a found-family dynamic, while still having their own parents and separate family identities.
Speed and Love lacks that sensitivity entirely. It romanticizes a relationship that, while legally permissible (?), is emotionally and psychologically twisted, without ever questioning itself. For me, it crossed a line on multiple levels, and no amount of chemistry or production quality could make up for that.
Final verdict:
If you’re comfortable with sibling-coded romance that skips moral reflection and emotional realism, you might enjoy this. If not, this drama will likely feel disturbing rather than romantic.
Was this review helpful to you?
UHHHH
ALRIGHT so I don't have much to say but I didn't find it THATT interesting! TBH, i didn't complete the drama so I don't fully know but till how much I watched, I would say only the first few eps were interesting. I dropped it pretty fast, i tried to watch it later but the acting got the best of me...I DROPPED IT AGAIN. I do love He Yu's acting but Esther's threw me off. I didn't like the fact she kept on acting like a child. As a person who notices facial expressions....yeah no. The story till was pretty boring, it was a typical script. They could have made it better by maybe adding plot twists and better reasoning for He Yu to be gone for that MANY YEARS. Overall, I would recommend it to the people who enjoy romance and a lot of SMOOCH scenes!Was this review helpful to you?
Wasted Potential
Speed and Love could’ve been a really good drama. At first, I was really drawn in by the racing world, the Thai atmosphere, and the garage setting with its gritty, oily aesthetic. It gave the drama a strong identity right away. He Yu as Zhin Shao also stood out a lot, cold, distant, and very much the classic bad boy, he’s really magnetic and makes you want to know what’s behind his character.The beginning is genuinely addictive, with a strong mix of racing, danger, romance, and intensity. It really felt like the drama had something special going for it.
But later on, it starts to lose its impact. The story becomes softer and more predictable, especially as the focus shifts away from racing. The darker, more intense tone fades, and it turns into something more basic and overly sweet, which is disappointing given the strong start.
Visually, it looks good, with strong cinematography and nice color grading, but the execution doesn’t fully match the aesthetics. The storytelling feels uneven and underdeveloped, which wastes a lot of the potential.
I made it to episode 20, but it also gives a very Wattpad-like feeling, with pacing issues and episodes that are too long, which makes everything feel stretched out.
I also never really felt any chemistry between the main couple. Most of their interactions felt empty, superficial, and overly cheesy, without much emotional depth or tension. Their relationship never truly felt convincing to me. Honestly, I found the FL had much better chemistry with Lin Sui, and their dynamic felt far more natural and engaging to watch.
As for the acting, especially Esther, I have mixed feelings. She clearly has talent, but her character is written in a very childish way, which limits her performance.
In the end, it has great visuals and atmosphere, but the writing doesn’t do it justice.
Was this review helpful to you?
High budget production with a sub-Borderline story line
Before the release of the drama, the trailer was on point, captured most of the drama's essence has a intriguing bad boy-good girl couple with a romance that tested the boundaries of brother-sister relationship vs man-woman.However when the drama was released I realised the plot was not really what I expected, it focused more on the leads chemistry scenes, there was no solid foundation to build up their relationship, no deep reasoning for them to fall in love, no character developement or development to their relatioship. It feels like their romance happened just because its the plot and bam they just indulged in each other's lust. Once they got together there were so many lovey-dovey scenes and little storyline between the two. It feels like each time they got together was just to kiss or hug, even one kiss scene lined up after another in a different place, and then the next scene you see Mumu suddenly dancing to some song at some festival and Jin Zhao sitting with some girl with his hands over the randoms girl's shoulders. The scenes are literally so disconnected and all over the place. albeit being very well shot with the pretty colours in the background.
Perhaps because I've only watch up to ep 16, which is already about half way into the drama, I feel the storyline up to this point is quite non-existent, just Mumu going to find Jin Zhao, them reuniting, Mumu settling down in Thailand meanwhile guessing what Jin Zhao is up to, which up to this point there isn't much revealed as well. I don't know what these 16 episodes have contributed to the whole story, it feels like it could be condensed into just 6-8 episodes instead.
The scenes where Mumu cried were unconvincing as well, in my opinion the story is not troubling enough to resonate with a cry. I get that they got separated at their childhood but is this reason alone enough to cause such a yearning for each other? Perhaps the plot could thicken to add more tension in their family relationships like Mumu having a bad relationship with her mom and step father, how they would trouble her in other ways and her only good memory was when she had her brother around.
Also, the whole set up feels very staged, especially their clothes, like who goes to school wearing which pretty cute short skirts and dresses and a tiny little bag? And why is Jin Zhao always sweating?
Although I love the whole production's music, cinematography, actors and acting, It feels like a good production go to waste because of the story line. While watching this drama I felt a similar vibe to another drama "Forbidden Flower' which carried the same type of tension and chemistry between the leads, also a bad boy-young girl relationship, lots of lust, and just a bam, romance without any deep plot or development story. I checked and indeed they were written by the same screenwritter T.T
Was this review helpful to you?
A Total Heart-Racing, Emotional Masterpiece I Did NOT Expect to Love This Much
This drama has easily become one of my top favorites among the Chinese dramas I’ve watched. I was initially drawn in by the trailer and didn’t expect much, but it turned out to be far better than I anticipated, leaving me with no regrets after watching it.The emotional delivery is one of the drama’s strongest points. The tension, love, and pain are portrayed convincingly, making the story emotionally engaging without feeling forced. The cinematography deserves special mention, the contrast and visual composition enhance the atmosphere beautifully and elevate the overall viewing experience. Another standout element is the car racing scenes. They are exciting and well-directed, and I genuinely felt the thrill while watching them. The OST also fits the drama perfectly, strengthening the emotional impact of key scenes, and it’s good enough to earn a spot on my playlist. Performance-wise, He Yu gives a compelling portrayal that has definitely earned him a place among my favorite Chinese actors. As for Esther Yu, she continues to shine—having watched many of her dramas, this role once again proves her talent and versatility. It’s honestly hard not to admire her work.
Was this review helpful to you?
Esther Yu is Jiang Mu coded
This drama is very good, from the plot, the acting of the actors and actresses, the drama production is very good. Besides that, Jiang Mu's character is a very interesting figure, she is a cute girl, very dedicated and also firm in her stance. Esther Yu as an actress also plays a very important role in the promotion of this drama, where her tiktok content really spoils fans until we are carried away by their romantic atmosphere to real life. You must watch this drama on iQiyi, and don't forget to give a good review, thank you all for reading my review.Was this review helpful to you?
Saved by the chemistry
The casting and the chemistry between leads really saved this drama. They did their best with what they had, and ML did a great job acting.The editing needed a lot of work. There were many inconsistencies in the storytelling along with a lot of scenes being cut that were brought up later, where they mention certain things happening that were cut out and never shown, making audiences question whether we missed something or if they forgot to include it.
Many small details like this could have been easily fixed by the production team but it seemed like they were either rushed on time or not detailed/careful enough.
Not the fault of the actors, but it's a shame that the editing inconsistencies brought down the quality and professionalism of the drama.
Overall, it was still a good watch as it's rare to have such chemistry in a drama. Still recommended if you're able to ignore the choppy editing and just focus on the feelings between the leads.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
