The game is great.
A lot of people are complaining that you can't win in the begining. Well yes, that is by design and is meant to let you feel the progression of your car. Long are the days where you HAD to finish first in every race in order to progress. There are also many complaints about how much money you are making per race - they increase the further you go into the game so if you really want that Lambo - you can get it but you will not earn enough money to buy new cars and upgrade them without spending some time on grinding.
I do agree that cops do always seem to know where to look for you which is a bit annoying as well as the fact that AI racers do not seem to be affected as much as you are by traffic and hits but that helps me personally focus on get better.
As someone who comes from sim racers to relax a bit, I find this a good compromise between being too arcadey and being too hard. The story is servicable, the customisation options are great and the races are all thrilling. Overall, this is the best NFS in a long time.