Let me start this review by saying that I had very high expectations for this book. Berkley romances rarely miss for me, and I am a huge F1 fan that is super excited to see the sport break into the traditional romance publishing space. So Berkley + F1 romance = high expectations!

This book was truly great. I loved the history between Dev and Willow and how it contributed to their chemistry. Their story leaned into some of my favorite trope: boy obsessed, best friend’s brother, forbidden, and forced proximity, just to name a few, and they were intertwined seamlessly. I loved the side plots and side characters, especially Dev and Willow’s brother’s friend group. I had such a fun time trying to place which of them (and the other drivers mentioned!) will get their own story if Simone Soltani writes more in this universe. Willow was a girl after my own heart: a macaron lover, so caring and compassionate, and not afraid to put a man in his place. I loved that Dev wasn’t already at the top of the sport and a championship winner, and instead we got to see his struggles on a mid-field team and trying to prove himself to the more successful teams. It added nuance and depth to his story as an F1 romance MMC!

this book was absolutely adorable!! I’m a huge F1 girlie and this was such a good mix of romance plot that also included a good amount of the f1 racing aspect! Willow & Dev’s relationship was just so fun & sweet! I loved both of the characters and I really enjoyed the writing! Overall a great debut and I will definitely be patiently waiting for book 2!

This started out a bit slow for me and I was definitely annoyed by the dozen times they mentioned her small stature but once it picked up, I really enjoyed this! I loved the diversity and chronic pain representation as they contributed to the story rather than just being something that was lightly mentioned for brownie points. Dev and Willow are so cute and obsessed with one another. I couldn't help my tears from how sweet he was, the various ways he showed that he cared about her, and the way he just KNEW her. I truly loved him so much.

The feelings and mutual attraction were there since the beginning but I'd still say this was a slow burn because it took a while for them to act on those feelings. And no third act breakup!!! This deserves all the love for that alone.

All in all, this was quite cute and I definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this arc!

I hadn't read a romance featuring a Formula 1 driver before, so I was excited to dive into this one. It had the makings of a book that would be a hit for me. The "it's always been you" trope. The brother's best friend trope. The celebrity romance trope. So many good things to like about this book.

I enjoyed this book, but I would say two-thirds of was 3 stars for me. The middle third was 4 stars - it was exciting to see Willow and Dev finally act on their intense chemistry. But after they finally got together, it kind of fizzled out again.

I'm interested to read other books by this author in the future. I think she has the potential to write a really good book.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥

I adored this book, it was so fun to read! Was my first ever book that was about F1, now I am obsessed 🤩
I need more F1 books in my life!
Their story was so cute and I am soo happy they got their happy ending! Also I LOVE the fact that there was no third act break up because I HATE that!!

Sexy, swoony, and keeps you hooked. The writing style is pretty flawless in how engaging it is, so I just wanted to keep reading. Soltani has created a fun romance with a lot of heat and swoons. Sure to be a TikTok favorite.

unfortunately not my cup of tea. as an avid f1 fan for a few years, i was excited to read a new f1 romance, especially with the diversity this one brings! to my dismay, this book wasn’t for me. here’s why:

overall the “conflict” was very low stakes and… didn’t make sense to me? both main characters mutually know about their feelings for each other yet let the fear of her older brother/his best friend finding out get in the way of their relationship. we’re all adults here, are we not?

I should have taken “Willow can fix me. I know she can.” as the red flag that it is. Dev was a sweet character, but NO MAN should rely on his significant other to “fix” them. Similarly with Willow, the repeated putting down of herself made me sad for her. Girl, stop calling yourself “fragile and weak”!

something I loved about the book was the diversity. Dev is half Indian half white and Willow is half black bald white. Not only did we attend a whole Indian wedding (slay), but the commentary of race within the context of f1 was appreciated.

if you’re a fan of “brothers best friend”, “childhood friends to lovers”, and the “coworkers” trope. this book may just be for you.

thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for the eARC

we have an formula one ROOOMAANNNCEE!!! this was so good, i had so much fun 🤭 i really enjoyed our fmc, willow - she was sweet, hardworking, and motivated to get our mmc dev back on track after a social media sh*tstorm. and dev??? my man is OBSESSED. he's with a midfield team looking to get a podium and have a better reputation.

i love how they've known each other for forever, we have a little bit of unrequited love - which i usually don't like - but it was done well.

the only reason it's not 5 stars is that epilogue was a bit interesting, i think it was too long? i think the pacing was a bit off for it and maybe with some reworking it would have been a 5 star. i have no idea if we're getting more or if this is a series but i loved chantal and i need her story!!!!

also- NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!!!! an absolute win in my book 🏁

"whatever you want jaanu, i'll give it all to you" <333

4.5 ⭐s!

This was my first F1 romance, and what a ride it was! I really enjoyed this one.

He is her brother's best friend, but also her childhood friend that she had (let's face it, still has) a crush on, but he falls harder 🤭 I mean… So much yes to all this! 🔥

What to expect:
- MMC, Dev, is South Asian, F1 driver, brother’s (of FMC) best friend
- FMC, Willow, is Black, living with chronic pain, fresh college grad who just earned her first job as -Dev’s social media manager.
- She’s had a crush on him for years, but he falls harder
- Secret Bollywood lover
- Dual POV
- Open door spice

My personal highlights:
- I loved Dev and Willow. From their chemistry, flirting, banter, to their adorableness together. And there was a lot of it. 🤭 I thought they were great characters.
- I love that this reads like a New Adult book to me. There’s a lot of professional growth that happens, and it’s really nice to see how these two smart young adults handle it in their respective fields.
- I also appreciate all the representation. I loved learning about different South Asian traditions from Dev and his family. And it was also encouraging to see a woman with a chronic illness (Willow) being a badass babe and kicking butt at her job.

Overall this was a really fun read. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Soltani!

Thank you so much for the ARC!

Both main characters, Willow and Dev, shine in this one! I loved them individually and was positively screaming for them to finally get together because they complemented each other so well. Charming, vibrant, and wonderfully sensitive, I deeply enjoyed reading Cross the Line--what a fantastic sports romance.

Thank you to Berkley for this early review copy.

I really loved “Cross the Line”! It was a fun, romantic comedy and I really enjoyed the characters and the F1 race atmosphere,

I had never read a book featuring a race-car-driver-romantic-interest, and I found it so fun! Dev was such a perfect love interest. He was so sweet and protective, and also just really likeable! I have read too many romance novels where the male love interest is the biggest jerk and loser. Dev is absolutely a sweetie and he felt very trustworthy and reliable. I love how their romance took time to grow. The sexual tension drives their initial attraction, but the friendship they have drives their entire relationship.

I’m very impressed by this romance and I would highly recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
🏎️ Formula 1 Romance
💕 Brother’s Best Friend
🫶🏻 Childhood Friends to Lovers
🌶️ Spice

Simone Soltani has created a Formula 1 Romance monster 🤭. Who knew racing could be so hot?

Cross The Line was a fun and adorable read! Friends to lovers one of my fav tropes because of all the tension and there was plenty of it 🥵.

I loved the light that was shown on chronic pain and how it can impact everyday life. Dev was super thoughtful with Willow about her illness which makes you love him even more.

Cross the Line kept me captivated, the characters made me laugh and the idea of Dev and Willow marathoning Bollywood movies makes me need a bonus chapter from Simone Soltani 🤣

So I’ll start by saying I don’t think this was the right read for me BUT this is going to be a great read for others! I loved the writing style and have several people I will be recommending this to!

~Willow & Dev~
Cross the Line–Simone Soltani
Release date: September 15th (will be on KU!)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes
~ Brother’s best friend
~ Childhood friends to lovers
~ Sport & workplace romance (F1 driver & social media manager)
~ Ethnically diverse characters (South Asian MMC & Black FMC)
~ FMC with a chronic illness (& it’s written PERFECTLY)
~Dual POV with open door 🌶️
~ No third act break up! (thank god)

When Dev’s last social media manager purposefully ruins his reputation, he needs some serious damage control QUICK. Thankfully, Dev’s best friend’s little sister, Willow, just graduated from college and needs a job. It just so happens that her experterice is in public relations. Dev decides that since Willow truly knows him and has since childhood, she would be the perfect person to fix his image. The problem? A drunken night a year prior led to Willow confessing her feelings for Dev and him ~almost~ kissing her. Little does Willow know, Dev just so happens to have feelings too.

As they travel the world together, their bond and feelings only intensify. When Willow and Dev agreed to work together, their deal was scheduled to end in August, just after his sister's wedding. With the wedding quickly approaching, and both realizing they don’t want this deal to end, can they manage to stay together? How will Willow’s brother react?

This book had me completely hooked from the very beginning! I'm a huge F1 fan, but it is also easy to understand for someone who has never watched it before. I have always loved the brother's best friend trope but this book took it one step further by making Dev the second best friend that Willow has fallen for, which made it even better. I was seriously giggling and kicking my feel the entire time ◡̈

As someone with a chronic illness, I loved to see this displayed, so accurately, in your book. I can’t wait to see this universe expand!

This is a super cute romance set in the formula 1 racing world. I love that the main characters knew each other basically forever but only recently realized they were in love. A little spice too!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

𝟹.𝟿 ͙͘͡★ !𝘕𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘴!
⤷ 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮 𝟭 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲🏎️❤️‍🔥
“𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘔𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘔𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸.”

ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇꜱ:
⊹ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ
⊹ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʜᴏᴏᴅ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ
⊹ ꜱᴘᴏʀᴛꜱ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
⊹ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ

The moment I read about willow-loving macarons, I fell in love. The moment I read about Dev watching Bollywood movies as comfort, I fell in love. I literally loved everything about this book—the writing, the fact that it was written in dual POV, the characters!! ESPECIALLY THE MAIN CHARACTERS AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! 

💌
“𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘴." "𝘔𝘦?" 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧. "𝘞𝘩𝘺?
"𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴."”
💌

!!𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 & 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄!!

My first f1 romance! Did this make me want to watch f1? Yes, more so for the fact that I wanna see hot guys go vroom. Anyway… this was a fun read. Lots of different tropes and a MMC that was so sweet it became borderline cheesy.

Willow has always wanted a job in sports marketing so when an opportunity arises for her to be the social media manager for her brother’s best friend, Dev, who is an f1 racer, she takes it. She’s always had a crush on him and in the very first chapter of the book you learn that they both had a moment about a year ago they’ve since ignored. So throughout the book you know these two have feelings for each other, but they’re scared to act on them. Lots of not so subtle flirting and cute moments between them leading up to them finally giving in.

This was a book that I could tell it was a debut. Some moments dragged and other moments I was confused cause I felt like things jumped around and I missed something. The brother’s best friend conflict is really played into for this one almost to the point where it’s annoying how often it’s mentioned. I was really happy to see there not be a third act breakup though. There not being one fitted the story.

I am curious if the author decides to make this an interconnected series. I couldn’t find any hint of who could possibly be a second book couple though when reading. It has me curious! I do plan to read whatever the author writes next. I’m hoping it’s another f1 but with all the characters introduced I could see her doing something different.

🏎️ f1
🤍 brother’s best friend
📱 workplace
🫶🏻 childhood friends to lovers
🥰 she fell first he falls harder
👏🏼 no third act breakup

dual POV
4/5 stars ⭐️
1.5/5 spice level 🌶️

3.75 stars★

“Her happiness is blinding, like staring into the sun. I don’t want to look away. I’d let her steal the sight from my eyes, the breath from my lungs. I’d let her do her worst and still be eternally grateful.”

Cross the Line is all about Willow and Dev, childhood pals connected through Willow's brother, Oakley. They had a secret kiss in the past, but lost touch...until life brings them together again. Dev then offers Willow a gig as his social media guru to boost his image and handle any potential drama.

The only thing holding me back from giving it a solid 4 stars is...During the first 14 chapters, I had a bit of a back-and-forth with Dev. He kept bringing up the need to get some action, which was annoying to read about. But at the same time, he would say something adorable that had me blushing. So I don't quite feel like this deserves a full 4 star rating.

Simone's writing truly captured the essence of representation! I absolutely loved how the book celebrated diverse backgrounds! It was incredible to witness the author's portrayal of different cultures and experiences throughout the story. Additionally, I adored how Willow's disability was depicted. Even though she deals with hypermobility , nobody ever treated as incapable or a source of inconvenience. The support and understanding she received from those around her, especially Dev, who remembered how to assist her from their childhood, was truly heartwarming.

I loved how Willow and Dev's relationship took its time to develop. It was so adorable to see them together, and their connection was just perfect in every way🥰. Willow's unwavering support for Dev and his caring treatment of her made them such a perfect match.

The best part? NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!❌ It was such a delightful surprise to see their love story unfold without any unnecessary obstacles tearing them apart. After reading this book, I feel like I've gained so much insight into hypermobility and the world of f1 racing. If you're in the mood for a book that's got that perfect balance of sweetness and a little kick, then this is the one you've been searching for!

this was such an ADORABLE read!! it was just so sweet and fun to read. willow and dev were so so cute 💞 also this cover!!!

something i greatly appreciated is that when you’re in dev’s pov (mmc), you can actually witness him falling in love with willow besides reading his thoughts about her physical appearance like in other romances. it makes the romance so much more genuine and the spice that much hotter in my opinion 🤷🏻‍♀️

while this was a brother’s best friend forbidden romance, i feel like it wasn’t that forbidden? willow’s brother, oakley, and dev are best friends but they barely had any interactions. i feel like if oakley were to somehow be involved in dev’s team, willow and dev would have to sneak around, therefore adding to the forbidden romance.

overall, this was a quick and cute f1 romance and i had a fun time reading this 🏁❤️

I had so much fun reading this book. I absolutely loved it. A very cute and enjoyable sports rom-com. Everything about this was so good. Childhood friends to lovers, Brother’s best friend, forbidden romance, slowburn, F1, what more do I need?

Willow and Dev are everything to me. I love them both dearly and need to protect them with my life. As a recent comm graduate who is struggling to find a job, loves macarons, and dreams of working in sports, I immediately found myself connecting to Willow. She literally has my dream job. Dev Anderson is so book boyfriend material. A sappy romantic who loves his family and friends and finds comfort in Bollywood movies, he is literally the perfect man. The tension and slow burn between them was so so good. the will they, won’t they had me hooked.

The writing in this was just the right amount of cheesy for me. I love the banter between Willow and Dev as well as the banter between them and their friends. I liked how a lot of the scenes pertaining to F1 didn’t feel unrealistic. the race scenes were well written and gave me the same anxiety I get while watching a real race. Oftentimes, F1 romances tend to be a little cringy to me because of the unrealistic nature of events but this one was written perfectly. I think the first half of the epilogue could’ve been its own chapter. It was a bit oddly placed, in my opinion, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Overall, this was a very cute and fun sports rom-com with the right amount of fluff and not too much spice. I enjoyed this a lot and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an easy rom-com or any F1 romance fans. Willowdev have my whole heart.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4.5 out 5 stars