Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advanced readers copy of this book.

I dragged my feet on this one forever... figured no time like F1 season to read the F1 romance.

Honestly, it was OK. Not terrible, but not great... very predictable. The spice was well done and not too much. (Factor that as you will.) Overall it was cute, but could take it or leave it.

I'm not a romcom girlie as a rule, but I love motorsports, so I decided to give this a try. I loved it. If Dev Patel and Ayo Edebiri aren't cast in an adaptation, I'll riot.

A real sweet romance with a lot of fun banter. I was surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did and it made me want to really get into F1 lol

very adorable and low stakes. it’s an easy read and that’s just fun. i dont normally read a lot of F1 romances but this one was a cutie!

A really fun book! As a newbie to F1, I believe the actual sport happenings were accurate. I loved the little nod to actual drivers in F1. The story was cute.

This book is perfect for those that just want a wholesome romance book with no extra drama and plots.

For me personally, although I enjoyed this book, I wish there was more happening. For some people I can understand why they would probably think it’s stretched out or too slow, it just didn’t feel like it had much going on other than just “he’s my brothers best friend we can’t date”

Nevertheless, love seeing diversity in sports romance, the author just knows what the girls are gonna love: we get the MMC calling her jannu, simpin over her in desi clothes, a big fat desi wedding.

Love how Willow and Dev are such simps for each other, can’t wait for more by this author

This Formula 1 romance will ALWAYS have my heart. It’s sunshine x sunshine, she falls first but he falls harder, brother’s best friend and has chronic illness rep. I am so in love with it.

Cross the Line by Simone Soltani is a captivating Formula 1 romance that seamlessly blends high-speed thrills with heartfelt emotion. The story follows Dev Anderson, a talented F1 driver facing a career-threatening scandal, and Willow Williams, his best friend’s younger sister, who becomes his social media manager. Their chemistry is undeniable, but their relationship is complicated by family ties and public scrutiny. Soltani skillfully weaves themes of trust, identity, and resilience, creating a narrative that's both exhilarating and tender. With its engaging characters and steamy slow-burn romance, this novel is a must-read for fans of sports romance.

After rereading this for the fourth time, I think I'm finally ready to write about this absolutely fantastic romance. I am by no means an F1 fan, but every F1 romance writer is so talented. Simone Soltani is no exception. Dev, the love interest, is Anglo-Indian-American (though I think in America and in the book he would be called Wasian or Windian). Willow is such a well fleshed-out main character too, and I love how easily Soltani is able to write about identities of communities she is not a part of (like Dev's Indian heritage for example) without sounding preachy or being straight up wrong. This romance is very cozy, all things considered, and I'd maybe even call it low stakes? Nothing wrong with that, but if you want more plot and tension, this is not the book where you'd find it.

3.5 stars!

Cross the Line is a compelling debut that dives into forbidden romance with emotional intensity and sizzling chemistry. Simone Soltani crafts a story that’s easy to fall into, with protagonists who share undeniable tension and a connection that feels both risky and irresistible.

The setup—centered around crossing boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed—works well, and the stakes are high enough to keep the pages turning. Soltani does a good job exploring the emotional weight behind the romance, especially how fear, guilt, and desire collide.

That said, some character development feels a bit surface-level, and key decisions happen quickly, leaving little room for deeper exploration. A few plot points could’ve used more buildup to truly land.

Still, the book delivers on drama, passion, and vulnerability. It’s an enjoyable, fast-paced romance with solid potential—and a great pick if you like morally complicated love stories that blur the lines.

This was pretty good! I love a good sports romance and this one was F1, which made it more fun. I haven’t read very many of those. Also it’s brother’s best friend and childhood crush. Dev and Willow are too cute together! Dev is so sweet! He has so much respect for Willow and I loved that. They both support each other so much.

As a professional driver, I think Formula One romances are my new favorite sports romances. Something about the speed, the need to really know your vehicle, and finding the right moment to make your move on the track and off make them extra exciting. Dev and Willow are so sweet together and there's also something about knowing someone from childhood that adds an extra element of trust to their story. I appreciated the way Dev was careful with Willow's physical challenges and the way she didn't let it stop her from doing what she wanted to do. The people in their lives are true friends and I hope we get more novels with their love stories.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book! The title and this beautiful cover drew me in and i was excited to read this book! I will be recommending this book to others for readers advisory.

I love to see under-represented voices in mainstream, traditionally published romance. I've never read book with Formula 1 as the sport so that was incredibly interesting! I will say that the characters didn't feel like they had depth, and I wasn't too caught up in their romance. This was a fine, fast read, but maybe just not my kind of romance. Fun tropes and other readers will absolutely eat this up!

I didn’t finish I found it hard to get into the story… I wasn’t attached the characters and I found the main guy not likable at all. Was excited for this one

CROSS THE LINE is the first in this entertaining Formula 1 sports romance series.

The romance centers around main characters Willow and Dev, and I thought they were so cute together, and loved the support they showed for one another.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-F1 racer
-forced proximity
-brother’s best friend
-disability rep

I paired the book and audio and loved this style of immersive reading!

*many thanks to Berkley Romance, Prh audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy

Cross the Line started out really strong for me but by the halfway point I was kind of over the fact that assumptions of the brother was keeping 2 people who clearly liked each other, had history apart. Now, I get the best friend's brother trope but I just think I needed more the first chunk of the book that constant longing. The dialogue was solid throughout the book, I liked learning a little bit about F1 racing, so I definitely look forward to more from this author but maybe a different trope! 3.5 stars.

This was my first read by Simone and it will not be my last!

I went into this book not knowing what to expect, I ended the book totally obsessed and in love!!! These characters had me on the edge of my seat wanting more and not wanting it to end.

If you are looking for a book where she falls first but HE falls harder? This book is for you!!!

I don’t know a single thing about f1 but I enjoyed this! It was a quick and easy read with no third act breakup which I always appreciate. Also you can never go wrong with brothers best friend trope💗🏎️

3.25 stars
This was mostly an average read for me. It gets a little more than 3 stars for handling certain tropes better than I expected (I know a lot of readers don’t like the brother’s best friend trope) and for the most part it didn’t go the predictable way. But it really didn’t feel like a lot was happening to keep me fully invested in the story. The epilogue felt like it had the most action (which was actually very confusing, I had to double check that I was actually on the last chapter because what was happening on page just really didn’t feel like it fit there) Overall, not a super memorable read for me but it wasn’t awful either.