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

This was so much fun, forced proximity, forbidden romance, and all in an F1 setting!!

I really enjoyed the set up to this book and the characters as well. The formula one descriptions were all accurate while also being separate from any real references which really made these characters stand on their own! Dev was such a sweet lover boy and I adored the connection between him and Willow! Adorable!!

However, it did lose me about 70% in, I felt as if it slowed down once the stakes dropped, so did some of my interest. It did wrap up beautifully, and I will be excited to see if this book is accompanied with additional interconnected stories.

Absolutely will be recommending to those who want a fun f1 romance!

Won't purchase because it's an adult romance, but it was super-cute and a fun read. I learned a lot about the racing world, of which I knew nothing. I really enjoyed it.

If you love f1 + forbidden relationship + childhood friends to lovers + slow burn this is for you!!!

This follows Willow who has had a massive crush on her brothers bff for years after kissing said bff Devv starts to realize he’s always had a thing for his bff little sister!! After offering Willow a job as his social media consultant the two can’t deny the tension!!

DEV IS LITERALLY SUCH AN ANGEL BOY + the perfect MMC! He is literally so down bad for willow!! I loved that we had two leads who are POC + chronic illness representation! While I liked willow, the stand out character for me was definitely Dev!

The epilogue was good and def seems to be setting up future books, but I feel like it could’ve been woven in the middle of the story rather than the end at least the first half of the epilogue seemed misplaced. Overall I really enjoyed this!!

My first F1 romance and it was so cute I really liked it. This follows Willow the fmc and Dev the mmc as she works as Dev's social media manager to try and rehabilitate his F1 image. Willow has known Dev since they were kids and has always liked him but never done or said anything about it until their almost kiss which went horribly. As they work and travel together for the F1 competitions they get closer and they both realize they like each other but are reluctant to because of Willows's brother. This was fun I appreciated the characters and representation here, and I'm also interested in the side characters cause there's potential for another book. Overall a good debut romance novel! Thanks to the publisher for this arc.

Read if you like:
- Brother's best friend
- F1 Sports romance
- Bipoc main characters
- Workplace romance
- Chronic illness rep
- Steamy scenes
- No third-act breakup
- Childhood friends to lovers

Cross The Line was a book I truly wanted to love, that cover is to die for. But when they started getting together it was way too instalove for me and it made me cringe. I just couldn't do it and I had to stop reading. It felt off and the pacing was off as well. It was not for me.

I really got into Formula One during the pandemic and I remember watching my first race. The speed, the potential of crashing, and also the personal risk a F1 driver makes every time they sit in a race car. While it's a flashy sport and lifestyle there are serious consequences if something in the car or the race doesn't go well (I cite the example of 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix).

I know there's an influx of readers into this new sports genre and into Formula One, but Simone Soltani takes readers on a journey around the world. I also appreciated Simone writing lead characters of colour, Dev and Willow are saccharine sweet and I know many readers will love this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for another wonderful book!

Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was cute!

Given that this is Simone Soltani's debut book, this had some sweet components. The characters were great and I loved the interactions + relationships between the characters. Excited to see more about them in the future? ;)

Cross the Line is such an exciting F1 romance, and proves the point how much we need of the sport in romance books. What made this book better was the POC rep in F1 sport. I seriously need more POC F1 romances PLEASE!!!!

Willow and Dev are characters that will make you smile, I hope you end up falling in love with them because they are truly precious.

Some part of the book that I believe I should highlight is that this book has a pretty rushed ending and a little confusing timeline.

The last chapter has a combined POV that splits the chapter, and we are hit with a LOT to unpack. Plot and Ending wise, I wish that the author would have incorporated this earlier into the book, just so that the reader wouldn't be overwhelmed in the end.

Like it was mixed with a TWIST and your typical sweet epilogue material so it was hard to point out exactly how I felt about the ending.

As for the timeline, you'll see what I mean if you chose to read the book. In one of the chapters, there's a confusing time flashback but it's not clarified that it's a flashback until later on.

It was also kinda hard to pinpoint what exactly was the plot of the book, so I consider the book to be more of a filler kind then one that really has a sense of direction.

Apart from that, it was a cute book! I am excited to see and read more of Simone's work!

Overall I really enjoyed the book!! It has enough content for the people obsessed with F1, as well as enough pining to satisfy the lovers of the slow burn trope. It has the friends to lovers trope as well as the brother’s best friend trope all rolled into one book! It’s definitely a book I would recommend!

I stopped after chapter 3 but the prose is strong, the diverse cast is stellar, and overall this feels like a solid 3-4 star with 5 stars for the right readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

This is really a 3.5 star rating

Thank you to Berkeley Romance, Simone Soltani, & Net Galley. I was so excited for this book. I love sports romances & this was my first F1 romance. I typically don’t love interracial couples but I was excited for this because it involved two POCs instead of a POC & a WP. I think the book was very culturally diverse & touched on some social issues (misogyny & racism/discrimination in the work place & even the mention of SW).

The book was a cute, solid romance novel. I enjoyed the flirting between Dev & Will so, so much. I liked how considerate Dev was of Willow’s job/reputation, & I loved how everyone around them could see how head over heels Dev was for Willow. I also enjoyed the side characters (I hope Oakley & all the friend group get their own books).

I didn’t love how hard it was keeping track of all the drivers. I feel like I was constantly misplacing who drive for what team & who we as readers were supposed to like/dislike. I also think keeping the secret from Willows brother was a little dramatic. And I feel like the crush Oakley had on dev’s sister was a useless fact (UNLESS he’s getting his own book).

There’s nothing wrong with this book it just wasn’t amazing. It’s definitely enjoyable & if you want something light & easy to read I’d recommend this. Can’t wait to read more by this author.