A solidly cute sports romance perfect for fans of F1 and romance novels. F1 driver Dev is struggling after a minor scandal has tarnished his image. Willow, hoping to break into sports marketing, would be the perfect person to help him rehab his image. The only problem is the two of them have a lingering attraction to one another after a stolen kiss at a party last year. Which wouldn't actually be a problem if Willow wasn't the little sister of Dev's best friend Oakley, and therefore completely off limits. But as the two start to work together more closely, sparks start to fly, and they will have to decide whether to act on their attraction.

I was pleased to see F1 being represented in a romance novel! There've been a lot of hockey romances lately, so it's nice to see some other sports getting the spotlight. As a newly casual F1 fan, the sports aspects felt accurate and it was fun to read about that. There is biracial representation with both the main characters (Willow is Black and Dev is Indian), and Willow also deals with chronic pain issues. Although I can't speak from experience on either of those points, the representation was nice to see and felt authentic.

I kept waiting for there to be more drama in this book. As other reviews mentioned, I appreciated the fact that there was no third act breakup, but overall the stakes felt really low here. The main conflict is just them deciding to act on their feelings and sneaking around a little to protect Willow's brother's feelings (which didn't feel like very high stakes) and to protect Willow's future career (higher stakes but ultimately nothing really happened here). The author kept dropping in hints about larger F1 team drama but ultimately those threads felt dropped--for example, Dev's teammate hates him for some reason, which is mentioned several times (enough to make it feel like it will be important) but then not really explained or explored.

I would say this isn't the best sports romance I've ever read, but solid. I believe this is a debut novel and sometimes the writing felt a little unpolished, but the premise was pretty solid and I think this is a sign of good things to come from this author (/this series?).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 | 🌶️🌶️🌶️

"𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒏, 𝑫𝒆𝒗. 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔."

Absolutely adorable.

I love a good sports romance, and the fact that this one was Formula 1 just upped the ante in terms of pressure and danger. The race scenes had me flipping through the pages in a frenzy, needing to know that our boy Dev was going to be okay in the end.

Dev and Willow’s friendship turned relationship was the sweetest thing I’ve read in a very long time. I’m so used to grumpy/sunshine novels that I didn’t realize how refreshing it would be to read a book where both characters were full of sunshine and smiles.

The only thing preventing this from being a five star read for me was the beginning of the novel. The sheer number of characters and job titles that were introduced in the first part of the book was impossible to keep up with. I was spending so much time trying to remember who everyone was that I couldn’t focus on the story line.

Overall, I highly recommend this for anyone looking for:
🏎️ Sports Romance
❤️ Brothers Best Friend
🏎️ Diverse Characters
❤️ Childhood Crush
🏎️ Workplace Romance

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A book about racing? That can be sexy right? UHM Yes! I'm not a car/racing fan at all, but this book was fun, engaging, and I couldn't put it down! Simone did an incredible job in her descriptions and the wild ride the MCs go on. I absolutely ATE IT UP!

I will be the first to admit that I know nothing about Formula 1 racing. I know NASCAR, but I am not a follower or anything so I had absolutely no clue what I was getting in to.

This book was so much fun though! I love that the main characters were childhood besties and this was such a good spin on the brother’s best friend trope! I loved that there were diverse characters. I love that there was disability rep. All of these little pieces played together seamlessly to make such a great story.

The main characters, Dev and Willow, are such great leads. Dev is a stand out racer, racing for a less than stellar team. Willow is a recent college grad struggling to find work in her field of sports marketing. Dev sees an opportunity and takes it, and offers Willow a job rebuilding his social media image. While this trope could have easily come across as overplayed and easily expected, the story between these two was fantastic.

This book also had an interesting side plot (really more of an underplot?) about discrimination and favoritism and I think that was so fresh to read in the way the author wrote it. She never was HEY LOOK AT THIS, but more the pieces were there if you were willing to pick them up. On more than one occasion, I paused, thought, and considered how I think about people. It was so well done.

Overall, this is not a sport I see myself exploring, but I will definitely dive back into this genre of sports romance. I loved it.

This was my first F1 sports romance and I loved it! The slow burn and tension hooked me. The chemistry between Willow and Dev was so adorable. I love Dev! He’s the sweetest! I really enjoyed the cultural representation in this book as well. Simone Soltani did an excellent job writing about F1 and gave the story lots of context. I will be picking up the physical copy when it releases because the cover is adorable. 🏎️

Everything about this book was lightning in a bottle. The characters, the slow burn, the pacing, the diversity. It was magic. Cross the Line has just entered my top favorite books of all time! It was an easy 5 stars, and I don’t give those out very often. Picturing Dev watching Bollywood movies with Willow is my new favorite comfort reel in my head. I wish I had more eloquent words for this one, but I’m at a loss because I just keep replaying it in my mind! There was action, there was forbidden romance, there was a slow burn, there was disability rep, there was hotties in F-1 cars, there was surfing, traveling the world, and there was Dev, the best book boyfriend ever.

Fun and flirty workplace/forbidden relationship romance. I had not seen a F1 romance before so this was new! Even my husband is wanting to read it!

I'm in my F1 era and I loved every minute of this book. I loved this sooo much! A total must read! Go read this now!

The heady world of Formula 1 racing is all about not only winning, but how social media spins the story. When race car driver, Dev Anderson, gets burned by his former media handler, his career threatens to tank especially if the team and sponsors’ drop him. Dev’s best friend since childhood and former racing buddy, Oakley, has brought his recently college graduated sister, Willow Williams, along to a sponsor party in Monaco. The year previously, Dev and Willow shared a kiss that neither can seem to forget.

Dev’s image needs repairing and Willow has had no luck finding a marketing job so the perfect solution seems to be a temporary professional relationship benefiting both. As Willow follows Dev on the Formula 1 circuits rigorous schedule of fast cars as well as rich and glamorous people at wild parties, she has a harder time keeping things strictly business. Dev is equally conflicted because Willow’s brother has threatened him against any funny business with his beloved sister.

Dev has more problems besides his desire for Willow with his race team owner while she is very conflicted about her feelings for him. This story is high on angst, intense longing with the backdrop of the race world where million-dollar cars and racers’ lives constantly in jeopardy. This story has a very YA with naughty language vibe that seems mostly about Dev and Willow's efforts to stay away from each other. and then, hiding any relationship from family and friends.

I'm not going to lie, F1 is a giant mystery to me. I had not the foggiest clue going into this book about anything to do with the sport. So I was a little apprehensive going in, but I am so glad I did because I loved this book! Simone Soltani definitely did a great job of showing the atmosphere and rules of F1 without just information dumping it all in one place. But at the heart of the book is the romance between Dev and Willow, which I absolutely adored. Typically, with brothers best friend romances I don't usually feel like there is a good enough reason why the romance is "forbidden," but I really feel like Soltani created some reasonable obstacles for them to have to overcome. The romance between the two was just so precious. I love how absolutely gone they both are for each other, and how they both have each other's back in all things, especially career wise. The communication between them is also top tier.

I also loved the friend group, and I hope we get to see their stories in the future.

The only real criticism I have of the book is that the ending/epilogue felt a bit rushed and out of place. I would have liked to have seen those events happen slightly earlier in the book. But all in all, I really loved this book and am excited to see what Soltani writes next!

Cross the Line is a fun sports romance. It was my first F1 book and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I don’t know much about the sport, but I was fascinated by the team/driver dynamics and the competition. I found myself absorbed in the racing scenes.

I also found myself totally invested in Dev & Willow as the main characters. I wanted them to succeed in their careers and find a way to be together. Willow has had a crush on Dev since they were kids. He is her brother Oakley’s best friend, and they all grew up together, but Dev didn’t know about her feelings until a year ago when they shared a drunken kiss.

Fast forward a year later and Dev needs some help repairing his image after an issue with his form social media manager. Willow has recently graduated college and is looking for a job in sports media, so they agree to help each other out. Their attraction is obvious, and they start flirting, but agree to keep it professional because of Oakley and Willow’s career.

These two pine and lust after each other HARD! The buildup to when they finally give in, along with Dev’s races, kept me completely engaged. After that, the book felt a little slow and disjointed to me. There were several situations set up to possibly be the main conflict, but none of them felt fully developed even though they were all resolved.

The wedding scenes with Dev’s family were some of my favorites (his sister gets married near the end of the book). His mom does some not so subtle matchmaking and I thought it was adorable and funny. Their friend groups are also amazing. I hope the series continues with one or more of them getting books.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will read more from this author.

Love the diverse backgrounds & as a wife of a race team owner this was an interesting read. However, I didn’t love the first 10ish chapters with Dev constantly saying he needed action…. Cringe. But it did get better as the story progressed.

3.75 stars

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC!

Cross The Line by Simone Soltani is a fun sports romance centered around Formula 1 driver, Dev, and his best friend’s sister, Willow. After hiring Willow to manage his social media, Dev and her find it difficult to keep their relationship professional as their feelings for one another grow into something more heated.

This dual POV romance was an exciting peek into Formula 1 and a sweet story of childhood friends becoming something more. It’s a quick read that had me nervous for Dev and Willow while also patiently waiting for them to give into their true feelings! Soltani did a great job exploring and explaining Formula 1- I knew nothing about F1 going into this read, but I still understood what was happening perfectly fine. I’m a sucker for a heartfelt friend group with good banter, and we had two in this book! The characters were all so incredibly well done. It felt a little drawn out in some parts, but since it’s a fast read, I didn’t mind at all. Definitely pick this one up if you want to get into F1 or if you just love the “she fell first, he fell harder” trope!

Thanks, again, Berkeley & NetGalley for this ARC!

My first F1 romance! Cross the Line is a childhood friends to lovers story that follows Willow and Dev. After sharing a secret kiss in the past, these two come together again after Dev offers Willow a job as his social media manager.

Some elements I enjoyed;

- Brother's best friend longing/ I've always had a crush on you hehe
- Forced proximity/workplace romance
- Sneaking around!
- Chronic illness rep
- No third act break-up
- Slow burn

3.5 rounded to 4.

Thank you so much to Berkley publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Maybe it’s because this is my first F1 Romance read but this was such a breath of fresh air as far as sports romances go for me. It was fun and cute read that’s perfect to read while poolside this summer. Dev was an absolute gem of a hero that falls into the cinnamon roll category without being bland or annoying and Willow was a fun and well developed heroine. I’m excited to see upcoming titles from Simone Soltani!

Thank you to Berkley for the e-ARC and finished copy!

I’m not going to lie… I don’t know a lot about F1. But this sure had me wanting to jump on a bandwagon. I was so invested. I loved Devs relationships and dynamics with the other racers (minus Nathaniel). I also really appreciated that the author didn’t drag out or make us wait until the end of the book to see what had happened between Dev and Willow previously. Having that context made the book so much better and more enjoyable.
I had never heard of Willows condition before so that was very interesting to read about. I was semi expecting her to get hurt and then a big blow up moment with Dev. But I think the way it all happened is what was right for their story. I also loved their banter. Some of the best I’ve read recently. It had me cackling out loud while reading in public.
Overall a really amazing story and I hope not the last! I’d love to read about Reid and the rest of the guys.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this Arc
All thoughts are my own.

I wanted to love this. The premise sounded like so much fun and I adored the different take on a sports romance. That said, this fell a bit flat for me. All of the characters seemed young and immature, I didn't love how the brother's best friend trope played out, there were some inconsistencies with the character development, and I'd be SO curious how an actual social media manager feels about how some things were depicted.

All that said, I had a decent time reading this. I think there are a ton of people who will absolutely love this one, it just wasn't totally for me.

3.5 stars

cross the line is a sports romance featuring f1, brother's best friend and diverse backgrounds!! i absolutely loved the representation here especially the south asian representation since i feel like it's rarely displayed in books. willow and dev were such cute characters with more than obvious chemistry from the beginning!!

an unpopular opinion but i do not like brothers best friend but i continue to read it hopes of books such as this one that can remind me why i did at one point!! it didn't feel completely predictable as i think the brother didn't play a huge factor in this like normally and with no third-act i really was able to enjoy this!!

however, i personally wasn't a huge fan of dev's behavior at the beginning and although their prior interactions do play a role in this it somehow felt more insta-lusty while at the same time being a slow burn.

overall, i really enjoyed it and binged it in one day so if that's not telling idk what is!!
thank you to netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.25 ⭐

What to expect:
• Sports romance (F1) 🏎️
• Childhood friends to lovers
• Brother's best friend
• Fun summer read

I really liked the sports element of this book. I’ve only read a couple F1 romances before this one, but I would say this book definitely had a seemingly realistic portrayal of it.
The characters in this book were really fun and cute! I’m a sucker for a social media manager FMC. And the representation was great! Both MCs were POC, along with a large amount of the side characters (which led to some discussion about representation in F1, love it!!), and the FMC (Willow) has chronic joint pain.
There were a lot of secondary characters to keep up with, but I can see some really interesting stories brewing with them and I’m excited to hopefully read more about them in the future. I definitely think I’ll like this series more as it goes on and develops.
I liked beginning of the book more than the second half. I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the brother’s best friend trope turned out — it felt a bit immature because they were so worried about him finding out, and I didn’t love people going over Willow’s head to ask her brother’s permission for things. Bit weird.
The plot got slower in the second half and I kept waiting for something big to happen, but nothing really did (besides Dev’s sister’s wedding, which was cute, but obvs not too high stakes). There was a mention of another conflict (workplace related) that had a lot higher stakes but that kind of fell away.
Overall, this is not my favorite book, but I can see a lot of potential for the series. It's a fun, low stakes, summery read and I would recommend it for fans of sports romance — I’m looking forward to seeing what this author writes next!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley and for this ARC

Where have F1 romances been all my life?! I need more immediately! This was such a fun book full of edge-of-your-seat excitement, fantastic chemistry, great characters, multiple locations, dual POVs, and no third act breakups. This was such a breath of fresh air in the sports romance world. I need more by this author immediately.