3.75 - This was a cute and fun romance and my first F1 romance which I really enjoyed!! I heard a bunch of mixed reviews going in, so I was kinda iffy about if I even wanted to read this, but I'm so glad I did. I LOVE friends to lovers, and especially brother's best friend, and I thought the tropes were so well done!!

Dev and Willow bump into each other at one of Dev's races. Dev has been struggling after dealing with a bit of a PR crisis, and Willow is in need of a job. Despite not having seen each other since they last hooked up, Willow begins working with Dev. Right from the beginning, despite Willow being the one who has had a crush on Dev her whole life, you can tell that Dev is DOWN BAD. All of his friends are constantly trying to talk him out of screwing around with Willow, because she is his best friend's little sister, but Dev can't stay away from her. I loved the way that Dev worshipped Willow, always going to her whenever he needed comfort and a little bit of happiness. I loved the way they shared their cultures and families with each other. This book was steamy, but also so cute. And as my first F1 romance, I really really enjoyed that aspect of the book!! Overall this was really cute and I'm glad I read it, it was a fun F1 romance with great representation and a cute couple.

Thank you to Berkley for sending me this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!!

This was such a fun F1 romance book! It balanced the romance and the sport very well, and the F1 details were fairly accurate which I appreciate!

The tension between Willow and Dev was HIGH, and the slow burn really burned. But the payoff was worth it! I love how much Dev and Willow kept things professional, and appreciate how much Dev looked out for Willow without being possessive or overbearing. Sometimes we just need a nice guy, and Dev was it!

Also, shout out to the chronic illness representation and diversity within the book. We had many diverse characters, and the inclusion of Dev's sister's Indian wedding was super fun to read about!

If you're an F1 fan, or looking to expand your sports romance TBR, definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkeley Publishing and Simone Soltani for the advance reader copy!

Tags:
-friends to lovers
-brother's best friend
-secret relationship
-sports romance (F1)
-no third act breakup
-slow burn

Spice: 2.5/5

First person/Dual POV

Falling for your brother's best friend who just happens to be a Formula 1 racer was definitely not on your plans when you decided to visit the Monaco in hopes of finding a sports PR Job. Willow Williams is a recent college grad who is desperate for a job. Dev Anderson is a Formula 1 driver who's career is in jeopardy when his social media scandal makes his team angry and makes sponsors want to ditch him. Dev is Willow's brother Oakley's best friend... and they might have shared a kiss.... too bad Oakley has strictly forbidden any of his friends from dating his sister. Willow has always had a crush on Dev yet after that one incident Dev has been completely head over heels for Willow. When Oakley invites Willow to attend Monaco to try and make connections for a potential job opportunity she runs into Dev... and with Dev in desperate need of a new social media manager who better than to take up the job than Willow. The only problem is that that means they'll be spending much more time together and trying to resist temptation will be almost as hard as winning a Formula 1 race. This was a sweet and cute F1 Romance read and as an F1 Girly, I had a blast. I loved the dynamic between Willow and Dev, there was great communication and support between the two and they had great chemistry. It's a totally cute read and I would absolutely recommend it!

Release Date: July 23,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc ine exchange for an honest review*

Such a cute read! I’ve never read anything about F1 racing, so I was worried going into this that I would be lost or confused, but thankfully I wasn’t! You should read this if you like:

- Brothers best friend
- Dual pov
- F1 driver x social media manager
- No 3rd act breakup
- Open door spice

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the e-ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

I had no idea what to expect from my first Formula 1 romance since I know absolutely nothing about the sport, but I really enjoyed this one!

Willow and Dev had a secret kiss last year that they've both chosen to ignore since Willow is Dev's best friend's younger sister. Neither of them expected Willow to start working for Dev to help rehab his image after his last social media manager did some serious damage. They agree to keep things platonic, but unsurprisingly that turns out to be easier said than done.

I really enjoyed this story and Willow and Dev's characters. I also really enjoyed the various side characters in the story and would love to see more of them in the future. Willow and Dev's story was really cute and I love how supportive they are of each other. They are truly the perfect couple and balance each other so well. Dev helps Willow restore some of her confidence and sense of self that she has lost over the years from dealing with her chronic illness. I also loved all the details of Dev's culture and Willow's chronic illness the author included. It was all very well written and informative.

Overall, this was a really great read and I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

dev needs to reform his image after getting burned by his last social media manager. so when he runs into willow, his best friend’s little sister who needs a job, the answer is simple. hire her. but after they shared a kiss last year, things aren’t as easy as either of them would like.

dev was down baaad. I really enjoyed his character. he’s a softie. willow was really passionate about what she does and I really liked that too! I haven’t read many F1 romances and now I’m craving another one 😬

thank you netgalley and berkley romance for an arc!

tropes & things
✨ sports romances
✨ brother’s best friend
✨ childhood friends to lovers
✨ forced proximity
✨ bipoc mcs
✨ chronic illness rep

*I received a copy of this book in exchange on an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley.

Dev races for a middle of the pack F1 team. He recently came under fire after a social media post claimed he had an STD. Now he's looking for a social media manager and runs into Willow Williams, his best friends sister and all time girl next door. Willow is just trying to get her first job in the world of sports and is nervous about working for her crush when the last time she dated a friend of her brothers, it tore up the group. With an expiration date of Dev's sister's wedding, will the two remain professional?

This was sweet and swoony but still had a healthy amount of F1, which I loved. The romance built really well and I loved that they were always on the same page. My biggest issue with the book comes from the details. It didn't feel completely flushed out. What were the parent's names? What exactly does her brother do for work? And why doesn't the sister's fiance have a name? It just felt like there were a lot of little pieces missing.

Despite the slowing of the burn in the beginning this book turned out to be so cute! This was a brothers best friend F1 novel. I’ve never read an F1 story but this book definitely had me looking up some racers LOL.

I loved the fact that the author used bollywood movie and music references throughout the book and made the MMC obsessed with them also because that’s too cute.

But his WORDS?? OF AFFIRMATION??? Unbelievable, every word coming out of Dev’s mouth was just perfection. I can’t get over it. So, despite the kinda slow burn in the beginning literally the entire rest of the book made up for it.

Definitely would recommend giving this a read if you need something cute to giggle and kick your feet at.

This was a great debut, dual POV, racing romance that sees new graduate Willow getting hired by her brother's best friend, Dev, a professional racecar driver in need of a PR boost. With sizzling chemistry, great disability rep (Willow has EDS) and two fantastic South Asian leads, this book was full throttle fun with a satisfying slow burn, forbidden romance and lots of tasty macarons.

Great on audio narrated by Vikas Adam and Nerissa Bradley and perfect for fans of Lauren Asher's Dirty air series or K. Bromberg's Full throttle series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review. I can't wait to read what Simone Soltani writes next!!

Steam level: open door

more like a 3.75 because this was sooo cutie! I really loved the f1 world and my social media babe Willow (love that for her<3 can I please find a bad reputation f1 man and fix his image??!)

I really loved all the characters and dev was perfect!! His and willows mutual obsession with each other was so good. I gotta say I love the brother’s best friend trope!

Overall this was just a cute read and I’m soo happy to have received this as an arc from NetGalley and Berkley<3

Sports romances are often so hit or miss for me because there's times it feels like the author has never watched it or clearly didn't do their research. This book was definitely not that! Simone Soltani is clearly an F1 fan and that fact really came through.
It took me a little bit to get hooked on the romance (which is why I rated it 4 stars), but because I was hooked on the F1 side, the book had me from the beginning. It was incredibly adorable and a fun read.
Highly recommend especially if you are a fan of F1!

A dazzling debut!
I cannot believe that this is the authors first book.

So many elements of brother's best friend that I love and yes, some that I didn't like.
Slow burn with great spice pay off.

And as my first F1 read I learned a lot!

My first F1 romance and a solid debut from Berkley all rolled up in one story. Plus a true testament to Soltani’s ability to write a sports romance about a sport I know nothing about and not have me totally bewildered!

This was extremely cute and low angst and sweet, if that’s your cuppa. Dev and Willow are pretty sunk for each other from the start and their little movie nights watching Bollywood hits (ft. Shah Rukh Khan. REAL) was precious and adorable. And I LOVED that Dev, for all his “oh I’m such an F1 playboy” persona was really just a big marshmallow for his girl. A personal fav! Hypermobility rep? Super solid. The bits of desi culture sprinkled throughout? Delightful. The way the story blended the romance, the sports aspect, and the conflict in my perfect ratio for a sports romance? LOVED.

And while I enjoyed it and do recommend it, I will say I found myself bored at about 70% because this story is *so* low low angst (and honestly has low low tensions/chemistry) and I think we were supposed to rely on off page history (friends since childhood) to sell the relationship development and it didn’t really work super well. I think there’s a difference between angst and tension and this really needed some *tension* between the MCs that I didn’t feel. But I will say that I am not a fan of romances that don’t have a third act breakup so that’s entirely a me things and may not bother you! In which case, I think you’ll love this one more than I did!

But that aside, it was cute! A solid debut and lovely F1 romance and I do recommend it if you’re craving a sweet, fluffy romance. Soltani has a bright future in romance ahead and I can’t wait to see what she puts out next!

I really struggled to get through this one. It took me almost a week and a half to finish because I just couldn’t get into it. I really disliked Dev from the very beginning and I didn’t feel like he had all that many redeeming qualities. I also felt the romance didn’t have much build up and was a little bit inconsistent with the backstory. I did enjoy the F1 aspect of the story though.

I loved the slow burn with Willow and Dev’s relationship progression and how cute they were together overall. Willow is so sweet and supportive of Dev, while Dev is also supportive of Willow and treats her with the most care (and the nickname he gives her is cute too). Dev’s humor shined through in the dialogue and they were just two people who are basically a perfect fit in all the ways that matter. i also felt like, in my opinion, both the portrayal of Willow’s hyper mobility and the F1 aspect were done well and I learned so much about both of these topics. It took me a bit to get invested in the characters at first, but once I did I ended up really enjoying this one for what it was. I’d highly recommend this one and i’m down to read whatever Simone Soltani writes next!

Came for F1 and the romance, and I’m glad I stayed! It took me a while to get into, but once I did I truly found myself enjoying Dev and Willow’s story. If you enjoy F1, this is a fun one to get into, and I definitely recommend it!

I truly enjoyed this book!
It was fun, flirty and exciting. I loved that it focused on a sport that I personally haven't ever read (or even heard) about in a sports romance. I thought that the author did a great job explaining the sport, but also focused on giving thorough information and didn't make me feel dumb or needing to be taught,
I loved the dynamic between Willow and Dev. The "i love you" bit came a little fast for my personal liking, but I enjoyed their slow burn and banter. It felt real and dramatic and fun!
There was a lot of crude language and jokes that I didn't love. It could have been edited out to feel more "sweet" or enjoyable. I do understand that that is probably close to real life in the pit though so I understand it.
Overall, the storyline was cute & exciting & new for me! Also, I LOVED the cover!🤩 I would have picked this book up on the shelf automatically because of it.

If you like:
🖤 Bipoc characters
🏎️ Fast Cars
🧍 Brother’s BFF
👧🏼 Crush since you were little
🪷 Indian Culture
🤳🏻 Social Media Management

This book had a little bit of everything trope wise and really enjoyed the slow burn mixed with brother’s best friend, workplace romance, off limits, sports romance, biopic rep, and disability rep!

For me, I am not a huge sports romance girlie but I don’t think you have to be to enjoy this one as it wasn’t too heavy on the sports aspects.

I think my favorite parts along with the slow burn were the bipoc and disability rep and I really love that the author shared parts of herself through these parts of the book and made that so special!

Thanks so much to Berkley and PRHA for my arc and gifted audiobook in exchange for my review!

I enjoyed this book so much! 😍 still very new to sports romance but I loved the banter between Willow and Dev! I loved how much Dev just adored Willow! To every little thing he did for her (the macroon parts was my fav) and Willow was the sweetest and caring person towards Dev and I LOVED LOVED LOVED!! 🥹 and I also loved the chronic illness/disability rep in Willow :’) overall I would recommend if you’re looking for a cute sports romance with the tropes of brother’s best friend, forced proximity, dual POV and F1 romance!
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

A cute sports romance with some fun characters. I really like Dev and Willow. They were emotionally intelligent and fun to root for. They have some good development throughout the story. I wish the stakes had been a bit higher. It's almost cozy feeling at times, and while I like that, in this type of story, I would've preferred a bit more intensity. I like Dev's friends a lot and would be very down to read more books set in this universe. Overall, a fun light read.