Quick Summary: An F1 women's fiction/romance novel

My Review: Double Apex by Josie Juniper is book #1 in the Frontrunners series. It was released on 10/8/24.

About the Book: "... a spicy Formula 1 romance series pairs a STEM-inist engineer with a cocky racecar driver"

In My Own Words: A quirky, genius engineer and an arrogant, provocative racecar driver clash and burn.

My Final Say: This was a no for me. While there were some serious issues that influenced the direction of the story, the overall tone was not one I cared for. I confess that I tried to pick this one up several times and it just would not stick. Additionally, the flow and language of the story did not land in a way that allowed me to maintain my interest. There is something there, but...yea, no.

Other: Potential readers should read all author/publisher content warnings.

Rating: 2-/5
Recommend: -
Audience: A
Status/Level: ⭐⭐
Triggers; Yes

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever), and to NetGalley. I appreciate the opportunity to review this title.

I enjoyed reading this story - a perfect read to relax with over the weekend. I did, however, wish for a more in-depth portrayal of the the main characters.

Ever since I started following F1 again last summer I have been meaning to try an F1 romance. I picked this on sale and it turned out not to be the right book for me.
Starting with the positive, I did like that the male MC is Eastern European (Romanian) and I liked how this was presented in the story through the use of Romanian language, especially in the context of the romantic relationship. I liked the sport aspects of the story as well, they rang true to me and were balanced just right with the rest of the story. And these are all the things I liked in this story.
On the negative side, I hated the heroine, was not a big of the hero either, felt that their relationship was completely unprofessional both when she was his engineer and later when she became team owner. I didn't like her is the subplot with her family and her best friend - she was selfish, uncaring for the feelings of other people.
The romantic relationship was toxic from the start - him being too pushy, her throwing everything away for lust and 'irresistible attraction'.
Apart from the main couple, I was also deeply bothered by the subplot with the hero's sister. I really couldn't make sense of her decisions.
Overall, this was definitely not the right F1 romance for me and I think I will refrain from trying more F1 romances for now.

CW: domestic violence, child abuse (in the past), cancer, death of a parent (on page), grief

Double Apex is a fast-paced, high-octane romance that combines the thrill of street racing with heart-thumping emotional stakes. Josie Juniper delivers a bold, adrenaline-fueled love story featuring a fierce, determined heroine and a brooding, hard-to-resist hero with a need for speed. Their chemistry sizzles both on and off the track, with banter, heat, and vulnerability woven into every scene.

This book offers just the right balance of angst, found family vibes, and steamy moments—making it a gripping ride from start to finish.

First, thank you to the author and publisher for a review copy of this book. At first I was super excited by the premise of the story and jumped on a chance to read this. I honestly DNF'd this book at about 38% because I could not get behind either of the main characters. I thought maybe I was just not in the mood to read it so I set it back down and tried again recently. I thought - maybe after seeing the movie F1 I would enjoy the book more a second time. Strong female main character and a race driver MMC - maybe they would eventually mesh? Again, I DNF'd this book. it was just, unfortunately not for me.

Thank you to Josie Juniper and Forever Publishing for the eARC.

DNF 35%

Pretty much right from the start, I wasn't a fan of Phaedra. She gave such mean girl vibes rather than grumpy vibes, both to Cosmin and to her supposed best friend. Their whole fight I was not a fan of. They were such low blows. Plus, she was always looking for the worst in Cosmin, like suggesting he forced himself on a woman because he's famous (yet she's still attracted to him?), even with multiple people telling her she was being unprofessional. Then they're thrown together on a 'bonding' trip and suddenly they're making out. It didn't feel right to me. I know the hate banter was probably supposed to be the whole 'be mean to hide my feelings' but it wasn't quite right, imo, and so when they got together, it just felt forced. Then, when we got to the first spicy scene, the way the scene was described, I just couldn't vibe with it. Some of the formality is due to Cosmin speaking English as a second language, which was fine, but then he said things like, "Are you fertile?" when asking if she was on birth control.

I'm bummed I didn't like this more because I was really excited for book two.

DNF

The writing, storytelling, and characters were not for me. I dated two tries leaving it both as an ebook and audiobook could not get into it either format.

The MMC of this book was insufferable and problematic. This book made me extremely uncomfortable with the "flirting" coming off as sexual harassment. As a victim myself, this was triggering.

This was a new to me author and I enjoyed this one! I thought the plot and characters were so relatable! Plus a bonus for being a racing romance! Like how could anyone not be a fan! It had all the check marks for a good romance! Highly recommend!

I love F1 and really likes the idea of this book.
I thought it was a good story but thought she was too stubborn and a little annoying. We all know it’s hard being a girl in a man’s world, but sometimes she just didn’t help herself.

Once I got started, I really thought I wasn’t going to like this one. I thought about DNFing. Sometimes in enemies to lovers there’s a fine line that can be crossed where there’s no redemption. In the first half of the book I was yelling at both the FMC, Phaedra and MMC Cosmin. Why do you want to be with him/her?! They both put me off at times.
But by the end I enjoyed the story line and I even teared up and started to root for them.

I really wasn't sure if I was going to love this as much as I did. This was super smutty but not too much. Really the perfect amount. The humor actually has me LOLing more than once. I'm very excited to start the second in the series. Even though I am not a racing fan, I really enjoyed this!

1.5 stars rounded down.

My grievances with this book:
-The FMC's demeanor towards everyone she worked with--if you want to be treated like a professional then act like one?
-The FMC mentioned wanting a female driver to join their team and then proceeded to think badly of every single female side character
-If there's "tension" between the MCs and the goal is for them to get along and NOT date, why would a 40% owner send them on a retreat without anyone else as a buffer? Bizarre behavior. You're asking for the tension to skyrocket. SMH.
-There was sooo much time spent on her best friend's "relationship" with the team owner, and I did not care about that one bit
-The invasion of the MMC's privacy in the end was WILDDDDD--I ended up liking him more than the FMC, which is never what I want
-Odd word choice throughout
-This was my first experience with anything having to do with F1, and this book was not newbie friendly

What I liked:
-The emotional moments between the MCs were sweet
-The MMC had great growth

Basically--this isn't worth your time in my opinion. It was poorly constructed and written.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t expect Double Apex to hit me in the feels the way it did. Honestly, I had a bit of a rocky start with it—Phaedra, the FMC, rubbed me the wrong way at first. She came off as super brash and kind of mean in a “Girl Boss with no brakes” kind of way. But the more I read, the more I realized: that was the point. Josie Juniper did such a good job writing a complex, flawed character that it actually made me pause and reflect on why I was judging her so quickly. That alone made the story stand out for me.

Phaedra is homeschooled, a genius, and basically raised without any normal social interaction—and you really see how that shaped her. Her defensiveness, her weird social rhythm, even her anger all felt earned. I loved watching her grow throughout the book and seeing how those sharp edges started to soften, without losing who she really is. She’s not always likable, but she feels real, and that’s what I appreciated most.

I also really felt the emotional weight of this story. The found family element, the ache of feeling misunderstood by the people closest to you, the quiet heartbreak of a friendship that isn't what you hoped it would be—it all hit hard. I even teared up a few times. I genuinely rooted for Phaedra and Cosmin’s relationship, even though it wasn’t perfect (and honestly, that made it better).

That said, it’s not a flawless read. Phaedra’s one friend felt kind of flat, though I’m guessing we’ll get more of her story in the future. Cosmin had a strong backstory, but his chapters sometimes felt repetitive or a little too immature for what we’re told he’s gone through. And while I loved that the story included spice, some of the dirty talk and phrasing just made me cringe a bit. Also, for someone who's supposed to be a brilliant engineer, I really wanted to see Phaedra in action more, solving problems, being a badass in her own right, not just working in the background.

Still, despite a few bumps, I had a really good time with this book. It made me think, made me feel, and gave me characters that stuck with me after I finished. If you're into slow burns, messy but meaningful growth, and romance with depth, I’d definitely recommend giving Double Apex a shot.

Double Apex was a decent read. It had its moments, but some parts felt a bit slow or predictable. Not a favorite, but not a total miss either.

3 ⭐

This is my first F1 romance! The cover is stunning and so dynamic, I couldn't help but be intrigued. I wish I loved the story more. I have no clue about the specifics about F1, so that portion was a blast.

I didn't love how extremely aggressive Phaedra's attitude was. Was Cosmin a misogynistic asshole sometimes? Yes. He was a bit more "Alpha Male" than most people would appreciate. I enjoyed him, however I hated Phaedra. She was the reason their relationship became toxic and I didn't love it. There was good banter and Cosmin was truly a sweetie at heart and the real reason I enjoyed the book.

🏎️ F1 romance
🏎️ Enemies to lovers
🏎️ Forbidden romance
🏎️ Secret relationship
🏎️ Black cat/golden retriever
🏎️ He falls first

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an eARC of Double Apex for honest review

I sadly had to DNF this book around 20ish%.
I couldn’t connect with neither of the main characters! Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC💖

Thank you so much to the publisher for this eARC! Unfortunately I didn't get around to reading it. This sounds very interesting and I do hope that anyone who has read it really enjoyed it!

Attention F1 fans! This super steamy, forbidden romance is fun, fun, fun :)
Phaedra is a race engineer for her father’s racing team. She is a tough cookie and is excellent at her job. When sparks fly between her and the famously handsome Cosmin, they have to make serious decisions about whether their careers are worth the risk. Navigating through the many obstacles to their happily ever after, Phaedra and Cos will have you frustrated and annoyed at times, but there is a huge payoff if you stick with the story.
And the behind the scenes glimpse into the racing world was solid. I was riveted!

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the advance reader electronic copy in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled with this one but ultimately ended up dnfing about halfway through. I didn’t like either main character and I especially did not like their relationship!