from the start the dialogue is a little bit stilted (aside from cosmin speaking romanian), and i’m not really feeling the chemistry between the main characters. they went from antagonizing each other while he’s clearly cruising for women to some weird forbidden insta love hookup situation. there is a lot of telling vs. showing on top of all that. the story has potential, but i think it needs a not insignificant amount of work in the first 45% to get there.

after the 50% mark it seemed to get a bit better. by the last 25% i was enjoying the story a bit more, and was glad that i stuck with it. the ending seemed a bit abrupt and the thing cosmin alluded to was a little sudden considering they’d just reunited after several months apart. that may have been better in an epilogue or with a few more pages included.

overall, i’d give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and hope that it is more polished by the publication date.

Wow I am so in love with this Formula 1 romance! It not only dove into so many of the details behind F1, but the main characters were a driver and an engineer which was just perfect! I was invested in these characters from the very start and even though Phaedra had her issues with trust and commitment, it didn’t make me like her any less! and Cosmin was absolute perfection. Nothing about him ever needs to change 🫡🫶🏼 and I’m officially obsessed.

would 100% recommend for the F1 romance readers 🤌🏼📖

I DNfd this book. I couldn’t handle the MMC and the sex scene. It was beyond cringy and I couldn’t handle it.

This is what every F1 girlie needs to read asap. So good. Cosmin is such a solid MMC. I abolsutely loved that the chapters were named after the races!!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read. This was a book that I felt the plot wasn't the best but the vibes and the characters when reading it brought me through it. The fact that she calls him a Formula 1 Fuckboy, in the beginning had me laughing so hard. I think the book is a fun romance read. I read it while relaxing outside, and it was a great beach/picnic read or just a fun read if you are looking to distract yourself from the real world and want a fun time. I like the concept of her being a woman in a very male-dominated industry and how that affected the way she originally saw Cosmin. I also think Cosmin's use of Romanian in the book and how Phaedra grows to learn what he was saying was cute when he spoke it to her during arguments or when flirting. I like that the novel was broken up by the races because, as an F1 fan, I think it was a cute and good way to break up the chapters and where they are in the world. The beginning, I felt, was solid, and you can really feel the tension between them, but as the book went on, I did feel it was becoming a little repetitive. However, it was still an enjoyable read and one that went quickly.

3.5 Stars

This story is about Phaedra who is a racing engineer and Cosmin who is a Formula 1 racer. Phaedra wants to continue to prove her worth in a male dominated industry especially since she’s working for her father’s company. Cosmin, at first, comes across as womanizer who likes to irk Phaedra’s nerves. I loved their banter with one another and the tension it created but that just wasn’t enough for me. The pacing of the story felt off to me and it made it hard to follow at times. Sometimes the little time jumps between chapters felt a bit much and I wish we got more of the tension between Phaedra and Cosmin before the start of their relationship. I felt that things could’ve been developed a little bit better than they were. Phaedra was hard to like during some parts of the book and I gravitated towards Cosmin and his backstory which I wish we got more of.

Overall I wish we got more of each character’s backstory and more tension between them. I think if some of the scenes were fleshed out better it would have made for a better story.

Double Apex is the story of a race engineer and F1 driver who form a steamy connection. Phaedra is the head race engineer for team Emerald and is determined to make her father (the team owner) proud. Attraction to Cosmin, the new and cocky Romanian driver, is not in her plans. When Cosmin and Phaedra are forced to bond for PR purposes, a deeper relationship sparks. Can their connection be maintained when the heat is turned up at the track?

Double Apex is a spicy romance novel with a strong element of F1 racing. I enjoyed how the F1 racing was written- it felt accessible and realistic. My favorite part was the F1 drama and the exploration of power dynamics and romance between a race engineer and a driver. However, I did struggle with the romance at times, especially their more intimate encounters. I would have liked to see more of a bond between them first. Cosmin grew on me, though parts of his backstory felt a little contrived for the plot. Phaedra deals with a family health crisis in a way that feels realistic and thoughtful. Josie Juniper clearly has a deep love of F1 that shines through.

There was a mix of positives and negatives for me with this book. For example, I liked that there was poly rep in a side character, but it felt like it was inserted as a plot point. I enjoyed that Phaedra is a woman in STEM who occupies a position traditionally held by men and is incredible at her job. In contrast to this, at times she behaved very childishly in her personal relationships and this was frustrating. Overall though, I enjoyed this F1 romance and I will definitely be curious to read the next book in the series, which will follow Natalie and Klaus.

Thank you to Josie Juniper, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Actually truly phenomenal. My first F1 book but certainly not my last. Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Fans of Formula 1 will devour Double Apex by Josie Juniper! It is an absolute must read!

I am a massive F1 fan and I love romance books so this book was a perfect mix and Josie Juniper did an amazing job. Double Apex is one of my favorite books of 2024! She's an engineer and he's the cocky F1 Driver, which I loved and thought it was a refreshing and new dynamic within this motorsport lore. They bicker, they argue but they work well together. She's also the daughter of the team owner for the team he drives for and forced to work together on creating a less hostile relationship, they are forced to get along but one thing I loved about their dynamic was their banter and playful flirting. I loved how she got angry and it made him smile to get reactions out of her. I loved that she's a smart woman in STEM that loves math and engineering. I thought that the author did an amazing job with the accuracy of terminology without info-dumping but having a perfect balance of informing the reader and developing their relationship. I loved the world of F1 through her fictional world, getting to see the world traveling, the progression of their romance. I loved that Cos was such a playful character but he deeply loved and admired Phae and when it came to her, he was serious about her and fights for what loves and wants. The book was so steamy. Some parts had me blushing but I also loved that we get to see their deeper connection and bonding on a deeper level especially with the things they go through and you can see how deep and strong their connection is. It has hate to love, boy obsessed/he falls first and hard, banter, forced proximity, secret relationship. I cannot wait for more books by Josie Juniper in her new F1 series. I highly recommend this sport romance series for anyone that likes F1 or is curious about this motorsport

Double Apex was a funny and entertaining read. Phaedra is a race engineer, but also happens to be the daughter of the team owner. Newly hired driver Cosmin is in it to win, both on the track and off. This was my first novel by Josie Juniper, but I really enjoyed it and would be interested in reading the next book in this series.

~~What I liked~~
-The story was interesting and had good pacing. Told in alternating POV chapters, it was nice to see both sides of the relationship between Phaedra and Cosmin. There were funny parts, but also touching parts and I even teared up some. It was well-written, too. I got an early proof and the writing and flow were really good.
-The character development was good, more so for Phaedra than for Cosmin. Phaedra started of a little rough, but ended up a solid character.
-This was an open door romance, and it was quite 🌶️ !
-The racing aspect was good, with enough details that I understood what was going on, but not so much that I was bored with the technical terms.

~~What I didn't like~~
-I wish there would have been more or Phaedra's brain showing through. As a child prodigy there wasn't much in the book to show how smart she really was. Most of the focus was on how socially awkward she was, and not in the 'how cute' way, but more the 'wtf is with her?' way. There also seemed to be a discrepancy between her actual age (30is) and her behaviors (very juvenile).


Overall, this was a fun and entertaining book. I would recommend and would re-read.

I had an issue with this one pretty much from that get go but decided to try and push through. I found the female main character to be so unlikeable and rude. I don’t mind a speaks-her-mind kind of lady but her need to assume and jump to conclusions and be mean about it rubbed me the wrong way. Then the first time the MCs get together just really didn’t sit well with me. I found it cringey and off putting. The chemistry wasn’t there, which I don’t mind for the first time but it was just written in a way that completely put me off. I love F1 and F1 romances but I just did not like this one at all.

I really liked Double Apex. I have been eyeing this trend of F1 romances after my teen got into F1 and has not stopped talking about it. This story of Phaedra and Cosmin is steamy and fun. The setting around F1 and racing gives it a different vibe than a lot of other romances. It's like sports and office, but also neither. The woman engineer and the driver dynamic lets them have lots of proximity and opportunity to create tension.

The story was fast paced and emotional. The characters have depth and heart and clearly defined struggled. I fought a little with Phaedra because she was so much at times. She made her life harder when it would have been easy to not. But as she worked through that part of herself, I got to like her even more. I am definitely ready for book two and can't wait to follow along on this author's journey!

Phaedra is a math prodigy that has no patience for love and is the best engineer in Formula 1. She keeps butting heads with the new driver, Cosmin who is intense and committed to the race but has a tendency to have public romantic exploits. They decide to have a forbidden arrangement to build communication but what if it turns into something more and no secret can stay hidden long in the small world of racing.

I really loved the chemistry and banter between the main characters, it made it easy to route for their relationship. I also really enjoyed the pace of the book, it made it feel super realistic. I loved the depth that the book brought in towards the end, it made me feel all the emotions.

A spicy F1 romance with a boss lady FMC! I honestly thought this would be 5 stars for me based on the synopsis but I think the build up of Phaedra and Cosmin’s story was a little clunky/off for my taste and I thought there was just a little too much extra story line with both of their families and friends it became a little bit overwhelming. I did like the she’s grumpy-he’s sunshine dynamic though and it sure was spicy! Overall 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!

There's a side character with this with a dark background that I was not expecting from this romance. It caught me really off guard. Besides for that, I enjoyed this formula 1 romance book! It's between an engineer and one of the race-car drivers. It was also spicy. I'm looking forward to the next in the series and more formula one books.

Ok stem and formula 1 , i was completely sold. This was such a good read , definitely perfect for anytime of the year but for summer more than perfect. Or maybe is because I read it in summer . Anyway definitely great plot and development and love the main characters a lot .

Special thanks to NetGalley & Forever/Grand Central Publishing for sharing this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

The pacing of the story was a bit off for me. The transition to a relationship seemed clunky since their relationship escalated so quickly without any sexual tension or anything to bridge the gap. I do love when stories are told from multiple POVs though. Phaedra was a very self-aware of her emotions or reactions to certain things, but she was not a lovable character and at times I felt like she thought she was better than everyone else since she was a very smart woman. Cosmin came off as a womanizer, but eventually proved he only had eyes for Phaedra. Some of his moments in the story were a little awkward or harder to read he was very sweet affectionate toward Phaedra. Their relationship often seemed overly stressed and full of trauma. It did add drama into the story, but some of it just didn’t make sense to me. Some problems were solved too quickly.

In the end, I would’ve liked the story more if everything flowed and transitioned more seamlessly and I would’ve loved more tension between the main characters. I will say I am interested to learn more about Formula 1 racing after reading this.

2,25 Stars

Ooof. 'Double Apex' was ready to read on NetGalley and because of the intriguing cover (F1!!) I decided to try it out.

(This review will have slight spoilers)

I like the premise of female F1 engineer Phaedra and driver Cosmin falling in love and it was pretty cute in the beginning, with a nice cast of side characters and some F1 related high tension and even a buildup for what I think will be the next book, BUT. Yes but, because while it was worthwhile reading it, especially the first maybe 30%, there were some things that made the overall reading experience go sour for me: As soon as the FMC had her falling out with her friend she became ultra unlikeable, as did her friend, and the guy her friend was dating. Cosmin remained the only likeable character.

-FMC is arrogant and conceited, thinks she is so much smarter than everyone around her and constantly reminds them, always judging other women. There was even a scene where she accused Cosmin of being sexist and then continues to be very sexist towards women herself which Cosmin had to point out to her.
-Her friend kept secret who she was dating (even though Phaedra already knew) and not in a way that was very understandable for me? It was someone on the team that Phaedra was fairly close to and knew about. The vibe between them was just off, I don't know why they are friends tbh
-The friend also just ghosts her for weeks or even months while Phaedras father is dying and she needs support, after Phaedra tells her that hooking up with that guy will leave her heartbroken because he doesn't commit to anyone. Guess when the friend decides to stop ghosting her and comes to see her in person before even answering any text or message? Yes, when it inevitably happens just as Phaedra had predicted. While she had her man she was showing her the cold shoulder in a time of need, and as soon as the guy dropped her she came running back :D what a friend. They weren't even in an actual relationship
-She continues to spiral and treat Cosmin like shit (she does have the stress of her fathers illness, but that should never excuse the following) and even physically attacks him, unprovoked!!! He strikes her completely by accident trying to get her off him and the scene focuses on how bad he feels about that...um.... violence between romantic partners???? need I say more
- Cosmin sometimes says weird things because his first language is not english, and I get that it was supposed to be cute and endearing, but some things were just so weird ("Are you fertile" meaning "Are you on BC")
-Also them being shocked and angry and in denial by the consequences of their actions by hooking up within the same team...Phaedra could be more humble imo

So as you can see my major critic points lie with portrayal of the chatacters, I get that they need to be portrayed in a realistic way, but unless I'm reading a villain story I kind of want to actually like the characters you know? And that whole domestic violence scene could've been cut out, it didn't help Phaedras character portrayal at all and didn't really fit the image of a super smart engineer, more like a reality show candidate.

I am so glad that I paid attention to the content warnings because they promised that this book contained explicit content and Josie DELIVERED on the spice!

I loved this book so much more than I anticipated. I am not an F1 fan or a racing fan, and fortunately while this book is about an F1 driver and engineer, you don't have to love the sport to adore this book. This is a hate-to-love story about a man who uses charm and flirtation to cover his trauma and his soft, cinnamon roll heart, and the brilliant, brash, insufferable woman that he's head over heels in love with. There is a forbidden romance element, too, since she's the daughter of the team's owner and her contract requires that she not fraternize with team members. The framework of the story is a familiar one, but it's executed really beautifully, and I could not put it down.

I want to take a moment to specifically call out how much I love the character development in this book. Phaedra, the FMC, grew up with very little socialization with peers her own age, and as a borderline prodigy, she developed a fixed mindset with regard to her skills. In her mind, she's either really, really good at something, or she's doomed to be terrible at it. She recognizes that she does not relate well to others, but she does not know how to fix that.

And then Cosmin swaggers into her world with his aggravating smirks and impertinent attitude and irresistibly beautiful face, and she's forced to learn how to 'play well with others' in order to keep her position as team engineer. I love the way that the two of them challenge and comfort each other throughout the story. They're precious.

I highly recommend this book for people who enjoyed Nesta's character arc in A Court of Thorns and Roses, for those who love when a woman gets to be the grump in a grumpy x sunshine pairing, and for readers who love an abundance of intimate scenes in their spicy romances.

Thanks to Net Galley for the arc. A forbidden, enemies to lovers F1 romance sounded great in theory, but unfortunately, this was not my favorite book.

There could’ve been so much more tension between the characters, but instead they went from hating each other to insta love at about 20% through the book. Unfortunately, I had to DNF this about halfway through when the FMC literally physically attacks the MC just because her feelings got hurt, despite knowing his past trauma. I couldn’t stomach Phaedra as a character — she was incredibly selfish, mean, and somehow aware but incredibly unaware throughout. I think this had a lot of potential as a story idea, but the book overall felt disjointed, rushed, and didn’t handle the trauma raised as plot points with the care they needed.