Like other readers (which makes me feel better about my feedback) I had a hard time with these two characters. I am all for unlikeable characters and characters with flaws but I needed some more redeeming qualities for these two. Not really my thing.

*I did not finishing the book, stopping at the 25% mark. My review reflects only the portion I read.*

Double Apex by Josie Juniper is a reverse grumpy x sunshine romance featuring an intelligent Formula 1 race engineer and her star racer. Phaedra Morgan is top of her field and one of the youngest in a mostly male career. She has fought for her right to be where she is, even if her daddy owns the team she works for. Cosmin Ardelean is a racer born and bred. He is at the top of his game, a player on and off the track. Neither take direction too well especially from each other.

It did not take long for me to realize this book was not for me. Let's start with the issue of consent and work place harassment. Cosmin, despite Phaedra's repeated attempts to correct him, continually makes highly sexualized comments towards her through the headset for the entire race team to hear. And yet her team thinks it is her anger about not getting the female driver she wanted causing the tension between them. *Insert eye roll here* If that isn't enough, it is suggested the two take a weekend in Italy alone to work out their issues. In what world would that be allowed?!

Then there is Phaedra. I struggled to like her. She is mean, like the definition of a mean girl. She is rude when it isn't called for (which is why Cosmin makes the jokes he does, to break the tension, still not appropriate especially when she's asked him REPEATEDLY to stop). She's immature for a genius, and her "grumpy" again comes off as just plain mean.

After a scene in Italy when Cosmin makes advances that Phaedra has explicitly said no to that I stopped reading. There's consent and then there's doing stuff without and I draw the line there. This one just wasn't for me.

4 Stars

Do I know anything about racing or formula one? NOPE. Did I ever think I’d enjoy a cocky driver as a romantic lead? Also nope. BUT HERE I AM. Cosmin can GET IT DADDY. From the confident way he lulls our girl Phaedra into his bed and heart to the soft way he melts for her despite her reluctance. I was eating this up. And the steam? Oh, it twas fabulous. Especially when they hit Texas. Anyhoo, definitely recommend and I might be obsessed with a man I never saw coming.

DNF- I didn't like being in Cosmin's mind. His thoughts on the reporter in chapter 2 were too egotistic and unpleasant that I couldn't read through to see if he had a character arc. I love F1, but maybe not F1 romance

⭐️ 4.5/5
🌶️ 4/5

Let me just start off by saying I am obsessed with Cosmin Ardelean! THIS MANNNNNN, y’all! Don’t sleep on him! 🥵

I was totally sucked into this forbidden romance between almost-team owner Phaedra and hot-shot F1 driver Cosmin. The tension between these two was combative right from the start, with him using pet names which absolutely drove her insane! I loved it! Cosmin is definitely a man desperate to get under Phaedra’s skin. We love to see it! 😂 The push and pull between these two was too good! I couldn’t get enough of their constant back and forth banter!

There were times when Phaedra kinda drove me crazy, but Cosmin definitely helped to balance her out. I really loved traveling the world with Phaedra and Cosmin. I cannot wait to see where this Frontrunners series goes next! June can’t come soon enough!

Thank you to Forever Pub (@readforeverpub) for the advanced copy!

Double Apex by Josie Juniper was fast paced, and much darker than I expected. I liked the concept and dynamic between a race engineer and the team’s newest driver. Several storylines seem unresolved, though the next in the series, which follows a different couple, may tie up some of the loose ends.

Double Apex by Josie Juniper is a captivating romance! Phaedra, a brilliant engineer, and Cosmin, a charismatic F1 driver, have undeniable chemistry. Their banter turns into a forbidden love story, set against the thrilling Formula 1 backdrop. A bit predictable, but thoroughly enjoyable!
3/5 stars!
Thank you forever publishing and Netgalley for the arc!!

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was pretty decent and an easy read. I also thought the racing aspect of it was really interesting. I do think that this book might be forgettable in the long run though, it won't be one of those books that sticks with me afterward.

I wasn't a huge fan of Phaedra I understand why she has the personality that she does and the coping mechanisms she does but she was a little annoying and really is terrible with people. One part that I just didn't get was the whole fight with her best friend. I understand why the first fight happens but everything that happens afterwards just didn't make sense to me, it seemed like they had issues just because they were supposed to.

3.5 stars rounded down

Any veteran F1 fan will recognize many familiar elements of F1 racing and it is done well. The races that take place, in tracks that are taken from real life, do exhibit the atmosphere and energy that an F1 fan will expect. There are certain incidents and characters that were a well written mash up of some F1 track incidents that took place at real races in years past. My only criticism is that I wanted more race craft and more speed to go with this steamy romance.

2.75/5 stars
2/5 spice

Tropes:
Sports romance
Enemies to lovers
Engineer FMC
F1 driver MMC
Forbidden romance
Secret relationship
Black cat/golden retriever
He falls first

I struggled to finish this one mostly because I couldn't get over how much I didn't like the FMC. There's a fine line between being love and hate but Phaedra took it to the extreme... then all of a sudden was into Cosmin. It just wasn't believable enough for me to get invested. A lot happens in the story that brings them closer together. But I felt that Cosmin was the one with the better character growth.

Overall, this wasn't the right book for me, even though there were elements that I enjoyed. I would only recommend this to a select few. If you're OK with extremely antagonistic FMCs who need major character growth then you might like this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

I had a blast reading this F1 romance. It was just enough racing world descriptions and shenanigans mixed with excellent romantic sexiness. Phaedra and Cos had just the right amount enemies to lovers energy for me to believe in their HEA. Kudos to Josie Juniper for her on point banter. Overwhelmingly enjoyed!

The content warnings could have been more in depth.

I cannot wait for book two in this series!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I was so excited for this book because I have grown to really love F1 romances and the unique take they have on the sports romance genre. However, the book did not live up to its premise. I couldn't connect with our FMC Phaedra at all, she was really mean and even to our MMC who I don't think deserved it most of the time, and overall I didn't mesh with her attitude. I was hoping to read about a strong woman working in a male dominated sport, instead she gave major "pick me" vibes that just threw me off.

The romance was cute, but I think it flipped from being enemies to lovers to in a relationship a little too quickly for my taste, and overall let me wanting more.

Thank you Forever for the eARC!

I finished this one and immediately started to review it because I’m so glad I gave it a second chance. The first time I picked this up, I was in an airport, and I actually put it down in favor of my physical read to take a technology break. As soon as I was on the go with work again.. This was exactly what I needed.

I’ve been feeling like I’m in a slump recently with romances and this is one of the few that I’ve read lately that made me smile!!

I usually do like sports romances - and I'd never read one with race drivers before so I was really into the fresh take! Also -- the idea of a hot Romanian is a new character style for me. I haven't read many romances with Eastern European zestiness, so I also loved that. I'm on the hunt for more European / non-British romances now!!

**Thank you to Forever & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

I know absolutely nothing about cars or racing or F1, but I freaking loved this book!! I was a little nervous I would have trouble connecting with the story, but that was absolutely not the case. If you are on the fence, READ IT.

This book had a really interesting storyline and complex characters and kept me engaged the entire time and both of the narrators were absolutely fantastic!

The romantic shit Cosmin would say had me swooning. The EMAILS! Ahhhh! He was so gone for her and I loved it all! Jonathan Lake’s Romanian accent had me absolutely melting.

Phaedra is a strong, take no shit character! She’s definitely what some might describe as unlikable and she’s very prickly, but I really loved her character and as a fellow black cat, I felt like I could relate to her a lot.

While this book was very funny, it definitely deals with some heavier topics so please keep that in mind!

⚠️The content warnings might accidentally be spoilers, so please be aware of that and don’t read below this if you want to avoid spoilers⚠️

CW: cancer, death of a parent during the book, death of a parent (past), abusive family member (past), mentions of sexual assault on a minor (past).

DNF @ 26%

I am so sad I didn't like this.

I normally like to give characters the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their thoughts and actions but OH MY GOD. This FMC was so insufferable and totally anti woman. Her dialogue was incredibly cringey and I hated the way that she treated the people around her.

I will say that I did enjoy the MMCs narration, but it could not make up for the incredibly unbelievable love story that was occurring between the two.

Honestly the premise was great and could have been such a fantastic read; however, the execution was extremely fumbled.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was pretty slow and hard for me to get into! I also didn’t sense the chemistry at all between the love interests.

i LOOOOVE F1 and when I heard this was an f1 romance book with ENEMIES TO LOVERS.... SIGN ME UP!!!

this was the perfect palate cleanser and perfect for f1 lovers !!

Double Apex offers a spicy enemies-to-lovers romance set against the high-octane backdrop of Formula 1 racing, and while it had its ups and downs, I found it engaging overall. I appreciated the characters' immaturity and grumpiness, even if it made them a bit hard to relate to at times. Their dynamic was undeniably messy, but that added a layer of realism that kept me intrigued—it's clear they have a lot of growing up to do.

Phaedra Morgan is a brilliant race engineer with a sharp mind and no time for romance, while Cosmin Ardelean, the cocky new driver, is known for both his skills on the track and his off-track escapades. Their relationship starts off rocky, filled with clashes and banter, but things take a thrilling turn when they enter a secret arrangement to improve their teamwork. The tension and attraction simmer between them, but as with any good racing story, complications arise when their hidden feelings threaten to derail everything.

While the writing was enjoyable and kept me hooked, I did find the initial immaturness a little tough to get into. However, I’m definitely interested in seeing how these characters evolve, and I’ll be looking out for more of Josie's work in the future!

F1 engineer Phaedra meets her annoying match in Cosmin, a cocky playboy driver from Romania. He infuriates her but somehow she can’t resist him at the same time. This is a definite read for the #hefallsfirst crowd! Phaedra and Cosmin are both layered, messy individuals (like so many of us in real life!) who need to grow and change throughout the book. But at their core, they are good people who care about others. And the spice? Ooh, it’s so good!

I Received an advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

If you are a Formula 1 fan, you absolutely must read this book! It was full of witty banter and steamy romance. This is the kind of behind the scenes look I want when I watch a Netflix show about F1 Racing. Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read a digital copy of this book!