I have recently found myself quite obsessed with Formula 1 racing and even recently read and loved an in-depth historical account of the sport. So, I was more than excited to dive into this F1 romance, especially one featuring a female race engineer. Unfortunately, that excitement wasn't long-lasting.

It's not a good sign that only after reading a few pages I reluctantly sought out the book synopsis to make sure that the "cocky" driver Cosmin, who was just introduced in a most unappealing way, wasn't going to be the male MC. Sadly, this is the case, and the story only gets even harder to get through when the female main MC, Phaedra, quickly becomes something much more than grumpy or prickly. It ended up being an easy decision to DNF this one.

The great thing about romance is that there is a book for every reader and a reader for every book. This would likely work best for someone who relates to Phaedra's challenges working in a male-dominated field and likes a brash male main character who masks unresolved issues with combative banter.

This audiobook is a tall order for any narrator. One of the main characters has a strong Eastern European accent which has to be performed for much of the novel by both the male and female narrators. Both Jonathan Lake and Mackenzie Cartwright do an excellent job and are probably the reason I was able to make it so far into this book. I hope to hear them narrate other books in the future.

A Formula 1 romance story between Phaedra, the race engineer, and Cosmin, her talented but emotionally guarded driver. As a fan of F1, I just don't think I'm meant to read fiction about the topic, as I typically find the plot forced or lacking realistic aspects of the sport. While the chemistry between them is fiery and there is endless drama, the plot was predictable and the pacing can drag in spots.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am so thankful for the early copy, however, it was not a good fit for me. I decided to give this book a try because F1 is all the rage right now. But I struggled connecting with the characters, their personalities and behavior just made it really difficult for me to like them. The relationship between Phaedra and Cosmin moved too quickly and personally I just don't see these two together.

Double Apex by Josie Juniper
"Phaedra Morgan is one of the best race engineers in Formula 1. She’s a math prodigy with dazzling skill, cutting wit, and no patience for matters of the heart. Of course, her job would be a lot easier if she didn’t keep butting heads with their team’s cocky and infuriatingly hot new driver. Cosmin Ardelean is intense and committed, but as famous for his off-track romantic exploits as his on-track wizardry. Yet his devil-may-care façade conceals a haunted past. When the pair strikes up a secret—and thrillingly forbidden—“arrangement” to improve their communication and bond of trust, the heat of their attraction turns to something more . . . But no secret stays hidden for long in the racing world, and soon things are spinning out of control. With everything on the line, will they be able to strip away all their defenses and go full throttle for a chance at love?"

I would most definitely give this one a 3.5/5 stars

This was my first F1 romance and I enjoyed it actually. I never really thought much of F1 romance until this book, so I for sure need to read more F1 romance.

The cover is pure beautiful. It's the first reason why I was drawn to this book, but after I read the synopsis I knew I needed to read it as soon as possible.

If you like grumpy x sunshine with dual pov, you'd enjoy this one for sure.
Cosmin was absolute HOTTIE. He had me needing to translate Romanian for sure, but I found it HOT even though I physically didn't hear his voice speak it. I can just imagine. He was a bit underwhelming, not what I was hoping for. But he did grow on me.
I did enjoy the banter between the two characters, but Phae made me mad. A LOT. It just seemed she constantly had something up her ass. She treated Cosmin poorly for being showcased as a "playboy". The fact her dad owns the team and she just got a slap on the wrist after she was unprofessional over the radio to Cosmin was WILD. Her actions reflects her dad. In the real world, if something like that happened it would for sure not cut it.
Besides her negative personality, I truly like the fact she was a genius and knew what she was talking about when it came to F1 races. I don't know much about F1 so I found it interesting to know some stuff about it.
I did wish there was more foundation between the two characters considering they got together really quick. It lacked a little romance. I'm a romance girl through and through so I was wanting more.

I do recommend this book to anyone who loves sport/f1 romance.
I will for sure continue reading this series If there's a second one.
Thank you Netgalley and Josie Juniper for giving me this arc.

Phaedra and Cosmin are antagonistic co-workers with Phaedra as the race engineer who has not succumbed to race car driver Cosmin’s unwanted flirting. And then somehow they form a truce and then a secret fling that helps distract Phaedra from the troubles of her dying father. But Cosmin’s actually invested in a real relationship between the two and is merely settling for what he can get. When a potential for scandal erupts, Phaedra’s the one to call it quits and put up emotional walls. The pacing of this book was a bit quick at first, making the romance a little less than believable. The big break-up also happens at about the halfway mark of the book, leaving quite a bit of time for Phaedra and Cosmin to each deal with their issues. I was very interested in Cosmin’s family backstory and the issues he had with his sister. There was also a nice set-up for the couple that will be featured in the next book of the series.

This book, PHEW. It was everything I didn’t know I needed in a sports romance!! Cocky hero? Check. Bad ass heroine who can hold her own? Check. ENEMIES TO LOVERS?! CHECK. This book truly was everything and the tension had me absolutely kicking my feet and screaming. I was dying for another F1/racing book and this checked all my boxes of everything I love in a book. The romance was also so sweet it just kept me wanted more of our leads. Can’t wait to read more by Josie!

Double Apex is a contemporary romance centred around F1 motor racing, the first in a
new series by Josie Juniper. Our heroine is Phaedra Morgan--a thirty-something mathematician who's also possibly neurodivergent.

Phaedra is very prickly, with a foul mouth and plenty of snark. Her father owns the Emerald racing team where she works as a race engineer. Cosmin Ardelean is a new F1 driver on the Emerald team. He’s gorgeous, young and brash and his popularity means he can hit on just about anyone. Cosmin has a heartbreaking backstory which is gradually unpacked. He’s got that Alpha swagger about him and he really antagonises Phaedra. I do love their names!

Cosmin and Phaedra clash at every turn. It’s unprofessional on both their parts – initially she is hostile toward him and he sexually harasses her. Of course, it’s a burning attraction that they are fighting. Cosmin recognizes it, but it takes Phaedra a bit longer. When their sexual tension bleeds into race time the team manager sends them away for the weekend to work out their issues. After a couple of days in Santorini there’s a fiery kiss but their employment contracts ban personal relationships.

Back with the team, their volatile chemistry keeps bubbling and when they eventually give in to it, there’s lots of energetic sex on the page, but will their physical connection eventually lead to more emotional intimacy?

There’s plenty of Formula 1 action as the race season progresses with wins and losses for Cosmin, then a race crash puts their relationship in the spotlight. A few subplots flesh it all out – Phaedra’s dad is ill so she spends time with him, away from Cosmin, and she’s also fighting with her bestie Natalie, who may or may not be involved with the team manager. Cosmin has issues with his sister back in Romania, and there are races to win. The action takes place over a year at different racetracks as they follow the Formula 1 race schedule.

I particularly liked all the Romanian words, and Cosmin has speech patterns that show English is his second language. Phaedra learns Romanian using an app, which is hilarious and there’s some lovely banter between them. They sneak around having sex when and wherever they can as they follow the circuit - Barcelona, Monaco, Montreal and finally the USA. It’s vanilla, but it’s plentiful and detailed. Phaedra wants to keep it as sex only, while Cosmin works hard to hide his feelings. She lets her guard down eventually, but fights it every step.

My biggest issue with this otherwise clever romance is Phaedra’s ugly behaviour. She is defensive and unpleasant (mean, at times) and one altercation with Cosmin felt like domestic assault. There is some character development for her, but she is lacks empathy and is self-absorbed to an extent that it made me uncomfortable and she pushes everyone away, not just Cosmin. She’s defensive and thoughtless and I didn’t find her behaviour redeemed by her excuses about her upbringing. She has anger management issues for sure and this is not addressed. Her family background is imperfect, but for me this didn’t justify how nasty she was.

If you like smart heroines who are prickly black cats, then Phaedra might work for you, I just felt sorry for the people in her life, especially Cosmin.

That said, I loved the insider view of Formula 1, how their lives are itinerant and focused entirely on winning the next race. This is a sports romance with a difference, an engaging plot and there’s plenty of action and drama.

a guest review by Laura Black

The chemistry in the book is racing! This F1 love story features a top tier women race engineer and its new hot shot star in the car.

Phaedra is simply put, brilliant. Her drive is unmatched in the pit, and her smarts unmatched by any other team. The new driver onboarded, Cosmin, is cocky, arrogant and hiding life-long secrets. On the course, they are unstoppable but off the course they are each other nemesis. Their friction is affecting the bond driver and engineer must have on the headshot and with the team.. They soon find themselves off to the exotic city of Santorini to sort their issues.

Forbidden love unravels as these two relish in each other companies, and slowly fall in love. Their finish line is messy, full of feelings and a winner.

The heavy themes carried by each characters was perfectly woven into their romance. Can't wait for the next installment.

Thank you, Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever

I really wanted to like this book but it fell flat for me. The FMC being in STEM was a plus but it was a bit instalove for me and I honestly didn’t really care much about either of them much. I also don’t have a special love for F1 racing so those bits of the book were more detailed than I was interested in but I understand that some people will love that. Overall, I would probably recommend to someone that likes F1 and doesn’t mind instalove.

3 out of.5 stars cutesy romance novel but wasn't super connected to the characters would recommend to others though

This was such a great debut novel!! Double Apex, is a high-octane blend of romance, sports, and STEM. The story follows Phaedra, a brilliant race engineer, and Cosmin, a cocky and infuriatingly hot Formula 1 driver. Their professional rivalry quickly turns into a passionate, forbidden affair.

What I Loved:
* The STEMinism: Juniper does an excellent job of portraying Phaedra as a strong, intelligent woman who excels in a male-dominated field. Her character is inspiring and refreshing.

* The Passion: The chemistry between Phaedra and Cosmin is undeniable. Their intense attraction and fiery arguments keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

* The Racing: If you're a fan of Formula 1, you'll appreciate the detailed descriptions of the races and the technical aspects of the sport.

* The Emotional Depth: Beneath the surface of the thrilling romance, there are deeper themes of grief, loss, and personal growth.

Overall, Double Apex is a thrilling and satisfying read. It's a perfect choice for fans of romance, sports, and STEM. Thank you so much to Forever Pub for my ARC!!

I was initially drawn to this book because I love F1. With that being said, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The relationship between Phaedra and Cosmin started moving way too fast. I feel like they had no chemistry together. Overall this book ultimately wasn’t for me.



Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

10* stars.
It was intense and very emotional. I loved Cosmin so much and Phaedra was perfect for him. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Double Apex is book one in the Frontrunners series by Josie Juniper.

Phaedra Morgan is an excellent race engineer working for her father’s Formula 1 team. She’s a math wizard and excels in this male dominated field. Phaedra loathes her team’s driver, Cosmin Ardelean, because he’s constantly flirting and not taking her seriously. Despite his reputation, Cosmin is a phenomenal driver and is just what his new team needs to pull themselves up from the midfield. He’s not the flirt the world believes him to be, he’s close with his sister and co-founded a children’s home for orphans. His rocky relationship with Phaedra is causing issues within the team and the pair are forced into spending time together under the guise of team bonding. They do in fact find some common ground and eventually strike up an arrangement of sorts. Can their relationship stay a secret and is that what they really want?

As an avid F1 fan myself, I really enjoyed this fast paced sports romance. I found this story to be multilayered and full of heart, heat, grief, complicated family dynamics, and believable F1 content. My only issue was the lack of communication that lead to the majority of the couples problems.
Read this if you like:
-F1 romance
-alternating POV
-lots of steam
-secret relationship

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you NetGalley, and Forever for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was pretty good, but I had some real issues with the FMC. She was so unnecessarily rude. It really gave bad vibes to the book and women in stem. It seemed like she never had anything nice to say to the MMC. They were supposed to be in love and I had a hard time believing it. If you can overlook that, it was a good time!

Double Apex by Josie Juniper is a sweet sports/workplace romance with enemies-to-lovers trope that was seriously the best kind of story!
A sizzling debut that was so hard to down.
I was captivated from the beginning to the very end.

Thank You NetGalley and Forever for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

She's the daughter of the team owner and the team engineer and he's the new hot shot driver for the F1 team... they absolutely hate each other... and kind of want to sleep with each other as well. Phaedra Morgan is the daughter of the team owner and a genius race engineer for the same team. When her dad hires the handsome cocky new hot shot driver, she isn't happy at all and she especially hates how he gets under her skin. Cosmin Ardelean is a talented driver who is famous for his off track romantic exploits and his on track skills. Yet underneath his carefree mask is someone who has had to deal with a rough childhood and has been in love with Phaedra since he met her... if only he could get her to give him a chance. When the pair decide to strike a secret "coworkers with benefits" because if they get caught one of them will have to leave the team... things get complicated as Cosmin wants to get Phaedra to see he is in this for the long run while she is all too happy to keep it casual. This book broke my heart because I couldn't stand it. I have to say, as someone who absolutely adores F1... this was not it. Both the leads were not great, Phaedra more so, being insufferable, a terrible friend, a whiny coworker, and the nepo baby privilege was unreal. Phaedra was rude, condescending, and just annoying. Cosmin was sexually harrasing her for a lot of it, and despite his horrible backstory, he really should be banned from the team. I didn't like the leads, I didn't care for their romance, scenes in this book were just unbearable to read, and the fact that I forced myself to finish this book in hopes that it would get better was a miracle. This book just left a bad taste in my mouth and I will not be reading the rest of the books in the series. If you like f1 romances... stay away trust me you'd be better off.

Release Date: October 8,2024

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

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Double Apex by Josie Juniper
Contemporary romance. Alternating POV. Stem.
Phaedra Morgan is a race engineer in Formula 1. One of the only women in the field. With the job and male dominated sport, she gets a lot of push back but her degree, the support of the owner and math prodigy experience proves she has the skills necessary. She also gets a lot of flirty comments and men that think they know more than her. She needs to keep her cool.
Cosmin Ardelean is known for his on-track wizardry, as well as his romantic exploits. He hadn’t considered her more than a nuisance in his ear until he’s forced to spend time working with her. Their working together leads to a forbidden arrangement that can’t be hidden for long. Do they walk away or speed through for the ultimate win?

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The narrative is performed by Jonathan Lake and Mackenzie Cartwright in alternating POV’s. Both do a great job with voices and cadence. I did listen at 1.5 to more closely match my reading speed.

One of the best things about audiobooks over reading a print version is a narrator’s accent for a character. That accent of Cosmin was not at all what I got from reading and it helped me to remember over and over Formula 1 and European tracks. I’ve been to Monaco and Indianapolis and they are vastly different racing venues. So for this book, I recommend the audiobook version.

Much of the relationship angst was lack of communication. Once they got past that, they both grew to appreciate the other more and build a bit of much needed trust. More work required.
Rocky and eventually smooth sailing past the flag.
A twist on sports romance. Enticing.
3.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Hachette Audio.

I had no problems with the author’s writing style or anything. I just really disliked the characters. There were many parts that made me outwardly cringe that I really struggled through. There were also some parts that just made me a bit uncomfortable, mostly some of the “flirty” and spicy scenes. I also feel obligated to mention that that FMC straight up attacks the MMC and then blames him for it, which is insane behavior. This book was just not for me, but maybe it will be for others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Phaedra has grown up in the Formula 1 world with her team owner father and has become a prominent engineer on his team. When Phaedra and new driver Cosmin clash they have to figure out a way for them to communicate in order to be successful on the track. This leads to secret hookups in famous cities all around the world throughout the season. But with Phaedra’s lack of emotional intelligence and Cosmin’s carefree attitude that hides a serious side can the two make it to the finish line, or will they crash and burn?

I am not a big sports romance fan, but I was automatically sucked into this steminist romance. I loved how the book took us through the entire race season and to all the different cities and countries. I also appreciated how the characters had to self-reflect and work on vocalizing their needs with each other. Successful relationships takes work, and this book is a testament to that.