This book was *everything*! From the *off-the-charts* chemistry to the *pulse-pounding* action both on and off the track, I was absolutely hooked. The dynamic between Kian and Harper had me flipping pages at lightning speed—*enemies to lovers*, *grumpy x sunshine*, *forced proximity*—it checked all my favorite tropes, and then some!

I *loved* the tension, the banter, and the sizzling slow burn that made every moment between them feel electric. The high-stakes world of Formula 1 was the perfect backdrop for their fiery connection, and the emotional depth woven throughout made this so much more than just a sports romance.

And can we talk about *the spice*? 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🔥 Absolutely *delicious*!

This was a *phenomenal* read—easily one of my favorite books of the year! If you're looking for something binge-worthy, swoon-worthy, and unputdownable, *this* is it.

If you want a book that will make you audibly gasp and cry while at work, then this is the book for you. This was such an amazing read and while I have read many Formula 1 romance books, this one will stick with me. The chemistry between the two main characters is very believable and the things that they go through are so real. Rebecca blends the world of F1 with a gay romance in the best way and while there are some aspects of the F1 world that aren't as factual as they are IRL it is used to further the story in the best way.

I loved the blurb for this book. As an F1 girlie, I was super excited to read this, so thank you to NetGalley the opportunity.

The vibes were good, I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were written really well, and the writing itself was easy to read/follow. However, there were a ton of inconsistencies throughout the book, quite a few plot holes, and kind of weird world building where "F1" doesn't exist, but major drivers and teams did. But like I said, the vibes were good and they kept me reading to see where things ended up. Overall, super cute read if you don't get too bothered by the inconsistencies and plot holes.

4.2 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Rebecca J. Caffrey for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Pole Positions was such an emotional yet fun ride! 🎧 If you enjoy romances (specifically sports romances) that have just the perfect amount of tension and spice then this is perfect for you! There were a few instances where the characters did something that gave me the “ick” but other than those few times, the story had me giggling and kicking my feet LOL I suspect there might be a second book in the future (🤞) and cannot wait!


Tropes:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Age Gap (25 & 33)
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Forced Proximity

This was such a beautiful story. I know nothing about Formula 1 racing but you didn’t have to to enjoy this story.

- Rivals to lovers
- found family
- MM
- spicy

There is parental death talked about on page so if that is something that triggers you I would definitely take caution

I went into this book knowing basically zero about motor racing, because it seems like it's not a real person sport (how does one start?). I still know probably very little, and I still had to look up what "pole position" means and how it fits as the title of this book.

However, I enjoyed reading this book! It was a good mix of competitive fun, conflict, and serious issues. The main characters are complex. Harper is so persistent and optimistic at the beginning, but with such strong abandonment issues that he thinks nobody could want to be with him long term. Kian is uptight and very serious, but also very open and loving.

I did get to the point several times where I thought "how are these two spending all this time together without having a proper conversation?!?!" But, I guess, men? So? Sure, it's believable.

Altogether, a fun, interesting read. It's my second Rebecca Caffery book, and I'll be looking out for more from her in the future.

Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery is a MM Formula 1 romance book. It's an enemies to lovers, age gap romance.
To be honest, I absolutely struggled through this book. The MMCs were highly unlikable and incredibly immature for their ages. I felt like I was reading about two high schoolers and petty drama. I truly didn't understand how Harper was still in the position he was in because he was a nightmare for his company and somehow placed on the podium every race even though he just made it to P1. Both Harper and Kian were clueless when understanding social cues.
The writing was very juvenile and overall unlikable. I had been excited over the premise of this book, but it fell flat.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5 stars. I loved Kian but I found Harper to be lacking good character development and honestly, if I were Kian’s sister I would’ve kicked his fucking ass for what he did. Kian genuinely deserves so much better.

Kept me entertained during jury duty, though, so. Nice!

3 ★

i did like this story aside from some pacing issues.

i found myself relating to kian the most when it came to his struggles in relationships. i love his personality and i'm so proud of his decision by the end.

from someone who’s been in a situation similar to kian and harper’s relationship, it’s nice to get a bit of insight on how an avoidant attachment feels about getting close to someone. it helped me understand my own situation and learn how to better communicate with the person.

when it comes to the pacing, i think it’s very imbalanced and sometimes too fast. it goes from spending pages on a race to spending 2 paragraphs on romance or a night at the club. it started to get annoying. i think this story covers too much time. i don’t think this works as a standalone because there’s so much that needs to be written and talked about. i would’ve preferred this be a duology if it meant we really got to steadily develop the enemies to lovers plot. it just felt a bit too rushed. i don’t think the transition from them going from enemies to lovers was shown enough. from one chapter to the next, it seemed like more went on between kian and harper off-page that i would’ve liked to read about. i also would’ve liked to see their trips from place to place instead of it being quickly mentioned. one sentence, they're in one country then, by the next sentence, they're in another. i don’t mind reading about the process of going from one place to another.

it would’ve been nice to know more about why johannes’ behavior changed. it seemed to be a significant part of his character development. i also would’ve liked to see harper get more of what he wanted from kian. if you've read the book, you know what i'm talking about.

overall, i like the growth of both main characters. i appreciate the representation of those with an anxious or avoidant attachment style and i like the example set for better communication.

Pole Position brought plenty of heat on and off the track, but it wasn't quite a winner for me. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Kian and Harper had its moments, and the Formula 1 setting was fun and exciting. The high-speed tension and spicy chemistry were definite highlights.
That said, the emotional depth felt a little underdeveloped. I wanted more from Kian and Harper’s journey—both as rivals and as lovers. Some of the drama felt repetitive, and the resolution came a bit too quickly for the payoff.
If you’re here for fiery banter, forced proximity, and steamy romance in the world of motorsport, this one’s worth a quick and easy read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was kind of hard to read as an F1 fan because of there not being full correctness of Formula 1. It could be fun sometimes but overall I was bored.

this was a fun romp!! nothing too memorable to me, but i do love me some rivals to lovers goodness. i also liked the back and forth between harper & kian; the banter was really well done. the chemistry was sorely lacking though imo.

I’m a big fan of LGBTQ+ lit, and I wasn’t sure about this one going in because I’m not big on the sports romances. While racing did play a part in it, it felt easy to follow. I do understand from some reviews out there that it may not be faithful to F1 racing, but that doesn’t matter fully to me.

This book definitely gave me vibes of Red, White, and Royal Blue, which I am here for. I really enjoyed the enemies/rivals to lovers story, but more so how it made them both better people and athletes.

There was some spiciness but the build up to it was all the fun.

I also appreciated the portrayal of childhood trauma on an individual. Harper’s internal monologue toward the end about not being enough felt like my brain 99% of the time. So while I at first was upset with the slutty gay guy trope, I realized later it was less that and more the unhealed trauma at play.

One thing I wish was cleared up at the end was what the deal with Johannes is. Maybe another book?

I love the queer representation in this book and overall I love how the setting was well done. Lots of car race books have been coming out and in some books the details are wrong or it doesn’t even seem like they actually race but in this book it is very well done. I’m excited for the queer community to be able to get their hands on this book in March!

I liked this so much! The character development worked really well, and the backdrop of a character with dementia added a layer of seriousness that the story needed. I appreciate that the communication problems between the characters were rooted in their personalities, not external consequences that didn't matter.

Loved this! Not too many books in the F1 genre floating around and I love to see the sports romance genre grow!

Did I pick up this book because the title was a slightly dirty pun? Absolutely. Did I love it from start to finish? 100%. This is the second book I have read by Rebecca and both have been incredible. I absolutely ADORED Kian and Harper. Kian is such a grump at first and grappling with so much happening in his life both in racing and at home with his family. Harper is like an excited puppy at the start and he doesn’t understand why Kian hates him so much after he makes a comment about how amazing Kian’s father was as a racer. These two are absolute messes throughout this story but slowly start to pull it together. The chemistry between these two is off the charts and I could not wait for the moment they finally snapped and hooked up and it did not disappoint. Harper was my favorite character from the start because he clearly has some trauma and seeing his growth throughout this story was perfection. I loved how they pushed each other out of their comfort zones and gave each other the love they deserved. This book had me giggling like a fool with their banter, fanning myself when things got spicy, and then sobbing at emotional moments. I highly recommend it.

as an avid formula 1 fan, I was really excited to pick this up. most of the f1 romances involve a heterosexual pairing so this was going to be so exciting!

did I enjoy myself reading this book? yes and no. I don't think I was able to fall in love with the characters and their relationship. whether it was because of the dynamic or the fact that sometimes it felt like I was reading about teenagers insteads of adults. I just think that the book didn't have the best pacing and fell flat in some places.

I don't think it should lead people not to read it as I think it could be some people's cup of tea.

This has probably been my favorite F1 book I’ve read so far. I will say I’ve struggled to find one that I actually enjoy and Kian and Harper made it so enjoyable! I will say I didn’t expect this one to have deep undertones but I was called out so bad with Harper being someone who fears that everyone leaves him so he doesn’t necessarily stay and WOW that’s me, okay painful. I loved that these two were already confident in their sexuality and I just loved their overall dynamic. I will say the only thing that was a bit odd to me was when Harper was drunk and they began hooking up, I did like that Kian put a stop to it eventually but that’s something that might cause other readers to be uncomfortable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Adult Audio/One More Chapter, and Harper 30 for providing me with an egalley an audio arc of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I've been looking for a good F1 book. I'm a huge fan and follow pretty closely so I know a lot about the sport, the teams, some of the technology and engineering, even. This is not my first F1 book and so far they have all let me down in one way or another. I picked this one as it made sense to me to read a book in a male dominant field with the main characters as two males. Sadly, this book did not live up to my expectations, either.
Let's start with the audio part of the book. I'm unsurprised the narrators use British voices but I will say Joshua Chase and James Joseph were similar enough that it was sometimes hard to tell them apart. This was annoying if I missed the title of the chapter saying who it was. I could usually pick it out once it got going as the narrators did make the voices of the characters unique enough with tone and inflection, plus the author definitely showed each personality of the characters. The narrator that did Harper's voice had a very low quality of his voice. Almost a whisper at times and I found myself having to rewind to hear what he said.
If the narrators not being to my liking wasn't enough, the entire story and plot line just fell short. I feel like the author needed to do a lot more research into F1. You can see some if it there, while at other times it's severely lacking. It's not believable that two F1 drivers would share a trailer for weeks on end while touring. It's not believable that a reserve driver is brought up and has zero understanding about how to talk to the media; he's getting his first trainings now? Seems highly unlikely. Finally, F1 is an expensive sport. You don't really see poor, orphaned kids who have zero support racing. Where is the money coming from? it just makes zero sense.
As I said above, the author did a good job making the two characters distinct. Kian as the stuck up, regimented driver who doesn't want to deviate from his schedule or be friends and Harper who is carefree and not caring who thinks what of him. He does as he pleases and has no inkling of how his actions hurt or injure others. This was truly the only part of the story that might be believable.
Did I feel the chemistry between these two? Not at all. Was their relationship (love/hate, I guess?) believable? Not really because the attraction they talk about (what the author tells us, rather than shows us) just didn't feel like it was really there. And, since this was the entire premise of the book, the growth of the characters felt stunted and overall underdeveloped. I felt zero connection or empathy for either of these characters. Even when the author gave us a bone and look into the background of the characters, which I would hope would help me connect, I just didn't care enough to feel badly for them in any way.
And the pacing was so slow! I just kept waiting for something to happen by even by 60%, when the characters have finally gotten together in some capacity, it was still just stunted. It dragged and I had to push and push and push to even care to finish it. Once I got annoyed enough with the narrators, I switched to Kindle version. But it did nothing to improve the story.
Overall, I'm completely underwhelmed with this title. There is a lot wrong and I feel like it needs another round of edits to point out where pacing could be picked up, characters could be developed, and story line could use some tweaks.