This was a super cute read. The narrators were enjoyable to listen too. I do wish there had been a bit more build up on the two of them finally getting together but seeing them recover from the third act break up definitely made up for it!!

Pole Position was such a fun read! If you are a fan of Red, White and Royal Blue or Cleat Cute you will love Pole Position. Pole Position is a fast paced kinda-enemies to friends with benefits to lovers. The formula is really similar to that red, white and royal blue I saw the similarities and for that I can’t give it a full 5 stars. But I did greatly enjoy this book!

MCs:
Kian Walker is the star formula 1 driver who comes from formula 1 royalty. His estranged father was also a big shot formula driver and his mother was a famous singer. He wants nothing more than to be like his dad.

Harper James is the new rookie golden boy but also a playboy! His idol is no other than Kian Walker and now they are on the same team. Harper has a reputation for one night stand hookups and being the bad boy.

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Spice: 3 🌶️

Tropes:
🏎️ Formula 1 drivers
❤️ Rival-ish to Lovers
🏁 Friends with Benefits
🖤 International Travel
🏎️ Sick/Comfort
❤️ Sports Romance
🏁 MM romance
🏎️ Hidden/Secret Relationship
❤️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🏁 Forced Proximity

TW:
* Parent with Parkinson’s/Dementia
* Death of a parent / funeral
* Homophobic slurs

Kian & Harper’s relationship:
These two went from 0 to 60 real fast. They started sharing rooms quickly lol it was like their relationship was secret but also not. Everyone knew around them that they were in love before they did! They were messy but also so loving. There was some push and pull/tension when they realized this shit is getting serious (very much like RWRB).

I love same-sex couples in sports books. I hope that it helps normalize it for real life 🤍

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for letting me read & review Pole Position!

Very cute , I’m loving the racing vibes. The audio narrator did a very good job at portraying emotions

This book just did nothing for me. Characters were bland, unlikeable and lacked any real chemistry. Really didn't feel like the author knew anything about queer men

It wasn't half bad. I just can't tell if I would have liked it more if I knew anything about F1 racing.
Very hot and heavy.

It was my first time reading a F1 romance book and let me tell you it won't be my last. If there is one thing I adore when reading sports romance, it is when we really get to dive into it. There were races with a lot at stake, we followed our characters through press conferences, trainings, we really saw the sacrifices they had to make to be there and how everything can change with one wrong move. I ate it up! (Don't ask me if it was true to the real sport, I don't care, I just enjoy the fictional universe of it, thank you very much!)

Kian was so easy to love, he was dedicated, very sensible with all that was happening with his family, and his reasons for being so strict and might I say a bit cold at first were truly understandable for me. It was a pleasure to learn more about him and I loved how even though he hated Harper, he was always there for him and making sure he was okay. Caring/comfort is definitely at the top of my list of favourite things.

But... even though I so wanted to love this book, there was something I couldn't get past. Where did it go wrong for me, you ask? Harper James. He was one of the most unlikeable characters ever. He pissed me off so damn much, and honestly going through this story being always mad like that wasn't easy. Believe me, I wanted to see some redeeming qualities in him, see a big redemption moment, a great character arc, but I was left very disapointed in the end. He was selfish through the bone, and so annoying. The way he used Kian multiple times and then went grinding on other people and kept drinking and being a mess in their shared space and all. Like, are you 15?

I will still say that the characters were well-developed, it's truly a "me" thing, there are some things I find unforgivable and Harper felt toxic to me and I couldn't get over it. No matter how much you try to explain his reasons nothing will ever excuse the fact that you hurt someone... (I'm a people pleaser, so I'd have to cut my hands before doing something I fully know will hurt or make people mad... maybe that is where this is all coming from). Anyway, I could go on forever, so I'm going to stop here. My point is, because he was a main character, it was impossible for me to fully enjoy this story.

All things considered I still read this one superfast, the tension between our characters was there and they had very enjoyable scenes, I was invested till the end and the sports part of the story truly fascinated me.

As for the narration, it was great. Both narrators were great and easy to differentiate, I had a nice time listening to them!

Thanks to HarperAudio and Netgalley for the audiobook access. All opinions are my own.

Pole Position is an enemies-to-lovers romance between two race car drivers. This is a Formula One romance starring two athletes on the same team. Although they reside on the same team, Kain Walker and Harper James could not be any more different. This was auch a cute and fun read. This was such a well written book I loved every minute of it.

I actually loved this one, it was a great listen. I’m not super versed in the F1 world so I have no way of knowing how accurate/close to real life this is, but I was very invested nonetheless. It’s my first book by this author but it definitely wont be my last. Audiobook narration was actually great.

Kian Walker, a four-time championship winner, is the experienced golden boy of F1 racing. When Kian’s teammate is injured, who is called in to take his place but Harper James, a younger rookie driver whose cocky, hot-headed, party boy persona makes Kian despise him before even meeting him. These two are opposites in every way, so how will they survive the season as teammates and could there potentially be more between them? As an F1 fan, I really enjoyed this book! I’ve seen it described as Red, White, and Royal Blue meets F1, which I agree is a pretty accurate take. I listened to the audiobook version and the narrators are both excellent and very easy to listen to! I honestly flew through the audiobook because the drama, tension, and twists in the story were so engaging. I love how vulnerable each of the characters becomes as they get to know each other, and the chemistry is excellent. The F1 references and drama are great as well. I don’t think you really need to know much about F1 to read this as the author does explain the sport references throughout, but it definitely helped to understand the sport better. An enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend to others, especially if you enjoy similar genres and books. Highly recommend the audiobook version! Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca J. Caffery, and HarperAudio Adult for the gifted ALC. This is a voluntary and honest review.

This book was cute and I loved the cover art! The narrator was good and kept me interested in the story until the end.

I loved this romance so much! I really fell in love with the characters, and I especially loved how different the narrators sounded from one another.

I think I am cured from reading racing romance.
It is very “just vibes” no substance. The kid is would have been sent back where he came from fur this amount of bad behaviors.
I don’t know much about FI but even as an
Idiot, I know this isn’t how shit works.

When the unexpected happens Harper becomes team members with one of his heros. Although star-struck, competition on and off the oval Stokes the heat between the two. Kian and Harper find their way in a super messy life to play hard and live hard

This was a fun listen for me. As an F1 girlie I was excited to read about queer racers. I did however wish the whole world were imaginary or set in real life. I found it weird that McLaren exists but there were racing for a made up team. Also the inaccuracy about how F1 works was a bit annoying as an F1 fan that watched every Grand Prix weekend. But overall I still had a fun time listening. The narrators were great!

🏁 Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery – Audiobook Review

Just finished Pole Position and wow, this book is everything! 😍 If you're into enemies-to-lovers, grumpy x sunshine, and forced proximity tropes, this one's for you. Kian and Harper's chemistry is off the charts, and the racing backdrop adds so much excitement to their story. The narration by Joshua Chase and James Joseph really brought the characters to life, making this audiobook a must-listen. 🎧

📚 Tropes:
🏎️ Enemies to Lovers
🌤️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🏁 Forced Proximity
🔥 Spicy Romance
🎭 Sports Romance

📌 Hashtags:
#PolePosition #RebeccaJCaffery #AudiobookReview #EnemiesToLovers #GrumpySunshine #ForcedProximity #SportsRomance #F1Romance #RomanceBooks #BookRecommendation

I love F1 and this romance was so fun! It was hilarious and the spice was impeccable. I really loved this book and look forward to reading more by the author!

3.75 stars rounded up

Have I entered my F1 era?!?! I had such a great time with this audiobook. The banter and intention were top tier. When the bad boy and golden child have to work together on the same team, tension is high. The narrators did a wonderful job of immersing you into the story.

3.75 Stars

While this is not the most accurate book when it comes to the F1 world of racing it is a good story to listen to as one is cleaning house and doing other chores. I was given the opportunity to review to the audiobook by #NetGalley for an honest review.

This story starts with the principal driver, Kian Walker, finding out his good friend and co driver on his team is out for the season due to injury. He finds out that they have called up a rookie driver from the lower level. They are calling up the randy playboy Harper James. Kian is very aware of Harper and his ways.

Harper James is ecstatic about being on the team and in the presence of Kian Walker. Harper has idolized his father for years and Kian is just as good as his dad. When Harper mentions this to Kian, Kian shuts down on him and marches off.

The author's attempt at a grumpy older driver and a golden retriever younger driver that fall for each other comes up a bit short for me. It seems like there are some holes in the overall plot. They circle each other like caged lions and are told to get over each other and get along by the team owner. They try to do things together but all of a sudden there is some mutual attraction while they are a club. It seemed to time wrap a bit.

Then Harper ends up call Kian after a bad night at the club, Kian comes running to help and then cuddling ensues. Then Kian pushes him away again only to run to Harper's rescue again when he gets food poisoning.

This story had some great potential of push and pull but it fell a little flat for me.

I am a huge lover of MM sports romance, so I was so excited to see this one available as an ALC! I loved the set up of this book, rivals to lovers, forced proximity, and age gap, sign me up! I did really enjoy this one, but would have loved a little more banter and pining!

Very cute and something I enjoyed reading. The writing may not have been for me, though. I didn't feel like the characters were likable, and I thought that the bad blood between them felt forced.