This was my first mm romance and I really enjoyed it. I loved that we got to see the story from both of the main characters. I enjoyed it so much that I would’ve loved a second book if the story would have ended differently.

The book itself was a wonderful read. I loved the characters and the premise. Unfortunately the narrator threw me off so much that I stopped listening to it and read the book itself.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy!

Okay, Pole Position is basically what happens when you take high-stakes Formula 1 racing, throw in two ridiculously good-looking guys with massive egos, and shake it all up with spicy banter and enemies-to-lovers tension. And honestly? It’s a whole lot of fun.

We’ve got Kian Walker — the reigning F1 champ with a chip on his shoulder and a “get off my track” attitude. Enter Harper James, the flashy rookie with no filter, no fear, and way too much confidence for Kian’s liking. Naturally, they're stuck on the same team. Naturally, they hate each other. Naturally, it gets real flirty real fast.

If you're into fast cars, slow burns (well… medium burns), and rivals who can’t decide whether they want to kiss or kill each other — this is your book. The chemistry between Kian and Harper? Electric. The insults? Chef’s kiss. The racing scenes? Surprisingly gripping, even if you don’t know the first thing about F1.

Sure, there are a few bumps in the road — some of the emotional moments feel a bit rushed, and the characters occasionally act like they’re in a teen soap rather than the adult professional racing world. But honestly, that kind of adds to the charm. You're not reading this for gritty realism — you're here for the drama, the heat, and the hot guys in fireproof suits.

Highlights:

-Spicy, snarky banter

-Forced proximity (yep, there’s only one hotel suite)

-Behind-the-scenes F1 chaos semi accurate

-Some tender family moments that sneak up on you

Could it have gone a little deeper emotionally? Maybe. But was it a good time? Absolutely. It’s the kind of book you read with a drink in hand and a smirk on your face. I was nervous to read my first "spicy" book, but this wasn't that bad.

If you are brand new fan of formula 1, then the driving would not bother you but if you are fan (who has watched races and not just Drive to Survive), then you probably will have a problem with it. There is a crash of a driver where he flips multiple times and the car is off the track near the barricades. They do not even flag the race in a meaningful way. Other drivers are pushing hard and attempting overtakes in the same part of the track.

Regarding the couple, they were fine. The found family was nice for many characters. However, the relationships had some parts that were not good in my opinion. Their first kiss was after one character acknowledged the other is probably too drunk to consent. That was hard to overcome for me.

This book is fine if you have some suspension of disbelief. Some people will like it and it has its place, but I probably will not read it again.

Thank you to Netgally for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced copy through NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are truthful and my own.

This was a fun book to listen to. I am not an F1 fan but I did think the premise sounded interesting and I am glad I gave it a try. The two MCs do snip and bicker at each other for quite a while but it was satisfying to watch their relationship evolve. The audiobook was narrated well.

This male/male romance, like it’s drivers, is a fast read. This is about two Formula One racers, one contemplating retirement and one finally making top level. I wouldn’t call this enemies to lovers, or even grumpy sunshine. But there are small elements of both in there. I bet it would be more miscommunication or not understanding each other‘s history. But it is a cute, minor spicy, romance novel. I think this is more a romance novel for women than for men, but feel free to correct me if you believe otherwise. My major complaint is it was a tag too long. I don’t care for the angst. I never like the angst of “what am I doing wrong”, “what am I not doing”, i.e.: figuring out the miscommunications. I think that was drawn out, but it had everything one expects in romance novel, including the happily ever after. For that, I give this a thumbs up. However, I do think the next one is about the friend and my guest friend and the owner’s son… but only time will tell.

I adored this book. Absolutely adorable and the narrators did such a great job. I don't know a whole ton about F1 but I sure do enjoy reading about F1. I've never read a F1 MM romance and I enjoyed listening to our MCs fall for each other while also being teammates and rivals.

- Rivals-to-lovers
- Grumpy x Sunshine
- Forced Proximity
- Age Gap (25 vs. 33)
- Found Family

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperAudio for an audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I prefer my books to be grounded in logic with a grasp on reality.

The narration was seamless. A nice production.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley & HarperAdult Audio for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

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.