Listening to this on audiobook made the experience for me! The two narrators were lovely and were excellent at conveying the appropriate brooding and overall emotion for both Kian and Harper. Both characters developed nicely throughout the story and I enjoyed the secondary characters just as much as Kian and Harper (especially Kian's sister!)

Read if you like
🏎️ F1 / sports romance (honestly the F1 component came secondary to the personal lives of the MCs in my eyes, but it was still great for the plot and setting)
🏎️ Enemies to lovers
🏎️ Rookie vs Veteran
🏎️ Banter and sarcasm in a British accent

Listen to this on audio if you get the opportunity, I don't think I would have liked the book as much had I physically read it.

The narrators did a good job! The had a lot of potential but fell a little flat for me. I found the level of miscommunication extremely frustrating, The main characters came across at way younger than they actually were and that was such a turn off for me. I do no think it was a bad story at all. It just wasn't for me. I loved the f1 factor. Such a fun setting to dive into. I would try this author again!

I absolutely loved this audiobook!! The narrators did a phenomenal job! The plot and characters were amazing! By chapter 2 I was completely hooked! The two main characters are everything!

A cute, queer romance for all fans of motorsport! If you like the Dirty Air Series by Lauren Asher or Cross the Line by Simone Soltani, this book is for you!

Finally, a rivals-to-lovers romance that I enjoyed. The story was pretty engaging and the tension between the two mcs was palpable in almost every scene, so I just went along for the ride (ha) and had a good time. The writing needed further editing to tighten it up, but apart from that, this was fun.

Here’s the rewritten review:

I started Pole Position feeling intrigued, grew to love it, but ultimately found the over-the-top drama and rushed relationship development a bit much for me.

I went into this blind and was quickly hooked by the intense dynamic between Kian and Harper. Their love-hate, rivals-to-teammates tension reminded me immediately of Heated Rivalry with the way they despised each other yet couldn’t help but be intrigued. As Formula 1 teammates, they’re forced to work together and present a united front for the media, which set the stage for some excellent banter and tension.

What completely won me over was the hurt-comfort moment when Kian selflessly cared for Harper after he fell ill. That scene became a turning point—I was fully invested in their relationship and rooting for them. But as the story progressed, the constant back-and-forth drama between them started to wear on me.

It felt like their relationship took so long to actually start, and then once it did, we didn’t get to see it develop meaningfully. A lot of key emotional topics—like Kian’s complicated relationship with his famous father, his childhood, or Harper being a fan of Kian’s early career—were introduced but never explored deeply. Similarly, other threads like therapy, Kian’s family dynamics, or Harper’s friend acting distant were brought up only to be dropped or wrapped up too quickly.

I also struggled with the portrayal of their intimacy. The insistence on a heteronormative idea of “real sex” (equating it solely with anal) felt off, especially since they’d previously referred to other moments as having “sex.” It seemed inconsistent with the story’s tone and didn’t reflect the diversity of queer experiences. On top of that, the kink elements were mentioned briefly and then abandoned, adding to the sense that some ideas weren’t fully fleshed out.

That said, there were parts I really enjoyed. Kian’s “grandpa” vibe, as a veteran F1 driver longing to spend more time with his family, contrasted beautifully with Harper’s wild, scandal-prone rookie energy. Their personalities clashed in the best way, creating sparks and a lot of fun moments.

From an F1 fan perspective, though, I found the mix of real and fictional teams confusing—it felt messy and took me out of the story. The use of vague terms like “championship racing” instead of referring directly to F1 also threw me off.

All in all, Pole Position reminded me of Red, White, & Royal Blue in tone, so if you’re a fan of that kind of rivals-to-lovers romance with some emotional depth, you’ll probably enjoy this. While it wasn’t a standout for me due to the unresolved plot points and relationship pacing, it was still an entertaining read with some memorable moments.

1⭐️ I really wanted to love Pole Position, but it just didn’t click for me. The premise had so much potential—a golden boy and a cocky rookie forced to team up in the high-stakes world of motorsport. Kian and Harper’s dynamic seemed like it would be full of tension and excitement, but instead, it felt flat.

The pacing was slow, and I struggled to connect with the characters. Kian’s internal conflict about not wanting to be like his dad was interesting at first but didn’t feel fully explored. Harper, on the other hand, came off more obnoxious than intriguing, making it hard to root for him.

I honestly couldn’t finish the book because it just wasn’t holding my attention. While some readers might enjoy the motorsport setting and enemies-to-lovers setup, it wasn’t for me.

Red white and royal blue meets formula one. It’s a cute lgbtq sports romance book. No formula one knowledge needed.
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy x sunshine
Two male audiobook narrators with perfect British accents.

This audiobook was fantastic. The narrators of this book - swoon! They did such a good job bringing these characters to life.

There is so much to love about this book - the F1 setting, delicious tropes, dual POV, and amazing chemistry. There were times I was literally shouting ”noooooo” when the characters weren’t communicating well or were misunderstanding one another. I did feel like there were points where the story dragged a little, but I can see why the growth was slow.

I loved the narration on this audiobook but the book just felt very clunky and formulaic. I really wanted to love this one but it fell really flat

Audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Narrated by Joshua Chase; James Joseph
Performance Review:
Great job Joshua and James! Tone, pacing, and reading style were spot on! This was my first MM romance read so it only made sense to get an ARC for the audio. I was worried I would struggle with the accents and British catchphrases, but they too were spot on.

Book Review:
3.75/5 ⭐
2/5 🌶️

A cute Formula 1 MM Romance! You don't see this storyline often and it was a fun one. I enjoyed their banter, slow burn, and their spice. I would have loved to pull a bit more depth out of them, but overall enjoyed the story

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Grumpy x sunshine
Forced Proximity
Spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Sports romance 🏎️

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to Pole Position.

I absolutely loved Pole Position. From the duet narration to a nuanced sports and love story with instant fireworks (I loveddddd the sunshine vs grumpy characters). This is serious fun. I know nothing about Formula 1 and am not a fan and still wildly enjoyed listening. 4.5 stars!

This was a fun, gay romance read! The two main characters were pretty likable(For the most part). Harper's character came with frustrations from time to time, but overall not a super infuriating POV to follow. The story itself was cute, but felt a little too slow for my liking. I feel like I didn't really get to see the characters happy for that long either for all of that build up, but the spice was well-written and you still find yourself rooting for the MCs to get together. It seems like the author maybe set up the ending for a second book, which I would be interested to read, so overall recommend.

So this is my first MM read and I cannot express how much I loved it. It gave me so many feels as it bounced between Kian and Harper’s POV. I may have ended up a little too invested and hoped that I got an epilogue that gave me the additional bits I NEEDED (it did!). It was also my introduction to F1 racing. So a I would highly recommend this enemies to lovers, grump x sunshine and one of my personal faves… forced proximity with a nice amount of spice.

I wanted to love this but I was not my favorite at all. I was really hopefully but it was a bit disappointing.

I would give this book 3.5/5 stars. The story was good and the love story was cute. I didnt love their voices at first with the audio book but I did grow to love it. SPOILERS Now I will say it does annoy me when you have the 3rd act break up for commitment issues but I did enjoy the book. Also I loved that he told his father to leave like yes stand up for him!!!! Overall must read book!

4.25 stars. Pole Position was a super cute, bingeable romcom. I finished the audiobook in just 3 days and loved all 10 hours of it. The narrators, Joshua Chase and James Joseph were fantastic. They way they brought Harper and Kian to life was so well done. They were spot on and really made me love the story that much more.

There was a lot that I liked about this story. The pacing, the plot, and the characters were all well written and original. It wasn't a perfect story in terms of the F1 part but truthfully I never expect a fully accurate sports romance. The sport is always the background for the characters with some sort of goal for them to achieve so the pieces that don't quite match how it actually works in the real world aren't that big of a deal. The pacing is a little off in parts as well but overall, it made sense and flowed well!

My biggest complaint is that I wish we had gotten a little closure on some pieces of the story (specifically Kian's dad). While there are some plot holes throughout the story, I still enjoyed listening and found it to be a good balance of fun and dramatic.

Thank you to HarperAudio and Netgalley for the arc!

Book Review: Pole Position

Pole Position is a thrilling MM sports romance that takes the high-stakes world of auto racing and blends it with an enemies-to-lovers story packed with heart, humor, and heat. With a slight age gap between the leads, the story follows a party boy racer and a grounded family man who seem to clash at every turn—both on and off the track. Their banter is electric, making it just as enjoyable when they’re at each other’s throats as when they’re falling for each other.

The chemistry between the characters is undeniable, and their journey feels authentic as they each work through personal struggles to find common ground. The balance of tension, vulnerability, and sizzling romance is pitch-perfect, keeping you rooting for them even when they seem determined to sabotage themselves.

If you love well-written banter, flawed but lovable characters, and a romance that will keep you hooked from start to finish, Pole Position is a must-read. Whether you’re a fan of sports romance or just a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers dynamic, this one will rev your engine. Highly recommended!

This book was totally not what I expected it to be! While this did remind me a bit of Red, White, and Royal Blue because of the dynamics of the characters, this was definitely unique all on it's own! This MM Formula 1 racing romance got me in all my feels!

Kian and Harper couldn't be more different and in more opposite places in their lives. Kian is a seasoned professional racer who is on the brink of retirement, while Harper is the party boy who is in his first real professional season by luck.

The relationship dynamic between these two from the beginning to the end of the book was really wonderful. I loved how they went from disliking/hating each other to a mutual friendship that turned into so much more.

There was a bit of a push and pull that left us reeling whether they would be able to figure it out and be together.

Both narrators, Joshua Chase and James Joseph, are new to be narrators, but I am definitely going to be looking into more of their work! They both nailed these characters perfectly and gave me all the feels while listening!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins audio, and the author for the advanced listeners copy.

red white and royal blue meets f1? easy selling point but it fell just as flat for me.

harper fully drove me nuts this entire book. i get he needed therapy the entire time but the constant crash and burning he put himself through was ridiculous.

kian was mad around him constantly at the beginning and sometimes i didn’t even know the reason. i feel like i was missing something.

it was cute but just not amazing.

i’m grateful i listened to the audio instead of physically reading because it helped get through it so much quicker. the narrator did a good job.