Ohhh my goodness this book was sooo good! The author did an amazing job not going too overboard with over explaining formula 1 while also keeping it true to form for those that follow it. For a formula 1 girlie like me I absolutely devoured this book and the fact that it was MM was the cherry on top. I could see parts the author pulled for some of the real personalities of formula 1 and I am here for it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The narrator brought both men to life through his voice work. I also enjoyed Kian and Harper's great chemistry and the enemies-to-lovers banter. I give this book 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the opportunity to review Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery

Thank you Rebecca J Caffery and the audio team for allowing to review this book. I enjoyed the book. This was the first time I had ever read a formula 1 sport romance.. I loved their romance, it was portrayed really well. Will read more from this author!

Okay, seriously, this book was a total adrenaline rush! 🏎️ Kian, legendary F1 driver, and Harper, super talented rookie, hate each other at first. But still with. 🔥 The tension between them is palpable and builds throughout, and you can practically feel the sparks flying.
Cutthroat F1 racing and the romance? 🔥🔥🔥 This enemies-to-lovers trope is done SO well. You'll be rooting for these two from the very beginning.
Plus, the LGBTQ+ rep is awesome and feels super genuine.
If you're into sports romance, or just love a good enemies-to-lovers story, you NEED to read this. It's a total page-turner!

My first book about F1 racing and I learned a lot about it, but I was left wanting more in the romance department. I understand how they fell in love and got there, but it just seemed like it needed more depth. I didn’t love each of the characters And there was a lot of fade to black moments that I didn’t expect because other parts were more explicit. It was a lot more about falling emotionally in love. I liked it, and I guess they’re setting up the scene for a sequel of one of the side characters which I would be interested in reading.

Thank you Netgalley for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I will admit, being a big fan of the sport made me very critical of this in a way other readers may not be. There were a lot of small errors around F1 that bothered me enough to take me out of the story (they were also big errors, but I'll get to those later). My biggest issue was with the driver-driver and driver-team dynamic. While the drivers all have working relationships, it is very rare for drivers to be best friends. There is also no scenario on earth where team principles would threaten to fire both drivers on the team over bad press, when they are both on the podium every week. Some cursory research would have helped the author make this more interesting and accurate. All that being said, I fully admit folks who don't care about F1 wouldn't notice any of this and might enjoy the book more.

Now for the 2 big issues with the book:

1) There is an on-page scene, where one of the guys is very drunk, the other guy literally thinks "he's too drunk to consent to this", then proceeds anyway. WTAF. This is called sexual assault and I truly don't know how this scene made it to print.

2) To write a gay F1 romance with no more than 2 sentences on homophobia in motorsport AND in the countries they race in is willfully negligent. Again, a cursory Google search would have told the author about drivers being punished for openly supporting LGBTQIA+ rights. And that is just supporting, not actually being out. Openly gay drivers would not be welcome to race in many countries on the calendar, and not just Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar. Hungary, for example, passed its Propaganda Law in 2021, allowing it to censor anyone with diverse gender identities in media. This could have been a chance to write a real-world forbidden romance while speaking into the global challenges LGBTQIA+ people face. Instead, she chose ignorance.

If those 2 issues weren't enough, the characters lacked chemistry, the book was boring, and the actual romance was clunky.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

4/⭐️
2/🌶️

Audiobook Review 🎧
Narrated by Joshua Chase and James Joseph

Give me all the tension and banter!! Omg I freaking adored these two!! Kian is a little broody, towards the end of his career and dealing with his mom’s illness. In comes Harper, a wild rookie with a troubled childhood that plays a role in his commitment issues. These two have to overcome some issues, but gosh them together is 🔥🔥

I loved this audio!! These narrators were so good, at first I was nervous that they sounded similar but boy was I wrong!! They were so different, and really nailed each character!!

🏎️ F1 romance
❤️ Age Gap
🏎️ Rivals to Lovers
❤️ MM romance
🏎️ Opposites Attract

Very much falls into the vibes of Red, White, Royal Blue meets Formula 1. I really enjoyed the development and growth of the characters, which I wasn’t expecting from this book. While neither MMC is perfect, they express themselves and do admit their faults. And while the 3rd act breakup usually drives me bananas, it fit well in this context. I’m really hoping that they give the character Johannes his own book. Fingers crossed that is in the works!

Tropes:
-Enemies to lovers
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Age Gap (33 and 25)
-Found Family
-Rivals to lovers

Thanks to HarperAudio and NetGalley for audiobook arc.

Rebecca J. Caffery’s Pole Position delivers a thrilling blend of speed, rivalry, and romance that hooked me from start to finish. The chemistry between Kian and Harper crackles with tension, perfectly capturing the high stakes of both their personal and professional lives.

I especially appreciated how the backstories for both characters were richly developed, making their actions and emotions feel authentic and relatable. The journey from rivals to something more was handled with nuance, keeping me invested every step of the way.

The conclusion tied everything together beautifully, leaving me both satisfied and eager for more stories in this high-octane world.

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC!

The first formula one romance I’ve actually enjoyed. The use of terms and language that I know if I turned on sky sports or espn, would be what I actually hear on those channels. I loved seeing them go from Rivas to lovers. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I really enjoyed this story. It was heavy at times, but it was done well. The relationship development was fun to witness. This is my first F1 romance book. I am not hugely familiar with the sport, so I can’t speak to details in that regard. The spice was good. The narrators were excellent! Overall, I enjoyed the story and the characters.

This was a great audiobook. The tropes are Enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, spicy, sports romance! You will not be disappointed with this book. Highly recommend it.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
3 ☆
Kian Walker has always been the golden boy of motorsport. The four-time championship winner has racing in his DNA. Harper James, this year's rookie, was called up to compete with the big boys—and Kian's new teammate.

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, spicy, sports romance 🏎️

This is my first M/M romance, and I must say it was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed the romance and spice between the two main characters. This is also my first motorsport book, so I was a little curious about that aspect. But it was nothing major. The pacing was difficult for me because it felt extremely slow, making the read a little boring.

The audiobook is dual narration, which is a major plus! The narrators did a good job telling the story, and they were easy to listen to and understand. I started listening at 2x speed, and once I hit 56%, increased it to 2.5x speed to finish the book.

Thank you, Netgellay, and Harper Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

It was good, definitely gave enemies to lovers vibes similar to Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. There was lots and lots of spice and forced proximity! I felt like it could have been shorter and I didn't like all of the grief that was present in the story.

This is the Formula 1 Romance I have been waiting for! I will start by saying I am a newish but fervent F1 Fan AND a romance reader so of course I am loving all of these new sports romances!

Kian Walker is a multi-time world champion who is poised for his next season at the top of the sport, even if people keep asking him if he's going to retire. When his long-time teammate is suddenly injured, a new young hot shot takes the second seat and these two clash immediately. Kian dislikes how casually Harper treats the spectacle that is being a professional racing driver, and wishes he was more serious and dedicated. Meanwhile, Harper is just in shock to be working alongside his hero and doesn't get why Kian doesn't like him.

I thought the pacing of this book was perfect. Kian and Harper have to go from distant, to familiar, to intimate and all of those beats felt earned and delicious. Once the relationship is fairly established, the moments they have to navigate together are handled beautifully and really hit you right in the feels.

It also has just the right amount of racing! Caffery does enough to show her knowledge of the sport without overwhelming readers who might not know anything about it. This is a great step into the world of F1 and F1 Romance, and I would definitely recommend it as a fan!

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca J. Caffery, and HarperAudio for this audiobook ARC.

Pole Position has quickly made its way to my FAVORITE book of 2025. I grew up drag racing with my dad so the setting of this book felt EXTREMELY relatable to me. The handling of anger & grief came off flawlessly. The development of their relationship made me laugh and cry, and I will be thinking about this book for a LONG time. ❤️

Pole Position
By Rebecca J. Caffery
Narrated by Joshua Chase; James Joseph
3.5 ⭐️

Overall: a fun entertaining read. The spice, spiced but didn’t seem forced into the story. The last 20% far outshines the first 80%. I adored the last part of this story. It’s purely emotionally driven and allowed me to finally connect with the MCs. I missed that emotional component so much in the bulk of this book where it read like a Days of Thunder fanfic/remix. Many of the issues I had listed out around the midpoint of this read improved in the last part of the book. Had the whole story been written with the same care, I would have been head over heels for this one. Alas. No such luck.

The audiobook was delightful. Both narrators were so easy to listen to. They were easy to identify for POV shifts and really added depth to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca J. Caffery, and HarperAudio for this audiobook ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. 4.5 stars and 3.5 chili peppers for spice. This is my second time reading/listening to this story and I fell in love with it even more listening to it. The voice actors were amazing and I loved the emotion that they put behind the characters. I didn’t know anything about racing before I picked up this book so I figured I’d give it a try. I honestly loved this story and the characters. The racing terms and logistics behind the sport were easy enough to understand. Definitely would read a second book if this is a series with some of the side characters.

If you’re craving a sports romance packed with high-octane drama and heart-stopping moments, Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery is a must-read! This book delivers all the angst, tension, and emotional rollercoasters you’d expect from a story about two rival F1 teammates navigating more than just the track. 🖤

Kian Walker, the golden boy of motorsport, is struggling to escape his father’s shadow while Harper James, the brash rookie with a reputation as big as his ego, barrels into the spotlight as Kian’s new teammate. Sparks fly both on and off the track, and let me tell you—the chemistry is electric! The dislike-to-love dynamic between Kian and Harper had me hooked from the start. Add in a healthy dose of queer rep (a Bi MC and Gay love interest!), and this story checked so many of my boxes!!

The racing action feels authentic to this reader with admittedly very little F1 experience but I loved how integral to the story the sport was! i
It’s the emotional depth though that takes this book to the next level! Tackling topics like parental health, grief, abandonment, and scandal, these leant a weight to the story that was woven in beautifully alongside tropes like hurt/comfort, an age gap, and the “rookie vs. almost-retiree” rivalry. The tug-of-war between Kian and Harper kept me on the edge of my seat, even if the “will they/won’t they” tension lasted a bit longer than I’d hoped... (Seriously, I wanted to shake Harper more than a few times!) That said, I totally get why it played out the way it did—mental health and personal growth are huge parts of this story, and it’s handled with care!

Ultimately, Pole Position is a compelling blend of sizzling romance and fast-paced sports drama that I couldn’t put down.. totally worth the sleepless night and bags under my eyes from staying up late to finish it! It’s a solid 4-star read for me, and I can’t wait to add a physical copy to my shelf!

Absolutely love the banter and chemistry between the two characters! Even for a reader who is not the most familiar with Formula One, this was still an exciting and enjoyable read. I also really liked the audiobook narrators as well!