F1 super fan and podcaster Mia realizes that every time she makes a negative comment about top F1 driver Xander, her following increases. Xander’s teammate invites her to a race to mess with him, but once she and Xander meet sparks fly.

The book was fairly short at under 300 pages, so the romance progressed fast and there was little character development. This is particularly the case as it wasn’t a true enemies to lovers romance, since Mia actually thought Xander was a good driver from the start (she just built her career on bashing him…). In general, it’s a quick fun RomCom that I recommend if you aren’t looking for a serious read.

Not So Fast was such a fun F1 romance! I really enjoyed the fake dating trope, and the banter was so good between the characters.

Super cute but a little shallow. The FMC is a Jill of all trades constantly changing careers and hobbies never finding her place. Her love of F1 has never faded. When her friends suggested making a podcast (and after much trial and error) she finally found her groove. She gained traction (ha - look at me throwing driving lingo) when she made an inflammatory comment about up-and-coming Driver —-. Never in a million years did she thing her statement would kickstart her love life.

He’s adorable but a little closed minded - as a professional althete it seems unnatural that he wasn’t considering his mental state being the problem with his rough start.

I also felt the mother daughter dynamic was a little disjointed - the subplot didn’t flow seamlessly.

Very good audio - the British accent kept making me think of Malfoy from HP.

This was a fun and cute read! It took me a bit to get adjusted to the third person narrative because it felt like it was slowing down the pace, but I ultimately enjoyed it and felt like we got enough of both characters perspectives. This was my first F1 romance and I really liked that she was a podcaster who wasn’t afraid to call him out. Ultimately Mia and Xander both helped each other reach their potential and I really liked that! Would recommend for a quick sports read. Thank you Harlequin for the eARC!

Mia is a character that is utterly relatable. A girl who constantly changes her jobs, not because she’s flighty but that she’s driven by curiosity and too many interests. A smart, ambitious woman who gives her all to everything despite the changes. Her race podcast is the catalyst for jesting and romance as she takes off to England to cover a race, and inevitably falls headlong into a fast paced, revved up romance with Xander. Xander is the sweetest man behind the speed. You can’t help but fall as he continuously puts her first. This story is sweet and must have had its own pace car because the flow was spot on. I barely noticed the time passing and then it was done.

I am so impressed with Talon David’s narration. My first time listening to this narrator and I’m sold. The way she seamlessly navigates the different characters with multiple accents was a delight. Her accent for Xander was done so well, I would’ve thought it a male narrator. She truly made this story an experience that I greatly enjoyed.

I loved the representation of a female in the F1 world who wasn't there for the glitz and glamor but really loves the sport and knows a lot of the technical aspects that lots of people think females in the sport don't know or care about. I also loved that her podcast was very technically focused with some off track drama because, you can't have this sport without that part of it. Mia and Xander are adorable enemy-ish to lovers that I love because there is this rivalry but deep down they have found a kindred spirit in each other and really understand how to support the other person.
It did take me a little bit to get into the swing of reading but that could have been my very mood reader brain that just wasn't in the right place. I eventually flew through the second half, super excited to really dive into Xander and Mia's relationship with my favorite sport as the backdrop.
I would love to see if some other drivers in this universe will get their own books because I would definitely read more of this world.

Spicy spicy spicy!! I love formula 1 and will always eat up a food formula 1 romance. This one was well written and had a great pace.

There wasn't a whole lot of plot going on in this book. Things happened, but the tension and climax weren't there for me. Feelings were developed too fast and too easily.

I wasn't overly invested in either character or their journeys.

I think having a podcaster and an athlete was an interesting dynamic, but there still wasn't a whole lot of chemistry between the two of them. I was hoping for yearning or conflict before they got to their feelings and developed something, but it all happened so fast.

The idea of this book was good but I felt like it was missing some development.

Not So Fast, by Karen Booth, is a Formula One romance about a driver and a podcaster. F1 racing is Mia and Xander’s world. They clash as enemies when they meet after she critiques him on air.


Xander is a top Formula One driver, and Mia has created her own successful podcast about F1 racing. They spend time together at races in Miami, Italy, Monaco, and realize that their connection is more than an athlete and a journalist. I loved that both were very honest and down to earth people, even Xander, who is a F1 racing celebrity.


I also liked how each of them supported the other in their career paths. Mia‘s constant self-doubt and her Mom’s criticism got old, but she gains confidence throughout the book with Xander’s support.


I didn’t feel much chemistry between these two characters. Their instant love and attraction just didn’t quite work for me. Also, at certain points, the writing felt clunky and just too wordy.


I liked the happy ending that both characters find in their personal and professional lives. I didn’t really enjoy the romance in the story, but I thought there were other positive elements to this book. I am a fan of F1 racing and I enjoy the representation of this sport in contemporary romance.


Thank you to Karen Booth, Harlequin Romance, Afterglow Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Yet another kind of mid-F1 romance, it felt like Mia and Xander moved far too quickly in their relationship. The dynamic between them all felt a little icky because Mia made her entire career in F1 podcasting on insulting Xander and accepting an invite from his rival teammate which leads to their meeting.
I liked Xander and both of their family side plots.

I truly enjoyed the plot and the characters. The interactions and dynamics are great. The storyline was interesting. I was left guessing the entire time. I would like to read more by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley & Afterglow Books by Harlequin for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I read this book as an ARC and the story was sweet with a bit of spice. However, if you do not enjoy a book that is told in the third person, then this is not the book for you.

Not So Fast is my first F1 type of romance. I won’t even pretend I know anything about Formula 1 drivers or car racing, but I don’t believe that hindered my enjoyment of Karen Booth’s Not So Fast.

Mia is the curvy girl Podcaster who knows everything F1–like she lives, breathes, and talks it. However, she talks about Xander, the British F1 driver, which impacts Xander’s head. In turn, this trickles onto the track, which is a no-go.

But there’s romantic tension between Mia and Xander, too. No So Fast is one of the romance stories with a cute illustrated cover, but has steamy scenes on the inside. It was a pretty, fun read. Though the two started fast, they had that enemies-to-lovers vibe building between them through their dialogue and tension. I did find that, at times, the story slowed down, but overall, I found it entertaining.

This was my first Karen Booth book and let's say I must read more by her. We have an enemies to lovers trope and I was hooked right out the gate with this one. Karen's use of banter, slow burn flirting, mixed with just enough steam had me laughing and blushing throughout the entire book. The writing was so good and kept you reading with it being fast and flirty. I stayed up late to finish this one because I had to see how it ended.

⭐️ 3.25

This was a fun, cute, easy read! I wish some plot points had been fully worked out to add some additional substance and story lines, but not the end of the world. It also was a bit insta-lovey for my liking.

I'm going to be honest, I don't have much more to say about this one. It was fine! If you're into F1 romance, I'd easily recommend this if you're looking for something quick and easy.

I also think this was supposed to be George Russell fan fiction, and I don't know how to feel about that, so do with that what you will. 😂

It was cute.

A podcaster ends up on her favorite f1 drivers radar after she criticized the decline in his performances.

Trying to one up his teammate and letting his ego run away, he invites her to the race in Italy where he proceeds to ignore her existence. Why is he ignoring her? Because he's infatuated and can't risk being distracted. But it's too late. As his luck turns, he can't escape his feelings and keeps inviting her so she sticks around.

There's no crazy third act break up or insane spice but there wasn't much else either.

Quick read, decent palette cleanser for whatever I have next.

3.5 stars

This was a cute fun read! I don’t know much about formula one racing but now I want to! I love books with a little competition in them and this one did not disappoint. POD caster meets race car driver that she talked shit on and sparks fly. Pick this one up for an easy to read juicy book that will leave you smiling.

Thank you to HQN Shameless Romantics for the gifted book.

Not So Fast was a fun read. I enjoyed the banter between characters, particularly with the main character leads. There were several moments where the main female character second guesses herself, however it did not read like “it’s been done before”. There were a few lulls in the writing such as waiting for this or that character to get with the program (I’m looking at you, mom!), but overall I enjoyed this read and will recommend!

⭐ 3.25
🌶️ 1
🥵 Spicy Chapters: 7, 9, 12
📚 Tropes/Themes: formula 1, hate to love, podcaster x racer, sports romance
👀 Dual POV 3rd person
🛍️ Available: Now

💬 I feel pretty meh about this book, and I think it will be mostly forgettable. It wasn't anything specifically that I didn't really like about it, but there wasn't any one thing that really drew me in.

So I actually started this book as an audiobook, because I'm trying to finish up all of my overdue arcs And being able to listen to the audiobook has helped me cross them off my list.

I really did not enjoy the narration on the audiobook. It's not that I think the narrator is bad, but It's a single narration and in the beginning there were so many different characters and so many different voices for those characters. And I just hated it- it was so hard for me to follow and keep track of them.

The story itself was okay, but felt a little rushed. I didn't totally connect with the story or the characters. I also felt their romance was a little choppy? Or maybe lacking? Again, this book is shorter than what I usually read so I don't always expect things to happen as quickly as it does. But it was like they went from attraction to the "I love you's" super fast.

The one thing that did sort of pique my interest was the "discussion" of people's expectations of influencers as part of the third act drama. I obviously have my own opinions, and I do feel like this book validated those opinions so I appreciated that, but the rest of the book was kind of lackluster to me.

I enjoyed this book. I had fun with it. It wasn't anything special, but it was fun. It started off a little slow but then Xander and Mia jumped into a relationship so quickly. It was a little jarring. I didn't particularly feel a lot of chemistry between the characters, but it was still cute and I had fun.