This was a really cute F1 rom com. Mia creates podcast to talk about all of the ins and outs of F1, then goes viral when she roasts her favorite driver, Xander. When they ultimately meet, I would have loved a bit more tension, maybe not as quick to getting together. I love the build up of tension, and it seemed like it was a bit of insta love for them both. With that said, I really loved Xander’s background and character arc. I also liked that Mia had a podcast about more than just the popularity of the drivers, the glamour, and the pop culture in F1. I love those types of podcasts, but it was definitely nice to see that she didn’t fit some kind of predetermined stereotype about why women love F1. I think the third act was actually pretty good, showing maturity in how they dealt with the hand they were dealt, being in the spotlight a bit against their will. Overall, I really enjoyed this. Thank you to NetGalley and Karen Booth for the eARC.

I absolutely devoured this book and read it in a few hours as I truly couldn't put it down! I loved Mia from the first journal entry about margarita Mondays. I loved Mia and Xander's love story and the dual POV really made me love both of these characters. Such a feel good, lighthearted, but emotionally complex, read! I also think it's impossible to not love a book with such an amazing Harry Styles reference!

3/5
I think most F1 romance fans would enjoy this book. The storyline was interesting with the podcast element, and it was explored well. The book definitely could have been longer with more development of the relationship. The book is written in third person, which I'm really not used to, especially with a romance book. I think switching the narration to first person would be a really positive change.

Quick read with little depth. The main characters meet, and it’s instant love but without any real lead up or building of their relationship. It felt very shallow and underdeveloped. The pacing of the story itself was decent.

This might be nitpicking but I found myself very distracted because the author tried, and failed, to blend reality and fiction. The F1 teams and drivers are fake, which is great. Love that the author created a fictional F1 world because it means it’s hers to play with. However, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are mentioned—two very real, current F1 drivers. So if they exist, logic would suggest so do Red Bull and Ferrari. So why aren’t those teams represented? There were also little details, for example Sky Sports was changed to Cloud Sports, that seemed unnecessary when there is certainly a way to make reality and fiction blend better. I’m sure anyone picking this book up based on the description might not care, but for those who watch F1, it might annoy them.

Mia Neal is a champion overthinker. Find something, fixate on it and spiral down. Fortunately, she puts that energy to good use: a podcast about Formula One, her favorite sport in the world. There’s nothing about racing Mia doesn’t adore. The speed. The drivers. The fierce competition. The single-minded ambition. Ironic for a woman who’s changed careers more times than she can count.

Only now her salty takes on gorgeous Brit driver Xander Bishop have gone viral, and the podcast feels more and more like what she’s meant to do… Then Xander’s teammate invites her to the Miami Grand Prix to see F1 up close—and get in Xander’s head. He’s not exactly delighted at all the shade she’s been throwing his way.

I'm not a race car fan and didn't know much about the sport before, so this was interesting for me. I felt the romance was a little mushy and there really wasn't enough conflict to carry a strong plot. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. It was just an okay read for me. 3.5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

3 Stars

For a book called "Not So Fast". the romance for me needed to take this advice. The romance in this book just moves a little fast for my preference and unfortunately did not work for me. I did enjoy the characters themselves and I like the idea a lot of a racing romance. I really appreciate the change from hockey romances.

Unfortunately however I just don't have a lot to share about this book. It was just ok, nothing too rememberable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Romance for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Another great Formula 1 romance book! I really loved the concept of this book, and I the characters were just so likeable, it was hard to put this down.

3.5 stars!!

As a Formula 1 fan it is AMAZING to be seeing it represented in sports romance because it’s literally the perfect setting for one.

The set up for this book is amazing. A girl with a podcast insults her favorite driver and she ends up meeting him where they have ridiculous chemistry. I through this was so intriguing and I was so excited to see how it would play out. I loved reading about Mia and Xander. They are so cute and very complementary to each other as people but what I didn’t like what how quickly everything happened. I loved what we got of the two characters when they got together (steamy at times!!) but I wish there was a bit more from before they were together. There was such an opportunity to make these characters build a bit more tension before they were together but it was missed.

This book was such a light and easy read though that I literally read in less than a day and did greatly enjoy and would recommend to people who were interested in a fun romcom!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t bad by any means but it wasn’t anything revolutionary. Personally my biggest problem was the third person omniscient point of view of both characters. It kept bouncing back and forth to each character multiple times in each chapter which I just found a bit jarring and interrupted the flow a bit. I liked the concept of this story and I think it had great and relatable messaging of fear of doing the wrong thing and being out of control as well as fear of disappointing those around you. I felt a lot of relatability in Mia with how she would even overthink her overthinking because same. The beginning of the book was much stronger in my opinion especially in terms of pacing. The second half felt like things were moving way too fast however I did enjoy how the conflict/resolution played out. Some of the dialogue was really cheesy which also made it hard to take seriously and overall was just looking for more dimensionality in the characters. Cute and quick romcom just not super memorable for me.

I really enjoyed it, but I wish the tension between Mia and Xander had lasted longer. I would have given it a higher rating if the build-up had been more drawn out.

🎧 Audiobook +📗 E-book: Not So Fast-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Karen Booth-a new to me author

📃Page Count: 283

📅Publication date: 4-1-25 audio and 5-27-25 e-book | Read: 5-13-25

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 8:17

🌎 Setting: starts in Austin, TX

👆🏾POV: 3rd person single

Genre: Rom-Com, Adult Fic, Sports Romance

Tropes: enemies to lovers, F1, podcasting, family drama, body positivity, celebrity romance, forbidden romance, mental health, workplace romance, social media

⚠️TW: online bullying, down syndrome rep

🗣️Narrator: Talon David voices all the characters with standouts from Mia, Xander, and Dirk. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.


Summary: As a Formula One podcaster Mia is invited to the Miami Grand Prix by Dirk Van Dike-famed F1 driver. She has a lot to say about Xander Bishop-Dirk's teammate-shortcomings. Dirk wants to get under Xander's skin, so he drags Mia into their feud. Mia knows she's a pawn but uses this opportunity for content while fighting an attracted to her favorite driver-Xander.

👩🏾 Heroine: Mia Neal-27/28, has "Not So Fast" podcast about F1 driving

👨🏾 Hero: Xander Bishop- 28, British F1 race car driver.

🎭 Side Characters:
* Jasmine-Mia's BFF
* Judy-Mia's aunt who introduced her to F1. Estranged from Mia's mother
*Mia's mother-a journalist, disapproves of Mia's podcast/F1 interests
*Dirk Van Dike-40, Xander's opposition and teammate
*Isabel- Xander's PR rep
* Oscar, Freya, Audrey, and Edward-Xander's family
* Claudia Simon-sports journalist
* Reginald-gossip journalist

🤔 My Thoughts: Having no knowledge about F1, I enjoyed this rom com about Mia and Xander. Mia's job was to comment on races, while Xander was a struggling driver trying to get better. I don't know if Dirk was jealous or bitter, but he was inexplicably hateful towards Xander. I loved Xander's story about seeing Dirk as a kid with his father and admiring him. I loved Xander's relationship with his family, especially Oscar. I didn't understand what the issue was between Mia's mom and Aunt Judy, but once Mia had a sit-down with her mother things looked up.

*Spice: 4/5 🌶️
*Emotion: 4/5 🥲
*Couple: 4/5 🧑‍🤝‍🧑
*Rating: 4/5 ⭐

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin-Romance, Harlequin Audio, and Karen Booth for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

I found it quite easy to read, and enjoyed the acurate information about formula 1.

However, I found this book to be far too fast paced and predictable.I was hoping for more F1 aspects within it, like more of her attending the races, and hearing how that may cause more drama with her podcast. At first there was that potential but I feel maybe so much was cut to make the book shorter, when that just had us lose so much that could have made the book great.

The relationship was just ridculously quick, they met and challenged each other, but directly after our love interest invites to a race and they fall in love. There was no build up, it was dull.

The phone sex scene, I found a little awkward in a bad way. I understand if the purpose was that our main charcter was uncomfortable due to her never doing the phone sex thing before. But instantly she was a pro, saying things I found to be a little juvenile.

In the end, this book was too fast paced, but still felt long.
I wish we had more depth to the characters and drama and their lives.

I quite enjoyed this book and read it in about 24 hrs because I was so into it. I will say though: the cover illustration and the tag line about 'curves' had me believing there would be plus size rep in this book - which I was looking forward to - and there wasn't really in the end. If I hadn't gone in with that expectation, I think I would have enjoyed it even more. Regardless, it was a fun read. Perfect for summer and the F1 romance fans!

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I ended up finishing the book in just a few sittings and really enjoyed the story and characters.

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁:

I’m really enjoying seeing more and more F1 books! This is such an action packed sport to read about it has the adrenaline, the heat, the tension and the high stakes I crave. This book was a fun read with mild enemy to lovers vibes and the writing put you right there along side the characters cheering on the drivers.

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

Mia has always loved F1 so when her bestie suggested starting a podcast to help pay her bills, she thought sure why not. Two years later and her podcast went viral for her roasting of British F1 driver: Xander Bishop. He may be her favorite driver but he is really having an off season. Mia has a huge break when Xander’s teammate invites her to Miami to a race, this was the way she took her podcast to the next level.

Xander is having a crap season and this podcaster, Mia is really making things worse by calling attention out to his struggle. His teammate even invited her here to mess with him, to prove it won’t get to him he invited Mia to the next race in Italy. He needs to figure out what’s off as a lot of people are counting on him, and his career is on the line.

Mia & Xander are complete opposites but they both share a passion for the sport of F1. As they collide off the track they realize they have a lot more in common and are racing toward the same goals. As the season goes on the attraction is undeniable and the chemistry can’t be denied, but the pressure and conflict between their jobs may cause everything to come crashing down.

𝙁𝙖𝙫 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:

“I want to be part of your world, just like you have become part of mine.”

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅:

* Curvy Podcast Host on F1 FMC
* Struggling British F1 Driver MMC
* She Went Viral for Razzing Driver: Xander Bishop
* He Can’t Stand Her but He’s Still Intrigued
* She was Invited to a Few Races w/ the Mega Racing Team
* Overthinking is Her Superpower - Highly Educated
* Secret Relationship - Steam & Banter
* Dual POV

💕🎧🏎️🔥🩵💕🎧🏎️🔥🩵🎧

The story was fun and cute and i feel
That is very well passed. I like the while influencer section and is done in a way that is not annoying. Also the drivers loved that whole section. I actually enjoyed the inclusion of diversity and that the main character got time to know each other a bit before just jumping to a relationship. Overall it was a fun read.

This is a fun, entertaining read. Xander and Mia are interesting, relatable, intriguing, complex, smart, caring, strong, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. These two are fun to spend time with. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The story is easy to read and get int.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Harlequin Romance and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of Not So Fast by Karen Booth in exchange for an honest review.

Mia Neal has finally found her passion. For years, she's bounced between jobs, never quite finding the thing that really fits her. But she's joined her journalism background with her passion for Formula One racing in a podcast, and listeners are turning in. She suddenly goes viral when she makes a salty observation about her favorite, underperforming driver Xander Bishop, and now everyone wants to hear more.

Everybody, except Xander, of course. He knows he's a great driver and that he's got what it takes to rise through the ranks of ultracompetitive racing. He's worked for this his entire life. He just can't seem to make the top slots in the race and it's taking a toll on his self confidence. Mia's commentary is not helping. It gets worse when Xander's dismissive, ruthless teammate and former idol invites Mia to a race in the hopes that she'll dunk on Xander's driving some more.

For her part, Mia never meant for her commentary to go so far but she'll accept an expenses paid trip to the races. She really is a big Xander Bishop fan, so after their first tense meeting, she makes an effort to be friendly. Things progress rapidly from there, and before she knows it, she's wondering if she has to choose between a relationship with Xander and her podcast.

It's a good story. The Formula One backdrop is fun and interesting. Mia's interest in the subject is infectious and the race parts are exciting. Xander is almost too perfect as a hero; ambitious but tender, passionate but willing to forgive the commentary that brought them together. Mia's behavior and decision-making are a little frustrating at times but it's awesome to see a woman blazing herself a trail in a male-dominated realm. The spicy bits are spicy but not too spicy

The novel's main issue is that it didn't live up to its title. It does go very fast. Mia and Xander amp up their relationship quickly, maybe too quickly. They meet in person twice before things get spicy. It isn't a long book, so a few more pages spent bridging the semi-enemies-to-lovers gap could have made it all that much more rewarding and believable.

However, your milage may vary so if you want to see two crazy kids tumble into love at the speed of a Formula One racing car, this book is for you. Recommended for readers who enjoy racing (but not wildly racy) romances, and people who want to see a bold woman find her way.. It would be fun to see more books in this setting.

3.5 stars.

Mia has a podcast where she talks about Formula 1, her favorite sport. In it, her many comments against a driver named Xander Bishop become notorious among sports fans. Unexpectedly, Mia gets backstage access to a Formula 1 event, where she meets Xander, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I like the story's premise, an enemies-to-lovers type, with a good dose of humor and even sarcasm. In fact, it's the latter that saves Mia's character, because she knows (as the author also knows when writing) the perfect moment to make her juicy comments. Regarding Xander, I have to say that I thought it was only fair that he was able to defend himself, especially considering he's not the most perfect character you'll find in a romance book. And speaking of romance, in my opinion, it's the book's biggest flaw. Is there chemistry between the main characters? Yes. Do they look good together? Also. But the romance takes a backseat because it's shallow, vapid and vain, in my humble opinion.

Another notable detail is the fact that the author doesn't take the topic of mental health lightly and knows how to portray it delicately. Furthermore, the story's setting is very good; the details of the sport aren't perfect, but it's clear that there's been good research.

In short, a story that had everything to be great and yet still left us wanting so much.

I made it through this book, but I did a lot of skimming. There was too much rehashing of things already discussed. I had a hard time connecting with the characters for the first half of the book. I liked the racing parts, though.