Not So Fast is a cute and easy to read story about Mia (F1 podcaster and fan) and Xander (F1 driver). It was a fun and quick read. You get to know the characters pretty quickly and get sucked into their world. I was really invested, especially about Xander and his career. Which was fun because I don't know much of anything about F1, however, I found the book incredibly engaging and interesting. Although, I wish it had more romance and it had been longer. I really was left craving more.

The story is also a bit insta-lusty, which fits the fast paced plot. Still, the banter was exquisite! And you even get invested in all the side characters and how they fit into the story. I also loved how even with it being fast paced and insta-love, the story and its progression felt natural. The characters spent enough time together, traveling and doing their own things that it did not feel like it came out of left field. I also loved how Mia felt approachable and real with her overthinking, perfectionism, hypercritical thoughts, and issues with intimacy. She was so genuine, and it helped that the author made her deeply flawed in ways that felt brilliant in the story. Xander was also genuine, flawed, and earnest. I couldn't help but to root for them. And their characteristics played a HUGE role in their story. Those mental health undertones and the need to work on themselves was refreshing. Especially the fact that there was no third-act breakup because of it!

I really enjoyed this read and it may be the start of my F1 Romance Books Era. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Harlequin - Romance and Karen Booth for my e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading Not So Fast by Karen Booth. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

I love books that have podcasts and I love romance books that center around F1 so Not So Fast by Karen Booth was a delight to read. It smashed both of some of my favorite things in books and the romance genre together. This is a very quick read that will have you smiling. I really enjoyed how Mia just loves the sport and how she ended up getting into F1. Her enthuasiasm really shows for it in her podcast and I love how Xander is reluctant to really interact with her and ends up seeing that side of her…especially since she was brought/invited by his team mate.
This year is the year of sports romances for me. Between hockey and F1 I have read a lot. This is the first F1 that I have seen something different in regard to the job of the FMC and I really loved it that aspect to this story. I really hope Karen Booth writes more like!
Thank you to Harelequin Romance for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Afterglow books and Netgalley for this ARC!

Trigger or content warning?
Off page childhood abandonment of a father (FMC).
We don’t see her struggles of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis on page, but MMC’s Mom has been diagnosed and she is apart of the story.

Details?
Mia is the FMC. She is 26 years old.
Her Mom’s is named Amy, and her Aunt is Judy. Her best friend’s name is Jasmine.
Xander is the MMC. He is 28 years old.
No other-woman or other-man after meeting in person.
Xander has not been with anyone in a year.
Xander has two younger siblings, Oscar (19 years old) and Freya (16 years old). His Mom’s name is Audrey and his Dad’s name is Edward.

My thoughts?
Xander is a formula One driver, and Mia is an up and coming podcaster that focuses on Formula One (the history and the current events).
Mia’s love for Formula One is what made the hobby of podcasting stick. Being a chronic indecisive woman she has tons of achievements but no steady job to show for all of her hard work in school.
Xander fell in love with racing when he was a kid, and with the dedication of his parents they were able to focus on his passion and skills. Steadily creeping up the ranks in F1 racing, he’s landed a dream gig. Yet the beginning the season has been incredibly rough for him.
Something Mia’s comments on quite sharply. Promptly too.
Luckily Dirk was a jerk and invited Mia out to one of the races to get into Xander’s head. Dirk is a teammate of Xander who plays mental warfare on his teammates to make them perform bad, even though that practice is no longer encouraged on teams in the F1.
From there the relationship develops from a tentative friendship, filled with self-discovery and then takes the next step into romance. First there was sexual chemistry though. While there are sex scenes in Not So Fast, I didn’t find them to be overly long or explicit. The proper terms are used for everything, but they were done sparingly. Which is good because this is a shorter length of a book, and I was not prepared to dive into an erotic-romance ha ha!
Their romance was saccharine sweet, and I found myself rooting for their HEA. Granted what I got was a HFN of them deciding to spend Christmas together but at least there was an epilogue. I will take what I can get.

Not So Fast is a sweet and simple romance following Mia, an F1 podcaster gaining popularity after her no nonsense commentary, and Xander, her favorite driver, who is struggling with the new racing season. This was such a fun story! While the romance leaned a bit insta-lusty, the fast-paced plot made it work, and Mia and Xander’s relationship unraveled in a way that felt natural with the backdrop of multiple international races and all the traveling. The two were so cute, and I loved how encouraging and supportive they were of each other's careers. Not to mention all the banter and chemistry, the steam was very much forefront throughout the book. If you're looking to get into F1 romances, this flirty and fun story would be a great place to start!

A quick hit, fast paced sports romance story of a formula one podcaster and a formula one driver. Thank you to Netgalley, Karen and Harlequin Romance for the eARC.

What to Expect:
⭐ Formula One Romance
⭐ Sports Romance
⭐ Sports Podcaster who gets out in the field
⭐ Enemies to Lovers
⭐ Close Proximity
⭐ Insta love

My Thoughts:
I love that Formula One romances are making a move in the book community. I have been an avid race car fan for years now! it's been so awesome seeing it get traction in romance books. It's been fun to see it help grow the sports on the woman side!

All that to say I am coming off the solid read of Slipstream and maybe that has distorted my feelings on reading this one, but I didn't love it.

Heres why, I really felt like the story was just stuck and on hyperdrive at the same time. I am not a huge fan of insta love stories and this is definitely one. They meet quick, they hook up quick, they fall in love quick, all while neither of their careers go any where. They are both sorta just stuck in the story of the two of them. I personally like stories that have depth in details, in characters and in the story as a whole. As a lover of Formula one and the main character being an F1 podcaster we really should have had more depth on the sports front. More in the insides of the job that Xander has as a driver. It just lacked what I needed.

Synopsis:
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.

It should be all-out war. Instead, Mia and Xander are stunned by the sudden crackle of…something sexual arcing between them. It’s irresistible, unbelievably hot—all Mia’s warning flags are waving. Because this reckless attraction is coming at Mia all too fast…

Thank you to Afterglow Books and Karen Booth for the e-arc of this book! I loved it, from start to finish. It felt like Karen Booth looked into my psyche while writing Mia’s character (and we share a name too!). She started out nervous, unsure, and full of self-doubt, and became so confident and even stronger by the end. Xander was so giving, thoughtful, and perfect for Mia. Their journey together was beautiful, and I loved how they grew as people together. Also, Xander’s siblings were so fun!! I LOVE Freya and her impish nature. Overall, a solid intro to formula one romances and a great summer read.

4 🌟

Mia can't seem to commit to any kind of career despite being a genius, usually overthinking herself into a change. When her best friend suggests combining her journalism degree and her love of F1 racing into a podcast, she decides to give it a try. Her sometimes salty truth about the drivers, especially Xander Bishop who seems to be struggling this year, has gone viral. She's shocked when Xander's teammate invites her to a race, but his intent to get into Xander's head backfires when they discover there's a spark between them.
This was a fun behind the scenes race romance with fun believable characters and a great storyline. I like how Mia helps Xander get his confidence back even before they start seeing each other. Cute story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought this was such a cute and fun read! I usually gravitate toward hockey or football when it comes to sports romances, so diving into the world of Formula One was a refreshing change, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Mia and Xander had such great chemistry! Their banter and the bond they shared really pulled me in. There were a few moments where my attention dipped a bit, but the story always managed to pick right back up and keep me engaged.

A new F1 romance between a British driver fighting to keep his seat and the podcaster who has flown in to interview her favorite driver...him. Mia Nelson loves Formula One and has been lucky enough to have a famous driver pay for her to attend the Miami Grand Prix.... by her favorite driver's teammate... and it's been known that Mia despite loving Xander has been a bit critical of his driving on her podcast. Mia absolutely adores Xander but he knows that the only reason she was invited was because his teammate hates him and wants to get under his skin. Xander is a driver with his seat on the line, if he doesn't perform well he is out of the seat. Yet the more time Mia and Xander spend together the more feelings begin to arise and maybe she's just the thing that could bring him luck... but Mia's fans are not loving that she's getting this close to him... and can she risk losing her podcast or losing her heart to the one man who's used to going fast. This was unfortunately not for me. I adore F1 and trying to find a good F1 romance has been a bit hard... and this one just missed the mark for me. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two characters and their romance... was lacking romance. I just didn't find myself caring all that much about them.

Release Date: May 27, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin - Romance | Afterglow Books by Harlequin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books for providing the ARC.

This book was a sweet and simple look into a relationship between an F1 racer and a podcaster who's a fan of the sport. Both Mia and Xander were fun characters to read about and their story was cute, but it definitely lacked substance. There is a level of insta-love between the two of them, and the plot is relatively thin without a lot of consequences for either of them. It just felt very surface level.

I will say that Booth's book did get better the more I read of it, but most of it was fluff. There weren't a lot of problems that Mia and Xander faced, and the few that did make it on to the page were solved with relative ease. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but the book lacked depth to make it a truly interesting read. Instead, it just feels a little rudimentary and could have benefited more from a bit more conflict.

Not a bad book. I enjoyed my foray into F1 books and I enjoyed this one as well. I just wanted a bit more from the story.

What’s not to like about this story? First, I, like many of the US, has gotten to know and love F1 racing and reading a story set in that world intrigued me. Second, podcasts are just the thing in romance novels right now, so combining those two things seemed a smart strategy. Mia and Xander were totally likable characters, with both being surprisingly down to earth and normal. Xander didn’t throw his money around, was a family man, and his struggle to succeed in the F1 world was an interesting take. Mia, too, had a great back story and a struggle to overcome and her need to stay true to herself and her fan base gave her character a truthfulness that you just couldn’t turn away from. I liked them both!

The only thing missing for me was that the author toned down the glitz and glamour in order to make the characters real and easier for the reader to connect with. I would’ve actually liked to read about the behind the scenes world in F1 racing including the money and fashion. However, what we got was still fun and made for a great weekend read.

This was my first time reading this author, and I will definitely read her again! This was super cute, a lot of fun, and steamy!! I loved the balance between the romance and the sports aspect, especially the mental toll that being a professional athlete takes on a person. 

Mia is a huge F1 fan and has a podcast where she gives her unbridled opinion on the drivers and races. Her favorite driver, Xander, is struggling since he's switched teams, and his teammate, taking full advantage of his struggles, invites Mia out to a race since she's said some not-so-nice things about Xander's season. What starts as a tense meeting paves the way to friendship and more once Xander and Mia spend some time together and find that maybe they were exactly what the other needed. 

I loved the progression of their relationship and the fun side characters, too! Mia and Xander were adorable together and I was hooked! 

Thank you to Harlequin & Karen for this ARC!

I feel like I was very disappointed with this week especially with it being a F1 romance and Mia being from Austin. It needed more to me and very basic.

Another new to me author but also with a new-ish concept. I’ve had my fair share of sports romance but with the increase of F1 popularity, I’m not surprised someone jumped on the racetrack as it were. Also new is the concept of a podcaster/influencer; a risky venture because the internet can become a gruesome place. Mia Neal has lead her life jumping job to job but not from a lack of effort but more from an inability to feel fulfilled in her work. But her life as an F1 podcaster is personal, she’s loved the sport since she was a little girl and she knows it top to bottom. When her outspoken views land her the opportunity to work with her dream F1 racer, Xander Bishop, she grabs it with both hands. HOWEVER, her favorite racer is also the one she critiques the hardest and that’s because of how much she likes him. Now face to face, Mia and Xander clash it a delightful bout of banter and tension.

The obvious attraction between Mia and Xander was delectable and I liked watching their relationship unfold; alongside their battles of Mia’s rising popularity online and Xander’s redemption as a racer who was on a downward trajectory. BUT, I really wish we had more of the banter; enemies to lovers is always my favorite and this had all the makings but it felt like more of the insta-love rather than heated bickering that turns to passion. All in all, this was a really cute sports romance and I enjoyed seeing Xander regain his footing in racing amongst falling in love. And even seeing Mia find her happy place, personally and professionally was heartwarming.

Thank you to Karen Booth and Afterglow Books for a review copy.

A fun and cute read. I enjoyed the characters, the banter and the chemistry. It was a well written story and I enjoyed the F1 side of the story. It’s an entertaining read.

I am still searching for a F1 romance that hits the spot, and unfortunately, this one didn't quite get there. It read as a bit predictable, a bit surface level. I found the romance a bit lopsided, and an instant lust focus. Mia was okay, and Xander was fine, but I think there wasn't enough build up or tension to pull you along. It also read on the younger end of romance, but that's likely a me issue and not a book issue! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Afterglow Books for an eARC of this book!

3 stars is probably generous since I considered DNF’ing after the first chapter because complaining about missing two questions on the SAT was very annoying. I don’t regret not DNF’ing, it was a fun read. Xander is a cinnamon roll of a MMC. Mia grows on you a lot. The world of F1 was fun to read about. Xander and Mia are a cute couple. This is certainly not enemies to lovers by any stretch. There’s very little tension and it’s a bit insta-lovey. Overall, cute read.

Not So Fast is a fun, spicy, and fast paced romance set in the world of Formula One.
Mia is a witty F1 podcaster whose sharp opinions about British driver Xander Bishop unexpectedly put her in the spotlight.
When the two meet in person, the tension is instant and so are the sparks. I loved their enemies to lovers dynamic and all the snarky banter that turned into real chemistry.
The story also touches on deeper themes like anxiety, self doubt, and finding confidence, which added heart to the heat.
Even if you're not into racing, the story is easy to follow and really enjoyable. Xander and Mia’s relationship grows naturally, and their connection feels genuine.
The backdrop of F1 and podcasting made it unique and refreshing. If you enjoy romance with spice, banter, and some emotional depth, this book is a great pick.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

Overall a solid f1 romance book! As a huge f1 fan I loved getting the POV from Mia about how races from the paddock are because it’s such a rare luxury to be able to see the race from there.

The jump for first person with the journal entries to a third person writing style felt a bit off at times. It often didn’t gel super well too when it went from Mia to Xander abruptly mid chapter.