Mia Neal is an F1 fanatic! She watched with her aunt since she was a kid. She channeled all that love for F1 by starting a podcast about the sport. She loves talking all things F1 especially giving opinions on drivers. When one of the drivers invites her to a race in Miami she jumps at the opportunity. Xander Bishop is the typical British F1 driver. He’s confident but facing some struggles in the racing world. He hasn’t been winning as many races and Mia has been talking about it on her podcast. When they finally meet instead of clawing each other’s eyes out, they have an instant connection. Mia is nervous and throwing out caution flags when it comes to relationship territory but it’s worth it for Xander.

This was a quick and fast paced read! I loved the passion Mia had for her podcast and trying to move up in her career. I also enjoyed that Xander never tried to make light of her podcast or tear her down. These two were so cute together and I liked how they balanced each other out. This book was a fun way to get introduced to the sport of F1 and a classic rom com read!

A huge thank you to Karen Booth, her team, and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book!

This was my first time diving into a F1 romance. I did enjoy the quick chapters, but I did not connect well with the main characters' chemistry. I am not a big fan of insta love and I didn't feel the romance was as well developed as it could have been. This book was quick and a easy read, but it didn't stand out for me. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received a ARC copy with Netgalley for my honest review.
Mia has a podcast for formula 1 racing, while she is voicing her review on one of the drivers, Xander, she goes viral. She is at invited to watch in person and continue to give her opinions of the races and drivers. Once Xander and her come face to face and he confronts her of her detailed negative review of his performance, they did not realize there would be an instant connection. First if starts innocent and just talking, then he makes the first move and kisses her.
The lines start to become blurred when they spend more time together...

It was a fun read, and recommend it to readers who want a romcom.
3.75 stars

Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ahead of release and congrats to the author on a successful pub day!

Formula One romances? Fantastic, give me 14 of them!! This was such a mindless, fun, and cozy read. It doesn’t have much of an emotional impact and it may not be a contender for a 5 star read for me, but I loved the ride anyways! Insta-love isn’t my favorite trope, but the FMC and MMC were hilarious and their dynamic was very well executed.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

I really wanted to love this title. I liked Xander, and there was racing. Unfortunately, Mia fell really flat for me and while I did finish it, I never really liked her or even found myself hoping for them to be a couple.

I am unable to recommend this title.

This was a fun and different kind of read! You don't see many romance novels in this setting, so it was refreshing. I liked the characters and was really rooting for them! I loved how the characters communicated and there wasn't a lot of miscommunication in this book. I'll definitely read more!

I truly enjoyed this book! This is such a cute romance book. I loved Mia & Xander.
The storyline was entertaining & the characters were likable.
The development of the relationship between the main characters felt natural and fun, and I loved how they worked on their own journeys as well.
This book was a fun read with a bit of that enemy to lovers feeling and the writing put you right there along side the characters cheering on the drivers.

This story was such a fun ride! With international races, constant travel, and a high-energy backdrop, Mia and Xander’s connection unfolds in a way that feels both playful and grounded. The romance does lean into insta-lust territory, but it works within the fast-moving pace of the plot. Their banter, chemistry, and emotional vulnerability really shine, and I especially loved how supportive they were of each other’s careers. The steam is very much present throughout the book, although the spicy scenes themselves walked a strange line—somewhere between being vague and oddly constant. While I do enjoy spice in a romance, this element felt slightly out of balance with the rest of the story’s tone.

One of the standout aspects was Mia’s neurodiverse-coded characterization. Her overthinking, perfectionism, struggles with intimacy, and inner critical voice made her incredibly relatable and authentic. I appreciated that she was portrayed as both flawed and brilliant in ways she wasn’t always aware of. Xander was equally endearing—genuine, imperfect, and easy to root for. Their individual growth arcs added a lot of heart to the story, especially with the underlying themes of mental health, boundaries, and self-care, which brought a refreshing layer of depth.

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a light but meaningful sports romance read!

This book was such a fun, fast-paced ride—perfect for a one-sitting binge! Mia is the kind of overthinking, overachieving heroine you can’t help but root for, even when her self-doubt gets a little overwhelming. Her love for Formula One is infectious, and the podcast angle adds a fresh twist to the rom-com formula. Xander? Total swoon. British, broody, and surprisingly sweet—he’s definitely boyfriend material (and yes, I’d let him take me to every race too). The chemistry between Mia and Xander is off the charts, with plenty of steamy moments to keep things spicy. There’s also a surprising amount of emotional depth, with therapy and personal growth woven into the drama. If you’re into sports romances with a side of sass, speed, and sexual tension, this one’s worth the pit stop.

Great enemies to lovers book. Mia has a podcast about Formula One. It’s her favorite sport and she’s not afraid to let her opinions on the drivers, the competition and the sport in general be known. Her opinions on driver Xander Bishop go viral and she meets him face to face at the Miami Grand Prix. Sparks fly in both bad and good ways. Quick and interesting read even if you’re not an F1 fan.

I would rate Karen Booth's *Not So Fast* between 2.5 and 3 stars. While I'm not a huge Formula One fan, I do enjoy romantic comedies. Unfortunately, this book didn't resonate with me, and I believe it's mainly due to the Formula One aspect. The writing style is fine, but I just couldn't connect with the story overall. It's unfortunate for me, but I believe this will be a fantastic read for those who love both romantic comedies and Formula One.

This was a fun, fast-paced read that totally drew me in. I loved Mia, a witty, overthinking F1 podcaster whose jabs at British driver Xander Bishop turn into unexpected chemistry when they meet at the Miami Grand Prix. Their enemies-to-lovers arc was full of snark, slow-burn tension, and genuine emotional growth. I especially appreciated how both characters were flawed in ways that felt real and relatable, and the story avoided the cliché third-act breakup. The mental health themes were handled well, adding depth to the romance. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Talon David, who brought Mia’s spiraling thoughts and sass to life. Her accents and emotional range brought the characters to life. Highly recommend!

A really fun and quick read! Nothing dramatic or super deep, but still managed to create likeable characters and a good story.

I enjoyed Xander and Mia's progression from somewhat enemies to somewhat friends to more. It was very honest and they both approached the whole situation like adults. I was dreading the 3rd act breakup because they both were already struggling with other things, but they handled it exactly as I'd expect logical, loving people to handle it.

Mia was very funny and relatable (with her rambling thoughts and overthinking) and Xander was charming, but also very sweet. Their families made good foils to each of them and the added struggles of Mia's growing celebrity status was very honest.

Overall, I'd recommend if you want a quick palate cleanser or just something sweet to read.

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…