Simone Soltani does it again!! She singlehandely got me in F1 racing with Cross the Line and now I'm already on Season 2 of Netflix's Drive to Survive.

This was such a fun fun read! I loved that we really got to see them banter and fall in love, although there's insta lust there's not insta LOVE and I absolutely enjoyed that. Marriage of Convience is one of my favorite tropes and I love how Soltani utilized it! I was hooked as I wanted to see just how much their marriage would help not only Thomas' blundering carreer but also aid Stella after her ex-fiance left her at the alter.

I LOVED Stella, not only was she an independent succesfull and gorgeous woman, she was also BLACK. And I loved her even more the more I saw her through Thomas' POV. This man was down horrendous (just how i like them).

I really liked Thomas too! His banter with Stella was hilarious and I was instantly intrigued by the fact he was just a midfielder driver. Usually, authors make their main characters the hotshot or champion in sports romance but I loved that we got to see him really struggling with his career after an incident he caused at the beginning of the book.

Overall, another amazing installment from Simone Soltani and I absolutely can't wait for Crash Into You next year!

Perfect if you love:
🏳️marriage of convenience
🏳️only one bed
🏳️interracial relationship
🏳️obsessed mmc
🏳️f1 racing
🏳️an equally successful power duo couple

Ride With Me
Release Date: May 20, 2025
Thank you for the free eARC, @berkleypub and @berkleyromance!

✨ Fake marriage trope
✨ Strangers to lovers

Thomas is an F1 car racer with a bruised reputation. After making some heated remarks that go viral, he finds himself “canceled” and under public scrutiny.

Stella is a bride left at the altar after a five-year relationship. She owns a bakery and is especially known for her macarons.

They meet at Janelle and Ron’s joint bachelorette and bachelor party—Janelle is Stella’s cousin, while Ron is a friend of Thomas’ brother.

My Thoughts:
I struggled with the idea that Stella’s next romantic experience, just weeks after being left at the altar, is a fake marriage/marriage of convenience with a complete stranger—not even an old friend. After such an embarrassing and humiliating heartbreak, I felt she deserved a more grounded and emotionally redemptive love story.

The fake relationship so soon after her breakup didn’t feel believable to me—especially since she frequently talks about protecting her reputation and her brand. I expected her to be more cautious.

I preferred the trope in Book 1 and really wanted to love this one too, but unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.

Rating: 3/5 star

This book was a contemporary romance girl's dream! We meet Thomas an F1 driver and Stella bossed up business woman who after a hot night in Vegas end up in a marriage of convenience. While this book revolves around F1, it mostly takes place during the off season so the set up is a little differently than the first book in the series. In the book Thomas absolutely falls for Stella first and hard. This book had me kicking my feet the whole time because they were so cute about how considerate they were of each other and watching their relationship grow was adorable.

Honestly, I don't love, love a slow burn; but, the impromptu Vegas wedding made up for it!!

I really am not sure why I love a Vegas wedding, accidental marriage or a fake marriage, but I am here for it!!

So, they get married in Vegas while on a bachelorette/bachelor trip and need to get divorced ASAP, however, their reputations are important, so they decide to go along with the marriage for a bit until it looks like it is more acceptable to dissolve the marriage. I love how they are lovey and affectionate in public, but are really catching feelings for each other in private.

On top of the accidental marriage, HE FALLS FIRST!! Obsessed. And then the "my wife"... *I melt*. He was obsessed with her all while respecting her and her boundaries. A man.

I also loved that this was a F1 Racing romance, I don't what it is with a man that can handle a car with so much speed and horsepower! TURN ON.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for the chance to ARC!!

I'm loving this series by @simonesoltani that has been my first F1 books. I've really enjoyed learning more about the F1 sport. My mom was a huge Indy Car fan so thankfully I had a little background knowledge about racing.

I love a good marriage of convenience so when this accidentally married in Vegas turned into a marriage of convenience I was here for it. I loved watching these two navigate the forced proximity and merging of lives.

I also love a strong female lead so I loved how high powered Stella was on her own. I loved her drive.

I liked how Thomas loved his sport so much that even though he wasn't the fastest car out there he was still enjoying himself.

These two had great chemistry and I enjoyed watching them fall for each other.

I can't wait to read book 3 when it comes out.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Two people who are at the lowest points in their lives (she's fresh from her fiancee dumping her at the wedding and he's the most hated F1 driver after a video of him saying he hoped another driver crashes gets leaked... and said driver does end up crashing and paralyzed) find themselves thrown together in a drunken marriage after a wild night in Las Vegas... and what's even crazier is that they've decided to keep up the charade for a year but try and not fall for each other... but a lot can happen in a year and staying married to your fake super hot spouse will definitely test your "fake" marriage. Stella Baldwin is fresh from being left at the alter by her fiancee and is dragged to a bachelorette party... where she meets Thomas Maxwell-Brown, a F1 driver who is used to being hated... yet when they both meet there's a spark... and instant chemistry mixed in with lots of alcohol leads to them waking up in Vegas married to one another. Thomas and Stella are both two people with reputations on the line and they don't want to hurt the other... so they decide to let their marriage play out for a year before they separate and keep it strictly professional. Stella doesn't think she's ready to open her heart up again but Thomas is everything and more than she could ever imagine in a husband. Can he convince her he's the real deal or will they part ways like it never happened? This was such a fun sequel! I love an F1 romance and this one is definitely such a great read. I love the way both Stella and Thomas supported one another and above everything else cared and respected each other. Their chemistry was undeniable. I love the race setting as well and it was just a fantastic time! Highly recommend this series for fans of F1 romances!
Release Date: May 20,2035
Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)
*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Stella Baldwin has a bakery empire, but when she is left at the alter and has a meltdown that is shared with the internet she is left drifting and unable to see her way out of her funk. Thomas Maxwell-Brown is a F1 racer. After a particularly nasty crash he says some harsh things that were caught on tape and when the racer he’s addressing is critically injured in a subsequent race, his reputation takes a significant hit.

So when Stella and Thomas meet at a joint bachelor/bachelorlette party, sparks fly and they wake up married. When the news gets out, they make a pact to stay married for the sake of their reputations for one year.

There was so much I loved about this story, there are some very accurate depictions about losing yourself in a relationship and pressures to be perfect in the eyes of the public. I also loved that Stella was a mogul in her own right so they both came in on stable footing in terms of finances so they only had to work on the real relationship issues that come from their attraction to each other. It’s a bit of a slow burn but in the best way. Thomas falls first and Stella fights her attraction hard because she has been through so much lately. Thomas isn’t deterred at all his ability to bring Stella back to herself delvers on a cute, fun, and steamy read.

I thought this was a super cute, fun and flirty book! I loved that there was enough F1 content for the average fan to enjoy, but not too much so newcomers can still enjoy the book! The beginning of the book was my favourite, I loved all of the tension and the banter. It really set up the story for a great slow burn!

4.5 rounded up!

Fun, sexy, and cars go fast? Such a great sophomore novel for Simone Soltani. I especially love that they both had demanding jobs and that was one of things they wouldn’t compromise on, neither was more important.

They had such an emotional slow burn despite their tension being so thick you’d need a knife. Their growth to discovering how perfect the other person was for them was a delight, I loved how domestic they acted with each other. I cannot wait for more from Simone in this world!

4.5 stars rounded to 5

Thank you NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

A joint bachelor and bachelorette party brings Stella and Thomas together and I was hooked from the first conversation they had. Stella is witty and confident, even when faking her confidence she is convincing, and Thomas matches her energy and sense of humor. The banter had me giggling and laughing and I love them together and separately.

Read for
🏁 Marriage of convenience
🏁 Controversial viral video moments
🏁 F1 Racer
🏁 Rules set to abide by
🏁 Drunken night in Vegas
🏁 Slow burn

OVERALL

Overall I give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars. The chemistry and banter between the two leads carried the story for me. I want to read the first.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Happy Pub day! Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes. I would recommend this one for my F1 girlies. I really liked the FMC. Love to see a black woman loved so loudly throughout the book. Cute, quick read. Stella and Thomas <3

Oh. My. God.

Any expectations I had for this book? Exceeded. This was the definition of steamy, adorable, swoon-worthy fun from start to finish, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I enjoyed every moment of it.

The chemistry between Stella and Thomas is palpable. From page one, I was giggling and kicking my feet at every little interaction between the pair. The banter? Oh, the banter!! My girl Stella is SO quick-witted, and Thomas matches her energy so well, which had me hooked on their relationship immediately. I’m serious, I was going through my tabs to find a quote to include in my post, and I was blushing and giggling ALL OVER AGAIN over these two!!!

Also, we need to talk about Thomas Maxwell-Brown.

That man has catapulted to the top of my favorite book boyfriend lists, because that man? SO down bad. From the acts of service and little gestures he makes to ensure Stella feels at home in their new, albeit “fake”, life together, to how respectful he is of Stella (bare minimum, I know, but still I LOVE), he was just so wonderful, and I loved watching Stella come to embrace the love that she deserves, no matter how quick it is after her last relationship (f*k Etienne btw). And the way he celebrated one month of their relationship even though it was “fake”??! Stop I love this man so much.

TL;DR: Read this book. It’s an utter delight.

This book was so addictively good.

If you love the marriage of convenience trope, read this book. If you love fun, flirty banter, and instant chemistry, read this book.

Are you a fan of F1 romances? Then this book might be for you.

Do you want to see a smart, successful, black woman get the love and appreciation she deserves with an amazing, sexy, thoughtful, considerate man? Then read this book.

Thanks so much to @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for the free book! #BerkleyPartner

This was my first time reading a F1 romance, and I enjoyed it! It was very cute, filled with lots of fast-paced moments, and Stella and Thomas were genuinely likable. I didn't read the first book in this series, and I still found it easy to follow along with and didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, but I do want to go back and read it soon!

I loved how Stella and Thomas were going through their own big moments in completely different but equally life-altering, disruptive ways. The ways they were able to communicate and be open about their situations with one another felt very mature, so I enjoyed that a lot as well. The stakes were mostly centered around the romance and the Thomas' career trajectory was predictable because of it, but not in a bad way.

I do wish that Stella had been developed a little bit better because although we very much got dropped into both characters' narratives very suddenly, hers was a bit more abrupt and I think I felt disconnected from her for most of the book because of this.

Overall I really enjoyed Simone Soltani's writing style and thought this was a cute romance!

4 ⭐️s
🚨 Pub Date: 05/20/25

another favorite! give me a f1 romance and i'm going to love it! so fun! i love a marriage of convenience and a my wife moment!. their chemistry was so good

Ride With Me is book two in a series but it does stand on its own totally fine. Cross the Line is also good though so no reason not to read both 😉

Stella Baldwin is at her cousins bachelorette party in Las Vegas. She isn’t really feeling up to it because her own wedding just ended abruptly with her getting left at the altar a few weeks ago. Then she had a drunk rant on social media about it that went a little viral. Thomas Maxwell-Brown, is a Formula 1 driver (don’t ask me for details idk about sports, vroom vroom) his career is in a rocky place after a video leaked of him ranting about another driver who was later injured during a race. His family is also pressuring him to settle down. Perfect place to unwind? A stag party (he’s English). The parties are combined to Stella and Thomas meet and sparks immediately fly. Perhaps looking for one night to blow off some stream, but lots of drinks happen and they end up married.

I really liked this. The stakes were low, as in the conflict in the book is mostly the romance and is this real are we falling in love for real? The outside stuff was there but not that bad and I appreciated that. The focus was Stella and Thomas and I loved them!

If a Vegas wedding turned marriage of convenience between a bakery owner and a F1 driver sounds good to you, check this out! I had a good time reading it 💜

This is book 2 in the Lights Out series, but it does stand alone.
Stella Baldwin is at a combo bachelor/bachelorette party 2 weeks after her fiancée left her at the altar. It's there that she meets F1 driver Thomas. He brings out a side in Stella that she hasn't seen since before dating her fiancée. They party together, and the next morning, Stella wakes up with a donut engagement ring on her finger. They got married when drunk the night before. They decide to stay married to save face for both of their's sake. Stella's business could use the good PR because of a drunken video she posted, and Thomas could as well, after a video of him cursing out a driver goes viral.

This was a slow burn full of pining and tension! I was completely here for it! Now, I know nothing about F1 driving. The closest I get is watching the Cars movie, but I'll definitely read more F1 romances! Thomas was the dream man for Stella, especially after her less than stellar fiancée treated her like crap. Thomas was kind and thoughtful. He's definitely book boyfriend material. Stella was such a strong character. She might have some trauma from the failed relationship, but she works through it and comes out stronger.

4.5/5⭐

Ride with Me by Simone Soltani is a deliciously messy, heartfelt contemporary romance that spins the classic Vegas mistake trope into something fresh and addictive. Following Thomas Maxwell-Brown and Stella Baldwin, the story perfectly balances sizzling chemistry, emotional depth, and the adrenaline rush of F1 racing.

Thomas is that golden retriever hero you can’t help but love—loyal, kind, and adorably flawed—while Stella is a bold, confident woman reclaiming her power after heartbreak. The slow burn romance builds with tension and playful banter, although it sometimes felt a bit too slow given the intense sexual chemistry established early on.

Still, the characters’ growth and the story’s emotional core made the journey unforgettable. If you want a romance that’s as sweet as it is real, with a side of high-octane thrills, Ride with Me deserves a spot on your shelf.

Thank you so much to Berkley for including me on this blog tour and sending me a copy of Ride With Me to review. Check out my full review on my blog The Diary of a Reader

DNF.

Couldn’t focus on the book for a long time. I struggled with Cross the Line, but was able to power through, however Ride With Me just wasn’t the same.

Might pick up in the future when I’m more in the mood.

"𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈?" 𝑰 𝒎𝒐𝒄𝒌. "𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕, 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂," 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔, "𝑰'𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉."

This was such a cute read! 💕 So, I’m an easy reader, and if you tell me there’s going to be an accidental marriage in VEGAS lol, that already sounds like a good time, say less! 🎰💍 I loved how the book didn’t start with the accidental marriage it built up slow and steady, and by the time it actually happened, I was BEGGING them to get married!!!! 👏

Simone Soltani’s writing is hilarious 😂 IDK what it is, but I loved the HUMOR!!! The BANTER!!! 💬🔥 Stella Baldwin was LEFT AT THE ALTAR, OKAY 💔👰‍♀️ and still decided to go to the Vegas bachelorette party because it was for her bestie. Meanwhile, we have Thomas, who had to be in Vegas anyway for a race 🏁, so he figured why not “represent the fam” since the groom is a family friend. Little did they know they had eyes 👀 on each other and decided the night needed to get a little more fun 😏

The plot is simple: they got married and now gotta divorce ASAP, but they both have reputations to uphold, so they can’t just dissolve it the next day. The way they have to pretend to be all lovey-dovey in public while catching feelings in private??? 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ AGH, it made this book so freaking fun

And when he starts to fall for herrrrrrrr??? AGHHH MY HEART 💘😭

I’m a sucker for the micro-trope of quiet love 🫶 You know when the MMC makes little gestures that should be normal but mean everything to her?? (Like warming her hands when they’re cold). GIVE. ME. MORE.

Oh, and let’s not forget this is a sports romance! You get a glimpse of the races and some fun Formula 1 lingo, especially around Thomas’s standing and the drama behind it. If you follow Formula 1 in real life, you know there’s always drama (which is honestly why I love it) 💜

I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for an easy read, especially if you love watching two people pretend not to fall in love… while absolutely falling in love.

tropes
💜 sports romance
💜 fake marriage
💜 forced proximity
💜 he falls first
💜 strangers to lovers