This book hit me in my SOUL, so much that it officially became my second five-star read of 2025. The romance in this book is not like a usual “sparkle eyes, who’s that amazing human across the threshold,” it’s softer and unsure (at least at first). Ironically, Lilah (fmc) had no interest in the F1 scene for most of the book, which made the dislike/loathe tension between Lilah and Arthur (mmc) much more delicious. This book is truly made for the individuals who think they are “too much” to love and be loved. Madge Maril shows readers through Lilah that the “weird”, “unusual” and “difficult” parts of a person deserve just as must love as the other “easier” parts. Their relationship was gradual, they were getting to know each other. Granted, they were also plotting a scheme, but honestly, all great romances should start with plotting a scheme. Lilah was quiet and unsure. She grew up thinking that she wasn’t enough; she felt as if she was weird, and so she resigned herself to believing that being invisible was fine, and she would observe the world through the lens of her camera. Arthur can into her life as fast and loud as the F1 cars he drove (did I mention this was an F1 romance?) Lilah’s polar opposite in every way, however, she was taken by surprise at just about every turn throughout this book. Arthur may have been loud and obnoxious at first, and he argued with her over just about everything under the sun; however, as time went on, she found that he could also be soft. Arthur wasn’t turned off by Lilah and her “quirks,” in fact, those are the things he came to love the most about her.
I love that this author made Lilah’s experience with ADHD so accurate. It hits a personal factor for me, not because I have ADHD, but because I have siblings with autism, and my brother, specifically, also has ADHD and OCD. I have so much love and respect for Madge Maril because she showed readers that having ADHD doesn’t only mean that an individual is hyper and “bouncing off the walls,” but it can also mean being externally calm, however internally be going a mile a minute. I always feel so grateful when authors make neurodivergent characters that are not just based on the stereotype, because each diagnosis presents differently in every individual, because every single person is different.
I found myself falling more and more in love with this book. I truly feel like every reader will see some part of themselves in the characters in this book. I’m so happy and honored that I was chosen to read this author’s book, and I am extremely excited for it to be out in the world for everyone to fall hopelessly in love with as well. So, of course, I give my biggest thanks to Madge Maril for writing this completely amazing book, and I am thankful to Simon & Schuster as well as Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to its release.

(Actual: 3.75⭐, rounded up) In comparison to many past F1 romances I've read/been exposed to over the last few years, this one definitely is one of the better ones (at least, imo) lol. Is it groundbreaking? Perhaps not. But I did enjoy it and feel like it was the perfect quick read for me!

Formula One has never really crossed over into America (despite the best efforts of the Andretti family and my father's childhood love of the sport meaning that we were a Formula One family), and I really enjoyed that Slipstream comes the perspective of Lilah, a documentary filmmaker from Kentucky who really wonders what all the fuss is about.

Over the course of the book, Lilah falls in love with Arthur, the reserve driver for Ignite (a thinly veiled Red Bull like team), but she also learns to love Formula One. I did appreciate that the book accepts that a lot of criticism of formula one (the prevalence of nepotism, the bubble of privilege that it creates) is fair, while highlighting the work of employees like race engineer Cameron.

Lilah suffers from ADHD and I enjoyed that the book was thoughtful about treating ADHD not as an adorable character trait (as it is too often considered in romance to be adorable and quirky, rather than treated as something which can really be a debilitating struggle), as well as treating Arthur's PTSD seriously. This is a book that recognises the impact of mental health struggles, and I appreciated the communication and kindness that the main characters showed to each other.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the early copy of this book. I think fans of Chloe Liese and Elle Kennedy will enjoy this one.

What fun book set in the Formula 1 racing world! I enjoyed this story, and the main character and her POV.

Lilah Graywood is a documentarian who loves to show the world the truth. However, her best friend, boyfriend and business partner has decided to take their production company to work for an F1 Team, however not showing the world the truth, but the truth the team wants them to tell. Even when this happens, he then dumps her and takes away her company. However, the reserve driver, Arthur, will only work with her to get what he wants, a second chance with another team.

Lilah is a character whom I relate with much, because she is different and felt like she had to change to fit in. However, Arthur shows her she doesn't, and lets her soar! I liked the relationship building between the two of them.

Their story was hard to believe regarding the fake dating, but only under certain conditions. It was hard to understand and believe, so I didn't always follow it. But Arthur and Lilah's story was still fun to see evolve. A fun new voice in a Formula 1 romance by Madge Maril!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I took the plunge and started reading more romance books and this did not disappoint! As you all know, Madge did a great job of making this a good introduction to the sport. This leans heavily into the fake relationship trope and I think it might be my favorite trope. Both Lilah and Arthur seem very real and the story also touches on mental illness which is still very hush hush in the F1 world.

Throughout the story I kept trying to see who Arthur Bianco personified and I’m like 70% sure that I see him as Daniel Riccardo. Bring some water also because there’s some spice.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the early copy.

4.25 stars

I could not put this book down! This man was so down bad and she was completely oblivious which I absolutely loved! The FMC was quite relatable for me in that way, I am also both a bit oblivious and completely overthink everything.

I’ve read a couple racing/F1 romances and this might have done the best job at getting me interested in the sport. I felt like it taught me things about F1 without it being overwhelming or getting bogged down in the details. It made me actually want to watch a race!

At times though I felt like it was missing something, and not because it was a slow burn. Since this was all from the FMC’s POV, we got her thought process but at times it felt like a line or a step was skipped to get to her conclusion or decision. It made her decisions sometimes hard to follow. We might be able to chalk it up to the character’s ADHD but it was tricky at times as the reader. I also felt like Mac completely disappeared after the club incident yet he had a pretty pivotal part in the final bit so that confused me a little too.

What really sold me on this book and this author was their first intimate scene because the things that man was saying NORMALLY I would be so icked by. NORMALLY I’d be cringing and turned all the way off. But somehow it WORKED! These things I do not personally like at all but this time, wow it was hot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Just a damn good time, y’all. I RACED through Slipstream, and let the record show I knew not a thing about Formula 1 (tbh I still don’t know how much I know, except that it is absurdly dangerous and scary and also sexy). Madge weaves together a fun, swoony tale filled with flirty text messages, delicious microtropes (her zipper gets STUCK! guess who has to help!!), and a some well-placed praise (this gets me every time.) Lilah is delightful and relatable, and Arthur had me rooting for a blonde man. I think Ali Hazelwood fans are about to have a field day.

Thank you to S&S and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review 🙂

She's a documentarian who has signed on to create a film for a sport she has no clue about featuring an iconic driver bent on sabotaging the film only to discover that the best way to get back at the company who dumped her is to team up with said driver... fake date him and help create the film of her dreams all the while falling in love with F1... and possibly the very driver who drives her crazy. Lilah Graywood never thought she'd be spending her summer making an F1 film but her boyfriend and business partner has signed them on... only for him to dump her the day they get there, steal her company, and leave her stranded without a job... until the very driver that they're meant to make a film on, Arthur Bianco offers her an alternative: team up with him to sabotage the film so he can terminate his contract, fake date him so they can cover their tracks and get what they both want. Arthur offers Lilah the chance to make a film she wants on him and he'll give her all the connections and access she needs all the while keeping the media off of him and helping him destroy his contract. Lilah begins to learn more about the sport while also learning more about who Arthur really is... and the fake dating is beginning to feel very real... but once the truth gets out can they still be together or are they from two completely different worlds? This was such a fun F1 romance!!! I adored the way Lilah came around to the sport and getting to see her fall in love with it was amazing. I loved Arthur, talk about a fantastic love interest. He literally gave me Sebastian Vettel vibes: charming in the media, bit of a track menace, and just sweet. I seriously just adored this book and it definitely is one I'd rec for my F1 girlies!!

Release Date: May 20, 2025

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

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I don’t know much about F1 racing, so I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get into the storyline—but this turned out to be a very engaging contemporary romance. While there were a few inconsistencies in the plot, and the FMC’s frequent mentions of her ADHD and foster care background felt a bit repetitive, I really adored the main characters and found myself rooting for them the whole way through. The supporting cast was also strong, and the pacing kept the story moving nicely. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review..

This book was fine. I did enjoy the F1 aspect and the knowledge surrounding what it’s like to be a racer in a racing family. The slow burn romance was cute and really fit in with the racing story. I’m just tired of reading about women that are beat down so much by men in their lives that they think they aren’t worth existing. The “the men in my life have said I’m too weird to be myself” narrative is just overdone these days. Then they find the man that makes her feel accepted after years of not being accepted. This really isn’t a bad read. I may have just read it at the wrong time.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuester for the eARC!
I am really upset I didn’t enjoy this as much as I was hoping. I love racing, and I had really high hopes, but I just didn’t care for it. There wasn’t enough going on for me until a little over halfway through, and the characters just didn’t seem to vibe all that well. I enjoyed the setting and the plot, I just didn’t care for the execution.
It wasn’t a terrible book, but it’s just not for me.

Let me start out by saying I am down so bad for Arthur Bianco. 😮‍💨 I knew I would love this story since I’ve been a Formula 1 fan for years but this man… THIS MAN! Oooh was I thirsting after him from the moment we met him. I don’t know what magic Madge put into this book but it absolutely worked on me!

I usually try to write super thoughtful reviews but I honestly can’t when I love a book this much! I can only think about the unexpected use of “my wife” and the desperate yearning we see from Arthur. I would marry this man in a heartbeat if I could!

The ADHD and PTSD rep in the story were perfect! I’ve never read a book where the author put into words exactly how I’ve felt as a neurodivergent woman. I’m not sure I could’ve found better words myself. Our main girl, Lilah, shares her experience as someone with ADHD and the ways she has had to work hard to accept that part of herself. It was refreshing to read such a realistic experience that wasn’t about overcoming ADHD, but instead accepting it.

If you love a sassy and sexy romance, you will absolutely want to read this book! No previous F1 experience required! Maybe this might even entice you to become a fan of the sport…. 👀

Endless thanks to Madge, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for access to the eARC!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
I adored this book! I loved both of our main characters and their chemistry. I enjoyed the F1 parts to this book and the documentary and film components. If you enjoy a sports romance you will love this one!

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a Formula 1 fan, I was super excited to get an early copy of this book, because very few authors get the world of formula 1 right. Madge Maril does an amazing job in immersing us into this world with descriptive Gran Prix scenes. This book would be perfect for someone who knows nothing about Formula 1 too, because of how well researched it is. 10/10 for a sport romance based in Formula 1.

Now, when it comes to the relationship between Lilah and Authur, I’m going to be honest, I LOVE a slow burn, but this slow burn was carried on a little too long that when they finally reached their climax, I was taken aback by how rushed and spicy they were together. I needed a bit more crumbs throughout to really nail their connection, because the while it had fake dating and the enemies to lovers trope, they teetered on the enemies side a little too well, so their declarations were a little underwhelming and tbh, unbelieving. Overall, I think it was a good book. Madge Maril writes great dialogue so I would give another book of hers a chance for sure. This just wasn’t my fav.

How do I put this lightly… READ THIS BOOK!! It was soooo good. I’ve never read a F1 Romance and booiii will I be changing that right away. This book was adorable. It was entertaining and so fun to read. I loved the dynamic of the characters and the story. I think I read this in a day, I couldn’t put it down. So if you are looking for a fun, fast pace, cute book that will have you giggling and kicking your feet but also having you want to cry, this is the perfect book for you! And can we also talk about how cute this cover would look on your shelves? I know I will be grabbing mine. I am SO thankful for netgalley allowing me the honor to read this book. My life is forever changed.

4 stars. I've never read a Formula 1 romance. Or a Nascar romance (I think). And to be fair, I don't even know the difference between them, but that did not stop me from plowing through this book. Truly, I could not put it down. First of all, kudos to Maril, for making a male character named Arthur hot. When I hear "Arthur," I think about the bespectacled aardvark in the kids' cartoon, but Maril has proven that Arthur can also be an incredibly sexy, protective, and multi-lingual race car driver. Who knew?!? In addition to Arthur, we also have Lilah Graywood, who had a lot going on. She's neurodivergent, an orphan, and dealing with the fact that her current boyfriend/ business partner is perhaps no longer her boyfriend and no also, maybe, no longer her business partner. Wow. I loved Lilah's resilience as a character, and honestly, Arthur's as well. But the thing I loved the most about Slipstream was the drama. This book read like the plot of an episode (or several) of Gossip Girl, and it's been a while since I read a book with such overt soap-opera esque dramatics, but I was totally here for it. Literally brought out the popcorn and everything. So needless to say, I found Slipstream BEYOND entertaining. And at the end of the day, that's what I want books to do--entertain me. In addition to the romance and the drama, there's also some fun found family vibes for Lilah's character. So all in all, I had a great time reading Slipstream. Thanks so much to Simon & Schuster (Simon Buddy program) and Maril for the ARC.

this was so fun, i do wish there was an extra 100ish pages to dig a little deeper into their relationship, both arthur and lilah were well developed but i wanted more of why their relationship was so beneficial for both of them

thank you to netgalley for an arc of this title in exchange for my honest feedback!

Slipstream is a great debut novel from Madge Maril. Formula 1 racing and faking dating…Yes Please!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this book. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

This review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review may contain mild spoilers

This was a solid 4.25 -star read for me. I truly loved this book, I’m just a stingy star giver!

I absolutely loved the writing of this author, I will be looking forward to more books from them!

I enjoyed that our main female character felt refreshingly real. Lilah is a brilliant human with a vibrant, neurodivergent mind that made her deeply relatable and authentic. I especially appreciated how the story didn’t shy away from her complexities, it embraced them. And what made this romance truly special, the way Arthur loved her because of those differences and did not try to change her. Their connection was electric and filled with chemistry, tension, yearning, and so much heart, it gave me all the heart flutters. This book was everything I love reading in a romance.

The depth of these characters and the weight in the story had me hooked from the start. The growth of the characters was so inspiring and I loved reading how the story played out. It had substance, vulnerability, and soul.

I will be recommending this book to anyone who loves heartfelt, character-driven romance with authentic representation and a love story with all feels. Please just read it! It is so good! This is one of those books that has stuck with me. But I also really really love when he falls first!! I was kicking and screaming!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
#slipstream #NetGalley

*Mild Spoilers*

What. A. Freaking. Debut. Novel!!!!

I am, admittedly, a sucker, for all things Formula 1 romance. So when I got the notice from netgalley that I’d been approved to read Slipstream before its pub date, I shot straight up in bed and squealed.

As an F1 fan, some F1 romance books can be hard to get through. I had ZERO trouble reading this. Sure, there are things that might not be completely accurate to real life Formula 1, but it’s fiction and that’s the beauty of it.

Lilah and Arthur are so perfect it almost hurts.

“Me loving you couldn’t be the reason you left us.”

ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEE?!

If I hadn’t already loved Formula 1, this would’ve convinced me. This book, in all its glory, would have done the job.

I wish I had more time to gather my thoughts, but I literally just finished it and cannot move on with my day. I will be reading this over and over and over again.