This debut novel from Madge Maril was a welcome breath of fresh air. With a neurodivergent FMC, it really helped me feel for her character and I really enjoyed this book about F1 Racing.

I planned on stretching Slipstream over a few days to nurse myself through a Formula 1'less weekend. Unfortunately for said plans I couldn't put this book down for more than 45 minutes at a time and ended up finishing in less than 24 hours. Whoops! This was partially due to the "will them? won't they?" aspects of the romance, but a little more due to being impatiently invested in how the subplots would wrap themselves up. Madge Maril packed a TON of story into this one which really made it unputdownable.

Both Lilah and Arthur have Trauma with a capital T and SO MUCH depth! She's a neurodivergent documentarian with a painful upbringing who was just blindsided by her partner and only friend. He's a reserve driver attempting to rid himself of the incredibly complicated and political family dynamics that are stifling his career and unraveling his mental health. They're both wary, distrustful, and coming to the table with preconceived ideas of each other, yet willing to microdose vulnerability in spite of it. This is a slow burn you can see cookin' from their first brief interactions, and I could not wait for the simmer to boil over.

Slipstream is another amazing F1 romance starter pack for the F1 romance curious! Lilah knows nothing about the sport, and you really don't need to either in order to enjoy this book. But I fear this particular story might turn your curiosity into a Drive to Survive binge watch. Don't say I didn't warn you.

4/5 stars

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this eARC via NetGalley! All opinions are honest and my own.

An FI romance that sees Lilah who makes documentary films and Arthur a driver fall for one another despite the odds. She's recently been burned romantically and she's determined to make a great film. He's got to get his name out there. Their bond quickly turns to romance but it's a slow burn to a nicely steamy read. This touches on mental health issues to make the characters more realistic. While there aren't any surprises, do you really want surprises? Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read. And you don't need to know anything about FI to enjoy it.

I think this was a better than average romance. I really enjoyed the documentary part of this book but feel it was a tad under utilized. The F1 stuff was also fun but could easily be switched out for any sport. The third act drama was a bit annoying in my opinion and didn't make a ton of sense. Overall I really enjoyed this and read it in less than 24 hours.

**Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

I am leaning towards 3.5 on this one. Overall, I did enjoy the book I haven’t read any F1 romances yet so this was a fun start to the this sub genre in sports romance.

I think Arthur kept this book going and gave it the life it needed at times. This book is written well and even had moments I was actually smiling. I didn’t really connect fully with the FMC. I felt her issues with adhd were interesting but not in a good way. This book tried Little too hard to tell us how different and quirky she was because adhd/trauma but I just didn’t feel it.
I appreciate the talking points about men mental health in the book. I wanted more of that. The scheming did seem a little hard to follow at times but I just rolled with it.
This read is fairly fast and under 400 pages.
He falls first and hard as they find their way in this story.

This was my first F1 book that I've read, and honestly I'm now looking for more 😂

I loved the connection between Lilah and Arthur. His obvious obsession with her is swoon-worthy. and while it's not an overtly spicy book, it does have a few open door scenes.

I also really loved how Lilah's mental health was portrayed throughout. it was stream-lined and constant, which i enjoyed, and there was no point where I questioned what the author was writing. the part where Arther has (a) panic attack (s) made me choke up - it's SO true that men's mental health isn't cared about in sports, and I love how that was portrayed and discussed.

and of course, the happily ever after was everything I needed. I was on the edge of my seat throughout - the crash, the banter, the anxiety, the love. it was splendid.

thank you again, NetGalley and Madge, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good F1 romance. She’s a documentarian, he’s a racer. The company she has with her boyfriend (who quickly becomes ex after revealing that he sucks) is doing a documentary on F1, and Lilah gets Arthur as her subject. Grumpy Arthur who wants nothing to do with the documentary.
But instead of sabotaging her, they get wrapped up in a revenge scheme together and the documentary ends up becoming more of their love story as they fall for each other while having a fake dating/dalliance sort of arrangement.
It’s very cute!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the read!

I absolutely adored this one. As someone who knows absolutely nothing about Formula 1 racing, this book was such a fun read! I learned a lot and it actually made me interested in the sport!

I loved Lilah. Absolutely loved her. She was so relatable and I was rooting for her the whole way. As far as the romance part goes, it was hitting every single right note. Lilah and Arthur aren’t exactly fake-dating, more like fake-mutual attraction, which of course, is real for anyone with eyes to see. They have wonderful chemistry, and Arthur is the perfect book boyfriend- the complete opposite of Lilah’s ex, Max. Outwardly cocky but actually a huge softie who’s attentive and does the sweetest gestures to make sure Lilah always feels included in his team, but also when it’s just them alone.

I can’t believe this is Madge Maril’s first book, but she has a new fan in me!

3.5 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC 🤍 All opinions are my own.

While this book started out a little slow, and I didn’t feel any chemistry between Lilah and Arthur for a while, I ended up really liking this book!

It's pretty slow burn (nothing happens between the MCs until the last quarter of the book), and I like how classic tropes were done a bit differently. Fake dating was more like fake pretend dating, which led to lots of yearning. Enemies to lovers but not really because they fake hate each other (especially Arthur, who was more like insta-love).

I enjoyed the neurodivergent representation with Lilah, I could relate to her in so many ways. She had great character development by the end of the book, really growing into her own person rather than being the shadow of someone else. Arthur had great character development, too. You slowly learn he has so much more depth than his cocky, playful front he puts on.

The conflict was a little confusing. They got what they wanted, and I didn't really understand why Lilah had a problem with Arthur's plans all of a sudden. But I like the way it came together with their HEA.

With Slipstream, Madge Maril has crafted a fun debut romance about Lilah, a documentary filmmaker, and Arthur, a Formula 1 driver, as she makes a movie about him. This book fully immerses the reader in the fast-paced, glamorous world of F1 through the eyes of Lilah, who knows nothing about the sport. She provides a good entry point for readers like me who also aren’t familiar with F1!

While I never felt lost following the F1 stuff, the setup with the revenge plot and fake dating didn’t fully make sense to me. I found the logic hard to follow. But I decided to roll with it and ended up having a great time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Lilah and Arthur’s relationship begins really rocky, especially considering Lilah just had her entire world ripped out from underneath her. They decide to work together to take back what they deserve.

The story was fine, there were some places that felt too technical for a romance novel, but if you really know Formula 1, you’ll like it. I mostly have mixed feelings about it, it was cute but the ending was really frustrating. Don’t get me wrong, the part where they take down Arthur’s uncle because he literally tried to kill him was awesome. Loved it! But Lilahs ending was so upsetting. The entire story she is trying to get back to DC and make really thought provoking political documentaries. She gives it all up, her entire dream, to be an analyst for Arthur’s F1 team. I was wanting to see them make it work without a woman having to sacrifice everything she’d worked for, for a man. Other than that it was good. 3.25⭐️

I love the cover and I loved the premise. I thought the Formula 1 portions were well done. My issue is solely around the romance. To put it simply, it bored me. I liked each of the main characters separately and could even relate to some of the FMC's struggles. The MMC was total book boyfriend material, plus who doesn't love the "he falls first" trope? The chemistry between the two just wasn't there for me. I didn't believe their connection and I couldn't get past it. Overall, it was a quick and easy read. I'm interested in reading more by this author in the future!

Thank you so much Simon & Schuster Books Publishing & Marketing, for the absolute beautiful opportunity to inviting me to delve into Author Madge Maril, New upcoming-
Formula 1 Romance Novel🏎️🔥🎥✨
“SLIPSTREAM”
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨READ!!!! As I had the amazing pleasure to delved into this book, I found myself on a journey, navigating a rich tapestry of endless emotions of possibilities that unfolded with each new chapter! That will leave you wanting to finish the tale in one sitting🤩The development of the MMC & MFC connections throughout everything is stunning!! Truly elevating the story into an enthralling page-turner with their witty banters & hate-to lovers vibes🤩❤️completely making Arther Bianco-(MMC) one of my favorite chef kisses💋✨each trope is born from passion the way Madge Maril ventures the story into a Fake dating, a hot slowww burn👀✨forced proximity, and my Always & Forever sports romance🏎️🧡🔥✨

“SLIPSTREAM,” Stars two beautiful mains characters-
(📸Lilah Graywood & Arther Bianco🏎️✨)
And here’s a quick small preview of my favorite duo🥹-
Lilah, a driven documentarian, teams up with Arthur, a talented racing driver, for a season of revenge and possibly love. Her summer is revved up as she delves into the fast-paced realm of Formula 1. With a passion for authenticity, Lilah is determined to reveal the unbridled truth. Lilah's world is rocked when Max, her best friend, business partner, and secret boyfriend, makes a sudden decision to shift their documentary company's focus to the Ignition Energy Drink Racing team. Her disgust turns to fury when Max unexpectedly cuts ties with her, both personally and professionally, threatening the company she's worked so hard to build. And now this when the author finally Introduces us to the lovely Arthur Bianco💋✨The enigmatic F1 reserve driver with a tumultuous career and a passion for racing. Initially tasked with documenting Arthur's downfall, Lilah joins forces with him to hijack Max's documentary, each fueled by their own motivations - Lilah's thirst for revenge and Arthur's pursuit of redemption. Lilah and Arthur's clandestine partnership is on the cusp of transforming the Formula 1 landscape. As they immerse themselves in the sport's glittering circuits and behind-the-scenes intrigue, a surprise complication forces them to escalate their collaboration into a fabricated romance that begins to feel disturbingly authentic. The connection between them is both forbidden and irresistible. And the only way to discover how this lovely book unfolds is by reading it ASAP!! but the author doesn’t just deliver a great plot but she does for her two amazing main characters🤩

My girlie Lilah🩷embodies her character with unconditional love and compassion for what she loves doing and for herself✨& Despite facing hard challenges after a breakup, she continues to remain resilient and devoted❤️and especially to her golden lover who constantly brings her daily laughter & heartwarming moments & love each & every day🥹

Arther💋✨balances a warmth and charisma persona with a captivating vulnerability as he faces personal challenges, revealing a playful, affectionate side only to that special someone aka his forever lover-Lilah🥹always showering enthusiasm, and kindness, prioritizing her well-being and treating her with gentle compassion, thoughtfulness, truly making his character shine through every page🥹💋✨

I went into Slipstream knowing precisely zero things about F1 but a whole lot about romance, and I’m happy to report that’s really all you need to get totally swept up in this book.

What stood out to me right away was how smart and layered this story is. There’s the F1 backdrop, but at its core this book is about two people trying to take back control of their own narratives. Lilah is reeling from a devastating professional/personal betrayal (Max sucks big time), and Arthur is a reserve driver fighting for redemption. Watching their messy little alliance unfold was so much fun.

I will say, I definitely I got a little tangled in the logistics of their schemes from time to time. The reasoning behind some of their plans confused me, so eventually I just decided to set the logic aside and let myself read based on pure vibes (which was sooooo worth it). There’s so much emotional depth packed into this book. I loved learning about Lilah’s passion for filmmaking, I loved the incredible ND and mental health rep, I LOVED Arthur’s swoony love declaration (absolute perfection), and don’t even get me started on that absurdly hot racing glove scene.

Madge Maril has somehow written a book that makes F1 interesting to a complete non-sports person like me. And her writing is really, really good. There were so many lines I found myself highlighting because they sparked that feeling of reader joy where you realize the author is saying something special. Overall, I’m super impressed by this debut, and I’ll definitely be excited for whatever Madge writes next.

I think I wanted to like this book because I do like F1 and romance, but this fell flat entirely.

The things I did like:
1) the relationship she finds in the team especially Sarah.
2) some good tropes: only one bed, fake dating, celebrity X regular person, he falls first, little bit of enemies to lovers.
3) talk about mental health among men

The things I didn’t like:
1) the FMC was incredibly annoying and very naive. The first few chapters of this book I wanted to punch myself in the face by her internal dialogue about her terrible boyfriend, Max. She is the epitome of “I’m so different and no girl is Iike me” but with some of the most normal things for any person. She has ADHD and basically describes it as the most uncommon and so different thing about her. Oh, and she wears band tees and no makeup (again not uncommon). Also she gave me the most whiplash with her feelings and internal thoughts. She said she couldn’t stand Arthur then in the same paragraph wanted to kiss him. Oh and we get two mentions of her being bisexual but no development of that or like real
2) the relationship went from 0-100 in one chapter. The only spicy scene they are calling each other husband and wife and talking about having babies… not my thing.
3) she gets fired from the job but immediately back on as a contractor?

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC!

Slipstream is a breathtaking debut. Any review I write for this book will never do it the justice it deserves. This book is a love letter to all those who have ever been too much for someone. While this is a romance, it is also much more than that–a story of Arthur's and Lilah's growth as individuals.

Madge Maril does an excellent job of writing realistic characters. Lilah is so relatable, especially with the way her brain works. Her ADHD is a focal point of this story, and it is handled with so much care. With her past relationship, she always felt like too much. Her development and growth throughout this book brought tears to my eyes–her beginning to love and accept herself as she is was just so beautiful. Many readers will either relate to Lilah or fall in love with her character. Now, Arthur...we have a new contender for best book bf!! I loved him the second he was introduced. I don't think I have ever been so floored by a love confession as I was with Arthur's.

I was a little hesitant going into this book, as I know almost nothing about Formula 1, but this is perfect for someone who wants to learn more about it. After reading this, I have taken quite an interest in Formula 1 and feel like this novel explained things so well. Maril handles mental health in such a kind and caring way, which only made me love this story more.

Overall, Slipstream may have just become one of my favorite romance novels. I can see myself rereading this many times and never getting bored. I will read absolutely anything Madge Maril decides to write after how much I loved this book. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lilah is a documentary film maker who moves across the country to support her boyfriend and business partner, a jerk who dumps her and tries to fire her from their gig making a film about Formula 1 racing. I love Lilah so much; her brand of ADHD feels so authentic to my experience (losing things, bumping into things and general lack of spacial awareness, etc) and I really like her character arc of thinking very little of racing as a sport and Arthur, the love interest, as a human, but then learning to love both. Arthur seems to be a golden playboy partier, but he is hiding secret pain, and I'll be honest, hot man with secret pain is one of my favorite things. The writing is stellar, the characterization is stellar, and I enjoyed it so much that I stayed up all night reading it, and it was worth every drowsy consequence the next day.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

high octane, fun, sports romance with a very fun FMC and a well-written MMC. the plot twists are written at just the right level of unpredictability, and the chemistry sizzles. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Unfortunately I just can’t get past the lack of originality in team names and character names. It’s giving aldi naming to avoid trademarks but still wanting you to know what it’s a dupe for. Idk for aldi I don’t mind but for my books I’d rather see something more unique. It’s fiction have fun with it it’s just weird as is and the golden arrows Italian racing team and the ignition energy drink racing team just.. ick. So sorry

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I will say most F1 based romance books have left me feeling more blah than not. So I'm always skeptical going into an F1 romance at this point. So when the publisher reached out for me to read this debut book, I was a bit worried I would not enjoy it. I'm happy to report this book definitely did a great job of presenting the F1 world and the romance all in one great package.
Lilah Graywood is a documentarian who never thought she'd be spending time in the F1 world. When her co-owner signs a contract for them to film a documentary about one of the teams, she finds herself thrown into the world. But then her co-owner ousts her and she finds herself without the job she moved to Texas for. In an attempt to take control of the situation, Lilah joins forces with Arthur Bianco, the back-up driver she was meant to be filming. When the two find themselves forced into a fake relationship to ensure their success, they find themselves drawn together in more ways than just the filming would entail. Can Lilah stay true to herself while being immersed in this fast paced and political world where schemes are rampant?
I really enjoyed Lilah's character. Mostly because she's so unsure of herself and the author really shows her growth throughout the book. And she is super relatable. Add to that her mental health representation (well done Maril!) and you have someone who is fascinating and so loveable. Her life takes an unexpected turn and she almost gives up but then she takes hold of who she is and what she wants and turns it around. I love the idea of her coming into herself and realizing exactly what she wants and who she is. Lilah has a traumatic past, as well. It haunts her and makes her more quiet and needy than she would like. But she's always had to worry about her peculiarities and how she would be perceived. So many times in the book I wanted to grab Lilah and give her a big hug. But in the end she has so much growth and comes to love herself as she is, especially when she realizes there are people who also love her as she is.
Arthur knows what he wants. He wants to be a champion. But, like Lilah, he's got a past that is haunting him and family that holds him back. His character is so complex. The F1 world is truly brutal. It's every man for himself and the author really shows this for Arthur. I loved that he opened up to Lilah. Their relationship grew very organically. Arthur spent his time trying to get to know Lilah and, despite his bad boy reputation, became someone she could count on and open up her heart and soul to. My favorite part of Arthur was his tenderness. It was unexpected. I always think of F1 drivers as so focused on just their sport and how they can get to the top. But he was so much more than being a driver.
One of my favorite parts of this book was how easy it was to understand all the motor-sport jargon. The author did not bog the book down with lingo the average person might not understand. She made sure to describe things just enough for people who may not know F1 to get to know F1. I've read quite a few F1 books where this was so heavily layered it was hard to get through. Maril kept the material on the lighter side while still showing the politics of F1 and the harsh reality of being a motor-sport driver.
The relationship did develop a bit faster than I would normally like BUT there is a bit of a forced proximity trope going on, not to mention a fake dating trope. I really think these two things made the speed of the romance understandable. There was one part, which I won't get into as it's a spoiler, but involves sexy times that seemed a little pushed to me but overall I enjoyed how the author presented the characters when they were being intimate.
The pacing was spot on, as well. I flew through this book. The only things that kept me from reading it straight through were sleep and work! Plus, as a debut title goes, I think this one was really good. The prose was not boring. The scenes all made sense in the story line. There wasn't any telling, love me some showing.
If you're looking for a sports romance in the motor sport world where the MMC falls first with a lovely amount of tenderness, the FMC has a huge amount of development and just the right amount of awkwardness, the story is emotionally charged with a fast paced plot, and the author knows what she's doing with her writing, I highly recommend this debut title from Maril.