Slipstream by Madge Maril is a mesmerizing, thought-provoking read that pulls you in with its dreamy prose and deeply emotional storytelling. This book isn’t just about the plot—it’s about the experience, the way it blurs the lines between memory and reality, between longing and belonging. Maril’s writing is lyrical and immersive, making it easy to get lost in the atmospheric world she creates.

The characters are raw and real, navigating love, identity, and the complexities of human connection in a way that feels deeply personal. Their relationships—sometimes messy, sometimes beautiful—are layered with unspoken emotions and quiet intensity. The book leans heavily on introspection, which makes it a deeply moving read, though at times, the pacing felt a bit uneven, slowing the momentum in certain sections.

While Slipstream is undeniably beautiful, it may not be for everyone—it’s a book that lingers, making you sit with its themes rather than offering quick, easy resolutions. But if you love novels that are poetic, immersive, and rich with emotion, this one is absolutely worth the read.

4 stars!

I was waiting to F1 season started to read this book so I could use it to stay up to watch international races and honestly it was hard to put it down to watch yuki (my fav) race!

It was definitely a fresh take with the documentary aspect and I enjoyed the almost geek charming (iykyk) take on an f1 romance.

My only gripe is the color on the cover makes it kinda forgettable but that’s not a reason I wouldn’t read

Super good and honestly can’t wait to see more from the author

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Slipstream by Madge Maril. 

Lilah co-owns a documentary company with her boyfriend, Max. After Max signs them up to do a documentary for Formula 1, Max breaks up with her and takes her documentary company from her, Lilah teams up with reserve driver, Arthur, to take control of Max’s documentary. Their partnership turns into a fake relationship.

Slipstream is a cute, easy read. Lilah and Arthur are wonderful main characters. Arthur is so cute and Lilah is a great FMC. I love her talents as a documentary filmmaker. I really enjoyed the documentary element of the plot. The love story that played out between these two was the highlight for me and the last act of the book was adorable!

If you enjoy a fake dating, Formula 1 sports romance, this is a book to check out!

After that slow burn, dang did it heat up. Got me seriously blushing. Arthur has the broody down to a T, but I didn’t think he had such a dirty mouth on him.

Lilah and Author were not suppose to happen, yet the attraction was just too much to handle after they slow started to get to know each other. The outcast girl and the guy who has it all, what could go wrong? Once the friendship started flowing you could really see the tension the two of them had and it was such a great tease.

This was a first read of mine for Madge and it set me up to like this book and any book I read from her after.

I unfortunately struggled with this one. The pacing felt off and I wanted to set it down multiple times.

Things I LIKED:
Learning f1 through the lens of the character learning it was very interesting.
I liked the idea of the plot but the execution was not there for me. Her working secretly for herself but under the of company’s name & paycheck?? That didn’t really make sense.

Overall I was an interesting idea, especially with the rise of followers in f1 from drive to survive but I also think it romanized a industry that exploits the drivers and that many drivers have come forward saying they are not a fan of. So I’m conflicted about it.

4.5 ⭐️
I really loved this book! Arthur and Lilah were so sweet, and I loved his subtle character traits that grew throughout the book. I feel like there were some random side plots that were unnecessary, but they didn't take away from their relationship and development. The two of them seemed well-developed, mature, and had insaneeee tension. I had a lot of fun reading this, and will be looking out for more books from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🏎️

It was a good book but it was a SUPER slow burn. Not a lot of spice, which is ok, but it did feel like it took a while for her to realize he loved her and she loved him. Again, not bad but she was the only thing holding herself back. The banter was good and Arthur Bianca was my favorite. I absolutely love F1 books and this one was great at explaining F1 but sometimes I felt like it was too much. I needed more romance!

I also felt like there was a lot going on. The fake dating to be able to have Arthur get out his contract and for Lilah to get her company/name back from her cheating bf. Then there was Lilah going through her feelings of abandonment from her birth mother and Arthur’s panic attacks from what his uncle did to him. Then you had a lot of characters that were there but not huge in their development.

One last thing which might just be a me issue: the format of the book confused me whenever they were texting. Maybe it’s just from getting the ARC but sometimes the texts where in bubbles and sometimes it was just part of the paragraph. It made it confusing to read and figure out what’s going on. Again maybe that’s just me.

Thank you Madge and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

3.5 stars

This was such a cute F1 romance!

As someone newer to formula one, I really appreciated that we got to learn more about it alongside Lilah.

This is a slow burn romance. There was so much tension and lots of “will they won’t they” moments. But it made it that much better when the finally decided to be together.

I just loved Arthur and Lilah’s relationship so much. The growth from enemies to lovers was soooo good. All the little moments were made that much better when they both realized it was real for both of them. I loved how they both saw every version of the other.

This was a great debut! I can’t wait to read more books by this author! A huge thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced arc in exchange for an honest review!

The slow burn was KILLING ME, but I admit it was worth it. Our BLONDE MMC is perfect, I cannot even describe it without spoilers. The way Lilah and Arthur fall for each other and support each others dreams is so sweet.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

Okay hear me out. I have lots of thoughts!!! The first half: lame. I couldn’t STAND the FMC. She was trying to hard to be weird and lowkey a lil selfish. BUT the second half really redeemed itself. Arthur… loml. He can do no wrong!!! Someone find me an F1 driver. This was my first F1 book & im not disappointed! Max, you can go screw yourself. Okay those are my thoughts!!!

Thank you NetGalley, Madge Maril, and Simon & Schuster for this ARC!!!! 🫶🏼

⭐️: 4.0
📖: Kindle

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I found F1 racing to be interesting, not knowing anything about the sport myself. I unfortunately found Lilah to be a hard character to like which made it a hard book to read. An overall nice first book by this authors. 3.5 rounded up to 4.

Slipstream by Madge Maril

Lilah Greywood is a political documentarian who uproots her life to Texas when her business partner (and boyfriend) gets them a contract making a Formula 1 documentary for the team Ignition Energy drink, not her scene or where she wants to take their company. No problem, Lilah thinks, she can talk Max out of this, but when they finally have a minute alone he breaks up with her and drops a bomb on her about their company.

Fine. Lilah can work with this, and despite getting off on the wrong foot with backup driver Arthur Bianco, she ropes him in on a plan to benefit both of their careers.

Do I know anything about F1 racing beyond cars go zoom? Nope. Am I gonna get into it? No. I can’t afford another hyper fixation at this time. But good news! Lilah knows nothing too so we get to learn with her without feeling dumb. The whole of Arthur’s team is made up of the sweetest people who want to win, and make Arthur look good for the film. Seriously. His team is amazing. I love them all.

Watching Lilah go from I know nothing about this sport to falling in love with it WHILE also going from ugh this guy to oh no, I think I like him, was so cute. And the dramaaaaa. Oh my god. There’s more than just racing going on here and I ate it up.

I am still, over a week later, kicking my feet over the last chapter of this book. You’re gonna want this on your shelves if you like fun, romance, pining, subverting tropes or are a reylo (you’ll know it when you read it and by it i mean meeting Arthur 😉).

⭐️ 4.5

thank you Netgalley for allowing me to digitally review this book prior to release!!

I think nothing I can say truly captures how much I enjoyed this book. it was honestly refreshing in a way that I haven't read in a long time and omg it was perfect in time for the 2nd grand prix. it was the perfect balance between f1 and romance and I loved it.

and then there's arthur bianco. wow, what a man. the fact that he yearned her for SO LONG before she even started liking him makes this book so so so much better. the little things he did make me look at the wall and start giggling because what do you mean she wanted to talk and he set up a rooftop picnic? where did people like this go in the world, because I swear they only live in books. but more than him just being a gentleman, I think that he grew so much, and seeing him go from his crash to a reserve driver, then to actually racing felt like a full circle moment and it was so nice being able to witness all those moments.

and also, lilah? I HATED max from the very beginning, but seeing her become the best version of herself after she realized her worth and basically removed him from her life, I admire her. when I read books, I get so mad sometimes on the fmc's behalf that I just wish they'd do certain things, and I really liked how she actually went and did them instead of just thinking about them, if you know what I mean. and her drive to actually make the documentary was just so cool and interesting because I've never really read a book like this before.

overall, it has become one of my favorites and definitely got me out of my 3-star book streak, and I think it'll become one of my comfort reads now :)

this book was so good, too good. f1 really is back

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4.

I really enjoyed this book overall and felt it was a great debut novel. It was my first formula 1 romance book, and to be honest, I knew absolutely nothing about F1 before I started reading. I did feel that for this reason, the first 30-40% of the book felt slightly dense and harder for me to get through. I wasn’t gripped by the story at first because it felt like I was just trying to understand what was going on and what type of arrangement they were trying to establish. But once I got past 40%, I devoured the rest and really, really enjoyed the ending. I did not see the ending coming at all and I thought the author did a great job tying everything up. I did like both MCs for the most part - though i did feel like Lilah exhibited some "pick-me girl" behavior in the way that she felt she was SO different from other girls, but really she just had what seemed to be normal quirks. I also absolutely loved some of the side characters - specifically Delaney and Sarah. Found family is one of my favorite tropes (and so is fake dating). I really appreciated the amount of character development that they both went through.

I really loved both Arthur and Lilah, both for their own reasons. Their chemistry was palpable and I loved seeing them come together. I really felt like this was a true slow burn, but the build up was definitely worth the pay off! I LOVE a man who yearns and Arthur definitely delivered on that front. He’s calm and collected on the surface, but has so many layers. And he’s not so quiet behind closed doors 🤭 There are some spicy scenes but definitely not the focus of the book and I felt that they were done really well. And the love confession towards the end of the book was one of the best I’ve read in a while - SO GOOD.

It was so nice to see a main character with ADHD. It’s always a bonus when you can relate to a main character in a way that you don’t see all the time in romance novels. Lilah was so lovable despite her quirks and her struggles. I also loved the anxiety rep as well. Arthur was a sweet, sweet cinnamon roll and I loved to see him lower his walls and allow Lilah in.

There were a few times where the texting format was kind of confusing and annoying to try and figure out who was saying what and what was texting vs spoken text vs internal thoughts. I’m assuming this is something that will be adjusted before it’s published, but still wanted to mention it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’m so happy I got to read it early! It was great for a debut novel. I would definitely read another book by this author in the future.

This is a fantastic debut novel about F1 racing. As someone who knows nothing about the sport, I found this to be an incredibly engaging read, and I really appreciated the neurodiversity representation.

The book explores several different themes, but they are woven together seamlessly, and the writing never feels sloppy or rushed. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for their next fast paced sports romance.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book has a very cute cover and an interesting premise diving into the world of formula 1. I especially enjoyed the MMC Arthur. He was very enjoyable and was the main reason i did not DNF. Now my main issue with this book is unfortunately Lilah, our FMC. She feels like she's "weird" and not a cool girl. It also doesn't help that she got cheated on by her ex at the beginning so she struggles with her self worth. She also has some annoying tendencies. This book just unfortunately fell a bit flat for me.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the eARC. Opinions are my own.

Lilah never dreamed of making movies for F1. As a matter of fact, she did not ask to be part of this job, but when her boyfriend and business partner decides this is the next big thing she finds herself drawn into a world she never wanted to be a part of. No big deal, she’ll just show up and convince him this isn’t the right move, except he’s already moved on in more ways than one. After attempting to fire her and oust her from a company with her name on it, Lilah teams up with a driver on the outs to secure both their reputations and ends up finding a story, a community, and a love she never expected.

The banter was bantering, the side characters were well developed, the girl on girl crime was kept to a minimum despite the subject matter. A solid 4⭐️ book for me! Will definitely pick up this author again!

This was fun! F1 politics, romance, drama. I very much enjoyed a racing book with all the behind the scenes action. I liked Lilah’s character arc and I enjoyed how she and Arthur fit together. It was a fun read and I would recommend if you like F1 or if you like a fairly slow burn romance.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you to the publishing company and NetGalley for the early access to this book. I love this opportunity and privilege that I have, so thank you first and foremost.

I was so excited for this book. So. So. So excited. I don't know a ton about F1, but the premise of fake dating had me jumping on this so fast. I was grooving with it so hard. I LOVED Arthur. I loved seeing myself in Lilah (I did read her name in a thick southern accent. Sue me). I was grooving so hard with it right up until about 75% left in the book and there was something about her calling him husband that just icked my skin. I know that I can't nitpick on every little thing, but that just kinda took me out of the book. I however did love how communication was HUGE and that's something that a lot of characters in other books fail to do, and the whole "miscommunication trope" is one that rules the romance world and I hate it. This book was amazing at having healthy communication throughout the book, especially in the end. They didn't leave each other in a huff and puff when things got hard. They took space, sure, but it wasn't a "FINE!" "FINE!" It was great. Overall, I loved this book and can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

Slipstream is my first official F1 romance, but it is definitely not going to be my last. Let's just say I'm officially hooked and frantically trying to figure out the race schedule. This debut from Madge Maril is a firecracker packed with tension you couldn't cut with a steak knife.

A documentarian and the F1 racer she's supposed to be filming...what could possibly go wrong? Jokes on you, nothing goes wrong because this book is brilliant. Enter Lilah, a brilliant film student who got her footing in the film space after a political documentary. She struggles with ADHD and trying to be a sure footed individual. Now, enter Arthur King. By God, a cocky backup F1 driver trying to climb back to a start & pole position. The two of them form quite the bond and by the end I'm proud to say I shed a tear.

This book is everything you want in romance. It's tender, achingly sweet, and shows what it means to love someone silently. Slipstream reads like an episode of your favorite television show. I just couldn't put the thing down when the clock was striking midnight. The characters were whole, the pacing was so well timed, and divine help me...the one liners in this book. Damn near broke my finger highlighting.

If you like F1, tension, a fact paced plot, and two complicated main characters: this book is definitely for you.

4.5 stars for Slipstream, Madge Maril's debut novel.

Thank you Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.