I can’t believe this is Madge’ DEBUT novel! I absolutely adored this book, and Arthur Bianco is a top-tier book boyfriend in my book!

I know a fair amount the ins and outs of F1, and I think this book hit the nail on the head with the mechanical and more niche sides of the sport! It was exhilarating to learn more about the backside of racing—the meetings, the staff, the days off, the travel—and I found myself picturing the scenes and places as I was reading, which is always a good sign in terms of writing style and setting the vibe!

I also loved the story! The plot, the pacing, the drama, the romance; I loved all of it! From when we first meet Lilah and Arthur, their tension and chemistry was evident and clear as day, and I loved the pacing Madge set for their companionship to friendship to something more, and she had just the right amount of pining and spice and slow burn for me to love it!

The minor characters are always important to me, and I ADORED so many of the minor characters (not Max. Max can go away!)! Delaney and Cameron and Sarah and even Merlin! I loved how we got to learn more about them as the story unfolded, and I was kicking my feet giggling at the end when they were in the Paddock Club and then the garage!

Lilah, overall, was a lovely FMC, but I did have my moments where I thought was pushing the boundaries of being “not like other girls” and unique. She is a brilliant documentarian, and I loved how dedicated to her craft she was. I was a big fan of the ADHD representation, but I’m also someone who loves to connect and bond and find similarities to the FMCs I read about, and there were a few moments I just couldn’t connect with her.

Arthur was a sweetheart, but I do feel like there was a bit of some miscommunication between him and Lilah and the team at various points. It was clear he cared for her, and he cared about his career and driving, and I loved getting to see the more personal, off-the-track side of him.

Overall, this was such a treat to read, and I can’t wait to see what’s next in Madge’s writing docket!!

Thank you to Simon & Schuester and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The author knows her F1.
I love the sport and it was the best F1 romance I’ve read.
I really like how it made the sport approachable, focusing on the drama that goes into it and the politics and the adrenaline without focusing on the technical aspects.

The storyline hooks you, the fake relationship, which is my favorite, is very well done it. It wasn’t about the physical connection but about a deeper emotional one.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC

Buckle up! "SLIPSTREAM" is an absolute thrill ride! I'm still buzzing from the electric connection between F1 driver Arthur Bianco and filmmaker Lilah Greywood. If Madge's writing captures even a fraction of the real F1 intensity, I'm not sure my heart could handle it! I was utterly gripped, devouring every page.
As someone completely new to F1, I found the balance between accessibility and information perfect, thanks to Lilah's own journey of discovery. Madge brilliantly immerses you in the spectacle – the roaring engines, the tense anticipation, the drivers' stories – it felt like experiencing my first hockey game all over again, that instant feeling of becoming a lifelong fan.
Beyond the glamorous F1 world of whirlwind travel and yachts, "SLIPSTREAM" beautifully explores Lilah's personal and romantic growth. Arthur and his team create a genuine orbit for her, fostering friendships and connection as she navigates past trauma and toxic relationships. Witnessing her gradual opening and the depth of their impact is truly rewarding.
And Arthur Bianco? Swoon-worthy doesn't even cover it. Part charming playboy, part endearing sweetheart, his passion and intensity are captivating. Even the smallest glimpse had me hooked! Watching Lilah slowly unravel his layers as she allows herself to explore their connection was pure gold. The earned trust between them was fantastic to see.
Highly recommend "SLIPSTREAM" to all romance readers, F1 knowledge or not! Get ready to cheer for Lilah's emotional breakthroughs, laugh at Arthur's fake dating mishaps, and flip pages at lightning speed for this delicious, intense slow burn. Lights Out? More like lights on all night to finish this!

What A Ride! I'm still buzzing from the thrill of reading F1 driver Arthur Bianco, and filmmaker Lilah Greywood fall in love. Also! If watching an actual F1 race is even half as intense as Madge writes it, I don't think I'd survive. I was locked in for every turn ... of the page. I couldn't put it down!

As I non F1 follower, I felt the story was perfectly balanced between accessible and informative. I'm grateful that Lilah, as the main character, had zero knowledge of F1. I liked sharing her moments of discovery. To feel the spectacle of the event. Hear the roar of the cars and crowd. The anticipation and tension of the race. And, of course, the narratives of the drivers. It reminded me of going to my very first hockey game and how I knew instantly I'd be a fan for life.

I loved reading Lilah's romantic and personal journies. The whirlwind travel, clubs, beaches, yachts life of the F1 circuit makes for a dreamy romance. But nestled into this rich and famous fantasy world is truth and friendship and connection. While she feels safest behind her camera, capturing truths and not living her own, Arthur and his crew take her into their orbit and develop genuine relationships with her. There's a lot for her to process - childhood trauma, mental health struggles, past toxic relationships - before she can even recognize how deep into her heart they've gotten. And thats a beautiful thing.

Arthur Bianco. The man that he is. Part playboy, part bbboi. Passionate and lovely and intense. He had me swooning from the barest glimpse of his wrist. His heartbeat louder even over the roar of the engines. I enjoyed learning his mysteries as little by little Lilah opens heraelf up to the possibilities of them. So much work done to earn each other's trust. Loved to see it.

Overall, highly recommend SLIPSTREAM to romance readers regardless of your F1 knowledge. You'll cheer for Lilah as she makes her emotional epiphanies. You'll swoon for Arthur as he fails at fake dating. And you'll turn pages so fast in anticipation of Lights Out for the most delicious and intense slow burns.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance digital copy to read and review.

I loved every single moment of this!!! First of all, Madge Maril gets all the credit for turning me into a full blown Formula 1 fan instead of the casual observer I was before.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for the ARC, this was my first Netgalley approval and I am so grateful and totally honoured!

This book was exactly everything I wanted it to be, it was funny, heartfelt, witty, the banter was awesome, but most of all, I looooved seeing Lilah grow and evolve and learn to accept herself in all her awesomeness! There were moments that literally had me pulling out my journal because they were so profound. The writing and the pacing are so great, I felt so immersed in the world that Madge created here.

I totally adore Arthur, I can picture his smile and his smirk and all his golden boyness, and I totally get Lilah because I too would've fallen in love with him.

I'm definitely going to read this again, it was such a great read!!

Huge thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley!!

I'm obsessed with this book, does she have a grocery list I'll read it? She crafted characters that are so real and visceral that I couldn't even be mad if they made a decision I didn't agree with because I understood why they were making that choice. Slipstream follows Lilah and Arthur over the course of one summer. Lilah is stubbornly making a documentary about F1, and Arthur is a reserve driver with his own agenda for this summer that does not involve the documentary if he can help it. It's very important to note that Arthur is the definition of "I take every recommendation you give me seriously,". Also Madge Madril did the impossible...she made me care about Formula One.

funny informative inspiring lighthearted fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0

Oh my gosh I don’t even know where to start. This book was gripping from the very start. The storyline was so exciting and I don’t know anything about formula 1.

The banter. The depth. The writing! Obsessed doesn’t begin to cover it.

I love the team Lilah and Arthur pulled together, and the small wins throughout the book. The tender moments where you could feel them falling in love with each other. And the rest of the characters that didn’t feel like throwaways.

I was giddy, kicking my feet, yelling and teary at various points while reading this. I also loved the ADHD representation, and not just because I have it myself! But the mental health aspects of this book were so good because they felt natural. It wasn’t forced, it was just part of life. (Like it is in real life.)

Honestly the only part that gave me the ick was the husband/wife stuff before they got married. IYKYK. But even so, Arthur and Lilah are so hot and I love them.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my review!

Ok yes I will become a formula 1 fan, thank you to Ms. Maril for encouraging that to happen. This book was SO MUCH FUN!!!! Some serious good girl // bad boy vibes, nerd vs. jock, all the things you want when you're reading a fun novel that takes place all around the world. I loved loved loved the character development in this book, and the way that both the FMC and MMC came out of their shells at the end.

Absolutely recommend this book!

Famously I am super picky about my F1 romances because I love the sport so dearly. Everyone seems to be writing one these days, but this is the best one since the Dirty Air series by Lauren Asher. This is everything I could have wanted and more in a book. Definity one for the fans.

I absolutely loved this book. I had never read a book about racing and am not a big formula 1 fan but this inspired me to maybe watch some!! I loved the storylines with their respective families. Their love story was beautiful.

“𝑷𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂. 𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.”

After taking a couple of days to stew over this book, I can happily say I love it just as much as when I finished it! This book is FUN!!! Slipstream serves as my intro into the world of F1 and it’s safe to say I’m obsessed. Catch me scrolling through countless TikTok edits of F1 drivers and the races…oops! But seriously, this book was addictive for me.

I found the pacing to be done well, the romance was top notch, the concept of F1 was explained well (considering I’m a newb), and the spice was well worth the wait! I constantly found myself needing to put the book down and squeal because of how damn giddy the banter was making me!! That’s truly how I know a book is doing it for me tbh.

I thought Lilah was a likable main character and enjoyed the neurodivergent representation! While she had irritating moments, I knew that it was for the greater good of character development. As for Arthur…HOT DAMN!! Madge Maril had me salivating with how she was describing this man 😩. Aside from looks, I throughly enjoyed the exploration into men’s mental health representation and how that played out throughout the plot. Especially with it tying back into b the pressures of family and being a professional athlete. This was truly a book where I was rooting for both the main characters!

I’m so ready to dive into other F1 romances and will be keeping an eye out for more books written by Madge Maril!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the wonderful opportunity to read this eARC!

Adore this book! I loved the representation of neurodivergence and mental health with both main characters. The writing was a bit confusing at times but overall Slipstream was easy to read and such an enjoyable ride. I can’t wait to recommend this read to others to yap all about it!

For someone who knew nothing about F1, the author did a great job explaining it and it had me really invested (in real life also)! I felt the first half was fun and I enjoyed the slowburn, but the FMC kinda of bothered me, and it might be becuse I couldn't relate to her... I think this is a great easy read, especially for those who enjoy racing!!

This was a great debut novel, featuring well-fleshed-out characters and excellent romantic chemistry.

I adored Lilah—neurodivergent, a bit prickly, great taste in t-shirts. As an AuDHD woman, I always appreciate well-written, neurodivergent protagonists. Characters that feel natural, rather than some kind of forced representation. I think what I related to most in Lilah was the weird dichotomy of being unapologetically herself, in a quiet sort of way, while also fighting against the need to make herself “convenient” for other people, something she did in her previous relationship with the absolutely abhorrent Max.

Arthur had a surprising amount of depth. The initial impression is that he is brash, cocky, and self-absorbed when he is really anything but. Yes, there is a certain amount of confidence that comes with being a professional athlete but Arthur, at his core, is much more complex than that, and a whole lot softer. The way this man went ALL in on Lilah. Oh, my word. Book boyfriend material.

I think where this book truly shines is in the romantic tension between Arthur and Lilah—that slow transition from enemies to tentative friends to romance. And Lilah’s cluelessness when it came to Arthur—oof. That’s my favorite take on the enemies-to-lovers trope: when the “enemy” part is one-sided, and the MMC is totally smitten but the FMC doesn’t see it. Seriously, SO well done here.

Though I’m not usually a fan of sports romances, I enjoyed entering the whole F1 world. It’s something I would never be interested in under normal circumstances but I love learning about new things, especially when they are well-researched and represented. Seeing F1 through the literal lens of Lilah’s documentary was a great introduction to something that would otherwise hold no draw for me.

My one fault with this book is that some of the shifts in Lilah’s logic were jarring, especially Lilah’s strong reaction to Arthur’s choices near the end of the book. I wasn’t sure if they were a product of Lilah’s ADHD or the author’s writing. Still, even with that one little nitpick, I’d highly recommend this book.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing the advanced copy of this, offered in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

- Lilah, documentary filmmaker & Arthur, F1 driver
- When Lilah gets dumped and fired on the same day, she partners with Arthur to make a documentary that serves both their needs
- Fake dating: still not sure why they needed to fake date, but just go with it
- neurodivergent rep
- F1 rep is legit and the BTS is believable
🌶️: slow burn

The tension was dreamy, the characters were yummy. I had fun reading it.

Lilah at some points hurt my heart, in the most satisfying of ways. The ADHD representation at times had me wanting to shut the book and sob in the way that I felt seen. I would've liked more of it, perhaps, just to see how Arthur would have worked with it and with her through it if that's what she'd needed, but regardless, Lilah showed growth and development and it was really great to read through.

Arthur. I appreciate that he wasn't a perfect specimen of a MMC. He was flawed, incredibly so and although with reason to be flawed, it didn't feel forced. He felt legitimate in his mistake-making and genuine in his apologies. I liked that he was selfish and complex and I liked what Lilah did for him, how she would humble or uplift him.

Overall they make me very happy, I'm so pleased with the ending and so happy to have been able to read it.

This was a FUN debut novel.

Lilah is a documentarian who wants to show her worth. Thanks to her ex-boyfriend, she is now spending the summer helping F1 Reserve Arthur Bianco get out of his contract.

The SLOWBURN in this book is so good! Arthur is down bad for Lilah and it's so lovely to see Lilah discover Arthur's love for her on her own, and also recognizing her own feelings for him. Arthur is so soft hiding under a tough exterior. Lilah just wants the best for him - especially when he can't see what that is. All of their moments together are so endearing, I love the care that came into these two. Also, I'm a sucker for a fake dating situation.

I'm usually really picky when it comes to F1 books, as someone who follows the sports, because I always try to figure out what drivers they're trying to emulate - but this book was SO well done in terms of the sport. If you're an F1 rookie - this is a great book to learn the ins and outs of the sport. You fall in love with the sport right along with Lilah.

Thank you Madge Maril, Simon and Schuster, and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 ⭐️
First F1 romance in the books for me.
And I ain’t mad about it.

Lilah x Arthur
Documentary woman x F1 racing superstar
Enemies to lovers
Fake dating (ish)
American x Italian
European travel

Do you like Mariana Zapatas single POV where she’s clueless the man likes her?
If yes this might be for you.

Do you like Ali Hazelwood type FMCs, where a woman has a non typical job and non typical personality?
If yes this might be for you.

Netgalley arc review ✨

5 ⭐️ Madge Maril's debut novel Slipstream is one of my favorite reads of 2025 so far. It was such a fun, quick read that I enjoyed from start to finish. After the first 25%, I was constantly thinking about Lilah and Arthur when I wasn't reading, counting down until I could jump back into their story. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think Slipstream is a masterpiece or a perfect piece of literature but it had the best vibes and I had fun reading it so that is all that matters to me.

As a big F1 fan, I appreciated the accuracy with the sport as well as the bits of information that was including while Lilah was getting to learn about F1 through Cameron, Delaney, and Arthur.

My favorite part of this story was absolutely the characters. It was so easy to see from the beginning that Arthur was developing feelings for Lilah and while it took her a little longer to catch up, once she did admit her feelings and their relationship started it was clear to see how well they worked. All of the characters were so well written and multi-dimensional. They each had their own flaws and positives that added to each scene they shared. I especially adored our minor characters that ended up in on the scheme, Sarah, Cameron, and Delaney.

AND I can't begin to tell you how satisfying each and every minor plot was wrapped up (Max, birth mom, Holmes) ((even the villains were so well written I hated them immediately).

All in all, Slipstream was a big win for me and I cannot wait to see what Maril writes next! Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a sports romance or just looking for a fun romcom pallet cleanser.

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

it's not the book, it's me.

maybe i just wasn't in the mood for an f1 romance like this, maybe i need a break from contemporary romances, maybe i'm just feeling a little slumpy, i don't know. like, this isn't a bad book at all and i would absolutely recommend it to anyone who wants a fun sports romance, it's a little bit of a slow burn and the characters are likeable and there's honestly not much to complain about. a little basic and cliche at times, but that doesn't bother me. it just found me at the wrong time.

thank you to netgalley & simon and schuster for an arc! all opinions are my own <3