What an absolute ride! This slow burn romance between a determined documentarian and her captivating Formula 1 subject had me hooked from start to finish. Following Lilah’s journey as she navigated childhood trauma, ADHD, and a seriously crappy ex-boyfriend was both heartfelt and empowering. And don’t even get me started on the banter—Lilah and Arthur’s dynamic was everything! Their support for each other was tender, witty, and so well-earned. Plus, the ending? Everyone got exactly what they deserved. Such a fun, emotionally satisfying F1 romance—I loved every lap of it!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my digital ARC.

I know nothing about F1, but I feel like this was the perfect book for someone like me. Not only did it teach me a little bit, but it was also easy to understand and so much fun to learn about!

Overall I liked the book a lot! I liked Arthur and Lilah and how passionate they are about their careers and each other.

Thank you Simon and Schuster for the early e-arc!

It’s been days and I’m still thinking about this story. Slipstream is the story of an F1 driver and a documentarian who find themselves secretly conspiring to retake control of their careers.

The writing is beautiful, the neurodiversity representation is well done, and the story is unique and emotional!

I don’t want to say more as it would end up leaning into spoiler territory but this might have just made me a Madge reader for life if this debut is the level of writing we can expect. I’m blown away!

I absolutely loved this romance! Both of the main characters were super well developed and I loved their chemistry. I found Lilah to be so relatable and I loved her journey in the book. And Arthur was the perfect book boyfriend who was such a simp for Lilah in the best way. I also had zero interest in F1 racing going into this and this made me want to actually learn more about it. It was truly so swoon worthy and I’m so happy I read it!

Slipstream takes the sports romance genre and elevates it to the level of a nuero-spicy FMC. While I appreciate the representation and the POV, I found it difficult to follow and to empathize with her. Because of this, I had to DNF about halfway through.

Happy debut novel to Madge
For Slipstream!
This book has my heart!
I felt like I was looking at myself in the mirror when reading this!
Lilahs thoughts and fears are my thoughts and fears

In this story we follow Lilah and Arthur
Lilah is a documentary filmmaker and
Arthur is an F1 racer
Lilah and her boyfriend Max own their film company and he got them a gig of doing a documentary on an F1 sports team
Lilah has no interest in this and thinks she will be able to talk Max out of it before they start.
The hate I have for max is unlike any other and would love to see him knocked down
ANYWAYS!!
Lilah is assigned to stay with the reserved F1 racer Arthur and film him in Texas while max goes to travel with the other racers
Max is a piece of shit and breaks up with her and fires her on the same day!
Arthur wanted nothing to do with the documentary but when they are both in a pickle they figure out a way they can help each other and so lilah finds a way to stay on crew and continue filming Arthur.
So begins their Journey and travel because Arthur is taken off reserve and goes to race in Europe.
There is also FAKE DATING!! 🤭

I absolutely LOVEEEEEEE and ADOREEEE
Lilah and Arthur
she is this girl who is a little awkward and refers herself as an alien because she isn’t like “normal people” and is neurodivergent.
She has past trauma and her recent trauma with max that made her believe that her value was in someone wanting her because she was abandoned by her birth mother.
Arthur is this sunshine funny guy but when you peel his layers he to is battling things internally.
Arthur has a way with words that had me meltinggg
I love the progression of their relationship and the quiet pinning of this man!

This book is 1st person but only in Lilahs POV.
I thought I wouldn’t like it but I honestly didn’t even notice because Lilah is very observant!
She would say things that Arthur did and you would be like oh he is totally into her but then you hear her inner dialogue of her excusing it as something else cause he couldn’t possibly like her.
Her insecurities are my insecurities

I absolutely loveeeeee this book!
I cried because of how much of myself I saw in Lilah and I just wanted to give her a big hug

ALSO!! The girls girlies in here is top tier! I love their friendship and support for each other 🥹

Madge you made a new fan because I’m obsessed!

I really wanted to love this book but I just hated the heroine so much. I know neurodivergent people aren't a monolith because I am one, and the actual writing wasn't terrible--honestly I blame the Internet more than anything for this character, when I think about it--but I probably wouldn't pick up another title by the author again, because life's just too short and there are too many similar books out there to keep trying with one that isn't a fit.

Lilah has moved down to Texas from Washington D.C. to film a documentary paid for by a Formula 1 team about their drivers. She films with her bestfriend turned boyfriend Max and they're coming off doing an award winning doc about a congressman. Lilah knows nothing about Formula 1 and wants to do important film making, not a puff piece, but as someone diagnosed with ADHD and neurodivergent, she has let Max lead her in things she should like and how she should act. Her plan is to get down to Texas and convince him that they shouldn't do the film but instead he promptly breaks up with her and tells her he's kicking her out of the company that has both their names on it. Fortunately, the driver Lilah was assigned to film, Arthur, has his own grievances and agenda. He'll help her get the doc tanked if she'll help him get his uncle to fire him off the team. The fake dating plan they come up with sounds great, until real feelings get involved.

The enemy of my enemy is a Formula 1 reserve driver trying to break his contract, as the saying goes.

I had just read a Formula 1 book and a very similar dynamic between the main characters a little before I read this and I think that may have lead to me not enjoying this as much. The plan Lilah and Max come up with never quite made sense to me, they're going to fake date but not so much that people can really realize and that is supposed to get his uncle to fire him and get them to trash the doc? Until the end when this plan comes into play, I just ignored it instead of trying to figure it out.

“You know what you remind me of? We used to feed this angry stray cat out in Rome. Micetta, we called her. She bit me every time I pet her.”
“Masochist,” I mumble.
“You wish.”

This was told all from Lilah's point-of-view and she spends a lot of time pointing out how feeling so different from everyone else, which she puts down to her ADHD, has her constantly at odds with people and wanting to hide away from the world. Of course, there wasn't really any awkwardness with Arthur, he, covertly to Lilah but obvious to readers, clicks with and falls for her immediately. I honestly thought there was going to be messaging at the end how everyone feels weird and awkward and Lilah really wasn't that different but this was more of a women's/lit fiction story where Lilah's issues felt dragged out (352 pages) and rehashed to death. Arthur gets some focus on his family issues and PTSD but his character was not focused on in that a male main character in a romance but women's fiction vibe story. There was an open door scene where Arthur just decided to suddenly verbalize his love, spouting “wife” and the like, for some good pull quote scenes, but Lilah, of course, just passed it all off as “in the moment”.

But when Arthur looks at me like this, I realize maybe being unique isn’t a tragedy if it’s the reason he keeps smiling at me.

Again, if I hadn't just read some similar vibe stories and characters, maybe I would have enjoyed this more but this just felt long, rehashing, and more of Lilah's story than a total romance. She has self-esteem issues to work through, her thinking her ADHD makes her so different from everyone else and how her birth mother gave her up (she got adopted at sixteen and has a great relationship with her adopted parents). She says blunt things to Arthur that he delights in and he's just so immediately interested and into her but she has no idea! There was some Formula 1 world-setting, Lilah (readers) getting explanations from Arthur's team about the sport and some race scenes. Arthur's racing team members gave us some pretty good secondary characters and Lilah getting her place in the “family” was a favorite aspect of this book. Overall, too much of that lit fic internal thoughts focus with Lilah and not enough romantic relationship development with Arthur.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a lover of both F1 and a good fake dating romcom, this book should have been perfect for me. Sadly, it was not.

I struggled to connect to the story and both MCs. I didn’t really feel a connection or chemistry between Lilah and Arthur until about 80% into the book. Mainly because Arthur barely talks until then. He speaks in codes and alludes to his thoughts, but is never fully truthful until so close to the end I was struggling to care anymore. This made their romance timeline just feel so sped up and fast, when it is supposed to be taking place over the course of the summer.

Arthur and Lilah had moments of cute, quick banter, but then Lilah would get all in her head about it and the temperature immediately would cool down. The hot and cold of her feelings was and thoughts was sometimes difficult to follow.

The fake dating as revenge and to get fired from the team scheme was a bit too complicated and never really made sense to me either.

In the end, I really wish I liked it more than I did.

Documentary filmmaker Lilah Graywood never thought she’d be producing a film on F1 racing but when her co-owner and boyfriend of their business convinces her to spend their summer doing this she doesn’t have the heart to say no, until he dumps her and tries to fire her from her own company. As revenge she and back-up race car driver Arthur Bianco decide to create a secret partnership where she will film his comeback and take control of Max’s documentary. When she and Arthur have to fake a relationship she gets to know the real Arthur, and his hidden vulnerabilities. Their chemistry soon makes it hard to pretend and Lilah has to face her true feelings.

F1 has certainly become a popular subject in romance and as an F1 fan I was worried that this novel wouldn’t portray it well, but you know what? Madge Maril did the sport justice, AND gave us really likable characters in an interesting romance. When Lila got dumped I was all in for the revenge plot, and her relationship with Arthur seemed like it would lean towards a friends to lovers, which is my favorite trope. What I didn’t expect was for their to be so much depth to these characters! I loved Lilah’s love for documentary filmmaking, but also how she began to love this sport that she at first thought was ego-driven and dumb. When she began to see how she could create this great story about Arthur’s comeback and then also began to let herself fall for him while filming it? Wonderfully written.

If you love F1 this book is a no-brainer and you need to read it. If you love romance novels and don’t know anything about F1? Still read this book! The characters are well written, the pace of the story is fast (as it should be when about racing!), and the chemistry is fab-u-lous!

3.5 ⭐️’s. I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. I love the cover and have been wanting to read a good F1 romance.

I loved the quick banter between Lilah and Arthur. I liked them together from the get go! I could’ve used more romance between them before they actually got together though.

I liked the discussions on mental health and also the dynamics between men and women in the workplace. I appreciated that Arthur had a woman dominated core team!

I also enjoyed seeing Lilah stop acting how she thought she should act, and actually start acting for and as herself towards the end.

Some stars knocked off because the scheming was difficult to follow and seemed overly complicated. Lilah’s family life was also confusing until a decent part of the way through the book, I think it could’ve been explained a little more clearly. The end also lost a bit of steam for me.

Overall this was a fun read and I loved being in the F1 world!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I know sports romances are all the rage but I was highly skeptical that I would truly be gripped by Formula 1 racing when starting this story. But Madge Maril did it! I found myself putting this story down only to look up things about the cars and the circuits in real life. She truly sucked me into this world and at the center of it were Lilah and Arthur. She gave me just enough of him falling first to completely hook me and when the flame ignited in this slow burn, it was so worth the wait. The chemistry between these two was amazing. I loved how they worked through their conflicts and was so happy for their happy ending. Throw in all of the wonderful side characters and friendships being built, the self discovery and self worth discovery, and this story was just such a good read.

Thank you to Net Galley, Simon & Schuster, and Madge Maril for an eARC of this story.

Buckle up and enjoy the ride! I've read a few F1 romances with little interest, but Madge Maril has opened my eyes! She knocked it out of the park with her debut!

Slipstream follows twenty-four-year-old Lilah Greenwood, a documentarian who picked up her life to follow the Ignition Energy Drink Racing team with her boyfriend, Max. She’s suddenly blindsided when Max breaks up with her and threatens to take the company they built together. Enter in F1 reserve driver Arthur Bianco, they devise a plan to not only redeem his career but get the Lilah the revenge so deserves.

Lilah was such a unique character that I couldn't help but fall in love with her. She was full of substance, and her neurodivergence really added to the experience. Lilah was so unique, and I loved that she didn't cower in the nepotism-filled F1 world. Arthur was EVERYTHING to me! Seeing every layer of his personality unravel through Lilah's eyes was addicting. He was so understanding and respectful of her career, and the banter between these two kept me on my toes. There is so much I could say about these two, and it wouldn't even touch the surface of my love for them.

Slipstream opened my eyes to what the F1 girlies are talking about. I definitely recommend it even if you aren't an F1 girl because it has pushed me down a rabbit hole! It blows my mind that this is Madge Maril's debut novel; I can't wait to see what she writes next!

I’m going to start by saying that this book was cute, and really easy and fast to read. It was my companion during finals week 😂 Every time I started to feel overwhelmed while studying, I turned to the book for moral support 😂😂

I really liked the main characters and their struggles. Arthur, the MMC, seems so sure of himself, but deep down he’s battling with his mental health. I really loved the depth of his character. I also loved Lilah’s journey—how she takes control of her life and starts living by her own rules.

However, there were a few things that didn’t make much sense. Lilah is supposed to be making a documentary. She loves her job, but we barely see her actually doing it. I mean, she was filming Arthur, but that’s about it. Maybe it’s just because I took a documentary class in college, but she should’ve known why she was filming something. There should’ve been a script or a clear concept guiding her scenes. In the book, she’s just recording random things. There were even times she stopped filming because she was mad at something Arthur did.

Lilah didn’t like or know much about F1, and she disliked Arthur at first. I was hoping to see how she would fall in love with both F1 and Arthur through the lens of her camera—but that didn’t really happen.

Also, I’ll be honest—I didn’t really buy the reason for the fake dating 😅😅

I was torn between giving it 3 or 3.5 stars, but since it’s the author’s debut book, and I still enjoyed it, I’m giving it a bit more grace. I liked the pacing and the writing style, and I’ll definitely read more books by this author!

I am being a bit liberal with my stars here. I truly enjoyed the story and the second half of the book truly won be move, but the start was slow and sludgy.

Arthur Bianco truly feels like a stereotypical F1 driver, but appearances are often deceiving. What we see of their public/racing persona may not be true to who they are as people. This is exactly the story we are given with Arthur, and I love it for this romance, and F1 world.

Lilah, our oh so serious FMC left me almost dropping this book not even a third of the way through. She is a 'why me' girl, where if someone is unable to accommodate her very specific needs they are out to get her. That she should be praised for putting her jerk of an ex's needs above her own instead of acknowledging he's a user.

Lilah has a tricky backstory, and for that I did feel some empathy, or at least attempted to. In the first half, it was really hard to root for her. Somewhere along the way, I didn't hate her anymore.

If you want a fairly genuine love story and, like me, are crazy for a good enemies to lovers romp, then definitely give it a try.

Loved loved loved this book! Such an amazing representation of mental health (anxiety and ADHD)! One of the few books where I actually wanted MORE spice because I loved the characters so much!

ARC review - thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC!

Madge Maril’s debut was so enjoyable! I fell in love with Lilah, Arthur and their story.

She is a passionate documentarian and he is her unwilling subject for the next few months. They hatch a plan to get revenge on Lilah’s ex-boyfriend/business partner that will also help Arthur with his contract issues. But as they get closer, it’s hard for Lilah to avoid the way she is feeling for him.

You can expect:
- Slow burn
- He falls first
- Fake relationship
- F1 driver + filmmaker
- FMC who prefers to be behind the camera
- MMC with a panty melting smile 🥵

Race (pun intended) to get your hands on this one! 🏁

Like our FMC character, I didn’t think I was interested in F1 racing but I’m SO glad I made this my first F1 read because the author made me fall in love with the sport! I can’t wait to read more F1 romances.

When Lilah’s boyfriend cheated on her, broke up with her, fired her from their “shared” company and left her alone in a new city, she was less than thrilled. Being a documentarian, Lilah enjoyed focusing on more serious matters like politics — she never saw herself enjoying F1 but that was what she’d be doing. She was going to be documenting F1 racer, Arthur King.

Growing up in foster care, Lilah was used to being left. When fake dating Arthur turned to real feelings, she wasn’t prepared for the emotional turmoil she would go through. F1 is no joke. It’s dangerous and word on the street was that the racers typically choose the sport over their relationship. There was a lot at stake. Not to mention, both our characters were going through their own past traumas and struggling day-to-day.

The only reason for my rating is because I found myself slightly confused through some of the book and that’s probably my own fault for not knowing anything about F1 — there’s a lot to absorb in this book. If you’re an F1 girlie or someone who wants to dip their toes into the world of F1 racing, this is a great book to read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this sports romance book. I did read it in one day. I loved the storyline and the characters. I thought they had a lot of growth. I would definitely recommend this book.

this is a sweet, slow burn romance. i really liked the fact that, although the fmc was neurodivergent and demissexual, those were not plot points that she needed to learn to deal with in anyway, but instead just part of who she is. the romance got too intense too fast by the end to be a five-star, but it's still really good.

the f1 representation was good, and made the story more dynamic, to balance out the slow romance.