This was a fun, easy and quick listen. The story follows Mia, an up and coming podcaster who lives and breathes F1 racing and Xander, an F1 driver who is supposed to be the next hot thing but is struggling. I love the character of Mia, her wit and banter with the other characters in the book and the way the author made her so relatable. Xander is very endearing with his family especially and I love the inclusivity with the character of Xanders brother. The spice level took me by surprise, it kind of came out of nowhere! Just a heads up for anyone who may also not have expected it based on the first few chapters leading up to the spicy scenes. There was some jargon for the F1 racing, but I didn't ever feel confused by it or left to Google terms. I appreciated the narrator, she was easy to listen to and brought out the emotion well. The switching between characters POVs was a bit choppy at some places, but that doesn't bother me enough to take off stars. Overall a book I recommend for someone looking for a quick and fun Rom Com.

OMG this book was so good!

This book is a romance between an F1 driver and a F1 blogger. Mia is out here trying to find her way in the world. Through many failed ventures she has found a professional calling in F1 podcasting.

Xander is a F1 young blood who was poised to be the next big thing in racing, but after a few not so spectacular race starts Xander may be on the chopping block for his team. Xander's teammate ends up inviting Mia to a race to try to rile him up for the race, a little classic F1 sandbagging tactic if you will. The rest is steamy romance history.

I had such a good time with this book! I thought the power dynamics were perfect. I really appreciated how Xander let Mia drive (hehe) the relationship out of respect for her wanting to maintain respect in the F1 world.

I was a serious puddle on the ground during the steamy moments in this book. This was just so fun and a brilliant way to tide me over between race weeks!

...I immidiately ordered more of this author's backlist from Pango because I needed to read more of this author's writing style even if the books are not F1 coded.

Mia, a brilliant chronic overthinker, has finally found a job she can/wants to stick with. Or so she thinks.... especially when her little podcast strikes it big with one biting criticism of her favorite F1 racer that goes viral and catapults her from the nosebleed section of the stands to the Paddock Club. What she doesn't expect is for everything to take a left turn when she not only gets to meet Xander but when they strike up a tentative friendship.... the question she now faces is "what exactly does she want?" and is she willing to stick it out through the hard parts to get it? Or is it time to throw in the towel once again????

What to expect: sports romance, podcaster FMC x F1 driver MMC, both trying to make their mark on the world, cross-continental romance, medium/low spice, "enemies to lovers", seemingly opposites attract. (Representation of down syndrome and MS through secondary characters)

Talon David does a wonderful job bringing this dual POV story to life. With distinct voices and accents for each of the characters the audio was a joy to listen to. Generally, I prefer dual narration for dual POV books but not here... this was superbly done! My only criticism would be that I wish Mia had the slightest of Texas twangs as she grew up in and lives in Austin, TX, instead of a very respectable general US accent.

If you're a fan of Tessa Bailey's Big Shots series, this book will appeal to you. Karen Booth's style has a similar flair to that of Tessa Bailey's. From the slightly out of the box, witty commentary, to the sexy pro (F1) athlete, Xander, to the overthinking, can't seem to find her path in life heroine, Mia there's alot for a Tessa Bailey fan to love!

The one time the audiobook may have hindered my enjoyment of the book. The narrator was easy to listen to but this is dual pov with one narrator. Sometimes it works but this book changed pov mid chapter a lot so the transitions between the FMC to the MMC just felt kind of weird. There wasn’t enough distinction to recognize immediately whose pov you were in. I liked her voice and would still be happy to listen to her narrate something else in the future though.

The actual book was cute. The ‘enemies’ to lovers trope was fun. It’s my first F1 book! I really liked that aspect of it so it definitely won’t be my last. I liked the FMC, Mia, a lot. She was a smarty pants and I love it. Xander and his family were really sweet too. This was a fun and quick read! I can’t wait to read more from this author 🩷

Book: 3.5 ⭐️
Audio: 2.5 ⭐️

This is 3.5 stars round up.

It's a short quick read. Listless Mia super duper smart yet can never hold down a job. Meanwhile her mom's 'love' is about to suffocate her. Constantly trying to find a solution to a problem she doesn't have, try to find any long term job she can for her, find a boy that seems steady for her, and intimate her about travel, being abroad and life in general.

One thing she likes to do is to be a talking head for F1 racing. With her sassy mouth, she said some pretty crude comments about various drivers, one of which is Xander. At first, Xander extended an invite for Mia to watch a race due to ego. But once they got to know each other, sparks started to fly.

It's fun to see Mia go between the races. I know nothing about races but for a fan to get behind the scene of something she admired for so long, it all sounded so fun. As she's known to be mean to Xander on her podcast, she gains followers. Once she gotten to know him, however, the harsh comments became soft and her followers question if she can easily be bought and what kind of integrity she has.

As admiration turned into more. Xander & Mia gotten to know each other better, and the more they're around each other the more they learn about each other, and started to grow. For both people who admire the other person, be the biggest supporter of the other, they're both deft when it comes to love. But it's cute.

Pacing is good, I read the book in a day an a half, it goes by quick. Certain parts I can skim past, certain parts like their relationships, their sparks, I wouldn't mind if that gets extended.

I have the audiobook and narrator, Talon David, did a great job on the voices. The book is in 3rd POV, and there's bit that are writing prompt, there's various peripheral characters, she did a decent job distinguishing them.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Audio for the ARC.

We know I love an F1 romance and this one is a delight. Not just because I the driver in this one shares some characteristics with my favorite driver. But that doesn't hurt! One thing I really loved in this book was Mia's love of the sport. She is not a bandwagon fan, and she doesn't pull any punches. In fact, I loved that their initial meet-cute has to do with her criticizing Xander's performance. I do think this was more on the fluffy side of F1 romance, but there is nothing wrong with that! Drink this book: Grab a prosecco with tons of bright sparkly bubbles for this.

This story was really fun and cute! The narrators voice was so smooth and nice to listen to!

The narrators voice was giving very much reporter vibes, and while that is nice to listen to, it made the sex scenes a little awkward in my opinion 😂 but overall, I loved how the audio was done!

Thank you Harlequin Audio and Karen Booth. I was given this audiobook as an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really liked this book. It was a really cute story and I’ll most likely be buying the book for my personal library. Racing books are gaining in popularity recently and I could not be happier. I grew up around racing, not exactly formula one but I’m no stranger to racing.

Unfortunately, this review is supposed to focus on the audiobook, and it was not the best.

I really love books with multiple POVs. The downside to them is that it puts a lot of pressure on the actor/actress if they play multiple characters. You can only change your voice so much. This audiobook was preformed by Talon David. As much as I like this story, I noted as early as the end of chapter 1, I was struggling with the “male” parts. In a physical book or ebook, there is generally a symbol or some sort of distinction so the reader knows you are in someone else’s POV. In an audiobook, you rely on the actor/actress to help. Talon, unfortunately, did not distinguish enough for me to easily identify each character. I often needed to really listen to what is being said to know whose POV you are actually in.

This has not discouraged me from listening to more of Talon’s audiobooks. I am hopeful this was just not her best piece.

Happy listening friends
~ MaeBae 💚

This was a great book. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the chance to listen to it. I am a big Formula 1 fan and this book did a good job in representing what I think life may be like for a formula 1 Race Car driver. I especially loved that there was no third act break up. As for the Narrator, Talon David did a great job. She read for all the parts and did a pretty good job reading in a British accent as well. I would definitely listen again to a book she narrates.

She is a racing podcaster and he is a Formula 1 driver that she gives a hard time on one of her episodes. His teammate/rival invites her out to a race and unintentionally sets these two on a path toward each other. This book was a sweet and fluffy romcom (not too spicy). I know absolutely nothing about F1 racing but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this story. This audiobook was a lovely listen. Also, thank you Karen Booth for not writing in a third act breakup!! Thank you so much NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for allowing me to listen to an ARC copy of this book.

Not So Fast
By: Karen Booth

The vibes:
- F1 racer + popular F1 podcaster
- enemies to lovers
- secret romance
- FMC calls MMC out for not racing his best & goes viral, leading to the two meeting & having instant chemistry
- British MMC

This was a good read! I enjoyed the Formula One racing aspects since hockey has been a bit overdone recently. The relationship between Mia and Xander was really cute & I loved the enemies turned secret lovers trope combo!

The audiobook narrator was really good and matched the personality of the FMC really well!

Content warnings: difficult parent/child relationship, parent with terminal illness, cyber bullying

Thank you to NetGalley & the author for access to this ARC in return for my honest review!

I know nothing about Formula 1 and I LOVED this book! Karen Booth is now on my list of favorites. She was able to create characters that sprung off the page and I loved the little self help reflection tidbits.

Love racing, podcasts, and an enemies to lovers vibe? This book is for you! A girl who can’t decide what to do with her life but had a love for F1 racing was convinced by a friend to start a podcast.

Things get exciting but she also voices her annoyance about a certain driver! But will she be able to continue that type of conversation on her podcast once she discovers who he is as a real person?

I loved this fun light hearted book! And would love to read the rest of this series!

3/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Karen Booth for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook.

This book was really cute. I was immediately pulled into the story—it’s a fast-paced, sort-of enemies-to-lovers romance where she’s a big fan of his, and he’s definitely not a fan of hers… until he is. I absolutely loved Mia and her sharp, witty comebacks—honestly, I want to be her when I grow up. The banter between her and Xander had me hooked; it was the perfect way to show off their chemistry right from the start.

What really stood out was how they helped each other grow without trying to “fix” one another. Their relationship felt supportive, not forced, and I appreciated that deeper emotional layer. Also, the Formula One backdrop? Total bonus! The adrenaline of the sport mixed with an epic love story was the perfect combo.

This was my first book by Karen Booth, but I’d definitely come back for more.

I absolutely ate up this book! I listened on audiobook and the narrator was just delightful, especially when accents were a key part of the character. I'm a big fan of enemies to lovers and insta lust, so this hit the spot for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC!

This book is for the readers who love a story where the tension simmers and the chemistry is undeniable, even when the characters are doing their best to pretend it’s not happening. The emotional push and pull between the leads felt authentic, with moments that made me laugh, swoon, and hurt just a little bit in the best way.

What really stood out to me is how Booth writes mature, grounded characters who carry real baggage but still manage to find their way to something beautiful. The pacing is spot-on—giving enough space for their connection to build naturally, and when things finally ignite? Worth. The. Wait.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Not So Fast may be the best F1 romance I have read yet! I loved Mia's story, it really resonated with me, it shows that you should never settle because of other opinions and instead pave you own path. ❤️

While I loved the enemies to lovers dynamic in this story, I wish they were enemies for longer. It felt like as soon as they met the enemies dynamic left completely.

The narrator for this audiobook was really good! Even though it was dual POV there was only one narrator and she did a great job differentiating between the characters!

I did enjoy the story, about a podcaster falling in love with her idol F1 driver when she gets backstage access to some races.
I didn't particularly enjoy how they hid their relationship and how it exploded in their face.
What I did like was how they were honest, how raw their feelings felt toward each other and how they didn't let distance or anything else get in their way.
I loved how he prioritized her carreer too and didn't assume she would follow him anywhere and let her identity fade away.
Overall, it was a good romance and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Well done! A perfect blend of spice and F1 content for the F1 girlies! I enjoyed the characters and their growth. I listened to audiobook and really enjoyed it! Ready for the next in the series.

Such a fun book! It was a cute story and I loved the romance (and no third act breakup). The narrator was great and the audio was such a fun way to listen/read the story.