This one was just okay for me. I wish there was some more tension and build up to when they go together. It was TOO insta love for me. It went from I hate you to I want to sext you and fly you to my home way too quick. I almost DNF, but Xander kept me going.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a copy of this audiobook for an honest review!

This one is on me, folks. I rated this one star because I really didn't vibe with it but I think part of that is because I didn't realize this would be a Harlequin romance, which means they jump pretty quickly into the spice. It feels almost like a fanfiction of Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey, but for F1 racing.

I wanted to like it; I appreciate what they were trying to do with Mia's character and all her degrees, brains, and beauty; but she ended up falling a bit flat for me. Honestly, the whole book fell flat. The romance felt rushed and shallow, and I wasn't actually invested in any of the characters enough to care what happened to them. The drama with Mia's mom and aunt felt like it was thrown in last minute to make the story longer. I love a good cheesy, unrealistic romance as much as the next girl, but this just wasn't it for me. I fully acknowledge this is likely a combination of my lack of desire to know more about Formula One racing and my poorly set expectations going into the book. No shame to the publisher or author, but Harlequin romances are just built differently.

This is only a one-star read for me, but I can still see myself recommending it to some who like this specific type of sports romance.

Fast Paced. Fluffy. Comedic Romance. Don’t forget F1 Racing!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was my first Formula 1 racing romance and I throughly enjoyed it! Karen was able to inform the reader of a lot of the ins and outs of F1 for someone that would be considered a newbie to the sub-genre!

Mia is thrown into a very complicated setting. Going from a quiet voice of a podcast to an ‘F1 Influencer’. Things were quick to get overwhelming for her when the truths and omissions spiral.

Xander is the perfect golden retriever MMC who allows Mia to have the necessary space to cope with her overthinking brain.

I enjoyed the read, thanks @NetGalley for the ARC! Karen, this was a wonderful, fluffy read!

Audiobook provided by Netgalley💖

Let's just say this is now my favorite F1 romance. ~swoon~

There's really nothing I love more than enemies to lovers, but he's also a simp. And this delivers on that.

Between Mia's self-doubt and Xander's emotional baggage, these two have a lot to sort through before they're ready to put their relationship on display.

The spice in this was great, not too much, and the chemistry between these two was fantastic!🌶🌶

This was a cute and quick romance with a confidant and knowledgeable FMC and a cocky, lost his way MMC! I adored that it was centered around F1 as a fan myself! I finished this audiobook in less than 12 hours, the narration was great!

Not So Fast was equal parts cute, sweet and sexy. I enjoyed it especially the way Mia and Xander's relationship developed it felt natural, like the natural progression of things. The narrator did an awesome with the accents and bringing the characters and their story to life. I loved listening to her.

Not So Fast is a fun and relaxing read filled with hilarious banter and relatable characters. I’m fairly new to the rom-com genre, but I’m finding my footing, and this book was a great place to start.

Mia, the FMC, was such a relatable character as she is very indecisive in many areas of her life (mainly her job) and is slightly a people pleaser. Her back and forth with what she wants to do with her life resonated with me immensely, and I found that I understood her more than I care to admit.

Xander, the MMC, is a balls-to-the-wall perfectionist who can’t seem to find his groove in racing until he meets Mia. The chemistry between these two is immediate and is entertaining to watch it unfold.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for providing the ALC.

This was cute and fun. Love a good enemies to lovers! I really enjoyed that she was a “normal” mid sized woman. I also love that they didn’t make her lower her knowledge and confidence to get a man!

I am still trying out some new sports romances, and since my siblings are big F1 fans this one intrigued me.

Mia is a huge fan of Formula 1 and after starting a podcast talking about it, she ends up getting invited to a race. When she meets Xander, who she's been a bit critical of on her podcast, the two have instant banter and chemistry.

This was a pretty run of the mill rom com. It was light and fairly entertaining. I do think the insta-love was a bit too much for me and there were one two many "fast" puns. I can't put my finger on it exactly but it just felt like there needed just a little more to it.

Tropes:
* Sports Romance
* F1 Racer/Podcaster
* Insta-love
* Long Distance
* Fan meets celebrity
* Secret Relationship

3 stars

Very cute. Racing books have become one of my favorites to read. A few things Mia over thinks way too much. It’s written in 3rd person ( that’s a personal preference). I really like Xanders character. He opens up to Mia about Formula 1.

3.25 stars. Rom-Com. Almost insta-love. Sports romance. Dislike to lovers.
Mia is a podcaster who is covering Formula 1 racing. Xander is a Formula 1 driver that Mia dislikes until she is able to meet him face to face, and then BOOM... love. Not really much play or lead up to them falling in love after meeting, and I think in my mind, I wanted that out of this story.
The characters lacked a bit of depth and complexity - they were one-dimensional. I just couldn't connect because I didn't find them engaging.
All this to say the book wasn't bad per se, it just wasn't what I wanted and expected. I was so excited to read this ARC, but it fell a bit flat for me. I also had some issues with the plot structure as far as the POV was concerned; it just felt like the pacing was off for me.
I did love to see an MMC that supported the FMC's career goals! This was such a great representation in the book - you rarely see this! This is a quick read. I still think it is worth a read.
I was so obsessed with Lauren Asher's Dirty Air series, so I may gone into the book wanting something along those lines, but this just didn't quite do it for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Karen Booth for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Update 5/4/2025: I was also given and ARC of the audiobook to review. I did like the book a bit better as an audiobook, but not enough to change the thoughts above. I think with some work, this has potential to be a great book!

1.5 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

i just want to start off and say i’m a HUGE f1 fan and was so hyped to get the opportunity to read another f1 romance as an arc.

the narrator Talon David delivered a really good audiobook experience and helped add some depth to the writing of the characters.

this book had so much potential, i was so disappointed while reading this. the plot seemed so intriguing but unfortunately it fell so short for me.

this book was a little too insta lovey for my personal taste. like i can understand why maybe our fmc mia may feel that “insta love” attraction because she’s been watching him race for a while and he’s famous blah blah but xander literally just is automatically like yup i like her. i genuinely wish we got more pining and yearning.

the characters themselves were really flat and boring as people. the stakes never actually felt that high and important in my opinion. genuinely the only part i was interested in was why mia’s mom and aunt no longer talk and even that reveal was a let down. i feel like this book could have been written so much better for what the plot was.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the audio ARC

3 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I enjoyed the audio of this book. The narrator actually did a really good of playing both the MMC and the FMC. It flowed well and I enjoyed it.

The story was super cute. This was my first formula 1 book and I think I need more. I really enjoyed Mia and Zanders story. Mia started a formula 1 podcast and it let her to her favorite driver Zander. Their relationship starts off with hate and ends up with love. Highly recommend it.

4⭐, 2.75🌶️

I love a fun F! romance and this book was so hecking adorable. I loved that it all starts because Mia has a GERAT F1 podcast and makes fun of Xander. So his rival brings her to a GP to get into his head, and she does...because he's attracted to her! I loved how adorable the romance between Xander and Mis is - how it felt like it could be a real story in todays world. I wasn't a great fan of the drama between Mia and her "fans" because while it was realistic it just made me sad. Xander was such a mature characters as well which was so fun and less stressful leading into the "third act break"

Great F1 romance if you've never really read the sport as a romance or know much about it. Karen Booth does a great job of explaining the elements of an F1 GP weekend and the choice of making Mia so knowledgeable of F1 was THE VIBE!

🩷Emenies-esque to Lovers
🩵 Secret Relationship
🏎️F1 Romance
🏁He Falls First and Hard
🩵She's his fan

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin - Romance for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!