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!