Unfortunately I had to DNF at 32%

I was really looking forward to this book, it combines my 2 favourite hobbies: reading and Formula One! So I was understandably really excited to read this, especially as it’s a LGBTQ+ represented romance book!

Unfortunately I just didn’t connect with the main characters, for me it just felt like they were too cocky and a little bit childish at time, especially considering one of them was mid thirties, it really didn’t come across that way! I just found them, especially Harper, rather unlikeable as a main character, which was really frustrating, even more so when it came to his POV chapters.
I didn’t even find the 2 main characters tension between eachother enjoyable, I couldn’t see how they would ever be together, with such opposing personalities.

Also as a huge Fomula One fan I did see some inaccuracies when it came to the racing, some parts just weren’t accurate at all to the sport which kind of put me off a little bit. It might not bother some people but when you know the ins and outs of F1 it’s easily noticeable!

I did like the representation of Parkinson’s Disease in this book, it’s something that’s close to my heart after loosing my grandad to the disease. I wish I could have carried on reading to find out what happened to Kian’s mum but unfortunately it wasn’t enough motivation to carry on reading.

I have also since seen some reviews saying that the first time the 2 main characters were intimate, one of them was very drunk. Which I do not like in a book at all, it’s not hard to understand why readers wouldn’t like this and to not put it in the book!

So although this had promise, unfortunately the execution wasn’t there for me. The writing just didn’t flow and I found it very stiff!

I had so much fun with this book! The characters had clear voices, their romance and issues were engaging, and the grief was handled beautifully. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the early read!

F1 x Red, White and Royal Blue x everything you could want in an MM sports romance? Yes, please!! 🏎️ 🏁

♡ 4.25/5 (rounded to 4) ♡

This book took hold of me faster than a MV1 pole lap 🏎️ 🏁

I absolutely loved this book. It was grumpy x sunshine / enemies-to-lovers(ish), and I ate it up!
As an F1 girlie, I love that the essence of F1 was actually captured in the story – the excitement, stress, and fear – but it didn’t overshadow the emotional depth of the characters. There was enough detail to know it was a racing romance without drowning in the depth and complexities of the sport. There is a perfect ratio of on-track to off-track moments - I didn’t feel like I was reading too much of the racing compared to the actual sweet moments of Kian/Harper.
The two main characters, Kian and Harper, were great to follow. Their journey together was a perfect blend of growth, trust-building, and, of course, romance. I enjoyed reading the dual POV narrative—it let us experience the lust, love, and tension from both of them. The book was peppered with sweet and steamy scenes, and the banter between the characters was a great touch. I loved seeing how each character learned to let their guard down and grow in their relationship.
The ending felt slightly rushed, and some plots/details could have been expanded on more, but I still really loved it. It was an easy book to enjoy reading!
This is a must-read for F1 girlies, sports girlies, or just the gals looking for a sweet read in general! 🏎️ 🏁

I know I was born in the right generation because a gay F1 romance is what my dreams are made of!

🏎️ Rival Teammates to Lovers
🏎️ Age Gap
🏎️ Opposites Attract
🏎️ Fake Friendship
🏎️ Sharing a Bed
🏎️ Secret Romance
🏎️ Sunshine Rookie x Serious Veteran
🏎️ Daddy Issues vs Abandonment Issues

In this adorable and super steamy romance, veteran driver and World Champian Kian Walker is ready for another record breaking season until his teammate breaks a leg and is replaced by wild child superstar rookie Harper James who is everything Kian hates. They immediately clash heads, causing headlines and PR nightmares and are forced into a fake friendship to save their season. Kian and Harper are opposites in so many ways yet similar in so many others. They both have ambition and push each other to be their best on the track, but off the track Kian is controlled, calm, and anti-everything Harper enjoys - partying, drinking, hooking up. But as they start to compromise more and are forced to share a motorhome for months, they get to know each other, truly for who they are - which when it comes down to it they’re just two men who want to be loved but don’t quite know how to accept it.

Of course there’s incredible banter and steamy foreplay in the form of watching the man you’re crushing on grind on other men. They’re both a little possessive, a little jealous and a whole lot petty. In a cute way…until their communication issues crop up. Harper is skittish, his fear of abandonment paralyzing him and making him run from the one person who wants to stay forever. He wants to avoid ever getting hurt, but in doing so he causes that same hurt to the only person he’s ever loved. It’s as tragic as it is ironic.

But through some miscommunication and angsty pining, plus a grand gesture, these men figure out how to love and be loved. It’s fun and sweet and sexy.

I am in fact obsessed with this book! I was screaming the entire time hoping that these two idiots could just get over it!

I loved the little f1 facts in this, and I liked the romance aspects. I felt for Harper so much. I wanted to give him a hug for his abandonment issues and Kian with his mom's illness. I wanted to give them both hugs.

I loved this. I enjoyed this. I recommend this.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I became a fan of F1 about 2 years ago and was excited when I received this ARC from netgally!

I enjoyed this book so much, having a duel POV added so much to the story and made me connect to Kian and Harper so much more. There was so much good banter and spicy scenes within the book that had me kicking my feet and giggling. But, also had deeper back stories and things going on in their lives that made the story have more layers.

My favorite part was the love that each character had for each other. While they initially started as rivals, reading how they fell in love and their connection to each other made this story so heartwarming.

I'm a little conflicted about how I feel about Pole Position.

Overall I loved lots of things about it: Kian's stoic grown-up attitude to dealing with the life of a sports star in the spotlight (I don't think he's grumpy, just reserved), Harper's vulnerability and the way he shows it by exerting control where he can - and creating chaos for everyone else. Kian's wider family dynamic is also nicely done and I enjoyed reading about an MMC who is so close to his sister and family. Plus the F1 'world' felt realistic enough based on my small knowledge.

However, there were a few key moments which made me uncomfortable - around Harper's ability to consent during their first physical encounter due to being drunk, and how much of their coming together was driven by very emotional moments when one person was much more vulnerable than the other. It's an interesting dynamic as Kian is eight years older and, Harper openly admits to having idolised him as a teenager, I would expect thoughtful Kian to be more cognisant of that. Harper also behaves pretty atrociously a few times and while the excuse of his past which has led to current/future fears is eventually explained to Kian, it doesn't feel like an appropriate level of apology is ever given.

Despite these points (in fact possibly due to them as flaws like this make stories and characters seem more real to me) I did really enjoy Pole Position and felt very connected with the characters, even when I didn't always like their behaviour.

I received an ARC thanks to One More Chapter, Harper Collins UK and NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Start your engines and get ready to read “Pole Position” by Rebecca J. Caffery!

First of all, I want to thank NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book before its release. It’s perfectly timed to come out (pun intended) right in time for LGBTQ Pride Month here in the US.

The tag line of “Pole Position” claims it’s “Red, White and Royal Blue meets Formula 1,” so if that doesn’t catch my attention, nothing will! Casey McQuiston’s “Red, White, and Royal Blue” is one of my all-time favorite books, and I’m loving sports romances right now, especially hockey romance such as Emily Rath’s “Pucking Around” series. Give me an MM romance like “Him” by Serena Bowen and Elle Kennedy, and I can fall in love with that, too. But, after reading a lot of hockey romances in a row, I was really excited to see a book set in a new sport for me, Formula 1 car racing!

“Pole Position” is the story of Kian Walker, an experienced F1 champion, and Harper James, a rookie who joins his team after one of the other racers is injured. They start off as enemies; Kian is reserved, prefers yoga to partying, and is a bit standoffish, while Harper is pretty much the complete opposite. As they get to know each other - and more importantly, to trust each other - they succeed on the racetrack and form a lasting lust - then love - connection.

I think this book handled the challenges of fame, the burdens of family and loss, and forging a new relationship between two very different people in the public eye really well. It was well written and not predictable. I also enjoyed learning about Formula 1 racing, experiencing the feeling of speeding around the track, and I felt the book was very well researched.

“Pole Position” is a first-place finisher for me!

I had all the feels with this story, and while there are some complaints I have, I strongly recommend picking it up. I'll admit that I did shed a tiny tear or two for Harper James and my little heart broke for him and Kian Walker just a bit. However, with that said, I am struggling with the rating I want to give this book overall. Does the plot and storyline outweigh some of the issues that didn't sit well with me? I don't know...I'll have to think about it as I write this review.

Let's start with the story.
I want to begin with Harper, even though he is the second MMC that we meet. He is 25 years old, and he has been called up to the F1 big leagues from the lower levels. He needs to stand in this season for the #2 driver, who suffered an injury on the Hendersohm team. His teammate will be Kian Walker, a driver that he has admired since he was a young boy. Harper has multiple layers and a tough background. He was abandoned by his parents, raised by his grandmother until her death, and then bounced around multiple foster homes until he was no longer a minor. Through it all, he worked hard at karting and made his way up the motorsports world. Unfortunately, he has earned himself a reputation as a party boy, drinking and sleeping around all the time. He is openly gay, or at least he posts about his conquests on social media though he doesn't outright talk about his sexuality in interviews. He lives in the moment, takes life day by day, and risks everything that is in front of him without planning out any consequences. He has a tender heart but doesn't trust anyone so he guards it close to avoid getting hurt. This means that he only has one real friendship in his life, Johannes Muller, a fellow driver and past lover.

Kian is the older and "wiser" pro-F1 driver. He has been in the game for 15 years and claimed the championship cup 3 times in his career. His father was a great driver, too. However, he was a shitty father, a lousy husband, and was a bit of a party boy himself back in his day. Let's just say that there is no love between Kian and his father. However, Kian is a family man. His mother, twin sister (Elise), brother-in-law, and niece + nephew are everything to him. Unfortunately, the professional sports life means that he spends the better part of the year traveling, so he isn't around to take care of his family the way he would like. His sick mother depends on Elise for care, and this makes Kian feel guilty. Kian loves organization and structure. It helps him focus, something he has done his whole life to make it to where he is. He is serious about his career and knows it is a means to an end. He is less than thrilled when his teammate is injured and he is stuck working with Harper James. Kian is a private person because he grew up in the spotlight, having a famous and absentee father and a celebrity pop-singing mother. He speaks little about his private life and lays low whenever possible. This means that his sexual orientation is not public knowledge, and while he doesn't lie or hide that he is bi-sexual, he also doesn't flaunt it around. Kian is professional and polite to everyone on the team. They are like a second family to him, especially the principal, Anders. The only person he doesn't get along with (because he doesn't want to and his a judgemental fool) is Harper, due to the reputation he has built.

Their relationship doesn't start out easy. Harper is like an excited puppy who is thrilled to meet his idol, Kian Walker, and son of legendary Tyler Heath. Kian finds it hard to soften to Harper, especially in the beginning, as Harper is constantly badgering him with talk about Tyler (whom Kian hates) and constant chatter. Harper's feelings are hurt, although he would never admit it. So, instead of keeping his distance from Kian, he retaliates by trying to annoy him even more (very mature of him). This leads to some arguments between the two drivers, and the animosity is palpable to the media and the team sponsors, so both have been warned to behave in public or to hit the road and go home. Forced proximity means that, eventually, Kian and Harper need to learn to get along. Their sexual chemistry together really kicks up a few notches, and eventually, they give in to their body's cravings. However, Kian is not a hook-up type of guy, and when he starts to develop real feelings for Harper and wants to clarify what their status is, Harper freaks out. His childhood left him with the trauma of not being worthy of love, and he has a tendency to self-sabotage the good things he has in his life. He and Kian need to work past their trust issues and see if they can find a middle ground of moving forward with a relationship and in the public eye.

I don't want to give too many spoilers away so I will only point out a few moments or thoughts: (WARNING, THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILERS)
1. The race in Austria (I think) changed their relationship. I was heartbroken for Harper and felt for him. The insecurities from his childhood, the feeling of being unwanted and indisposable, the way he cried like a child that never received love or comfort from someone...it broke my heart. I'm glad that Kian was there and offered the olive branch to him; it all made me smile, and I saw the turning point. This moment and everything after with the relationship between Kian and Harper makes me want to rate this a 5-star book. It was beautiful to see how they found and needed each other and how Kian helped Harper focus.
2. The Johannes friendship was stressful. I'm glad that Harper has Johannes in his life, and although they didn't work out as a couple, they remained friends and supported each other's careers. I think they really could be lifelong friends. However, for that to happen, Johannes needs to start letting Harper in again. What is his problem? For a while, I thought his secret relationship was with Jackson, and he couldn't say anything because he was the competition. But later, I figured it couldn't be Jackson, and I don't understand what it could have been that would make Johannes so reclusive and distant from his friendship with Harper. Does this cliffhanger mean that this book is going to be a series? Will we get Johannes' story in the next book? I need to know what is wrong with Johannes!!
3. The chemistry between Harper and Kian. Ummmm. What to say? So their first kiss/make-out session came out of the blue. We knew that Harper found Kian attractive and that he had a crush on his idol since he was a teen. But Kian to Harper. I mean, we didn't even know he was bisexual until a few paragraphs before this first kiss even happened (okay, there were a few comments about Kian finding Harper attractive, but no real indication of any sexual attraction or even Kian's sexuality). It came out of left field and that was it. Then, when they finally did hook up, it too came at a strange and emotional moment, but there was literally no lead-up to it. They just jumped into touching. BUT THEN...we find out that they fell into a rhythm of being together and having sex without actual intercourse. They slept together every night, spooning and cuddling but we didn't see any of this unfold. I don't know. Their chemistry was there but I didn't actually start to feel it until the end. I wasn't really vibing off their attraction and the sexual tension throughout the story until I was well past 70% done with the book, and the first "sexual" encounter (not including the kiss) happened around the 55% mark.
4. The transitions and timing of the story were confusing. Some races were skipped over or we were given little information. Days and weeks would go by and we wouldn't really know. The characters would be on the track, warming up and getting into the cockpit, and then a sentence later, the race was over, and the characters were already back at their hotels. I felt like I was being dragged all over and pushed through wormholes/time jumps consistently. It's not a huge deal but I feel that the transitions in the timeline could have been better explained or demonstrated on the page differently. There were things that we are left to understand happened between the characters and conversations, but we didn't see any of it. Why? did we run out of pages? I think it is great that Harper decided to go to therapy to work out his childhood trauma, but when did this happen? Is it something he did because he wanted to or did Kian encourage him? At what point did Kian tell Harper about his relationship with his father, and Harper stopped idolizing Tyler Heath?

I started following F1 about 18 years ago, when I moved to Europe and my friends would watch the races. While I haven't been an avid fan this past decade, I still know enough about the sport to not feel lost while reading the book. I enjoy sports romances, and I am slowly branching out from hockey and football books, so this F1 story was a nice escape.

So here I am, again, debating what final rating I should give the book. The storyline....maybe a 4 or a 4.5 rating. The execution is a 2.5 or 3 rating. So...that leaves me at a 3.5 average? Do I recommend this book? Ultimately, yes. If the price is right or if you pick it up on Kindle Unlimited (or whatever other subscription service you use) or find it at your local library, yes. I think it deserves a read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy and the opportunity to give my thoughts on this story.

Thanks to One More Chapter and Net Galley for this advanced copy. This was a fun book! While it handled heavier topics like Kian’s mom and Harper’s upbringing, the sexiness and fast paced racing world kept this one upbeat. Elise and the kids were a great levity to Kian’s home life, and my heart hurt so bad for Harper when he wanted, wanted, wanted to give Kian everything, but just wasn’t built or equipped for it.

F1 Romance! Enemies to Lovers, Opposites Attract!

Kian & Harper are complete opposites so when they are forced to join the same team as you can imagine it doesn’t end well!

Kian has been the driving champion for the past 4 seasons and nothing gets in his way, he is all work and no play but sadly when his team partner Elijah breaks his leg he is forced to welcome underdog Harper James from the lower league who has been promoted up! Harper is the new up and coming driver however he is all party and is on warning to clear up his image.

This story is steamy, sexual and the tension between the pair is incredible, we also have our heartbreaks and pain with both of our MMCs having difficult backstories.

Highly recommend, I’ve really been enjoying F1 romances recently and I wouldn’t say that you need to understand F1 to enjoy this one.

I ate this book UP! I’ve been an F1 fan for years, but I’ve only recently branched out to the world of formula 1 romance books.

This was such a sweet read, with two loveable but equally frustrating characters that both love to hate and hate to love each other. With very different backgrounds, our boys are thrown together as teammates during a critical career season for them both, and it gets even more complicated as things heat up between the two. I was hooked right from the beginning and devoured this book within just a few sittings. I do have a couple things that ended up being a disappointment for me, but nothing major (and I won’t say too much because spoilers). All in all, a short and sweet sports romance!

Despite the numerous grammatical errors, this was freaking phenomenal. I LOVED Kian more than life itself. Harper was also amazing in every way. Their chemistry and banter was off the charts!

While we can't give half stars on Netgalley or Goodreads, I definitely think this is a 4.5 star book.

The characters (and not just the MCs) are 3 dimensional and didn't feel like cardboard foils for the MCs. The spice is hot and heavy -- but also kinda of sweet towards the end. The dynamic and banter between Kian and Harper is great and left me desperately wanting to see what happens next in their romance. There are a few surprises that I didn't see coming in the story but it's really good!

After coping with the British slang and spelling, I really fell into this book. I was so invested in Kian and Harper's love that I almost couldn't put this book down. I would definitely read a book about Johannes (because I'm pretty sure that he was having a secret relationship but with who?).

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for an ARC of this book!

I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would! I’ve never been a fan of motorsports, but I thought Rebecca J. Caffery struck a really good balance with the way the F1 season was shown for Kian & Harper - you didn’t need to be a fan of F1 to get sucked up into the excitement & the pressure. I loved seeing the competitiveness between the two of them, even if they were on the same team, and it made the romance all the sweeter when it arrived.

There’s a lot of tension between Kian & Harper, and opposites attract really does ring true. They have very different personalities and ways that they approach their job, and life in general. It was so entertaining seeing these two clash!

I also loved the relationship that Kian had with his sister and her family, and this adds an emotional punch to the story that I was not expecting. I hope that we get to see more in this world - I’d love to see Johannes’ story!

4.75⭐️ rounded up. Aaack good was so cute! Like we all know I'm a sucker for an f1 romance and this did that well. I loved the characters, Kiki was such a realistic grumpy lil world champion to Harper's golden retriever bad boy. But why they were the way they were was explained in their backstory and it made sense and they were always just trying so hard for themselves and for each other, I just adored them.

The atmosphere/vibes were real. I grew up watching F1 and love the Netflix show and this scratched that itch.

The spice in this spiced, but their connection and relationship backed it up. And lordy did their relationship make me FEEL things.

I wanted to keep reading this - even in the epilogue, and I'm a MASSIVE epilogue hater 😅 I wanna know what's going on with Johannes?!? Where's his sequel?

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Overall really enjoyed this read. It was fun and fast paced and had good themes and amazing mental health rep. Small minor issues with some plot points. Seemed kind of redundant to have the videos almost leaked of Harper because it never really amounted to anything? And in addition to that there was a couple things never discussed on page between the two MCs that they both just knew about. Again with the video it’s never discussed between the two. And also with Kians dad, we never see Harper’s transition into disliking him or kians explanation of why he’s not good. We only see the airport scene. Beyond that the a really fun read. Really enjoyed both of the MCs and their chemistry apart and together.

F1 lovers, you need to add this to your TBR!

A queer F1 romance with rivals to lovers is something I seriously didn’t know I needed!

Both Kian and Harper have the ambition to push each other to be the best that they can be, but off-track, they’re polar opposites which I loved to read. Kian is calm and collected, super controlled, and is basically everything that Harper isn’t. He’s a party animal, enjoys drinking and party culture. I loved seeing them start to compromise throughout the book and truly get to know each other for who they really are.

There was incredible banter and lots of steamy scenes which I loved. Both MMCs are quite possessive and a little jealous which I also love to read about. There was some miscommunication which I’m not a huge fan of, however, this is a sweet, sexy and fun read that you will love if you’re into F1 romance.

DNF

I barely made it into this book before I had to stop. I don't know if I'm expecting too much from sports romances, particularly Formula 1, but I expect some amount of accuracy to be made. The number one issue came with Harper being part of another class of Formula racing and being "brought up" to Formula 1. I'm sorry, this isn't American baseball where players are brought up from a farm team/minor leagues. Each Formula 1 team would have a reserve driver and Harper could have been that which would have added an extra layer of dislike from Kian instead of "he's a playboy." Is it weird that this minor detail made me quit the book? Maybe, but it doesn't help when it's written that Kian has to share a locker room with Harper. *face palm*

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Rebecca J. Caffery for a Galley of this book, in return for an honest review.

I have given this 4 stars, although I think it's more 3.5! I really had fun with this, it was sweet, a little spicy, and totally addictive. I found Kian and Harper to be very unique, fleshed out characters with rich interior lives. I liked the side characters, and I enjoyed that there was an age-gap here, but it was not really addressed, it was simply a fact of their relationship. I feel like Caffrey has set herself up to right more books in this world, and I would be really excited to read those! This was almost enough to make me want to watch F1, and am from Northamptonshire, and deal with the Silverstone traffic, AND have worked at one of the merch stalls there, so that is like... really saying something!😂

This loses some marks on 2 counts, 1) there were a lot of errors, now this is a Galley, and usually I just overlook them, but there was a structural, or like, in-story-fact (e.g., suddenly in a different room, referring to conversations / sentences that are not in the narrative anymore) almost every chapter; 2) it got a little repetitive during the middle section. I can forgive both of these as a reader, because I really enjoyed this book overall, but as a reviewer I do think it is something to flag.

This is a really fun, spicy, delightful read with a surprising, and refreshing, emotional core - go into it expecting nothing more or less than that, and you'll have a great time!