Pole Position is a pulse-pounding, thrill ride of a romantic comedy!

Pole Position follows two Formula 1 drivers who are forced to become teammates. However, what starts as a direct (and hysterical) rivalry soon could potentially become more as long as the two characters don't get in each other's way. I loved these characters. I mean absolutely loved them. Rebecca Caffery has created two characters that are going to be stuck in my head for a long time. This book is marketed as Red, White, & Royal Blue meets Formula 1 and that is exactly what it delivers. These characters are sure to make readers everywhere fall in love.

Kian and Harper's story starts out with everyone getting to know some of the backgrounds of the characters. Harper in particular was one that broke my heart and I knew was going to be something that had to be dealt with as the plot progressed. This book takes off pretty immediately exactly like a race, there are some classic turns and curves, but then exactly like a Formula 1 race. Then as the tensions grow and the angst builds, true love begins to blossom and my heart is so full.

I absolutely know that readers everywhere are going to love this book. It is so timely and cute and this enemies-to-lovers romance is exactly what you need to read this summer!!

I am going crazy OMG. i flew through this book, to the point i am literally rereading just because it is sooo bingeable. I loved the characters so much -the family dynamic, the relationship development, and the characters development as the story went on. I literally cannot leave notes, it was just so good. after a long fantasy series this was such a good break from it. 5/5 I cannot wait to see it on shelves soon!!!!!!

-MM romance
-enemies/rivals-lovers
-forced proximity
-found family
-anxiety representation
-age gap

Overall, I felt this book was a cute MM romance. The characters were likable, but sometimes things just felt off. I also felt like some parts drug on too much for me. Harper and Kian definitely showed their age gap at times with Harper being immature and petty at some points, but it did make the banter better and brought out the fun side of Kian. As with most romances, there was huge miscommunication throughout the book that could’ve been solved if they just talked.

The story gave very Dirty Air series by Lauren Asher but MM.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC.

Holy Smokes! Was my heart racing when reading this super sexy sports romance. Kian and Harper oozed chemistry on and off the track. Overwhlmingly enjoyed!

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

"My last thought as I fall asleep is how can I convince Kian Walker that he doesn't know nearly enough about me?"

A story that will be perfect for those who enjoy F1 romances, slow burn tension and don't mind the miscommunication trope.

I think that this story does well in the building up of the romance between the two characters, it was enjoyable to see a greater build and development of the characters which allowed for the eventual relationship to flow nicer and easily. I found it interesting that the characters had deeper backgrounds than just a simple, on the surface portrayal and I appreciated that deeper topic and themes were brought up. However, I would have really have loved to have seen a greater delve into some specific character backgrounds as I think that would have helped with the connection between character actions and motivations.

The miscommunication trope, unfortunately, created a few blocks for me as a reader. I appreciated that their were greater issues with the characters that linked back to why miscommunication was so present within the story, however I felt that the development of scenes could have used miscommunication a little less. I think with how the characters acted in relation to miscommunication and defensiveness, ultimately didn't allow for me to become fully connected to the characters. However, I completely understand that this is my own personal preference in regards to this trope and other readers may feel differently!

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you to Netgalley & The Publishers for the arc of this book.

4/5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book and wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was. Kian and Harper being complete and total opposites really added to my enjoyment, the tension was also fantastic and I could not wait for them to kiss, I was on the edge of my seat literally waiting. This book made me want to get into F1 racing and actually sit down and watch it. Cannot wait to read more from this author!

So hilarious and fun, I definitely recommend, I don’t read about racing, but this was such a great read to experience to sport and also just watch two delightful characters fall for each other!

3.25/5 Stars

I'm at a point in my life where I get to know how sports work thanks to my reading preferences and not through actual knowledge from my everyday life and let me tell you, I'm not mad about it.

This sport romance is Formula 1 centered, which was nice and I would also say a novelty when it comes to this kind of genre. It was an entertaining read for sure and I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Kian and Harper blossom the more time they got to spend together. Unfortunately I found some of their dynamics a bit repetitive at times and since we get to see both their POVs I would have liked some more introspection on Harper's part, but in the end that's just my personal preference.

Overall it was an enjoyable read and I'm sure that sports romance fans will enjoy it. If you're into Formula 1, you're definitely in for a treat!

Admittedly I know next to nothing about F1 but I love rivals to lovers and sports romances, so off I went! Pole Position follows the story of two F1 drivers - introverted veteran Kian Walker and newly brought up, perennially flirt Harper James - as they need to learn to get along and present a united front for their team, or both of their careers are at risk. This definitely is a grumpy/sunshine trope with a bit of a twist as both these men have some baggage to sort through before they can get to their happy ending.

I did enjoy this, it was pretty lighthearted and had great banter, but I just didn’t really vibe with the romance unfortunately. It felt very physically motivated (although even that I felt wasn’t really built up enough) and I really can’t see these two lasting for the long run. The compatibility seemed underdeveloped, and the immaturity from Harper never really seemed to resolve itself. Despite being first person the storytelling felt quite detached and I really struggled to connect with the characters, or even really differentiate between their voices. Coupled with some pacing issues and this really just wasn’t for me, sadly!

I found this book to be an enjoyable read. While it didn't offer anything groundbreaking, it delivered exactly what I was looking for: entertainment.

The story follows two Formula 1 racers, a seasoned veteran and a rookie joining the team. The twist? The veteran wants nothing to do with the rookie due to his past reckless behavior, but inevitably, they find themselves falling for each other against their intentions.

As I mentioned, the plot isn't particularly original, but it kept me engaged, and I breezed through it. However, I couldn't help but feel frustrated by some aspects of the characters' behavior, especially the rookie's childish antics that seemed out of place for someone in his position. Additionally, certain decisions and actions didn't quite align with the characters' established traits and age.

Furthermore, the characters' growth and realizations felt rushed and superficial, lacking the depth of internal struggle. For instance, one character's sudden turn seemed like a convenient plot device rather than a realistic portrayal of personal development.

Their getting together felt rushed, and I think it interrupted the build-up of the story. I wished for more scenes of them getting to know each other, engaging in meaningful conversations, and developing a deeper connection. As it stood, their sudden union lacked justification beyond desire. It left me wanting more depth and exploration of their relationship before they hastily fell into each other's arms.

Towards the end, once the main characters finally got together, my interest waned, and I found myself rushing through the remaining chapters just to finish the book.

Overall, while this book provided enjoyable entertainment, it fell short in terms of character development and depth, leaving me wanting more from the story.

rating subject to change because i truly have so many mixed thoughts on this...

i was excited to receive an ARC of this because it sounded intriguing and i've never read a book featuring F1 before, but unfortunately it just didn't work for me.

this has so many tropes that i like: rivals to lovers, teammates, forced proximity, golden boy x rookie, sick/caretaker. maybe even more that i'm forgetting. i'm not usually a fan of age gap romances but in this there's a gap of 8 (i think?) years between the MC and LI so it wasn't too bad.

Harper is such an immature piece of shit for most of this book and there's such little compatibility with Kian that it made the romance hard to believe. the progression from enemies to lovers felt like it only occurred because of physical attraction and it lacked emotional development. imo it didn't feel believable for their relationship to develop past teammates with benefits.

also, the first intimate scene with these characters happens when Harper is basically shit-faced drunk and it was a major ick. it would have been one thing if Kian had stopped things from going further because Harper was drunk and therefore could not give proper consent, but instead Kian freaks out that he's getting down and dirty with his teammate and he runs away.

i DO think that Harper's character gets redeemed in the end when he realizes he actually does want a real relationship with Kian and he starts therapy yadayada but at that point i just didn't care anymore.

I'm really not sure why this was categorized as erotica - there were like two "scenes" and they were both pretty tame all things considered. Anyway, I thought this was cute! Red, White and Royal Blue meets Formula 1 is honestly very accurate. I liked both characters although being in my 30s I definitely related more to Kian; I found the relationship well done and believable and the overall character progression was good.

There's some fun here, and some smut too (tho mild to be sure). The main characters are fun, even when full of stupid behaviors. That said, just as things get hot and heavy, there's a plot turn that completely crashes the smut vibe. And that's a bummer, because the book's identity sorta swings on whether it wants to be straight-up romance or naughty gay fun. Overall though I quite liked the author's writing and would definitely pick up a future MM book if they wrote one.

*I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Harper so much! His backstory really tugged at my heartstrings. This book also had a fun assortment of my favorite tropes like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and opposites attract. Unfortunately the execution of the tropes didn't really work for me. I wish the enemies to lovers progression had been more gradual. It felt like they suddenly flipped between stages without the emotional development that would make those relationship developments satisfying. This book didn't really work for me but if you're a fan of Formula 1 I think you could still have a fun time with this book.

Tropes:
Sports romance
Forced proximity
Opposites attract
Caretaking
They were teammates

Of the 3 F1 romances I've read, this is definitely the one that reads the most like fanfic. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing, it also definitely felt like the F1 elements were secondary to the steamy scenes, and the characters who weren't drivers weren't memorable at all. I find it hard to believe someone like Harper would make it to F1 without more than 1 friend or supportive person. Pole Position was very readable and fast-paced.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for providing me with an ARC.
I went into this knowing nothing about Formula 1, and with no interest in that sport, but the premise of the book looked interesting and a bit of lighter reading with a nice romance. This book delivered on what I expected, but the characters do have so much depth and trauma that made their getting together very emotional and full of drama.
This was a definite binge read – it was very easy to read. I enjoyed Kian and Harper’s relationship as they went from enemies to lovers with lots of misunderstandings and heartbreak in between.
The supporting cast of their friends and family was great, and added an extra element to the story.
Although the racing parts weren’t really my thing, it was written in a way that explained the world of F1 which I found helpful.
I definitely enjoyed this, but I found some of the drama contrived, and some of the writing and dialogue fell a bit flat for me. There were certain sentences that didn’t feel to fit for me.
If F1 and/or spicy gay relationships are your thing, definitely check this out.

Pole Position is an MM formula 1 romance between a veteran racer and a reckless rookie who fall in love over the course of a season. Despite knowing nothing about formula 1, I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book, and I think that Caffery did an excellent job in writing some really complex characters who dealt with their emotions and traumas in ways that felt real and understandable. It sets this book apart from others in the romance genre, and ultimately saved it for me, because the romance did feel a little lacking at times. I only really felt the romantic chemistry build from the 60% mark, which is just slightly too late for me, but once it did I ended up having a really good time with these characters and the family that Caffery built within the story. I would definitely recommend to rivals to lovers romances, and especially those who watch formula 1! Keep an eye out for when this book releases on 30 May :)

Thank you to HarperCollins One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this F1 racing romance from start to finish. The rivals to lovers was fantastic, the emotions felt so real, and I was really pulling for the both of them the whole time. I don’t know a ton about F1 racing, but the book really kept it simple so the little knowledge I had was enough. I would definitely recommend this book!

How can I even begin to describe how much I adored this book? I was hooked from the very start, and I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking of Pole Position and its characters for a long time. My original plan was to read a few chapters every day, but once I started a few evenings ago, I found myself unable to put it down. Literally the only reason I didn't binge-read it was because I needed sleep and responsibilities are a thing. I read late at night, during every short work break, while I was cooking, brushing my teeth, and even while fixing the chicken's den (I think the chickens are fans of this book now, too).

So why did I love it so much?
- F1! I'm a huge Formula 1 fan, so that one seems obvious. I loved that, even though the romance was probably the largest part, F1 wasn't just "the setting". There were chapters about the (sprint) races/ qualifying, but also other important aspects of the sport, such as training, team meetings, media, etc etc.
- The characters were written so well. It was easy to empathise with them. Harper had a lot of immature moments, but I understood him so well. His anxiety was extremely relatable, and I often wished I could step into the story to give him the biggest hug and tell him how loved he is. Because he stole my whole heart, and so did Kian. But not just them. I LOVED Elise and her sweet family, and Anders and the rest of the team were amazing as well.
- It was such an emotional rollercoaster! My heart broke for Kian and Elise (and, of course, their mother). The depiction of her illness and its impact on her children, the responsibility of caring for her, the constant fear that each moment could be the last... Let's just say I cried quite a lot, especially later on in the book. But I also smiled and laughed! I laughed quite a few times during the "Red, White and Royal Blue" hate banter between Kian and Harper, and my heart was so full during the sweet moments between them (and between Kian and Elise! They are perfect siblings.)

I feel like I could go on and on about how much I love this book, but I'll leave it at this. I wholeheartedly recommend it, and I really, really hope more books will follow.

I really enjoyed this! As an F1 fan, I've been looking for a driver-drive romance in particular, and this definitely was a solid blend of racing action with romance. I did think some of the pacing could have been improved, but overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend to other F1 fans in particular.