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.

I finished this book yesterday and since then i've been debating wether or not this book should be a 3.5 or a 4 stars rating.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC from NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for approving my request.

In this story we follow two guys who are in the F1 world, it is a grumpy x sunshine kind of romance. Issues are being dealt with like abonnement issues, talks about the Parkinson illness,.. I do not want to get too much into it but i thought the way the author approach those subjects was done very respectfully.

In case, you do not want to get in the story because it is in the F1 world and you know absolutely nothing about it... fear not. Yes, there are talks about cars and whatnot.. I know nothing about this world and i had zero issues understanding this book.

The story in itself was very well done ; the plot, the writing style,... was very easy to get into.

I had a few issues with the Harper's POV (the sunshine). The first few chapters with his POV was very hard to get through but the more you learn about his past, and the more you read about him... You get used to his personality.
Halfway in the book, i started to love, LOVE, his jabs, his jokes... which at first thought were insufferable, they got endearing. Don't ask me how, it's the way it is.

Now my little grumpy... Kian. Omg. i loved him so much. He can do no wrong. His POV's were so easy to get into. For me, he carried to whole book on his shoulders. His relationship with his family were so cute and i was on his side the entire book.

The romance is slow. So so very slow. I usually hate when it's slow slow. But in the context of this book, it was necessary. And thank god it was. I would've hate the book had it been rushed. The romance is so cute, innocent and a bit awkward at times.

It was such a good book ! I can't wait for it's release to buy it and reread it !

Unfortunately the writing for this was lackluster as was the chemistry between the two leads. They had cute moments but not enough to make me root for them as a couple.

DNF

Was so excited for this one! But the writing felt clunky while the characters were frustrating! SO much going on, but not enough development of plot and characters. I just wanted more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for gifting me this book. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down.

Their story was entertaining and even though it was chaotic at times, I just wanted to keep reading.

I liked how even though they were total opposites, they fitted with each other quite nicely and their banter made it fun.

Throughout the book there were couple of plot twists which made the story more interesting. Some of it was predictable, but it made you feel all sorts of feelings.

It was a great quick read and I definitely recommend it.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter, for my arc copy of Pole Position.

In this book, we are following Kain and Harper, who are both in the world of M1 formula racing. This year, Harpers has been called up to the champion, which Kain has been in for my years as a teammate of Kain Elijah’s injury, preventing him from participating in the sport. I love the angsty chemistry between these, especially how Kain is dismissive of Harper initially. As time passes, we see how the tension goes from that to forming relationships, and those scenes in the campervan are spicy.

I enjoyed having the dual POV and seeing how both Harper and Kain were brought up in very different environments, affecting the face they give to the outside world. I really enjoyed the racing element and seeing the competitve side of both of them.

I could not put this book down; I love every second of it.

#polepostion #romance #queer #bookreview #booksofintsa

I am loving sports romances, especially racing ones lately and this did not disappoint! A veteran racer gets paired up with a rookie and both are less than thrilled about it, but that's how all good romances start right? Great tension and banter. They both deal with a lot of personal baggage and I thought those aspects were written well. Lots of great racing/F1 info and knowledge and behind the scenes stuff. They both had wonderful character development and I really enjoyed this sweet and sporty romance.
I will post to my instagram on release day! @thatbookishteach
Review crossposted to Goodreads!

As a Formula One enthusiast, I just had to pick this book up! I thought this book was so cute! I loved the main characters and just had so much fun reading this book!

When four times formula1 champion Kian Walker suddenly finds himself partnered with cocky rookie Harper James he is extremely unhappy, especially as he sees Harper as a lose canon on the race track and who has a wreck of a partying tabloid grabbing life.
Compared to Kians uptight strictly professional attitude Harper is like an attention seeking puppy. Both though have a lot of personal luggage, with Kian constantly being compared to the father he hates who was a formula 1 champion and Harper having a childhood spent in different foster homes leading him unable to form any sort of relationships.
Slowly these two realise their mutual attraction, fighting it at first when they do give into it a real connection is formed, but not without problems.
A really well written story that ended too quickly as I couldn’t put the book down. The aspects of F1 was well described, dialogue was humorous and at times heartbreaking, both main characters had a great depth that developed beautifully. I’m hoping the next book will be Johannes story.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

Just seeing the cover and dreaming of CS55 running his fingers through his hair did it for me. I had to read this book. I'm a huge F1 fan and was desperately hoping to match up drivers in real life with the descriptions in the book, but I just couldn't. I did love the racing and behind the scenes in the world of motor racing. The romance was an added bonus.
All in all a good read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy. I give my honest opinion