Firstly a big thank you to NetGalley and @onemorechapterhc for sending me this ARC, I am so incredibly in love with Kian and Harper they had such a beautiful romance and they’re such complex characters, I think the writing style was just one of my favourite I’m very biased towards racing books cause there’s just not enough of it for me but this book was just a really sweet and fun read, I read the entire thing in like four hours I didn’t want to drop it at any point. I also need johannes’ book like rn, as a matter of fact I need Jackson’s as well I’m begging you ❤️🤍❤️

Sexy love story in racing world. It’s cute and spicy, but we were promised “Red, White and Royal Blue meets Formula 1” and definitely it didn’t deliver. Not all MM romance are RWRB by default, there should be the charm and storyline to back those claims.
Pole Position is actually rather entertaining and enjoyable. Characters are sweet and fun, progressing from rivals to friends to lovers. But I feel the properly visible character development happens only for Kian and when it comes to Harper, we are simply told it took place. It’s not believable really when we don’t see it backed up with the actions.
Racing world scenery makes the book feel fresh and exciting, with all the descriptions of the races quite engaging and easy to imagine.
The plot is also nice: the pacing and obstacles are appropriately balanced, it feels organic that it goes into a certain direction. It is not though as light and insightful as its inspiration.
Overall it’s a good book, stron 3,5/5 rounded down.

I grow up watching F1 and to be honest there were few things that I would say are not correct, or different named, buuuuuuuut.

Baby, this was good. I liked it.

Both MC had their character grow, they found something about them self, they tried to make it and even there were a lot of "gosh, grow up and communicate" I understood them. It's not easy with panic attacks etc. So, overall, I'm giving it 4 of 5 stars. Could have been more spicy, tho,

Thank you One more chapter for the ARC of Pole Position via Net Galley.

⭐️⭐️⭐️3.75/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Tropes:
🏎️ Forced Proximity
🏎️Grumpy x Sunshine
🏎️ Enemies to lovers

Kian is the golden boy of F1 and after his longtime teammate is out due to an injury, he is suddenly forced to spend all of his time with a new driver, Harper. Kian and Harper couldn’t be more different from one another, a seasoned driver who takes the job seriously and a newcomer more concerned with partying and enjoying the fast life.

The tension between these two grew over the first half of the book and then soon they gave in and it heated up. While I enjoyed the “relationship” I did find that for two people reluctant to get involved with one another, they sure did race into the sweet side a little too quickly for my taste. Kian tried to understand Harpers (not successfully) reluctance to be vulnerable and give into the relationship and I feel like there could have been more back and forth on this (although it does showcase the age difference/ slight age gap and maturity so maybe it just bothered me?).

Overall once all was said and done, I loved them as a couple and their dynamic with their friends and I really admired their ability to be very open about themselves and their sexual identities, it was a nice to have characters not question their sexualities and embrace them instead.

As a formula one fan I really loved the inclusion of the Cole and Kian scenes/ interactions because everyone knows the best part of the end of the season is the compilation of the ‘best team radio’ moments. I hope that team principles would be as supportive of their drivers and more lgbtqia+ representation like Anders (a king honestly) and I really enjoyed the scenes between the drivers and their team (second family).

Johannes book when…? I need to know why the sudden change?!

Thank you to NetGalley and one more chapter (HarperCollins) for the opportunity to read the ARC I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This could've been my mood, but I had trouble getting into this one. The writing was very stiff imo, the main characters didn't sound like mid 20s-30s guys at all, and the chemistry was lacking for a lot of the way through. The miscommunication was also very frustrating and the pacing felt off almost the entire time.

I REALLY REALLY am always craving racing romances, and I desperately wish this worked better for me. I just didn't understand how I was supposed to root for these two as a couple especially with how they individually behaved and thought. The racing parts were fine at least, but there was a lot more show than tell in most of this with how events play out in other areas. The dynamics could've been fun, and some miscommunication is more than fine too, but it truly felt like these two were just bickering the whole time that the transition to becoming lovers didn't feel believable to me.

ok i’m dnfing at 66% simply bc i am over the build up to have a lackluster outcome from said build up lmao. it sucks bc this isnt a bad book hence the 3 stars for what i did like but i legit just cannot move past the building up just to be let down.

unfortunate bc there’s lots of potential, im sure this’ll be great for a lot of people but just not me

Having delved into the realm of F1 romances with just two books under my belt, "Pole Position" unquestionably stands out as my favorite thus far. What truly sets it apart is its gripping plot, which kept me eagerly turning pages despite some notable drawbacks.

While the storyline held my attention, I found myself grappling with issues in the writing style. There seemed to be an overreliance on telling rather than showing, leaving the prose feeling somewhat flat and lacking in vibrancy. Despite this, the strength of the plot compelled me to persevere.

Yet, as much as I was engrossed in the unfolding story, I couldn't shake the feeling that certain aspects were underdeveloped. The romance, in particular, felt like it was missing a vital ingredient, leaving me yearning for a deeper connection between the characters.

Nevertheless, the promise of future installments featuring characters like Jo leaves me optimistic. While "Pole Position" may have fallen short in some areas, I remain eager to see how the series evolves. Despite its flaws, the allure of the plot and the potential for improvement ensure that I'll be picking up the next book without hesitation

I'm conflicted about this one. It's difficult for me to find F1 romances that are enjoyable, particularly because so many of them get the terminology wrong, or they include something bizarre that you'd never see in the F1 world. Rebecca Caffery has absolutely nailed the F1 elements - they're not forced on you, there's enough character background that the F1 racing doesn't take too much of your attention. It is, primarily, a story about Kian and Harper. My issue with the book lies in the fact that I really didn't like either of our main characters - I think I'm just very over the 'my life is hard so I'm going to be an asshole to everyone and pretend to be misunderstood' trope. There's a lot of miscommunication and assumption making throughout, which just leads to two characters who have very little personality. Had there been more depth to Kian and Harper, I think I could've enjoyed this more.

AHHHHHH!!!! A gay F1 romance?!? The best thing ever. I related to Harper so much in this! I loved the pace and story! Can’t wait for this to come out!!

A nice LGBT book focusing around racing drivers. Nice being the key word here. I didn't love or hate it. I found the 2 main characters to be a bit predictable. The sex scenes were decent and added a different layer to the book.

I’ve read a lot of sport romances, and I’ve read a lot of queer romances, but this is the first F1 queer romance I’ve seen, and it did not disappoint!

This is an enemies-to-lovers with all the angst, buildup, and tension that you’d want. There’s a decent amount of spice, but that’s definitely not the central aspect.

This book was also a great story of queer joy. Both characters accept their identifies, and despite being a ‘manly’ sport, noone questions them and there’s no homophobia.

This book was definitely more in the weeds on the sport than many other sports romances I’ve read. If you don’t want the details of the race and the behind the scenes, this might not be the book for you. However, I really enjoyed this, and despite not seeing a single F1 race, I was able to quickly follow the season’s competition.

Pole Position was pitched as Red, White and Royal Blue meets Formula 1, and it definitely delivered. Kian Walker is practically F1 royalty: his father was a legend on the track and he himself has earned four Championship titles. When his friend and teammate has an accident, rookie Harper James gets called up to drive in the big league. Harper is cocky, has a reputation as a playboy, and is pretty much the opposite of Kian. But once the season starts, there’s no getting away from each other.

This sports romance was precisely what I was hoping for, but it had more depth than I anticipated. There are a few potential triggers, so check carefully before reading. The personalities of the two main characters clash perfectly, and there’s a lot of hostility and tension, ‘dick swinging and petty infighting’ between them before they finally get together. Kian writes Harper off on the basis of his reputation, and having been brushed off at the outset, Harper sets out to get Kian’s attention any way he can... Both Kian and Harper carry major baggage, and it takes a while for them to sort through these issues.
There were a few tweaks I would have liked to see. While Harper’s past is dealt with on page, I felt that Kian wasn’t forthcoming with his own issues and pretty much left Harper to work out that his relationship to his dad was a wrought topic by himself. A lot of their conflict stemmed from lack of communication, and out of the two, surprisingly Harper was the one who was more open about his baggage, while Kian remained a closed book to Harper.

There were definitely some elements that I’d have loved to see on the page. I’m low-key hoping there will be a bonus scene where Johannes tells Kian about F1 fanboy Harper watching his idol race for the first time… I’d definitely be here for reading another book in this world, particularly if it’s Johannes’ story.
Thank you to One More Chapter and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have been a big sports fan, and sports romance fan for years, but only this past season have I gotten into F1 so this book was a no brainer for me to read. I personally found the little insights into F1 to be realistic to what I have seen this season watching the races, apart from maybe the motorhome they had to share at once point, I am not sure if that would be standard procedure for a team?
I found myself rooting for Harper so much. He was the perfect example of a broken boy and seeing Kian understand that and try to help him was so sweet. I loved when Harper finally pulled it together and was ready to fight for Kian.
I did want a little bit more spice and tension/build up scenes of Kian and Harpers; it ends up being a little abrupt when they go from hating each other to hooking up. I know the characters mention it felt like there was tension between them all season, but it wasn't really shown on paper, but just mentioned. I needed both of them to start communicating better. Their whole conflict stems from misconceptions they think the other driver has of them. But once they work those out, I think they are a great couple.
I did not want this book to end. I wanted another season of Kian and Harper racing together. But the epilogue was so sweet, it made me want to kick my feet up and squeal. I am hoping we get more books in this world, as I want to know about Johannes and who I think his love interest is. I will definitely be reading more by this author after this book and diving into their backlist of books.

SWOONING!! I cannot get enough of this book!! I’m slowly getting into sports romances and racing was totally new for me and I think I can never read another type of romance ever again! Give me all the sports racing romance books!

Kians teammate is injured and can’t partake in the f1 season. He’s replaced by a younger harper who has quite the reputation, not a good one.
Kian and harper don’t get along well at first and it creates a problem for the public images. They have to find away to at least appear friendly for the cameras.

But as the two of them get closer their relationship develops from friends to something more.

I didn’t enjoy the start of this book all that much. The relationship wasn’t interesting enough however after the 60% mark the drama and angst was really levelled up and made the story soooo much more interesting.

It’s quite a spicy book more than I was excepting, but some scenes weren’t well written but easy to skip as they were short.

Harper was my favourite I really enjoyed reading from his pov

Overall I give the book 3.75 stars

Enjoyable and quick.

Thanks to the publisher for an arc copy in exchange for an honest review

I love a good F1 romance, especially one that features complex and interesting characters. I couldn’t stand Harper for the first 40% of this book, I found him incredibly immature and irritating. However, Caffery developed him into a loveable main character that I found myself rooting for. The enemies to lovers was well paced and I adored all the “will they, won’t they” moments in this book. Emotional scenes were balanced well with the more romantic and charged moments, and the entire thing was so much fun to read!

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Pub Date: June 6, 2024 (UK Only!)

I've watched Formula 1 on and off since I was a kid - so when this landed on my Kindle, I knew I wanted to start right away! And I'm so glad I did because I truly did have fun with this. It also has an emotional depth that I wasn't necessarily expecting but I ate up. I LOVE Kian so so much - my heart really broke for him throughout the book. I loved his family and the support they showed him too. I was so glad that this was a dual POV book because had we not gotten in Harper's head, I think I wouldn't have liked him very much. But I did begin to like him more over time.

The enemie-d perhaps just a little too long and Harper was an asshole until about 75% of the book. I think I could have forgiven Harper a little bit more had his history been fleshed out a little more or had he been just a little more vulnerable with Kian. I think my biggest issue was just the pacing and the fact that quite a bit of the relationship happened off page. I think had the author shortened the length of time they were enemies and put more on the page of them being together and getting closer, this would have worked a bit better for me.

That said, I really did have a fun time reading this! This is my first F1 romance (though won't be my last!) and I love the high stakes of the racing and competition. I think the racing in this would also be pretty easy for non-watchers of F1 to understand.

I liked this book a lot the couple was cute the banter they had was so fun. Definitely a fun read
The f1 element was so fun and didn’t over shadow the romance

Ok I went into this knowing NOTHING about formula 1 but that didn’t take anything away from the book for me. Everything was easy to follow. I love Kian and Harper so much! This is the most perfect grumpy sunshine lgbtqia romance ever and I am obsessed. And the cover!!! Hot!!

As a huge formula one fan, I was thrilled to be given an advanced copy of Pole Position to read and review. The story follows two drivers: Kian, the experienced driver and Harper, the rookie team mate. With the story told from alternating perspectives, you really get to know both characters equally as well and find yourself rooting for them both!

This was a great book and I couldn't put it down. I was a bit annoyed when I fell asleep reading it and had to finish it the next day! I loved Kian and Harper and was rooting for them to get together from the very start. I'll definitely be recommending this to everyone I know.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.