Unfortunately, there were a lot of things in this book that didn’t work for me. I’ll always be excited for an F1 romance, especially one that supposedly has RW&RB/Hating Game vibes, but this was one I could have gone without. The race aspects were fine, there were inaccuracies but not so many that it bothered me. I found Kian and Harper’s relationship to be lacking in chemistry. And the miscommunication? Why was there so much of it? I didn’t find it necessary when a simple conversation could have resolved things. Their back and forth got repetitive and honestly, I feel like they would have been better off not being together. The plot was all of the place. The pacing was off. I wanted to love this one. I really did. I loved the idea of it. The execution however was lacking. Thank you to One More Chapter for providing an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think I read this at a bad time personally and it did hinder my enjoyment of it. It deals quite heavily with themes of a parent with dementia and grief, so losing my grandma while in the process of reading meant I spent a lot more time in my own head rather than delving into Kian and Harper’s story. I ended up leaving it midway through for a few weeks before I eventually finished it.
I did think the pacing was a little off at points, possibly due to the F1 schedule the book keeps to, and I think sometimes I did just want more from Harper before he was eventually vulnerable with Kian.
I think this will be well loved by many, their chemistry is good and it’ll be perfect for F1 fans too.

Thank you to NetGalley for providign a copy of Pole Position in exchange for an honest review. I think I enjoyed the author's book "Olympic Enemies" a bit more than "Pole Position". I can't really put my finger on it, maybe because it was the first one I read by the author. I did really enjoy Pole Position and would recommend it to fans of romance books. This story is about a driver at the end of his career and his young, up and coming team mate. Their natures were at odds of course which led to some interesting moments between the two. I also find myself enjoying books where the characters are rounded out and here we learn both of the men's backstories in a satisfying way that explains why each man is the way that they are, especially what motivates (or hinders) them. Overall this author is 2/2 four star novels for me so I am sure to pick up any future creations by this author and recommend her to romance audiences.

I love a romance, and I LOVE F1, so I thought this book was going to be perfect for me. Unfortunately it ended up being a big disappointment. If you aren't obsessed with F1 and just love a queer sports romance, I think you may like it, but if you are indeed big into motorsports I would maybe pass unless you can suspend your disbelief more than I could.

In this novel we get a dual POV of two F1 teammates, 4 time world champion, seasoned veteran Kian Walker, and the gets into a bit too much trouble rookie, Harper James. It's an unexpected driver pairing when Kian's teammate gets injured prior to the start of the season and the team chooses to bring in Harper. And essentially we follow them as they go from circuit to circuit through the F1 schedule. We get some forced proximity thrown in there as well. The plot is pretty straight forward, but the details are what throws me out of the story for more or less most of it.

To preface this, I know quite a bit about F1 and follow a lot of it on social media. One aspect of Harper is he was in foster care and didn't have a bunch of money like most of the drivers, and somehow people don't know this about him. 1, the road to F1 is CRAZY expensive, like hundred of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars a season expensive. There is no way I kid in foster care that didn't have a wealthy family would be able to afford that, no matter the talent, just not possible. The 2nd impossibility is it would not be a secret. The media would eat that story up. And if not the media, all the drivers would know. It is a very small community, with 20 drivers in F1, and they all race together growing up. No way. This creates a lot of the conflict in the book, and I just could not overcome it. It's been a while since I read this so I cannot remember exactly, but there is a scenario in the novel during a race that also just is not how F1 operates, so that really brought things down for me. The last big negative is this one was just too long. The novel is 384 pages, and in my eyes if a romance is over 350 it's got to be amazing, and 350 pushes it a bit for me. This would have been better if it had been a bit tighter in that respect.

I know I was mostly negative, but I did like the writing and I thought the ending was nice. Even though this one was not a hit for me I still will check out what else the author puts out in the future and check her backlist. 2.5 out of 5 stars for me on this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect Grumpy sunshine read for any racing fan!

Pole position is crammed full of racing action while being so heartwarming and showcasing all kinds of love.
I adored this one there were some tough darker moments in the book that really deepened the story.

Overall I loved this book it was exactly the perfect read for a race weekend!

I enjoy f1 romance and they are easy reading. I have brought the physical copy of this book as I liked it so much however it is very similar to others. Would read other books by the author.

Was able to read this through a Netgalley copy and I just loved it. Enjoyed the story, loved the characters and it had a bit of spice. Great read!

The fetishisation of queer man in this book was absolutely disgusting. Please stop me the next time I want to read a MLM book by a woman

2 stars cause the formula 1 parts where kinda fun I guess.

2.5
unfortunately, this was too tiktok-y and trope-y for my liking. they even mentioned tiktok at some point... it felt like one of those books you could sell really well on tik tok by mentioning the f1 aspect, the age gap, etc.

i also didnt like that the teams kept their og names (real life names). i dont mind when f1 books are wrong cause theyre fictional, but why would you do that and not properly research the team and the sport??

otherwise the romance between the two main characters was not bad and they actually had good tension!

I’ve never loved F1 racing more, this was perfect!!!

Kian and Harper have my entire heart. This was such a cute romance story, I could talk about it for days!!! It’s a sweet and fun rivals to lovers that had me on the edge of my seat!! I couldn’t wait to see what was next. Though, the tension too… ooh it was great. I highly recommend this book!!

Though, I have to mention the age gap!! I loved it!! I also enjoyed how open everyone one was and how there was no homophobia in the book. It was so refreshing to see!!

Was very excited for a m/m F1 romance, but was very let down. None of this…really made sense? There were too many issues with the actual F1-related things, and I didn’t care for the relationship development either. So maybe better for people who aren’t already F1 fans and won’t be bothered by little incorrect terms.

I had no idea what to expect going into this one! I'm not typically a romance reader but, having recently enjoyed several Casey McQuiston books, and as a life-long Formula 1 fan, the idea of 'Red, White and Royal Blue' meets F1 grabbed my attention immediately.

Pole Position is funny, irreverent and sexy. Caffrey has created some really entertaining characters - though I was screeching at them in frustration several times while reading this book!

Very enjoyable, very spicy. I could see this one being popular on BookTok.

"I’d never considered arson before I found myself living in a motorhome with Harper James. Right now, sending the whole thing up in flames so I can return to my quiet hotel room sounds like a really good idea."

Pole Position by new-to-me author Rebecca J. Caffery was a fun, rivals-to-lovers, MM romance read, set around the sport of F1 motor racing.

Our MCs are Kian Walker and Harper James, rivals on the track although they race for the same team, with Harper being the 25 year old 'rookie' and Kian the 34 year old 'veteran' world champion and golden boy of the sport.

Whilst there were a few angsty moments and themes, this was essentially a light-hearted read and who doesn't love it when the player realises he's fallen hard?!

What To Expect:

❣️MM romance
❣️F1 racing
❣️rivals to lovers
❣️opposites attract
❣️age gap
❣️found family
❣️steamy moments
❣️HEA

4 stars

This was fun!!!! I liked the characters and the plot was easy to follow and sweet, I've never been into F1 or racing but i genuinely enjoyed this one, sports romances really are just the best

2 stars | a cute F1 romance but didn't live up to its potential

I loved the concept of this book, and it had so much potential to be good, especially as I typically enjoy a sports romance, but this one just missed the mark. I did enjoy reading about a lot of the themes that came up in the book, and those that were more emotional were handled in a sensitive way. The dynamic between the two main characters was definitely interesting to read about, with a young up-and-coming driver who's excited to be there, and an older, more experienced and grumpy character as the other lead.

Despite this, I found myself not enjoying the book as much as I'd hoped. The inner monologues of the main characters, particularly Kian's, didn't feel realistic, which made it difficult to have a good experience with this book - he often came across as very immature for his age, despite everything he's been through and his tired attitude towards the sport. The relationship between Harper and Kian lacked a lot of depth; while they did have some chemistry, there was little else between them and much of it seemed to take place off the page, making it feel fake or unrealistic when they were suddenly close. There was also some concerning dubious consent between the two MMCs at times!

Formula One and romance. What more is there to ask for in a book? The tension was tangible, and sparks were shooting everywhere. Reading about their romance progressed to be a lot of fun, and the side characters' interactions with the main couple were also well-developed. The racing season flowed well since the timing was well-spaced throughout. My one small negative point is that sometimes a lot of information may be presented all at once, which I felt took away from the story at times when it could have been revealed a bit more naturally through character exchanges instead of as an internal monologue. A nice F1 romance all around, though, and I really enjoyed the grumpy x sunshine atmosphere.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Uk for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 out of 5

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beware of possible spoilers.

This is THE book I was most excited to read and I have to say...it didn't let me down.

I adored this book. Everything about it. From the characters to the plot to all the tropes I love and have definitely learned to love through Rebecca J. Caffery's writing. I'm most definitely going to be looking into more of Rebecca's books because this was just *chef's kiss*

When Kian's teammate is injured and can't continue, he's replaced by a rookie with a not so great reputation. It's the whole Grumpy x Sunshine/role model x fan mash-up that brings this into something amazing. Kian's personality is different from Harper's, but they mesh so well. Plus, the age gap. A non-creepy one if I have to add (25-33).

The only part that had me a little put-off was that drunken kiss, but that was the only part. I also would have loved to see a tiny bit more about Harper's therapy and their development together. i think the story could have benefitted from that. The rest of it was just so fun to read and watch unfold, especially because the two of them were so adorable.

PLUS IT WAS FORMULA 1 AND I NEED MORE SPORTS ROMANCES THAT ARE NOT HOCKEY OR FOOTBALL PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU!

I swear, if you have any thoughts about reading this book at all, I strongly suggest you do. It'll be worth the time.

Uhm yes! My favorite F1 romance so far :) Pole Position absolutely worked for me.

I thought the balance between the romance and F1 was great. Of course, it's not going to be verbatim about F1, so you'll have to keep this in the fictional space and work with it especially if you're a fan of the sport. It's not going to be all accurate and I was simply fine with it.

Absolutely loved Kian, a racing vet that has had such an amazing career so far. Besides being the top of his sport, I loved getting to know more about him that didn't have to do with his job. His love and devotion for his family, and just how self-aware he was when it came to his mom. A man that was constantly being pulled in two different directions, my heart went to him.

Harper was EXACTLY what I expected him to be, hot shot driver that got called up. The arrogance and cockiness is strong with him and it went a lot further into the book than I hoped for. As you get deeper into the book, we see the base of his insecurities and why he is the way he is. I wish we got to dive more into his story since at times, it felt like we were only getting the surface level.

Overall, I reallllly enjoyed this one and I couldn't put it down. Definitely looking forward to more from this series.

It has taken me longer to read this book than I would have liked, but I have done so at the right time when I have developed my obsession for books set in the world of Formula 1.
And I loved this novel, it has super addictive prose, a romance that keeps you glued to its pages and a story that leaves you obsessed with it.

I was hoping for Red, White and Royal Blue but the F1 version and was a bit disappointed in the delivery. Kian’s characterization had a lot of depth. Harper seemed like a chameleon in comparison so I had a hard time getting to understand him with how wildly different he came across in every chapter.