Will the rookie steal his championship… and his heart?

Kian Walker has been racing professionally in Formula 1 for almost 15 years. His teammate is out for the season due to an injury, and Harper James is called up from the lower leagues. Harper has a bad-boy image attached to him for his partying and playboy ways. This gets the two off on a bad foot because Harper reminds Kian of his father and Harper thinks Kian is stuck up and boring. This, coupled with rumors of his upcoming retirement and a gravely ill mother that his twin sister is taking care of, has pushed Kian to the end of his rope.

Nowadays, I feel Formula 1 is everywhere. It has always been a popular sport, but it has now reached epic proportions. You don’t need any prior knowledge of the sport to read this book. The author gives good explanations about the nuances of team relationships, positions, and format of the races. Kian and Harper’s team is a fictional, but it is the top of the top. Since this is a romance book, you definitely need to suspend a bit of reality because Kian is first or second in pretty much every race. (Edit: Since writing this post, my friend who is very into F1 racing has taught me that this is indeed possible for one racer to dominate an entire season.)

Most of the conflict arises between Kian and Harper rather than the Formula 1 season. A case of opposites attract mixed with enemies/rivals to lovers, Kian and Harper bring the perfect spice layered with trauma. For the most part, the book is lighthearted with a splash of low angst. It’s the perfect slump-buster.

If you need to find me, I’ll be searching for more Formula 1 books.

#netgalley #poleposition #harpercollinsuk #onemorechapter

Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery is a queer Formula 1 romance. This is the story of Kian and Harper.
 
Kian is well established in the F1 world and one of the best drivers in the league. He is a golden boy, and a lot of people compare him to his dad who was also an F1 champion, but that puts a lot of pressure on him he doesn’t want. He is a very understanding, organized and passionate person and I liked him a lot.
 
Harper is a new F1 driver, and he is living his life party and scandals included. After another driver gets injured, it’s his chance to prove his potential and he becomes the teammate of Kian. Harper is definitely a bit unhinged and very vital and that loosens up the plot a bit and I liked that.
 
I absolutely love F1 romance, and this story brings something new to the table as I’ve never read a story with two teammates. It brings a whole new insight perspective and I really liked that. At first, Kian and Harper have this rivalry going on, but they spend a lot of time in close quarters and slowly get to know each other. The romance is definitely slow burn, but that made me appreciate the story more. Kian and Harper are such a cute couple, and I really enjoyed their story.
 
Overall, if you also like F1 romances, Pole Position is a must-read. 4,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

Thank you for sharing Pole Position with me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was a lovely read. The story was perfect for fans of F1 and romance readers. It was the perfect combination.

This was my first F1 romance, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a fan of racing, but this book made me consider changing that.
The tropes were all things that I love: forced proximity, mental health representation, found family, one bed. The really enjoyed the development of both MCs and the fact it was an even split between relationship and their careers. I've read a lot of romance sports romance books and find that sometimes a lot of them mention the sport a couple times, but you never actually experience the MC playing that sport. The balance Caffery put into this book was great.

This was my first Rebecca Caffery book and I'm excited to see what else she has to offer.

This takes grumpy vs sunshine and opposite attracts to the highest levels. It follows the story of teammates Kian and Harper, who have to work together to salvage their team’s season on track.

I love the dual POV and the fact that we have access to the characters’ thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Both characters were annoying at the start of the book with their immaturity and lack of understanding in dealing with their emotions.

I love the F1 aspect of the plot. I know nothing about the sports but this has converted me. I enjoyed the pacing and how the author carried us along.

I enjoyed the spice as well but it wasn’t as much as I’d liked.

If you love Formula 1, opposite attracts and the dreaded miscommunication trope then you will love this.

Formula 1 meet Red, White, Royal Blue in this new queer sports romance by Rebecca J. Caffery. Never have I ever read a motorsports romance before, so I was excited to see what this book would bring. What will Pole Position have in store for it's readers?

Even though I don't know much about formula 1, I do know Rebecca J. Caffery made this book stay very true to the sport. The drivers fly all over the world to race. Even though all the drivers are fictional, except for Alonso, you could really see which teams are the top teams.

This book is an awesome enemies to lovers book with forced proximity. Kian and Harper are really each other opposites, so I would say this book features an opposites attract trope as well. I loved to see the two of them grow closer together, especially during the European part of the season.

Rebecca J. Caffery has a really nice writing style. She cleary knows a lot about the sports, but also about how to write a romance book. I loved the slow burn in the story and I feel like the pace was really perfect for this story. In addition, this book also features an emotional element with Kian's mum, who suffers from parkinson's disease. For me the last chapters felt like they were really cut off, since time suddenly jumps ahead two years in just pages. Even though I really loved this book, the ending was a bit disappointing for me writing style wise.

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really love Red, White, and Royal Blue so was immediately interested, and setting the book within the F1 was something a bit different.

While I'm a big romance reader, I don't usually gravitate towards sports romances, but I appreciate the much needed queer representation. However, the romance felt rushed and lacking in chemistry, and some of the plot holes needed smoothing out to fix this.

I think this book definitely fills a gap, and I hope it finds readers it'll resonate, I just don't think it was for me.

This book is very accurate when it says it's for fans of Red, White & Royal Blue. It features that same quirky humour and down to earth characters that fans of that book will love.
This book took such a rich and vibrant driving culture, something that is very relevant in mainstream media at the moment, and wove a soft romance story around it. The author didn't pretend like the reader didn't know anything about racing, but also didn't assume that the person was an expert. Things were explained in such a way that newbies like myself understood what was going on, but alumni to the topic wouldn't feel like they were having their hand held throughout the book.
Harper was a fun and complex character and I liked that not all his cards were on the table from the first chapter. I really had no idea what we were going to get from him or where we were going to go.
Kian was a little bit more of an open book - but to the reader and not to Harper. We knew more of his backstory from the get go. But I think this was such a great articulation of this world. Kian is famous so the media (and therefore the audience) knows a lot more about him, while Harper is a little newer and we only know what we see in the beginning. It was a very smart move on the author to position it like this.
My only grievance with the book is all the storylines that seemed to drop halfway through the book and never get any form of completion. From the topic of revenge porn that seemed to suddenly pop up and then completely disappear (kind of bothered this wasn't taken more seriously in the book), to Kian's father seemingly coming into the story for the sole purpose of saying something homophobic to Harper and then completely disappearing again (was his whole plot device just to make Harper look like a good guy?) and left me wondering where he'd gone and why he was such a big plot point if he were simply going to be dumped at the end, and the big one where Kian spent the entire book claiming he didn't want to retire only to suddenly decide he was ready to retire and it was shrugged off as nothing.
I'm guessing they were setting up characters like Johannes as a future series, but I honestly thought he was a villain for most of the book! Kian was suspicious of him and then things started happening every time Harper went out with him and I honestly thought he'd been told to sabotage Harper and that's why he was reacting pretty poorly to everything.
Even though I just had a mini whine about some of these things, I really enjoyed this book and I think it was excellent and a lot of fun. I'd call it an absolute banger of a popcorn read!

4⭐️
Kian is paired with a new, cocky rookie. I love F1 so much. So, I was so excited to read this and it was so good. Grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, Great plot, I really enjoyed reading this. Kian is kind and amazing to everyone but Harper. Harper I felt was misunderstood and was just excited to be around his idol. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fairly standard enemies to lovers story. I would have liked a little less emphasis on the racing aspect. Maybe it's true but I had a hard time believing top athlete fitness is required for racing/driving. The details, which I found hard to believe, took me out of the story. - Granted, I don't enjoy sports but some of my favorite books are sports centered.

I did appreciate the third act breakup but I can see if someone else doesn't. I thought it was done well.

An F1 romance sure to give your heart purple sectors

The sudden rise of F1 stories has been delightful as a booktok/F1 gal, but Rebecca J. Caffery has really gone a step above the rest. A queer romance set in the speeding universe of formula one, this story was unputdownable. The perfect grumpy sunshine story you need for the summer break.

Perfect read to kick off the summer!!
Steamy, quick, and fun!!! Me oh, my!!

Devoured this book all in one day and absolutely adored it. As someone that has been on a massive F1 kick it’s quite fun to read something fun and light about the sport. Loved the characters and had fun imagining them (and projecting my own identity on the current F1 line up…. Kian is very much giving Carlos Sainz to me personality wise).
Looking forward to purchasing this book physically when it comes out!!

Thank you to Harper Collins and to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.
I really loved Pole Position. It’s a fast paced and sweet romance that also deals with the larger issue of aging and sick parents, knowing when to quit, and abandonment in a very smart way. Fan of sport romances should enjoy this one. I thought I had a nice blend of sports drama and spice and true feelings on and off the track.

I recommended this on my page and the link to that is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7ho8XqgDtG/?igsh=bXRiODV2M2J4b2N6

A refreshing read; Kian is the older more experienced racing driver, Harper is the younger, brash rookie driver who has made it into the Championship by an injury from one of the current drivers. I liked the slow burner of Kian and Harper's romance, it came across as sincere the whole way throughout the novel. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Big thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher, for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Pole Position (aptly named) is an LGBTQIA+ enemies to lovers, age gap, F1 romance.

This was a very enjoyable read. Harper was immediately my favourite. I felt that he both acted, spoke, and argued like someone his age. He was just that little bit too eager, too hyperactive, and too enthusiastic, and that made him one of the most likeable and relatable characters in the book. Kian, I felt acted as someone younger than his years - I was hoping for a bit more maturity and self-confidence from him, but somehow, that side of his personality just fell flat. That being said, I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two of them. At about 190 pages in, I realised their fights were just going in circles, and they were rehashing things over and over and over again, this didn't come across as tedious. Instead, I spent the entire book being thoroughly entertained on all sides. It was really lovely to see the Kian family storyline - especially the representation that came with his mother's condition. The guilt he felt for leaving his sister to handle his mother's health issues, despite the fact that he had no control over his career, felt so real that there were times I was grieving alongside him.

There were a couple of elements to the story that could have been handled better, or, elaborated on. Both the main characetrs needed therapy, an element of the story that was severly overlooked.I also think that the storyline with Kian's dad was left very unresolved - I would have loved to have seen Kian explain his own issues with his father properly and possibly even stand up to him the way that Harper did. I would have loved to see more of Johannes redeeming himself, and the reason he was so awful with Harper for such a long time, however that is very much a me thing and does not reflect the author or the story at all.

That being said, this was a beautifully written book, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of it. I loved Harper so much, despite the childhood trauma and his very strange ways of dealing with them. Kian definitely grew on me, especially at the end of the book. I loved seeing him and Harper develop their relationship and deal with their own underlying issues, both apart and together. I immediately ordered myself a paperback copy!

4 stars.

Kian walker has always been the golden boy of F1. Four time championship winner and his best friend as his team partner. His world is just how he wants it, until Elijah breaks this leg.

Enter Harper James, the rookie who’s been called up to fill in for Elijah. He’s cocky, hot-headed and has a reputation for breaking as many hearts as track records. He’s the total opposite of Kian in every way.

This might be one of the most dangerous sports in the world, so why then does Kian’s heart feel safer flying around the track at 220 mph than when he's anywhere near his teammate?
Playlist
Sports Romance (F1)
Age Gap
Grumpy X Sunshine
Male x Male
Found Family
Spicy
Dual POV


I got so excited when I saw another F1 romance that I didn’t even read the synopsis fully and realise it was a gay romance. This is not my typical read but I still gave it a go and I really liked it. It was nice to see an F1 romance done differently. This is also the first book I’ve read by this author and I liked their writing style.

I felt that this book had the right balance between the sport and following the F1 calendar and the story between Kian & Harper. Other books I’ve read in the past have been much more of one side or the other. I really enjoyed the chemistry between these two once they had sorted their issues out. There were times where I was a little confused as they would be hot and cold with each other but it does get explained with their issues and I found this better explained by being able to see both POV.

There is mention of Parkinson’s disease, Dementia, Parental Death, Parental abandonment, Panic Attacks and Mentions of Parental alcohol abuse.


I give this book 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for providing the ARC.

I really wanted to like this book. I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue and I find F1 racing absolutely fascinating, but this book just didn't not hit the way that I wanted it to.

It really has a lot to do with Harper James' character. I understand what the author was trying to do with him, but honestly, he was a petulant, immature child playing at the big leagues, and it took waaaaay too long for him to pull his head out of his behind and see that this destructive tendencies were destroying his career and himself. This mindset lasted the entirety of the book, with him sabotaging himself both personally and professionally, most of the time with actual intention behind it. It was no wonder that Kian was so aggravated and frustrated with him. I was equally frustrated and I don't think the author did enough to show his growth as a character.

I wanted more than what I got from this book. I'm sure most people will enjoy it, and I think it was written well, all things considered. I just didn't like the characterization of Harper James, and that was a hard realization for me to overcome.

This is a six star read for me, and one of my favourite f1 romances!!

Equally wholesome, emotional and spicy…this book genuinely has it all. These characters are some of my favourite I’ve ever read about. Kian and Harper are flawed and complicated and messy, but also beautiful and loveable and believable.

I truly believe these two are soulmates, you cannot tell me otherwise - and it takes some damn good writing to convince me two made up people are destined to be together.

Their character development is honestly phenomenal, the challenges they both go through, the trials and tribulations that they’re pushing through to become better for each-other??? Sobbing.

Not only were these characters and this world just amazing, but it has all the high-stakes, heart-pounding formula one action we know and love. I’m of the opinion that you could read this without knowing anything about the sport.

The tension, the yearning, the angst and the hot and cold had me hooked!!

Also, the acts of service girlies WIN in this book. It’s made me appreciate that as a love language so much more.

Anyway, pick this up. I have a feeling it’s going to take the reading world by storm!!

Thank you to One More Chapter & NetGalley for the e-arc!!

I really struggled to enjoy this book. It took me a while to get into it. I felt some parts (and maybe just how the characters were meant to be) were very immature. It had vibes to Red, White & Royal Blue.

There was a lot to like about Pole Position - the F1 setting always make for a fun road trip of a setting as characters move from grand prix to grand prix, our mcs, Kian and Harper, were both interesting and lovable in ways that felt discrete, and I was really invested in their love story. That said, there were also a few things that fell a little flat for me - I wanted to know more and have more resolution on Harper's past and the work he was doing to move forward - a lot of that happened off page and didn't tie up in a way that felt realistic or satisfying; his behavior felt so emotionally out of touch that it was hard to believe that Kian would choose their relationship in some of the tougher moments. I appreciated the way the book handled heavier topics like mental health and grief, but some of the subplots around those things felt a little rushed - the pacing of the whole story suffered from trying to fit a few too many things into the plot. The sense of place never really coalesced in some of the grand prix areas - in some ways, I liked that sense of the slog of racing that to the outside seems so glamorous, but also, in a romance, I am here at least partially for that glamour and want to know a little more.