Cross the Line is perfect for you if you love:
BIPOC MCs
Brother's Best Friend
F1
FMC with hyper mobility
Throttled by Lauren Asher

A solid debut, I devoured the entire book in one sitting.

Thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for my early copy to review.

Hmmmmm….what DID I think???? I think it went on too long. It needed either 3 fewer chapters or to have them labeled as actual chapters, rather than an epilogue. I dunno…too much “wrapping it up.”
Anyway, I absolutely loved learning about the world of Formula One racing, though. That, I dug. Never thought I’d be saying that, for sure. I also enjoyed the rest of the folks in the paddock, maybe even better than the mains. Like, Chavra is a hoot! And I enjoyed Neha Auntie a lot, too. I even really enjoyed hating the billionaire with the nepo baby.
Ultimately, I just think the writing, the style, the overall vibe was just a little cringe. Sorry.

Quick and easy read. I didn't really feel connected to our main characters until about 40% in, but after that I was hooked and finished the book fairly quickly. I would say it's a good introduction into F1 sports romance and would definitely be interested in future books in that universe!

I would have loved to see more conflict or sabotaging with Dev and Argonaut in general. The conflict seemed a little too simple for me, along with Dev getting the spot in another team. I didn't really see Dev as the good driver just because he won one race in the rain with his opponents getting into a collision.

Overall, pretty good <3

I love that romancelandia is heading into its F1 era. Can we please give hockey a break lol! I liked this for the most part! It was pretty cute. The characters were solid and the romance was a standard brothers best friend trope. Sounds like it will be a series if I had to guess. I’d read another book from this author.

What a cute debut by Simone Soltani!

I have never watched F1, so my knowledge was very limited but I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Although there were a few spots that dragged, the book kept me entertained overall! I loved the F1 aspect of the book, and found myself actually wanting a bit more of it? So I can’t wait for the rest of the series, which will *hopefully* also be F1 related.

Dev was the most cinnamon-y cinnamon roll! He is such a softie at heart and truly cares about those closest to him. There were many cute moments that I highlighted where Dev said the most adorable, sweet things to Willow. I really loved Willow too! I thought she was a very well rounded character and she had some funny moments throughout the book.

Definitely suggest this one if you’re looking for an easy, fun F1 romance - even if you aren’t an F1 fan yourself (yet)!

Are you looking to dive into Formula One romance? Do you also love a touch of forbidden romance / brother’s best friend trope? This is the book for you. As an avid F1 fan and someone who has been heavily into motorsports for five years now, I was so beyond excited to read this book — especially since there aren’t enough F1 romance books out there in comparison to other sports. 

As always, I want to start with the things that I enjoyed about this book. I found myself meshing well with Soltani’s writing. You can tell she put a lot of heart into crafting this diverse and charming set of characters and it’s something that shines through the dialogue in this novel. I loved getting to experience the development of Willow and Dev’s relationship, especially when it comes to the support these two characters show each other throughout the book. On top of that, I was ecstatic to see some chronic illness representation in the FMC.

Now onto the things that prevented me from giving this book more than 3.75 stars. The initial first half of the book was extremely slow. While I adored Willow as a character from the start, it took me a while to warm up to Dev’s personality. On top of that, Dev’s whole mentality that Willow could “fix him” felt like a red flag (pun intended) in itself. Overall, I think this book could have been paced out a little better and the page count could’ve been cut down if some of the scenes that were just reiterating what happened were cut from it. But, that’s one of the things I seem to dislike about dual POV books. There is no good reason to recap from the other individual’s point of view EVERY chapter. 

I feel like this book could’ve had more balance between racing and romance as well. I also didn’t appreciate the author using crashes as a silly plot point. Drivers don’t crash for trivial reasons such as being distracted by thinking about kissing one and nor should something potentially fatal be choked up to something so silly. On the flip side, I did like the race commentary that was featured in the book to help make the story more immersive. 

Honestly, this book was a quick and fun read for anyone looking for a F1-based romance — especially if you’re intimidated and don’t know much about the sport but just want to enjoy the vibes.

SUCH a CUTE read. I am now obsessed with F1 😂 Willow and Dev just make you really love them! I lovedddd how the author incorporated the Indian culture in here as well! I really hope this turns into a series because I HAVE to know Oakleys story!

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read an ARC copy of this book!

I loved that the main characters are Black/brown and that theirs is an interracial romance, the bits of Dev’s Indian culture sprinkled throughout, that there was no third-act breakup or major drama, and getting a glimpse into the world of F1 sports car racing.

I didn’t love this more because the book has some of my least favorite tropes: brother’s best friend, employer/employee romance, and a too young (21) heroine. Those are on me, though, and don’t speak to the quality of the book.

This book was not what I expected, but that's not a bad thing. A lot of F1 romances that I've read really focus on the international aspect of the sport. While there was international travel in this book, the focus was more on their families and the characters coming home to visit (AND their families happen to be next door neighbors). The "forbidden" aspect of the romance was believable, since neither one wanted to hurt their relationship with their best friend/brother. Overall, a great book that balanced humor and emotion! I'll be on the look out for more from Simone!

Sports romances have taken over a big part of the romance community, and I'm on the hunt for the best ones. This one, of course, has to be a part of the race, and I'm thrilled to say I ADORED it. The cover caught my attention and the story grabbed me on page one and never let go.

We follow Willow and Dev, who have known each other since they were kids because Dev is Willow's brother's best friend. She always had a crush on him, and he had no idea. Then they kissed a year before the story started, and Dev couldn't stop thinking about her since. (She fell first, and he fell harder.) Dev is a famous F1 driver and he finds himself in a big social media scandal, which leads him to offer Willow a job of his social media manager to help him recover his image. Enter lots of forced proximity and delicious tension.

The romance is addicting, fun, lighthearted, sweet, and sexy, and I loved every second of it. Willow and Dev communicate really well, and the progression of the romance feels so natural and right. They're both sunshine and charming, which makes the book the ultimate comfort read. There is not an overwhelming amount of angst, so it's perfect if you want something lighter and less intense. There are also some really fun side characters, and I'm excited to see them in the other books in the series (I hope there will be lots of them).

Needless to say, this is a sports romance I will recommend over and over. If you want to read a forced proximity, brother's best friend, sunshine + sunshine F1 romance, you need this on your TBR and shelves immediately.

although i don’t really care for F1 romances i decided to give this one a read because i like the story but unfortunately i was let down. the scene in the beginning where they talk for the first time i was bored out of my mind like where was the angst? the chemistry? nothing made me yearn for more and in that moment i knew this book was going to be boring as hell. romance authors need to stop writing 400 page books because the storyline usually wraps up around 50% and then we’re just bored.

This book was so cute and I loved the racing theme and different destinations. I loved reading about all the teams as well.I love a brothers best friend romance so this book right up my alley. Willow needs a social media job after graduating and Dev really needs to fix his image after a STD scandal from a scorned manager so they come up with the solution to work together. I loved Willow and Dev and how they have pined after each other for years. Willow keeps Ellie the elephant which Dev won for her when they were younger on her bed even after all these years 🥺.I loved all the south Asian representation from henna to Bollywood music. I loved reading about the races and Willows job as a social media manager. I also loved how Dev made sure Willow got her special macaroons from Paris and his dates were amazing. The proposal was also everything

This was my first dive into a Formula 1 romance, or just a racing romance in general. I’m not disappointed and will definitely give more a go in the future.

This book is told from two point-of-views and they come from Willow and Dev. Dev has been friends with Willow and her brother Oakley for a long time. They shared a kiss at one point and he told himself he would never get with her because of her brother, but the heart wants what the heart wants. I don’t think I have read many “brother’s best friend” trope. I honestly can’t think of any off the top of my head. It’s a decent trope, but definitely not a favorite. I liked how Dev felt that the relationship was forbidden, but he wanted to pursue. It makes for a lot of tension between them! He also gives her a job to work as his social media manager and that means they spend of a lot time together.

I feel like the beginning was a bit slow for things to get going. It is a slow burn and takes time for them to figure out one another once again. I didn’t mind their relationship and thought they had cute moments together. A lot of drama circulating their relationship, especially when it came to her brother, was kind of over the top and felt a bit too much.

Overall, this was good and I would definitely pick up another book by this author in the future.

Did someone say addictive sports romance?

This was such a fun read and is perfect for the summer! The only critique I have is that it took me a little while to get into (we can probably blame that on my reading slump, though). Other than that this book was fun and easy to read and the banter was AMAZING!

4 stars, this was such a great read!!

This book is a brothers best friend, F1 racer romance that absolutely knocked me off my feet. We follow Willow Williams, who has been hired to fix F1 Racer Dev Anderson's image after a media scandal has left it in shambles. The problem? Willow and Dev kissed last year and he can't stop thinking about it.

This book was fun. I loved the couple and their adorable interactions, I loved the banter between the characters and their friends. It was very wholesome and just kinda relaxing. It was a comforting read after a really rough week. Willow and Dev were such a cute couple, and ugh I'm such a sucker for childhood friends to lovers.

My one problem with this book, and this is gonna seem really niche, is that we get A LOT of reminders that Dev is a nice guy. And to me, I feel like it cheapens the fact that he is a nice guy. We see this through the actions he takes throughout the story. We don't need to hear about it through internal monologue.

Apart from that small issue, I truly enjoyed this book. Simone Soltani has been added to the list of my favorite auto-buy authors, and I can't wait to pick up a finished copy on release day.

This was a sweet romance and I learned a lot about formula one! However, I previously knew nothing about formula one. For example it was news to me there are multiple formulas.

I liked Willow and Dev as a couple. They had good chemistry and I liked that they had history. Willow doing Devs social media was a really sweet way to show that she knew him well.

I did feel the pacing of this one was a little odd. It ended what felt a bit abruptly. However fans of no third act breakup will enjoy it.

This is a sweet romance with lots of travel, pining and some disability and multicultural representation. Definitely worth adding to your summer TBR!

4.5 Stars!

F1 driver Dev Anderson and Willow Williams kissed last year which would be fine if Dev's best friend weren't Willow's overprotective big brother. Now, Willow needs a job as a marketing professional and Dev is looking for a social media manager which would be fine if it weren't for the sparks they still feel. What could possibly happen between these two? *smirks*

I loved this book!! I loved the characters, the story, the world that it was set on, and I even loved the antagonism I felt for some of the mean characters. I thought the story was so romantic and sweet. The only criticism I have is that the ending felt a little rushed. I had no problem with the conflict at all I mean a romance book *spoiler starts* without a third act breakup *spoiler ends* is my favorite!! But I just didn't like how rushed the epilogue of the book felt. It was *spoiler starts* time jump after time jump *spoiler ends* when I hope that we get a book for each one of the boys! We could have seen the scenes play out in other books except for the true end of the book. I really really liked everything else about this book though and I really hope that we get a lot more from Simone Soltani. She made a lifelong fan!

Tropes: athlete romance, big brother's best friend, second chance romance, and friends to lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley, and Simone Soltani for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Cross the Line accomplishes what it needs to. It’s a very sweet romance about an F1 driver and his childhood friend who also happens to be the little sister of his best friend. I thought the characters were well developed and their perspectives were very clear. I did like Dev and Willow in their own right, but their chemistry was never quite there, and I wasn’t that invested in their relationship. I only have secondary F1 knowledge from friends so the sporting aspects of this didn’t bother me but they didn’t stand out either. The epilogue felt completely unnecessary for me and I’m not sure if the goal was to set up a potential series of books or if there was an aspect of a ~shock factor to double down on the inherent risk of F1. Still, the tone completely shifted before it moved on completely and went back to being saccharine. There were little details that reminded me that it was a straight romance (obviously) and didn’t exactly work for me, but I can see this book really working for people who want to enjoy a romance.

This was my first F1 romance and let me tell you, it won’t be my last! I loved this story so much! Dev is such a softie lover boy and willow is so determined and confident in fixing a bad boys reputation. I’m a big fan. I can’t wait to read more from this author 😍

4.5⭐️

I’ve read a few F1 romances before this one and always came away disappointed. With Cross the Line, you can tell that Soltani knows her stuff when it comes to F1! I absolutely loved how details of the sport were tied so well into the overall plot. You don’t have to be familiar with F1 going into it, but if you are it’s an extra fun ride!

From a personal perspective, I loved alllll the nods to Dev’s Indian heritage from the Bollywood movies, music, the team chef using his mom’s spice blend, masala chai, a big fat Indian wedding, etc. This is also the first time (that I can recall at least) that I’ve seen Gujarati referenced in a book and my jaw literally dropped. I had to re-read the sentence! Dev being an F1 driver makes my heart sing because it this showcases that brown men can be something other than doctors, lawyers, and engineers. It’s giving Avantika’s statement of “brown girls can be dumb too” (iykyk 🫶🏽)

Highly recommend that everyone checks this out when it publishes on July 23!

Read if you like:
🏎️ F1
🤭 Brothers best friend
🐶 Golden retriever/cinnamon roll MMC
💊 Chronic illness rep
👏🏽 Diverse cast of characters

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for the ARC in change for an honest review!