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!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6280546714

Brother's best friend girlies, get in here!

Cross the Line follows recent grad Willow. Willow finds herself unable to find work, so who comes to her rescue? Her older brother's best friend Dev, of course!

This book is a sweet summer read, perfect for romcom lovers. Excited to see what else this author has in store!

First off WOW! I am BLOWN AWAY! This book had hooked me from the first chapter. Thank you Net Galley for this ARC of my dreams. I laughed, squealed, and devoured it. I fell in love with Willow and Devs friendship, banter, and relationship immediately. The setting of the F1 world brings such a magic to the story!!!

Willow & Dev are magic. Read this book if you like:
Brothers best friend
Forbidden romance
F1 romance
Diverse characters
Indian weddings
Cast of side characters
A MIND BLOWING EPILOGUE
Banter banter banter!!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you love any of these tropes check this one out:
- best friends sister
- friends to lovers
- secret dating
- F1

Originally I grabbed this one because I love the F1 show on Netflix with the behind the scenes drama. This book does have some F1 drama, but mainly focuses on 1 driver and his relationship with Willow, who happens to be his best friends sister. Really enjoyed this one and couldn't put it down!

I’ve read many of sports romcoms in my life but I’ve never tackled a F1 racing romcom. And I’m happy to report back that my first F1 romance was a success! Cross the Line follows Willow and Dev are childhood friends connected by her brother being best friends with Dev. One summer they shared a secret kiss, but decided to leave it in the past. However, the pair eventually cross paths again as Dev offers Willow a job as his social media manager in order to help revive his image and do some damage control.

I have to give it to Simone. Her writing hooked me from page 1 and next thing I knew I was done and it was way past my bedtime. One of my favorite things about this book is all diverse representation. As soon as I started reading at Willows character and her disability. I immediately texted my best friend and told her she had to read this. I literally screamed “omg willow is you!” We not only had disability representation, but we also had such diverse group of characters and Simone did a fabulous job of displaying different cultures.

My next favorite thing about this book is Willow and Dev’s relationship. I loved how we weren’t slapped in the face with the typical romcom insta-love. Instead the relationship took its time to develop. It was adorable and refreshing to see them together. Willow's unwavering support for Dev and his caring treatment of her made them such a perfect match.

The best part? NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!! I can scream from the Heavens my love for Simone for this. I absolutely loathe when romcoms use this trope. But Simone heard us book girlies and gave us a healthy realistic relationship.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Let me start this review by saying that I had very high expectations for this book. Berkley romances rarely miss for me, and I am a huge F1 fan that is super excited to see the sport break into the traditional romance publishing space. So Berkley + F1 romance = high expectations!

This book was truly great. I loved the history between Dev and Willow and how it contributed to their chemistry. Their story leaned into some of my favorite trope: boy obsessed, best friend’s brother, forbidden, and forced proximity, just to name a few, and they were intertwined seamlessly. I loved the side plots and side characters, especially Dev and Willow’s brother’s friend group. I had such a fun time trying to place which of them (and the other drivers mentioned!) will get their own story if Simone Soltani writes more in this universe. Willow was a girl after my own heart: a macaron lover, so caring and compassionate, and not afraid to put a man in his place. I loved that Dev wasn’t already at the top of the sport and a championship winner, and instead we got to see his struggles on a mid-field team and trying to prove himself to the more successful teams. It added nuance and depth to his story as an F1 romance MMC!

this book was absolutely adorable!! I’m a huge F1 girlie and this was such a good mix of romance plot that also included a good amount of the f1 racing aspect! Willow & Dev’s relationship was just so fun & sweet! I loved both of the characters and I really enjoyed the writing! Overall a great debut and I will definitely be patiently waiting for book 2!

This started out a bit slow for me and I was definitely annoyed by the dozen times they mentioned her small stature but once it picked up, I really enjoyed this! I loved the diversity and chronic pain representation as they contributed to the story rather than just being something that was lightly mentioned for brownie points. Dev and Willow are so cute and obsessed with one another. I couldn't help my tears from how sweet he was, the various ways he showed that he cared about her, and the way he just KNEW her. I truly loved him so much.

The feelings and mutual attraction were there since the beginning but I'd still say this was a slow burn because it took a while for them to act on those feelings. And no third act breakup!!! This deserves all the love for that alone.

All in all, this was quite cute and I definitely recommend it!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this arc!

I hadn't read a romance featuring a Formula 1 driver before, so I was excited to dive into this one. It had the makings of a book that would be a hit for me. The "it's always been you" trope. The brother's best friend trope. The celebrity romance trope. So many good things to like about this book.

I enjoyed this book, but I would say two-thirds of was 3 stars for me. The middle third was 4 stars - it was exciting to see Willow and Dev finally act on their intense chemistry. But after they finally got together, it kind of fizzled out again.

I'm interested to read other books by this author in the future. I think she has the potential to write a really good book.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥

I adored this book, it was so fun to read! Was my first ever book that was about F1, now I am obsessed 🤩
I need more F1 books in my life!
Their story was so cute and I am soo happy they got their happy ending! Also I LOVE the fact that there was no third act break up because I HATE that!!

Sexy, swoony, and keeps you hooked. The writing style is pretty flawless in how engaging it is, so I just wanted to keep reading. Soltani has created a fun romance with a lot of heat and swoons. Sure to be a TikTok favorite.

unfortunately not my cup of tea. as an avid f1 fan for a few years, i was excited to read a new f1 romance, especially with the diversity this one brings! to my dismay, this book wasn’t for me. here’s why:

overall the “conflict” was very low stakes and… didn’t make sense to me? both main characters mutually know about their feelings for each other yet let the fear of her older brother/his best friend finding out get in the way of their relationship. we’re all adults here, are we not?

I should have taken “Willow can fix me. I know she can.” as the red flag that it is. Dev was a sweet character, but NO MAN should rely on his significant other to “fix” them. Similarly with Willow, the repeated putting down of herself made me sad for her. Girl, stop calling yourself “fragile and weak”!

something I loved about the book was the diversity. Dev is half Indian half white and Willow is half black bald white. Not only did we attend a whole Indian wedding (slay), but the commentary of race within the context of f1 was appreciated.

if you’re a fan of “brothers best friend”, “childhood friends to lovers”, and the “coworkers” trope. this book may just be for you.

thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for the eARC

we have an formula one ROOOMAANNNCEE!!! this was so good, i had so much fun 🤭 i really enjoyed our fmc, willow - she was sweet, hardworking, and motivated to get our mmc dev back on track after a social media sh*tstorm. and dev??? my man is OBSESSED. he's with a midfield team looking to get a podium and have a better reputation.

i love how they've known each other for forever, we have a little bit of unrequited love - which i usually don't like - but it was done well.

the only reason it's not 5 stars is that epilogue was a bit interesting, i think it was too long? i think the pacing was a bit off for it and maybe with some reworking it would have been a 5 star. i have no idea if we're getting more or if this is a series but i loved chantal and i need her story!!!!

also- NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP!!!!! an absolute win in my book 🏁

"whatever you want jaanu, i'll give it all to you" <333

4.5 ⭐s!

This was my first F1 romance, and what a ride it was! I really enjoyed this one.

He is her brother's best friend, but also her childhood friend that she had (let's face it, still has) a crush on, but he falls harder 🤭 I mean… So much yes to all this! 🔥

What to expect:
- MMC, Dev, is South Asian, F1 driver, brother’s (of FMC) best friend
- FMC, Willow, is Black, living with chronic pain, fresh college grad who just earned her first job as -Dev’s social media manager.
- She’s had a crush on him for years, but he falls harder
- Secret Bollywood lover
- Dual POV
- Open door spice

My personal highlights:
- I loved Dev and Willow. From their chemistry, flirting, banter, to their adorableness together. And there was a lot of it. 🤭 I thought they were great characters.
- I love that this reads like a New Adult book to me. There’s a lot of professional growth that happens, and it’s really nice to see how these two smart young adults handle it in their respective fields.
- I also appreciate all the representation. I loved learning about different South Asian traditions from Dev and his family. And it was also encouraging to see a woman with a chronic illness (Willow) being a badass babe and kicking butt at her job.

Overall this was a really fun read. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Soltani!

Thank you so much for the ARC!

Both main characters, Willow and Dev, shine in this one! I loved them individually and was positively screaming for them to finally get together because they complemented each other so well. Charming, vibrant, and wonderfully sensitive, I deeply enjoyed reading Cross the Line--what a fantastic sports romance.

Thank you to Berkley for this early review copy.

I really loved “Cross the Line”! It was a fun, romantic comedy and I really enjoyed the characters and the F1 race atmosphere,

I had never read a book featuring a race-car-driver-romantic-interest, and I found it so fun! Dev was such a perfect love interest. He was so sweet and protective, and also just really likeable! I have read too many romance novels where the male love interest is the biggest jerk and loser. Dev is absolutely a sweetie and he felt very trustworthy and reliable. I love how their romance took time to grow. The sexual tension drives their initial attraction, but the friendship they have drives their entire relationship.

I’m very impressed by this romance and I would highly recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
🏎️ Formula 1 Romance
💕 Brother’s Best Friend
🫶🏻 Childhood Friends to Lovers
🌶️ Spice

Simone Soltani has created a Formula 1 Romance monster 🤭. Who knew racing could be so hot?

Cross The Line was a fun and adorable read! Friends to lovers one of my fav tropes because of all the tension and there was plenty of it 🥵.

I loved the light that was shown on chronic pain and how it can impact everyday life. Dev was super thoughtful with Willow about her illness which makes you love him even more.

Cross the Line kept me captivated, the characters made me laugh and the idea of Dev and Willow marathoning Bollywood movies makes me need a bonus chapter from Simone Soltani 🤣