I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I had troubles getting into this one -- I think maybe New Adult is not the category for me. The goals and troubles of the characters just felt a little immature, and I didn't get invested. Definitely will be enjoyed by younger readers though!

Formula One racer Dev needs help with his image; only his best friend's little sister can bail him out and help him with his social media makeover. I don't know a lot about F1 racing, and appreciated some of the behind the scenes details. Decent chemistry and solid portrayal of chronic illness, but the pacing was slow, and the angsting over the relationship the become a little one-note for me. Ultimately, it didn't hold my attention, and I DNF.

I am such a sucker for F1 romances and was so excited to see this book! I liked how representative this book is and how our main characters are clearly meant to be.

however, i struggle with the friends to lovers/brothers best friend trope because they can blown out of proportion and i sometimes felt that way with this book. It’s hard to understand why her brother couldn’t find out about them and why it was the main reason they couldn’t date. it feels completely unrealistic.

overall, this was a decent read and perfect for those looking to get into the F1 romance genre.

Unfortunately I felt a lack of chemistry between the main characters, which made it hard to read the book. I found it hard to truly believe in the stakes of the story, and the book could've been much shorter since the conflict wasn't really that big of an issue.

Thank you, Netgalley and Berkely Publishing Group, for this e-galley. I got this one because I was interested in getting into F1 romances. My friends who have read them liked them. I enjoyed it and will now pick up more F1 romance books. It took me a few chapters to get into it. I couldn't fully relate to the characters, but why should that stop me from enjoying a cute brother's best friend romance in the workplace where he's her boss and forced proximity? It shouldn't. It was a fun, cute read that got me branching out.

when i first started this back in march i was so excited because i just just recently got into formula one so finding a book that was based on formula one i immediately wanted to read. i’ve also always liked the whole sibling’s best friend trope so seeing that tied into the plot seemed interesting. i through the first 45% pretty quick but then i started to feel like the story was dragging and i got a bit bored with it and put off reading it for months. i felt like at times it was more focused on keeping the secret of willow and dev being together from oakley and didn’t focus as much on the formula one aspect. when it did focus on the races i felt like those scenes happened too quickly and there wasn’t enough detail that really made it feel like a race. overall, decent but only a 3 star for me.

This story is a brother’s best friend romance where they begin to work together in the F1 workplace. I love F1 storyline and was so glad to be able to read this book. The author did a wonderful job of telling this cute romance book that not only takes place in the F1 but showcases a disability that the FMC has. I really enjoyed the storyline and the conflicts throughout the book. I do have to say that the pacing was slow in some point with long scenes. I do also wish the author went more into the diversity of the characters because it did make me wonder who the MCs were. This book is told from both Dev and Willow’s pov.

Dev is the MMC of the book and is a popular F1 driver though his social media team leaves him high and dry. I liked his character and seeing his charming self. He cares a lot for Willow which I really loved seeing. Willow is the FMC of the book and she needs a job so she goes to help Dev with his socials. I enjoyed her character and seeing how she doesn’t let her disability take her down. There are many side characters in this book and I’m hoping the author also writes their romance from this world. The romance is brother’s best friend, forced proximity, slow burn, and second chance.

The ending was well done and I really enjoyed how this book ended. It was well written and one of the cutest romances of 2024. I do wish we got to see more of the diversity. I do recommend you check out this book especially if you are a F1 fan.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

Not really a fan of this book. I loved the cultural aspect but that’s about it for me. I didn’t love the characters and every chapter they talked about if they were together they both felt very insecure. Did not love it.

Cross the Line instantly intrigued me when I heard it was an F1 romance, I haven't read anything with this setting and I found the premise of a social media coming in to fix our main male lead's public image intriguing. In combination with the best friend's brother trope, I really thought this was going to be a hit for me. Simone Soltani's writing in engaging, the banter is witty, and I really commend how well the "world building" of the F1 setting was executed. Getting to know the different team mates as side characters was a delight and I enjoyed the subplot of Dev finding his place on the right F1 team.

The romance in this one fell a little bit flat for me personally because I felt like the pacing wasn't the best. Due to them previously knowing each other through Willow's brother, the attraction and love felt a little too "insta-love" for my personal preference and caused the last half to drag a little bit. I think a little more tension and'/or build up would have added to my investment in their love story. I would have also liked to see some more conversations where Dev and Willow got to know each other in a deeper, more emotional way. All in all, not a favorite but a solid debut and I would read more from this author!

Despite the promising premise of a Formula 1 romance, I found it difficult to connect with the characters and the overall story. I did appreciate the message of leaving a workplace where you don't feel appreciated, however, despite the depth of Dev's trials and tribulations, the story locked the charm needed to truly captivate me. The plot didn't manage to keep me intrigued because it seemed to just reiterate everything that had already been said, making it feel repetitive and a slow read.

Overall, Cross the Line had potential, but ultimately fell short of leaving a memorable impact.

Cross the line

After reading this I wish I was super into F1 & knew all about real racers bc the sport seems so interesting!!!!

This follows Dev & Willow who have known each other their whole lives—next door neighbors, parents are besties, they grew up together. While willow has always had a crush on Dev, he’s only just noticed her when she confessed her crush on him & they shared a kiss. Now that they’re working together things get complicated, but they can’t help their growing feelings!

I enjoyed this! I wasn’t sure what to expect because I feel like I went in blind besides knowing it was an F1 romance. I loved the chronic illness rep in this book! I thought it was well done & realistic! I also appreciated the tension & buildup to them being together. While I didn’t love the banter or the fact that these 2 seemed like they were teenagers rather than grown adults—I do think that the sports and media plot points made up for it. What can I say? I just really love a sports romance. There was a bit of spice but nothing over the top 1.5/5🔥

🏁read if you love
•brothers best friend
•he’s her boss / workplace
•forced proximity
•chronic illness rep
•F1 racing

🎧 I listened to the majority of this via audiobook. The narrators, Vikas Adam & Nerissa Bradley did a decent job. I felt like Nerissa seemed like she was a teenager (which is maybe why this read so YA?) otherwise I found no other issues with dictation or understand. Not the greatest narrators but not bad either. 4/5🎙️

Thank you so much Netgalley for the gifted advanced copy 🫶🏼

Pure perfection! I could feel the adrenaline of the track and the chemistry between Willow and Dev. Brother's best friend is one of my favorite tropes, and this scratched that itch perfectly. The love and familial relationship between Willow and Oakley felt just as developed as the romantic relationship, and it was the perfect amount of steamy and sweet!

F1 Driver Dev Anderson is struggling with his image after his old social media manager uploaded an ego-crushing post ( Fake STDs anyone?) Now he’s hired his best friend’s little sister to help rehabilitate his image.

As Willow travels the world with Dev in the hopes that this short-term opportunity will lead to her getting a dream job in marketing, she needs to work to repress the feelings she has for Dev. Because they both know that her brother will not be happy to find out they are in a relationship.

I love the Netflix series Drive to Survive, so I was thrilled to finally see the world of F1 represented in a romance! I loved guessing who the characters were inspired by. I’m pretty sure Danny Riccardo was the inspiration behind this one, or at least I think so! I can’t wait to see who is the main protagonist next time.

4⭐️ 2.5🌶

WELCOME TO FORMULA ONE ROMANCE BABY!!

Why I waited os long to get into this I will never understand because boy was I not ready for how good this book was going to be! First of all... the audiobook was absolutely AMAZING! Dual narration with excellent creators who have amazing voices and gave such life to these characters.

I felt at the end like I was at the wedding because the author did such a good job with the cultural references and the details of the story and settings that it painted such a good image in my head. I am not craving Indian food and some Bollywood movies, what a hard life I have.

I felt like I was back in Monaco and the French Riviera and ugh I truly wish I was and not writing this from the fluorescent lit office at home. This is the one thing I can't forgive Simone Soltani for and is that she went top the most beautiful part of France (in my humble opinion) and left us all reeling because we aren't there to enjoy the coast, while sipping a drink and having some of the most amazing food.

For someone completely new to Formula One and everything inside of it, I felt very comfortable with the terms and the background information the author gives us. You can clearly see she is a fan and has put a lot of time into research and incorporated everything so seamlessly into this gorgeous romance WHICH HAS SOME OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE TROPES!! Yes, I am looking at you "Brother's Best Friend" 🥵

The characters worked so so so well together. This was a prime example of good communication and a healthy relationship (minus the whole not telling her brother thing but they had their reasons lol) and their chemistry and tension was palpable!!

I loved it. I need a book about her brother ASAP. I cannot wait to continue this series!!

Do I know anything about Formula 1? Nope, not a bit. But that didn't stop me from taking one look at the cover, and one look at the description, and reading it anyway. And honestly, I thought it was delightful. I loved our leading couple, loved their chemistry, and truly appreciated that most the drama that was rocking the boat was external, and not internal feelings between the two. Everything was a teeny bit too tied up in a neat bow at the end, but not enough to seriously detract from this book.

This was cute. Nothing revolutionary, low stakes, but overall a really enjoyable read for romance fans. I loved the backdrop of the F1 world which I wasn't too familiar with but want to learn more about now.

2.75/3

F1 romance. It was okay and cute but wasn’t like reeling me in. I did love the South Asia representation and the chronic illness representation too.

It’s friends to lovers/ brothers best friend romance but that was the only reason they didn’t want to start a relationship? Like really? You are grown adults, you can make your own decisions, you don’t need your brothers permission. He’s not her father nor does he get a say on who she can and cannot date. To be respectful, maybe yes they should have told him but it wasn’t a necessity.

I did love that it was dual POV, one of my favorites. Dev was head over heels for Willow and vice a versa, you could feel how much love they had for each other. Sunshine x sunshine is cute and some of Devs quotes would melt me but I’m more of an enemies to lovers kind of girly.

Thank you Netgalley & Berkley Romance for the eARC!

This was a cute and fluffy book. Very low stakes and easy to read. I didn't love it but it was entertaining.

I liked that the book revolved around F1 which is a sport I have never read about before. I think my issue with this book is that the whole reason Dev and Willow's relation is kept a secret is her brother. I wasn't a fan of how he seemed to think he had any right to tell Willow who she can and cannot date. I also wish more time was spent explaining what happened with the boyfriend that started the drama in the first place.

Overall, this was a very average read but I can see why people would enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

When F1 driver Dev Anderson’s reputation is in jeopardy with his team and their sponsors he knows he needs to have a PR makeover to salvage his image and Willow Williams, his best friend’s younger sister, is the perfect person for the job. Willow has been trying to secure a sports marketing position for some time now and while Dev’s offer seems like the perfect job, she knows that being near him will not help ease the crush she has had on him since childhood. But she and Dev can keep things professional, right?

I have to give it to Simone Soltani because this might be the best portrayal of F1 in a book. And I loved that the MMC wasn’t a driver for a top team. But as an F1 fan, some of the parallels to the current grid and its drivers were quite easy to spot and I’m still not sure how I feel about that.

As much as I wanted to like the romance in this book, I just could not deal with how much weight was put on Oakley’s (Willow’s brother and Dev’s best friend) opinion. I understand that Willow’s previous relationship with someone in his friend group ended up causing a rift in their group and that this plays into how she feels about Oakley’s opinion but like y’all are adults!! When reading books with this trope, I need the couple to have another reason why they can’t be together besides the fact that they are scared of how their sibling is going to react, and Cross the Line, just didn’t have that.