This was so fun! I knew absolutely nothing about F1 and yet I was drawn in and fascinated by the racing element of the book. I also think Simone did a great job of allowing us to get to know and understand the main characters quickly so that we were able to root for them immediately. I thought the banter and interactions between Willow and Dev were PRECIOUS. They really became best friends as they fell in love and I adore stories like that.

Ultimately this was a fast and fun read full of steam and tender moments! This made me want to read more F1 romances!

My first F1 book!! I didn't connect with the characters but it was a good story with cute tropes. A fun quick romcom read, perfect for F1 girlies.

I read this book on vacation and then completely forgot to leave a review. I love the book. I’m a huge sucker for sports romance so I was immediately drawn in. I love the representation this book has.

It also had most of my favorite tropes! Definitely will be buying a physical copy for my trophy I mean bookshelf.

I was eagerly anticipating the release of Cross the Line, and while I had high hopes for this debut novel, my feelings are mixed. Simone Soltani has crafted a well-written story, but it ultimately felt like a lot of vibes with not enough stakes to fully draw me in.

The novel follows Willow and Dev, childhood acquaintances brought together again by circumstance. Dev, who is Willow’s brother Oakley’s best friend, offers her a job as his social media manager to help repair his tarnished image. The story is filled with beloved tropes like brother’s best friend, forced proximity, and sports romance, with the added layers of a South Asian MMC, Black FMC, and chronic illness representation.

The relationship between Willow and Dev is undeniably sweet, and their interactions are often adorable. I appreciated how they both supported each other, with Dev’s humor shining through their dialogue. The bond they share, strengthened by years of history, felt genuine, and I found myself rooting for their happy ending. However, the extensive pining between the two often came off as whiny, which made it hard for me to stay fully invested in their romance.

Willow, with her caring and supportive nature, was easy to like, and Dev’s treatment of her was equally endearing. I particularly enjoyed the thoughtful portrayal of Willow’s hypermobility and the insight into the world of Formula 1 racing—both topics were handled with care and taught me something new.

That said, it took me some time to connect with the characters, and even then, I found the overall progression of their relationship a bit underwhelming. While there was no third-act breakup (which I usually appreciate), the dark moment was predictable and lacked the emotional punch I look for in a good romance.

The side characters added some fun to the story, but they couldn’t quite elevate my overall enjoyment. Cross the Line has its merits, especially for a debut, but it didn’t fully capture my heart. It’s a cute read, but one that may leave you wanting more.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕚𝕤𝕥:
Formula 1 driver Dev Anderson's career is in jeopardy after a social media scandal. To save his image, he turns to Willow Williams, his best friend's little sister and the woman he kissed a year ago. Willow, a recent college grad in need of a job, reluctantly agrees to help despite her long-standing crush on him.

Determined to keep things professional, Willow and Dev struggle to manage their old feelings and undeniable chemistry. But in the glamorous, high-stakes world of Formula 1, some lines are meant to be crossed.

𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤:
🏁 Formula One Romance
💞 Brother’s best friend
🤍 Childhood friends to lovers
😍 She falls first, he falls harder
🫶🏼 Diverse representation
👏🏼 No third act breakup

𝕊𝕚𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕣 𝕍𝕚𝕓𝕖𝕤:
📚 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝘆
📚 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:
This was my first f1 romance and I 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 it. I grew up dancing at NASCAR races and this brought me back to the car races I used to watch. It was also such a fun and sweet read!

Simone's writing is an excellent example of the importance of representation! I loved how the book celebrated diverse backgrounds, vividly portraying various cultures and experiences throughout the story. Willow's disability was depicted with great sensitivity. Despite dealing with hypermobility, she was never treated as incapable or an inconvenience. The support and understanding she received from those around her, especially Dev, who remembered how to assist her from their childhood, was so heartwarming. I loved how Willow and Dev's relationship developed gradually. It was so fun to see them together, and their connection felt perfect and genuine in every way.

There some moments where the pacing felt a little off Certain parts dragged, while others felt disjointed, making it seem like key details were missing. The "brother's best friend" conflict is heavily emphasized, almost to an annoying extent. However, I was so glad that there wasn’t a typical third-act breakup, which fit this story well.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆, 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗶, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗲𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄.

𝕄𝕪 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (𝟰/𝟱)

𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕖 ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘:
🌶️ (𝟭.𝟱/𝟱)

Thank you to Simone Soltani, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 ⭐️

This one was super cute! I’ve never read an F1 romance before but this was a good start. I loved how the author listed all the races for the schedule in the front of the book as well / such a fun detail!

Dev and Willow are childhood friends who reconnect a year after sharing a secret kiss. Willow has always had a thing for Dev and Dev, being down on his luck, finds himself needing a new social media manager, and what do you know - Willow is his go to girl.

This book was well paced, kept me intrigued throughout the whole story and even better, there was no third act breakup.

This was so much fun! Suddenly I need to become an F1 girly and it is all thanks to Simone!! I was hooked from the start of this, very impressive for a debut.

Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the e-ARC.

The Formula 1 aspect of it intrigued me much. The behind-the-scenes drama was both heartbreaking and interesting to see unfold. I loved their relationships with friends and family. I love how open and honest Dev is with Willow after he realizes that his emotions are real and cannot be avoided. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

A cute read. Took me a good while to get hooked on the story. I love a good forced proximity romance 😋

I found this book really enjoyable and refreshing! I'm a casual watcher of F1, but it was nice to see a sports romance actually put value in the sport itself rather than just using the sport as a trope. The inclusion of the racing felt important to both the plot and the characters, not just put in to fill a quota.

The relationship between these two characters was also very sweet. To see a male love interest have a healthy interest in the main character and healthy ideals of relationships was nice. I would've loved to see more of the history of their friendship, since it was hinted at so heavily. It would've added so much to what we did get to see.

I love dual pov in romance novels, but tend to prefer when it's not completely split dual povs. I like a glimpse every once in a while into another pov, but it was nice to watch the relationship develop from both character's povs.

I did find the book a little long and found it seemed a bit drawn out. There were a few scenes I thought weren't entirely necessary and maybe could've been skipped, but overall I enjoyed this book and the relationship between the two main characters and their side characters!

I had a range of feelings when it comes to this book but I'll start with my favorite parts. The F1 details in this was great. I felt like I really got a feel for what F1 is really like. Getting to see the inner workings of this sport was the best part, in my opinion. I got really invested in Dev's career and the turns that it took in this book. You could feel his frustration through the pages and you felt the same right alongside him. The romance between Willow and Dev was very cute and I like how they navigated their relationship.

I'm not a fan of brother's best friend and unfortunately this book displays the reasons why. No grown women should have her brother have that much influence on her dating life regardless if she chooses to date one of his friends. The constant inner dialogue surrounding this brother character was a bit much for me. Outside of that part of the book, I liked the rest.

This book pulled me out of a massive slump. It was fast paced, engaging, with lovable characters and sizzling chemistry. I simply could not put it down. I am not usually a fan of the "brother's best friend" trope, but I appreciated how it was handled in this book. The culmination went much smoother and more realistically than I expected it to.
This book ramps up the tension and chemistry between Willow and Dev masterfully, keeping you on the edge of year seat, desperate to see what will finally push them over the edge. However, this is well balanced with a deep friendship that evolves between the characters, and I also really appreciated how we got to see them connect on an emotional level as well as a physical one.
Willow, the FMC, has EDS, and I enjoyed the representation. It's not a major theme of the book, but it is a solid through-line and effects her and the story in a way that felt natural and well done.

Let's get the not so great stuff out of the way first. I think the dual timeline made the first half of this book drag. Nothing really happened that required that much setup. But if you're an F1 fan you might enjoy it.

Overall the book was maybe slightly too long but at around the 50% mark that's where things started moving. We got a little big of mystery is this sabotage or is the car bad? Who is coming for Dev? The STI "joke" turned a corner and had a really good message even though these 2 had unprotected sex 🫤. The ending while not a cliffhanger I'm ready for book 2.

Who doesn't like a forbidden romance? I know I do. This was a really cute read. It started off jumping right into the FMC (Willow) and MMC (Dev) having already shared a kiss and the MMC not being able to get her out of his head. And of course they aren't able to do anything about it because of the complicated nature of the friendship between the MMC and the FMC's brother.

After that the story fast forwards months later and they are forced to be in close proximity of one another and the feelings they shouldn't have for one another only grow stronger. Willow and Dev realize it's harder than they thought to fight what they've both been feeling for a really long time.

At times the banter could be a little awkward but overall it was such a cute story. I enjoyed the backstory of the relationship between the characters, the build up between the characters, the writing style, and the pacing of the writing. It was cute how they were both so invested in helping the other grow professionally. It wasn't just an attraction based on looks are wanting to be physical. As a reader I could really see their foundation.

I was very entertained and will be looking forward to other works from this author.

This book was such a fun read. The chemistry between Dev and Willow made me squeal! I was so giddy reading them not act on their true feelings. It made for great tension. More than that, Simone has written such realistic, nuanced, and lovable characters that it felt like I knew them. Even our side characters took up enough space that you wanted to keep getting to know them. I also learned a lot about Formula 1 and I think I might be an F1 girl now *gasp*. The banter was top notch and not cringey at all which I LOVED. the pacing was perfect and nothing felt rushed or too slow.

I loved that there wasn’t really any miscommunication. Dev and Willow were just trying to please everyone else around them by denying what they both felt for each other. Having both main characters be brown made this even better because I could actually relate to what they were going through in their separate journey’s as well. I love reading black and brown people fall in love. I’ll definitely be reading anything else that Simone writes as well. 5 ⭐️!

As a Formula 1 fan, this book was very well researched and the author's inclusion of pseudonyms made the reading experience so fun and close to home! The races and overall race weekends depicted in the book were both immersive and used the readers' prior knowledge to the author's advantage. That being said, if the reader has never watched Formula 1 or Drive to Survive, the narrators will still give enough information about the sport for the reader to follow along.
The romance aspect of this book was so sweet and I was rooting for the characters the entire way through! Childhood-friends-to-unrequited crush-to-lovers is one of my favorite romance tropes and Soltani did a great job with this one! I can't wait to read on to book 2!

This was such an adorable read! Willow and Dev were absolutely sweet and fun to follow, and their chemistry was just perfect. I especially loved that in Dev’s POV, you can actually see him falling for Willow beyond just physical attraction, which made the romance feel so much more genuine. The spice was great, too! Although it’s a brother’s best friend forbidden romance, the forbidden aspect felt a bit light since there weren’t many interactions between Dev and Willow’s brother, Oakley. If Oakley had been more involved, it would have added more tension to the romance. But overall, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f contemporary romance
-older brother's best friends
-F1 romance
-workplace romance
-childhood crush
-forbidden romance elements
-the one that got away
-mutual pining
-slow burn
-chronic illness rep

Have I ever watched a single F1 race? Nope. But gosh did I enjoy this so much, the right amount of action and explanation I could completely understand what was going on. Simone's writing has an effortlessness to it, it gave Hannah Grace slice of life vibes and I mean that as the biggest compliment. I adore brother's best friend and just ate this up.

Dev's career needs some saving and who better to save it than Willow who needs a social media job to start filling out her resume. The pining between these two as they tried to fight the attraction. Willow might have fallen first but gosh did Dev fall harder. Every time he spoiled her and just thought the world of her, jsut the softest cinnamon roll of a simp. You can't help but cheer these two on. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Reading this during the summer break really helped with the F1 sized hole in my heart I’ve been enduring. A delightful sports romance that gave me the warm fuzzies. A different take on the brother’s best friend and I loved it. I was genuinely worried when Oakley found out and how that was going to play out but I was pleas talk surprised that the toxic masculinity was no way to be found! My only drawback was how much them not being together *because of Oak* took away from them. I feel like he was lurking in a way that didn’t further the romance. Other than that I had so much fun in this adjacent F1 world and will absolutely be reading more of Simone’s book.

A cute, cozy formula 1 romance with great representation.

The way Dev cares for Willow and is always aware of what she needs/how to help ease her discomfort from her disability without treating her differently is so well written. I love an MMC that's just obsessed with the FMC which it's clear Dev is from the way he pays attention to her and thinks/talks about her constantly. Plus, he wants her to succeed and be happy even if the best way to do that means keeping some distance between them for the time being. Willow's character is so lovable; she's fun, smart, and super supportive. She's really good at what she does and she always has Dev's back. I like the genuine care the two have for each other as childhood friends and how it shows up in every interaction - even before anything romantic. The romance takes its time to develop which made me more invested. If you're looking for a quick sports romance read, then Cross the Line should be on your tbr.

*brother's best friend
*friends to lovers
*f1 racing
*disability rep
*second chance
*dual POV
*forbidden love (sort of)

Thank you Berkley for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.