I really wanted to love Double Apex, but unfortunately this just wasn't for me. I struggled to connect with the story, and ultimately DNF

Double Apex combines the high-speed thrills of Formula 1 racing with a forbidden workplace romance. The stakes are high with this fast paced story. Phaedra is the racing engineer and Cosmin is the driver. They must work together to win the races, but they become something more. There are a few spicy scenes. There is constant pressure of their professional roles and what the fallout could be if their relationship is exposed. For me it was hard to get into because the FMC was very unlikable in the beginning, after the word douche canoe I almost stopped reading 😆 Cosmin is a reformed playboy once he meets her. But she can’t let it go, her preconceived notions about who he is, is very frustrating throughout the book. There is a lot of push and pull from her and he’s been through a lot of past trauma. I really didn’t like how she spoke to him, calling him names and treating him horribly. Especially when he was abused as a child. It gets better toward the end, but I think Cos deserves better.

🏎️Formula 1
🏁Forbidden Workplace romance
🏎️Fast paced
🏁Dual POV
🏎️Forced Proximity
🏁He falls first
🏎️Spicy
🏁Trauma Grief loss

As a fan of F1 Racing but a reader that hadn’t encountered the sport entangled in a romance plot before this book, I was absolutely blown away. This book expertly tackles the subject of F1 Racing as well as the feelings of a whirlwind romance, elements of palpable tension and witty banter were ever-present which is something I look for in any good romance novel. I will be eagerly awaiting whatever is next for Josie Juniper and I sure hope we might get a connected story revolving around two canoodling side characters…. Iykyk. 🤣

Spicy F1 book coming through! Phaedra is one of the best F1 race engineers and Cosmin is the hotshot new driver. The two have an immediate loathe (or is a love) for one another that results in fun banter and an even more fun secret arrangement. I loved the alternating perspectives in the novel and felt that it added to the reader's overall understanding of the relationship that Phaedra and Cosmin shared. The POV also allowed the reader to see each MCs individual journey as they navigated the difficulties in their lives. Another notable aspect of the novel was the spicy scenes which were hot, sexy, fun, and plentiful.

As the first novel in the series this one definitely set the tone for those to come. I would definitely recommend it for fans of enemies to lovers, sports romance, workplace romance, forbidden romance, and spicy romance!

Phaedra & Cosmin, are full of banter with a hint of flirt and tension. When they come together they fit like a puzzle piece. It was super hot between them but also lovely. I melted everytime he called her draga mea. I enjoyed this story.

I dnfed. Both main characters were unbearable. I was suprised that this wasn't the authors first book. The writing was not great in my opinion. I'm pretty disappointed, I was looking forward to reading this one.

I really wanted to like this book, I was excited to read an F1 story, but sadly, I did not love it at all. I don't think the execution was great, where I did not feel anything between the two MCs. Sure, Cosmin had some good lines in his Romanian language, but that was about it. I did not like Phaedra as a person, especially how she had a pre-conceived perception towards Cosmin, and that was why she did not like him. Then after that, there was insta love - if you call it that, where it was just cringe in certain aspects.

Throughout the story, with her romantic and familial relationships and what should be tragic events that occur, I thought there could have been more emotion shown through Phaedra of what she was feeling. I felt a lot was left out and could have been expanded on, to really connect to her and these characters. Because of the lack of emotion, I lacked emotion for her.

I did enjoy the racing scenes, however, the one thing I didn't come away with was what exactly does a racing engineer do? I feel the author assumes the reader knows, which led me to looking up the role and duty of a race engineer. I do applaud Phaedra for being in male dominant career, even if it was part of her family business.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for an eARC of this book in exchange for my opinion.

Went in not knowing anything about F1 and came out wanting to go see F1 thanks to Cosmin and Phaedra.
Double Apex is an enemies to lovers, workplace romance that will have you kicking your feet.

I throughly enjoyed that the chapters were broken down to locations and the time it takes place in. Although it is a quick read the plot is developed through various months which I enjoyed.

I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for providing me with a copy of Double Apex to read and provide my honest review. This was my first Formula 1 book and it definitely will not be my last! I never thought I would find myself interested in the intricacies of F1 racing, but Double Apex has me sold on the sport. I feel like not only did this novel have a great romance, but was a great introduction to F1. As someone who knows close to nothing about F1, I thought that the descriptions of the sport were not only useful in understanding, but really helped me slip seamlessly into the story. I really liked how fast paced the story was, and I was actually quite sad when it was over. I want more of Phaedra and Cosmin!

I knew immediately I would love Phaedra and Cosmin. From the first page their banter was incredible and really helped build up the tension between them. I always love a reformed playboy that goes soft for his girl, but I felt like Cosmin and Phaedra were a lot more than that. They were really interesting characters. Cosmin wasn’t just limited to an athlete and Phaedra wasn’t just the girl that works on his team. They both had personal conflicts and familial relationships that made them dynamic and interesting; I adored that Phaedra was a woman in STEM! I loved the way Cosmin listened to Phaedra, believed in her brilliance and their love. Their communication was refreshing, and I always love a bit of snarky banter, so I feel like these two were the best of both worlds. Cosmin calling Phaedra draga was everything, and Phaedra learning Romanian was beyond sweet. I did not expect to cry while reading this book, so the tenderness of the story was a really nice surprise. I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to book 2!

2 🌟 This is my first sport/ F1 romance and I’m hoping this is just a fluke and not that the whole sub-genre isn’t for me. I requested this one because I loved the premise of a STEM girly being his race engineer with a forbidden romance element. Unfortunately, I just could not stand our FMC and that made the romance pretty hard to root for. A big part of that is she is just so mad all the time and says things that she doesn’t mean to hurt other people, pushing everyone away in the process. We didn’t really get to see much growth from her until the last 10% (if I’m being generous) of the book. Everyone alludes that she’s a genius, but I wish there was more showing instead of telling. The romance also felt extremely lusty which isn’t typically my preference (I cringed so hard at the comment about pennies iykyk). On top of all of that, the ending!? Absolutely not. I enjoyed the racing parts but felt like they took a backseat (car pun intended) to the romance. Overall, this was just not the book for me, and I won’t be recommending it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Forever for the ARC of Double Apex! All opinions in this review are my own.

I'm so glad I read this on vacation because as much as I wanted to take my time with it, I couldn't put it down! Josie Juniper expertly crafted her characters to be lovable and feel real. I love that Phaedra is an engineer but that her storyline also includes what it means for her father to own the team. Also, I know third act breakups normally get such a bad rep but this one actually broke me. I was so invested in Phaedra and Cosmin's story.

As if I wasn't already going to love this romance because it is set in the F1 world, there are also Breakfast Club and Lord of the Rings references!

I would already be excited for the sequel because I love Double Apex so much, but the fact that it focuses on the team principal character (who I am definitely reading as Toto-coded even if Klaus actually isn't) makes it even more exciting!

2.5 stars.
Y’all the fmc scared me. She was so mean and aggressive. The mmc was very patient with her, but omg they both need some help.

I loved the car in the rain scene, the very ending where they’re talking in the headset, and how she tried to learn Romanian to talk with him. Other than this, it was just back and forth arguing or her not thinking that they should be together.

I enjoyed this read. It was very different reading about race car drivers and romance for me. I saw the plot and wanted to expand my reading niches.

What I liked about the book? It was very fast paced. I didn’t think they drew out any part of the story. You knew what you were getting into and they were quick to take you there. I was pleasantly surprised to read about a Romanian and even pick up a few Romanian words!

This book did a great job of showing the typical misogyny in sports, even race car driving. I think for me the miss was how absolutely cliche it also was. That being said the spice and storyline was still great. AND I love that Josie is a PNW native!!

Thanks so much NetGalley and Forever| Grand Central Publishing for the eARC.

I really think you can do no wrong when you write a f1 romance!

Really, really enjoyed the chemistry between the couple and the fmc was one of my favorites!

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and lovable. The pacing was perfect and left you wanting to read more. I can't wait to read more by this author!

3.5 stars

Phaedra Morgan is one of the best Formula 1 engineers. She's also the daugther of the team owner. Despite wanting a female driver as their next signing, her dad overrules her and signs the cocky, smug Cosmin Ardelean. Of course sparks fly which they have to keep on the downlow.

There’s lots to like abotu Double Apex. I loved that the story moved around the racing circuit, the level of detail Josie Juniper has undertaken. For instance I live in Melbourne and she got the Herald-Sun right, also I was amused the hotel named is one I walk past quite a bit.

However, for me there were plot developments that I think were extraneous (and sadly one of those will be the focus of book two, which, IMO is a waste, I'd rather focus on the drivers), I also didn't like that there was less showing off Phaedra's talents, instead she was sidelined and more time was spent on sex scenes, which, I have no objection to, but got repetitive for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this and loved reading a book set in the racing world. If the author writes a third book, I will be keen to give that one a go.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Josie Juniper for the chance to read Double Apex early.

I enjoyed this book and appreciated the storyline. I love any book that features a woman in STEM!

I did find the FMC to be a bit of a hard read in how she treated other characters. But I did enjoy some parts of the romance between the main characters.

Overall, I think this book would be great for anyone who loves F1 and unlikable characters, it just wasn’t necessarily for me.

Ugh this is a toughie to review because I was loving it until I didn’t and then it was just a race to finish it, racing pun intended. As an F1 girlie, I loved the setting and the whole concept behind the book. There’s was a fight about halfway through that really made me dislike the female protagonist and sadly, it soured a good chunk of the rest of the book for me. If you’re an F1 or Drive to Survive fan and like romance, this could be a book you enjoy! It comes out in October 🏁🏎️

Lost me at 25% when she thinks she's
SPOILER

falling for a guy she can't have (the MMC), when up until that point, she has mostly negative feelings about him. Like when?! Did I blink and miss it?
Also, she needs to take a chill pill.
2 stars bc I was enjoying the F1 theme.

This book just wasn't for me unfortunately and I could never get into it. I'm sure some people would enjoy this book, just not me. Nothing personal against the author, just maybe her writing wasn't my cup of tea.