Thank you to netgalley and forever for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

An F1 forbidden romance about an engineer and a driver, this sounded like my perfect book, but unfortunately it wasn’t. The technical F1 aspects of this book are really well researched and well explained. As a new F1 fan I learned information about the tracks and the cars and strategies which I really enjoyed. My favorite part was the technical F1 discussions. Unfortunately even those aspects didn’t make this book enjoyable.

Phaedra is one of the most selfish, unlikable and awful main characters I’ve ever read. She is dealing with some family issues which would put anyone on the edge but that doesn’t excuse her physical abuse, awful comments, and temper tantrums on almost every page. While she’s 32, she is extremely immature and she speaks like she’s trying to be Gen-Z. When she isn’t being rude to her co workers or her friends her dialogue is so stilted and cringey. Additionally, she continuously puts down other women in moments of jealously rudely commenting on their bodies and outfits. As a woman in Motorsport trying to make her way in a male dominated field I would have expect better from her. Additionally, we get very little time with Phaedra as the engineer, I wish there would have been more moments where we see her doing her job.

The MMC Cosmin is very introspective and we don’t get much of his feelings. He has a rough childhood and I wish his feelings were explored more. English is not his native language which is continuously mentioned and perhaps the author was trying to emphasize but the way his dialogue and inner thoughts were written were so stiff it came off as robotic.

While this is an enemies to lovers story, it is also somehow insta love? When the book starts they are already enemies and soon become infatuated with each other quickly. Their relationship is unbelievable and I was not rooting for their relationship. There were also instances of physical abuse that were glossed over that really needed to be discussed. The characters had clunky dialogue, and cringey spicy scenes. It was extremely difficult to finish reading this book because the characters were insufferable.

I think this book suffered from too many side storylines. The storyline between Phaedra’s friend Natalie and Klause was so clunky, you could tell it was setting up for the second book but it was poorly done and I had no connection to it. Additionally Phaedra and Natalie’s friendship is poorly developed and I was not rooting for their friendship. Cosmin’s sister Viorica’s storyline was not what I expected. I can’t even get into the specifics but it was so out of left field it threw me off and if it was going to be discussed it needed more time because it seemed extremely complex.

Overall not the book for me but someone who likes F1 might enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I caught it when it was available for Read Now.

I always love a F1 romance, especially when it’s forbidden. It’s a little hate to love on Phaedra’s side. She’s an engineer for her father’s team and she falls for the Romanian driver. I really enjoyed the story, with the FMC learning Romanian for the hero. He was great!

There were just too many “break ups” for me to give this 5 stars but it’s a spicy fun time with some other deep subjects covered, including loss of a loved one.

I’m not a motorsport girl, but this one had me at the edge of my seat! I definitely enjoyed this ride.

Juniper does such a wonderful job incorporating racing elements in a way that feels very easy for non-motorsport folks to grasp. I didn’t feel like it was too technical, and I imagine it was just enough for those who are familiar with this sport. It was thrilling and exciting. I’m glad we got to experience a good chunk of actual racing!

Phae and Cos. What a long road these two have traveled, from caustic co-workers, to reluctant friends, to “distraction”, to lovers. Having to dodge and weave through realities such as being a woman in a male dominated field, family, their respective careers and goals, and just life in general, made me root hard for them. Juniper does a marvelous job humanizing these characters, particularly Phaedra, my Angry Girl™. Loved her. Appreciated her.

This book is dynamic and electric. The love story is tender and fierce.

Thank you for the ARC, Forever! Bring on book 2!!

CW: Illness and death of a family member, past childhood abuse (minimal details)

Math prodigy Phaedra Morgan is one of the top race engineers in Formula 1. She's intelligent, sharp-witted, and always to the point, especially with her team's arrogant driver, Cosmin Ardelean. New to the team, Cosmin is notorious for his romantic escapades and carefree demeanor. However, his arrogance conceals deep secrets, including a troubled past and his long-standing desire for Phaedra since their first encounter. Unable to have her, he provokes her instead, relishing any reaction he elicits. The mounting tension between them is straining not only their professional relationship but also affecting the entire team. They enter into a clandestine arrangement, keeping things casual as any romantic involvement is strictly prohibited. With everyone watching, their secret is bound to be revealed, especially as their feelings grow beyond casual.

I absolutely adored Cosmin and Phaedra! One of my favorite micro-tropes is when a guy has been secretly yearning for a girl and finally gets to confess his feelings. And when Cosmin spoke Romanian to her and she started learning it? So cute. Phaedra was intense and quirky at times, but incredibly endearing. She had a lot of emotions and didn't always express them well, but she grew and took risks with Cosmin. The book also explores themes like preparing for the loss of a loved one, grief, an abusive childhood, and sexual assault, so definitely check the content warnings beforehand. It was all beautifully handled, and I can't wait for the next story in the series!

A solid 3.75 read for me. Overall I really enjoyed the book, it kept me engaged and read it in one sitting. Beware…minor spoilers ahead.
The things I loved:
Simple F1 terminology that wouldn’t confuse someone who had little to no background knowledge of the sport. When there were races, it felt easy to read and focused on Cosmin again preventing confusion by introducing 19 other drivers into the mix.
I know there wasn’t a heavy focus on Klaus and Natalia, but I really liked their dynamic and excited about their story. I really can’t wait to see where their story takes us.
I do really love that when Cosmin falls, there is no wavering on his end. He a ride or die for Phaedra. I also wish Phaedra got to see the draft emails he would write to her. Especially since he was writing them for a while.
The family at the beach…that’s all I will say because that part felt so real. I absolutely loved that part of the book.

Now the part I never like doing, but the things I did not particularly enjoy:
I wish Cosmin had a little bit more depth. We were given insight into his childhood but I didn’t get a good sense on how that upbringing shaped who he became. I would have also loved to see more of that internal battle of the persona he played into vs who be became/was in private. Cosmin could have been more dimensional in my opinion, his past and the his growth could have shined more.

I am taking into account her lack of social skills due to her upbringing and environment when I say this. Phaedra was insufferable at times (for me). The dash of “I’m not like other girls” is fine but when it’s used in comparison to her sister, her bff or any woman who was interested in Cosmin…just felt off. You can definitely be an intelligent woman and not call another woman names (bimbo or penguin). Equally did not like emoji girl talked down to Phaedra about how she dressed. Both extremes are equally unbearable to me.

Now I don’t think I need this for every book but sometimes a good grovel is what I need. I wanted Phaedra’s big stance to be more. I wanted Cosmin to be upset longer because ultimately what she did in Austin was…just mean. I see why she pressured herself to leave but HOW she did it, I was hoping for a good I’m sorry performance. What the author gave was cute nonetheless but I just wanted a better I’m sorry and I found something in my email that made me change my mind.

I'm a huge Formula 1 fan and I was really intrigued by this premise: a Formula 1 female engineer falls for a Formula 1 driver. I loved the idea of the female engineer and the STEM components of this book, but it was a huge miss for me. So much so that I can't believe this passed to be published. This reads like a fanfiction and not in a good way. Both of the main characters are unlikeable. Phaedra is described as a character you should like, because she's a female engineer and super smart and loves Formula 1. Well, she isn't. She was quite annoying throughout the book. Cosmin is described as intense and committed but he's actually a giant jerk and borderline domestic abuser. It comes across as gross and I did not like him at all. I really didn't feel the chemistry between these two either. It was way too instalove for me and lack of communication and boundary pushing made it even worse. The dialogue was horrible and it was poorly written. The one highlight for me was that the Formula 1 descriptions and aspects of the book were really good. The author really did well with these details. I'm really sad because I was really looking forward to this and thought it would be so good but it just wasn't.

Thank you to NetGalley, Josie Juniper, and Forever for the eARC of this book.

2.75 stars

Too many of the moments that MAKE a romance book a romance book were in hyperdrive & while I know this is an F1 romance, I won't sacrifice the chemistry build-up and special moments for that. I just feel that those moments were rushed and really hindered the love I could have had for the couple.

Also, I do think she was a tad too aggressive and mean to her friend, and to Cos quite a lot of the time. And while she did acknowledge it her saying she can't expect not to get the princess treatment and then cry when it's gone, I found it late in the game and missing in other areas after.

This was a huge miss for me and I should have just DNF’d. I didn’t like the dialogue and just couldn’t take this romance seriously.

An easy, speedy read that’s Formula 1 meets Ali Hazelwood. It’s accessible and over-the-top. The dialogue and characters feel like they’re out of fan fiction rather than reality, but some readers will love that.

As an F1 fan, I'm always on the lookout for romances that do it justice. I was excited to this on NetGalley and thought I'd give it a try. I enjoyed the story overall and appreciated that it did F1 justice by including details about racing team hierarchy/staff, engineers, and racing strategy. It did seem like there were several side plots that felt unnecessary or extreme, but I imagine they were there to likely set up other books. I enjoyed Phaedra and Cosmin as a couple, and I can say with certainty that I didn't think Romanian was hot until now.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

This is a thrilling debut that seamlessly blends romance with the high-octane world of Formula 1. The dynamic between the F1 racer and his female race engineer is both tender and electric, drawing readers into a story filled with passion and emotion. What sets this book apart is Juniper's ability to humanize the characters, particularly the flawed protagonist Phaedra, making her journey relatable and engaging. With its captivating storyline and authentic portrayal of the racing world,

This book had me crying on the Metro North on my way home from the city. Other than that, it was cute, it was spicy, it was all the F1 fun you can imagine. Cosmin was such a sweetheart. Then there was Phaedra Morgan, total badass. Their love story was adorable and I cannot wait for Nat and Klaus’ book! The side story with Phaedra and her dad broke my heart. Even through the hard times in brought her family closer. But anytime they mentioned her dad I felt like crying. And poor Klaus too. I loved it how it was a spicy love story but also such a heart wrenching story about a family.

While I loved the premise of this book, and really wanted to love it, it ended up just having lots of storylines that didn’t start out and build.

I wanted to like Phaedra more, I really did. She had all the makings of being fantastic, but at times it was hard to root for her. A lot of unfortunate things happened in her life, but it was all just dumped without much exposition. She did, however, have fantastic growth, which I could appreciate!

Cosmin’s character was great, even if his motivations didn’t always make sense. He fell and fell hard for Phae, which I always love to see. He was truly fantastic.

Even though I didn’t quite love the story of Phae and Cos, I was captivated by the back story line of Nat and Klaus. Good thing they’ll have book 2! I’m invested in their relationship already.

Overall, the book is fine, and if you love Formula 1, give it a try!

Thanks Forever for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the role reversal with a female grump and the backdrop of racing. However, Phaedra did start to drag on me by the end and I didn’t feel a strong chemistry and I didn’t buy into their relationship. It all felt a bit forced. Not a fave for me

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for a copy of this ARC

I loved this book so much I don't even know where to begin. First off, love an F1 moment. Second off, love to see women in motorsport, especially as a race engineer! People can talk about nepo babies all the want *cough Lance Stroll cough* and how they shouldn't be in the sport, but also, a lot of them are genuinely masters at what they do (looking at you, Carlos and Max).

Phaedra and Cosmin have such a beautifully woven story all the way from begrudging coworkers. As a reader, we get to witness them not only fall in love, but also deal with the realities of life, family, being a woman in the workplace, and dealing with finding the balance between it all. This book will be great to help fill the winter break void (because you'll want to read it more than once).

Josie Juniper does a great job of incorporating technically accurate elements of racing without being tooooo technical, while also including enough broad stroke details for a beginner to keep up with everything as well. Kind of like Will Buxton coming along for the ride with us during the book almost but with a much steamier finish line, haha. Would definitely recommend for anyone that loves a good workplace trope, enemies to lovers situation, forced proximity because of a traveling circus (the sport's words, not mine), forbidden romance, or Drive to Survive. Actually, I think I may go give it another re-read right now...

Thank you so much to Forever for sending me an advance copy!

This book will be published on October 8th, 2024.

I think this is the first time that I have read an arc months and months in advance. And this was just such a fun time!!
I am not sure how to describe the writing style of this book but it felt different compared to other romances and other romances from Forever.

"Closing your eyes won't conceal you, sweet girl. I'll find you anyway."

I love the tension between the FMC, Phaedra and the MMC, Cosmin! This had a few of my favorite tropes: workplace romance, sports related and enemies to lovers! Phaedra was such a boss B who is also the daughter of the team owner but she had held her own as a race engineer. She is all about the business and takes such pride in what she does. She especially did not like Cosmin's playboy antics and the show he would give to the cameras. Cosmin comes across as this cocky,

Even though the romance was the primary focus of the book each character had their own side stories that were a focus. Phaedra's father had become ill and as the team owner there was also the business element of when he would eventually pass what would happen to the team. My heart broke for Phaedra as there was so much happening at once: this blossoming relationship with someone who she knew she shouldn't be with, losing her father, and another element the bruised relationship with her best friend Natalia.

Cosmin did not have the best upbringing and with that he was really close with his sister. And we learn over the course of the book about what happened when he was younger and then his sister also says her side of things as she is older than him. Even while dealing with his past & it blended into his present, he was also there for Phaedra.

I thought there was a good a balance of all the side items with the romance.

"I'd like to be friends."
"That's dangerous."
"So is racing. So is life."

I really love Phaedra and Cosmin as a couple. We learn fairly early on that Cosmin was smitten but even though he was into her, she would not give in. Their rocky relationship was putting a strain on their communication during the races which was not translating into podium wins. Once they let down their guard and their attraction to each other, that was when the magic happened. I understood Phaedra's hesitancy because of the work dynamic piece of it. They were so incredibly hot together. Phaedra kept trying to resist her feelings but Cosmin refuses to believe that their occasional hook ups were it. I love that Cosmin was Romanian as I feel like I do not see that nationality showcased in most romance and with that comes the language. I really hope this gets an audiobook because I would LOVE to hear how the male narrator says the Romanian phrases.

F1 is a growing trend in romances and I can see it continuing into 2025. And you bet I will be reading as many as I can get my hands on!

I am looking forward to the next book in the series as that one could be VERY interesting!

4.5

I will start by saying that I love Formula 1 so so much. This in fact was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I think it didn't blow me away as much as I wanted I to. I might reread it before release and hopefully I'll like it more.

I had a couple of issues in the first maybe 20%. I felt like Cosmic didn't respect Phaedra as an engineer. A person that makes innuendo comments to his engineer gross, I'm kind of glad that attitude changed once they kissed. Now Phaedra also in the beginning didn't respect Cosmin and calls me stupid cause she is STEM girlie and he is just a driver. I think those are the small details in the beginning that didn't make this a 5 star read.

WE LOVE AN F1 BOOK WHERE HE IS FROM A MIDFIELD TEAM BECAUSE THEY NEED LOVE TOO!

Now once we get to the actual relationship and actual romancing of this book. I did enjoy it. (Was it weird that he asked if she was fertile? yes.) I say check the TW before starting this because Phaedra does work through finding out her dad has terminal cancer, and his death in this book.

Overall, it was fun. I would recommend. I will reread this before release day.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

didn't love this as much as i was hoping to! the pacing threw me off a bit and i found the chemistry to be unbelievable between our main characters. the switch from rivals to lovers was a bit clunky and a little too insta-love for me. there was no build up and a lot of the inner monologues from both characters dragged for me. found myself skimming a good amount since i didn't really connect with any of the characters.

unfortunately, a miss for me. thanks forever pub for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I'm a STEMInist first, human second and I absolutely devoured this debut!

I was instantly drawn into the premise (F1 racer and his bad ass, female race engineer). I was heartbroken to see that early ARC reviews of this stated the didn't like the FMC. Honestly, I think it was ultimately my favorite part- Josie Juniper's ability to really humanize Phaedra. And to be honest, I saw a lot of myself in her. She was self destructive and too self-aware of it. I knew instantly this was intentional. This affected almost every single relationship she had. I'd hope if you happen to read this and don't also see yourself in Phae, you'd at least empathize with her (even just a little). ❤️‍🩹

The romance was tender and the dynamic between these two was electric. Truly FULL STEAM AHEAD.

I loved that you didn't necessarily have to be the biggest, die-hard F1 fan to follow the story, but the little details (the grand prix circuits and minor technical things, etc.) never felt too overpowering for me. If anything, it enhanced the story and made me more intrigued about the sport and Josie's passion seeped through the pages.

Thank you endlessly to Caroline and Dana at Forever Pub for the advanced copy!! ♥️🏎️🏁

3.5 stars rounded up!

This Formula 1 romance was unique in a lot of ways! I have yet to read a race engineer x driver trope until now, and it allowed for some great tension due to the forced proximity and how BOTH of their jobs were dependent on their ability to communicate. Another unique aspect was that it was the FMC, Phaedra, that struggled more with the communication, and I honestly felt myself really disliking for her. I feel that Juniper could've better explain the "why" behind this behavior, but as a reader I caught on eventually. After I put in the work to analyze Phaedra's character more, I disliked her less and found myself resonating with her in some unexpected ways.

Our MMC, Cosmin, was the F1 driver book boyfriend of my DREAMS! He really stole the show for me in this book, hitting on so many of my favorite tropes in romance novels. Boy obsessed, tortured hero, not-so-subtle pining? SIGN ME UP!

I respected how well Juniper portrayed the dynamic of an F1 team and she was super accurate in the descriptions of driving the car, racing strategy, and team hierarchies. As an avid fan of the sport, I loved that she did not shy away from using super technical terms!