4.5 Stars As soon as I saw in the description that Double Apex is a Formula 1 romance, I was sold. Add in the fact that the FMC is a woman in STEM and the MMC's race engineer? *chef's kiss*

Math prodigy Phaedra Morgan is one of the best race engineers in Formula 1. She's brilliant, witty, and direct to the point, especially when it comes to her team's cocky driver, Cosmin Ardelean. Cosmin is new to the team and well known for his romantic exploits and carefree attitude. But Cosmin's cockiness is hiding his secrets--namely, his haunted past and the fact that he's wanted Phaedra ever since he first met her. Since he can't haver her, he needles her instead, pleased with any reaction he gets from her. The tension between the two reaches a boiling point and is affecting not only their bond as driver and engineer, but the rest of the team as well. The pair strike up a secret arrangement, keeping things casual since any sort of relationship between the two is forbidden. With all eyes on them, their secret won't be able to stay hidden for long, especially as things slip out of their control and their feelings are less casual.

I freaking loved Cosmin and Phaedra! A fave micro-trope of mine is when the guy has been pining after the girl for so long and he finally has the chance to tell her about his feelings. Also, when he spoke Romanian to her and she began to learn? Adorable. Phaedra was intense and weird at times, but so lovable. She has a lot of feelings and didn't always express them in the best way, but she learned and took chances with Cosmin. The book also deals with preparing for the loss of a loved one, grief, an abusive childhood, and SA, so definitely read the content warnings ahead of time. It was all beautifully well done and I'm so excited for the next story in the series!

Double Apex was such a unique read; in the end I was at a loss for words. It’s a book that takes on the very harsh topics of loss in real time and the grief that comes with it, a non sugar coated view of what it’s like for a woman to work in a very male dominated field, and how opening yourself up to changing your view of someone you once misunderstood can change the trajectory of your life. Josie created a world of characters that really connected with me as a reader through a range of emotions, and even in the unhappy times, I truly understood the humanity of their experiences.

This was a story of incredibly passionate main characters who wore their full range of emotions-through the ups and the downs- on their sleeves. Phaedra and Cosmin were an incredible depiction of the reverse grumpy x sunshine trope.

I went into this book expecting an F1 workplace romance and came out of it with a lot more. Josie wrote in a way that made the reader invested in more than just the love story, but in the holistic wellbeing of all of the characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next in this series.

*I would truly caution the reader to look into the content warnings.*

Oh hey it’s meeeeeee I’m reading this for work! Aaaaaaand there's a character limit on reviews here are some more words

F1 romances are entering the chat and I’m all about it! I was so excited to see this one land on my kindle and then proceeded to read it in one day.

Synopsis: Phaedra is all about the data as a race engineer for Emerald F1, a position that requires her to be completely in tune with her driver. Except, her driver is Cosmin, an up and coming driver with a bit of a playboy attitude. Forced to rise above their differences, they concoct a plan to hopefully land the team some podiums this season.

I love the tension in a good enemies to lovers and this definitely had tension. Cosmin and Phaedra had the banter and fire from the very beginning.

Seeing how the main characters pushed each other to be better versions of themselves was so sweet! They truly felt destined for each other. 💓

There were some family things that came up that definitely hurt my heart but added so much depth to the book. I appreciate a romance that can pull at your emotions a bit and really make you feel invested in the HEA.

My tiny complaint is that while I loved the Romanian language (there was a good amount), half the time I ended up using Google translate to see what Cosmin was saying which got a little cumbersome to be flipping back and forth 🤪

+ F1 driver x race engineer
+ hate-to-love
+ workplace romance
+ draga mea (iykyk)
+ spicy
+ dual pov

Thank you to @readforeverpub for the eARC 🤍

this book was a rollercoasterrrr… but in the best way! it was kinda refreshing to have a FMC who was more sharp tongued than the MMC. Phae & Cos’s love was explosive to say the least but throughout the crazy drama in each other’s side stories, they were each other’s constant. when it came to romance, the passion was THERE. i also think the author touched nicely on how grief affects people in different ways as both MC’s experienced their own forms. also also, big ups for female empowerment, putting the FMC in such a high position in this male dominated field!