This was pretty good, but I had some real issues with the FMC. She was so unnecessarily rude. It really gave bad vibes to the book and women in stem. It seemed like she never had anything nice to say to the MMC. They were supposed to be in love and I had a hard time believing it. If you can overlook that, it was a good time!

Double Apex by Josie Juniper is a sweet sports/workplace romance with enemies-to-lovers trope that was seriously the best kind of story!
A sizzling debut that was so hard to down.
I was captivated from the beginning to the very end.

Thank You NetGalley and Forever for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

She's the daughter of the team owner and the team engineer and he's the new hot shot driver for the F1 team... they absolutely hate each other... and kind of want to sleep with each other as well. Phaedra Morgan is the daughter of the team owner and a genius race engineer for the same team. When her dad hires the handsome cocky new hot shot driver, she isn't happy at all and she especially hates how he gets under her skin. Cosmin Ardelean is a talented driver who is famous for his off track romantic exploits and his on track skills. Yet underneath his carefree mask is someone who has had to deal with a rough childhood and has been in love with Phaedra since he met her... if only he could get her to give him a chance. When the pair decide to strike a secret "coworkers with benefits" because if they get caught one of them will have to leave the team... things get complicated as Cosmin wants to get Phaedra to see he is in this for the long run while she is all too happy to keep it casual. This book broke my heart because I couldn't stand it. I have to say, as someone who absolutely adores F1... this was not it. Both the leads were not great, Phaedra more so, being insufferable, a terrible friend, a whiny coworker, and the nepo baby privilege was unreal. Phaedra was rude, condescending, and just annoying. Cosmin was sexually harrasing her for a lot of it, and despite his horrible backstory, he really should be banned from the team. I didn't like the leads, I didn't care for their romance, scenes in this book were just unbearable to read, and the fact that I forced myself to finish this book in hopes that it would get better was a miracle. This book just left a bad taste in my mouth and I will not be reading the rest of the books in the series. If you like f1 romances... stay away trust me you'd be better off.

Release Date: October 8,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) | Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Double Apex by Josie Juniper
Contemporary romance. Alternating POV. Stem.
Phaedra Morgan is a race engineer in Formula 1. One of the only women in the field. With the job and male dominated sport, she gets a lot of push back but her degree, the support of the owner and math prodigy experience proves she has the skills necessary. She also gets a lot of flirty comments and men that think they know more than her. She needs to keep her cool.
Cosmin Ardelean is known for his on-track wizardry, as well as his romantic exploits. He hadn’t considered her more than a nuisance in his ear until he’s forced to spend time working with her. Their working together leads to a forbidden arrangement that can’t be hidden for long. Do they walk away or speed through for the ultimate win?

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The narrative is performed by Jonathan Lake and Mackenzie Cartwright in alternating POV’s. Both do a great job with voices and cadence. I did listen at 1.5 to more closely match my reading speed.

One of the best things about audiobooks over reading a print version is a narrator’s accent for a character. That accent of Cosmin was not at all what I got from reading and it helped me to remember over and over Formula 1 and European tracks. I’ve been to Monaco and Indianapolis and they are vastly different racing venues. So for this book, I recommend the audiobook version.

Much of the relationship angst was lack of communication. Once they got past that, they both grew to appreciate the other more and build a bit of much needed trust. More work required.
Rocky and eventually smooth sailing past the flag.
A twist on sports romance. Enticing.
3.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Hachette Audio.

I had no problems with the author’s writing style or anything. I just really disliked the characters. There were many parts that made me outwardly cringe that I really struggled through. There were also some parts that just made me a bit uncomfortable, mostly some of the “flirty” and spicy scenes. I also feel obligated to mention that that FMC straight up attacks the MMC and then blames him for it, which is insane behavior. This book was just not for me, but maybe it will be for others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Phaedra has grown up in the Formula 1 world with her team owner father and has become a prominent engineer on his team. When Phaedra and new driver Cosmin clash they have to figure out a way for them to communicate in order to be successful on the track. This leads to secret hookups in famous cities all around the world throughout the season. But with Phaedra’s lack of emotional intelligence and Cosmin’s carefree attitude that hides a serious side can the two make it to the finish line, or will they crash and burn?

I am not a big sports romance fan, but I was automatically sucked into this steminist romance. I loved how the book took us through the entire race season and to all the different cities and countries. I also appreciated how the characters had to self-reflect and work on vocalizing their needs with each other. Successful relationships takes work, and this book is a testament to that.

Wow! I wasn’t expecting to have all the feelings with this one. It’s a rollercoaster of emotion. The author is able to develop messy characters that you laugh, cry, and cringe with. I know nothing about racing and sometimes that was over my head but still enjoyed. The main character, Phaedra is at times unlikable. She does have some good growth throughout the story. Looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this eARC!

Double Apex is a spicy dive into the world of F1 racing.

Double Apex is a delightful read that had everything I look for: an interesting premise, fabulous setting and really strong main leads with a dynamic supporting cast. I really enjoyed the premise of the F! Team and learning more about a sport I know very little about. I enjoyed the women in STEM action and seeing strong women who work hard and know what they deserve. I loved both Phaedra and Cosmin, even though they are difficult main characters. Phaedra is a homeschooled genius whose father owns the racing team. She’s a brilliant engineer and deserves her job based on her own merit. She certainly doesn’t act like the owner’s daughter; she acts less like a princess and more like a sheltered genius who really doesn't understand how relationships work. Cosmin is the product of an Eastern European upbringing and some pretty severe childhood abuse and trauma. They are flawed and realistic characters. What I didn’t love was that I didn’t see enough of their character growth throughout the book. Phaedra, even when she gets a pretty major promotion, behaves like a 17-year-old in their first job who is railing against the world. She acknowledges her flaws but seems to struggle to understand how to change her actions. Cos also has a lot of layers but seems to struggle with how to move and grow as an adult and not act like a hurt child. They are both in their 30s.

That led into their relationship. The scenes are hot and their lust/ attraction is palpable on the page. I actually loved watching them go from enemies to lovers and seeing them work around all of the reasons why they shouldn’t be together. Phaedra has not had a lot of relationships both romantic and platonic and it was hard to watch her struggle with how to be a good partner and friend in a relationship. Josie was fearless in showing us Phaedra’s lack of understanding of certain parts of a relationship and how you have to not be selfish all the time if you want a relationship to work. She grows and learns, but I would have liked to see a bit more of it on page. Cosmin is the same. The man appears almost like a gross playboy at the beginning, but his internal thoughts show you that a lot of it is an act. He goes through some rough patches in the story and again, while we see where he ends up, I would have liked to see more of that growth on the page. I think it would have really fleshed him out even more because he’s a fabulous and different main hero than I’ve seen in a while on the page.

The other area I wish I had seen more on page is Phaedra at work. There was some cool insights into the F! Series and what a race looks like and the different cities that they travel to, but I wanted to see more of the genius Phaedra at work and how she did her work. It sounds like a really cool job and one that I know nothing about. I feel like there’s a lot of hierarchy in the sport and I think I missed out on understanding some of the tension and dynamics just because it’s a sport I’m not familiar with. Saying all that, I really enjoyed this book. It has flawed characters who haven’t had perfect lives. They make decisions that, as the reader, I was yelling at them for, but felt realistic for them. I loved getting a peek into the F1 world and really loved the characters Josie developed. I will be reading book two in this series for sure.

Double Apex is a glamorous read that hooks the reader with its larger than life characters and glitzy settings.

2024 has been the year of F1 romances for me. There have been some hits and some misses, and this one was a hit. I enjoyed the story, the character development and interactions, and the overall tone of a woman in STEM. This book is giving Ali Hazelwood mixed with Lauren Asher and I ate it up.

the grumpy/sunshine goes hard in this book! phaedra is stubborn and grumpy and struggles to relate to people which could make her unlikable to some, but I think it really highlights her growth throughout the novel. I loved her character bc she felt so real and relatable. cosmin, on the other hand, is the super flirty playboy who's hiding a lot of emotional depth. these two are perfect for each other, and I loved how their story played out.

this was a surprisingly emotional book with some heavier themes, and I definitely shed some tears while reading. mixed with the swoony moments and the spice, I really enjoyed the ride (pun intended). plus cosmin speaking Romanian throughout is enough to suck anyone in!

I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Double Apex is steamier than most F1 romance out there, but you'll have to survive a pick me/not like other girls FMC to get it. You're hoping race engineer Phaedra Morgan is cut more from the Ruth Buscombe cloth, but really she's the Lance Stroll of Emerald F1 racing. As team owner's daughter, she has a super adversarial relationship with driver Cosmin Ardelean. (Cosmin was chosen over the driver *she* thought should be on the team). And the two are thrown together in a cottage in Santorini for an attitude adjusting, get-to-know-each-other-better sesh [eyebrow waggle].

The banter between the two is entertaining at first, but Phaedra's attitude bleeds over in the workplace and her other relationships. Cosmin is the typical cocky driver, Phaedra calls him Formula F*ckboy, who's just putting up a playboy front to mask a childhood where his uncle kept him on pins and needles at all times.

In the end, I liked the story, the pacing was good, I could have used more racing sequences, but the FMC is what made this a 3 star read. Phaedra starts and ends pretty much the same way. She's a terrible friend, belittles other women and thinks like she's the only intelligent woman in racing. She takes advantage of being the team owner's daughter, but also seems totally disconnected from the reality of her moneyed privilege.

Phaedra and Cosmin are in the perfect position to take their F1 racing team to the top of the field- unfortunately she can’t stand him and he can’t seem to stop flirting with her…

Read if you like: gritty real characters, sports romance, F1 racing, romcoms with soul and big messy problems, hotheaded brainiac FMC, and hotshot secret romantic MMC.

Phaedra has made her name as one of the best race engineers. But as the daughter of the owner, she walks a line of hard work and privilege. Her dedication speaks for itself, but her prickly exterior doesn’t make it easy for her to find her place in the objectively sexist racing world. Cosmin is a driver with amazing skills and potential but his reputation as an international playboy has become more of a role to play than who he truly is. The two of them can’t seem to get on the same page off the track and it’s about to ruin the whole season. But when they’re forced to play nice at a retreat- something shifts and if they can’t find their balance, everything, including their hearts, might go up in flames.

Josie Juniper never fails to deliver stories that feel ripped from real life with all the heart and fun you want in a contemporary romance. These are not your airbrushed and filtered stories of perfectly likable characters with cute small-town problems. No shade to cozy small town romances- I love them. But I pick up Josie’s books knowing I’m getting a story with messy people who learn to love alongside their flaws. Characters who need some work, and definitely therapy, go through big gritty development arcs to uncover their own issues and figure out how to love.
Double Apex does this and excels. Our two main characters are not great at playing with others- and certainly not each other. They have their own hang ups but can’t seem to help their gravitational pull that almost always leads to conflict. Their undeniable passions have different origins but lead to a chemistry that is heady and poignant on levels they aren’t willing to look at further at first. But as their friendship grows the connection morphs and this is where we see the true magic. They look inward. They do the work to see their own issues. It’s truly a mess and oh so real and beautiful. Take all this with a high stakes background of F1 racing and it puts us on the fast track to experience all the thrills and spills of taking the risk to win.

Thank you to Josie Juniper and Forever publishing for an advanced copy for review.

I was really excited to read a Formula 1 romance, especially with an engineer as one of the main characters. This definitely has an alpha male type of romance, with the old-style romance of I'm a mean man, and you will find it sexy. I think there is a way to have "enemies" to lovers without someone being misogynistic or horrible. I think Phaedra's character is VERY confusing - she is supposed to be a wonderkind, with no nepotism for her position on the team - while also being in line to inherit the team? I wonder if this would have been more interesting if there was not daughter of the team component, and she had actually gotten to her position on her merit. I also think for her age, her job and her family's position in ownership, she is immature and unrealistic. The chemistry goes from zero to 100 and the plot lines rely heavily on the spice. I think if you don't mind the alpha type, not like other girls trope, perhaps you would enjoy this. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Really enjoyed this book! The chemistry between the characters was incredible, the entire F1 team was like a family, and I really loved the back stories of both characters. Phaedra is somewhat unlikable at times but honestly who isn’t. She knows that she has faults and issues and EVERYONE in this book definitely needs some therapy 😅

The writing is great and flowed really well. The concept of engineer/racer is not one we get often and I love seeing a powerful woman in STEM. The emotions were palpable and that goes back to how moving the writing is! Overall I really enjoyed it!!

2.5⭐, 3🌶️

Okay...so this was not my book. Which made me sad because a F1 Driver - Engineer romance seemed like such a GOOD idea! However, the plot had very very weird pacing, neither of the characters id I really like and the narrators had me struggling. (Im trying to not be as negative as my thoughts want me to be - que my mom's voice saying "If you cant say anything nice, don't say anything at all." But this is a book review so I gotta say SOMETHING!)

My biggest qualm with Phaedra's character is she was too uch of "that girl" Like cool, youre smart and your dad raised you around cars, but her friendship with her best friend was so hostile all the time, and then she was always the girl against other girls which rubbed me the wrong way. And the absolute disrespect the team gives her as a female annoyed me, especially because its the only time she choose to be railroaded and not stand up for herself. Cosmin's character I enjoyed. I would have possibly liked this book more if I eyeball read versus the audiobook, because as much as I enjoy Jonathan Lake's voice, his romainian voice and femal voices were AWFUL!

Okay, Im just gonna be done. This wasn't my book, I wouldnt recommend the audiobook, but i may give the second book in the series a chance soley because I love F1 and hope the author figures out some of the unneccessary characters problems by the next.

Thank you NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Hachette Audio for an eARC/ ALC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review.

Loved Double Apex by Josie Juniper! Originally when you meet the main character she isn’t the most likable but throughout the book Phaedra goes through a journey where she has to find herself. She goes through trials and tribulations that over time help her understand what she wants out of life, not just out of her own intellect. There’s also so many great relationship building moments throughout the book not only from Phaedra and Cosmin, but also with Phaedra and her best friend Aisiling. The amount of times Cosmin made me giggle with his phrasing is too high to count, but shows the reality of speaking 3 languages fluently.

I know very little about F1 racing (other than now I definitely want to watch), but know when an author can make me excited about the sport and all the drama surrounding it, then they are an excellent storyteller. I ate this book up! Cosmin is a driver for Emerald F1 known for his expertise in between the sheets just as much as his speed behind the wheel. Phaedra is his race engineer who wants nothing more than for her cocky F1 Dracula driver to listen to her without smart ass comments undermining her role. It takes Team Principal Klaus maneuvering Phaedra and Cosmin together in Santorini to get them working together. And a little forced proximity is the spark that ignites their tension into a blazing inferno by Barcelona. This book is hot. Like five-alarm scorcher hot DTF hot. For Phaedra it’s initially hate-f&cking and grief as much as anything, but a small part of her knows her heart is about to get tied up in Cosmin. And it’s her nervousness at making herself available for something more than sex that really imbued me to her grumpy mask of vulnerability.

The crazy thing is as much as this book is fast and racy, it is also so sweet and subtle. I loved that Phaedra learned Romanian because she missed Cosmin and missed hearing it, when his little nicknames are originally what drove her nuts. There’s also a “first date” type of scene in America that shows Cosmin’s softer side and his choices for their activities were so thoughtful and creative, you could just feel how much he cared for Phaedra in his actions. Grief plays a role as well and Juniper lets her characters live in it without it consuming their entire beings.

To say Phaedra and Cosmin took me on a wild ride would be a pun well intended. Readers should come for the spicy angsty banter and stay for the love that’s hard won. I received an early copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Steam: 🪭🪭🪭🪭
Angst: 😤😤😤
Knowledge I gained about F1 racing: 🥇🥇🥇

4 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“You’re right…We’re both doomed. I claim this castle, and I will write my name in every [effing] room of you.”

Double Apex is the first novel in the adult contemporary Formula 1 romance series, Frontrunners. Each novel is a standalone but set in the same world. In this one we follow Cosmin and Phaedra. Phaedra is a race engineer who is dedicated to her craft, especially as her father built the team she helps run. With her ailing father having to step away, she knows it is her time to shine...but tension between her and their very attractive yet cocky driver has reached an all time high. When Phaedra and Cosmin find themselves turning to each other at their most vulnerable moment a secret develops… where attraction leads to action. Their arrangement gives them the connection they so desperately need but they can't let anyone know. Time begins ticking down for them to figure things out because secrets never stay hidden for long, especially in the world of racing. Can they take this arrangement to full throttle or will they lock up on the final bend?

Cosman is a romantic at heart and a LIVED for it.

Phaedra is a character who wants to prove herself. She has a lot of vulnerability around how people see her in a male dominated profession on top of her father being the owner of the team. She continuously tries to overcompensate for this on top of struggling to really make connections with people. Yet when she can be free she is loving and kind.

Cosmin has a past that grips you. While he may have had a lot of fun with ladies and is deserving of his title as a player, when he commits he COMMITS. He becomes a simp for Phaedra and I loved how even when things are rocky and they are apart he doesn't try to bury his emotions - he embraces it. I felt he emotionally was more grown than Phaedra and his way to win her over had me squealing. He also is absolutely romantic with his Romanian and his cluelessness of certain colloquialisms.

The side characters in this novel I found played a huge role in the plot, for good and for bad. You can see how our main characters struggle to trust and listen because of their own baggage. I struggled with Phaedra's best friend and her father's friend but Cosmin's sister felt more rounded to me.

This novel does contain spice. I would say 3 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. We see spice around the 40% mark and then on and off. The relationship is pretty topsy turvy as they struggle to keep things casual but fall more in love. Their spice is hard at first as they treat it as a way to let go but we see love grow between them. It is explicit and as it progresses romance weaves in it. The last spicy scene was probably the most detailed and fun, which is why I bumped up the spicy scale. I also want to highlight that their romance was so effortless to be giddy about, especially when they start to play pretend and hearing them talking about what they would say if they were in love had me REELING!

“I cannot give you up, draga mea. You say it doesn’t leave this car, but you’re everywhere with me already - in my head, in my heart, in my [effing] soul.”

The story itself, admittedly, begins slow. I felt a bit lost at the beginning but once Phaedra and Cosmin began their relationship I felt more centered. I loved the romance and connection between them. The forbidden aspect added tension that drew me in. I felt for the layers of plot going on between Phaedra's father's illness to Cosmin and his sister as well as the race gave pacing that worked for me and kept me drawn in. I will say I never fully felt for Phaedra and her best friend as there always felt to be a wall between them even towards the end. I also wished there was a bit of an epilogue because we only got a brief time of contentment with the relationship. Overall, I felt this book is a fast paced read with a simping romance I just adored.

Thank you so much to Hachette Canada and Forever Publishing for this arc!

Double Apex was a great book to read during a month-long Formula 1 race break!

Phaedra is a race strategist for a Formula 1 team. She is direct, sharp, and butts heads with the team's new driver. While dealing with friendship, family, and professional challenges, she is forced to work with driver Cosmin.

Cue a few different tropes and mix in racing drama, it was a nice escape!

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever/Grand Central Publishing for an ARC.

Themes/Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Spicy romance, Family ties, Sport fiction

Double Apex follows the enemies to lovers story between Phaedra Morgan and Cosmin Ardelean. Phaedra is a wonder-kin engineer, who is also the daughter of the Emerald F1 team’s owner. Cosmin is Emerald’s top second year driver.

I don’t watch F1 but I know enough from being around people who watch F1. This book was enjoyable without that knowledge. Where this book earns a 3 star rating is in the characters that feel more like after thoughts which is pretty much everyone besides Phaedra and Cosmin. The delivers a fun romance set on top of a trendy sports story but felt rushed at times for the sake of adding spice to the story. Overall I enjoyed this one but I feel like there are other stories that drew my interest more. There are some really good scenes in the book and those are highlighted clearly as the i between parts are rushed though. The ending had a little bit of a pay off but I am not sure it would be enough to change the mind of someone who was ready to DNF this one.