This was a solid 3 star for me.

I enjoyed the F1 world, obviously, and that was well done.

I also loved the representation of women in F1, and how important every piece of the puzzle is in running a winning F1 team.

But really, I struggled with the romance of it all. I know it was supposed to be enemies to lovers, but I found their general interactions to be either cheesy or just overall lacking in chemistry.

This was not a bad book by any means. I did like it, I just didn't love it.

Thank you to Forever Grand Publishing & NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a solid Formula 1 Romance, that I enjoyed! The love story and banter between Cosmic & Phaedra was so good! I also loved that it was a cross over of an F1 Romance & STEM!

Sports Romance girlies will love this one too!

I went into "Double Apex" hoping this would be an Ali Hazelwood-esque take on a sports romance set in the world of F1. And while we do have a wise-cracking woman in STEM who is working to not only make her own way in the world of F1 while also championing other women in motorsports, a big dose of spice, and an MMC who is hard to parse, this book feels more emotionally heavy than Ali's books tend to be.

The story follows Phaedra, the daughter of a man who owns an F1 team. She's grown up in the world of the sports, and though she is a nepo baby, she has studied and worked hard to become a team engineer—but she's now the engineer for Cosmin Ardelean, a talented driver she thinks is an overly cocky, eye-inducing playboy with no sense of humor. There are sparks a plenty between them as Cosmin pushes Phaedra's boundaries and she fights her attraction toward him, but aside from the romance, there are other, more emotional subplots. Phaedra's father is dying, and not only is she reeling from that reality, but of the idea that her family might lose the team and she might lose her job. On top of that, she's had a falling out with her best friend—the two of whom have the kind of female friendship that I found toxic and frustrating. Then, there's Cosmin, who is butting heads with his sister, who has a particularly traumatic backstory.

While there are things to love about this book—an in-depth understanding of F1 (Josie genuinely knows her stuff!), spicy moments aplenty, and a great depiction of a character who speaks English as a second language—I sometimes had a hard time with this story as I struggled to like Phaedra, though I did empathize with her.

If you love F1 and are looking for a sports romance read that gets F1 right, and is more of a romantic drama than a romantic comedy, then definitely give "Double Apex" a go!

DNF @ 21% — I want to start by saying that this book had a content warning page at the beginning, but it did not include warnings for sexual and physical abuse, which play a major part of Cosmin’s backstory, and I feel should have been mentioned there even if they happened in the past.

I was unable to finish this book. I sadly found both the main characters to be extremely unlikeable. Phaedra, the FMC, was constantly looking for reasons to be angry that didn’t really seem to make sense, and Cosmin, the MMC, was always speaking in double entendre that honestly made me a little uncomfortable. Add into that the way this book toys with what I can only describe as workplace sexual harassment through Cosmin’s constant sexual comments and ogling of Phaedra while they are on company time, and I just wasn’t enjoying myself enough to continue. I hope this book finds its audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wanted to love this book because I love diving into the F1 world, but this wasn't for me. First, I couldn't stand Phaedra. She was abusive and spoiled and didn't know how to communicate her feelings and trauma properly. I liked Cosmin and thought his Romanian background was interesting, but the weird childhood side plot with his sister took me a bit out of the story. It was so hard to root for this relationship when they weren't really in one for MOST of the book. That was so disappointing—the characters were never really able to explore their love story and only found each other for sex or something else. The growth was minimal, and I couldn't connect. I did like the settings of the different countries for the race, but that might have been the only interesting thing. I thought the writing was choppy and lackluster. Overall, I wanted more of a love story, which I didn't get. The spice was fine—I only liked the Romanian dirty talk. Not my favorite F1 romance by any means. Thank you to Forever Publishing for providing me with an ARC to read and review.

FORMULA ONE ROMANCE, SIGN ME UP!!! The crossover I didn't know I needed but I was foaming at the mouth. I'm generally not a fan of sports romances, but this was fresh and unique in an oversaturated market. The excitement ended for me though, however, because the characters were a bit insufferable. I do enjoy reverse grumpy/sunshine, but Phaedra was rude for the majority of the book and it felt uncalled for. There were too many cliche tropes and the classic "dark and handsome" male protagonist. This had infinite potential but landed in the "meh" category for me. I will definitely read future novels by this author, but they could have spent a bit longer fleshing out this story so it didn't turn out to be an obnoxious miscommunication tropey mess.

I couldn’t finish this book. Both of the main characters were awful and the dialogue was cringe. The spicy scenes were weird. The book also felt oddly dated? Just overall a no. Stopped around 35%. Disregard star rating.

I struggled with the MMC who did not seem to take no for an answer. It felt uncomfortably like lack of consent and I did not enjoy reading.

This one was not for me, but I hope it finds its audience.

I unfortunately have some mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed the sports aspect and the forbidden/workplace romance trope is always fun, there were a few things that didn’t quite land the way I feel like they were intended.

I love a flawed, unlikeable main character with good intentions and bad execution. Phaedra had all the makings to be just that, but she missed the mark just a bit by letting her emotions drive her words and actions despite a constant internal reminder to do the opposite. She often hit below the belt in arguments with others, and her relationship with her best friend was leaning towards frenemies.

The relationship dynamic between the two leads was hot and cold, and it worked sometimes. They were both very passionate and a little hotheaded, so their conflicts always made sense, but it did make me wonder whether they were actually supposed to be together. In a lot of ways, they were able to meet each other in instances other people couldn’t, but their fights were toxic and even got violent. I wish we got to see more of the good stuff that they talked about (shared interests and domestic situations), but we mostly got some good banter, spice, and arguments.

Cosmin’s backstory was so interesting and I loved how Phaedra helped him achieve some character growth throughout the book. I just wish it went both ways as her development fell short to me. There was definitely some there, but the pacing felt off and the ending was rushed, kind of robbing her of the opportunity to fully show some growth.

Overall, it was fine. I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking for an F1 romance with a feisty FMC and an MMC who speaks multiple languages and falls first (and harder). I enjoyed myself and laughed and swooned over lots of moments, but I’m not sure this was fully for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this arc!

Double Apex, written by Josie Juniper, follows the captivating tale of a brilliant engineer and a cocky racecar driver who find themselves in a forbidden arrangement in this fiery enemies-to-lovers romance. This must-read novel is sure to enthrall F1 enthusiasts and STEM aficionados alike with its thrilling storyline and dynamic characters. As they navigate the high-stakes world of Formula 1 racing, tensions rise between the engineer's meticulous attention to detail and the driver's daring, risk-taking nature. Their forbidden romance adds an extra layer of complexity to their already intense relationship, making for a gripping read that will keep me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. Double Apex is a must-have for anyone who loves a good love story set against the backdrop of fast cars and fierce competition.

Formula 1 race engineer Phaedra Morgan has an intense dislike for her team's star driver, Cosmin Ardelean, who the team hired over her push for a new, upcoming female driver. After a weekend of forced proximity to improve team camaraderie and communication, the two realize their dislike is hiding a sizzling attraction.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me, and I ended up skimming most of the second half of the book. The characterization of the main characters felt pretty flat and inconsistent, and I didn't feel like I really understood why Phaedra hated Cosmin so much--and then, why they started up a relationship so quickly. I felt like I got whiplash trying to keep up with their changing feelings, especially Phaedra's. The relationship developed so quickly that I didn't really understand why they started liking each other at all. There was also a side plot revolving around Phaedra's strained relationship with her friend, in which Phaedra really comes off as a bad friend. Just all around, neither of the main characters was particularly likeable (lots of other reviewers have commented on Cosmin's sexist comments and Phaedra's borderline verbal abuse and general shitty behavior), and I didn't feel like they had enough chemistry for me to want to root for their relationship.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Made it 21% in but wasn’t feeling it. Didn’t like the Hero at all. I appreciate the backstory the author was building for him but the disrespect for a woman in authority and the sexual harassment was not coming across in any way charming or flirtatious. It was. Sexual. Harassment.
And the Heroine seemed to abandon her convictions incredibly quickly and just switched to lust motivated faster than the F1 vehicles on a straightaway. I had no desire to continue.

Double Apex was my second F1 romance and it didn't miss! What did miss was the writing. I think for a debut author, Josie Juniper did well and I think with more experience and refinement, she's going to be a future powerhouse. Unfortunately for me, the poor writing really took away from the story. No tension was built. There were a lot of opportunities to build tension and each opportunity fell flat. I struggled for the first 50% of this book to get into it. I found the FMC, Phae, to be very pretentious and I really struggled to like her. I wasn't getting STEM FMC, I was getting pretentious, spoiled, genius kid. Cos as the MMC was more relatable, but his POVs were also a struggle to get through. I don't want to list out my issues because I don't want this review to be a rant, I want it to be positive. There is absolute room for growth and I can't wait to see it in future books.

I sooo wanted to like this. How often, after all, do we get a rom com with a female character like Phaedra-an engineer- set in the world of F1? Well, we haven't. Unfortunately, it is the behavior of Cosmin that turned me away. I know his persistence is meant to be attractive but it's really harassment and very inappropriate workplace behavior. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

Cute romance for F1 lovers and F1 newbies alike. Myself being a Formula 1 fan, I enjoyed the actual F1 talk about the rules, the tracks, pit times, etc. But it was also done well enough that if you know nothing about F1, you'll understand what's going on and it won't be overwhelming.

Phaedra and Cosmin had the best banter, and it was even better that she was his race engineer. My only complaint is the fact that even on their drive to the airport to Santorini at the beginning of the book, they end up liking each other and getting along after practically being at each other's throats. It just felt too insta love and I wasn't vibing with that. But as the story progressed, it's hard not to fall in love with Cosmin and Phaedra.

The banter was exquisite and I loved the emotions. I did feel there was a bit too much that happened off page, but I still had a great time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

While the book has a fun premise surrounding F1 , its execution was less than ideal. It felt like reading a fan fiction at times with verbiage thrown in to capture a young girl’s attention. I truly wanted to enjoy it for the premise alone but ultimately it fell flat for me.

I really loved this a lot, and I’m not afraid to admit I was worried because it was totally different to any other F1 romance I’ve read, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Phae is not the perfect FMC and I feel like this book really tests you. She has such a strong inner voice, she’s abrasive, shocking, and kind of insane…but you can’t help but love her. She really does have her faults and she doesn’t end up perfect at the end of the book, but she had the perfect ending that she deserved and I LOVED that.

The POVs are so unique and distinguishable, both MCs had unique voices and styles with their own deep and complex backgrounds.

Cos was such an angel. Again, not perfect by a long stretch, but less of a shock to the system than Phae. He learns a lot and you really root for him.

In summary, Double Apex is bold, and loud, and hilarious, and might not be everyone’s cup of tea…but I promise the characters will stick with you and will make you feel things. ALL the things, actually. I cried like an infant at the end of this. I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. I wanted to grab a fictional character by the shoulders and give her a good old shake because she was SO hard for me to like, but I still forgave her.

If you’re looking for an easy ride for a few hours, Josie Juniper isn’t going to give you that. She’s going to challenge you.

She will give you difficult characters that you want to throttle but also want to hug, drama you roll your eyes at but can’t stop reading, racing knowledge only an F1 fan of several years could provide, and a whole lot of heart.

4,5

Ok so at first I was unsure of this one. But as it went on, i fell more and more in love with these characters and their relationship. This was the first book I have read that involves F1 racing. I loved the workplace romance aspect of this book, as it gave much more meaning to their relationship. As a driver, Cosmin really has to trust Phaedra's feedback and strategy although during this time they don't have the best relationship. I think it provides such a good base for their relationship to become more though. There is this tension between them that leads to layers being pulled back and them seeing each other past their work positions and getting to know the person underneath. Other than the romance, I found Phaedra and her father's relationship to be touching. It definitely brought tears to my eyes, which I wasn't expecting to happen. This was a great first book in this Frontrunners series, and I am excited to read more in this universe and from this author.

I unfortunately did not connect with this book and had to dnf at 60%. The writing isn't bad, the story itself just wasn't for me. I may try again in the future but as of right now, I have to move on.