Double Apex was a DELIGHT. That’s honestly the first word that popped into my mind around 25% through. It’s a STEM reverse grumpy x sunshine that had me engaged throughout the entire story. The journey of our two main characters is not an easy one, but it’s pretty apparent early on that they are meant to me. It’s obvious that are MFC hasn’t had a lot of relationships platonic and not throughout life. She’s incredibly intelligent and that has been her focus throughout her life. I truly never thought I’d like a race story, but I even enjoyed how it was weaved into this story. The narration was a great choice, and the accent of our MMC was perfection. Read the trigger warnings as there are some difficult topics discussed in this story.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this audiobook. However, it did not impact my review.

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 tried to push through but I just was not a fan of this book. I liked Mackenzie Cartwright's narration but I found it was hard to understand what Jonathan Lake was saying at times. It felt like he mumbled a lot which made it very hard to hear what was being said.

The book itself wasn't really clicking for me so I decided to dnf. I stopped listening at 60%

Only the cover deserves many stars itself, it's so beautiful! The cover and the tropes were the reasons why I find myself being so intrigued by this book and wanted to find out about it as soon as I could.

I've always loved reverse grumpy x sunshine, and it always makes me beyond excited whenever I come across to a book that has that trope, which is very underrated.

The characters, however, were sadly my biggest turn-offs, especially the main ones. I didn't dislike Phaedra (fmc) exactly, despite her being rude lots of times for no specific reason. Though Cosmin (mmc), I feel like he could've been better overall, his first impression on me wasn't the best. Especially at the start I didn't like him much, he did grown on me. From the third act and onwards was my favorite part.

The relationship happened a bit too fast and early, I was actually shocked and didn't understand at first if I'm the one who's misunderstanding everything.

The friendship between the main female character and her best friend was an interesting one, but it did leave me confused.

Overall, I think the book was alright - it had a big potential,

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review!*

Thank you so much for the ACL of this book, I jumped right in to listen!

Story: 4 ⭐
Spice: 3 🌶
Narration: 4 ⭐

This was performed in a dual narration and was a fun listen. The FMC is American with a hint of a drawl and the MMC is Romanian. My brain had to process his accent by turning up the volume while listening. Does anyone else do that? haha

I'm don't know much about Formula 1 racing; I however grew up in a family where NASCAR was huge. So, this was an educational experience to learn more about this type of racing.

The FMC is strong, fierce, and funny. All the traits to be able to work in a "man's" sport and she puts up a front when dealing with misogyny. She also learns a lot about herself and her flaws throughout this book, which it's nice to see a person wanting to better themselves. Also, I literally laughed out loud at all the picking teeth moments. IYKYK.

The MMC outwardly cocky, handsome, smooth talking, shameless flirt. He knows how to get what he wants but also secretly a teddy bear that's great with expressing his heart in words. This is probably my favorite type of man.

There are some triggers within this book, so make sure you check them out. I was balling a few times due to the nature of the triggers.

If you like a sport/racing romance, fun banter, great spice scenes full of passion, life lessons and trauma, sticking up for the women in a "men's sport", then you will want to read this!

I received this ARC as an audiobook. I think personally, the narration is just not for me. I am still intrigued by the story, but this may need to be a book I read a physical copy of. However, as of now, this is a DNF for me. I had a hard time getting past the dual narration. I would have preferred for it to be a duet narration, especially with the accent of the MMC. The narrators seem to be very talented at their craft, I personally just do better with audio books that cast voice actors for specific characters instead of chapters. I will reevaluate my review after I read the print copy when it releases.

Double Apex @josiejuniperauthor
Audio Narrated by Jonathan Lake ; Mackenzie Cartwright
Genre: Romance & Women's Fiction
Pub Date: October 8th, 2024

**Thank you to @netgalley , Josie Juniper, @readforeverpub (@grandcentralpub), and @hachetteaudio for my free ebook and audiobook ARC copies in exchange for my unbiased review.

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spicy Rating: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

Phaedra Morgan is the mathematical prodigy daughter of Edward "Mo" Morgan, owner of Emerald Formula 1, a racing company. F1 recently signed the cocky, manwhore, Romanian driver: Cosmin Ardelean. Phaedra can't stand him, but she has just made assumptions about him and never got to know him...yet.

-------
AUDIO version

I was a bit put off at first by the male narrator's THICK Romanian accent, but the more I listened and became familiar with it, I found it was super sexy and made Cosmin's POVs delicious. With his accent and the chemistry between the characters, this was a super spicy read. The pacing of both the female and male narrators was perfect.
------

While this was such a spicy read, I found there was more to it than that. Cosmin is such a sweet guy, I'm a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope. This was the first book since I read "Marley and Me" over 15 years ago that made me ugly cry and bawl...not once but TWICE. I have seen that this will be a series and I'm hoping we get more of Cos and Phae!

I was lucky to receive both an audiobook and ebook ARC copy of this book, I highly recommend the audio because if not you'll be missing out greatly on the Romanian accent and language. If you love sexy accents, enemies to lovers and reverse grumpy vs. sunshine, this one is for you!

I feel like this book was not for me, but I also struggle to say who this book may have been for... Phaedra is an extremely unlikable character imo. I get she is supposed to be portrayed as prickly/ a black cat but she is well past those categories and was extremely unpleasant. She's 32 years old and on multiple occasions she mentions wanting to hit someone when she's angry and on one instance she does get into a physical altercation with Cosmin that I was not really feeling. I feel like that scene got played off so casually and in a way that feeds into stereotype that "men don't hit/abused by their female partners." The only thing that "redeeming" for Phaedra is that we see the on page death from cancer of her father which using that as the only likeable/non negative description of a character doesn't say much about said character. Cosmin gave hardly anything of substance, his backstory with his sister was somewhat confusing at times and that's really all I can take away from him. This is like a poorly done version of "he's obsessed with her and she doesn't like him" and I guess maybe that's because Phaedra was such an unlikeable character I struggle to see how he could have been obsessed with her.

I listen to alot of audiobooks, but this was the first time I've heard these narrators and their performance contributed to my feelings of indifference and unenjoyment with the story. If someone would have told me that the female narrator was actually AI I would have believed. I'm not sure if she was trying to play off of Phaedra's indifference in a was but her delivery was so flat and came across bored that I couldn't help be bored too. I also feel like in previous books I've read where there is a ESOL MC the narrator will still give them a slight accent in their internal thoughts and then a stronger one in dialogue. That wasn't the case here and I felt myself getting lost in some of Cosmin's thoughts because the Romanian accent was so strong. On multiple occasions I had to go back and rewind where I had gotten lost in the plot.

I think that potentially another book from Josie I could be interested in at some point given the right storyline, but it wouldn't be at the top of my TBR (nor do I want to find other books in the narrators catalogs to listen to next)

Thank you to Netgalley, Forever, and Josie Juniper for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I know nothing about F1 so I can speak to any of the validity of the technical content, heck- I don't even understand the title- but at the same time- it was engaging!

I really enjoyed the basis of the love story, but the ending was quite abrupt and I would have liked more unpacking about the MMC's emails . But hey! Wanting more is better than wishing there was less!

Regarding narration- the thick accent for the male main character made me have to repeat a phrase and slow down the playback speed on his chapters. Female narration was just fine- no complaints.

Such a great book! The storyline had me hooked from the start and i was excited to continue learning more about each character. I did find it ended wuite abrupt but other then that 4 stars for this!!

3.5 ⭐️ / 3 🌶️

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC of the audiobook :)

Okay, so i wasn't super sold on this from the start. As an audiobook review, my first thought was how difficult it was for me to understand the male VA because his accent was so thick and fake. When he would read lines from other characters in the book, i had no issue, but his accent was just hard to understand. This didn't impact my star rating, but it did make it a little tough to get through.

As for the book itself, it was a really cute and unique plot to have the emails mentioned! I think the scenes were all pretty well written and i loved how descriptive some scenes were (that car scene after the picnic 👀🥵) I think the team owners daughter x playboy racer is a little overdone, but i still enjoyed the story. But back to the emails, without spoiling anything, i loved this plot point from start to finish, ive not scene it done like this before, and loved it!

I was a little confused on if it was meant to be enemies to lovers, because there wasn't much tension, and they really kind of gave up on their hate pretty quickly 👀 the spicy was spicy as hell and i loved it, so i guess i didn't mind their rush in the end, i just think maybe them holding out a little longer might have made the payoff sweeter. it really felt like the two mc's barely knew each other before their emotions started to become positive.

Overall, if you like F1, i think you'll like this. And if you're like me and dont really care for F1, i think you'll still like this! The plot was nice, the spicy was great, and overall it was a fun read :)

Phaedra Morgan is a genius engineer on her father's formula 1 team. Cosmin is the hotshot driver she claims she cannot stand. When it affects the teams performance, they get sent on a team-building retreat together to work things got, but sparks fly.

I personally loved this book. Even though the characters started out acting childish, they each find out along the way why the other acts the way they do. They both have unusual upbringings and family relationships that lead them to act in unhealthy ways. I enjoyed following their story as they learned and grew.

The narrators did a great job in conveying the emotions of the characters and the pacing of the book. The only thing that threw me off a bit was that their "Romanian" accents for Cosmin were different. I wish they would have been closer.

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

Not a great start to this book. The FMC was not super likeable and really gave off some mean girl vibes. It got better though after a few chapters. I'm just always a bit put off by FMCs talking bad about other women unjustly and there were moments where her insecurities projected onto other women.

I received this title as an audiobook ARC and the male narrator kept me going (I thought I was listening to a Quinn production). Not once in my life did I think a Romanian accent would be so attractive but this guy really did a great job. The MMC was such a great love interest.

I will give props to the author for their technical detail and research. I have been an F1 fan for over a decade and have worked in the performance car industry. Any time I read a car/race/bike romance I'm always so put off by the lack of research by some authors. This is pretty legit though.

Overall, I'd give book 2 a chance. This was a quick and fun read. I received This book as an audio Arc and I am leaving my review voluntarily and honestly.

It was sweet and spicy. But I felt like it was lacking. I would’ve loved more of her relationship with her dad.
Narrators were great.

I was super intrigued by the premise of Double Apex & decided to give it a try. I've never read a Formula 1 romance and I thought it was neat to see an FMC be an engineer.

I really liked the romance here. There's a lot of great tension between the characters and the steamy was giving holy hotness. The banter was great and I liked that the author added Romanian too. I also liked how the reverse grumpy sunshine trope was used.

However, I think my main issue with the book was the writing style. It was a lot of telling instead of showing which made it feel info dumpy.

Narrators Jonathan Lake & Mackenzie Cartwright did fantastic. I really enjoyed their narration.

I would say if you enjoy workplace romances but are looking for a unique work setting, give this a try.

I was a huge fan of Formula 1 when I was a teenager so I can’t wait to read this book (or listen in this case). I enjoyed it, but I expected a little more. It’s a cute book, of course, but the chemistry between the characters looks artificial, not genuine. It’s more spicy than romance.
However, the narrators are great (especially the woman) and the listening was so much fun.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

It was late in my life when F1 was even on my radar and it quickly because a wonderful part of Sundays in our family but my kids all have different drivers and sometimes things get heated and it’s not always relaxed. Double Apex felt like a night lighter side to racing…with a female perspective! Josie Juniper gives the reader an all access pass to all parts of this exciting…and challenging life that we do not see on our televisions and writes in a way that includes us in all of it! When a new driver joins the crew, tensions run high and things between Phaedra and Cosmin are hotter than the F1 track. This is a great read for those who already love the sport, or are intrigued and want to dive in!

I was SO excited to listen to Double Apex as I am interested in getting into/watching Formula 1 romances. However; I couldn't get over the misogynistic comments made starting at the beginning of the book. I felt that overshadowed my listening experience and thus, wasn't interested in listening beyond the 8% mark as authors, especially females, shouldn't be putting so much hate into their books towards their own gender. I understand if it is a particular plot point however; I was instantly turned off as it happened right away. I was invested while listening to the female's POV (Mackenzie Cartwright) and could understand what the male's POV was trying to do with the accent (Jonathan Lake) but found that at a higher listening speed, the voice sounded muffled and hard to understand.

I absolute love Double Apex and listening to the audiobook made me love it all over again. I thought the narration was perfect. The narrators worked perfectly for the characters. I thought it was immersive and added to the story and made it more interactive. The audiobook felt like I was listening to a documentary on F1 and with a romance story in the middle of it. I loved the characters chemistry and hearing them say the words out loud made the romance that much better. I loved hearing their banter and how they say things. I loved this audiobook and highly recommend this story to sport romance and f1 fans. this is a book you dont want to miss!

This was my first formula 1 romance and really had no idea about the sport. I enjoyed learning a little bit about the sport and how much science there is to it. Being a male dominated sport, I can see how Phaedra felt about her position as an engineer and daughter's owner and how precarious it was.

Cosmin is a playboy race car driver that was new to their team and they instantly do not get along. I enjoyed seeing how their romance developed and the softer side of Cosmin was revealed.

There is a lot of sub plots and some felt unfinished, perhaps it's a set up for the next book.

I enjoyed the narration of Jonathan Lake and Mackenzie Cartwright. I did have to slow down a bit to understand Jonathan's accent and sometimes his narration felt like a whisper.

Thank you @hachetteaudio @readforeverpub for a copy of the audiobook.