Very cute sports romance. Very spicy too! I enjoyed the MFC, she was strong and I liked how she was an engineer. The MMC I felt indifferent about cause he felt like a bit of an asshole and idk why he changed his ways. His voice was a bit hard to understand at 2.5X speed with the accent but I thought the accent was sexy.

So first I’m going to confess - I read reviews before I ventured into this book. Comments about an abrasive/rude/mean FMC, a MMC who doesn’t believe in workplace appropriateness and is a walking HR violation, and how those readers just couldn’t push beyond those items. That’s their prerogative and there’s no shame. But if you’re like me and reading those reviews first, know this. I believe those behaviors were exhibited to show character growth. I believe those behaviors made later interactions more emotional. I liked our two leads by the end. Was it touch and go for a minute ? Absolutely. Are they a little tough to root for? Also yes. But knowing all that, I did root for them by the close of the book and better understood them and their motivations. Not justifying bad behavior, but just taking in all the clues in an attempt to understand. As for the narration, I thought it was an excellent performance. Books featuring characters with accents are always tough in audio. I’ve seen many performed badly. This was not that !

⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️

🏁F1
🏎️FMC Engineer X MMC Racer
🏁Workplace Romance
🏎️Spice

This was an ALC.

The very beginning of the story was very good. I was hooked in the beginning. I was kind of thrown off by the female main characters attitude towards everyone around her. I didn’t really like that. I also didn’t like that the male main character didn’t listen to the FMC character when she told him not to talk or act a certain way around her regarding sexiest comments.
I’m not too familiar with Formula One romance books, but I do feel that I learned a little bit about the world in this book.
The reason for my rating is because there was a lot of side stories going on that were not completed. I do get that it is probably leading up to sequels, but it was left too open ended. The FMC was not my favorite. When she got defensive she was mean and demeaning.

Overall, I feel like this is a good contemporary romance that I would recommend to certain people that I know would love it.

The dual narration on this book was good. I do love that the male narrator had an accent. The female narrator did a really good job.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC and Forever for the eARC.

DNF.

I made it about 30% before I quit. Phaedra is just a mean character. I couldn't understand where all her hostility was coming from. Cosmin (and other male characters) definitely had some sexist and misogynstic comments, but Phaedra was still a worse character.

I did enjoy the narrators. Cosmin's narrator had the Romanian accent (he was definitely F1 Dracula) and I loved listening to him. Phaedra's narrator had such a great intonation and I really could feel Phaedra's attitude through her.

Alas, the narrators couldn't save this one and thanks but no thanks.

🏎 F1 Romance
🏎 Enemies to Lovers

This is the first F1 romance novel I have read and the first by this author. Although the narration was good I found the main characters abrasive and the romance a bit surface level. I did not understand the attraction and I thought the romance aspect was rushed.

This one was not for me but if you like spicy sports romance, this one might be for you.

I received an ARC of this audio book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this sexy and fun rom-com about two rival race car drivers. I thought Mackenzie Cartwright had a very lovely voice. Her voice sounds similar to another narrator that I love. (However, I do not believe in outing the pseudonyms of audiobook narrators unless they do it themselves).
Unfortunately, I thought that Jonathan Lake's Transylvanian accent was a little bit too strong and hard to understand. Still I enjoyed this story and I thought it was a very enjoyable read. I definitely will look out for more books by Josie Juniper in the future!

Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

********


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Formula 1 is having its moment in romance books but I have yet to read one that does it justice. Unfortunately, this is no exception.

Despite the promise of a woman in STEM, a dashing F1 driver, and their sexy relationship, so much fell flat.

I’m ok with books where there are unlikable characters but I felt actual disdain for this duo.

Phaedra treated everyone around her as if they weren’t worthy of her time. And despite the frustrations of being a woman in science - of which I’m sure there are many - calm down, lady.

And then there’s Cosmin. Yes, F1 drivers are known for being full of themselves, for embracing their elite status and making the most of it, but he read like a sexist caricature of today’s drivers. Also, his behaviors were not hot; in fact many bordered on assault.

I guess maybe it makes sense they fell in love? Nobody else would want them?

The excitement of F1 was well written and the steamy scenes, at times, showed promise, but overall this was a miss for me.

A note for the audio version: the thick Romanian accent made Cosmin’s character difficult to understand.

2.75 out of 5 stars!

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, I did only listen to the audiobook, which may be the reason that I didn't enjoy it as much since I always have either a physical or a digital one beside me.

My heart is broken, but for an entirely different reason than most reading experiences. I wanted to love this book and looked forward to immersing myself in a Formula 1 romance. It promised a steamy relationship between a woman in STEM and a fiery racecar driver, and I was all in. Unfortunately, both characters were intensely horrible.

Phaedra treated everyone around her with disdain. I totally understand the frustrations of being continually doubted, but, girl, get over yourself. Cosmin was an unforgivable sexiest pig. Some of his behavior was flat out sexually abusive. Rubbing your erection against a woman who has clearly said, “NO!,” is assault. It is not flirting. And, yet, somehow the author wants us to believe these two miserable individuals fall in love. It simply did not work for me.

I will definitely give this author another chance because she did get some things right. She captured the exciof F1 racing and the steam was well written. I’d like to see what she does with more likable characters.

I struggled through the audio version because of the thick Romanian accent delivered by Cosmin’s character. I found it hard to understand and had no interest in slowing down the narration to better understand him.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Hachette Audio for the advance copies in exchange for my unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley & Hachette Audio for allowing me access to this audiobook!
Double Apex in audiobook format is going to be released on Oct 8th.
In this, we follow Phaedra Morgan, a brilliant race engineer who can't keep clashing with the team’s new star driver, Cosmin Ardelean. Known for his talent on the track and his notorious off-track affairs, Cosmin hides a past beneath his carefree exterior. Unfortunately I did not understand why Phaedra was so against Cosmin from the beginning as he was quite charming and nice to her. I liked both voices in the audiobook although the man talking with a Romanian accent was difficult to understand at times. Read this if you want a romance in the world of Formula 1 with enemies to lovers!

I DNFed at 30%. I don’t understand how you can advertise a book as enemies to lovers when they’re both pining for each other from page one and they’re no longer enemies by 15% in. This book felt both rushed and dragged at the same time. Not sure how but that’s how it felt. I’m super bummed because I love F1 romances but this fell super flat for me. The narration was good but the male POV narration’s accent was so thick that it was hard to understand at times.

𝟏 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫 .𐦍༘⋆
the synopsis of this book had me so excited! as a huge formula 1 fan i’ve been loving all the f1 romance books coming out lately so i had to get my hands on this arc as well assuming it would hold up to others i had previously read. unfortunately that wasn’t the case at all. this book was like 5% formula 1, 2% romance, 30% characters pissing me off and the remainder was unnecessary smut scenes that were worded so gross i had to check to see if this book was written by a man.

the ending of the book was so rushed and odd that personally it just felt like the author ran out of time. this book did not need them to rush into an engagement at the end, it was completely unnecessary and i don’t see it lasting long.

character analysis wise, i hated the main characters a lot but in different ways. Cosmin is literally disgusting right off the bat and continues to be extremely perverted throughout the book especially in the beginning when phaedra explicitly says she’s not interested and needs him to stop especially at work. this f1 team needs a stricter HR team cause he’s so unprofessional.

phaedra is literally one of the most obnoxious fmc i’ve read in a while. she treats people she “loves” terribly, eg. she talks to her so called best friend horribly for so much of their interactions in this book. i know she’s supposed to be some prodigy boss girl but she’s so unlikeable as a character that i couldn’t care or feel anything for her except the sympathy of when she lost her father.

their relationship sprung so quick it could give you whiplash, there was no real build up or pining that it made it all feel so detached and so made up.
i could not care less about their romance or anything else in this book.

My fascination with F1 racing continues to be fed with Double Apex. Cosmin and Phaedra’s hate to love was everything I needed. Had great tension at the beginning between Phae and Cosmin, and they pushed each other to be better people. The characters had great chemistry and there were emotional family moments (tw). I enjoyed the book although a little more of Phae’s engineering job would have been nice.

I just could not finish this. The FMC is unsufferable and the relationship was not one I could root for.

It starts out with her (his race engineer) talking to him over the radio in a practice session and him calling her a flirty nickname and making sexual innuendos. This wouldn’t be an issue but its made clear that she has told him not to and is uncomfortable. This book honestly comes across as misogynistic at a lot of points. The FMC is “not like other girls” and makes that clear, proudly. I really would not recommend this.

That said, the narrators did a fantastic job, and I would definitely listen to a book narrated by either again.

Douple Apex🏎️
By Josie Juniper❗️

Review🥰

This book was a delightful surprise for me. It was an excellent enemies to lovers story, which is my favorite trope. The banter started strong and lasted throughout the book. The spice level was also really good! I liked reading about all the women in Formula One; I wish it was true in real life! The Formula One races and scenarios were portrayed realistically and accurately. The happily ever after at the end made me grin. It was a lovely read!

Audio review-
I felt the audio was great, especially the female characters' voices. I thought it flowed smoothly, and the voices blended well together. The male lead's accent was difficult to understand at times. I had no additional issues and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Formula 1 🏁
Sports romance🏆
Sweet and spicy🥵
Race engineer x driver🛞
Forbidden romance🤌🏻
Enemies to lovers👅

4.5 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The audiobook is done well. The voice of Phaedra is done well and the female actor's romanian accent for Cosmin is done very well and easy to understand. My issue is with the Male voice of Cosmin. The way he does the thick Romanian accent makes very difficult to understand what is he saying. The other voices he does are well done.
A race engineer and a FM1 racecar driver, what an interesting pair. If you are not a fan of formula 1, there are several terms and moments that will go over your head like they did for me. We love a woman in stem! The building tension is delicious! This book has the fun trope of when the guy falls first and hard. It does kind of lean into the immaturity of when a boy likes a girl so much he teases her and that can be a little frustrating as a reader. I also want to warn readers that there are several triggers in this book loss of a loved one, grief and SA.

I am DNFing at about the half way point and I normally wouldn't write a full review, but as a woman in STEM and a DV survivor I have to talk about this book.

1. Phaedra is a horrible example of women in STEM. She is extremely sexist, talks down to other women, and tries so hard to not be like other women all while she is benefitting from being the daughter of the owner of the team. She is a true nepo baby and she had zero redeeming qualities. I noticed very early on how horrible she was, but I was hoping she would grow. She only has one friend in this book and I understand why. Phaedra was so terrible to her only friend, but then would still go to this "friend" when she needed something. It was honestly such gross behavior.
2. The moment I DNF'd. Phaedra is actively being an aggressor in a DV situation with the MMC. When he tries to diffuse the situation she throws his past abuse in his face and accuses him of being an abuser. This, in my opinion, has the potential to cause a lot of harm. Women can be abusers. This scene paints Phaedra as a victim when she is the aggressor and that makes me sick to my stomach. The tactics Phaedra uses to victimize herself while actively being an aggressor is something a lot of abusers do. This book has the potential to cause a lot of harm and thinking that a woman could pick up this book that is in a bad situation with a partner and think they are the problem makes me sick top my stomach.
3. This last point seems so small after the other two, but the spice in this book is atrocious. I was physically uncomfortable while reading the spicy scenes. "Are you fertile?" "plunges his fingers in to see how deep I am" "my girl bits are only trimmed" and "sweet juice he is gouging out of me" are just a few examples.

I received both an e-ARC of this book and an audio-ARC. The audio was a dual narration. The one good thing I have to say about this book is that the narrators did a good job and I would listen to them again, just narrating something by a different author.

Thank you Netgalley and hachette audio for the alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I loved this book. I haven't read many f1 romance books of the ones I've read I loved this one the most. I read one of Josies books back in June and knew her writing would suck me in!!!! I love the forbidden romance, the attraction the banter !!! Ate. It. All. Up. GONNA NEED TO ADD A COPY TO MY FOREVER SHELF.

4.5/5☆

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever/Grand Central Publishing and Hatchett Audio for both the eARC and ALC of Double Apex by Josie Juniper.

I cannot express how excited I was to read this book. I was so incredibly thrilled to not only be able to receive a digital advanced reader copy but also be fortunate enough to pair it with an advanced listener copy as well - reading and listening simultaneously is my favourite way to read books these days. The main reason I was SO excited for this book is because I'm a big fan of Formula 1 and have been devouring F1 books every time I come across one, and two because the couple were on the same team and SHE was the engineer! I woman in STEM + an F1 driver? I was SOLD and so excited to dive in.

All that said, I am absolutely devastated about having to DNF at 29%, because of seriously dislikeable and problematic characters and a choppy prose.

First of all, the FMC, Phaedra, was immediately dislikeable for many reasons. I've often struggled to connect with grumpy FMCs, but Phaedra was a whole new level. As a math prodigy and an engineer on the F1 team, she has a critically important job of communicating with the driver. She is also the owner of the team's daughter. This is a significant disadvantage to her, because she is already a woman in F1, STEM and now has to deal with the perception of being a nepo baby rather than earning her place on the team. I can absolutely understand that puts her in a difficult position. Add on top of that, her father appears to be terminally ill, so she is dealing with grieving the loss of her father while he is still alive - grief does strange things to people and grieving someone who is still alive can be so confusing. Again, I can absolutely empathize with this.

HOWEVER, her behaviour and actions are atrocious.

Phaedra vehemently lobbied for the team to take on a different driver than the MMC, Cosmin, they ended up with. Her behaviour came across as if she were throwing a temper tantrum about not getting her way - behaving exactly like the stereotypical nepo baby she doesn't want to be perceived as. Additionally, she comes in with such strong preconceived notions about Cosmin, that she refuses to get to know him while repeatedly making judgements about him based on zero factual information.

Phaedra's judgements don't end there. She mentions that she only has one true friend, and both of them frequently judge one another and say horrible things to the other. Phaedra will throw her own intellect in the face of her friend to make her feel stupid, while also slut shaming her. Then she gets upset when her friend states this is why she doesn't feel like she can talk to Phaedra and felt the need to keep secrets from her.

Cosmin is also problematic. The man is funding a charity in support of his sister after she was sexually assaulted and trafficked by the uncle that raised them - which is fantastic. And yet, Phaedra is rightfully upset and frustrated about the frequent innuendos and advances Cosmin makes after she has repeatedly asked him to stop and stated she is not interested. Not to mention, him gaslighting her when she calls him out for it but he claims that she took it as sexual when it could have been interpreted as a harmless comment. Additionally, when the two of them are forced to spend time off together in Greece to "improve their communication," he rubs himself all up on her, after she has repeatedly told him she is not only not interested, but there is a strict no fraternization policy that could result in her losing her job. Does this stop him? No.

Then, a couple of time jumps later, Phaedra is upset about her only friend dumping her and bad news about her father's health, so her coping strategy? Forget the no fraternization police and all the times you have said and done horrible things to Cosmin by flipping the switch and coming on to him now. Mixed signals anyone? But Cosmin has been pining for Phaedra, so he doesn't appear to be super keen that she is openly trying to use him while he is developing feelings for him. But Phaedra believes he is a "man whore," so of course he would want to sleep with her.

That is when I decided to call it quits. I have a pretty high tolerance for character flaws, because at the end of the day, they're meant to portray relatable people and I love seeing growth through a character arc, but this was just too much for me.

The prose and time jumps were so choppy that it kept taking me out of the story. There were times I felt confused, because we were suddenly jumping ahead and getting mixed messaging from characters.

For the audiobook, I felt like the narrators were doing a good job with what they had to work with. Mackenzie Cartwright did fine, she was just voicing a character I really didn't like. Johnathan Lake was juggling a lot of accents and pulled it off - including doing female voices with different accents. I was pretty impressed by that. That said, my normal listening speed is between 2-2.25x speed, and I found at 2x speed, there were times I wouldn't have understood what Johnathan was saying from Cosmin's POV, if I didn't also have the eARC in front of me. I'm sure slowing my speed down would have helped with that, but I felt it was worth noting.