I LOVE F1 romance and this is one of the best I’ve read! You can tell the author is a fan or someone that did their research. At times, I felt like I was watching F1. I could really imagine being a driver and being under a driver. Haha. 5/5 stars.

*Not So Fast* by Karen Booth is a sweet and relatable romance. It’s about two characters who reconnect in an unexpected way, and it’s full of second-chance vibes. The story has a nice balance of humor and emotion, with characters you can easily root for. The pacing is just right, keeping things interesting without feeling rushed. It’s the kind of book that’ll make you smile, especially if you’re a fan of heartfelt, feel-good romances. Definitely worth a read if you enjoy stories about love and growth.

This was a quick and easy read, but I really didn't connect to any of the characters. They just didn't seem to have any depth, which took me out of the story a bit.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Harlequin for this ARC. I’ve always been a fan of race car driving and I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much. I love the banter between both of the characters and how their relationship turns around and sparks fly literally. I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy sports romance, and I will continue to read more from this author! . I liked not only that it was spicy, but I loved how the author put in that Xander the main character would journal!

This was my first book from Karen Booth & I truly enjoyed her writing style!

The banter and dialogue between Xander & Mia was so much fun.

Mia is such a great FMC! She is very self aware and is brilliant. Her mind and the way she approaches life is admirable.

Xander is so loveable and relatable. He makes the pressures that professional athletes face on a daily basis real for readers.

I loved everything about this book and I am so thankful to Karen Booth and NetGalley for letting me read the eARC in exchange for this honest review!

I just finished Not So Fast by Karen Booth, and WOW—this book took me on a wild ride! 🏁 If you love enemies-to-lovers, sizzling chemistry, and the adrenaline of Formula One racing, this one’s for you.

Mia Neal is a dedicated F1 podcaster, and Xander Bishop is the broody British driver trying to keep his career on track (pun intended 😏). Their banter?? Absolutely top-tier. The tension?? Off the charts. And the way their relationship develops had me flipping pages so fast, I think I set a speed record. 😆💨

Karen Booth does an amazing job balancing humor, emotion, and the thrill of racing, making the setting feel so immersive. Mia is strong, ambitious, and doesn’t take nonsense from anyone (especially Xander), while Xander is the perfect mix of cocky and vulnerable—exactly the kind of hero I love.

By the end, I was fully invested in their story, swooning over their romance, and wishing for more. This book has:
🏎 Fast-paced tension & flirty banter
🔥 Off-the-charts chemistry
🎤 A badass heroine who holds her own
💘 A swoon-worthy, broody Brit hero

Final thoughts? If you’re looking for a fun, spicy, and heart-racing romance, Not So Fast is a must-read! ✨💋

i really wanted to love this one because i’m a sucker for f1 romances but it was just forced - 30% into the book and they’re dirty talking over the phone before even having some type of friendship and only talking in person for an hour twice?? and yes i know it’s a romance but atleast make it a bit more realistic with the fact that he’s a worldwide phenomenon and put more emphasis on the f1/xanders points more than just mia’s part of the story.

all opinions and reviews are my own - arc provided by netgalley and publisher for my honest opinion.

This was the first novel that I have read by Karen Booth.

Mia Neal is looking for the career that she is passionate about and finds it when she starts a podcast on Formula One racing called "Not So Fast". Xander Bishop is an up and coming driver that had a ton of success in the league one level down and is struggling to find his place here. Mia makes one snarky comment about Xander on the podcast that causes it to sky rocket.

This is a classic enemy to lovers read with a heroine that is trying to find the balance between success in love and career.

Overall it was a good read. I learned a lot about racing which I always enjoy in a book.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's really refreshing to read an F1 romance written by someone who obviously has a deep respect and knowledge of the sport and why it's become so popular in the last few years. I loved Mia and Xander's dynamic - it was a quick transition from suspicion/dislike to them getting to know one another, but their connect felt genuine and rooted in a admiration and belief in the other person, which I really loved. I also really liked Mia's character arc over the book, there's a lot to relate to there in terms of career choice and choosing something that feels right to you, not just right to the expectations placed on you.

Not So Fast is a sweet F1 romance between a British driver and a podcaster who covers the sport. A knowledge of the sport is definitely not required. It’s a breezy fun read, that touches on interesting subjects without ever really following through. The romance comes out of nowhere and although we’re told they’re talking and growing closer we’re not actually shown those scenes so we don’t get to fall in love with them. The tension doesn’t feel real leaving the drama and eventual payoff falling flat.

Pros:
Plus size rep
Discussions of mental health

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this quick, engaging sports romance! I watch F1 with my husband, and love everything to do with the sport!
Mia, a sharp and snarky podcaster, goes viral for calling out struggling British F1 driver Xander Bishop. When a competitor invites her to a race to rattle him, she and Xander unexpectedly connect. Their chemistry is great, and I loved the mental health themes, especially Xander’s self-reflection through journaling. I enjoyed the spicy scenes! Top tier. The romance moved fast, but, as Xander says, he’s good at speed.
Overall, a fun, heartfelt read! Huge thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

Thank you Harlequin Publishing and Karen Booth for providing the eARC.


Quick read with a cute story but felt like everything got resolved too quickly and easily.

Wasn’t a huge fan of the different POVs through each chapter. It's not a bad book, just not one to be memorable.

This is a quick and easy read.
But I actually didn't really believe in Mia and Xaden relationship. It is instalove/lust but something was missing for me to actually believe it. Chapters were a bit too long for my liking and the POV are changing throughout but without mentioning it so it's a bit easy to get lost.
I did like that clearly some research was done for this book and there's also a nice mental health aspect. The fact that there's no "actual" third act breakup is also nice.
I do feel like some of the conflicts are resolved really quickly.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️ with spicy scenes 🌶️
Champion over thinker Mia Neal is a big Formula One fan chooses to start a podcast. With a comment about Brit driver Xander Bishop that goes viral.

I really enjoyed this one. I don’t know much about Formula One so was an intriguing glimpse in. I did appreciate the dynamic between Mia and Xander. I thought it was a great story to read [in one sitting for me] that I think many people would enjoy. Romance, fun, spicy, with some witty banter and of course bumps along the way.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this story by Karen Booth courtesy of NetGalley and Afterglow Books by Harlequin

Update: Feb. 1/25 Rating to 5⭐️ as I keep thinking about this story and the characters.

I don't think I can express how much I loved this book! The feels were big, the tension perfect, and the conflict was real! I love how competent and strong Mia is while still having real insecurities and Xander was almost too good to be true - hot, accomplished, but still vulnerable.
Thank you for the opportunity Netgalley

Not So Fast is humorous, well written, and I couldn't put it down! I love a sports romance, and loved this one even more for it's more unique subject. I'm definitely hoping for some interconnected standalones with some of our side characters.

Rounding up from 3.5. I'm not that knowledgeable about Formula 1, so I can't comment too much of that aspect of the story, but Mia and Xander are a fun story. Mia has a podcast about F1 and Xander has been a target of her all season. He's really her favorite driver, but he's struggling and she's telling it like it is. A chance meeting turns into more and then another meeting really turns into more. It was refreshing that there was honestly instead of glaring miscommunication. A bit of instalove is good too. The conflict resolves pretty easily, which i don't really mind since it's a nice light read.

I really liked this one. Super quick read The only things I know about formula 1 comes from romance novels so take that with a grain of salt.

Mia seems super knowledgeable about the sport. I love the nod to having women in male dominated sports. I didn’t find her heckling podcast persona annoying at all. I feel like that’s part of podcasting imo.

Xander is kinda mid for me as far as MMC go but I did like seeing how reflective he was once he started using the journal. Which that in itself I find sweet.

I thought the long distance spicy scenes over text and the phone were top notch. The progression of the relationship was a little speedy but as Xander says he’s good at going fast.

I do not like the mom. She’s unsupportive and lame. Also she’s dead wrong for cutting off the aunty. Completely unfair of her.

Final dislike is the epilogue. I don’t see the point in having one that isn’t at least a year out. There was really nothing to gain from having that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this formula 1, enemies to lovers romance. It wasn’t overthought or over dramatic like so many sports romances are lately. I thought the characters were sweet and endearing. They had personal conflict, but it wasn’t super dark. The couple had fun banter. The romance was a little less slow burn than I prefer, but I still enjoyed it. I would have preferred first person POV, but the third person wasn’t too bad to me because we still got both perspectives.

The moment I saw racing and a plus size main character I was so excited for this one!!

While I really did enjoy the chemistry between the two and the plot of the fan turned expert podcaster and the racer she loves to critique, at around 60% of the book I got very frustrated.

Up until that point I was loving the book with a few minor things that just weren’t for me, but when the FMC starts mocking herself about exercising, working out etc and choosing to utilize harmful stereotypes for the sake of humor or filler in the story, the author immediately lost me as a (plus size) reader.

It was incredibly disappointing and made the rest of the experience with the book turn sour. So while I understand some people’s experiences may mimic that sort of feelings about their confidence and self worth as a plus size person, I was absolutely turned off to the book at that point. Especially since it’s not used to further the plot (like the FMC learning to love her fat body), it was used to punch down, and considering that a lot of readers will be picking this up because of the body size on the cover, I think they’ll be disappointed as well.

All in all, this wasn’t for me and won’t be one I’ll be recommending.