It's so nice to see a female in F1 done so right. I've read quite a few F1 books and they're mainly male based, as is the sport. It's nice to see that the revolution of more woman in the sport coming through in books as well. In this book we meet Senna (Yes, she's named after Senna) who has just taken over Coulter racing from her father ( then the brother) after a health scare. Her father doesn't want her to take over, he wants her brother to take over but he's also got his own things going on after a race crash. Her father doesn't believe in her and thinks a woman is better off doing another job not in F1. Of course she proves them all wrong and proves that a woman can do any job a man can do if not better (when comparing to what her father did with the team). I also really enjoyed more female in F1 work with female mechanics and a driver also added into the mix.

This story is about Senna and Connor who have known each other since teenagers but after a crashed caused by Connor which nearly cost Senna her life, they haven't spoken in years. Also to add to the mix Senna and Connor had crushes on each other in their younger years but didn't tell each other or anyone due to Connor being best friends with her brother. She takes over the team from her brother and before he gives it over to her he does one thing, signs Connor up as a new driver.

This is full of female empowerment and shows the full meaning of found family. The power of repairing relationships when you have the right people around you. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two, and you could feel the angst between them both. This story left us with loads of questions about her brother who will be the MC in the next book and I can't wait to find out the answers.

- brothers best friend
- female in sport
- team boss x driver
- F1 romance
- Found family

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Start Your Engines!! This novel releases March 14th, just in time for the first F1 race of the 2025 season in Australia!!

If you enjoy easy secret sports romance reads, with cheesy romantic love declarations, steamy bedroom (or lake, car, desk, this list could go on folks) scenes, and a heartwarming ending, this is a must read!!

I really enjoyed the character and story line of this F1 romance. Senna and Connor had a well written friends to enemies to lovers story. In other F1 romances I’ve read, this has been the first where the female main character has been the boss/dominate one. I loved the female in power aspect of her character and how she used her position to push for more females in a male dominated industry and to prove that women are just as capable of running a racing team as anyone else. I found Senna’s personality and anxieties to be very relatable. She is a person who craves control, and losing that in any regard is a struggle, until she learns that Conner is the one person who she can relax with and not have to be in control of every moment.

For Conner, his character development throughout the book was one real life men need to take note of. From loathing driving to loving it all because of his love and respect for Senna - *chefs kiss*. We see his internal battles with insomnia and anxiety, his willingness to accept therapy to help him cope with his fears, and the complete 180 of his character throughout this novel. I just adored how openly proud of Senna is his and how he’s so in love with her he’s not afraid to shout it from rooftops.

Rebecca did a wonderful job at crafting a story that hooks you and leaves you wanting more. In this first novel of the series, we were left wondering what in the world Niki’s been up to for the entirety of the racing season. I can’t wait to read the second novel and to learn more of Niki’s story.

3.5⭐

"Don't show vulnerability. Don't trust men who can break your heart. And don't fall in love."

This was a fun read! And maybe the first time I've actually enjoyed the brothers best friend trope? The dynamic between our two MC's was cute, albeit a little cringey at times (hello miscommunication and 'protect her' tropes).

Connor underwent a complete bad boy to loverboy transformation really quick, but he remained a lovable character throughout (holding a kitten in his racesuit !! hello !!). The exploration of his mental health and relationship with driving really stood out for me, and shifted this from being a cheesy romcom to something a bit more substantive. Likewise, Senna's battle with misogny and bullying (from both colleagues and family) gave this story depth and a realistic depection of women in motorsport.

Overall all, an enjoyable read with a very loveable cast of characters.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

gulp. yup i was sold by this. taken in by this. reading when my lights should have been off, and the reading when the lights went off. i did indeed "over"read so i could finish this book. and what a stoker of a thrilling romance. it had high stakes both on th tracks and on the heart.
Senna was a brilliant character. she held her own but had that tender and vulnerable side that you wanted to help heal too.
she was once a main player on the racing scene. but now isnt. why? because of her brother's best friend Connor. ugh him. who also happens to be her childhood crush. turns out he only crushed her, in so many painful ways. now she has to work with him. her racing team is failing and hes the only one that can help get it back on track.
there was more to him though. and more to what happened and definitely more to whats happening between the pair now. their chemistry was brilliantly written it certainly had all hearts racing on and off the track.
this book is a yes from me.
some books come at exactly the right time. i needed this time out from perhaps reality romance. and it fit the bill for me perfectly.

Start your Engines by Rebecca Chase 🏎️🏁

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am such an F1 girlie through and through so any F1 romance and I am instantly SOLD🤩
I ate this up and absolutely loved the power house that is Senna Coulter!!
Overall this was such an easy read brothers best friend F1 romance which worked as a perfect speedy read for me! I cannot wait to find out more about Niki’s story and where he disappeared off to for a good 75% of the story😂
I will definitely be reading the seat of this series in turn and finding out more about the stories of Jacs and Tawny and Niki!🥰

Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. It felt really repetitive and I was bored by the time I was halfway through. Also, the terms of endearment were just kind of cringe as well. I love the concept, but it didn't feel fully realized.

It was a decent read. Nothing super groundbreaking but entertaining. I do think the middle dragged on for a bit and could’ve definitely been shorter. Once Senna and Connor got together and the tone shift more to focus on the races I got back into it a lot more. However I did find a lot of their dialogue to come across as quite cringe and I really wish Connor dialed the “baby” usage back..by like a lot 🤣

The best parts about this book were the ones that focused on Senna as a boss of Coulter Racing and the scenes that took place of the races themselves. I just wish we would’ve gotten a bit more of the actual races and business aspects of being an F1 boss.

I would be interested to see where Senna takes Coulter racing to in the next season and what Niki’s deal is because we STILL don’t know. However idk if the book really stuck with me enough to keep going with the series. It’ll really depend on the focus of the next book.

Also way too much lip licking…it was incredibly distracting.

Oh this book! I’ve read a lot of the formula 1 romances there are, which doesnt mean I wont read another. This one was so nice! No third act breakup, healthy communication and smut that was well written! There also havent been any terminology mistakes or such related to F1 which was great! I wish the playlist had been in the front so I could have listened to it while reading, but besides that it was 100% worth the two days I spent obsessing over it! Oh to be loved the way Senna is loved by Connor!
FMC is a boss! Absolutely love the focus on the found family and team dynamic! Such a refresher!

This is for romance readers who love high-stakes, chemistry that will make your heart throb, and the world of Formula One. ‘Start Your Engines’ is a thrilling ride in which Rebecca Chase masterfully blends sports drama with a heartfelt second-chance romance, making you giggle and heat up from beginning to end.

Our FMC, Senna Coulter- who was once a promising driver- is now on the opposite end of the course, fighting to save her F1 team that happens to be struggling bad. She finds herself having to work with Connor Dane—the same man responsible for the crash that ended her career and her childhood crush.

This story was filled with so much intense emotional stakes that will make you tear up, but also make up by adding just the right amount of spice, ‘Start Your Engines’ is perfect for fans who loved Lauren Asher’s ‘Dirty Air’ series. And although some plot points feel predictable and perhaps even “hey I’ve seen this kind of story before”, the story still had its own unique twist with undeniable chemistry that will keep you on a thrill while reading.

Got a chance to do an early reading of Start Your Engines by Rebecca Chase thanks to Victory Editing and NetGalley. Official release date for the book is March 14.

As a big Formula 1 fan, one who has been counting down to the first race of the season religiously, I was so happy to find another F1 romance book to fill my time.

Overall it’s a cute story that hits the brother’s best friend, sports romance, secret relationship, found family, and mental health representation tropes. The story centers around Senna, who takes on leading her family’s F1 team after her brother goes off to recover from an accident. All while having to deal with a driver that she has past with (though we learn things aren’t what she thinks they are). I will say that I struggled getting into the story, it took me a minute to be able to sit down and not want to put the book down. Once I did get into it I was able to enjoy a story of a badass woman leading a team and working through all the things thrown her way. Big love on the part of her kicking someone to the curb who did not deserve a seat in F1.

Halfway through the book I did have to push through and move past the cringy parts of the story. I wanted there to be more growth between the relationship of Senna and her dad, the ending felt a little rushed when the story centered around her own personal growth based on his lack of support for his daughter. Also, while the spicy scenes were great, they acted as time jumps and I’d rather see more of a relationship growth between Senna and Connor, give us more of how it’s important to have your support system.

Though at the end the day, I will always support a story of a badass FMC doing great things in a world that we don’t typically see them in real life.

Start Your Engines by Rebecca Chase
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

(⭐3.5)

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the advance review copy of Start Your Engines! This book releases on the 14th March!

tropes:
⤷ brother's best friend ✨
⤷ sports/f1 romance 🏎️
⤷ secret relationship 🔐
⤷ childhood friends to enemies to lovers 💖

"He'd go to the end of the earth just to see your smile."

ᯓ★ 1. Characters
Senna
Okay sooo I'm really sorry I didn't like Senna that much. She was trying too hard to be cutesy as well as scary and bossy and her arrogance tended to annoy me. I know if she were a male boss and she was doing the same thing, it would annoy me just the same. I'm glad she was opening up opportunities for other girls in the F1 workplace but honestly a lot of her gall was unnecessary. You can be a great boss with set boundaries and not be holding up your hand to shut them up when you're busy doing something else. If a guy did that to me IRL I think I would actually just walk tf away cuz WHAT?? 😭 also her nickname for Connor (Connor f*cking Dane) was funny the first few times but after a while it got old and it just seemed like she was trying to be an ass about their painful past.

Connor
I honestly really liked him! He was marketed as a 'bad boy' but he literally didn't do anything bad at all. He was a cinnamon roll who loves kitties and his lady. The one thing I really didn't like about him was his dirty talk though... it was so explicit and so jarring I tended to find myself cringing a little bit. A little bit of an ick but he's a sweetheart so he makes up for it.

Niki
I didn't like or dislike Niki. He was just kinda meh. Then again, he did go MIA for a good 75% of the story. I'd like to see his story, especially because he was so secretive about his whereabouts and disappearances. It's exciting to see Rebecca Chase's ideas for his story! I'd love a little more background and fleshing out of his character.

2. Plot
It wasn't all that bad at the start but it definitely began to drag in the middle. I was really struggling to get through it when they were just kind of laying around, f*cking at every opportunity and timeskipping.

I did find some parts of this book a little cringe, and it pains me to say this because it wasn't a bad story! I just feel like some of the humour was badly executed and a few scenes were a bit... far-fetched 🤨

And sometimes it did kiiinda feel like I was in high school, standing by my locker, waiting for the handsy cringe couple to move so I could get my books and go to class. It just kinda gives that vibe, that I'm an outsider watching a teenage h*rny couple get a bit too freaky in public. I mean, she literally sat on his lap... in a restaurant... in public... and they expected people not to notice they were dating 😬

3. Final Thoughts
Overall a solid, cute brother's best friend F1 romance. I fear Cross the Line by Simone Soltani raised my standards so impossibly high it made F1 romances always need to be at that standard for the rest of my life 🙏 but I'm not too mad at that tbh haha, Start Your Engines definitely reminded me of Cross the Line, just a little more infuriating and a little more cringe.

"I'm the storm?"
"You're the fucking cyclone I can't stop chasing."

ahhhh firstly thank you so much to the author rebecca chase and net galley for this arc!!
this was my first ever F1 romance and i freaking loved it!!!
the banter, the tension and the spice was perfection.
if you love tropes like:
brothers best friend
sports romance
enemies to lovers
childhood friends
work romance
found family
or just anything to do with F1 in general than this book is for you!
this book follows F1 driver connor dane and boss of coulter racing senna coulter.
warning this book is spicy but i was here for it, connor absolutely worships senna although things end up crashing when senna’s older brother and connor’s best friend nikki finds out about them…
the book was super fast paced and had so much passion and adrenaline to make you want to never put it down!
the ending was good but i wanted more, that was my only complaint hahaha!
i rate this book a 4.25 stars!!

Rebecca Chase’s *Start Your Engines* is a high-octane romance that combines steamy tension, emotional depth, and the thrilling world of Formula One. Senna Coulter, the young head of her family’s struggling F1 team, is a force to be reckoned with. After a crash ended her racing dreams, she’s determined to prove herself in a male-dominated industry, battling sexism, financial woes, and her own father’s doubts.

Enter Connor Dane, her brother’s best friend, her teenage crush, and the hotshot driver she blames for ending her career. Their chemistry is explosive from the start, but secrets and guilt keep them at odds. As they navigate the racing season—their fiery clashes turn into a secret, steamy relationship that neither can resist.

Chase’s writing is sharp and engaging, with dual POVs that add depth to both characters. Senna’s resilience and Connor’s redemption arc are compelling, and the racing backdrop is vividly portrayed. While some moments feel over-the-top, the emotional payoff is worth it. A solid, addictive read for romance and F1 fans alike!

I absolutely loved this book,I wish I could have dived straight into the pages it’s was fast paced and just so swoon worthy

I really enjoyed this book. The chemistry between senna and Connor was wonderful. There past issues and troubles collided beautifully! I really enjoyed Connor and his dedication to Senna and to his found family as well as his own family and keeping his dad away. I wish there was more backstory to Connor and senna. But I did love the snippets of there past and memories of them together when they were younger. The chemistry and spice was on point and I enjoyed it! I'm very curious where and what senna brother has been up to.

What and entertaining read!
I'm an F1 fangirl through and through and I'm just getting into F1 novel romances so it's safe to say I really enjoyed this book!
Senna, besides having an epic name, is a total boss and I love that we get a glimpse at being a woman in motorsport and how difficult it is for her to climb through the ranks and, really, just existing in a men dominated field. I think the way the author shows how she's held to a much higher standard than the men around her is really well done.
Another thing I loved was the atmosphere of the book! The TP side of it, the garage with the mechanics, the races, it felt very authentic and it does leave you on the edge of your seat.
The only thing I would've liked a bit better was if Connor's development was a bit more fleshed out. The initial part of the book is very well done, I think it sets the scene perfectly but then I feel like it's a bit too rushed as his character does a complete flip and it feels quite sudden. That being said, I love their dynamic and banter and I really like how by the end it's them against the world.
Quick appreciation note for the Taylor Swift references, having The Man as her go-to song to feel powerful is sooo relatable.
Overall a fun and quick read!

This is the 2nd ARC book of Rebecca's i have read and I absolutely loved it. Connor and Senna are amazing characters. I always love a happy ending. Can't wait to see what Rebecca does next.

Start Your Engines by Rebecca Chase is F1 romance with my favourite tropes. Enemies to lovers, brother’s best friend and forced proximity!

Senna is new boss in F1 team and Connor is her brother’s best friend who she hates. They were all friends untill she crashed because of him and that ended her driving career. But that’s not all to this story!

I enjoyed every single page of this book. Story is great, there’s spice and amazing communication even they both have a lot of problems.
Truly an amazing read!!! 😄

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪: 3.5/5 𝓢𝓣𝓐𝓡𝓢 ⭐️

Start Your Engines by Rebecca Chase is a compelling second-chance romance set in the high-stakes world of Formula 1. Senna Coulter was once on track to become an F1 driver, but after a devastating accident, her dreams were stolen from her. Now, years later, she has stepped up as the boss of Coulter Racing after her father’s heart attack forced him to step down, and her brother, Niki, abandoned the sport entirely after a terrifying crash of his own. Despite her years of experience as the team’s comms director and her deep understanding of the sport, Senna constantly has to fight to be taken seriously—especially by her own family, who still treat her as fragile and incapable. Their overprotectiveness, while rooted in love, was incredibly frustrating, and I was fully invested in seeing Senna prove them wrong.

As if navigating team politics and expectations wasn’t enough, Senna is also forced to deal with the return of Connor Dane—her former best friend, first love, and now an elite F1 driver. Years ago, they were inseparable, but after her accident, everything between them shattered. Now, with Connor driving for Coulter Racing, their unresolved history comes crashing back. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and their dynamic is filled with tension, unspoken regrets, and lingering attraction. I loved the push-and-pull between them as they tried to figure out whether they could rebuild what was lost—or if they were destined to crash and burn.

The racing elements were there but not overly technical, which worked well since the focus was on Senna’s personal and professional struggles rather than the minute details of F1 strategy. While I enjoyed the romance and the tension between Senna and Connor, I felt like some of the emotional conflicts—especially her issues with her family—were resolved too quickly. I wanted more depth in those confrontations, particularly with how dismissive her father and brother were of her abilities. Similarly, some of the biggest emotional beats between her and Connor could have used more space to breathe.

Overall, Start Your Engines is a fast-paced and steamy sports romance with a strong heroine determined to prove herself in a world that underestimates her. While I had some frustrations with how quickly certain conflicts were resolved, I still enjoyed watching Senna fight for her place—not just as a team boss, but as someone worthy of love and respect. Her fiery chemistry with Connor was a definite highlight, making this an enjoyable read for fans of second-chance romance and strong-willed heroines in male-dominated spaces.

Thank you to the Rebecca Chase, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley for the ARC!

If you’re a fan of the brother’s best friend and forced proximity tropes, and you’re into F1, Start Your Engines is exactly what you need to add to your TBR! It’s a perfect mix of romance and motorsport drama that totally hits the mark.

I was expecting plenty of F1 references, but I didn’t expect the main character and her brother to be named after F1 legends (Senna and Niki!). It was such a clever little detail that tied everything together in a way that made the story even more exciting for fans of the sport.

One of the best things about this book is how it highlights women in motorsport. Senna is an absolute powerhouse, showing up in a male-dominated world and proving everyone who doubted her wrong. Watching her step into her leadership role was so empowering – it felt like a celebration of how women can dominate in any field.

Connor Dane was a standout MMC. Instead of just following his best mate Niki’s orders to protect Senna, he supported her in a way that felt so genuine and authentic. What I loved most was that he also had his own demons to face, and the way he let Senna in, despite his fear of not being forgiven, was such a beautiful part of their relationship.

Huge thanks to Rebecca Chase and NetGalley for the early read! I’m so glad I got to dive into this F1 romance – it was definitely a ride I won’t forget!