stevie's reviews
357 reviews

The only thing more exciting than learning about the existence of an F1 contemporary romance novel was being lucky enough to get an e-ARC of said novel. When I tell you I screamed (nearly as loud as I did during Abu Dhabi 2021 🥲)

I have to admit that went into this book with low expectations only because there was a lot of room for disappointment — not only am I pathetically obsessed with all things F1, but I’m also quite cynical when it comes to romance books and I like to complain. I was worried this could read more like the fantasies of a Charles Leclerc fan girl (though yes of course, we love Charles). I was ready for slip-ups and misunderstandings of the sport, if it was even mentioned in detail at all. 

However! I’m not afraid to shout loudly I was completely wrong! Cross the Line surprised me in the best way. And sure, I could be cynical here, I could eyeroll at the manufactured cheesiness that the genre requires, but that isn’t the point. And also, it’s really nice to read a cheesy happy book sometimes! And one without an insufferable third-act breakup at that! 

There were some obvious parallels in a few of the fictional teams and characters; it’s not hard to figure out which team is Mercedes and who is Lewis Hamilton, but I really appreciated that there weren’t too many direct comparisons. It kept the plot from veering into either parody or fan fiction territory, and it was still quite realistic and immersive. I could picture cringey all-American Argonaut Racing and its nepo baby, billionaire daddy dynamic, or the Italian hotshot driving recklessly. 

And where the novel benefits most from standing on its own without direct parallels to the current F1 grid is its diversity. As much as I love the sport, it has always been painfully white and male-dominated, with large-scale pushes for the inclusion of people of color and women only coming in recent years. I loved that Simone Soltani’s F1 world shows us what the real F1 world could look like, if we had a more diverse grid or more women working in publicly facing positions (without their enthusiasm being questioned or the sport being mansplained, because every woman who’s into F1 has been there).

I think F1 fans are going to appreciate just how much it leans into the sport, too — the lingo, the race weekends, the driver drama. The author throws the reader into the story without including awkward explanations. It’s so clearly a book written for the F1 girlies by an F1 girly, which I loved, but I’d be so curious about its approachability for those with no background knowledge of the sport. Maybe I’ll just make everyone I know read this book so I can find out !! I’m so extremely excited for the next book (and the next, and the next) in the Lights Out series 🏎️

Huge thanks to the author for the ARC copy!

Never read a contemporary romance that’s tried to convince me organized religion is cool before