5⭐️

Thank you very much Simone Soltani for the arc. I'm obsessed with Formula 1, so I couldn't pass up this book. I love this atmosphere of racing so much, this book gave me exactly what I was looking for for so long.

Cross the Line is a great sports novel that has everything I love so much. First of all, I want to draw your attention to the fact that Formula 1 races are described in detail here, which allows you to immerse yourself even more in the atmosphere of the book. Secondly, I fell in love with the characters and their relationships. It was interesting to watch the relationship between Willow and Dev develop.

A year after graduating, Willow is looking for a job in sports marketing. One day, arriving in Monaco with her older brother, Willow meets Dev Anderson, her brother's best friend and a Formula 1 driver. He invites her to become a social media manager temporarily and save his career. But there is a problem: Dev and Willow have a history, they are both secretly in love with each other and kissed last year. Now they need to work together and keep their crush a secret. But each time their attraction becomes stronger, old feelings and burning chemistry between them threaten to flare up.

I can't stop thinking about this book. Simone did a great job, so I'm looking forward to the next books in the Lights Out series.

If you love sports novels, especially if you are a Formula 1 fan, then this book is definitely for you. Here you will find such tropes as a brother's best friend, forced proximity, sunshine x sunshine. Also in this book are south Asian MMC and black FMC, as well as FMC with chronic illness.

First let me preface this by saying I am about to go into my 18th season of being a formula one fan. I was a young girl who fell in love with the sport after sitting and watching it with my dad as a teenager. For that reason alone I am incredibly passionate about the lack of contemporary and romance fiction in the motorsport space. For the first time in years it finally feels like it's okay for women to admit they find the drivers attractive without judgement.

That being said, I am frustrated with this book. I went in with an open mind and the willingness to love it and yet from page one we were dramatising crashes. Drivers do not crash because they are distracted kissing a loved one, they wouldn’t get to an elite sport like F1 if they were so easily riled. Those cars cost millions. Anyway I continued on my way. The characters felt slightly juvenile but I liked Dev’s character on the whole. I did find the whole will they won’t they, we kissed last year, I love her but her brother will kill me a little repetitive but that seems to be the gist of contemporary.

Then let me move to the last 5% and the major crash. There are rarely fireballs in F1 as safety is paramount, Romain Grosjean’s crash in 2020 Bahrain was nothing short of a miracle and does not deserve to be revisited in a romance setting - someone nearly dying is not romantic. Dragging a further three drivers into it with a plethora of career debilitating injuries just blew my mind. To then also call for the race to be cancelled like Niki Lauda Japan 1976 or Ayrton Senna Imola 1994 (which resulted in his death), I just wonder if the bulk of the framework was influenced from major F1 events that resulted in agony.

For me this would appeal more to people who aren’t fans of the sport or are new to it - not those of us who have lived these moments live and in 4k.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

What happens when you’re a high profile F1 driver whose social media manager quits by telling the world you have an STD? You hire your best friends sister who’s looking for a job to fill the spot. Obviously ignoring the fact you’re both on the cusp of falling for each other.

Cross the Line follows Dev and Willow as they navigate putting his reputation back on the right line whilst ignoring their feeling for each other, trying to fight against a team that does not have Dev’s back and Willow managing her chronic illness.

A lovely read set in the world of F1, you’ll be hard pressed not to fall for Willow and Dev.

Thank you PanMacmillan and NetGalley for the ARC.

I've read a LOT of F1 romance books but this has to be the best one by far. Loved the two main characters and you can clearly tell the authors passion and love for F1 - it shone through the pages!! Very slow burn, angsty friends to lovers that I would recommend those who likes F1. I cannot wait for more stories from this author and will eagerly await for it!!

I really struggled to get through this. The romance didn’t feel developed enough for me- it happened too easily and the ‘conflict’ was resolved too easily. I wished there was a bit more yearning here, there was room to make this more tense.

I enjoyed the sporting concept and the social media element but found this a bit half hearted.

This didn’t feel developed enough for me and I’ve read much better novels on similar topics.

The redeeming element was the wedding- I really enjoyed reading about the different outfits and the cultural differences between The characters.

I’ve been wanting to read Cross the Line for months, ever since I first saw its cover, and when I saw it was available for request on Netgalley I smashed that request button faster than Dev’s lap times.

This F1 sports romance book was a delight to read; with a brothers best friend and boss/employee trope to give this sweet read some delicious tension Cross the Line was so easy to fall into. Dev Anderson needs an image makeover. After his last social media manager recked his image on her way out, Dev’s been hiding, but it’s time for him to shine. Willow Williams is the little sister of De’s best friend Oakley, and just so happens to be a recent graduate with a sports marketing degree, so when Dev offers her a temporary job, she can’t help but say yes, even if she’s been crushing on him since childhood. Spending so much time together is surely only going to deepen the feelings these two have for each other, but with Willow’s reputation and Oakley to think about, can the two make this work?

Cross the Line is the first F1 motorsport romance book I've read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The representation of chronic illness within was handled well and portrayed with grace. The sweet tension and build between Dev and Willow kept me hooked, especially reading from Dev’s POV which just showed how deeply he has fallen for Willow *chef’s kiss*. The thrill of racing was wrapped around each line giving this book an exciting pace that’s left me wanting more.

Cross the Line is a Formula 1 sports romance, following Dev whose social media manager leaves him in a bad situation where millions of people think he has an STD. Dev hires Willow to do social media and image damage control. Let’s say her brother is not too thrilled.

I loved how the chemistry was there from the start, it’s not a ‘will they won’t they’ romance, it’s a ‘when will they finally kiss?!’ romance .I enjoyed the fact that F1 actually plays a big part in the book and is not background to the relationship building, I think they were pretty equal. Personally I like it when it’s more balanced rather than the romance and spice taking over most of the attention, as there is more than the romance plot to the book.

I also liked the wedding chapters as that’s when things got really tende and secrets needed to come out, but also it was great to see the characters families, it really gave them extra depth. I liked how there was a lot of traditional Indian wedding elements to it, that were explained especially as the main characters aren’t white, Dev being half Indian and Willow being half black, and both of them belonging to the “awkward white dads club.”

Literally right at the end when you think everything is going well it suddenly all hangs on the line - and no it’s not a third act break up! It actually made me question if I am missing pages!

Overall, I found this book pretty fast paced and really enjoyable. I am giving Cross the Line by Simone Soltani 4.5 stars, and I am looking forward to what Simone writes next! I would recommend this book to people who enjoy sports romances, especially the likes of Throttled by Lauren Asher.

“My sunshine. My moon guiding me in the darkness. My Willow.”

‘Cross the Line’ is the first book in the ‘Lights Out’ and follows Willow (who’s a recent college graduate) and Dev (an F1 driver with a drive to place P1). Willow is Dev’s best friends little sister and while there’s history between the two, their romance begins to fully bloom after a fiasco causes Dev to hire Willow to manage his social media accounts.

Willow and Dev’s romance was so sweet - literally. Enough macarons were consumed in this book to go around the world twice (but I fully understand Willow’s sweet tooth). Dev is super charming and his intentions, despite having hid them from Willow for reasons the reader finds out later in the book, are very straightforward - he wants her and he’s not looking to play games with her or her feelings which I thought was so admirable. With all the Bollywood movie marathons, songs and the huge wedding that takes place, the cultural elements of this book was a personal highlight for me.

‘Cross the Line’ also touches on real life issues such as the racial micro-aggression Dev faces as a racer on a predominantly white team and in the sport. I also really appreciated the way Willow’s hypermobility was written. It doesn’t become her but also isn’t just glossed over and ignored.

I loved all the side characters - Oakley, Chava, Mark, Grace, Chantel, Dev’s parents and even the some of the drivers from the other teams like Reid and Zaid. I know the series will only have five books but I can see a potential story in all of them!

If you have you have surface level knowledge of F1 like myself, don’t feel like you can’t read this book. This book gets into all the sports action in a fun yet digestible way. I found myself cheesing when Dev finally took P1 like yes!

The epilogue was cute, a little cheesy sure but very true to them.

I’m ready and looking forward to the next installment in the ’Lights Out’ series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

What to expect:
🏎️ Formula 1 romance
🏎️ South Asian MMC and Black FMC
🏎️ Brothers best friend
🏎️ Chronic illness rep
🏎️ Macarons, racing and Bollywood references 🤩

Review:

Thanks so much to Pan MacMillan, NetGalley and Simone Soltani for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own!

This book is a wonderful read set in the fast paced world of Formula 1, where the stakes are sky-high. Dev Anderson, a talented Formula 1 driver, faces a career-threatening crisis when a social media disaster tarnishes his reputation and jeopardizes his team's loyalty and sponsorship deals. The solution is to hire his best friends sister, but their chemistry is hard to deny!

What sets this novel apart is the magnetic chemistry between Dev and Willow, a recent graduate trying to break into the sports marketing industry. Soltani creates a forbidden romance filled with passion, with the tension between the characters driving the story, and keeps you hooked.

As the story unfolds, Soltani delves into the complexities of their characters. Dev's struggle to salvage his career while wrestling with his feelings for Willow is well portrayed. Willow, with her optimism and determination, creates such a heartwarming depiction, you’re desperately rooting for her. What sets this story apart is the chronic illness representation and the way Dev cares for Willow! Similarly, the south Asian representation made my heart happy, the Bollywood references truly made me giddy! 🤩

The story balances romance, sports drama, and family dynamics and showcases a strong and sweet love story.

I would definitely recommend! 💕