Member Reviews

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.

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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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! 💕

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