Fun and fast paced, this was a great romance. I enjoyed the F1 elements, but felt the relationship aspect was a little overwritten at some points. Stella also felt a little confusing as a character in parts, I thought some of her actions were rude and insensitive, whereas at other times I really enjoyed her as the MC. Still, an enjoyable romance!

I absolutely ADORED this book.

Everything about this book was on point for me, marriage of convenience, hot chemistry, likeable characters and loads of cute moments. Although I liked the first book in the series, I loved this so much more.

Stella is fiesty and confident without being an annoying or cliche FMC, while Thomas is honestly just the sweetest, MMC with a full on obsession with his wife. At times I did want to shake Stella, but aside from that, they had an amazing dynamic, with witty banter, mutual respect and serious attraction between them.

I really liked the writing in this and the pacing of the story. There was family meddling, ex drama and although I'm not a F1 fan, but I got really into the F1 drama in this.

Tropes:
Marriage of Convenience
Interracial couple
Obsessed MMC x Feisty FMC
Slow Burn
"My Wife"
English guy x American girl

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Wow! She's done it again.

I loved Stella and Thomas' story, I went into this completely blind, and I didn't realise it was a slow burn and was pleasantly surprised. Things didn't even start heating up till the 80% mark! I thought the banter and chemistry was so good and I particularly loved Thomas as a main love interest.
However, Stella did start to annoy me a little she was self-sabotaging a lot but also it was the whole point she had been through a lot. I just felt that the 3rd act breakup could've been a different plot device rather than the one the author chose.
Overall, if you love slow burn, F1, golden retriever MMC and baked goods, you'll love this one and I'll definitely be recommending it. I will always read whatever Simone writes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me the arc to review!

4,5⭐

I had already adored Cross the Line, but this one took everything I hoped and turned it into something wonderfully unexpected 🥹

I absolutely LOVED Thomas and Stella and their story - it was the perfect mix of fake dating, marriage of convenience and 'what stays in Vegas DOESN'T always stay in Vegas' 🙈
Thomas is A MAN - book husband top tier - the most considerate, kind, funny guy, the one we all need in our lives. Stella is not only a boss woman, but also thoughtful and someone that fights for the people she loves. I really loved them as a couple, but I think I loved them equally was individuals who were discovering themselves together and getting over their fears and traumas.

The slow burn was definitely burning slow but it made it all the sweeter when they finally came together. Every hurdle they had to overcome, everything that just made their relationship stronger also made the whole journey worth the pain and the moments where I just wanted them to be ok and live happily ever after.

I also really liked a lot of the other characters, especially the more complex ones, that show us that not everything is black and white and that some actions, intentions and people can be more than just good or bad.

I absolutely adore Stella & Thomas. Who would have thought an accidental vegas wedding could lead to one of the healthiest relationships I’ve ever read about.

These two were fiery from the start and I ate it up. The banter was next level and who doesn’t love a man obsessed?

Thomas was everything you could possibly want in a love interest. Patient, kind, respectful and ALWAYS acting with Stella in mind. I think everyone needs their own Thomas.

Stella’s story hit very close to home for me and I loved seeing her confidence be reborn as this story progressed. Seeing her get her spark back with Thomas as her cheerleader was everything.

1000% recommend.

I absolutely adored with book!
Can we just talk about Thomas for a moment because he is a new favourite book boyfriend! "She's a dream come to life"
Weak at the knees!
The way he was Stella's biggest supporter in everything she done, was a green flag.
Fake dating then marriage of convenience - you had me sold straight away! Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE a fake dating/marriage of convenience trope.
I will admit, I was unsure on Stella at the start but then I loved her. Their chemistry didn't feel forced; to me it felt very natural. The pacing of this book was done very well and nothing felt skipped over or rushed.
The F1 aspect was perfect, it wasn't too heavily focused where it took over the book but the right balance for the plot/focus of the characters! This one will definitely be an addition to the shelves.
I highly recommend :)

The amount of time it took me to read this book has no reflection on the book at all. Unfortunately jobs needed doing and work happened and time just got away with me. I loved this from start to finish and loved Stella and Thomas together. This is a very slow burn…. Kind of, when you read the book you’ll know what I mean. I enjoyed seeing a multi racial couple as this isn’t something I see much of. I couldn’t stop laughing when memories kept coming back up from their wedding night and the things they got up to. The donut will just be iconic forever. Whenever I see a chocolate donut I will just think of this scene now. I loved Cross the Line but I think the banter and tension between Thomas & Stella pushed this one to being my favourite out of the 2.
Can these two and a part 2 to their story please, I would love to read more from them.

This is a nice book for someone who’s either wanting to dip their toe into F1 books or is someone who isn’t bothered by it. I think it took until about 45/50% for them to get to the track and start talking about F1 other than him being a driver. There isn’t anything majorly confusing or technical mentioned in the book, so it’s easy for everyone to understand.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the e-arc of Ride with Me in exchange of an honest review!

Here it is the beginning of my new obsession… F1 romance books. Ride With Me by Simone Soltani was such a great romance. If you’re looking for something cute, funny, spicy, with a confident and relatable fmc, and an understandable and romantic mmc, this is definitely the book for you.
Can’t wait for people to get to read this!

We’re back in the world of F1 and with one of my most anticipated reads of 2025.

At this point, I will read whatever Simone writes and I will be obsessed regardless.

Thomas “my wife” Maxwell-Brown what are we going to do with you huh? I knew there was a kind hearted respectful [although the mouth on his is not] man buried underneath that exterior! While he is in desperate need of an image overhaul I wouldn’t change a thing - he is the definition of understanding ‘acts of service’ and don’t F**K with consent!

As for Stella; I love how she rediscovered the part of herself that were lost. I am proud of her for not compromising on her own dreams in terms of her business but pivoting to see a new adventure to follow. I also loved how she found a way to help Thomas get what he needed.

While this may have started out with a drunken night in Vegas, these two were meant to find each other. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

💍Accidentally married in Vegas
💒Marriage of convenience
🏎️F1 Driver x Bakery Owner
♥️Interracial Couple (Black American FMC & White British MMC)
🫧Independent FMC x Obsessed MMC
✨Dual POV
🌶️Open Door Spice
🔥“My Wife”

📚Ride with me by Simone Soltani
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is the second installment of the Lights Out series. I was very excited to read this story, it has some great tropes and I’m a huge F1 fan, so I was very interested in reading this. With that said, I didn’t love it, the story hat some very fun and entertaining moments but the main characters felt a bit flat, I liked the mmc, Thomas, a lot more than I liked the fmc, Stella. Most of the plot felt a bit dry, while it could’ve been so much more engaging.

Tropes:
🏎️F1 romance
🍩 Accidental Marriage
🏎️ Baker fmc
🍩 forced proximity
🏎️ slow burn

Thank you so much NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Let me start by saying what a huge fan I am of Simone Soltani. Ever since 2023, when Cross The Line was first announced, I have been hooked. I was lucky enough to have the pleasure of receiving the ARC for the second installment in the series, and I am so, so grateful.

Ride with Me is such a fun, heartfelt romance about healing, taking risks, and trusting someone new when life’s gone off track. It’s the kind of story that makes you laugh, swoon, and scream at the characters all at once, in the best way.

After being left at the altar, Stella ends up at a joint bachelor-bachelorette party she’d rather skip. But she’s there for her cousin and figures she might as well shake things up. Enter Thomas, a scandalised Formula 1 driver also wishing he were anywhere else. One drink (or ten, who counts?), one hazy night, and... a marriage certificate? Uh oh. Wild. With both of them under scrutiny for different reasons, they agree to play along and pretend it’s real. But the pretending doesn’t stay pretend for long.

I adored this book. The chemistry between Stella and Thomas? Off the charts. They’re magnetic. The way Thomas leans into his feelings and claims her as “my wife” (chills) while still respecting her boundaries? HOT DAMN. That hit. He never pushes—he lets her choose. Green forest. And Stella (the person behind the infamous macarons!), even while holding back, starts to see past his public mess and actually sees him. It’s beautiful. She took her time to get there, but then she was all in, despite her previous experience.

They’re both a little broken, and watching them slowly fall for each other felt real. Messy, sweet, sexy—it all worked. And when it finally clicks between them? Sparks FLY.

This was a brilliant book!
As soon as I saw it listed I was hoping I would be accepted! Thank you for the ARC copy of this I really appreciate it!

3.75★

I liked this quite a lot! I had so much fun reading this, and it was so much better than the first book.

The writing style is so easy to read and enjoyable. There’s a good mix between description and dialogue, so it doesn’t feel clunky at all. I’ve heard people think the start is slow, but I really liked how we got the whole leading up to the Vegas wedding. I liked seeing the initial connection between the main characters and how much fun they had. Bold of Thomas and Stella to do THAT in public though lol.

Stella is a cool FMC. She is a millionaire (good on her, wish that was me) and she is very honest, sharp-tongued, and has good humour. I did feel for her because she is struggling from her trauma of being left at the altar, but I do think it was dragged on far too much. Even at the 70% mark, she admits she’s just waiting for her ex to come back, which I found odd. Especially because she’s admitted to having a crush on Thomas already. I didn’t love how she treated Thomas some of the time.

As for Thomas, I thought he was a sweetheart. He’s also a millionaire but with generational wealth, and I love how he accommodated Stella at every point. Before she moved in, he bought her all the skin care products she would need, silk pillowcases to help protect her hair, and all the fancy baking appliances so she could bake at home. He was a sweetheart and was down bad for her. I would’ve liked more scenes with him and Figgy and how that properly gets resolved, because it seemed very chaste.

The romance between Stella and Thomas was very slow burn (despite the fact they get married on the day they met) and the tension between them was top notch. They had actual good banter and humour, and the yearning was amazing. I really liked them!

I do wish we got more scenes with each characters family, as I felt there wasn’t enough. I also wish we got to see more to do with Thomas’ career. At the end he’s thinking a lot about switching teams and not wanting to stay at his current one, but then it skips to the epilogue and it’s never mentioned again? It felt unresolved.

Also, I liked the mentions of Willow and Dev. They’re cute.

Overall, strong book, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this. I liked it so much more than “Cross the Line” and I’m annoyed at myself for expecting to not like this book, after I didn’t enjoy “Cross the Line” that much.

🏎💍 REVIEW 💍🏎
Stella Baldwin is a famous pastry chef who isn't having a good time after being left out at the altar. Her reputation is in tatters, and to add fuel to the fire thing get worst after drunkenly venting to her followers on social media. At this point, one would think she couldn't get any more unlucky until two weeks later, she has to travel to Las Vegas for her cousin's bachelorette party, where she unexpectedly finds herself in a new scandal.

Thomas Maxwell-Brown is an F1 driver who is considered the most hated man on the racing grid after a video of him making certain comments about another driver was leaked. With his reputation in tatters, constant threats from his family, a demanding race schedule, and the possibility of losing his seat to new talent, our protagonist can't catch a break. And what better way to forget everything that weighs him down than with a bachelor party in Las Vegas?

Stella isn't the woman Thomas hopes to meet that night. And Thomas isn't the man Stella hopes to wake up with the next morning, with a ring on her finger. Staying married could be the perfect solution to their problems, even if it's not what either of them wants.
Could it be that what happens in Vegas will stay there?

How unreal it feels to be able to early read one of my most anticipated books of the year.
How can I explain the way I loved the book so much, because it has three of my favorite things: romance, F1, and an accidental marriage in Vegas. Stella and Thomas's story doesn't start in the traditional way, but it's no less beautiful. Honestly, I devoured this book in hours, and I absolutely loved it. It was so nice to see how their relationship grew with each chapter and how little by little they became each other's best friends.

Can we talk about Dev and Willow's cameos? I really enjoyed it when they're interconnected series of books, and this one was clearly no exception.
I can't wait to read more of this author and more of this serie.

Thank you, Netgalley, Pan Macmillan & Simone Soltani, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

simone you'll always be famous.

what a fantastic read <3 the chemistry was off the charts. the banter was immaculate. stella is a wonderful, strong woman. this is everything to me

I think this might be my first 5 star of the year. I loved Cross the Line and Ride With Me was a fantastic follow up to that book. I ate this up and read it in about 2 days. I loved the characters, the plotline, and the romance.

One of the things I love about Soltani's books is that she personalizes her characters without making them caricatures of real people. I really related to Stella's anxieties about relationships and perfectionism (and her slightly self-destructive impression of self), but also Thomas' character and the lover boy he is melted my heart. Watching their relationship grow was beautiful. Plus the racing aspects were quality and well written, rather than it being a throw away aspect of the book.

I don't want to spoil the book, but it was a fantastic read and I hope there are more of them coming!

A Thrilling Ride of Romance and Redemption

Ride with Me by Simone Soltani is a captivating blend of steamy romance and high-octane thrills. The story follows Stella Baldwin, who, after being left at the altar, finds herself in Las Vegas and unexpectedly married to Formula 1 driver Thomas Maxwell-Brown. What begins as a spontaneous act turns into a deep and passionate connection.

Soltani's writing is engaging, with a perfect balance of humour, tension, and heart. The chemistry between Stella and Thomas is palpable, and their journey from strangers to soulmates is both heartwarming and exhilarating. The backdrop of the glamorous world of Formula 1 adds an extra layer of excitement to the narrative.

This novel is a must-read for fans of romantic comedies with a dash of adventure. It's a story that proves sometimes, the most unexpected turns lead to the most rewarding destinations.

I absolutely LOVED this book!! I think I liked this one even more than the first book. The slow burn trope is just top tier and gets me every single time...
I can't get over how obsessed I am with Simone Soltani's writing. It really is just addictive, and you can get hooked immediately.
Stella was such a fun character, and I really liked her personality. She is just such a sweetheart, and I absolutely adored how much she cares about her friends and family and how much she cares about Thomas. She loved Thomas so much, even though her past fiancé absolutely wrecked her. I also really enjoyed watching her fall in love with Thomas; it was just too cute.
Thomas was a cutie, and honestly, I loved his character! I really liked that he wasn't some hotshot in the F1, but instead he knew he wasn't the best, yet he still tried his hardest. I also really liked how down-to-earth he was when it came to owning up to his mistakes and figuring out how to fix them.
This book was stunning, and I am so happy I was able to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!!

I will say that Simone Soltani definitely knows her Formula 1! A stand alone sequel to her last book Cross the Line, this is another spicy romantic story that will have you swooning from very early on.

After loving Cross the Line last year, I was so excited for a chance to read Ride with Me as an arc and boy did it live up to my excitement.

I love a good forced proximity, fake dating situation and if we add an accidental marriage to the mix, I’ll be eating it up like one of Stella’s macarons. The backdrop of F1 added some fun adrenaline and some drama. I do wish we were able to see the end of that play out more, but hopefully that’ll be explored in a next book.

Thomas and Stella were just so lovely together although they could’ve listened to their first rule a little bit more and been honest about their feelings. Especially Thomas who was just down bad from the start. I got where Stella was coming from, but especially towards the end I felt like she could’ve been more respectful towards Thomas and at least give him some explanation.

But overall I really loved the story and would rate it a 4.5!