I have been waiting for this one since I read the first book, and may I say that it did not disappoint.

Her books are the first book that I read regarding F1 romance, and as someone who is not a fan of F1, I definitely liked it. Also, as a plus points, her FMC being a black woman, makes me believe that there is woman empowerment that allows any kind of woman, their race or skin color, is and can be the main protagonist in a story and deserve all the love and attention that a man can give.

Can the 3rd book be released as soon as possible? I am so in love with her stories

I did really enjoy this however I found it to be a bit too stop and start with their relationship. It was constantly about to happen and then something would come up and it was frustrating. VERY happy to see all of the details about the world of F1 are factually correct!

One of my most anticipated reads of the year, and let me tell you—I was not disappointed! 🤭 If you love F1 romances, this is the book for you. Simone Soltani absolutely nails the F1 world while giving us a sizzling, slow-burn fake marriage that had me hooked from page one.

Thomas & Stella = pure 🔥 The chemistry? Insane. The tension? Delicious. Thomas? My sweet angel baby—he’s soft, a little insecure, a little sassy, and completely in love with Stella. His devotion?? The jewelry comment?! I was DOWN BAD. And Stella? She’s a boss, independent, and always lifting people up. Loved them together!

Now, about the slow burn... At 90%, they were still questioning if this was real. I usually love a slow burn (Mariana Zapata girlies, I see you 👀), but this one had me on the edge of my seat for so long that when something finally happened, I was kinda over the wait!

And the third-act drama?? Stella, girl… why did you drag this out to the ends of the earth?! The miscommunication was infuriating. Yes, her phone wasn’t working, but WHY didn’t she call sooner? WHY was Thomas just waiting there? I was screaming. 😭

Pacing felt a little off — the first 30-40% spans days, then suddenly we’re skipping months. It got a little insta-lovey, and I wish they had known each other before getting married (at least one past convo??). Also, where was the family drama I was hoping for?!

BUT—despite my complaints, I devoured this book. It was so fun, addictive, and full of swoon-worthy moments. Simone Soltani writes such an engaging romance, and I need a Lorenzo book at one point in the future. 👏

The slow-burn read of your dreams.

I love love LOVED this book. I ate it up, it was SO good. I wasn't sure how Simone was going to top Cross the Line but I think Thomas has surpassed Dev as my favourite🫣

First and foremost, Thomas is a simp (in a hot way) for his woman and we LOVE it, like, this man is a walking heart eyes emoji. Stella is an unstoppable queen, full to the brim with sass and love for those around her. She SHONE throughout this book, and honestly? I wish I had a Stella in my life✨.

The romance was ✨romancing✨ and I felt as though the pacing was done SO well. The tension between these two was sizzling off the page.

I am a huge fan of a slow-burn done right and this one was done to perfection. Our couple have a steamy start and then take a step back to build their connection which felt so real and genuine.

Simone has by far cemented her throne as the queen of f1 romance.

What to expect?

💍 My WIFE moments
🎰 Vegas Wedding
🔥Slow Burn
🧁Bakery Owner x F1 Driver
🏎️Both Millionaires
🏁Brit x American
👩‍❤️‍👨Forced Prox
❤️Fake Dating
🎁 He buys her gifts

I adored Cross the Line and this follow up reminded me of exactly why! I loved both Stella and Thomas and their individual journeys - I liked that both of their careers were focal points in the novel. Her books make me interested in F1 which I've never cared for before. The tension between them both was great and I raced through the novel to see them finally get together. I love Simone's writing and I am eagerly awaiting the rest of her novels.

Thank you NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!
•••
Ride with Me was a fun read with a light Formula 1 touch, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations going in. I picked it up hoping for a true F1 romance, but the sport only played a small part in the overall story. While the F1 backdrop was a nice detail, it didn’t feel essential to the plot, which left me wanting more from that angle.

The accidental marriage trope isn’t really my favorite, and I have to admit I found the whole marriage of convenience angle a bit confusing. I never fully understood why it was necessary or how it added to the story beyond creating some forced tension. Because of that, the central conflict felt a little weak to me.

I think my disappointment mostly comes from the expectations I had. If I had known this would be more of a general romance with a slight F1 vibe rather than a full-on sports romance, I might’ve enjoyed it more. It’s not a bad book by any means, just not what I was hoping for.

Overall, it’s a decent romance with some fun moments and chemistry, but for me, it didn’t hit the same as Cross the Line. A solid three-star read, but not one I see myself revisiting. 🏎️🏁❤️

MARRIAGE IN VEGAS WITH A BRITISH F1 DRIVER?! I’d be very happy, and I know Baldwin is.

After Stella is left at the altar by her 5 year fiancé, she’s devastated, but being the boss of a worldwide known patisserie company, she cannot rest. So when she’s invited to Vegas two weeks later for her cousin’s joint stag/bachelorette party she can finally escape the watchful eye of the media, but what she didn’t count for was the gorgeous British F1 driver who also wants to escape for one night. What happens when they let loose a little too much and end up getting married? Should they leave it all behind and what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas? Or could they use it to their advantage?



I loved Ride With Me so so much, we get to see a bit less of the actual racing and more the drama side of F1, along with family drama but I loved it nonetheless. I also really liked that we got to see some characters from Cross the Line (Dev I love you).
Stella and Thomas are so freaking cute, the banter is just on point the whole time and I love their family and friends looking out for them too.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 ⭐️
I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH WHERE DO I EVEN START!!
So we have Stella who has just recently been left at the altar and that’s left quite an impact on her. We also have Thomas a British F1 driver who meets Stella at a bachelorette/ bachelor party in vegas and they get MARRIED!! The tension the banter just everything I loved this book. We also have some other plots going on as-well as Stella and Thomas’s relationship that in my opinion I found just as interesting as the romance. I also love how Simone Soltani wrights accurate F1 which you don’t get in many F1 books. I’m Someone who finds most spice cringey but the way Simone wrote it made me want even more and didn’t find any of it cringey.
Some of the tropes in this book:
-Marriage of convenience
- forced proximity
- they are both millionaires ( which I also loved how the man wasn’t the only one who had achieved a great career in life because Stella is also a millionaire and famous like Thomas is.

Stella and Thomas thankyou. you have lightened up my day with your words and story. and Simone thankyou even more so because you wrote it to absolute perfection. i couldnt love this book more. i was in love with all the points of this book. i think i smiled all the way through. it felt vibrant and fun and the romance was just right. nothing cringe and better yet it completely melted the cynic in me's heart. to love books like this i think gives a reader such joy to their lives. because when a book of this kind is done well it truly can hit all the right notes.
i do of course get momentary fear of how it might go wrong or that last minute "no!! if they break up or fall out. but hopefully the authors know they have us readers hearts in their hands so mend it well. and this is exactly what Simone does.
this book gives me so much lightness to some very dark days at the moment and i appreciate them so much for being able to lift a world that can feel real heavy right now.
i wont go into my best bits otherwise i will quote the moments here there and everywhere, ha!
just read this one. and then just smile.

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.