THEMES
Secret workplace romance
Enemies to lovers
Brother’s best friend
Forced proximity

I'm only new to reading F1 romances but loved the premise of this - especially having the FMC as the boss. A cute little sports rom com

I couldn't put this book down! I'm not a huge F1 fan but that didn't matter. Great insight on women in sport.
The storyline makes you want to keep reading & there are some incredibly hot moments too, & I mean red hot.
Can't wait for the next one.

This was a really fun F1 romance - I loved the idea of Senna stepping into a man's world and making a better impact than her father ever made. The chemistry between her and Connor was also great, so much tension! Her father infuriated me to no end with his extremely sexist comments, I will forever have beef with that man but otherwise this was a great read.

This book is pure adrenaline in romance form! With a fiery blend of second-chance tension, forbidden love, and the high-stakes world of Formula One, it completely delivers on emotion, heat, and heart.

Senna is a powerhouse—fierce, vulnerable, and determined to save her family's team in a sport that constantly underestimates her. Connor is the ultimate brooding protector with a haunted past and just enough arrogance to keep things deliciously complicated. Their chemistry sizzles from page one, and the forced proximity and secret relationship tropes are executed flawlessly.

What really makes this story stand out, though, is the depth behind the steam: themes of grief, guilt, ambition, and anxiety are handled with real care. The found family dynamic adds a layer of warmth that balances out the intensity on the track and between the sheets.

If you love a spicy, emotional sports romance with just the right amount of angst and empowerment, buckle up—this one is a winner.

As an F1 fan, I was excited to read Start Your Engines. The first half of the story was great - tension on the team, a new driver, old flames. However once Senna and Connor start seeing each other, I struggled to enjoy the second half. The sex scenes overtook the racing scenes and it lost it's spark.

I look forward to trying another Rebecca Chase book soon.

Thank you Victory Editing and NetGalley for my copy!

I love a strong FMC in a male dominated profession. Senna is a badass, and I loved her character from the start. She is in a tough spot with having to prove herself not only to the team, but also her family. I loved the way she persevered throughout the story. The enemies to lovers was a little one sided, but it made sense for the storyline. Overall I enjoyed this one and would recommend it.

Read if you enjoy:
✔️Sports/f1 romance
✔️Brother’s best friend
✔️Workplace
✔️Enemies to lovers
✔️Secret relationship
✔️Forced proximity
✔️Found family
✔️Anxiety rep

“You wonder if I ever thought about you. Every. F***ing. Day. Some days, you were all I thought about. There was a space in my heart that was all you, and nothing else filled it.”

I loved this! I’m a fan of F1 romance and this was an interesting dynamic I hadn’t read before-team principal and driver. I found the other driver to be insufferable throughout, but thankfully this was an opinion shared by most of the characters anyway! The romance was sweet, and although I questioned the PR situation of a boss and their driver, I still thought it worked really well and was written beautifully! I would recommend this to any other sports romance fans.

Give me a best friends brother trope or brothers best friend trope and I’ll be immediately reading it. I was worried about how the racing aspects and track parts would be written in the book. They did an amazing job with this one. Realistic and on point. The tension, and dynamic made this an amazing read. I will definitely be buying a physical copy for my shelves and reading the next book in the series!

Whether you're an F1 fan or not, I can see so many enjoying this story.
This is my first time reading something from Rebecca Chase but it certainly won't be the last.
I was a big fan of two main characters and loved the nods to the car racing greats with Senna (and Niki too).
It fully immerses you in the F1 world without being off-putting and I raced *pardon the pun* through this.
There was a lot more depth and emotion than I was expecting, as well.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I could fully see myself entering an F1 romance era on this book alone. The angst, the tension, the adrenaline? I am HOOKED.

Okay so tropes; brother’s best friend, boss X employee, reformed bad boy, enemies to lovers and forced proximity.

Smut was 3/5 on the spice scale and it’s a HEA for the couple but damn if I don’t want book 2 already to stay in this world for longer!!

Senna is our FMC, she’s trailblazing the way for women in Formula One, she’s passionate and human and a badass but also soft and vulnerable. Truly a perfect character for this plotline.

Connor fuckin Dane.. WHAT A MAN. I’m a sucker for a badboy anyway, but an “its always been you” bad boy? OOF my ovaries cannot cope. Swoon, and he was reasonable and levelheaded - something all our fave book boyfriends need to be!

Who knew I would find F1 fascinating? 🏎️

I really enjoyed reading about such a strong FMC, Senna, and an MMC secure enough to be vulnerable at times, and step up as and when necessary. I also really enjoyed seeing how a pet brings out the best (or worst) in characters!

With the popularity of Drive to Survive, Formula 1 has become a lot more popular around the world. I really appreciated that Start Your Engines was rooted in a very British Formula 1 tradition (yes, The Chain makes an appearance) of Formula One teams. Our heroine, Senna, has taken over for her brother as the manager of a Formula One team, one which considers Graham Hill, Ayrton Senna and Niki Lauda to be the greats (clearly not written by an American, since no mention of Mario Andretti).

I did really enjoy that this book spotlighted a lot of people who keep a team running - whether the mechanics or the race engineers and that a major subplot is the sexism in Formula One. A character who I really hope we'll see more of in future books is Coulter driver Tawny, who the book presents as a real Formula One trailblazer. Both Tawny and her sister, mechanic Jacks, are incredibly supportive of Senna, and I loved seeing women lifting each other up.

One thing that I wish had been a bit more nuanced was the portrayal of the sexism that Senna faces. Chase writes it less as institutional and more as the over the top attitudes of some competitors of Senna's - and I wish we had gotten to see a bit more recognition that even guys like our MMC can be subject to ideas of women needing protection which show a benign sexism.

I am excited for the series to continue, and hope we'll get to see more of it when (fingers crossed), we get to Tawny's story.

🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ (4.5/5 stars)

*Fast cars, fiery tension, and forbidden love? Buckle up—this one takes you for a ride.* 🏎️🔥💥

Senna Coulter’s racing dreams may be over, but she’s far from out of the game. As the head of her struggling Formula One team, she’s fighting for survival in a cutthroat, male-dominated world. Enter Connor Dane—F1 legend, her brother’s best friend, and the man she blames for the crash that ended her career. Oh, and did I mention her long-time crush? 😮‍💨❤️‍🔥

What starts as a rivalry full of sharp edges and buried pain quickly turns into a smoldering, secret romance neither of them can resist. The chemistry between Senna and Connor is electric, and the emotional tension keeps you turning pages at full throttle. 🚥💓

This story blends high-speed action with heartfelt vulnerability, exploring anxiety, ambition, and the weight of second chances. With tropes like forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and found family, it’s a steamy sports romance that hits all the right notes. 🫶🏁✨

If you're into high-stakes drama, sizzling slow-burns, and characters with just the right mix of grit and heart, *this one's a podium finish*. 💫📖

DNFed at 20%

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I think it was a mixture of completely unbelievable scenarios regarding the Formula 1 aspects as well as just a bit of a struggle with understanding the characters themselves. I couldn't get invested in either of the main character's inner struggles and I think the antogonism between the two didn't seem to have much heft behind it. I just don't think it was developed in a way that worked for me.

I had so much fun reading this book! I went in with zero expectations and ended up fully invested in this fast-paced, swoony F1 romance. Rebecca Chase really knows how to blend romance with the high-stakes world of racing. The chemistry between the leads had me kicking my feet & giggling, I was eating up every page. I especially loved the highlight on women in motorsport. It felt like an important, real reflection on the challenges women face in gaining respect in a male-dominated field. Loved the representation.

Connor is the classic misunderstood bad boy, labeled as reckless but actually soft, observant, and just a little obsessed with his cat (and Senna). His filthy mouth? Absolutely uncalled for and completely welcome. The middle dragged a bit, but I appreciated how much weight the story gave to topics like mental health, family issues, and the psychological toll of high-pressure sports. It’s not just romance slapped on an F1 backdrop—this book gets the sport. Quick, emotional, steamy, and packed with heart... definitely worth the read. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(Be warned, there is a lot of Taylor Swift talk in this book)

Tropes:
-Forced Proximity
-Brother's Best Friend
-F1 Romance
-Best Friends to Enemies to Lovers
-Second Chance Romance

Thank you for the arc!
The plot of this book was entertaining. Some things did go on for way too long like toward the middle where all they did was have sex and hide their relationship, but it was a good story. It had me on my toes on when it will finally happen. I like how they made Senna, the female character the boss or in charge over the man, Connor.
Being a girl I liked the authority. It was like that in the workplace and in the relationship. I also liked how much attraction and trustration there was there since they've known each other for so long and haven't been able to act on anything. The way he had a soft spot for her was perfect and really showed his character.
Some things that were said were a little cringey but the story for it was good so it canceled out.
But, I also enjoyed how he wasn't a complete asshole like many other F-1books. This book took a different view on F-1 in which I enjoyed. I didn't enjoy the language that this book used, but I think it is based in a different country so that explains it. I've also always like the "little sister is off limits" trope, and this is now one of my favorites. The way Senna and Connor were developed were perfect. Overall I loved reading this book and really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this chance. I have not read many F1 Racing books. But this one caught me by surprise. I am now very much interested in F1 Racing in books and definitely think the author has to make more books that have this involved. I love that he falls first just was such a cute and lovely read one i would love to add to my shelf and read again.

ITS LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GOOOOOOOOO

call me the rb19 with the way i sped through this masterpiece. i read this so fast that i had to make sure i had limbs and not pirelli tires. i’m an absolute SUCKER for racing and second chances. it’s such a niche thing and it’s exactly where i reside. i’ve been obsessed with racing my whole life and was both scared and excited to read this. this is my first time reading one of rebecca’s books and she did not let me down.

Senna and Connor have a smoking hot connection in this book! I loved the fast racing lifestyle mixed with the racing heartbeats of the characters!
The anxiety rep was spot on and the found family was so well done! What a great start to a series I will definitely be continuing! Easy 5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

For those who enjoy sports romances, especially ones centered around Formula One, this book is great. I truly enjoyed this book and Senna's story; it was inspiring to see her grow and overcome such a male-dominated world. Aside from the romance, this book really portrays the essence of Formula One, including team politics, media attention, and the constant strain of the sport. I did find the story interesting overall. It's a lovely F1 romance, and I'm interested to see what the follow-up will be like!