The ANGST I feel while reading oh moly, stop it

Simone you can have all my money if you are going to keep writing characters like this that make me feel so much!!!

I’m not saying I want Willow to be my best friend, but I’m not not saying it either… I just love that girl. And there’s not much to be said about Dev. I mean his sincerity and clear adoration of Willow was to die for!! Just 10/10 perfection. The tension was insane and I loved how the situation with Oakley being a tad overly protective of Willow was handled towards the end of the book!

I loved Dev’s little friendship / work group and I am very excited to hopefully see more of them in upcoming books!

F1 romances just hit different and this one will have you giggling and kicking your feet and, of course, crying

R E V I E W

Cross the Line by Simone Soltani

☆☆☆☆.5

Advanced reader copy graciously provided by Pan Macmillan via Netgalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm a big fan of sports romance in general, so I knew that the author wouldn't steer me wrong (if you don't mind my pun) with a Formula 1 narrative.

This was a slow-burn, brother's best friend romance - but it was also so much more than that. In addition to these beloved tropes and some very well-written intimate moments (frankly, i'd like to kiss Dev Anderson at this point), this book also features a female main character with a chronic illness and a diverse ensemble of characters with different ethnic backgrounds.

Willow Williams has been in love with Dev Anderson for the better part of her life. But as his best friend's little sister, she's aware that this crush has always been one-sided. That is, until she inadvertently reveals her childhood feelings to the man himself during a drunken birthday outing... And he is absolutely blindsided by the information.

Dev Anderson is a popular guy. He has a lot of friends, and as an attractive, decently-performing F1 driver, he has no shortage of female admirers. But when Willow Williams drunkenly reveals that she's always had a thing for him, Dev's whole world spins on its axis, and he cannot seem to get her off his mind. Embarrassed for failing to see what was right in front of him, Dev kisses her, and it's a kiss that changes everything for him. But no sooner has he realised this than Willow is withdrawing, saying it was a mistake that ought to be forgotten and ultimately leaving him, and later his car, wrecked.

Seven silent months later, Willow has just graduated with a degree in sports marketing, but with no job opportunities to show for it, she is in a headspin. Meanwhile, Dev is having problems of his own after a disgruntled employee attacks him via social media, leVing his reputation in tatters. When a chance run-in with Willow reveals a possible solution for them both, Dev hires her to help fix his image and in return, she can gain the experience she needs to get a leg up in the industry. All they need to do is keep things professional for 6 weeks and not cross that line. But as our dual POV chapters reveal, this isnt going to be as easy as it seems. Willow may have fallen first, but Dev has fallen harder, and he is willing to fight for what he wants.

An addictive friends-to-lovers romance with the perfect balance of serious, sweet and sexy.

DNF at 8% and so gutted about it. I think this book is absolutely for you if you like early twenties characters who are looking to find themselves. This book is giving the impression from early on it's going to very steam, and contain POC representation.

Unfortunately I can't get on board with these characters though. Dev is so unlikeable to me in the way he is speaking about women and sex. Going without sex for six weeks and that’s called a dry spell?! They’re also just too young for what I like to read, I can’t read early twenties romances. Willow saying she doesn’t have her life together at 21 and being annoyed about it just doesn’t resonate with me with the same concerns in my 30s!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A cute f1 sports romance.

This was a perfect balance of sports and romance so neither aspect was too overwhelming.

One amazing positive for this book was the chronic illness rep which was done so well

He slow burn romance was really cute and built the tension between them. It wasn’t just a given. They really worked for their HEA.

A fun book combining my love for romance and F1, what more could I ask for.
Willow is needing a job and wants to go into sports marketing and Dev is struggling with SM after his last assistant posted something rather unflattering, cue workplace romance, but also best friends sister/ secret relationship.
Both characters were really well fleshed out, I enjoyed their journeys and their time together, it was super sweet, with hints of spice every now and again.
I thought the F1 storyline was fab and knowing what everything meant was definitely a bonus.

Perhaps it was just me, but this book did not hit the sweet spot. I absolutely love reading F1 romance books, and the premise and beginning of "Cross the Line" were strong.

I truly enjoyed some of the tender moments and the angst before the main couple got together. Unfortunately, from there on, it just fell a bit flat for me, and I struggled with their chemistry. Throughout the second half of the book, it felt rushed and not genuine, and then so much happened in the epilogue!

Overall, the premise of the book was really cute, and you might really enjoy it. The writing and pacing just weren't for me at all in this one.

What a cute fun book! Perfect for getting you out of a slump
The characters were likeable and had great growth and chemistry
Thank you for the arc

as a girl who loves f1 & romance , i can confirm it was an all round hit!! i loved this friends to lovers read & the chronic pain representation is handled so well and with care. it was so cute and cheesy and it’s all i can ask for in a good romance book!

I really liked this one, both Dev and Willow where great characters and I fell in love with them both. The only reason for the 3 stars is there was always something slightly missing for me. I can't put my finger on what is was exactly though. Saying that I really did enjoy this and its a great debut. Will definitely be picking up any future books written 😊

Cross The Line by Simone Soltani is an F1 sports romance and the story of Willow and Dev.
 
Willow has recently graduated college with a degree in communications and sports marketing and she is a social media pro. She is very focused and dedication to her work and has yet to find the right job. Willow loves everything sweet, especially macaroons and she immediately had my sympathy for that.
 
Dev is an F1 driver, and his career has recently taken a hit and his reputation is very bad. Therefore, he needs a new PR manager and he only trusts Willow to excel at this task. I loved how Dev showed his love and emotions and he is so obsessed with Willow that I practically melted.
 
Willow and Dev have known each other since they were kids and Dev is best friends with Willow‘s brother which added a touch of forbiddenness to the story. A year ago, they kissed at a party and ever since then Dev hasn’t stopped thinking about Willow in a romantic way. Now they must work together and that provides the perfect situation for them to get closer. I only needed a few chapters to get into the story, but then I devoured it. Their romance is passionate, and addictive and I loved reading this book. I also liked seeing the representation of their cultures and there was one scene involving a mehndi that I absolutely loved.
 
If you love F1 romances, Cross The Line is a must read and I adore Willow and Dev‘s story. 4,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

4⭐️

This was a really fun, solid read!! I liked the fact that this was a sports romance that didn’t feature college students, it was a nice change of pace for me.

I loved both of the characters, the tension was really good and I loved Dev’s straight-forward approach.

I did feel like the drama towards the end came in a little late, and I think the build up to everything with Oakley felt a little anti climatic, but all in all this was a fun read.

🏎️ Cross the Line - Simone Soltani 🏁
(AD PR product)

🏎️ Sport and workplace romance (F1)
❌ Best friends sister
💊 FMC with chronic illness
👩🏾‍❤️‍👨🏽 Childhood friends to lovers

Willow and Dev have known each other their whole lives. Willow has just graduated and it struggling to get a job in sports marketing whilst Dev is an F1 driver at the centre of a social media scandal. It seems to make perfect sense that Dev hires Willow to get his reputation back on track. The only problem? Willow is still harbouring her childhood crush.

I enjoyed this dual POV particularly with the F1 setting. As someone who’s never had enough interest to watch F1 I think it’s testament to how well this part of the book is written to keep me engaged. I found the romance to be a little bit too soppy and the pacing in the middle could have been a little faster.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A huge thankyou to Netgalley, Simone and Pan Macmillan for my advanced copy of one of my most anticipated releases of the year 🥰

3.5⭐️
First, massive thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this title!

This had all the cute and fluffy elements of a fun, low stakes sports romcom! The chronic illness and bipoc rep also just felt so natural and was so well written which I absolutely loved!
The main characters had chemistry from the very start and their best friends little sister/older brothers best friend to friends with each other then to secret lovers was actually very cruisey development.
I think this would be perfect for fans of Hannah Grace because of the fluffiness and dialogue!

I did feel as if their ‘forbiddeness’ was a tiny little bit overdone? It felt a tiny little bit forced at times just because the friend group is so well knit together and I didn’t quite understand Willow’s deep rooted feelings/insecurities surrounding what she presumed her brothers reaction would be.

I liked it! Fun, well written, and you were rooting for them from the first page! Not my biggest cup of tea (racing/social media as someone who does it full time I love to avoid it in books haha), but nonetheless, still good!

I received this arc in exchange for an honest review. 🤍

this was a very cute f1 romance. it follows willow who has just graduated and is struggling to secure a job, and dev who’s reputation is up in flames due to a revenge post from his previous social media manager. as they grew up together and dev is best friends with willow’s brother oakley, dev offers willow the job to try and change his image.

this chemistry between dev and willow felt very natural but the book is ultimately quite forgettable. it’s nothing groundbreaking but it is a super easy and lighthearted read. this book was definitely written for a booktok audience but that is in no means meant to be said as a criticism — it is easy to follow and a really lovely romance novel.

my only critique of this book is that it had the very stereotypical mmc at the beginning who was desperate to get laid. i just want something different every now and then, it does get a bit samey. on the bright side the mmc was so in love with the fmc that the beginning was immediately forgotten about. there’s also a bonus epilogue so we have been TREATED!

but anyway i’ll definitely read more from this author and i did enjoy this read overall 🤍

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me - I was enjoying the romance but think it's too heavily formula 1 for me, which isn't something I'm interested in.

Before I started reading Cross the Line, I didn't know that the main character had hypermobility. There's something incredibly emotional about reading a book where a character has the same health condition as you and it hit me like a ton of bricks when I read the word on the page.

I've never experienced representation like this, the way Simone Soltani wrote about hypermobility was perfect. It didn't take over the whole book but there were little mentions of things that just really showed how well the author gets everything, the pill box, the exercise bands - I can relate to it all.

The romance itself was lovely, Dev and Willow are adorable together. I particularly liked the way Dev looked after Willow but didn't treat her like she was made of glass, he sees her for the person she is outside of her condition. I also loved the friendship group and I can't wait to read more books about the side characters, they were all so likeable and there were a lot of little hints about the future storylines.

It's the first time I've read a book focused on Formula 1 and it's not a sport that I've seen much of but I found it really interesting! There's a good amount of time spent on the racing side of things without it becoming too overwhelming, the epilogue was a great addition too.

I'm so glad I read Cross the Line, it was a more emotional read than I was expecting it to be for me personally, but in general, I think it's a fab sports romance and I highly recommend it!

This was a really cute and fun read. Willow and Dev were both very likable and had good chemistry and I appreciated that things developed organically with them. Was also pleasantly surprised with how things played out at the end. I liked the writing style and alternating pov’s, both Willow and Dev’s friend groups and the F1 setting which made the story richer and even more interesting. Really enjoyable read and look forward to more from this author. 3.5 ⭐️

This was such a fun read! I love a F1 romance and this one did not disappoint. Dev is such a likeable mmc! He’s cheeky and charming and he loves Bollywood movies! He made some very cute gestures. Willow is adorable. I loved her! She’s so strong and determined even though she’s faced some tough challenges in her life. Simone did such a good job writing about her chronic illness.
I cannot wait to see what’s next from this author!

I can’t put into words how much I loved this. Dev and Willow’s relationship was quite literally everything, the tension, the angst, the pining, it was perfect. After a social media scandal threatens his career, Dev Anderson hires his bestfriend’s sister to help salvage his image. Set in the glamorous world of Formula 1 racing, this romance was as lovable as it was passionate and I could not put it down. I am quite literally obsessed with them, their friendship, their childhood, my heart melts just thinking about them.

Dev is my new favourite mmc, his tentativeness towards Willow, the way he protects and cares for her, their relationship had me swooning. It was brilliantly well paced, the slow burn and the progression of their relationship was perfect. I was engaged the whole way through and I didn’t want it to end. I adored the side characters just as much, they made me laugh, cry and I want everything they have in their friendship group. Willow’s relationship with her brother was also so incredibly heartfelt and I appreciate the spotlight on this relationship as well as her romantic relationship with Dev. The dynamics between them and their childhood were fantastically told, through flashbacks and memories. It was so easy to follow and made for accessible yet captivating reading. Simone’ she exploration of Willow’s chronic illness throughout the book was honest yet seamless , it was written flawlessly throughout. All characters felt fully fleshed out, I cared for each and every one of them and I cannot wait to hopefully read their own stories in the future.

I also appreciated the spotlight on Willow as she’s navigating her career, especially as a woman in motorsport. While shedding light on the unique challenges women face, we follow Willow as she’s determined to overcome this. She is an inspiration to young females and their place in motorsport.

This was by far my favourite formula 1 romance I have ever read and I cannot wait to read more from Simone (and eat some macarons)

This book had me giggling and kicking my feet, I adore them and I’m very excited to rave about this book leading up to publication date and after! Biggest thank you to PanMacmillan, Simone and NetGalley for kindly sending me an ARC to review, I cannot wait to recommend this to everyone 🥰

✨ Dual POV
✨ Sports Romance - Formula 1
✨ Friends to Lovers
✨ Brothers Best friend
✨ Indian & white mmc, black & white fmc
✨ Fmc with Chronic Illness
✨ No Third Act Breakup
✨ Sunshine x sunshine Third Act Breakup

“I don’t need to hide a single aspect of myself from him. He’s already seen it all. And yet he’s still here, looking at me like I’m the centre of his universe”