Formula One is definitely getting its turn in the lime light and this is a romantically full book that is right in the centre of the action. It took me a while to warm to Mia the heroine., when her mother was introduced to the book in all of her judgemental ways it definitely made me think more of her. Xander also didn’t come straight across as a man to fall for and yet again the author unveiled him and he became more attractive.. the world of Formula One was the backdrop for this romance and it framed Mia and Xander well complete with petty journalistic rivalries and the teammates you can’t rely on. The romance was a slow burn until it was full on with all the complications that brings.. The ending was never really in doubt and the storytelling was a great way to get there.

2.75/5 Stars

The story follows Mia, who hosts a Formula 1 podcast, and Xander, one of the Formula 1 drivers who Mia talks about in her podcast.

I feel like this book had a lot of potential but didn’t quite hit the mark for me as a sports romance. It is described as having the enemies-to-lovers trope but the two main characters weren’t really enemies and more trying to avoid each other in the beginning. They didn’t have the chemistry or banter to the level I was maybe expecting and I think if the book was slightly longer and they had more “screen time” together in the first part of the book, more of that could’ve been included.

I did really enjoy the mental health journal prompts/responses at the beginning of each chapter as they were a really nice way to learn more about each character. I would have preferred if each chapter focused on one POV (for example the POV of the journal prompt) or if it was made more clear when the POV changed but that could also have been due to this not being the final format.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review.

this book ‘not so fast’ whatt a cute romance! formula one romance are either hit or miss and fortunately this one was a hit. mia was a really interesting and well developed main character, i saw a lot of myself in her. i also enjoyed reading from xander’s point of view, especially his more personal family life. the racing elements added to the story without taking too much attention and becoming distracting to the romance and the story without overwriting or over explaining too much.for my fellow f1 girlies, especially my george russell girls, this one is for you!

Not So Fast is a Formula One romance that is a perfect read whether you are a fan of Formula One or not. I am not a fan of Formula One and I really enjoyed this book and finished it in a day! I absolutely loved the chemistry between Mia and Xander and also loved that Karen wrote about their personal lives with their family in such a meaningful way. I would definitely recommend this book to romance readers.

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and Karen Booth for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Delicious take on F1 romance, which me as not sports person tempted to be one. This was simply so sweet and I loved main characters; it was relaxing read.