Double Apex

Frontrunners #1

by Josie Juniper

Phaedra Morgan is one of the best race engineers in Formula 1. She's a math prodigy with dazzling skill, cutting wit, and no patience for matters of the heart. Of course, her job would be a lot easier if she didn't keep butting heads with their team's cocky and infuriatingly hot new driver.

Cosmin Ardelean is intense and committed, but as famous for his off-track romantic exploits as his on-track wizardry. Yet his devil-may-care façade conceals a haunted past. When the pair strikes up a secret-and thrillingly forbidden-"arrangement" to improve their communication and bond of trust, the heat of their attraction turns to something more . . .

But no secret stays hidden for long in the racing world, and soon things are spinning out of control. With everything on the line, will they be able to strip away all their defenses and go full throttle for a chance at love?

This first book in a spicy Formula 1 romance series pairs a STEM-inist engineer with a cocky racecar driver.

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Sports, Audiobook, Fiction, Contemporary, Enemies To Lovers

348 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2024

About the author

Josie Juniper writes high-steam romance featuring hot, angsty men who are dirty talkers with hearts of gold, and smart, snarky women with hilarious foul mouths. She works in mathematics and has been a staff writer and/or editor for four publications, winning awards for her sharp, funny, iconoclastic writing. She lives in Portland, OR and loves rain, swearing, lost causes, tattoos, F1 racing, and prime numbers.

Reviews

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a DNF for me (40%). If you follow me at all you’ll know that I have a pretty strong rule against rating books I DNF at less than 50%.

Double Apex is an exception to my rule.

I cannot be convinced to appreciate/like/lust after a contemporary romance MMC that acts the way Cosmre acts.

Examples…
Phaedra tells him more than once to stop making sexual style jokes/comments to her in the workplace and yet he continues to do so. Not ok in my book, she said NO bro!

The kitchen coffee scene on the first day of arriving in Santori…

In what world is rubbing your erection on someone, who has…
1. told you they aren’t interested
2. asked you to stop flirting with them
3. NOT FUCKING INVITED YOU TO RUB YOUR DICK ON THEM, something OK to do?

I read for another 6 chapters after this scene and still couldn’t get it out of my head.

Actually, I went back and re-read this scene while writing this review, thinking maybe I missed some invitation she gave him…

I didn’t…

In my humble opinion “a playful smirk” is not an invitation to rub your dick on someone who previously told you they were not interested. Also, “Quit,” - followed by her “sidestepping” so much to get away from him, that she runs into a counter, and then “Oh my God, Ardelean, let go…” are also clear indicators that you should LET FUCKING GO, and also NOT RUB YOUR COCK on her.

to top it all off, this behavior is coming from an MMC who’s sister was sexually assaulted as an adolescent by their uncle…

What the actual fuck.

If the MMC’s behavior and straight up sexual harassment wasn’t enough, I also really disliked our FMC. I love flawed characters, I think they make books realistic and relatable... Phaedra, however, was insufferable. Rude to everyone around her, treated her best friend like shit, acted like an immature child, not the 30 year old genius she was supposed to be, and generally just sucked as a human.

Additional issues
- choppy prose, especially Cosmin’s POV
- the time jumps made me feel so disconnected from the characters

If you like reading romances where the guy is a complete asshole but his internal monologue suggests otherwise, you don’t mind dubious consent in your contemporary romance, and love to hate the FMC this could work for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Publishing) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

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[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 out of 5 stars!

Only the cover deserves many stars itself, it's so beautiful! The cover and the tropes were the reasons why I find myself being so intrigued by this book and wanted to find out about it as soon as I could.

I've always loved reverse grumpy x sunshine, and it always makes me beyond excited whenever I come across to a book that has that trope, which is very underrated.

The characters, however, were sadly my biggest turn-offs, especially the main ones. I didn't dislike Phaedra (fmc) exactly, despite her being rude lots of times for no specific reason. Though Cosmin (mmc), I feel like he could've been better overall, his first impression on me wasn't the best. Especially at the start I didn't like him much, he did grown on me. From the third act and onwards was my favorite part.

The relationship happened a bit too fast and early, I was actually shocked and didn't understand at first if I'm the one who's misunderstanding everything.

The friendship between the main female character and her best friend was an interesting one, but it did leave me confused.

Overall, I think the book was alright - it had a big potential, I did only listen to the audiobook, which may be the reason that I didn't enjoy it as much since I always have either a physical or a digital one beside me.

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review!*

F1 driver x Race engineer and reverse grumpy x sunshine? Tell me more!

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Double Apex by Josie Juniper
Contemporary romance. Alternating POV. Stem.
Phaedra Morgan is a race engineer in Formula 1. One of the only women in the field. With the job and male dominated sport, she gets a lot of push back but her degree, the support of the owner and math prodigy experience proves she has the skills necessary. She also gets a lot of flirty comments and men that think they know more than her. She needs to keep her cool.
Cosmin Ardelean is known for his on-track wizardry, as well as his romantic exploits. He hadn’t considered her more than a nuisance in his ear until he’s forced to spend time working with her. Their working together leads to a forbidden arrangement that can’t be hidden for long. Do they walk away or speed through for the ultimate win?

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The narrative is performed by Jonathan Lake and Mackenzie Cartwright in alternating POV’s. Both do a great job with voices and cadence. I did listen at 1.5 to more closely match my reading speed.

One of the best things about audiobooks over reading a print version is a narrator’s accent for a character. That accent of Cosmin was not at all what I got from reading and it helped me to remember over and over Formula 1 and European tracks. I’ve been to Monaco and Indianapolis and they are vastly different racing venues. So for this book, I recommend the audiobook version.

Much of the relationship angst was lack of communication. Once they got past that, they both grew to appreciate the other more and build a bit of much needed trust. More work required.
Rocky and eventually smooth sailing past the flag.
A twist on sports romance. Enticing.
3.5
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Hachette Audio.

[Uyen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf at 4%

Thank you forever and NetGalley for the free copy.

You know what isn’t cute and should stop being made light of in books?
Men who can’t take a no.

Pet names in workplace isn’t cute. It’s actually harassment. Especially if they’ve asked you to stop.
Dirty jokes in the workplace isn’t cute. It’s once again harassment.

Being asked to stop and continuing isn’t cute and endearing. It’s not flirty. It’s not consensual.
It’s a man thinking that he’s above the rules of professionalism and not respecting the woman asking him to stop.

We need to stop making books like this the norm.
When does it become cute? When she’s all of a sudden into the man who is incapable of respecting her wish?

Yeah, pass.

[Zoë · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have so many things I could say but I’ll keep them to inside thoughts and journaling

[TheCrazyFanvergent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se finisco questa recensione senza che goodreads mi banni il profilo, offro un caffè a tutti quelli che mettono mi piace
Un grazie speciale alla ne/on che mi ha inviato una copia in anteprima di questo libro. Nonostante tutto, è stato un piacere

ALLORA, da dove partiamo?
Diciamo che ci sono 3 aspetti di questo libro: quello positivo che ha portato avanti tutta la storia, quello negativo che mi ha fatta alzare gli occhi al cielo per tutta la storia, e il potenziale sprecato che ha mandato definitivamente in tilt l'ago della bilancia

Non so quando dire, o se è importante dire, che questo è il primo sport romance che leggo - ma onestamente penso che anche lo scimmione che al momento sta frequentando Taylor Swift (lui sa pallare, cit.) potrebbe capire che questo sport romance ha fatto un po' cilecca

Togliamoci subito questo dente, ovvero la cosa peggiore di questo libro: la protagonista.
Phaedra Morgan se non hai più nemici su questa Terra è perché sono crepata.
È stata insopportabile per 320 pagine di libro, non c'è stato alcun miglioramento del suo personaggio, nessuna evoluzione "vera" o davvero sentita - per tutta la storia non ha fatto altro che incarnare quello spirito da pick me girl misogina che speravo avessimo abbandonato nel 2012. Forse l'autrice non ha ricevuto la memo. Forse è lo spirito della misoginia del 2012 tornato a infastidirci ancora una volta. In ogni caso DJKBVHJEBFHJBHLBDFJKDBWHKGRFJKLWEGKJRGFRUKWR
Se sei un uomo ti odia, e okay, siamo in due, ma se sei una donna forse è peggio: sei sua amica? sei la sua sottoposta. ti ha appena conosciuta? sei sicuramente stupida e non degna di parlare con lei. sei vestita elegante? *video di Stephanie Forrester che urla LA SGUALDRINA DELLA VALLEY*. non sei gentile con lei? cos'altro ci si può aspettare da una svampita che è sicuramente tutta rifatta. sei gentile con lei? "non pensavo ci fosse del cervello sotto quei capelli decolorati!"
Josie Juniper noi adesso ci sediamo al tavolino con una bella tisana e tu mi spieghi quali complessi di inferiorità ti porti dietro da 50 anni a questa parte
Raga vi giuro, INSOPPORTABILE, è veramente isterica, non le va bene niente, urla per qualsiasi cosa, si offende per cose inutili e si lamenta di situazioni nelle quali ci è finita da sola, ma che deve far diventare il problema di tutti - soprattutto miei a quanto pare. Ma poi è anche una megalomane da far paura, che mista alla situazione pick me girl + I'm not like other girls!!!11!!1 è forse la combo peggiore che potesse esistere dopo esame difficile + secondo giorno di ciclo.
La causa principale di tutto questo è il suo lavoro: lei è l'ingegnere di pista della Emerald, l'azienda di famiglia che si occupa di macchine di Formula 1, ma ovviamente non fa solo questo. Lavora sul campo, calcola le percentuali di danni che potrebbero esserci al motore a causa del meteo o tempistiche sbagliate, cose così - e per carità, è pure brava. Il problema è che questo l'ha portata a credersi Dio sceso in terra, perché a quanto pare è l'unica in tutto l'universo ad avere un cervello: vi propongo un drinking game, si beve ogni volta che lei sottolinea quanto siano tutti incompetenti attorno a lei, che tutte le donne sono stupide e svampite perché non si prendono seriamente come fa lei, che il suo QI è più alto di quello degli altri e che quindi dovrebbe andarci piano con loro perché CHIARAMENTE non sono al suo stesso livello, perché again lei è l'unica intelligente lì. Avrà insultato e scimmiottato il protagonista maschile almeno 4 volte perché lui è rumeno e non parla benissimo la lingua, quindi a volte si perde con le espressioni idiomatiche - e quindi è stupido, giustamente. Lui che parla 4 lingue e non lei, l'americana che non riesce a dire una frase senza bestemmiare (che poi, per me questo rasenta pure il razzismo, ma forse sono io troppo radicalizzata)
È stata orribile. È orribile. Non l'ho sopportata neanche per un istante. Anche quando aveva dei momenti di "lucidità", quando sembrava stesse per aprirsi e crescere, subito buttava in mezzo la frase misogina o megalomane e tu capivi che non c'era speranza. 320 pagine e lei è rimasta l'essere superiore perché appassionata di macchine, lei è diversa e interessante, non come quelle svampite che pensano solo a curarsi, vestirsi carine e a "mettersi la lacca sui capelli" (queste ultime frasi erano contro sua madre e sua sorella. No one is safe here).
Se mi chiedeste cosa immagino quando penso a lei vi direi una stravaccata sul divano davanti alla partita, manspreading, birra in mano e rutto libero mentre si gratta. Poesia

Se Phaedra è il cavernicolo che puzza di olio motore, Cosmin è il principe delle fiabe Disney, profumato, ben lavato e pettinato, attorniato dagli animaletti del bosco, amato da tutti, sempre col sorriso e sempre gentile con gli altri. The people's princess. L'amore della mia vita. Ovviamente però doveva avere anche lui un difetto: in questo caso, lascia pensare il cazz0 e continua ad andare dietro a Phaedra. I MEAN... CHOICES-
E infatti io devo ancora capire come ha fatto Cosmin ad innamorarsi di lei. In realtà devo capire in generale come ha fatto Cosmin a ritrovarsi in questo sfacelo di libro. Secondo me l'autrice ogni tanto aveva picchi di lucidità e li usava tutti per scrivere i pov di lui. E menomale.
Questa cosa mi destabilizza perché questo libro è stato tante cose negative, eppure mi ha donato una cosa che non si vede spesso: un protagonista maschile di un romance fatto bene. (Nei limiti del livello generale di questo libro) Cosmin aveva davvero tanto da offrire, era davvero un bel personaggio, a (quasi) 360 gradi; non faceva il solito cartonato a grandezza naturale che era lì a sbavare dietro la protagonista, a fare il distante e misterioso ma che in realtà era innamorato di lei che ha una vita privata ma non "vissuta", quella backstory che è lì all'occorrenza per fare conversazione ma poi in realtà la sua famiglia e i suoi hobby, le sue passioni e i suoi amici non verranno mai visti, nominati o sfruttati. Cosmin è "vero", è vivo e a sé stante - ha una vita che non ruota attorno alla protagonista e che onestamente era anche molto interessante, mi dispiace non l'abbia sviluppata ulteriormente. Tra questioni familiari, la sorella e il suo abuser (MI RIFIUTO di chiamarlo in altra maniera. Mi rifiuto anche di dare ragione alla sorella), il villaggio di supporto per bambini che lui e la sorella hanno fondato, il doversi quasi "prostituire" perché è quello che il pubblico vuole vedere da lui per intrattenersi (avete presente Finnick Odair, no?)... aveva una storia veramente incredibile e bella che meritava di più - molto più di Phaedra, questo è sicuro, ma anche più attenzione e più sviluppo (e più gioia)(Che poi in realtà ho scoperto che ci saranno degli spin-off ma raga onestamente, con tutto il bene che voglio a voi e a Cosmin, ma col cavolo che ritorno in questa gabbia di matti) *coff coff* anyway-

Passiamo quindi all'ultimo aspetto (meritate il caffé comunque già solo per essere arrivati fino a qui), ovvero il potenziale sprecato. Una cosa che mi ha dato molto da pensare.
Aggiungo solo un'altra parte di questa storia, della sua struttura, per arrivare a questo mio dubbio: il setting. Essendo piloti e meccanici di Formula 1, questi vanno in giro per il mondo per le varie gare e ogni capitolo indica in quale città si trovano. Io mi sono mangiata molto le mani perché, magari non sarebbe servito a niente, eh, però sarebbe stato bello vedere qualcosa di queste città, o quantomeno qualche indizio in più che mi facesse sentire dove eravamo. "Grand prix di Monaco", "la pista di Shangai" - sì ma dimmi come stiamo messi a lingua, a persone, non hai notato manco una volta se ci sono state differenze di organizzazione del luogo di lavoro o di semplice sociabilità di un Paese rispetto ad un altro? Okay sì sono str0nzate e lei non mi ha descritto mai nemmeno com'era fatta la stanza nella quale ci trovavamo, però BAH dammi qualcosa figlia mia. È ovvio che poi pensano tutti che i romance siano un genere inferiore se il libro è mezzo vuoto. "Eh ma magari voglio solo leggermi un pornazzo!!" okay ma qua scopano solo 4 volte e allora che facciamo? O scopiamo e basta (non dico di no), o troviamo un equilibrio (a quanto pare chiedo troppo), ma questo (*gesticola a caso*) no.
Questa donna aveva molto tra le mani - togliamo il setting che magari frega solo a me (però se lo sfruttava sai che cosa bella usciva) però comunque aveva la questione familiare di Cosmin, che è pure rumeno e quindi potevi pressare anche di più sulla situazione dell'immigrato che viene apprezzato solo in base a quanto è bravo a fare la scimmia del circo. Aveva la strada spianta per la questione femminismo con Phaedra che è l'unica donna del team, l'unico meccanico donna in generala che trovi sulle piste nelle varie squadre e invece l'abbiamo fatta diventare un incel sotto mentite spoglie che invece di creare bei rapporti e una bella rete di supporto femminile con tutte le altre ragazze del libro pensava solo che fossero tutte sceme e inferiori a lei. Aveva sottotrame di altri personaggi che non erano neanche niente male, però venivano sempre trattate con quella noncuranza e leggerezza che a lungo andare ha un po' rotto. Spesso c'erano hint a coppie queer, ad un certo punto ha menato anche una coppia poly - però apriti cielo per come me le ha presentate, se li chiamava con uno slur forse era meglio.
E allora io mi chiedo, perché me le hai messe ste robe? Non me le hai sviluppate bene, le hai messe qua solo per fare la quota rosa? La quota queer? La quota interessante-ma-poi-mi-sono-stancata? Cosmin, non smetterò mai di dirlo, lo hai fatto bene, non sviluppato fino in fondo perché a svriverlo sei pur sempre tu, però era tremendamente interessante come personaggio, quindi in realtà le cose le puoi fare e le sai fare. E ALLORA PERCHÉ È USCITO QUESTO???
"Ma è un romance, va bene se non è profondo ed è solo sesso!" UHMMMMMMMMMM NÌ????? Ma comunque hanno fatto sesso troppe poche volte perché almeno mi desse soddisfazione almeno quell'aspetto. Poi non c'era romance, non davvero: noi avevamo Cosmin (madonna amore mio ma come ci sei finito qua dentro) che scriveva poesie e lettere d'amore a lei, che le diceva cose tremendamente romantiche in rumeno, la chiamava sempre con tenerezza e nomignoli, ad un certo punto organizza per loro un pic-nic americano stile anni '50 perché voleva vivere un po' quel sogno americano che vedeva in tv da bambino (UN POETA RAGA, UN POETA, UN ANGELO, IL MC MASCHILE MIGLIORE DEL MODNO) e lei invece pensava solo a quanto lui ce l'avesse grosso. Era come dedicare i sonetti di Shakespeare ad un muro. Un muro isterico. Che ti maltratta completamente a caso.

Basta sono stanca, adesso vi libero (anche perché credo stiano finendo i caratteri), mi sono già dilungata abbastanza. Non vi allungo troppo il brodo, vi dico giusto anche che a volte i passaggi da una scena all'altra, da un giorno all'altro erano così veloci e così privi di ulteriori indicazioni anche loro che a volte manco capivi ci fosse stato un cambiamento generale, che fosse di giorno, di scena o di emozione. Non saprei come altro definire questo libro se non poco sviluppato, poco studiato. Forse è meglio che non si sia sforzata troppo nel migliorarlo e ampliarlo, magari avrebbe fatto ancora più casino

Punti bonus per la scena in cui il padre, in fin di vita, le dice che vuole che il suo cadavere venga buttato in mare così da venire mangiato dai pesci. Ho letto questa scena all'una di notte e ho pensato di essere impazzita io. Penso racchiuda abbastanza bene la situazione

Devo essere tremendamente onesta, non penso lo consiglierei mai a nessuno. PERÒ ho bisogno che qualcuno lo legga. Vi prego. Devo sapere se il problema sono io, se non l'ho capito, se ho cercato le cose sbagliate nel libro sbagliato - qualcuno mi deve dare risposte. Magari Phaedra ha ragione e la vera schizzata sono io (in quel caso mi farò mangiare dai pesci)

.
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ALSO, PS. CON ORE DI RITARDO: tutto questo è inerente alla storia, ovviamente, non alla resa italiana che anzi è stata davvero ottima. La Dalai ha fatto un buonissimo lavoro, c'erano un sacco di refence alla pop culture, espressioni familiari e (soprattutto) imprecazioni che sono passate all'italiano in maniera molto lineare e spontanea. Lei e Cosmin hanno salvato la baracca, EROI

[Kendall · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited for this since I am obsessed with f1 and reading is my favorite hobby. This book was truly a let down.

First of all, I strongly disliked the fMC, Phaedra. She is the race engineer for the MMC which I was so intrigued by because f1 is such a male dominated sport. Phaedra has one sided beef with Cosmin for being a “playboy” and treats him so poorly in the workplace, and even speaks to him so unprofessionally on team radio. I did not appreciate how she was letting her personal opinions of his lifestyle affect her job performance. Especially since her dad owns the team! So weird and unprofessional to me. She was also giving “pick me girl” talking poorly about women-only gyms and making a huge deal about dressing nicely. Don’t get me started on how badly she treated her only girlfriend to then try to get her friendship back only when she needed someone to talk to. Phaedra talks about how sexist the F1 community is but then makes sexist remarks herself, even to her friend!!

Cosmin and Phaedra’s dynamic flips so quickly once they are forced to spend time together to mend their working relationship. I found this so jarring and there was no real foundation for this fast development in feelings so I didn’t believe either of them actually liked one another. Phaedra continued to treat Cosmin like garbage even when she supposedly liked him (and at work too!).

Overall, I didn’t enjoy anything about this book. I felt for Phaedra as she lost her father but that doesn’t mean you can treat people who love you so poorly. Cosmin wasn’t the best love interest but he deserved better! And both need therapy to heal from their trauma instead of trying to be in a relationship.

Thank you Forever for the ARC.

[Esther | esthersreadingnook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not even begin to describe how much I loved this book.

The banter from literally page one!? Their easy going relationship once they started getting along. Ugh their chemistry is unmatched.

Cosmic had me googling Romanian translations left and right. I can not wait to do an audio reread because I need to HEAR this man 😮‍💨

I also really loved that I could see/read that Cosmin isn’t a native English speaker. The little ways in which his sentences were structured just different enough were great!

What I did not expect were the deep emotions this book brought out there towards the end. I was not expecting to cry like I did. Both from feeling Phaedras grief and the sweet relationship between Cos and Phae.

I loved that this book didn’t follow a traditional romance timeline. It felt more natural and real. I appreciate a change of pace.

Overall obsessed with this book. With Josie Junipers writing. The way she story tells and makes the characters not feel so structured and perfect. Looking forward to more books!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Pub for the early review copy! 🩷

[ToriLovesHea’s · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was incredibly excited for this book because the cover is stunning and an enemies to lovers sports romance sounded like just what I needed. But I…DNF’d this book at about 50% after the FMC physically attacked the MMC by hitting, kicking, slapping, and scratching him and when he accidentally slaps her leg because she’s, in her own words, “thrashing so much”, she proceeds to throw his childhood abuse (and his sister’s) at the hands of his uncle in his face and accuses him of being just like his uncle. Like…here’s the quote: “You asshole, is this how you are?” Suddenly I see a place to twist the knife. “Go ahead and hit me, like your uncle hit you and your sister. Are you just like him?”

This wasn’t cute. It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t girl boss. It was horrifying to read in a book in 2024 that thought this was appropriate. I love unlikable FMC’s. Love them. But Phaedra was MEAN and she was abusive and I was deeply bothered by this entire scene. She’s mean to her friends. She’s mean to the MMC for literally no reason. And even that I maybe could have pushed through and finished. But physical violence is my line in the sand and I’m appalled this was pushed through by an editing team.

[Aislinn Strohecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars As soon as I saw in the description that Double Apex is a Formula 1 romance, I was sold. Add in the fact that the FMC is a woman in STEM and the MMC's race engineer? *chef's kiss*

Math prodigy Phaedra Morgan is one of the best race engineers in Formula 1. She's brilliant, witty, and direct to the point, especially when it comes to her team's cocky driver, Cosmin Ardelean. Cosmin is new to the team and well known for his romantic exploits and carefree attitude. But Cosmin's cockiness is hiding his secrets--namely, his haunted past and the fact that he's wanted Phaedra ever since he first met her. Since he can't haver her, he needles her instead, pleased with any reaction he gets from her. The tension between the two reaches a boiling point and is affecting not only their bond as driver and engineer, but the rest of the team as well. The pair strike up a secret arrangement, keeping things casual since any sort of relationship between the two is forbidden. With all eyes on them, their secret won't be able to stay hidden for long, especially as things slip out of their control and their feelings are less casual.

I freaking loved Cosmin and Phaedra! A fave micro-trope of mine is when the guy has been pining after the girl for so long and he finally has the chance to tell her about his feelings. Also, when he spoke Romanian to her and she began to learn? Adorable. Phaedra was intense and weird at times, but so lovable. She has a lot of feelings and didn't always express them in the best way, but she learned and took chances with Cosmin. The book also deals with preparing for the loss of a loved one, grief, an abusive childhood, and SA, so definitely read the content warnings ahead of time. It was all beautifully well done and I'm so excited for the next story in the series!

[abi ౨ৎ જ⁀➴ catching up!!]

dnf at 22%

i desperately wanted to enjoy this. i really did. however i really cannot finish it.

phaedra went from hating cosmin to literally grinding on him while saying they could never give into the lust between in the span of 7 PAGES. not to mention: where did this list come from??? you were literally just talking about how much you hated him.

cosmin however was a million times worse. not consensual sexual comments and advances are not okay. in a book or in real life. she asked you to stop countless times. she even sidestepped you on multiple occasions. a no is a no. please respect that.

i was approved for the alc of the next book and providing it is semi-standalone i will still listen to it but ultimately this was a no for me.

if anyone has more good f1 book refs PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me xx

[ren ౨ৎ (rozanov's version) · Rating 2 out of 5]

⁀➷ 2.25 ★ ´ˎ˗

“you live in my head on track, and in my heart everywhere.”

god… this book pissed me off so much. f1 is one of my special interests so you know i had to try and get this arc when i saw it. but, boy… i didn’t realize the storm i had coming. both of the main characters were wildly unlikeable in their own way. although, i must admit that it was easier for me to warm up to cosmin than it was phaedra.

phaedra is painted as this prodigy boss babe engineer, but in reality… she’s nothing more than a traumatized abusive piece of shit. not only is the way she speaks to cosmin borderline verbal abuse, she does end up physically abusing him halfway through the book. no justification or trauma or feeble reasoning will ever make that okay. the mental gymnastics she goes through to justify the way that she acts is insane to me.

this book had so much potential in the beginning and it felt like the author said “fuck that” and threw it all away.

these two needed counseling not hate sex and a flimsy relationship built on lust rather than anything substantial.

thank you to netgalley, forever publishing, and josie juniper for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Camryn O'Conner]

dnf @19%. my brain was in pain

[amarachireads]

I read till about 70% of this book and unfortunately couldn’t continue with the book . I won’t be rating it outside if NetGalley because I didn’t finish the book. I think people that like F1 and characters that aren’t that likable will probably enjoy this one. I liked the F1 aspect and female engineer aspect but unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the romance and the main characters. I just couldn’t get behind the lack of growth from the fmc, sexiest comments in the beginning and borderline verbal abuse by the fmc. It was a lot and because of the lack of character development I couldn’t do it. Thank you forever for this arc!

[alyssa jackman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. I just can’t believe an ARC of this was put out into the world. It’s clearly not ready for publication but it’s screaming F1 craze cash grab with a dash of domestic violence so not surprising. Oof. Review soon?

[Nerlie౨ৎ🎧📚 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to DNF at 38%. The pacing just didn’t work for me, and I found the story lacking in strength. The FMC is incredibly unpleasant . I couldn’t imagine sticking with her for the whole book. The narrators were the only redeeming factor.


Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book!

[Southern Lady Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this one and immediately started to review it because I’m so glad I gave it a second chance. The first time I picked this up, I was in an airport, and I actually put it down in favor of my physical read to take a technology break. As soon as I was on the go with work again.. This was exactly what I needed.

I’ve been feeling like I’m in a slump recently with romances and this is one of the few that I’ve read lately that made me smile!!

I usually do like sports romances - and I'd never read one with race drivers before so I was really into the fresh take! Also -- the idea of a hot Romanian is a new character style for me. I haven't read many romances with Eastern European zestiness, so I also loved that. I'm on the hunt for more European / non-British romances now!!

**Thank you to Forever & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Follow me on Instagram for honest reviews! 🦋

[Kenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Compatibility: 3.5 ⭐️
For it's written purpose: 4 ⭐️

I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book is how it made me do some internal reflection early on when I wasn't vibing with the FMC.

I thought she was too brash and quick to anger, overly cruel for the sake of being a Girl Boss, but what it really turned out to be was the author doing an incredible job of creating a flawed, realistic human being.
Phaedra was homeschooled, is a genius, and essentially grew up with no actual socialization from her peers in her age group. This shapes and molds her character and you can see it shine through in every interaction (and in her character growth!) It was so freaking cool to have that balance of realness, and the entire plot felt highly realistic too.

Things happen, good and bad, and you do what you can to get through them even if you make shitty decisions.

Now on to what felt lacking:

Phaedra's one friend was a massive letdown. No spoilers, but I don't think she was a well written character (but that may change as we hear her story in book 2) and her contribution to this book was lame.

Cosmin was a bit underwhelming. He felt repetitive after a while, and his pov felt juvenile at times. He had a rich backstory and it felt like the maturing that he did during his difficult childhood doesn’t always shine through in the way he is written in the present

Phaedra's inner monologue felt very wannabe gen z, which felt really weird since she's a grown, mature adult.
I felt that for as much of a genius prodigy that she's supposed to be, her internal thoughts would sound more intelligent.

I also did not vibe with the way the spice was written. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it was included, but I found myself cringing at some of the dirty talk and the way that the scenes were written.

Overall

I did have a good time with this book and found myself tearing up multiple times, rooting for their relationship, feeling the pain of a family that doesn't entirely understand you, and the sinking letdown of rocky friendships.

I would have loved to get more “screen time” of Phaedra being an engineering mastermind rather than just her role in supporting the driver

I'll definitely be reading more books in this series and getting my hands on any and all racing romances!

[AmyN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot, spicy, racy ( I'll see myself out.) Double Apex was hot hot hot. I have no background in F1 racing (or any kind of sports honestly), so I can't speak to how much racing fans will appreciate any accuracy or detail, but the good-looking hotshot f-boi superstar is universally known. I loved how Juniper shows depth of character in Cosmin and that sometimes, playing up that image is just a shield to protect themselves. Phae mirrors him in her own way, putting up barbs and walls to prove herself too. But when they open up, they burn it down. 🔥🔥🔥

[Nadja · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️ (A generous one star, only because zero isn’t allowed)

My god, was this f*cking bad. Like legitimately one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I cannot be convinced to appreciate, like, or lust after a contemporary romance MMC who acts the way Cosmin acts. He’s not a charming rake. He’s a walking lawsuit.

Let’s start with the workplace behavior. Phaedra tells him MORE THAN ONCE to stop making sexual-style jokes and comments to her at work — and he. keeps. doing. it. She told him NO. Bro. NO. And then that kitchen coffee scene on the first day in Santori? In what universe is rubbing your erection on someone who:
-Told you they aren’t interested
-Asked you to stop flirting
-Did NOT invite you to rub your dick on them
...something remotely acceptable?

But let’s not give the FMC a pass either, because neither of these characters seem to understand basic human boundaries or consent. They are both just... absolutely unhinged.

OH — and speaking of double standards. There’s a scene where Phaedra is crying, in bed, clearly struggling emotionally. Cosmin walks in and, for once, tries to do the right thing. Just be a human, check in on her, see if she’s okay.

And what does she do?
She starts undressing him.
She starts touching him.
He tells her to stop.
More than once.
And she doesn’t.

LET ME BE CLEAR:
She is emotionally distraught.
He comes in to comfort her.
She flips the switch and starts initiating sex.
He. Says. Stop. She. Doesn’t. Listen.

If the roles were reversed? If Cosmin found her crying, came in to talk, and then started removing her clothes after she said no? That man would’ve been burned at the stake and rightfully so. But since it’s the female character doing it, it gets brushed off like it’s emotional intimacy?

Absolutely not.
Both characters have a broken relationship with boundaries and consent. This isn’t edgy or hot. It’s disturbing. There’s no mutual respect. No line that isn’t crossed. The MMC grinds on her uninvited in the kitchen like a frat boy from hell, and the FMC initiates sex on someone who’s actively telling her not to.

Let’s talk about Phaedra, though. Because this woman is straight-up one of the most vile characters I’ve ever read. Straight-up insufferable. She’s rude to everyone, treats her best friend like dirt, talks like an immature child, and is somehow supposed to be this 30-year-old genius? Nah. She’s so “Y/N” I was worried she’d get sold to One Direction. She is so painfully “Not Like Other Girls” I’m shocked she didn’t sprout a ukulele and start singing Sk8r Boi.

Phaedra tells Cosmin to get more rest — to take care of “her product.” (This man is a whole human being and she called him a PRODUCT.) The next day, while at the track, someone calls her cold and Cosmin agrees she’s “bloodless.” Is he wrong? No. But Phaedra goes full lunatic:
Texts him “open your f*cking door”
Storms into his hotel room
Physically attacks him

While he’s trying to get her to stop physically attacking him, she’s THRASHING so much that he accidentally hits her thigh while trying to hold her off. Not a beat-down. Not a slap across the face. A THIGH TAP while bleeding from her clawing at him — and she turns around and says:

“You asshole, is this how you are?”
“Go ahead and hit me, like your uncle hit you and your sister. Are you just like him?”

IN THAT MOMENT I WANTED TO PHYSICALLY FIGHT HER. With a shovel. In the dirt. I’ve never hated a fictional character more. He’s literally bleeding. She attacked him. She drew blood. And yet somehow he’s the villain? And THEN she has the AUDACITY to wait for an apology from him. And he’s the one who says sorry because his hand hit her while he was DEFENDING HIMSELF. Girl needed to be knocked off her high horse — preferably with one of those pointy things from medieval jousts.

That was the moment I should’ve DNF’d. But I skimmed to finish — not because I cared, but because I needed to accurately shit on it.

And this wasn’t some “strong woman moment.” This wasn’t cute, or funny, or empowering. It was abusive, and horrifying, and incredibly hard to stomach in a book published in 2024. Like are you kidding me? I love unlikable women. Love messy female characters. But Phaedra wasn’t messy. She was MEAN. She was ABUSIVE. She was emotionally manipulative and deeply cruel.

She’s mean to her friends. Mean to Cosmin for no reason. She physically attacks him, emotionally manipulates him, and then waits for him to apologize to her.

And the writing? Hot. Garbage. Especially in Cosmin’s POV — the prose is choppy as hell and I don't know was because English isn’t his native language (altho I'm sure it's actually just shit writing). Multiple instances of “What the actual f*ck am I reading?” level dialogue. And if you’re wondering about the spice? I hope you weren’t. Because that sh*t was next-level cringe. He literally asks if she’s fertile the first time they sleep together (which is immediately after she has a full-blown breakdown over receiving a banana, by the way).

Words and phrases I never want to read again:
“Are you fertile?”
“Plunges his fingers in to see how deep I am”
“My girl bits are only trimmed”
“Sweet juice he is gouging out of me”
“His massive hot steel piston”

And at one point he says she’s his castle and he’s claiming her walls?? I have never wanted to puke while reading a book until that moment. They also use the terms vulva and labia during sex and I wanted to become a nun and move into a convent just to cleanse my brain from what I had just read. Like I was physically uncomfortable. I’ve read awkward sex scenes. I’ve read unsexy sex scenes. But this one? This was a f*cking crime. I have never, in my life, read anything that made me want to flee humanity like these so-called “spicy” scenes. Every single word felt like a war crime.

Homegirl FMC wants to be different SO bad. “Not like other girls” headass. There’s literally a scene where she talks about pairing her Converse with a ‘nice outfit’ and all I could think was Demi Lovato singing “I can wear my Converse with my dress…” GIRL. BYE. You are not edgy. You’re just annoying.

She also constantly talks down to her best friend — calling her dumb, treating her like a sidekick, and gets MAD when the girl finally sets a boundary and pulls away. GOOD FOR THE FRIEND. Phaedra literally says she’s the “main character” and her friend is just a background player. Homegirl needed to be humbled HARD.

And don’t even get me started on how she CONSTANTLY mocks Cosmin’s English — like repeatedly. The dude went to boarding school in the UK and somehow doesn’t know what Scooby-Doo is? Yeah, okay. But even if it were true — her acting like that made her sound like a colonizer with a superiority complex. Shut up, you dumb bitch.

The “romance” is nonexistent. There’s zero chemistry. Apparently he’s been pining for her forever, but like, where? When? All I see is two miserable, toxic people who treat each other like garbage and somehow get engaged at the end — WITHOUT EVEN BEING A REAL COUPLE. They’ve had no successful dates. Barely know each other. Literal trauma grenades lobbed back and forth, and now it’s diamonds and champagne? Shut up.

Side plots? Worse than filler episodes of Riverdale. Cosmin’s sister marrying the man who abused her when she was 16 — AND Phaedra tells Cosmin not to interfere because she “doesn’t know the whole story.” Are you INSANE? The man ABUSED HIS SISTER. And she’s like, “Don’t be dramatic.” And they just get engaged and that’s the happy ending???

There’s another arc where a side character getting engaged but her friend Peach needed to receive a present too just to placate her, and then she tries to suggest a threeway marriage?!?!?!?!?! Someone literally suggests a poly marriage not because of love, but because Peach is so annoying she has to be included in everything like a sad toddler at a birthday party.

Cosmin throws money around like he’s solving world hunger, but ignores the charity his sister is literally running. So generous! (sarcasm intensifies). The entire plot about F1 racing was wasted because his car keeps breaking down, his team sucks, and he’s surrounded by incompetents. Dude, change your damn contract already. Fire your manager. Leave the team. Why are you even here?

Cosmin is better than Phaedra by a sliver, but that’s like saying stepping in vomit is better than stepping in shit. The bar is on the floor, and both of them tripped over it and somehow landed in hell.

Also, the ending? They get engaged. AFTER:
- Not even being officially together
- Never having had a functional date
- Knowing each other for like three minutes, metaphorically

Because of course they do. If there’s one thing unhinged people love, it’s commitment without emotional growth.

As for the audio narration? Dual was a cool concept, I guess. But the male narrator’s accent made a lot of lines totally unclear — mumbled, whispered, just awkward. The female voice was robotic but weirdly fitting for the emotionless, inhuman FMC.

This book should’ve come with a content warning for abuse, emotional manipulation, workplace harassment, and absolutely unhinged behavior being passed off as “romance.” It wasn’t sexy. It wasn’t feminist. It wasn’t bold. It was a f*cking nightmare.

Respectfully? Get this book out of my face. This book needs to be deleted from existence.

[suonnahbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Double Apex by Josie Juniper
-the tension, the spit firing, the accent, forced proximity, can’t be together,enemies to lovers, f1 vroom vroom baby this book was everything
-also the cover of the book is too die for
-Phaedra is a fiery badass
-Cosmin is hot and intense I love it
-this was a good read, i’m not obsessed but I had fun
rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

[Myblogisgreat]

Toto Wolff grimace face dot gif

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

F1 romances are entering the chat and I’m all about it! I was so excited to see this one land on my kindle and then proceeded to read it in one day.

Synopsis: Phaedra is all about the data as a race engineer for Emerald F1, a position that requires her to be completely in tune with her driver. Except, her driver is Cosmin, an up and coming driver with a bit of a playboy attitude. Forced to rise above their differences, they concoct a plan to hopefully land the team some podiums this season.

I love the tension in a good enemies to lovers and this definitely had tension. Cosmin and Phaedra had the banter and fire from the very beginning.

Seeing how the main characters pushed each other to be better versions of themselves was so sweet! They truly felt destined for each other. 💓

There were some family things that came up that definitely hurt my heart but added so much depth to the book. I appreciate a romance that can pull at your emotions a bit and really make you feel invested in the HEA.

My tiny complaint is that while I loved the Romanian language (there was a good amount), half the time I ended up using Google translate to see what Cosmin was actually saying which got a little cumbersome to be flipping back and forth 🤪

+ F1 driver x race engineer
+ hate-to-love
+ workplace romance
+ draga mea (iykyk)
+ spicy
+ dual pov

Thank you to @readforeverpub for the eARC 🤍

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been quite desperate for F1 romances since I got into the sport via Drive to Survive in 2021. If you had told me four years ago that I would be watching cars drive for hours out of my weekends, I would have told you that you were crazy, but here we are.

This particular book was largely not for me, however, which made me very sad. I liked the author's writing and the sport writing itself seemed pretty solid to me, but the dynamic chosen--woman who has an active role within a team and driver, is just not my favorite given the structural inequalities that face women in any sport. Should an engineer be allowed to bang their drive like a tree if everyone is a consenting adult? Yeah, probably. Would it absolutely ruin things for any other women who want that role? Yeah, definitely.

All that said, I'm really curious about the journalist/team principal romance that is on dock for the next book despite the fact that I also don't like women sports journalist/sporting person romances very much, so that was some very good set up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[jfdbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn't love this as much as i was hoping to! the pacing threw me off a bit and i found the chemistry to be unbelievable between our main characters. the switch from rivals to lovers was a bit clunky and a little too insta-love for me. there was no build up and a lot of the inner monologues from both characters dragged for me. found myself skimming a good amount since i didn't really connect with any of the characters.

unfortunately, a miss for me. thanks forever pub for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a SIZZLING dual POV, forbidden workplace romance debut set in the fast-paced world of FI racing that is absolutely perfect for fans of Lauren Asher or Cross the lines by Simone Soltani. I couldn't get enough of Phaedra and Cosmin as the try to fight the sizzling chemistry and attraction between them as they work as track engineer and race car driver. Steamy, full of heart and unputdownable, I loved this and can't wait for more by this new romance author!! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Kate Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi disp per tutti i personaggi maschili di cui leggerò in futuro perché dovranno impegnarsi parecchio per essere allo stesso livello di cosmin

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This is a spicy sports forbidden romance about Formula One racing. This is the first book in the Frontrunners series. The next book will be about a different couple.

The book alternates between the male and female POVs. The Romanian hero (Cosmin) is a race car driver and the heroine (Phaedra) is a race engineer.

I really like sports romances. And I absolutely love the sport in this book. I think that this is the first race car driving/Formula One book that I’ve read. I also really liked that each group of chapters take place in a different location (following the Formula One season around the world).

I also really liked Phaedra's job. I love reading about women in STEM.

The book was a quick read. The characters were unlikeable at times, which made me not love the romance as much as I wanted to. However the forbidden aspect of the romance was so fun. There were definitely some darker subjects that made this book more serious than I was expecting. Overall, I think that this book has made me want to look for more Formula One sports romances.


Thanks to netgalley and Forever Publishing for allowing me to read this book.

[tara • tarasbookworld · Rating 5 out of 5]

vibes were 100% here. I loved this.

[Robin]

DNF @ 7%

Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I'm a big proponent for DNF-ing, but this was a fast DNF even for me. But these opening pages/chapters left me so uncomfortable and there was just no way to redeem this hero or romance for me.

I love a good tension filled, hate to love romance. And I especially love a woman engineer. What I don't love is sexual harassment in the work place that is brushed off as "just who he is".

This opens up with the hero making uncomfortable and undesired sexual innuendos to the heroine over the radio, for all other team members to hear. Despite the heroine saying she has asked for this to stop multiple times.

When the heroine brings it up with her boss/father he tells her "not make such a big deal out of it". That he's their best driver, etc, etc.

When she brings it up with a coworker he tells her "that's just his personality" and that the other employees are talking because she "obviously only cares because 'sexual tension'".

And the cherry on top, when she confronts the hero - he laughs and makes ADDITIONAL sexual comments.

Which was enough for me to DNF. But after reading other reviews from people got further into the story, it sounds like the harassment only gets worse.

This is not cute, or funny, or romantic, or honestly redeemable in any way. It's harassment and it's gross. Made only worse by the fact that her employer and colleagues brush it off as "guys being guys".