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Pole Position #2
First to Finish
The stakes have never been higher…🏎️🏎️🏎️
Race car driver Johannes Muller is on a hot streak this season and seems destined to claim the championship win … until his performance unexpectedly falters. Gone is his cool confidence – on the track he can barely qualify, let alone take home the trophy.
The team’s race engineer, Caleb Hughes, is determined to get his star driver back in pole position, but soon the sparks flying over the radio are more chemistry than competition.
In a sport where everyone gives it their all at all times, it’s not long before Johannes and Caleb realise that their racing line is leading them towards a collision they won’t be able to walk away from unscathed…
Tropes
Opposites attractForced ProximitySpicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Sports romance 🏎️
Everyone loved Rebecca's first book POLE Featured in Us Weekly's 'Hottest New LGBTQIA+ Romances to Read during Pride Month 2024'
‘This was freaking phenomenal. [The] chemistry and banter was off the charts!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Reviewer
‘I flew through this book… I am literally rereading just because it is sooo bingeable’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Reviewer
Race car driver Johannes Muller is on a hot streak this season and seems destined to claim the championship win … until his performance unexpectedly falters. Gone is his cool confidence – on the track he can barely qualify, let alone take home the trophy.
The team’s race engineer, Caleb Hughes, is determined to get his star driver back in pole position, but soon the sparks flying over the radio are more chemistry than competition.
In a sport where everyone gives it their all at all times, it’s not long before Johannes and Caleb realise that their racing line is leading them towards a collision they won’t be able to walk away from unscathed…
Tropes
Opposites attractForced ProximitySpicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️Sports romance 🏎️
Everyone loved Rebecca's first book POLE Featured in Us Weekly's 'Hottest New LGBTQIA+ Romances to Read during Pride Month 2024'
‘This was freaking phenomenal. [The] chemistry and banter was off the charts!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Reviewer
‘I flew through this book… I am literally rereading just because it is sooo bingeable’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Reviewer
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 20, 2026
About the author
Rebecca J. Caffery
6 books289 followersRebecca J. Caffery is a queer romance author from Birmingham, UK, whose stories celebrate love, electric chemistry, fierce
emotion, and found families. She rediscovered her passion for writing in 2017
during a study abroad year in Canada, and she’s been writing one too many
enemies to lovers tropes since.
Rebecca is best known for her high-octane F1 romances, Pole
Position (2024) and First to Finish (2026), where fast cars meet
even faster hearts. With plans to expand into small-town romance, she continues
to craft stories that celebrate queer love in all its intensity and joy.
When she’s not writing, Rebecca can be found devouring queer
romance novels, binge-watching romantic dramas and romcoms, or passionately (read
screaming at her TV) supporting Arsenal Women’s football team and McLaren Formula
One Team.
Where else to find her?
Instagram - @RJCafferyAuthor
TikTok - BeckaWrites
emotion, and found families. She rediscovered her passion for writing in 2017
during a study abroad year in Canada, and she’s been writing one too many
enemies to lovers tropes since.
Rebecca is best known for her high-octane F1 romances, Pole
Position (2024) and First to Finish (2026), where fast cars meet
even faster hearts. With plans to expand into small-town romance, she continues
to craft stories that celebrate queer love in all its intensity and joy.
When she’s not writing, Rebecca can be found devouring queer
romance novels, binge-watching romantic dramas and romcoms, or passionately (read
screaming at her TV) supporting Arsenal Women’s football team and McLaren Formula
One Team.
Where else to find her?
Instagram - @RJCafferyAuthor
TikTok - BeckaWrites
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I liked this one even more than pole position. This was such a cute, heartwarming romance!
Our main characters are Johannes a F1 driver and Caleb, his team engineer. I was a little afraid of how the power imbalance and secrecy would be handled but I actually really like how it was done. It wasn't too smutty which is a good thing, it was the right amount for the story I feel like.
I also really loved to see how Harper and Kian are doing, I didn't realize that I missed them until I started reading this.
Now I have my fingers crossed for a Nils book, I pricked up on some things and I feel like I would really like it.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.
Our main characters are Johannes a F1 driver and Caleb, his team engineer. I was a little afraid of how the power imbalance and secrecy would be handled but I actually really like how it was done. It wasn't too smutty which is a good thing, it was the right amount for the story I feel like.
I also really loved to see how Harper and Kian are doing, I didn't realize that I missed them until I started reading this.
Now I have my fingers crossed for a Nils book, I pricked up on some things and I feel like I would really like it.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.
February 15, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🏎️
I want to start by saying my review is skewed because of the unbelievably annoying inaccuracies, not only about F1, but oddly enough, also about being American. If you’re going to write a sports romance that features F1 terms HEAVILY, you need to at least have some idea what you’re talking about — this felt like someone who had seen a few races, knew the buzzwords, and googled “how many laps do they race at the Hungaroring”, but it’s fully possible to write a sports romance without featuring the sport heavily (most hockey romances). If I had to read P1, P10, P2, etc. one more time I was going to lose it. A big pet peeve of mine is when the characters clearly aren’t from where they say they’re from, and Caleb was not from America. He’s SUPPOSED to be from Tennessee, living at home, is only outside the US for races, blah blah blah, yet he’s saying “shagging” (UK term), said his mom had kilos of flour in the cupboard growing up instead of pounds of flour in the pantry, and there were other random UK slang terms thrown in there that felt unnatural. At the end, Johannes (German btw) says “you Americans take it too far” about banoffee pie… a BRITISH dessert. Why on earth would a big family from Tennessee USA make banoffee pie for a German? Again, if you’re writing a character from a certain country, at least get the metric/imperial system right with them and make sure the words they’re saying would actually come out of their mouths, it’s really not that hard. I was really hoping the F1 inaccuracies would be fixed since they were there for the first book, but alas, just as buzzwordy.
Now onto what I liked after trying to ignore those things: Caleb notices Johannes’ fear and apprehension towards racing and comforts him in the only way he knows before they even really know each other, he’s just so attentive. They both get more vulnerable with each other throughout the book. But to be completely honest, their love story was overshadowed by the other relationships in the book, whether it was Johannes and Harper, him and Nils, or any of the other guys. We didn’t get a lot of Caleb and Johannes moments, and when we did, they were cut short. If I ignored what bugged me about the sport, their relationship was kinda just meh to me, which is such a bummer because I really liked the first book, enough to succeed in ignoring the inaccuracies. I would’ve liked more of our two MAIN characters and their relationship since this IS a romance book, but it was still cute, if a little surface-level.
I want to start by saying my review is skewed because of the unbelievably annoying inaccuracies, not only about F1, but oddly enough, also about being American. If you’re going to write a sports romance that features F1 terms HEAVILY, you need to at least have some idea what you’re talking about — this felt like someone who had seen a few races, knew the buzzwords, and googled “how many laps do they race at the Hungaroring”, but it’s fully possible to write a sports romance without featuring the sport heavily (most hockey romances). If I had to read P1, P10, P2, etc. one more time I was going to lose it. A big pet peeve of mine is when the characters clearly aren’t from where they say they’re from, and Caleb was not from America. He’s SUPPOSED to be from Tennessee, living at home, is only outside the US for races, blah blah blah, yet he’s saying “shagging” (UK term), said his mom had kilos of flour in the cupboard growing up instead of pounds of flour in the pantry, and there were other random UK slang terms thrown in there that felt unnatural. At the end, Johannes (German btw) says “you Americans take it too far” about banoffee pie… a BRITISH dessert. Why on earth would a big family from Tennessee USA make banoffee pie for a German? Again, if you’re writing a character from a certain country, at least get the metric/imperial system right with them and make sure the words they’re saying would actually come out of their mouths, it’s really not that hard. I was really hoping the F1 inaccuracies would be fixed since they were there for the first book, but alas, just as buzzwordy.
Now onto what I liked after trying to ignore those things: Caleb notices Johannes’ fear and apprehension towards racing and comforts him in the only way he knows before they even really know each other, he’s just so attentive. They both get more vulnerable with each other throughout the book. But to be completely honest, their love story was overshadowed by the other relationships in the book, whether it was Johannes and Harper, him and Nils, or any of the other guys. We didn’t get a lot of Caleb and Johannes moments, and when we did, they were cut short. If I ignored what bugged me about the sport, their relationship was kinda just meh to me, which is such a bummer because I really liked the first book, enough to succeed in ignoring the inaccuracies. I would’ve liked more of our two MAIN characters and their relationship since this IS a romance book, but it was still cute, if a little surface-level.
May 20, 2026
Again, a super fun F1 read! This one was more angsty than book one with the situation Johannes has found himself in, but there was still a really good balance between the sport and the relationship.
Caleb was so sweet and considerate and I really liked the way he took care of Jo, and although I think Jo should have come clean about his secret much sooner, I liked how everything resolved itself.
Jo's friendship with his teammate Nils was so sweet and I really hope Nils is getting a book! It was also nice to see Harper so happy and settled, and the friendship between Johannes and Harper getting repaired was great to see.
There is more at risk for Johannes and Caleb than for Kian and Harper I felt, because they have such an important relationship in their jobs, but I'm glad it didn't turn into a big thing!
Really enjoying this series and I hope there's more to come.
Caleb was so sweet and considerate and I really liked the way he took care of Jo, and although I think Jo should have come clean about his secret much sooner, I liked how everything resolved itself.
Jo's friendship with his teammate Nils was so sweet and I really hope Nils is getting a book! It was also nice to see Harper so happy and settled, and the friendship between Johannes and Harper getting repaired was great to see.
There is more at risk for Johannes and Caleb than for Kian and Harper I felt, because they have such an important relationship in their jobs, but I'm glad it didn't turn into a big thing!
Really enjoying this series and I hope there's more to come.
March 18, 2026
As a huge F1 fan I genuinely attempted to put my feelings for the sport aside and enjoy this for the fiction that it is - however I had so many issues with this book outside of just the racing.
(Racing issues are not going to be apart of the review because of creative liberty I guess.)
Johannes being dumped by a three year situation-ship was a rough start to the book. Him not being able to tell him best friends about that “relationship” for the whole time felt like a poorly used miscommunication trope. It was hard to believe that they could be that close and yet it undermined that friendship when no one knew. Adding in his general lack of self respect and his deep emotional turmoil following this that magically goes away after he gets coffee twice with a guy he’s been acquainted with for years.
Caleb is getting is PHD but there is little to no effort in presenting it like he is actually working on it. Apart from the fact that given the schedule for the F1 calendar it would be nearly impossible to complete it in the time frame.
Their relationship was driven by lust and their conversations felt stilted. This book seemed like it forced itself to use this trope instead of naturally letting the story flow into situations that fit the character and the personality development the author wrote for them.
With all the lust it was hard to believe the friendship the author attempted to set up. Their interactions felt less than genuine when all they did let to add more sexual tension.
As far as the conflict for their breakup was concerned - him keeping his relationship a secret from his friends made sense but I especially with Johannes ex being closeted it just felt like something they could have talked about and worked through. Caleb being that upset just further pushed the idea that they are not ready to be together.
After mostly enjoying the first in this series it was hard to understand how this one really did not match in quality. This felt generally low stakes and surface level.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc !
(Racing issues are not going to be apart of the review because of creative liberty I guess.)
Johannes being dumped by a three year situation-ship was a rough start to the book. Him not being able to tell him best friends about that “relationship” for the whole time felt like a poorly used miscommunication trope. It was hard to believe that they could be that close and yet it undermined that friendship when no one knew. Adding in his general lack of self respect and his deep emotional turmoil following this that magically goes away after he gets coffee twice with a guy he’s been acquainted with for years.
Caleb is getting is PHD but there is little to no effort in presenting it like he is actually working on it. Apart from the fact that given the schedule for the F1 calendar it would be nearly impossible to complete it in the time frame.
Their relationship was driven by lust and their conversations felt stilted. This book seemed like it forced itself to use this trope instead of naturally letting the story flow into situations that fit the character and the personality development the author wrote for them.
With all the lust it was hard to believe the friendship the author attempted to set up. Their interactions felt less than genuine when all they did let to add more sexual tension.
As far as the conflict for their breakup was concerned - him keeping his relationship a secret from his friends made sense but I especially with Johannes ex being closeted it just felt like something they could have talked about and worked through. Caleb being that upset just further pushed the idea that they are not ready to be together.
After mostly enjoying the first in this series it was hard to understand how this one really did not match in quality. This felt generally low stakes and surface level.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc !
April 21, 2026
Nu al zin in dat f1 weer begint en tussendoor was dit een even smullen 😗
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks NetGalley and Rebecca J Cafferty for the ARC!
I'm officially obsessed with Caleb and Johannes and just want to live in their world. I won't pretend I'm generally an F1 fan, but I was fully invested in the racing too.
The writing was really warm and engaging and made me love even the side characters. I loved the slow burn of their relationship, despite there definitely being enough heat between them to keep it spicy while they tried to stay friends.
Think I'm gunna have to buy a physical trophy of this one for my book shelf!
I'm officially obsessed with Caleb and Johannes and just want to live in their world. I won't pretend I'm generally an F1 fan, but I was fully invested in the racing too.
The writing was really warm and engaging and made me love even the side characters. I loved the slow burn of their relationship, despite there definitely being enough heat between them to keep it spicy while they tried to stay friends.
Think I'm gunna have to buy a physical trophy of this one for my book shelf!
Read
March 10, 2026DNF
Well nobody can say I didn’t try. I gave this book, and honestly this author in general, a very fair chance. A generous chance. A “maybe the second one will be better” chance. A “surely the first one couldn’t have been that bad” chance. And yet here I am, once again asking myself the same question I had after book one: why did I do this to myself?
The thing that made my eye start twitching almost immediately: the Formula 1 aspect of this so-called Formula 1 romance. I completely understand why we’re suddenly getting a flood of F1 romances. The sport has exploded in popularity again and publishing smelled the opportunity like sharks smelling blood in the water. Fine. Capitalism. I get it. But if you are going to write a romance that is supposedly centered around Formula 1 drivers, teams, races, and the sport itself, the absolute bare minimum requirement is that you google the rules. Not even deeply. I’m not asking for technical regulation 12.3 subsection C. I’m talking the basics. The stuff you could learn in five minutes.
And yet.
At one point the book claims that when a red flag comes out the race resets to the original grid order. I’m sorry—what? I had to stop reading and just stare at the page for a moment because surely my brain had misread it. Surely the author didn’t just confidently write something that aggressively incorrect.
For anyone who actually knows anything about F1, that’s not how red flags work. At all. When a race is red flagged, the running order is taken from the last point at which it was possible to determine the position of all cars. That’s the rule. That’s how it works.
So let’s look at the scene in the book. Two cars crash. That’s it. Two. And we’re not even told what positions those cars were in. One of the main characters is literally in the middle of the field and nothing about the crash affects them. Which strongly suggests the crash happened somewhere behind them. Which means the leader would have almost certainly made it through the first sector already. Which means there would be a perfectly clear running order. Which means there would be no magical “everyone go back to your original grid spots like this is Mario Kart and someone hit the reset button.”
But apparently in this universe the FIA just shrugs and goes “eh, let’s start over for fun.”
I genuinely had to reread that passage multiple times because I could not believe someone writing an F1 book would get something this basic this wrong. And listen, I understand that fiction sometimes bends rules to make a scene work. Totally fine. Happens all the time. But this wasn’t bending the rules. This was throwing the rulebook directly into the nearest dumpster fire and pretending it never existed.
At that point you might as well just invent a fake motorsport. Call it ZoomCar Championship. Make up whatever rules you want. Have the cars powered by vibes. I would actually respect that more than claiming you’re writing about Formula 1 and then making things up that are objectively incorrect.
And the worst part is that this kind of thing completely pulls you out of the story. Instead of being immersed in the drama I’m sitting there mentally fact-checking the FIA sporting regulations and wondering if the author has ever watched a single race in their life.
But even if we generously set aside the motorsport nonsense, the writing itself is… not good. It’s repetitive in a way that made me feel like I was stuck in a literary Groundhog Day. The same phrases. The same descriptions. The same emotional beats being hammered into my skull over and over again like the author didn’t trust the reader to remember anything from the previous page.
And the storytelling style is the ultimate “tell don’t show” situation. The book doesn’t actually let you experience anything. It just informs you that things are happening. Characters don’t demonstrate emotions through actions or dialogue; the narration simply announces them like a sports commentator who got lost and wandered into a romance novel.
Thank you for the PowerPoint presentation. Would you like to also include a pie chart of their feelings?
Everything feels flat because nothing is actually being shown. Scenes that should feel dramatic or emotional just sort of… happen. And then the narrator tells you what you’re supposed to feel about them.
By the time I reached the red flag incident I was already hanging on by a thread, and that moment just snapped it completely. Because if you’re writing an F1 romance and you can’t even get the race rules right, and the writing itself is repetitive and lifeless, and the story is being told to me like a Wikipedia summary instead of an actual narrative… what exactly am I supposed to be enjoying here?
I really tried. I truly did. I went into this hoping maybe the second book would improve things. But instead it somehow managed to double down on all the same problems.
Anyway. I’m tapping out. I will not be continuing this series, I will not be reading anything else by this author, and if I see another F1 romance that clearly learned everything it knows about the sport from a TikTok edit I might actually lose my mind.
At this point I’m begging authors: if you want to write Formula 1 romance, please just watch one race. Just one. Maybe two if you’re feeling ambitious. Google “what does a red flag do in F1.” That’s it. That’s the bar. It’s on the floor. And somehow this book still managed to trip over it.
Well nobody can say I didn’t try. I gave this book, and honestly this author in general, a very fair chance. A generous chance. A “maybe the second one will be better” chance. A “surely the first one couldn’t have been that bad” chance. And yet here I am, once again asking myself the same question I had after book one: why did I do this to myself?
The thing that made my eye start twitching almost immediately: the Formula 1 aspect of this so-called Formula 1 romance. I completely understand why we’re suddenly getting a flood of F1 romances. The sport has exploded in popularity again and publishing smelled the opportunity like sharks smelling blood in the water. Fine. Capitalism. I get it. But if you are going to write a romance that is supposedly centered around Formula 1 drivers, teams, races, and the sport itself, the absolute bare minimum requirement is that you google the rules. Not even deeply. I’m not asking for technical regulation 12.3 subsection C. I’m talking the basics. The stuff you could learn in five minutes.
And yet.
At one point the book claims that when a red flag comes out the race resets to the original grid order. I’m sorry—what? I had to stop reading and just stare at the page for a moment because surely my brain had misread it. Surely the author didn’t just confidently write something that aggressively incorrect.
For anyone who actually knows anything about F1, that’s not how red flags work. At all. When a race is red flagged, the running order is taken from the last point at which it was possible to determine the position of all cars. That’s the rule. That’s how it works.
So let’s look at the scene in the book. Two cars crash. That’s it. Two. And we’re not even told what positions those cars were in. One of the main characters is literally in the middle of the field and nothing about the crash affects them. Which strongly suggests the crash happened somewhere behind them. Which means the leader would have almost certainly made it through the first sector already. Which means there would be a perfectly clear running order. Which means there would be no magical “everyone go back to your original grid spots like this is Mario Kart and someone hit the reset button.”
But apparently in this universe the FIA just shrugs and goes “eh, let’s start over for fun.”
I genuinely had to reread that passage multiple times because I could not believe someone writing an F1 book would get something this basic this wrong. And listen, I understand that fiction sometimes bends rules to make a scene work. Totally fine. Happens all the time. But this wasn’t bending the rules. This was throwing the rulebook directly into the nearest dumpster fire and pretending it never existed.
At that point you might as well just invent a fake motorsport. Call it ZoomCar Championship. Make up whatever rules you want. Have the cars powered by vibes. I would actually respect that more than claiming you’re writing about Formula 1 and then making things up that are objectively incorrect.
And the worst part is that this kind of thing completely pulls you out of the story. Instead of being immersed in the drama I’m sitting there mentally fact-checking the FIA sporting regulations and wondering if the author has ever watched a single race in their life.
But even if we generously set aside the motorsport nonsense, the writing itself is… not good. It’s repetitive in a way that made me feel like I was stuck in a literary Groundhog Day. The same phrases. The same descriptions. The same emotional beats being hammered into my skull over and over again like the author didn’t trust the reader to remember anything from the previous page.
And the storytelling style is the ultimate “tell don’t show” situation. The book doesn’t actually let you experience anything. It just informs you that things are happening. Characters don’t demonstrate emotions through actions or dialogue; the narration simply announces them like a sports commentator who got lost and wandered into a romance novel.
Thank you for the PowerPoint presentation. Would you like to also include a pie chart of their feelings?
Everything feels flat because nothing is actually being shown. Scenes that should feel dramatic or emotional just sort of… happen. And then the narrator tells you what you’re supposed to feel about them.
By the time I reached the red flag incident I was already hanging on by a thread, and that moment just snapped it completely. Because if you’re writing an F1 romance and you can’t even get the race rules right, and the writing itself is repetitive and lifeless, and the story is being told to me like a Wikipedia summary instead of an actual narrative… what exactly am I supposed to be enjoying here?
I really tried. I truly did. I went into this hoping maybe the second book would improve things. But instead it somehow managed to double down on all the same problems.
Anyway. I’m tapping out. I will not be continuing this series, I will not be reading anything else by this author, and if I see another F1 romance that clearly learned everything it knows about the sport from a TikTok edit I might actually lose my mind.
At this point I’m begging authors: if you want to write Formula 1 romance, please just watch one race. Just one. Maybe two if you’re feeling ambitious. Google “what does a red flag do in F1.” That’s it. That’s the bar. It’s on the floor. And somehow this book still managed to trip over it.
February 21, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All my thoughts and opinions are my own.
Real rating: 3.4
This scratched the itch of exactly what I was in the mood for. Something low angst and easy to read. I love friends to lovers. I think those are the best types of love stories. The build-up of their friendship and eventual relationship was very sweet to witness and Johannes deserves someone who treats him like he matters. Caleb does just that.
I do believe I don’t know much about Caleb, to be honest. His character falls a bit flat for me. The conflict(s) in this story felt a tiny bit childish, but apart from that I had a great time.
Real rating: 3.4
This scratched the itch of exactly what I was in the mood for. Something low angst and easy to read. I love friends to lovers. I think those are the best types of love stories. The build-up of their friendship and eventual relationship was very sweet to witness and Johannes deserves someone who treats him like he matters. Caleb does just that.
I do believe I don’t know much about Caleb, to be honest. His character falls a bit flat for me. The conflict(s) in this story felt a tiny bit childish, but apart from that I had a great time.
April 3, 2026
I was on a quest to find a good formula one romance, and after more than ten attempts, I am still looking.
didn’t know the author prior, but seeing there’s a mm f1 romance, i was curious and optimistic, but oh boy
the worst and biggest cardinal sin was that i was bored out of my mind. boring parts about random things were overwritten and intimacy parts were underwritten. at one point i felt as if i was written by a joseon dynasty historian. we had description of johannes showering and getting to sleep THREE TIMES IN ONE CHAPTER!
the romance was lackluster. caleb and jo had no chemistry whatsoever, everything they did was basic, but we were told they feel these great feelings about mundane stuff like getting coffee or enjoying meals together. we also don’t really get to know them as people very much, bland and boring personalities. i am not sure we know what caleb’s thesis is about even though it was mentioned every other chapter. their relationship felt surgical as in i could tell what check point the author was crossing off with every chapter.
the book summary says the stakes have never been higher, but were they? were they really? their motivation not to get together was weak to say the least. everyone is dating everyone in that paddock, but we got idk three the same conversations how they cannot be together, and then one friend told johannes to go for it and he did. the stakes have never been LOWER. every “hurdle” they had to overcome was so anticlimactic.
even johannes’ heartbreak in the beginning as his situationship dumped him didn’t hit.
don’t even get me started on third act conflict. it was unnecessary, exalted, and so out of character.
all i can say in defense is that there were two spicy scenes and they were alright. not bad, not great, just alright.
im not knowledgeable enough to get into nitty gritty of f1 accuracy, but it followed the same mistake, IT WAS BORING.
if it wasn’t an arc that i received, i would dnf it properly around 15-20%, and having read the entirety of it, i know i wouldn’t miss out on much. But it was an arc, and the deadline loomed over me, so i pushed through.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, but it was not for me
didn’t know the author prior, but seeing there’s a mm f1 romance, i was curious and optimistic, but oh boy
the worst and biggest cardinal sin was that i was bored out of my mind. boring parts about random things were overwritten and intimacy parts were underwritten. at one point i felt as if i was written by a joseon dynasty historian. we had description of johannes showering and getting to sleep THREE TIMES IN ONE CHAPTER!
the romance was lackluster. caleb and jo had no chemistry whatsoever, everything they did was basic, but we were told they feel these great feelings about mundane stuff like getting coffee or enjoying meals together. we also don’t really get to know them as people very much, bland and boring personalities. i am not sure we know what caleb’s thesis is about even though it was mentioned every other chapter. their relationship felt surgical as in i could tell what check point the author was crossing off with every chapter.
the book summary says the stakes have never been higher, but were they? were they really? their motivation not to get together was weak to say the least. everyone is dating everyone in that paddock, but we got idk three the same conversations how they cannot be together, and then one friend told johannes to go for it and he did. the stakes have never been LOWER. every “hurdle” they had to overcome was so anticlimactic.
even johannes’ heartbreak in the beginning as his situationship dumped him didn’t hit.
don’t even get me started on third act conflict. it was unnecessary, exalted, and so out of character.
all i can say in defense is that there were two spicy scenes and they were alright. not bad, not great, just alright.
im not knowledgeable enough to get into nitty gritty of f1 accuracy, but it followed the same mistake, IT WAS BORING.
if it wasn’t an arc that i received, i would dnf it properly around 15-20%, and having read the entirety of it, i know i wouldn’t miss out on much. But it was an arc, and the deadline loomed over me, so i pushed through.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, but it was not for me
March 19, 2026
First to Finish is a slog of a second book in this series. After an enjoyable first book in this series, I was looking forward to the second book. Unfortunately, several major problems made this book a challenge to finish from the very first page.
1. The book kicks off with Johannes (best friend to a protagonist in book one) ending a 3 year (!!!) secret relationship with the soon-to-be principal of another team. Johannes has been unhappy/completely miserable in the relationship for a long time and yet doesn’t manage to stick up for himself at all. The result is his jerk boyfriend who has emotionally manipulated him for years dumps him at his best friends wedding we spend the first 16% of the book with a main protagonist who is an utter sad sack.
2. The other primary protagonist, Caleb, is so one dimensional he comes across as a dry slice of white wonder bread. He’s a redhead lead engineer for Johannes who, though working with him for 3 years, has evidently never had a conversation with Johannes until this book. He is from Tennessee, has a big family, likes country music, runs to exercise, and is supposedly working on his PhD. That’s the entire sum of his character after a couple hundred pages.
3. The only connection between the characters seems to be lust and liking country music. They never really talk and any moments of connection occur completely off page and are later reported in a summary fashion by the current character POV.
4. Johannes drama over his previous secret relationship makes no sense. His secret boyfriend swore him to secrecy, but why he chose to never confide in his friends while simply keeping the identity of his boyfriend a secret is beyond me.
5. Johannes is so heartbroken over his initial break up that he can’t get out of bed and wallows in his misery. But he immediately is over it and feels a deep connection to Caleb after, I kid you not, Caleb buys him two coffees. That’s it. His deep and abiding heartbreak is fixed by two cups of coffee.
6. The third act break up was really annoying and if you think about it for more the 5 seconds you’ll get mad, so I suggest just reading as quickly as possible by that point if you’re still invested enough to finish the book.
I could go on, but it seems counterproductive at this point, so I’ll stop here. After this book, I won’t be continuing this series and I suggest you don’t as well.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
1. The book kicks off with Johannes (best friend to a protagonist in book one) ending a 3 year (!!!) secret relationship with the soon-to-be principal of another team. Johannes has been unhappy/completely miserable in the relationship for a long time and yet doesn’t manage to stick up for himself at all. The result is his jerk boyfriend who has emotionally manipulated him for years dumps him at his best friends wedding we spend the first 16% of the book with a main protagonist who is an utter sad sack.
2. The other primary protagonist, Caleb, is so one dimensional he comes across as a dry slice of white wonder bread. He’s a redhead lead engineer for Johannes who, though working with him for 3 years, has evidently never had a conversation with Johannes until this book. He is from Tennessee, has a big family, likes country music, runs to exercise, and is supposedly working on his PhD. That’s the entire sum of his character after a couple hundred pages.
3. The only connection between the characters seems to be lust and liking country music. They never really talk and any moments of connection occur completely off page and are later reported in a summary fashion by the current character POV.
4. Johannes drama over his previous secret relationship makes no sense. His secret boyfriend swore him to secrecy, but why he chose to never confide in his friends while simply keeping the identity of his boyfriend a secret is beyond me.
5. Johannes is so heartbroken over his initial break up that he can’t get out of bed and wallows in his misery. But he immediately is over it and feels a deep connection to Caleb after, I kid you not, Caleb buys him two coffees. That’s it. His deep and abiding heartbreak is fixed by two cups of coffee.
6. The third act break up was really annoying and if you think about it for more the 5 seconds you’ll get mad, so I suggest just reading as quickly as possible by that point if you’re still invested enough to finish the book.
I could go on, but it seems counterproductive at this point, so I’ll stop here. After this book, I won’t be continuing this series and I suggest you don’t as well.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
March 1, 2026
One of my first 5 ✨ of the year!!!!! I don’t think 🤔 can express how shocked and happy I was when I found out that I got this arc on NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and Rebecca J Caffery to letting me read this arc and I really enjoyed reading it.
I loved this book so much that it only took me six days to read. That’s the fastest I’ve read a book this year which shocked me too when I finished it. Our characters Johannes and Caleb were super cute together and I loved how Caleb would always get Jo and a cup of coffee and a brownie before every race. I also loved how Jo and Caleb shared a love of country music which I thought was cute.
Guys the found family and the friendships that were in this book was so beautiful and I loved it so much. Even though I haven’t read this first book yet (Pole Position). Like I love how Harper and Kian supported Jo all throughout the book. I also loved how Harper and Kian got married. It was the cutest thing ever.
Also I loved Ash and Cole and how the helped Caleb and were his friends. This whole book had me warmth and made me feel like it was warm and cozy, like a mix of summer and fall all in one. I also really liked Caleb’s big family and how they immediately loved Johannes. In contrast to Caleb’s loud and funny family I loved that Johannes had the exact opposite since he’s an only child.
This book was so good and so was the yearning. Caleb and Jo had immediately clicked but were friends for the longest time until they actually got together. Also I loved Nils. It’s safe to say that Nils needs his own book and is one of my favorite characters. Also Nils and Jo are literally my favorite found family characters. Jo is such an older brother to Nils and I love how they both care and protect each other. I guess it’s not a surprise that I loved this book so much that’s it’s an obvious 5✨ and I just wanted to thank NetGalley and Rebecca J Caffery for First to Finish. I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait for your next book and to read Pole Position.
I loved this book so much that it only took me six days to read. That’s the fastest I’ve read a book this year which shocked me too when I finished it. Our characters Johannes and Caleb were super cute together and I loved how Caleb would always get Jo and a cup of coffee and a brownie before every race. I also loved how Jo and Caleb shared a love of country music which I thought was cute.
Guys the found family and the friendships that were in this book was so beautiful and I loved it so much. Even though I haven’t read this first book yet (Pole Position). Like I love how Harper and Kian supported Jo all throughout the book. I also loved how Harper and Kian got married. It was the cutest thing ever.
Also I loved Ash and Cole and how the helped Caleb and were his friends. This whole book had me warmth and made me feel like it was warm and cozy, like a mix of summer and fall all in one. I also really liked Caleb’s big family and how they immediately loved Johannes. In contrast to Caleb’s loud and funny family I loved that Johannes had the exact opposite since he’s an only child.
This book was so good and so was the yearning. Caleb and Jo had immediately clicked but were friends for the longest time until they actually got together. Also I loved Nils. It’s safe to say that Nils needs his own book and is one of my favorite characters. Also Nils and Jo are literally my favorite found family characters. Jo is such an older brother to Nils and I love how they both care and protect each other. I guess it’s not a surprise that I loved this book so much that’s it’s an obvious 5✨ and I just wanted to thank NetGalley and Rebecca J Caffery for First to Finish. I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait for your next book and to read Pole Position.
February 17, 2026
4.25✨
I am so lucky that I got a chance to read an early copy of this book. Thank you so much netgalley for the opportunity! I read the first book in this series back when the F1 movie first came out. I fell in love with it and immediately started reading F1 romances. Pole position quickly became one of my favourites and I was beyond excited to see there was another book in the same universe!
Johannes and Caleb’s story was delightful to read. This book was full of emotional growth, healing, and finding love when you least expect it. Johannes is dealing with a bad break up that seems to be leaving his season in shambles. It isn’t until his new race engineer starts leaving him coffee before his races that he starts to see that maybe all hope isn’t lost for him yet.
If there was one thing this book showed me it was to take pleasure in the simple things. Flying constantly to race in different countries left Johannes and Caleb feeling a little lost and like there was nothing more to their days than the hustle and bustle of work. But in the few moments they found themselves with some down time to enjoy the little things like cooking and country music, what they wanted became a little more clear.
I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving too much away, but if you love F1, you’ll love this book. I can’t wait to read more!
I am so lucky that I got a chance to read an early copy of this book. Thank you so much netgalley for the opportunity! I read the first book in this series back when the F1 movie first came out. I fell in love with it and immediately started reading F1 romances. Pole position quickly became one of my favourites and I was beyond excited to see there was another book in the same universe!
Johannes and Caleb’s story was delightful to read. This book was full of emotional growth, healing, and finding love when you least expect it. Johannes is dealing with a bad break up that seems to be leaving his season in shambles. It isn’t until his new race engineer starts leaving him coffee before his races that he starts to see that maybe all hope isn’t lost for him yet.
If there was one thing this book showed me it was to take pleasure in the simple things. Flying constantly to race in different countries left Johannes and Caleb feeling a little lost and like there was nothing more to their days than the hustle and bustle of work. But in the few moments they found themselves with some down time to enjoy the little things like cooking and country music, what they wanted became a little more clear.
I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving too much away, but if you love F1, you’ll love this book. I can’t wait to read more!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC review
Johannes starts the book is a difficult place, struggling to deal with a failing relationship why trying to be the best driver in F1. Caleb his race engineer is primed to be the best person to help him out of his slup and give him a new passion for the sport.
After seeing so much of Johannes in the first book and picking up on the hits dropped about his big painful secret. I like that we very quickly cut to the chase and get into the bad and ugly side of what the breakdown of a relationship can do you someone, especially someone at the top of a sport. Seeing him slowly heal and build up his confidence again was great.
Caleb is a ray of sunshine, becoming such a great addition to the group built in book one. Slotting into the team of friends so we'll and stealing Johannes's heart in the meantime.
Love this little racing family that been created and how the sport is wound into the books so well. How each race really makes a difference and the battle for top spot and doesn't feel like a forgon conclusion of who the chips will fall.
Looking forward to more from this group in the future.
Johannes starts the book is a difficult place, struggling to deal with a failing relationship why trying to be the best driver in F1. Caleb his race engineer is primed to be the best person to help him out of his slup and give him a new passion for the sport.
After seeing so much of Johannes in the first book and picking up on the hits dropped about his big painful secret. I like that we very quickly cut to the chase and get into the bad and ugly side of what the breakdown of a relationship can do you someone, especially someone at the top of a sport. Seeing him slowly heal and build up his confidence again was great.
Caleb is a ray of sunshine, becoming such a great addition to the group built in book one. Slotting into the team of friends so we'll and stealing Johannes's heart in the meantime.
Love this little racing family that been created and how the sport is wound into the books so well. How each race really makes a difference and the battle for top spot and doesn't feel like a forgon conclusion of who the chips will fall.
Looking forward to more from this group in the future.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC given by publisher through netgally in exchange for an honest review. This is my honest review and contains my own opinions all thoughts and views are my own
First off thank you to netgally and Harper Collins UK for the ARC I see myself in both caleb and Johannes particularly at the start of the book and I already love Johannes from pole position so this book had that already in its favour I love both of the characters for so many reasons. Theres a forbidden element a will they won't they vibe and an absolute slow burn workplace romance. If you read and liked pole position I absolutely urge you to start this book as soon as possible and if you've not read pole position that's okay you can start with this one if you don't mind a few spoilers for the first in the series. I think this is a beautiful story and I would highly recommend it.
First off thank you to netgally and Harper Collins UK for the ARC I see myself in both caleb and Johannes particularly at the start of the book and I already love Johannes from pole position so this book had that already in its favour I love both of the characters for so many reasons. Theres a forbidden element a will they won't they vibe and an absolute slow burn workplace romance. If you read and liked pole position I absolutely urge you to start this book as soon as possible and if you've not read pole position that's okay you can start with this one if you don't mind a few spoilers for the first in the series. I think this is a beautiful story and I would highly recommend it.
April 1, 2026
i loved this book from start to finish.
johannes and calebs story was so so cute and i loved harper and kians appearances.
jacksons gonna catch these fists if hes not careful 👊👊
i absolutely adored their story from colleagues to friends to lovers
i also loved the texas scene where caleb had to calm johannes down after harper and nils' crash. it was so cute!
johannes and calebs story was so so cute and i loved harper and kians appearances.
jacksons gonna catch these fists if hes not careful 👊👊
i absolutely adored their story from colleagues to friends to lovers
i also loved the texas scene where caleb had to calm johannes down after harper and nils' crash. it was so cute!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2026
Pole Position went straight onto my 2024 favorites list, and two years later Johannes and Caleb’s story absolutely continues the streak.
Johannes is an F1 driver coming off a brutal heartbreak, and it’s clearly affecting his performance. Caleb, his race engineer, is young, ambitious, and determined to prove himself—while also helping Johannes find his spark again. I really loved this dynamic: the pressure, the proximity, and the emotional tension all worked so well together.
I might have liked it just a little less than book one, but First to Finish is still a sweet, slightly spicy, and genuinely heartfelt romance.
Johannes’ journey—learning how to come back from something so painful—felt very real, and I especially appreciated Caleb’s side of the story: that constant fear of losing his dream job because of his more vulnerable position. It added a layer of stakes that made everything hit harder.
Overall, it was such an addictive read. I flew through it—I genuinely couldn’t put it down.
Thank you Harper Collins UK, One more Chapter and Rebecca J. Caffery for the ARC ♥️
For more bookish content follow me on instagram at@onetoomanybooks.ac 💫📚
Johannes is an F1 driver coming off a brutal heartbreak, and it’s clearly affecting his performance. Caleb, his race engineer, is young, ambitious, and determined to prove himself—while also helping Johannes find his spark again. I really loved this dynamic: the pressure, the proximity, and the emotional tension all worked so well together.
I might have liked it just a little less than book one, but First to Finish is still a sweet, slightly spicy, and genuinely heartfelt romance.
Johannes’ journey—learning how to come back from something so painful—felt very real, and I especially appreciated Caleb’s side of the story: that constant fear of losing his dream job because of his more vulnerable position. It added a layer of stakes that made everything hit harder.
Overall, it was such an addictive read. I flew through it—I genuinely couldn’t put it down.
Thank you Harper Collins UK, One more Chapter and Rebecca J. Caffery for the ARC ♥️
For more bookish content follow me on instagram at@onetoomanybooks.ac 💫📚
April 20, 2026
What a wonderful story, thrilling from the start and with just the right amount of spice. Loved it!
April 17, 2026
So gutted I had to DNF this book. The beginning was so addicting and super excited for the relationship to flourish. But it just fell flat for me, and didn’t keep my attention.
March 21, 2026
Sweet. I liked the found family. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc :)
March 9, 2026
I really really wanted to like this book, but in 2026, it is sure a choice to have a black queer lead and give Morgan Wallen a place of pride on your book playlist. I did reach out to the author as soon as I noticed to let her know the reasons why this was Bad and she seemed receptive, but further promotions have used the same playlist and his songs, so it seems my feedback was ignored.
Bummer. Tone deaf choice that ruined what was a promising book.
Bummer. Tone deaf choice that ruined what was a promising book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This F1 romance between a driver and his racing engineer had a lot of cute moments, even if it starts with heartbreak.
The book starts with F1 driver Johannes getting broken up by his secret boyfriend of three years (who is also the rival team's future owner), leading to him feeling, understandably, down, which affects his racing. This in turn spurns on Caleb, his race engineer, to try and find a way to cheer Johannes up, leading to the two getting closer.
I loved the gradual way the two got to know and love each other, as well as how upfront they were with the complication of a workplace romance given their positions. Especially in context of Johanne's previous relationship I really enjoyed the open communication here.
I also really liked the friend group around Johannes that was established in Pole Position (which you don't need to have read before First to Finish, but if you are like me and want all the details then you'll want to!) I had some issues with the characteters in Pole Position, but since that drama is over now I really enjoyed them here.
Much like in Pole Position issues around queerness in a hypermascule sport, homophobia, coming out, and media attention was entirely ignored/happened off-page. On the one hand I can appreciate that for the way it keeps the book overall light and escapist, on the other hand it stretched my suspension of disbelief a bit.
Another thing that was pretty much entirely ignored was Johannes's identity as a black German driver. Neither him being black nor him being German was adressed at all - not that it necessarily needed to be, but at the same time it does feel a bit weird that it that there wouldn't have been any changes in the book had he been a white American for example. I do love to see casual representation, but a bit more attention to it here or there could have been nice?
Lastly, I have to mention that I found the writing of the dialogue a bit confusing at times. There were multiple instances where it was really hard to figure out, due to formatting and lack of exposition, who was talking.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
The book starts with F1 driver Johannes getting broken up by his secret boyfriend of three years (who is also the rival team's future owner), leading to him feeling, understandably, down, which affects his racing. This in turn spurns on Caleb, his race engineer, to try and find a way to cheer Johannes up, leading to the two getting closer.
I loved the gradual way the two got to know and love each other, as well as how upfront they were with the complication of a workplace romance given their positions. Especially in context of Johanne's previous relationship I really enjoyed the open communication here.
I also really liked the friend group around Johannes that was established in Pole Position (which you don't need to have read before First to Finish, but if you are like me and want all the details then you'll want to!) I had some issues with the characteters in Pole Position, but since that drama is over now I really enjoyed them here.
Much like in Pole Position issues around queerness in a hypermascule sport, homophobia, coming out, and media attention was entirely ignored/happened off-page. On the one hand I can appreciate that for the way it keeps the book overall light and escapist, on the other hand it stretched my suspension of disbelief a bit.
Another thing that was pretty much entirely ignored was Johannes's identity as a black German driver. Neither him being black nor him being German was adressed at all - not that it necessarily needed to be, but at the same time it does feel a bit weird that it that there wouldn't have been any changes in the book had he been a white American for example. I do love to see casual representation, but a bit more attention to it here or there could have been nice?
Lastly, I have to mention that I found the writing of the dialogue a bit confusing at times. There were multiple instances where it was really hard to figure out, due to formatting and lack of exposition, who was talking.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
March 11, 2026
I haven’t read Pole Position yet, but it’s definitely on my TBR now. I really enjoyed First to Finish, a compelling sports romance set in the high-pressure world of Formula 1.
Race car driver Johannes Muller seems destined for a championship win after an incredible season, until his performance suddenly begins to falter. The confidence that once defined him on the track starts to slip, and even qualifying becomes a struggle. Determined to help him regain his focus, his race engineer Caleb Hughes does everything he can to support his driver. But as the pressure builds and their exchanges over the radio become more intense, the sparks between them start to feel like something more than professional determination. In a sport where every second counts, Johannes and Caleb soon realize that their growing connection could change everything.
Rebecca J. Caffery’s writing kept me completely engaged. I started and finished the book in less than two days because the story was so easy to get immersed in.
Johannes has a difficult start in the story, but Caleb is always there to support him, which makes their dynamic really compelling. I also loved the found family aspect and the friendship between Jo and Harper. Even though I haven’t read Pole Position, I still felt like I understood the history between Harper, Jo, and Kian. The side characters add depth to the story, and the F1 scenes are exciting and well written.
If I’m honest, I’m especially curious to read more about Nils in the future, he seems like a very interesting character.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
🇮🇹:
Non ho ancora letto Pole Position, ma dopo questo libro è sicuramente finito nella mia TBR. Ho davvero apprezzato First to Finish, un coinvolgente sports romance ambientato nel mondo della Formula 1.
Il pilota Johannes Muller sembra destinato a vincere il campionato dopo una stagione incredibile, finché le sue prestazioni iniziano improvvisamente a peggiorare. La sicurezza che lo rendeva imbattibile in pista comincia a vacillare e persino qualificarsi diventa una sfida. Il suo race engineer, Caleb Hughes, è determinato ad aiutare il suo pilota a ritrovare la concentrazione e tornare al top. Ma mentre la pressione aumenta e gli scambi via radio diventano sempre più intensi, le scintille tra loro iniziano a sembrare qualcosa di più di semplice tensione professionale. In uno sport dove tutti danno sempre il massimo, Johannes e Caleb si rendono presto conto che il loro crescente legame potrebbe cambiare tutto.
Lo stile di scrittura di Rebecca J. Caffery è molto coinvolgente e mi ha tenuta incollata alle pagine: ho iniziato e finito il libro in meno di due giorni.
Johannes ha un inizio difficile nella storia, ma Caleb è sempre lì a sostenerlo, e questo rende la loro dinamica davvero interessante. Ho apprezzato molto anche l’aspetto della found family e l’amicizia tra Jo e Harper. Anche se non ho ancora letto Pole Position, sono comunque riuscita a capire bene la storia e il legame tra loro e Kian. I personaggi secondari aggiungono profondità alla storia e le scene ambientate nel mondo della Formula 1 sono emozionanti e ben scritte.
Devo ammettere che sono particolarmente curiosa di leggere di più su Nils in futuro,é un personaggio davvero interessante.
Grazie a NetGalley per avermi fornito una copia ARC in cambio di una recensione onesta.
April 4, 2026
"You make me feel like I'm worth it."
Depois do Pole Position estava ANSIOSA para ler o livro do Johannes e ainda mais quando soube que ia ser com o seu engenheiro de corrida. Adorei ler este livro e até que calhou muito bem, porque ainda foi na altura de um fim de semana de corrida.
O livro juntou duas povs muito boas - o facto de lermos sobre o ponto de vista do piloto de Formula 1 e temos o inside do engenheiro de corrida. Já tinha lido sobre isso, mas foi giro voltar a esta dinâmica. Adoro imenso e mais uma vez a autora trabalho muito bem a questão do MM e a química entre os dois.
O Johannes foi uma personagem que gostei de ver a ser desenvolvida. A forma como ele se sentia no início com a sua relação secreta e a forma como se sentia versus como ele se sentia agora na relação com o Caleb. É fantástico vê-lo a voltar a gostar dele próprio e de voltar a gostar de estar com os seus amigos e em especial... voltar a gostar de correr.
O Caleb é aquela personagem segura de si e em especial da sua sexualidade. Apesar da posição de poder que o Johannes está é notável que, para ele, o mais importante tornou-se o bem estar acima de tudo. Mesmo que a carreira dele estivesse em jogo se se viesse a público. Acho que das coisas que gostei é que acima de tudo é mais do que a questão de serem dois homens, mas sim a questão das profissões. No entanto, o Caleb nem por um segundo pensou em colocar a hipótese de esconder o relacionamento.
Adorei ler sobre os circuitos e a forma como o Johannes voltava à ribalta depois do início ter sido um tanto conturbado é das coisas que mais adorei. O gosto por voltar a correr, o gosto por voltar a competir com o seu amigo e rival e em especial o gosto pelo próprio desporto.
Depois do Pole Position estava ANSIOSA para ler o livro do Johannes e ainda mais quando soube que ia ser com o seu engenheiro de corrida. Adorei ler este livro e até que calhou muito bem, porque ainda foi na altura de um fim de semana de corrida.
O livro juntou duas povs muito boas - o facto de lermos sobre o ponto de vista do piloto de Formula 1 e temos o inside do engenheiro de corrida. Já tinha lido sobre isso, mas foi giro voltar a esta dinâmica. Adoro imenso e mais uma vez a autora trabalho muito bem a questão do MM e a química entre os dois.
O Johannes foi uma personagem que gostei de ver a ser desenvolvida. A forma como ele se sentia no início com a sua relação secreta e a forma como se sentia versus como ele se sentia agora na relação com o Caleb. É fantástico vê-lo a voltar a gostar dele próprio e de voltar a gostar de estar com os seus amigos e em especial... voltar a gostar de correr.
O Caleb é aquela personagem segura de si e em especial da sua sexualidade. Apesar da posição de poder que o Johannes está é notável que, para ele, o mais importante tornou-se o bem estar acima de tudo. Mesmo que a carreira dele estivesse em jogo se se viesse a público. Acho que das coisas que gostei é que acima de tudo é mais do que a questão de serem dois homens, mas sim a questão das profissões. No entanto, o Caleb nem por um segundo pensou em colocar a hipótese de esconder o relacionamento.
Adorei ler sobre os circuitos e a forma como o Johannes voltava à ribalta depois do início ter sido um tanto conturbado é das coisas que mais adorei. O gosto por voltar a correr, o gosto por voltar a competir com o seu amigo e rival e em especial o gosto pelo próprio desporto.
April 19, 2026
As an avid Formula 1 Racing fan for the last 72 hours, I think Pole Position and First to Finish by Rebecca J. Caffery really capture the heart of the sport (assuming that the heart of the sport is about finding love in all the wrong places, that then turn out to be the right places, and then the wrong places one or twice again, and then the right ones after all) and also making out in between qualifiers and in secret spaces and in mobile homes and hotel rooms. Is that right? Great. I love F1.
The rest of this review contains spoilers for First to Finish.
Here’s the deal. You want me to hate someone fast? Tell me they forgot their partner’s birthday. I hate Jackson Calder and I don’t even feel badly about hating him even though he had an obviously shit upbringing. Rise above, dude.
First to Finish is about Johannes, a super hot celebrity driver, learning that he deserves to be treated with respect and loved loudly, with a special thanks to an of course also super hot PHD-candidate and racing engineer, Caleb, who happens to have a headful of ginger hair and a heart of gold. Also a key member of #TeamJohannes is Harper James, my favorite driver in all the league (circuit? sport? industry? no idea), who happens to be Johannes’ former fling and forever bestie.
Mostly, you just get to yearn and pine and root for Johannes and Caleb. There’s coffee, there’s competition, there’s growth, there’s evolution. There’s banging. There’s fresh pasta making. There’s some angst, but it’s legit and plot advancing, so we will allow it, and the only one you’ll want to kick is Jackson effing Calder and his stupid emotional warfare and refusal to stop taking hostages.
Both books are delightful and I think you should read them.
#books #racing #f1 #mm
The rest of this review contains spoilers for First to Finish.
Here’s the deal. You want me to hate someone fast? Tell me they forgot their partner’s birthday. I hate Jackson Calder and I don’t even feel badly about hating him even though he had an obviously shit upbringing. Rise above, dude.
First to Finish is about Johannes, a super hot celebrity driver, learning that he deserves to be treated with respect and loved loudly, with a special thanks to an of course also super hot PHD-candidate and racing engineer, Caleb, who happens to have a headful of ginger hair and a heart of gold. Also a key member of #TeamJohannes is Harper James, my favorite driver in all the league (circuit? sport? industry? no idea), who happens to be Johannes’ former fling and forever bestie.
Mostly, you just get to yearn and pine and root for Johannes and Caleb. There’s coffee, there’s competition, there’s growth, there’s evolution. There’s banging. There’s fresh pasta making. There’s some angst, but it’s legit and plot advancing, so we will allow it, and the only one you’ll want to kick is Jackson effing Calder and his stupid emotional warfare and refusal to stop taking hostages.
Both books are delightful and I think you should read them.
#books #racing #f1 #mm
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2026
It was nice to come back to this book universe after reading the first one a few years ago. The characters were sweet and I loved the found family element to this story. Also, I loved getting to see the characters from the previous book and how their story progressed in the background of this one.
I will say, the secret relationship plot from the start of this book was somewhat frustrating because it was so cruel and miserable to watch play out. It had its place in the story because it propelled the plot forward but I didn't enjoy the amount of shame it created for the character.
Also, it didn't feel like there was enough time between the downfall of the secret relationship and the main couple starting for any healthy amount of processing and reflection to happen. It did work out though because the important conversations were eventually had.
It was nice to see a couple who didn't completely ice eachother out during conflict. Due to miscommunication, there was a third act breakup, but since they were still colleagues they still had to work together.
The thing I don't enjoy about a third act breakup is when they fight over something minor or it could easily be solved with communication. Thankfully that wasn't the case here as the situation wasn't minor or a simple miscommunication (those are always irritating). A secret was kept which was genuinely hurtful and the person who was hurt took a fair amount of time to process their emotions before they had a conversation about it.
Although one of them was hurt, they didn't become nasty which is something I really hate in romance books. If you respect someone, that shouldn't go away during conflict and this couple showed that. It was a predictable relief when they reconciled. It was also nice for them to represent a couple who didn't want children. Sometimes that can be hard to find.
I will say, the secret relationship plot from the start of this book was somewhat frustrating because it was so cruel and miserable to watch play out. It had its place in the story because it propelled the plot forward but I didn't enjoy the amount of shame it created for the character.
Also, it didn't feel like there was enough time between the downfall of the secret relationship and the main couple starting for any healthy amount of processing and reflection to happen. It did work out though because the important conversations were eventually had.
It was nice to see a couple who didn't completely ice eachother out during conflict. Due to miscommunication, there was a third act breakup, but since they were still colleagues they still had to work together.
The thing I don't enjoy about a third act breakup is when they fight over something minor or it could easily be solved with communication. Thankfully that wasn't the case here as the situation wasn't minor or a simple miscommunication (those are always irritating). A secret was kept which was genuinely hurtful and the person who was hurt took a fair amount of time to process their emotions before they had a conversation about it.
Although one of them was hurt, they didn't become nasty which is something I really hate in romance books. If you respect someone, that shouldn't go away during conflict and this couple showed that. It was a predictable relief when they reconciled. It was also nice for them to represent a couple who didn't want children. Sometimes that can be hard to find.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2026
First to Finish is a queer romance, second on a series to Pole Position. I’ve been lucky to be sent digital copies of both books (one via netgalley and the other through the publisher who sent me a netgalley widget).
We met Johannes in book 1 as the party boy best friend (and ex) of F1 driver Harper. Johannes is Harper’s main rival for the World Championship but he’s struggling after a relationship breakup. Team Engineer Caleb has no intention to letting Harper beat Johannes and given he’s relatively new to the team, is keen to prove his worth. Neither expect their support and friendship to lead to …. More.
This series seems to balance the environment or racing, with behind the scenes friendships and happenings. The books aren’t particularly heavy on the steam though they are open door and they succeed in capturing the points of view of each of the characters well. For Johannes it’s wanting to be seen after being hidden by a previous partner and getting back his racing mojo after being so despondent. For Caleb it’s adding to a life he’s grateful for even though he’s risking it all by getting entangled with the Team #1.
The series tends to be quite low angst with high reward. You get a complete sense of other characters as well - Kian and Harper from Book 1 are constants in Book 2. It’s a series best read in order but I wouldn’t let that stop you if you’ve opportunity to read later one/s first.
Enjoyed this. Can recommend!
We met Johannes in book 1 as the party boy best friend (and ex) of F1 driver Harper. Johannes is Harper’s main rival for the World Championship but he’s struggling after a relationship breakup. Team Engineer Caleb has no intention to letting Harper beat Johannes and given he’s relatively new to the team, is keen to prove his worth. Neither expect their support and friendship to lead to …. More.
This series seems to balance the environment or racing, with behind the scenes friendships and happenings. The books aren’t particularly heavy on the steam though they are open door and they succeed in capturing the points of view of each of the characters well. For Johannes it’s wanting to be seen after being hidden by a previous partner and getting back his racing mojo after being so despondent. For Caleb it’s adding to a life he’s grateful for even though he’s risking it all by getting entangled with the Team #1.
The series tends to be quite low angst with high reward. You get a complete sense of other characters as well - Kian and Harper from Book 1 are constants in Book 2. It’s a series best read in order but I wouldn’t let that stop you if you’ve opportunity to read later one/s first.
Enjoyed this. Can recommend!
March 4, 2026
4.5/5 ⭐️
First to Finish is a F1 MM romance between an F1 driver and his race engineer. It is the second book in the interconnected series Pole Position. We follow Johannes, who after a terrible breakup struggles to keep his head straight to win races, and Caleb, a super smart PhD student/race engineer who makes it his mission to get his top driver back on the podium.
I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book. I had so much fun reading it and was hooked from the beginning. I loved both characters and how they grew individually and together throughout the book.
You can feel from the beginning that they have an immediate connexion. However I loved that it wasn't insta-love or even insta-lust. The author did such a good job at building tension between the two MCs you could cut it with a knife.
This truly is an F1 romance. You get the behind the scenes of races and everything in between. The races are described in detail from both POVs which was super interesting. I can't vouch for the accuracy of everything but it was really fun and insightful to read!
While in the first book you could feel a divide between certain characters, in this one you really start to see a beautiful found family forming.
I highly recommend if you like MM or F1 romances or you want to try this genre!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!
First to Finish is a F1 MM romance between an F1 driver and his race engineer. It is the second book in the interconnected series Pole Position. We follow Johannes, who after a terrible breakup struggles to keep his head straight to win races, and Caleb, a super smart PhD student/race engineer who makes it his mission to get his top driver back on the podium.
I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book. I had so much fun reading it and was hooked from the beginning. I loved both characters and how they grew individually and together throughout the book.
You can feel from the beginning that they have an immediate connexion. However I loved that it wasn't insta-love or even insta-lust. The author did such a good job at building tension between the two MCs you could cut it with a knife.
This truly is an F1 romance. You get the behind the scenes of races and everything in between. The races are described in detail from both POVs which was super interesting. I can't vouch for the accuracy of everything but it was really fun and insightful to read!
While in the first book you could feel a divide between certain characters, in this one you really start to see a beautiful found family forming.
I highly recommend if you like MM or F1 romances or you want to try this genre!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!
March 13, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Johannes Muller is a definite contender for the Driver’s Championship but when his personal life becomes complicated his mood spills into his driving and he starts preforming badly. He has a new race engineer this season, Caleb Hughes who notices he is struggling and goes the extra mile to lift his spirits. They develop a real friendship that helps Jo get himself back into championship winning form. Along the way they both develop genuine feelings that despite it being a bad idea they can’t stay away from each other.
This novel has so many high points and low points. I loved the found family aspect of this story. I just wish the writing was at a level to support the great aspects of this novel. I liked that it felt like a real continuation of the pervious novel in this series, and we continued to follow the couple of that one while still focusing on the love story between this couple. The book was paced well, it balanced the lighter aspects with the heavier moments. I will continue to read books in this series because there is so much potential.
Johannes Muller is a definite contender for the Driver’s Championship but when his personal life becomes complicated his mood spills into his driving and he starts preforming badly. He has a new race engineer this season, Caleb Hughes who notices he is struggling and goes the extra mile to lift his spirits. They develop a real friendship that helps Jo get himself back into championship winning form. Along the way they both develop genuine feelings that despite it being a bad idea they can’t stay away from each other.
This novel has so many high points and low points. I loved the found family aspect of this story. I just wish the writing was at a level to support the great aspects of this novel. I liked that it felt like a real continuation of the pervious novel in this series, and we continued to follow the couple of that one while still focusing on the love story between this couple. The book was paced well, it balanced the lighter aspects with the heavier moments. I will continue to read books in this series because there is so much potential.
March 19, 2026
First to Finish is the story of Johannes, an F1 driver in a failing long-term secret relationship that is bringing his mood and his racing down. After a terrible race finish and being dumped all within 24 hours, Johannes feels broken. And while he's falling apart, he is pulling his whole team down with him. Johannes's race engineer, Caleb, is not ready to let the season fall apart and he tries to get Johannes out of his funk. As the two start spending more time together, their feelings for each other ignite.
The book is a fun, quick, easy read. There was a lot more character development for Johannes than for Caleb, so I wish we could have gotten more out of Caleb. The two are very sweet together. I also did appreciate that there are several characters who very rationally say this relationship may be a bad idea professionally, especially for Caleb (though, of course, love wins out). I thought the was kinda weak, though, and I felt like Caleb overreacted.
3.5⭐️ rounded up
(I received a free advance review copy from the publisher/NetGalley.)
The book is a fun, quick, easy read. There was a lot more character development for Johannes than for Caleb, so I wish we could have gotten more out of Caleb. The two are very sweet together. I also did appreciate that there are several characters who very rationally say this relationship may be a bad idea professionally, especially for Caleb (though, of course, love wins out). I thought the was kinda weak, though, and I felt like Caleb overreacted.
3.5⭐️ rounded up
(I received a free advance review copy from the publisher/NetGalley.)
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