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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
385 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 20, 2026
About the author
Rebecca J. Caffery
10 books325 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 468 reviews
June 17, 2026
does coffee really change anyone’s entire life that much tho
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 14, 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.
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.
October 25, 2026
I requested this back in March before I'd realized that I couldn't enjoy F1 romances because I dislike the sport but I still pulled through and finished it. Unfortunately, while it was still quite better than book one, it isn't much of a good book in general. The two of them were kinda cute though, I'll give it that.
Thank you One More Chapter for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you One More Chapter for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
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 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!
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.
October 20, 2026
Overall well done, but I think I might need a break from even the sports m/m that have worked for me. Their conflict was real enough, but I felt overly "well of course it'll work out."
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
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.
November 2, 2026
First to finish by Rebecca J Caffery
ohhh this was fun, the tension , the forced proximity, the bonding between races. The way he describes Johannes like boy you likeee him 🤪. The stolen glances, touches, the fighting feelings, the jogs, coffees, friendship and work balance this was gooood I ate this book up 🥹
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ohhh this was fun, the tension , the forced proximity, the bonding between races. The way he describes Johannes like boy you likeee him 🤪. The stolen glances, touches, the fighting feelings, the jogs, coffees, friendship and work balance this was gooood I ate this book up 🥹
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 28, 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 💫📚
June 30, 2026
*3.5, better than the first one but still weird to read about F1 in this context💀😂
April 20, 2026
What a wonderful story, thrilling from the start and with just the right amount of spice. Loved it!
June 24, 2026
3.75 Cute and fast read! Would have loved a bit more depth from the plot and the characters. But it does deliver on what it promises! The romance shines in the little things they do for each other.
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 17, 2026
Sweet. I liked the found family. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc :)
May 23, 2026
This just wasn’t really good. I was entertained at the beginning but it just went downhill.
Let’s not focus on the F1 stuff but on the romance. I did not feel a connection between the two at all. They felt dull, didn’t really know each other and changed their decisions drastically without reason.
It just felt bland.
Because I’m me, I’m going to give you just one F1 fact that rubbed me the wrong way. If you’re going to be specific to prove your knowledge at least be right.
SCENE: Abu Dhabi race, last race of the season, pit stop.
“and he comes down the tunnel underneath the circuit into the pit lane”
The pit entry is overground, the EXIT is underground.
Anyway, romance wasn’t good, I feel like the F1 accuracy was better than in the first but generally the driver - race engineer relationship was inaccurate as fuck.
yours sincerely,
ella
🎧
Let’s not focus on the F1 stuff but on the romance. I did not feel a connection between the two at all. They felt dull, didn’t really know each other and changed their decisions drastically without reason.
It just felt bland.
Because I’m me, I’m going to give you just one F1 fact that rubbed me the wrong way. If you’re going to be specific to prove your knowledge at least be right.
SCENE: Abu Dhabi race, last race of the season, pit stop.
“and he comes down the tunnel underneath the circuit into the pit lane”
The pit entry is overground, the EXIT is underground.
Anyway, romance wasn’t good, I feel like the F1 accuracy was better than in the first but generally the driver - race engineer relationship was inaccurate as fuck.
yours sincerely,
ella
🎧
February 25, 2026
One of my first 5 ✨ of the year!!!!! I don’t think 🤔 I 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 28, 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
Caleb is a sweet angel and must be protected at all costs. I loved him so much. Such a likeable character. Johannes on the other hand had some real icky temper tantrums but I still really resonated with what he was going through—the way Jackson treated him and the way he described it, yeah, literally been there so I truly felt his pain. I really liked book one but I felt like this had more of a build in connection and attraction between Caleb and Johannes than it did between Harper and Kian. The pacing felt better and more natural. I loved that Kian and Harper came up a lot, and that Harper and Johannes’ friendship is a big part of the story still.
This was an ARC read so my rating isn’t affected by punctuation or wrong/missing words etc but there were a lot of the same issues as book one which I’m assuming will stay the same such as inconsistencies in the story, forgetting things, or conflicting things. The same errors with positions, timings and repetition also came up, and there were times when certain scenes felt like a copy and paste from book one. However, I found myself really wanting to read it and I did really enjoy it despite getting quite frustrated at times. I would give it 3.75 stars!
This was an ARC read so my rating isn’t affected by punctuation or wrong/missing words etc but there were a lot of the same issues as book one which I’m assuming will stay the same such as inconsistencies in the story, forgetting things, or conflicting things. The same errors with positions, timings and repetition also came up, and there were times when certain scenes felt like a copy and paste from book one. However, I found myself really wanting to read it and I did really enjoy it despite getting quite frustrated at times. I would give it 3.75 stars!
August 29, 2026
The second in the series, I enjoyed this a lot (almost as much as Pole Position), but let's be honest, it's really not very well written at all. Which is frustrating, because there's so much potential here.
I really liked both characters, and actually the dual perspective mostly works decently, avoiding the usual frustration where we know they're both into each other and just need to actually tell each other how they feel for 200 pages. Where it fails here however is in the voice - both Johannes and Caleb's sections read exactly the same, and several times I had to flip back to remind myself whose inner monologue we were following. This is particularly unforgiveable given one of them is meant to be American and the other German - you'd expect some differences in how they come across.
The book also never bothers to explore these differences in identity - particularly Johannes' role as a gay, black man in a sport that's very much not associated with those things should really mean something. While it's generally positive that his race doesn't need to be an issue, I would have expected it to at least come up, at least in the context of a black man going to meet his boyfriend's family in what's traditionally a rather conservative part of the US. But all we get is two mentions of Johannes' 'chocolate' skin.
I was also very disappointed in the author's use of foreshadowing - or should I say, misdirection. I'm not even sure if it's deliberate or not. But there's so many mentions of the documentary crew who are tracking the F1 drivers through this season that it seemed obvious that Caleb and Johannes' relationship would be blown open by being captured on camera without their knowledge. But nope - the documentary crew are completely irrelevant to everything. Similarly, there's so many hints to something going on with Nils, which just come to nothing. Unless they're set-up for a possible third instalment.
Despite all that, I did really enjoy this, because Caleb and Johannes are just adorable, and so are the cast of supporting characters. If there's a third book, I'll definitely read it.
I really liked both characters, and actually the dual perspective mostly works decently, avoiding the usual frustration where we know they're both into each other and just need to actually tell each other how they feel for 200 pages. Where it fails here however is in the voice - both Johannes and Caleb's sections read exactly the same, and several times I had to flip back to remind myself whose inner monologue we were following. This is particularly unforgiveable given one of them is meant to be American and the other German - you'd expect some differences in how they come across.
The book also never bothers to explore these differences in identity - particularly Johannes' role as a gay, black man in a sport that's very much not associated with those things should really mean something. While it's generally positive that his race doesn't need to be an issue, I would have expected it to at least come up, at least in the context of a black man going to meet his boyfriend's family in what's traditionally a rather conservative part of the US. But all we get is two mentions of Johannes' 'chocolate' skin.
I was also very disappointed in the author's use of foreshadowing - or should I say, misdirection. I'm not even sure if it's deliberate or not. But there's so many mentions of the documentary crew who are tracking the F1 drivers through this season that it seemed obvious that Caleb and Johannes' relationship would be blown open by being captured on camera without their knowledge. But nope - the documentary crew are completely irrelevant to everything. Similarly, there's so many hints to something going on with Nils, which just come to nothing. Unless they're set-up for a possible third instalment.
Despite all that, I did really enjoy this, because Caleb and Johannes are just adorable, and so are the cast of supporting characters. If there's a third book, I'll definitely read it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As someone whose knowledge of racing begins and ends with the movies Cars and Talladega Nights, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into First to Finish. What I can say is that Rebecca J. Caffery's passion for the sport shines through on every page.
The book focuses heavily on F1 and the races themselves, which can be intimidating for someone with little to no knowledge of the sport (like me). Fortunately, I never felt completely lost. The racing elements were detailed enough to feel authentic without becoming overwhelming, and I finished the book with a much greater appreciation for the sport and an openness to try out more F1 MM romances.
I also thought the romance between the two main characters was genuinely cute. I could understand why they were drawn to one another. However, I struggled to become fully invested in their relationship because many of the 'obstacles' keeping them apart felt fairly thin. Rather than facing substantial external challenges, much of the conflict stemmed from self-imposed barriers and miscommunications.
This issue became especially noticeable during the third act. The conflict didn't feel strong enough to justify the amount of tension it was meant to create, which made it harder for me to root for the relationship. I kept waiting for a more compelling reason why these two couldn't simply communicate and work through their issues together.
Overall, First to Finish was a solid read. While I enjoyed learning about the sport and found the couple likable, the relationship conflict never felt substantial enough for me to become truly emotionally invested. If you're a fan of racing romances, particularly F1 sports romances, I think you'll likely get more out of this one than I did. Thank you, NetGalley and Harper360, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tags/Warnings
.
.
.
Tropes: Driver x race engineer, forced proximity
NSFW Tags: frotting
Triggers: Cheating (not between MCs), Bad exes, MC has a naked photo of himself displayed in his house...
Third-act breakup: Yes.
OM/OW: Johannes has been dating his bf for 3 years, said bf breaks up with him during his best friend's wedding at the start of the novel. This relationship has really affected Johannes, and drama stems from that. Other than that, neither MC gets with anyone during the span of this novel.
The book focuses heavily on F1 and the races themselves, which can be intimidating for someone with little to no knowledge of the sport (like me). Fortunately, I never felt completely lost. The racing elements were detailed enough to feel authentic without becoming overwhelming, and I finished the book with a much greater appreciation for the sport and an openness to try out more F1 MM romances.
I also thought the romance between the two main characters was genuinely cute. I could understand why they were drawn to one another. However, I struggled to become fully invested in their relationship because many of the 'obstacles' keeping them apart felt fairly thin. Rather than facing substantial external challenges, much of the conflict stemmed from self-imposed barriers and miscommunications.
This issue became especially noticeable during the third act. The conflict didn't feel strong enough to justify the amount of tension it was meant to create, which made it harder for me to root for the relationship. I kept waiting for a more compelling reason why these two couldn't simply communicate and work through their issues together.
Overall, First to Finish was a solid read. While I enjoyed learning about the sport and found the couple likable, the relationship conflict never felt substantial enough for me to become truly emotionally invested. If you're a fan of racing romances, particularly F1 sports romances, I think you'll likely get more out of this one than I did. Thank you, NetGalley and Harper360, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tags/Warnings
.
.
.
Tropes: Driver x race engineer, forced proximity
NSFW Tags: frotting
Triggers: Cheating (not between MCs), Bad exes, MC has a naked photo of himself displayed in his house...
Third-act breakup: Yes.
OM/OW: Johannes has been dating his bf for 3 years, said bf breaks up with him during his best friend's wedding at the start of the novel. This relationship has really affected Johannes, and drama stems from that. Other than that, neither MC gets with anyone during the span of this novel.
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