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A review by bribreez
Cross the Line by Simone Soltani
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5⭐️/ 3🌶️
LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GOOOO! WOO! For my F1 girlies and others, this romance book was full of wonderful tropes, and an accurate depiction of Formula 1 racing. With Willow and Dev at the helm of this story, the two of them had sunshine personalities, an optimistic outlook on life, and wanting to prove themselves in their respective careers. Fresh out of college, Willow was trying to find a job in sports marketing, but with so many interviews, and still no call backs, she was feeling a bit discouraged. Dev, a Formula 1 driver for team Argonauts, was faced with a bit of a dilemma of his own that had him looking not so great in the public eye and in his team. With Willow being invited to come to one of the races with her brother, she was able to see all the glitz and excitement surrounding the race weekend, but also be reunited with her brother’s best friend, Dev. Dev needed help trying to fix his public image, and with Willow’s keen eye and an ability to plan out his next moves, he decided to hire her as his social media manager. Simone Soltani wrote an amazing Formula 1/ Sports romance that had biracial MC’s, brother’s best friend, she falls first, but he falls harder, a whirlwind of excitement, and plenty of romance to keep you swooning and feeling good.
LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GOOOO! WOO! For my F1 girlies and others, this romance book was full of wonderful tropes, and an accurate depiction of Formula 1 racing. With Willow and Dev at the helm of this story, the two of them had sunshine personalities, an optimistic outlook on life, and wanting to prove themselves in their respective careers. Fresh out of college, Willow was trying to find a job in sports marketing, but with so many interviews, and still no call backs, she was feeling a bit discouraged. Dev, a Formula 1 driver for team Argonauts, was faced with a bit of a dilemma of his own that had him looking not so great in the public eye and in his team. With Willow being invited to come to one of the races with her brother, she was able to see all the glitz and excitement surrounding the race weekend, but also be reunited with her brother’s best friend, Dev. Dev needed help trying to fix his public image, and with Willow’s keen eye and an ability to plan out his next moves, he decided to hire her as his social media manager. Simone Soltani wrote an amazing Formula 1/ Sports romance that had biracial MC’s, brother’s best friend, she falls first, but he falls harder, a whirlwind of excitement, and plenty of romance to keep you swooning and feeling good.
Some of my favorite tropes in romance books is when it’s grumpy/sunshine, but another that I actually enjoy when I find it, is also when both the MC’s are sunshine’s! We love positive, optimistic, and bright characters, and that’s exactly who Willow and Dev were. At first glance, you’d probably think, “oh, maybe that’s too much positive energy to have between the characters,” but you would in fact be wrong! I personally loved how Willow and Dev had sunshine personalities which complimented their friendship/ later romance together. All smiles and lighthearted moments as well as the occasional slip up of innuendo jokes, Willow and Dev got along famously.
As much as Willow and Dev had optimistic personalities, even the most seemingly happy person dealt with their own share of worries, pressure, and anxiety over the looming future of their respective careers. I think Simone wrote Willow and Dev’s story in a way that illustrated the struggles they were faced with, but also they came to support one another through out the whole book. For Dev, being a Formula 1 driver was a dream he had since he was a kid, and honestly he was a great driver despite being on a team that clearly didn’t prioritize him as they should have. Seeing how Dev handled the pressures of being a driver and how he tried to figure out his next steps following the aftermath of his public image being tarnished was a series of obstacles he had to overcome, and ultimately landed on top in the end. For Willow, she was trying to find her footing in her own career and while she had a degree in sports management and a minor in English, she actually had a fair amount of knowledge to help Dev in his image, and reclaim positive feedback from his fans and hopefully to gain the attention of potential teams who might want him. Willow wasn’t undeterred by the set of challenges set forth beforehand even with her condition, she wasn’t fragile as some might have thought, she was a force of nature that when tasked with something, she gave it her all which was admirable.
I mean, this was a great sports romance, and more importantly I felt like it had accurate depictions of what Formula 1 was all about. I had heard through the grapevine about this book, and I’m happy to report that it was sweet, funny, entertaining, and lighthearted. Willow and Dev’s relationship was equally wonderful and I really enjoyed seeing the two of them go from mutual acquaintances to working together, and all that forced proximity lending to more opportunities for them to grow closer. I genuinely thought this book was great. As a F1 fan, I’d like to think I know and understand the things that got into the sport, and in the scenes where Dev was racing against the other teams, I could visualize it perfectly. I would say, whether you wanna read a F1 romance or a fan of F1 in general, I would highly recommend this book as it has a bunch of wonderful tropes, and lovable characters. By the end of the book, it obviously ended on a lovely, romantic note for Willow and Dev. I’m not sure what/ who the next book will be centered on, but nonetheless I’ll be reading it!