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A review by illstoptheworldandreadwithyou
Double Apex by Josie Juniper
3.5
This sports and workplace romance with enemies-to-lovers vibes pairs race engineer Phaedra Morgan with her Formula 1 team’s hot, new driver, Cosmin Ardelean. Between the team’s no fraternization policy and her being the owner’s daughter, their attraction has “forbidden” written all over it.
Not being an F1 girlie myself—I know; I know; apparently I’ve been living under a rock—I found the races, the science behind them, and the sheer physicality of the sport fascinating. I liked those high-adrenaline moments of being dropped into the race with Phaedra behind the screens and Cosmin behind the wheel.
I’ve seen a lot of hatred for Cosmin in reviews, but I actually liked him. Do I approve of every action he makes while wearing the guise of his public persona? Of course not. Given his background story, do I understand why he crafted that persona? Yes. He’s cavalier on the surface but a softie underneath it all.
Phaedra is almost the textbook definition of high IQ but not EQ. She’s super smart—especially with numbers—but doesn’t always understand the ins and outs of relationships of the familial, friend, or romantic variety. To a certain degree, the book portrays this as being a result of her upbringing, growing up traveling the racing circuit with her father and having tutors instead of traditional schooling. Having some understanding of why she is the way she is doesn’t make it easy to watch how she treats other people, though.
I received advance copies of both the ebook and the audiobook. I enjoyed the dual narration by Jonathan Lake and Mackenzie Cartwright and applaud them for how they maintain the various accents throughout the book. Cosmin is Romanian, and Lake narrates his chapters, not just the dialogue, in Cosmin’s accent. With this being a Formula 1 novel, there are a variety of other accents in play as well.
I recommend checking content/trigger warnings before picking up this one.
3.5⭐️
I received an advance copy of the ebook from Forever and an advance copy of the audiobook from Hachette Audio. All review opinions are my own.
Not being an F1 girlie myself—I know; I know; apparently I’ve been living under a rock—I found the races, the science behind them, and the sheer physicality of the sport fascinating. I liked those high-adrenaline moments of being dropped into the race with Phaedra behind the screens and Cosmin behind the wheel.
I’ve seen a lot of hatred for Cosmin in reviews, but I actually liked him. Do I approve of every action he makes while wearing the guise of his public persona? Of course not. Given his background story, do I understand why he crafted that persona? Yes. He’s cavalier on the surface but a softie underneath it all.
Phaedra is almost the textbook definition of high IQ but not EQ. She’s super smart—especially with numbers—but doesn’t always understand the ins and outs of relationships of the familial, friend, or romantic variety. To a certain degree, the book portrays this as being a result of her upbringing, growing up traveling the racing circuit with her father and having tutors instead of traditional schooling. Having some understanding of why she is the way she is doesn’t make it easy to watch how she treats other people, though.
I received advance copies of both the ebook and the audiobook. I enjoyed the dual narration by Jonathan Lake and Mackenzie Cartwright and applaud them for how they maintain the various accents throughout the book. Cosmin is Romanian, and Lake narrates his chapters, not just the dialogue, in Cosmin’s accent. With this being a Formula 1 novel, there are a variety of other accents in play as well.
I recommend checking content/trigger warnings before picking up this one.
3.5⭐️
I received an advance copy of the ebook from Forever and an advance copy of the audiobook from Hachette Audio. All review opinions are my own.