Must Read: Double Apex by Josie Juniper
An F1 romance between a cocky (very) race car driver and his engineer heroine
Hi Librarygoers!
I love F1 romances way too much for someone who has yet to watch a Formula 1 race (I’m going to fix this soon!). So when I heard about Double Apex, and that it was enemies-to-lovers , I knew it was a must read. It did not disappoint!
My last few reads were very cozy and this was a great bridge out of cozy. It was fairly emotional (check your trigger warnings) but it also gave great enemies-to-lovers banter. Both characters have moments where they are fairly “unlikable” but the closer you get to the end, the more you want to root for their love story.
Here are my stats!
CW: Death of an on-page character.
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What is this story about?
You (Phaedra) are a Formula 1 race engineer to an absolute tool of a human (Cosmin). Unfortunately, he happens to be crazy talented so that powers that be (your dad the team owner and his best friend the team manager) aren’t going to let him go.
They all but tell you to suck it up and make it work because he’s not going anywhere and that pisses you off. But to be fair, so do a lot of things. Like the fact that your best friend is sneaking around with your dad’s best friend or that she makes fun of your constant college attire or that the team didn’t hire the female car driver you wanted or that your dad is not well and has had to leave the F1 circuit.
You love your job though so you decide to play nice with the douche, even when he actually does a few things that would/should result in a trip directly to HR if this was real life. However in F1 Romancelandia, it results in a weekend getaway to Greece for the two of you to bond. You do hold yourself a little responsible because you’ve never had much opportunity to make friends of your own age as a homeschooled child genius.
You bond in Greece, with a kiss, and then return back to work and you’re both constantly in each other’s brains. What happens next? You decide to hate hump and get it over with, only it absolutely does not work. So now you’re sneaking around and hiding from coworkers, did I mention your team’s no fraternization policy?
How long can it go like this? You both have a lot to lose and have to decide if losing each other is worth losing everything else.
What are three words to describe the tone of this book?
Angsty, emotional, and healing.
Who would you recommend this book to?
Anyone who loves:
🏎️ Race car driver hero
🖤 STEM heroine
🛑 Forbidden romance
🥳 Party-boy as coping mechanism
🛣️ Year long road trip
🥇 1st in a series
💰 Richy, rich heroes
💕 OMG-I-accidentally-fell-in-love
😍 He’s always loved her
Also, I don’t have an emoji for this but if you’re interested in a hero who starts off as a douche and lets down walls for the girl he never thought he was good enough for but always wanted, this is for you. We can’t change a man in real life but Josie Juniper’s pen transforms Cosmin into a likable and then loveable MC.
What made this work for me?
I mentioned loving F1 romances already but I also am a big fan of enemies-to-lovers romances. There’s something about a couple that absolutely should not be together becoming a couple you need to see together.
I love romance when it’s toxic because I don’t want that toxic in real life! The journey to love is always so hard fought and so worth it.
I also will never turn away from a woman who exists in the world of men and DOMINATES. Phaedra is a genius and insanely great at her job. Cosmin is a decidedly better engineer with her in his ear and I love to see how he appreciates it.
Also, a guy who gives “it’s-always-been-you” vibes will always do it for me. He writes her letters (that he doesn’t send) and his inner monologue is always about how much he admires her and wishes she would see him like he sees her.
What are some of your favorite lines?
This sex is too good not to want it again. I’m doomed.
You make me dream in color.
“Someday you’ll be in love. Someday a man who deserves you will whisper his secrets into your mouth and you’ll light up like you’ve swallowed starlight.”
Are you an F1 romance fan? What else is on your fall reading list?
Thank you to Forever Publishing for providing this ARC of Double Apex!