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Full Throttle #1

Falling Off the Cliff

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Formula 1 legend in the making and rising star Thiago Valencia is chasing redemption as well as his second World Champion title. With a tarnished reputation and an undetermined future in F1 that hangs by a terribly loose thread, he can’t afford to lose his seat. Thiago is ready to do anything to redeem himself and erase his past mistakes. When a mysterious woman intrudes on his private party in Monte Carlo, he is certain the universe has brought his polar opposite into his life as salvation. He is sunshine, she is moonlight; he is a bright star and she is a moonbeam.

Destiny takes the wheel, steering Kamari into Thiago’s orbit, but her open disdain and closely guarded heart warn her to stay away. Enchanted by her charms, Thiago is intent on melting her freezing barriers and tearing down the walls shielding her heart.

When Kamari agrees to help him save his future by being his fake girlfriend, the unexpected happens, triggered by a game of lies, secrets and desire.

As they plunge towards the finish line, the race veers offtrack and neither of them are ready to fall off the cliff.

484 pages, Paperback

Published December 15, 2023

424 people are currently reading
11017 people want to read

About the author

Kanitha P.

4books348followers
Kanitha "Kay" P. is an indie author who has been writing since her early adolescence. Lover of romance, fantasy, books, flowers, coffee, rainy days, and sunsets, you can also find her sitting on the edge of her seat whilst watching Formula 1 every other Sunday. (She's a Ferrari girl so, please, do not stir the knife in her wounds by mentioning the past seasons for Leclerc and Sainz.)

She welcomes you into her universe, her oasis, with open arms and an open heart, hoping you'll find solace in her written words. <3

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 533 reviews
Profile Image for Cristine (aaron warner’s version) ♡.
341 reviews129 followers
January 11, 2024
Let’s talk about the walking red flag that is Thiago in the first half of this book. I cannot tolerate his behavior towards Kamari. Look at this quote:

“You hate this as much as I do, and I get it. But if you so much as try to sabotage me with that attitude of yours, I promise I won’t be gentle with you, Kamari. I need you to take this seriously.�

I’ve read tons of fake dating stories and there’s always mutual respect between two leads and they don’t threaten the other party just because she doesn’t want to stay in the same room with him. I’ve never seen a male lead in a fake dating scenario grip a girl in his arms so hard when she’s the one doing him a favor. Saving his sorry ass of a public image, attending galas and almost every races, and all she gets in return is him going to his brother’s birthday party. News flash: he didn’t go because apparently, they did not check the schedule and it turns out, her brother’s birthday falls into a race weekend.

Next, let’s talk about her annoying brother that I wanted to strangle a few times. If there’s one thing I hate more than miscommunication, it’s the bad sibling dynamic represented in the book. I HATE BROTHERS WHO ALWAYS CHOOSE THE SIDE OF THEIR BESTFRIEND RATHER THAN THEIR SISTER. FUCK YOU. WHAT I CANNOT FATHOM IS THAT HOW IS HE STILL FRIENDS WITH THE GUY WHO DID THAT TO HIS SISTER? HOW CAN HE TAKE HIS SIDE?! ALL THESE CONDESCENDING ASSHOLES ARE SO INFURIATING.

I missed watching f1 so I decided to read this but please don’t make the same mistakes I did. In this book, you’ll find tons of information about f1, which you can also find in the internet of course. As I was reading this book, those times that they were giving f1 infos, it sounded like you are reading straight off Wikipedia. I’m so sorry but I tried so hard to like this book 😭 If you want to dive into the world of f1, I guess this is for you. The infos given were accurate but still tiresome for someone with full knowledge of f1 to read. I ended up skimming. In addition, I already talked about this in one of my updates but let me reiterate: I know every driver currently racing in f1 and years before that. What the author did was to take a bit of every driver’s life story and slap them into the MMC’s identity and personality.

I could obviously go on but I won’t waste my time anymore. The only lesson I learned here is to never pick up a book about f1 just because you’re excited about pre-season testing

Anyway, the MMC did a huge 180, props to him, but not enough for me to erase whatever he’s said or done in the first half lol. In addition, there’s a girl group friendship that has a huge potential but even that went down the drain.

I think Taylor swift should get writing credits because half of what Kamari said are lyrics from the evermore, folklore, Midnights, and speak now albums

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good TS reference in books but I do prefer it to not stare right at my face. Some references were uncalled for and there are way too much of them. I couldn’t focus on the story because of the lyrics popping left and right. If I had to take a shot everytime they said “to the moon and to Saturn�, i might be drunk by now. I couldn’t not include examples so here are some:

“It wasn’t easy to tell my sixteen-year-old self ‘you’re on your own, kid� after fighting and begging for my parents� attention for years�

“You’ve got to bleed in order to grow. (The 1) And everything you lose is just a step you take (you’re on your own kid)�

“I see you, Thiago. Your string of light is still bright to me� (innocent)

“I don’t know her, but I think she’ll just want you to be patient. You can draw stars around her scars� (Cardigan)

“Forever is the sweetest con� (Cowboy like me)

“This love isn’t for show, Thiago. I don’t want it to be—not anymore. You know I’d die for you in secret.� (Peace)

“There was a single thread of gold tying her to him, and she never wanted it to break.� (Invisible strings)

I’m pretty sure there’s more but I stopped caring when it became too much.

P.S. Laughed when there’s a “tell me it’s ferrari without telling me it’s ferrari� when they fucked up their strategies though.
Profile Image for Ashley.
524 reviews187 followers
December 15, 2023
“𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐨𝐟𝐦𝐲𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨�,𝐦𝐲𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭’𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨�.�

Kanitha P.'snovel Falling Off the Cliff is a slow burnromance that centers on F1 driver Thiago Valencia and businesswoman Kamari Monroe.

The tension and banter between Kam and her pretty boy was EVERYTHING. I adored every part of it, especially the fierce and diligent nature of Kam. Also, I adored Thiago's obsession with Kam and loved seeing himget smitten with her over every thing.

Thiago's recollection of little details Kam told him in passingwas adorable. I also really enjoyed how Kam and Thiago's vulnerability, both in their alone time and with one another, was shown to us throughout the book.

I also adored Kam because she was such a badass. I adored her even more when she had Thiago at her mercy.

With the excessive length of the book, I did occasionally start skimming. Having to read "green met silver" each time Thiago and Kam exchanged a glance also became incredibly tedious. The novel included a lot of Taylor Swift references, which I loved, but some of them, like the one about putting stars over scars, were just cringe.

All in all, this was a sweet story about two individuals who had been hurt before and were able to find sincere love for one another.

*Thank you to the author, Kanitha P., for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*
Profile Image for Salma.
396 reviews5,697 followers
Read
December 21, 2023
Դ’e

I wanted to read this so bad but it’s 3rd pov😢

I tried to push pas that and read it bc i LOOOVE f1 but unfortunately couldnt 😩
Profile Image for Anastasia.
206 reviews42 followers
December 22, 2023
If I had a dollar for every time “silver met green� or some rendition of them intently looking into each other’s eyes I’d have a lot of money right now.

Honestly the book was ok I guess, I just didn’t feel any chemistry between main characters and was questioning their actions a lot (especially Kamari).
Like, first, why would she agree to Thiago’s offer, what was in it for her? And second, if she agreed, why was she such a brat to him most of the time? It’s not like he made her do that, so there was no reason for her to be so rude to him. Especially if she had something to gain from that arrangement.

I’d love to see more action, more questions answered and not just them being attracted to each other for some unknown reason and constantly being rude (looking at you, Kamari).
And third act conflict was so meh, I couldn’t believe that was it after just a couple of pages (it also came from nowhere, so again, what was the reason for putting it there if it gave us nothing?)
Even lyrics from Taylor Swift’s songs which are used a lot though the book didn’t help and annoyed the hell out of me.

Profile Image for miss.nerdstagram.
232 reviews523 followers
December 27, 2023
I really loved Thiago and Kamari. So many green flags! I also learned quite a lot about F1 which I really loved! All in all it was a great debut. ☺️

Through about the last 25% I didn’t enjoyed it as much as on the first pages. I think there is still room for improvement in character building and storytelling, there were scenes that was too cheesy or too repetitive for my taste but I think I would definitely pick up more books from the author. I’m very excited to see her journey. Can’t wait for the next book. ☺️
Profile Image for vivian.
119 reviews26 followers
December 10, 2023
5⭐️

🪐💗"To the moon. And to Saturn."💗🪐

I'm still in shock that this was a debut! I was a little taken aback by the 3rd person pov at first but I got used to it after a couple chapters. As well as the length of the book, I thought it meant that the story would drag on for too long or just not be paced well. Was I ever more wrong. I think it was well done, and it helped the progression between Kam and Thiago's relationship stand out more. The tension was so well drawn out and UGH just trust me when I say everything falls into place seamlessly.

Kamari. She's my new favorite fmc. I just felt so seen reading about her. The way she would process things, her reactions, her snarkiness and ability to match Thiago's wit, it was just so good. She HUMBLED him in the first half of the book, and it had me giggling just how unfazed she was by Thiago. Her sarcasm?? Unmatched. Also, just her personality in general. The way she was so hesitant and cautious when it came to opening herself up to Thiago. She mentions how she would rather shut down and not give herself away than to have her heart broken again, I wanted to cry. But when she did open up and show parts of herself, she was so kind and compassionate and caring, and I just loved the contrast in it. Love her💅🏽🖤


Thiago. Sunshine man. Golden Retriever. A literal cinnamon roll. Also, he was such a FLIRT the whole book. The things he would say to Kamari had me on the FLOOR, I was having the time of my life watching this man be so down bad for his girl. He was also just so compassionate about everything he did. He felt so deeply, and the chapters where he would open up to Kam about his struggles and grief had me crying. Just the fact that he felt safe enough to open up to her and vise versa?? UGH❤️‍�


But anyways. The duality of their characters was the main thing that did me in. They are literally sunshine and midnight rain. He was so outgoing and warm and she was cautious and guarded. They were both broken in some way when they found each other, and they built each other back up and found healing in one another, and I think that dynamic is just so damn beautiful.

______________________________________________


Thank you Kay for this arc!! I seriously loved it. Congrats on the debut, and I cannot WAIT to see what the future holds for this series.🤭🖤
Profile Image for Lucia.
308 reviews23 followers
Read
November 26, 2023
To the ones who have always dreamed of experiencing that kind of all-consuming love, the thrill, and exhilaration of falling in love with their soulmates. And to the ones who hide behind calamitous clouds; I see you, and daylight is on its way to you.

I can't possibly rate this book because the proper scale for that has not yet been invented. I am beyond honoured to have been able to witness the transformation of this story from idea to draft to completion, and finally, publishing. Incredibly proud of Kay and all that she has accomplished along the way, not to mention the confidence in knowing that in the future, she will accomplish even more. I am very excited to see the upcoming projects come to life after having read this amazing work.

It is simply not noticeable that Falling Off The Cliff is Kay’s debut novel; she writes with the natural fluency of a well-seasoned author and is able to immerse the reader into a beautiful whirl storm of emotions and tender feeling.

For those in search of their next romance novel, look no further!
Profile Image for Claudia.
279 reviews
January 4, 2024
Dnf at 13%

My standards are really not that high and I rarely dnf books, but this was just bad, like very poorly written fanfiction.☠️
Profile Image for áپ .
573 reviews144 followers
December 29, 2023
4.5/5 stars

debut novel? damn i want to write like that, a beautiful book!! let's get the "bad" things out of the way first just because it's more personal liking and preference than really bad or wtv, wish there was more "development" before the "I love yous" tho please their banter and connection wad really good not that just wish there was more time period between them you know? also hm there was a scene or two that we don't actually read about/see it, but the characters tell the reader and im not the biggest fan of to be honest just, show me the scene. show me the characters living the scene or the other character seeing what happened, don't go straight to the "aftermath"of it! again just personal stuff because this book oh my, i don't have words to describe ophow much i love them, how much thiago was so down bad for kamari or how he treated her, how kamari with all that black cat attitude still was soft for thiago, how protected of each other they were, just so magical!!
everytime thiago opened his mouth i swear i just felt so many butterflies ugh. loved seeing kamari finally leaning toward someone and started to trust more and finally opening her heart, and also finding someone who truly sees her and helps her and challenges her and loves her so fearlessly, beautiful! then thiago finally having someone to talk to, to be right by his side no matter what! but seriously this man gosh i just need a thiago valencia on my life, please!!
overall. this debut freaking novel stole my heart, beautiful strong writing, powerful, unique and complex characters who finally have their happy ever after, just so good and i do hope everyone likes it this much as me. maybe not a top read but definitely won't stop recommend and god kamari and thiago's chemistry and banter and connection definitely is one of my faves ever so so happy, thiago also being ruthless and deadly at the races but such a damn gentleman and so golden retriever energy with kamari seriously damn and kamari being so hardworking and with a black cat energy, like a little grumpy tbh (i love her what a boss what a woman she's mothering period!!) but being soft and so carefree with thiago, they truly bring the best versions of themselves together, just amazing!!
please read it and fall in love with them, tho f1 is the sport and kinda focus of thiago in the book, it was so much more than that and i kinda miss f1 now haha, but read it!!
Profile Image for ❀ mariana ❀.
90 reviews36 followers
November 24, 2023
4.5 ⭐️, 1.5 🌶�

some tropes:
🏁 F1 romance
🏁 hate at first sight
🏁 fake dating
🏁 reverse grumpy/sunshine
🏁 only one bed

This was a nice surprise and I was hooked from the very first chapter! The chemistry between the characters was so good!

I don’t know a lot about F1, but I really liked the explanations of the author, so know I understand the sport better.

It was really nice seeing the evolution from hate to sort of friendship to love and trust between Thiago and Kamari. The trust they put in each other and the motivation she gave him was really sweet.

Thiago has a lot of baggage, a lot of unprocessed grief, and Kam was so supportive and at the same time, she was just there for him, no questions asked, and I loved their dynamic.

Regarding the spice, it was the right amount. It was sweet, and hot, but it didn’t mess up with the plot of the story.

I just wanna thank Kanitha for the opportunity to read this book in advance, I was so grateful for this ARC 🫶🏻
Profile Image for rosana.
148 reviews635 followers
November 23, 2023
Thank you to Kanitha for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is what I needed the most! I've been in a quite severe reading slump these past few weeks and having the chance to read Falling Off The Cliff caught up my attention from the very first chapter!

The tension between the two main characters, Thiago and Kamari, is so good. I loved to see how they were battling so hard to keep on teasing each other even though they wished to be in each others arms.

I really liked how we got to know the characters as if they were humans, what made their past and how they tend to deal on their own. It was nice to see how much they cared for each other when we got to those moments and everything they did for the other to feel safe and better.

The writing was really easy to understand and follow.

I wish all the best for Kanitha and I hope people adore this book as much as I did and even more! <3
Profile Image for tima.
92 reviews24 followers
January 12, 2024
� ˗ˏˋ 4� ࿐ྂ
Kicking my feet and giggling. RTC since it's literally 2:30 am

Extra note: I changed my mind. This book deserves 4 stars, IT DESERVES ALL MY LOVE
Profile Image for maddy ♡.
407 reviews29 followers
March 16, 2024
i loved the f1 aspect of this book & the taylor swift references were so cute, and i also love when he bought her an engraved bookmark from tiffany’s 🥹 however i think this book would’ve been better if it was about 150 pages shorter, and some of the dialogue was too cringey for me
73 reviews
January 20, 2024
Dnf at 67%

Kamari is so incredibly annoying. You can be closed off without being a complete and utter bitch to everyone.
The dialog between the two main characters was repetitive af. Every fucking page the same conversation
Also why tf do they talk like they're trying to win a poetry slam. Like who tf talks like that
Profile Image for cldchld.
199 reviews18 followers
November 30, 2023
*ARC Review*

'There isn't a lifetime where I'm not made for you.'

Please excuse me while I obsess over this book for maybe the rest of my life. This is my new favourite F1 romance book.

The way Thiago thought and spoke about Kamari had my heart squeezing in eternal pain, knowing I would never have what they had.


'Pretty Boy' Thiago Valencia and 'Brat' Kamari Monroe have the best chemistry! The growth of their friendship and trust into a genuine relationship was so beautifully done.

Omg! The writing and flow were just so amazing, and it made me realise why I love third-person writing so much! It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, and I mean that in the best way possible. I was so immersed in the story and loved the details.

I loved Kamari so much as an fmc because despite being the grumpy character, she was not unnecessarily rude to people at all, and she has a heart of gold.

'You are the essence of my devotion, my heart's salvation. You're everything I have dreamed of.'

Tropes
� F1 romance
� Fake dating
� Reverse grumpy × sunshine
� One bed
� He falls first and hard
� Slow burn
� Angst
� "Who hurt you?"
� BANTER


My biggest takeaway from this book is that not everything has to be perfect to be happy.
Profile Image for Angela.
310 reviews12 followers
Read
January 23, 2024
Dnfed 25%
I wanted to read this because I saw a few fanarts on the author’s instagram and loved them.
Kamari is a coffee shop owner in London, Thiago a famous Formula 1 racer. Against all odds, they meet in Monte Carlo at a party on his yacht and are immediately attracted to each other despite being opposites.
After a few drinks, they kiss and their pictures get all over internet.
So, for the sake of his career he asks her to be his fake girlfriend.
The premises were very good and I’ve never read a F1 romance before so this was a first for me and I really wanted to enjoy it, and I don’t know if it’s because of the 3rd person writing or the insta-attraction thing or simply because I am getting into a reading slump and want something that really grips my attention but I wasn’t in the right headspace to read this. Maybe I’ll try again later
Profile Image for Elinor..
45 reviews11 followers
December 15, 2024
- � � � . 75

so cute and steamy This book was grand. It had some very sweet, romantic scenes and I liked the story overall. It had a lot of potential but I think it needed some editing for the story to fully deliver. I read it was a debut novel so I’m pretty sure the author will only get better with time.
Definitely had role reversal in the bedroom which was a new one for me but I love itttt.
The reverse grumpy sunshine just hits different. This was a great read.
The ending was a little drawn out bit overdramatic but still it was great nonetheless! And I’m excited to read more from this author.
Profile Image for Ari.
164 reviews11 followers
February 28, 2025
2,5/5

Franchement j'ai tellement de choses à dire sur ce livre que j'aurai besoin de faire une dissertation........
Ci dessous la plus longue review du monde, bon courage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOTC c’est l’histoire de Thiago, grand pilote de Formule 1 dont la réputation est entachée par le fait qu’il passe son temps à faire des soirées et coucher avec des meufs à droite à gauche et il doit absolument se rattraper pour que son écurie prolonge son contrat. Il rencontre Kamari de façon très random et pour absolument aucune raison décide qu’ils doivent faire comme s’ils étaient en couple pour que sa réputation soit meilleure. Elle le déteste pour aucune raison dès la première rencontre mais pour une raison inconnue (je n’ai toujours pas compris et j’ai fini le livre) elle accepte.



Je vais commencer par les aspects positifs parce qu’ils sont moins nombreux que le négatif. Tout d’abord, contrairement à ce que je pensais le côté F1 est quand même plutôt recherché, il y a quelques petites erreurs mais dans l’ensemble c’est pas mal. On sent clairement cependant que certaines scènes servent à de l’intro à la F1 parce que vraiment c’est l’équivalent de « explain this to me like i’m 5 », on dirait qu’elles sont tirées de Wikipédia, mais ça je pense que ça vient juste du fait que je n’ai pas besoin des définitions de ces éléments de base.



Maintenant, passons au reste. Je vais diviser la suite en 2 parties : les personnages et l’écriture.

Les personnages :

Franchement, aucun personnage ne rattrape les autres. Les deux personnages principaux sont absolument insupportables. Ils sont juste absolument RUDE tout le temps. Ils passent + de 50% du livre à s’engueuler, à s’insulter et à se détester dès qu’ils ouvrent la bouche ???? « Do you ever shut up ? » 6 FOIS � « arsehole » 12 FOIS ?????



Ensuite, Thiago c’est un sexist asshole. Je vous laisse quelques citations que j’ai relevé : « under normal circonstances, Thiago would have loathed being as tall as a woman » / « you don’t want to say the wrong thing to him. He can be heartless » / « But if you so much as try to sabotage me with that attitude of yours, I promise I won’t be gentle with you, Kamari. I need you to take this seriously. » / « you are a pawn in my game » / « patronizing hold » - Vraiment tout son truc c’est d’être un mec giga sexiste sauf à la fin avec la meuf avec qui il veut coucher, c’est super. En contraste, il sort des poèmes comme ça au hasard ; il lui offre des poèmes (nuls) pour faire genre que ce n’est pas qu’un sportif sexiste, c’est aussi un artiste au grand cœur (c’est faux). Aussi, il est un mélange de tous les pilotes de F1 qui existent : il quote Daniel Ricciardo « i am high performance athlete » (on peut dire que c’est une phrase banale mais si t’es dans la F1 you know), le rookie win à Spa comme Charles Leclerc, le père qui meurt avant qu’il arrive en F1 (Charles Leclerc), le père pilote (presque toute la grille mais là c’était clairement basé sur Sainz/Verstappen), le même accident que Romain Grosjean à Bahreïn� Pour finir sur lui, ce n’est pas un problème de personnalité mais il met 27x sa main dans ses cheveux dans tout le bouquin, j’en pouvais plus j’avais l’impression qu’il ne faisait que ça comme mouvement.

Kamari est tellement désagréable. Pendant tout le roman, elle ne fait qu’être méchante et négative, elle n’apporte absolument rien. Elle a un café dans Londres et elle est décrite comme une « strong business owner » mais au final on ne voit rien de ça, c’est vraiment juste en mode « not like other girls » plus qu’autre chose. En plus ça fait aucun sens on voit qu’elle galère à faire ses comptes, elle ne peut pas embaucher quelqu’un pour faire son administratif, elle sort des phrases comme ça « “I’m just a simple girl who can’t afford an expensive bag unless she works hard for it. I’m just a girl who owns a small business, who could never buy you a Patek for your birthday. » En revanche elle arrive sans soucis à acheter un local dans Kensington (top 5 quartier les plus chers de Londres, je rappelle) pour ouvrir un nouveau café ????? Oui oui, ok. Ce n’est pas une bonne amie, elle n’arrête pas de râler sur ses potes, elle pense que du mal d’elles h24. Sa meilleure amie est influenceuse en F1, elle est passionnée par ça mais Kamari elle connaît absolument pas le nom du plus grand pilote de F1 de la décennie non non, elle aime les livres et pas le sport, pas les voitures vroom vroom. (Je tiens à dire que je ne suis pas influenceuse F1 et pourtant tous mes potes savent qui est Charles Leclerc parce que j’en parle tout le temps et iels ÉCOUTENT en fait, cause they CARE). Bref.



Sa backstory avec ses parents est littéralement expliquée en 3 lignes, ça donne une bonne excuse à Thiago d’être gentil avec elle, c’est TOUT et l’histoire avec son ex n’existe que pour justifier le fait qu’elle soit chiante, et qu’elle a « des murs autour du cœur » vous comprenez…�



Maintenant faut qu’on parle 2 secondes de Kienan, le frère de Kamari. Sa sœur sort avec son meilleur ami, qui la trompe et lui brise le cœur, non seulement il RESTE MEILLEUR AMI AVEC LE MEC mais en plus il juge le nouveau mec de sa sœur avec lui ????? La médaille du pire frère est pour lui sans hésitation.



Bon, maintenant il faut qu’on se penche sur l’écriture et le plot un peu.

Déjà, je tiens à apprendre à Kanitha P qu’il y a d’autres moyens de rencontrer quelqu’un que de lui foncer dedans, non parce que Kamari rencontre deux personnages en deux chapitres juste en leur fonçant dedans, je sais pas, lève les yeux, regarde devant toi, fait un effort. Bon, maintenant que ça c’est dit, passons.



Je ne suis pas fan des enemies to lovers de base, ce n’est pas trop mon truc mais je dois avouer que quand la tension est bien écrite pourquoi pas. Là, non seulement il y avait très peu de tension mais en plus de ça elle n’était pas bien écrite. J’ai évoqué plus tôt le fait que les personnages principaux passaient leur temps à s’insulter et ça depuis les toutes premières pages, la toute première rencontre, pour visiblement aucune raison. On apprend plus tard qu’ils s’insultent parce qu’ils sont tous les deux attirés l’un par l’autre et que comme des enfants de 5 ans et demi, ne savent pas comment attirer l’attention de l’autre autrement. Super mature, on adore.



Au niveau du plot il y a plusieurs choses qui pour moi ne font pas de sens. D’abord, Kamari accepte de fake date Thiago pour absolument aucune raison qui tient la route. Elle avance l’idée que c’est pour montrer à son ex qu’elle a move on, qu’elle peut faire mieux et juste garder la tête haute à l’anniversaire de son frère quand elle se retrouve face à ce fameux ex (c’est même sa seule requête, qu’il l’accompagne à l’anniversaire de son frère). Sauf que, Thiago et Kamari ils ne sont pas assez intelligents pour vérifier que l’anniversaire de son frère ce n’est pas un week-end de Grand Prix, donc elle finit par quand même s’y retrouver seule et se faire insulter de tous les noms par son ex. Génial votre plan, infaillible vraiment. Ensuite, pour un livre de 500 pages, il ne se passe pas grand-chose au final. Elle l’accompagne à des courses, ils s’insultent, ils couchent ensemble quand même, elle fait genre qu’elle ne l’aime pas, il lui récite des poèmes, voilà en BOUCLE. Ah non, pardon vers la fin, il crash évidemment, pour qu’elle se rende compte qu’elle l’aime au moment où il a failli mourir, pas pendant les 500 pages d’avant. Ils répètent tellement la même chose que quand j’ai relu mes notes et chercher des mots pour faire cette review j’avais l’impression que ma liseuse me donnait les mêmes moments en boucle alors que non, non, c’étaient bien des moments « différents ».



L’écriture……………………………� je souffle.

D’abord le champ lexical utilisé pour Kamari me donnait envie de hurler, c’était vraiment le gens lexical de la proie, de la petite « chose ». Utilisation plusieurs fois de « petite » pour la décrire, « she is so immobile, helpless », « he’d ruin her all the same ».



Ensuite, parfois ses phrases étaient super bancales : « Saturday was the most anticipated day of the weekend - after sunday of course » Je comprends ce qu’elle veut dire, mais on a juste l’impression qu’il n’y a pas eu de travail d’édition du tout.



Je disais avant qu’ils répétaient la même chose mais c’est le cas aussi pour les descriptions. Par exemple, Thiago a les yeux « argenté » et si on ne l’avait pas compris elle le dit littéralement 52 fois, j’ai compté. Si je recevais un billet chaque fois qu’elle a utilisé le mot « silver » je pourrais moi-même participer à un Grand Prix…�

J’ai rigolé sur mon discord en envoyant une citation de Taylor Swift mais c’est pire que ce que je pensais au début. Je vous mets une petite liste non exhaustive des phrases qu’elle a inséré comme venant de ses personnages mais qui sont en réalité des paroles de chansons de Taylor :
- « it wasn’t easy to tell my sixteen-year-old self ‘you’re on your own kid� »
- « And everything you lose is just a step you take »
- « you can draw stars around her scars »
- « a nightmare dressed like a daydream »
- « My Nana would always tell me this if you never bleed, you’re never going to grow »
- « big reputation, big reputation. oh, you and me we got big reputations »
- « you’ve got to bleed in order to grow »
- « Your string of light is still bright to me »
- « Forever is the sweetest con »
- « This love isn’t for show, Thiago. I don’t want it to be—not anymore. You know I’d die for you in secret. »
- « There was a single thread of gold tying her to him and she never wanted it to break »



Je pense que Miss Taylor méritait presque de gagner de l’argent sur la vente de ce livre à ce niveau-là.

Bref, en vrai j’ai encore des petites choses à dire, mais j’ai déjà 4 pages word donc je pense que ça n’a plus tellement d’importance au final. Ne perdez pas votre temps, je ne comprends pas pourquoi c’est hyped à ce point-là partout sur les comptes bookstagram/F1.


Profile Image for ⲹ๋*·˚.
366 reviews92 followers
December 6, 2023
Esta es mi primera vez leyendo algo de la formula 1 y me alegro de haber elegido ESTA OBRA DE ARTE PARA EMPEZAR❤️🏎�

TROPES
🏎️Romance de fórmula 1
☕Fake dating
🏎️Una sola cama
☕Chica grumpy x chico sunshine
🏎� Él se enamora primero y fuerte
☕Slow burn

Todos tiene que agregar este libro a su tbr ESTARÁ DISPONIBLE EL 15 DE DICIEMBRE😉

Cómo dije al principio nunca he leído/visto algo relacionado a la fórmula 1 por lo que desconozco de términos y palabras (jerga) pero girl la autora realmente usa palabras que se escuchan muy profesionales y se ve que conoce del tema así que realmente aprecio eso.

Hablando de la historia LA AMÉ desde su primera mala interacción y como hicieron el trato de fingir ser pareja MIS BEBÉS

Amo encontrar personajes como Kamari, realmente llegué a identificarme con ella en muchos aspectos así que eso enriqueció más lectura para mí. El sentir que lo das todo pero no recibes lo mismo a cambio y que nadie te muestra la misma consideración que tú a ellos yep IT'S ME HI I'M THE PROBLEM😔

Thiago el sunshine más lindo desde el segundo 1 se ganó mi corazón y esos pequeños momentos en donde se mostraba vulnerable con Kam amé.

Los dos se ganaron mi corazón y definitivamente ya quiero saber sobre que otros personajes veremos en los próximos libros y why not un pequeño cameo de este par no estaría mal👀

Un plus total son las referencias por aquí y por allá a nuestra reina TAYLOR SWIFT🧎🏻‍♀�
Noté la de cárdigan, fearless, the 1, cowboy like me (joyita de canción e infravalorada), la de seven y quizás hay más pero son las que tengo más frescas en mi memoria en este momento🫶🏼

Muchas gracias a Kanitha por este ARC y ya quiero que todos lean a este bebé recuerda 15 DE DICIEMBRE!!!!!

💌
REVIEW IN ENGLISH

This is my first time reading anything from formula 1 and I'm glad I chose MASTERPIECE TO START❤️🏎�

TROPES
🏎️Formula 1 romance
☕Fake dating
🏎️One bed
☕Grumpy girl x sunshine boy
🏎� He falls first and harder
☕Slow burn

Everyone has to add this book to their tbr IT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON DECEMBER 15😉


As I said at the beginning, I have never read/seen anything related to Formula 1 so I don't know the terms and words but girl the author really uses words that sound very professional and it's clear that she knows what she is talking about so I really appreciate that.

Talking about the story I LOVED IT from their first bad interaction and how they made the deal to pretend to be a couple MY BABIES😭

I love finding characters like Kamari, I really came to identify with her in many ways. The feeling that you give everything but you don't receive the same in return and that no one shows you the same consideration that you show them yep IT'S ME HI I'M THE PROBLEM😔

Thiago, the cutest sunshine from second 1, won my heart and I loved those little moments where he was vulnerable with Kam.

They won my heart and I definitely want to know what other characters we will see in the next books and why not a small cameo of this two wouldn't be bad👀

A total plus are the references here and there to our queen TAYLOR SWIFT🧎🏻‍♀�
I noticed: cardigan, fearless, the 1, cowboy like me (an underrated song if you ask me), the seven one and maybe there are more but these are the ones that are freshest in my memory at the moment🫶🏼

Thank you very much to Kanitha for this ARC and I want everyone to read this baby. Remember DECEMBER 15TH!!!!!
Profile Image for Shiny Gem.
1 review
February 4, 2024
good god this book was a rollercoaster

let me start off by saying i went into this book expecting to love it, i saw it on insta. liked the tropes so i started reading but i did not expect it to be this bad!

i’m sorry the amount of repetitive taylor swift references made me question life. i am at done so let’s make a counter: “wildest dreams� 4 times “you drew stars around my scars� 3 times “to the moon and to saturn� 5 times and as the cherry on top “all too well� twice. 70% of her dialogue is taylor swift lyrics. now she should have writing credits on this book but i don’t think she would want her name associated with this atrocious book.
also 1/3 of the f1 slang did not make any sense. penalty grid?! you mean grid penalty. a black and white flag when i think she meant the chequered flag, a medal for second place?

now let’s take a look at the characters
Thiago:
i HATED him in the beginning he was so toxic. he got better with time. but he did not lose his cringe factor. i imagine he wears skinny jeans.

Kamari:
she gave me second hand embarrassment. all. the. time. did not like her at some point she kept bringing up his dead dad and how he never talked about it. like honey maybe he doesn’t want to talk about it. and she was just very rude.

the brother:
ew don’t be friends with a cheater

indy:
i liked her she reminds me of Lissie Mackintosh

1⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for mariee.reads.
236 reviews
December 15, 2023
with f1 being my favorite sport, i was SO EXCITED when i found out about this book.

i will admit, the third person definitely threw me off when i started the book because i’m not used to reading books written like that, but once i got used to it i barely even realized anymore.

the tension from the moment the two met was palpable, and every moment that lead to them ultimately giving into their desires and feelings was written beautifully. they both matched each other when it came to wit and banter, it was clear just how perfect they were for each other from the beginning. their growth, together and apart, only further proves it.

i adored the little nods to taylor swift, and the goo goo dolls. both just matched the couple so well.

now, let me live in my delusion as i beg the universe for my own golden retriever f1 boyfriend. who knows, maybe i just need to sneak onto a yacht in monaco? 🤭
Profile Image for fer.
147 reviews114 followers
December 28, 2023
This book is one of my favorite F1 romance books everrr
This starts with the main characters meeting at a yacht party and hanging out with each other and one thing let to another and they kissed but what they didn’t expect was them getting photographed. The next day she left the country and went back to her normal life running her cafe but to her surprise she saw she was all over social media. She didn’t expect him to contact her through her instagram account about the subject and bluntly asking her to fake date since he couldn’t be seen as a ‘player� anymore
.
and before you go in to read this book you should know if you’re here for F1 be aware this is a book about the ROMANCE story of an F1 driver not a book about F1 rules
Profile Image for Lisbeth .
5,442 reviews
December 23, 2023
No es terrible pero tampoco espectacular. Hubo algunos agujeros en la trama y no se dedicó suficiente tiempo a la estructura de la historia. Fue una lectura fácil y agradable, sin embargo, desearía que tuviera más información sobre los protagonistas. Entiendo que es un debut, pero los personajes casi no tienen profundidad y el estilo de escritura es muy aburrido y lento. Thiago y Kamari tiene química, pero solo del tipo físico con algunas bromas divertidas.
Profile Image for Sarah.
56 reviews
December 20, 2023
ftc: I received a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't bad. I think the story had potential and I do think it's a really good representative of F1 racing (it teaches you a lot about the sport so that you can understand things without being overly preachy or reading like a reference book). My partner is a car guy, so I loved being able to bring him into my world of romance books by asking him about the stuff in this book. (But LOL not the MMC literally and unironically putting the FMC on the same level as F1 racing in terms of his priorities. Like I get that it's his career, but imagine your partner being asked to choose who he would save from falling off a cliff (wow, that wasn't even an intentional play on words) and you gotta WORRY about him having to choose between y'all).

That being said, there were a number of things just NOT working for this story. I don't think it was publishing ready. It had its moments, but DEFINITELY needed another round of heavy edits/a less permissive editor.

In short, before I get into all the things that I had issue with, this is an okay (albeit longer) book that is good if you just want an F1/sports romance with some spice. It checks all the boxes there, but nothing special.

Now, onto my criticisms (stop reading now if that's not your thing). Some spoilers ahead.

***

First off - this was way too long. It's weird, because they have like a blueprint for their fake dating scheme in that they're like "Okay, we have these XYZ events we need to be seen together at," so there was NO reason this book had to be as long as it was, and there were ways to have the development points without dragging things out. I felt like the pacing was fine, but because of this, it felt like it dragged.

Writing wise - there were WAY too many instances where the author used an alternative descriptor where a pronoun would've sufficed because she didn't want to repeat a name (ex. "the blonde," "Thiago's PR assistant," etc). Another thing was that it was a lot of telling the reader stuff. Like someone would say something, and she'd follow it up with a dialogue tag that reiterated the emotion to the reader, when what the speaker said would've been enough to convey that. Along a similar vein, there was too much over explaining/telling the reader of what or why the OTHER character is doing something when, given that this is written in limited third-person POV, the POV character shouldn't even have that knowledge.

There was a lot of randomly just flowery, poetic language (which would make sense in a FANTASY book and not a contemporary set in London). And along that vein is the absurd number of Taylor Swift references. I love TS, but these weren't even references. Just cringe moments of her throwing in the lyrics verbatim even when they didn't make sense. Very juvenile, middle school move.

It also honestly read like there were several sentences where the author was trying for one word, couldn't remember it, settled for the closest one, and forgot to go back and add the correct word in (I could usually guess the words she was actually going for in these cases, which adds to that theory).

The author also needs to figure out another way to say these characters looked each other in the eye because I lost count at the number of, "Silver met green," (silver eyes, seriously???). And also way too many ice metaphors per the "grumpy" FMC.

Honestly, it felt like their "banter" was just shy of realistic. Like, yeah, I guess? But no one talks to each other like that, and a lot of the book reads more like the author just wanted to check tropes off than make sure the writing/story made sense. And it might be the ace in me, but this has the dreaded way too much inner monologuing about how they lose all their brain cells because horny/their physical chemistry.

Related to that is the author REALLY tried to force this "dislike to lovers" "grumpy x sunshine" dynamic when honestly, their interactions weren't even that bad? Like everything was really dramatic to the characters and both were over here acting like the other was being intentionally unreasonable/difficult and a lot of "I despise you," where the characters (mainly the FMC ngl because the MMC basically fell in instalove/instalust) are being SO forreal about it, but it makes zero sense. And they're like, "we'll just go be seen doing this thing and go back to ignoring each other," but they don't even ignore each other ever? Don't act like it for the trope's sake?

Like the "pet names" they give each other are cringe and unrealistic, and who HONESTLY addresses someone by a nickname/their last name THAT much when speaking to them? (Ex. brat, witch, moonbeam). Like the only ones that weren't that bad was when they called each other "pretty boy/pretty girl."

Unrelated, but is it bad if I couldn't tell if the MMC was unironically saying, "m'lady," or not?

And not the HP reference in 2023. Come on, now.

Here's some criticisms related to some spoiler-y stuff...

***

Their whole fake dating thing is because Thiago wants to repair his reputation and Kamari has been a victim of infidelity...so WHY would Thiago even put himself in the position to be PUBLICLY PHOTOGRAPHED CLUBBING WITH OTHER WOMEN? Like way to show absolutely zero character development???

Related to that - I could tell that the author was going for juxtaposition between the high of Thiago winning his race and then BAM, Kamari's crying and telling him to leave. But it reads more like they just cut out a chapter LOL. Like, it's jarring to the point of absurdity. Give the readers context and don't just jump cut like it's a DVD with a scratch on it. Like I honestly think the whole ordeal would've benefited from maybe a FMC chapter of "OMG have you seen this" or a MMC chapter with "CRAP, I need to talk to Kam immediately."

The author markets this book as "no third-act breakup" but I would argue that just because they don't physically separate or "take a break" for a time doesn't mean there's no third-act breakup, because I think a fight like the one they had counts tbh.

And honestly??? There's something that gets mentioned ONCE that I think would have made a much better conflict that just gets thrown away like an abandoned plot line. Thiago is told by his agent and PR assistant that there's people who think that he's getting distracted by Kamari. Given how much she cares about him and wants to succeed, THAT is a much more realistic and actually difficult conflict to navigate had she known about that, but of course, the PR assistant "made it go away," (that's literally not how PR works).

Something that also irked me was the number of times Kam was made out to be better than other women because she stayed with Thiago (like literally his friends and crew were like "yeah, you're the only one who wants to deal with him," and Thiago even warns her that he's an angry, grieving guy). It's literally not anyone's job to deal with you when you're like that, and it's not a moral failing if they can't handle you at your worst and that shouldn't be a condition of your relationship. Get some therapy. And like??? Thiago goes on and on about how he wants Kam to break out of her shell and let him help her, but man can't even handle his own emotions lol.

All in all, this isn't the worst book in the world, but I think the potential it did have makes me more disappointed in my enjoyment of it.
Profile Image for Capt..
524 reviews53 followers
April 10, 2024
It has a lot of fake deep monologues and what’s worse than that is the fake deep dialogues. It’s really cringy to read. I don’t mind the profound, poetic, flowery dialogues as long as it’s sprinkled here and there in bits and pieces but if you write it in a way you can’t help but notice it from the get-go, it takes away the enjoyment and fluidity of the book. And honestly, who talks that way in a contemporary book 😭 specially if the characters are on their emotional moment then they’ll say something like:

“You are the essence of my devotion, my heart’s salvation. You’re everything I have ever dreamed of.�
(am I reading a bible haha)

“It lies with you. Within the palms of your hands. And I know you have the ability of suffocating it, of crushing it to dust, and I don’t care.�
(k. chill Duke Thiago of Primavera)

Okay despite me disliking the above, this book is actually good. A solid 4 stars. It’s hard to like them in the beginning but they gradually grow on you.

Thiago is a man not afraid to be vulnerable to Kamari’s presence.

Kamari knows her hard limits, which is cheating since she came from infidelity and has been cheated by an ex also. So when a misunderstanding occurred that Thiago was cheating on her, she reacted in a realistic way. It’s actually my favorite part of the book.
Profile Image for alya adlina.
234 reviews13 followers
January 19, 2024
it’s a 4.75 stars read from me.

“𝑌𝑜� 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ� 𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑚𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡’� 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑌𝑜𝑢’𝑟� 𝑚𝑦 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛� 𝑖 ℎ𝑎𝑣� 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓.�

this is the last book i read in 2023 and it was a good read. it was my fav read in 2023 and i think it is still my fav read until now for f1 romance.

this book is about Thiago who is rising Formula 1 star with a stained reputation and future that still remains unknown and when there’s one night a mysterious woman came to his private yacht party and he thought she’s the answer to all his problems. but what he doesn’t know that girl is Kamari, who has guarded her heart to not fall in love anymore and not to get close with Thiago. somehow everything starts when she agreed to be her fake girlfriend.

first of all i still can’t believe this is a debut book. i was worried that i will not enjoyed it bcs how long the book and it was written in 3rd POV BUT the writing and the plot is just sooo good and beautifully written. the way we can see the relationship development unfolds so naturally. the tension between Thiago and Kamari got me screaming, punching and kicking the wall. i literally so in love when they have like lots of nicknames for each other but “hey pretty boy/hey pretty girl� was my favourite. i literally can’t stop smiling reading this book.

overall, this book was a good read. the sport side and the side characters are very present which is i like it so much. the banter of all characters are just so funny i giggled so hard. this book is just so good and it makes me wanting more. the epilogues got me crying i can’t wait to be back into this world again.

read this book if you love:
- formula 1 sport romance
- fake dating
- slow burn
- mental health rep
- no third act breakup
Profile Image for Sarah.
264 reviews98 followers
January 30, 2025
Reread: I love them even more 🤧🤧🤧

Comment ça ce roman est le premier de l’autrice ?
J’ai absolument adoré l’histoire de Kamari et Thiago. Ils sont tout ce que l’autrice nous a teasé d’eux depuis des mois.

Premièrement, le livre est la troisième personne. Moi j’aime autant ce type de narration que celle de la première personne. Je sais que c’est pas le cas de tout le monde mais avec moi ça fonctionne.

Deuxièmement, l’univers. Si vous avez aimé Dirty Air pour l’univers de la F1, ici, on y est tout autant immergé, si ce n’est +. Personnellement je ne m’y connais pas mais on sent que l’autrice n’est pas une novice dans le domaine et c’est appréciable !

Troisièmement, les personnages. Un bon golden retriever x black cat energy. Kamari est grumpy sur les bords, sarcastique, et girl boss. J’ai aimé son côté déterminé, la conscience qu’elle a de sa valeur et ce dont elle mérite après son ex exécrable. Derrière cette façade glaciale, elle veut juste être aimé pour elle, et surtout de la bonne manière.
Et puis Thiago, pilote dans la tourmente, qui peine à faire son deuil de son père, son héros, qui va trouver en Kamari une épaule sur laquelle se reposer, une oreille qui l’écoute, un cœur qui le comprend.

Leur dynamique était crédible. Pour une fois dans un fake dating entre deux inconnus j’ai vraiment ressenti ce moment un peu bancal où les deux personnes se découvrent, tout en essayant de garder la mascarade en place.

Quatrièmement, il n’y a pas de drama inutile ou superflu. Au contraire, il y a une belle communication entre eux.

Cinquièmement, la plume de l’autrice. J’y ai reconnu les références à Taylor Swift. J’ai vu que l’autrice est aussi comme nous, une lectrice. J’ai ressenti sa poésie dans ses déclarations.

Pour un premier roman, le premier d’une saga, c’est un pari relevé, et j’ai hâte de découvrir la suite 🏎️❤�
Profile Image for Christina.
786 reviews87 followers
December 20, 2023
This�. was painful to finish. I’m sorry and I wanted to give it the benefit and finish it but I just couldn’t get into it. I thought it was WAY too long, dragged and had a little much filler. Like I appreciate that there’s info on the sport of F1 but the actual romance felt flat and just I couldn’t see the chemistry between them. I love a grumpy black cat girl and golden retriever boy but this felt forced and a little cringe at times? I love F1. I really wanted to like this book but it read a little “wattpad-fanfic� vibes.
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