This is a spoiler-free review!
Lauren Asher I forgive you for The Fine Print... I was hooked into this book by the second chapter and considering I have never read a F1 romance book before, I certainly did not know what I was getting myself into with this series. When Maya's brother, Santiago, announces that he has signed a contract with a major F1 team, she does not expect to form an unexpected bond with her brother's rival, Noah Slade. As Santiago and Noah continue to clash - mostly in a one-sided rivalry on Noah's part - Maya is slowly acclimating to the F1 lifestyle and traveling for races.
Temptation runs high as Noah's notorious playboy past haunts him at every turn, while Maya's innocence to the reality of F1 only draws him toward her more - at with much more at stake than winning races, they have to decide if getting together is worth the risk of angering Santiago or putting Noah's future on the line. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the will-they-won't-they foreplay they had going on, as it felt very natural and had a great comedic presence that alleviated some of the more heavier aspects of the story. The progression of their initial interest in one another, to the attempts to stay away, to having this forbidden friendship turned relationship felt well-paced at first, but I do have to say I think their romantic relationship felt much more rushed.
Not for nothing, while Santiago seems to be a very great older brother, I did start to feel as though he did not understand that Maya was more than just his sister following him around the world for races - she was making a name for herself and building an online presence with her videos. He continues to "talk down" to her throughout the book, and it honestly put a sour taste in my mouth when he would make small remarks about her needing to do more with her life than just "follow him around" and that she "needs to find a real career" when she was gaining hundreds of thousands of subscribers on her channel.
The backstory for Noah was interesting and truly added depth to his character - a lot of focus was placed on his past experiences and how they impacted his competitiveness and responsiveness to his father. Watching him set boundaries or open up to others throughout the book was refreshing, considering the majority of the time we see the male leads stay emotionally suppressed. With Maya, readers gain a first-hand account of what Noah has to go through, and as we learn information at the same time or right before Maya uncovers it, it puts us into the emotional setting that the characters are in.
Maya seemed a bit naive, and with her new to the world of F1, I could see how she had trouble navigating this new environment while being on her own - that being, with her brother by her side - could cause her to be unsure of herself. Her as a character grew on me, and as she found more self confidence, she started to blossom into a more mature version of herself. I do think the forbidden romance aspect with adults can be a little overboard at times, considering both Noah and Maya are perfectly capable of entering a relationship with anyone's insight, but I am a sucker for it anyway.
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