Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Перетнувши межу

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Перетнувши межу by Simone Soltani

14 reviews

bcope84's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-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? No

2.75

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jennireadsmaybe's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Me knowing next to nothing about F1 reading this... Am I an F1 fan now? Maybe a little. LOL. In all honesty Cross the Line is a wonderful addition to the sports romance genre. Between two biracial leads, a chronically ill FMC, and a wealth of Bollywood references, Simone Soltani unerringly gives us what the genre needs. I loved that this took the brother's best friend trope and gave us a realistic reason behind the brother's issues with the couple while also showing that sometimes it's the lying and secret keeping that does more damage to a relationship.

I've read an endless amount of grumpy x sunshine books, so it was fun to finally see a sunshine x sunshine one. They also had an established friendship that made it more believable when they finally made the move to more between them. An unrequited crush is always more fun when he ends up falling even harder than you did, and Dev certainly doesn't disappoint. Between buying a crap ton of macaroons and flying them to a different country just so she could have them, he was putting that Amex card to use. They had really great chemistry, and I wish I could've seen just a little bit more between them. A very solid debut and a new author that I will continue to read from.

Read this if you like brother's best friend, biracial and chronic illness representation, F1, sunshine x sunshine, he falls harder, workplace dynamics, and Bollywood movies.

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wildatheart1339's review against another edition

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4.5

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takarakeireads's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The plot was kinda cookie cutter. While I didn't really connect with either MC, I did appreciate the disability rep for Willow as it seemed to be handled with care!

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witcheep's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The story is okay: entertaining floof that makes it easy to listen. The plot isn't as dramatic as the blurb makes it seem, though, which is a disappointment. All the elements are present, but they don't seem very impactful as the romance takes the forefront fast and everything else becomes just background nuances for it. I found myself not very invested in this story.

The book deserves a mention for great representation of chronic pain caused by a genetic condition, though: the FMC has hypermobility that she always needs to take into account for, but who still manages to live quite a normal and fullfilling life surrounded by people and things that bring her joy. Visibility of minorities, such as people with chronic illness, always deserve more chances to get seen and understood.

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thisteachreads's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I enjoyed this story, especially since it wasn’t a tug-and-pull love story with a third act breakup.

I appreciate that the FMC - Willow - has a chronic condition that is mentioned throughout the novel. This adds to her depth and humanness.

This is your classic brother’s best friend/ childhood friends love story. Both MCs are mixed-race characters and it’s nice that their cultures are represented in the story.

I see that Soltani has another novel coming out next year in the same universe and I’ll be adding it to my TBR.

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midnightmoon_dreamer's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Love, love, love. A story where the main couple is just absolutely in love with one another and stays like that throughout the whole story, finally! The beautiful way the characters were written made this such a pleasant read. I loved the inclusion of different cultures and of a chronic illness. Just so fun, a must-read! It is important to note that there is only a minor conflict so this story mainly focuses on the love story (but I also think a story doesn't always need a major conflict to be good).

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kell_yeah_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.0

i had so much fun reading this book. i started it during the last week of summer break and it made me realize how much i was missing f1. our girl willow finds herself in need of a job after graduation and our boy dev needs help rescuing his image after his previous social media manager quit with.. pizzazz. match made in heaven right? well. my first tab in the entire book: "men are dramatic" especially ours after the 'inchident' on the stairs. this book was a fun ride and i am so excited for the second one!! cmon may 20th, 2025!

we've got brother's best friend, forced proximity, forbidden love, and ... F1! *sigh*

per my spreadsheet:
spice 🌶 - a 4 🌶 spicy (romance.io scale)
length - just right
reading speed - read in 2 days
did it make me cry? - so close

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sdupont's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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? No

4.0

Nothing like reading an F1 romance to get your fix during the summer break. I enjoyed this book, a childhood crush to lovers is always a good time. Throw in sports and the workplace and now you’re talking. I liked Dev and Willow (separately and for each other). They understood what the other needed. Dev was particularly great at having Willow’s back without making her feel like she had to be wrapped in bubble wrap. One thing that I found frustrating was the overhyped brother’s best friend of it all. I don't mind the trope but I don’t love when the brother is so overbearing. Honorable mention to Mark and Chava who were funny and supportive! Overall this was a solid debut novel that fans of F1 will enjoy.

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

I don't really care about F1, but this was an interesting read for me, an absolute rookie when it comes to this world.

I struggled with the narration (both narrators irritated the fuck out of me and I cannot put my finger on it!), so I would recommend the ebook or physical copy if that’s accessible to you.

I also just had minor issues with the book and characters as a whole:

The MMC Dev calls the FMC “crazy” and “unhinged” for caring about her brother and making sure he was okay after a night of drinking……… I genuinely hope you are not that deeply entrenched in toxic masculinity that you think making sure someone is home, safe, and not choking on their own vomit is beneath you 😵‍💫
The FMC Willow got her heart broken by one of her brother’s friends, which is why her brother Oakley is overprotective and would not approve of Willow’s new romance with Dev. I get the history. But the general sentiment of brothers not approving of their friends going out with their sisters is so deeply problematic to me….. do you not want your sister involved with your friend because you are friends with vile, disgusting, disrespectful cishet men who have never questioned toxic masculinity and their roles in patriarchy? Or is it because you view women that you respect as innocent, pure angels that should not be touched? Like if it’s either, ew. I don’t know if I can read another book with this dynamic because if you think your grown ass sister needs to be protected by you (a BiG StRonG MaN), then ….. ew. Or if you think your friends are “unworthy” of your sister, then you’re literally telling on yourself and your friends. Be serious!!!!
An F1 driver gets injured and then is paralyzed from the waist down (temporarily) and it’s posited as a tragedy, which I find super suspicious and exhausting in a book with chronic pain/illness representation ❤️‍🩹😞

Anyway, thank you Berkley for the gifted free copy, and thank you PRH Audio for the ALC.

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