Romantic tension between ex-best friends rockets to new heights in this dazzling sports romance debut set in the fast-paced, interplanetary world of Formula Zero racing.
Madeline Clarke didn't think her life would be all fun and trophies after earning her spot in the solar system's most elite zero-gravity racing circuit, but she definitely thought it'd be better than this. Aside from being a female pilot in a male-dominated sport, her boss is a controlling jerk, her estranged father is a beloved figure from her team's past glory days (and an absolute ass), and she's performing so poorly she risks losing her contract. And worst of all, there's Julian Casperi.
Julian was Clarke's childhood best friend and is a rising star in the league. The dance between them has always been complicated, but when Clarke walked away from her feelings years ago and Julian didn’t stop her they became nothing more than competitors—until Clarke gets into a near-fatal accident on the track and Julian comes to her rescue.
Now back in each other’s orbits, the tension between them is at an all-time high. But navigating their relationship might be the least of Clarke’s problems. Things keep going wrong on the track, and she suspects there's something shady at play. If she wants to come out on top, she needs to move fast and make bold choices—about her team, her future, and her heart.
Madeline Clarke didn't think her life would be all fun and trophies after earning her spot in the solar system's most elite zero-gravity racing circuit, but she definitely thought it'd be better than this. Aside from being a female pilot in a male-dominated sport, her boss is a controlling jerk, her estranged father is a beloved figure from her team's past glory days (and an absolute ass), and she's performing so poorly she risks losing her contract. And worst of all, there's Julian Casperi.
Julian was Clarke's childhood best friend and is a rising star in the league. The dance between them has always been complicated, but when Clarke walked away from her feelings years ago and Julian didn’t stop her they became nothing more than competitors—until Clarke gets into a near-fatal accident on the track and Julian comes to her rescue.
Now back in each other’s orbits, the tension between them is at an all-time high. But navigating their relationship might be the least of Clarke’s problems. Things keep going wrong on the track, and she suspects there's something shady at play. If she wants to come out on top, she needs to move fast and make bold choices—about her team, her future, and her heart.
Title: Formula Zero
Author: Meredith Lanzen
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Expected Publication Date: July 7, 2026
Review:
Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Formula One by in SPACE? SIGN. ME. UP. I honestly requested this book because of the cover. I'm in my F1 phase and will read anything written about the sport, especially a romance. I didn't even read the blurb. And I didn't read the blurb before I cracked it open to start. Imagine my surprise when I started reading and they were in SPACE racing! I love me some sports romance, and I love me some sci-fi, but combine them and my mind is blown.
If you're looking for a light fluffy romance, this is not that. Yes, there is romance and tension and chemistry and spice. But it's so much more. The romance takes a back seat to the actual story line and world we are immersed in. Lanzen builds a future world where racing has moved off the actual track and into space. No gravity, racing through all kinds of chicanes and loops, traveling to distant planets, and fighting for a place on the podium flying at super high speeds. But Lanzen still uses F1 type rules and verbage to make it easy to understand the world and how racing works.
On top of the amazing world building, Lanzen gives us characters with depth who are relatable despite their place on Formula Zero (think the current F1 drivers and how untouchable they seem to be but make them down to earth). The author takes Madeline Clarke, a female driver, and shows us her struggles given her being a woman. You would think so far in the future things would be different, but you still see the struggles. Add to that her being the daughter of a famous racer, having to walk in his shoes as she races for the same team he did, and you have the set up for a character who is put into a box. I really felt for Clarke. Her team principle totally took advantage of her naiveté. I was actually angry at her manager for even allowing her to sign a contract that was so limiting for her. But there was a ton of female empowerment in this story. Clarke taking back control of her life and putting herself first was great to watch.
The romance is a slow, slow burn. Julian Casperi is a long time friend of Clarke's but they have been estranged since the death of their friend Connor. Their friendship blends childhood friends who become rivals. Their relationship is really well written. I loved all the time they were "forced" to spend together given the publicity stunt that is woven into the storyline. I will say I would have liked to see a little more background in this area. Clarke pulled away from Julian but we don't get much background as to why. There is an element of them being attracted to each other early on and deciding it was too much to just stay friends. That being in each other's orbit was just too difficult with them deciding they could never take it further. But other than this, I didn't seen any actual reason for the rift. This was an area I would have liked to see explored just a bit more.
The side characters in this book are fantastic. I hope Lanzen deicides to maybe explore some of their stories in the future (I didn't investigate to see if this was set as a series or not). These characters brought depth to the story along with some great banter and humor. Maki, Theirry, and Sara really support Clarke. And the villains are done well. So much morally gray stuff going on throughout the book.
I will say I was not expecting the mystery portion of this story, either. I enjoyed the sleuthing Clarke did and how her friends ultimately helped her.
I'm very impressed with this debut book by Lanzen. I was hooked from page 1 and tore through it. I really didn't want it to end, though I needed it to so I could see the mystery wrap up. This author is definitely one I would continue to follow and read in the future!
Author:
Meredith Lanzen is an adult sci-fi and fantasy romance author. When she's not charting out intergalactic adventures on her kitchen window, she's playing D&D, braving her fear of spiders to spend time outside, and singing show tunes loudly enough to have acquired a neighborhood nickname. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two chaos goblins cleverly disguised as human children, and a 65-pound lapdog.
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