Book Review - Head Over Wheels by Leonie Mack

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Title: Head Over Wheels

Author: Leonie Mack

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bedford Square

Publication Date: 19th June 2025

Rating: 4 Stars

Love is an endurance sport…

Recovering from a bad crash and a broken heart, Australian road cycling star Lori Gallagher gets back into training with the help of a coaching app and an anonymous training partner she knows only by his avatar and his voice. But with her career dependent on regaining her fighting spirit, she ditches her online friend to focus on the road. Then she hears his voice - on her team training camp.

Sébastien Franck is stunned to discover his goofy training partner is ‘Top Gun’ Gallagher, the most ruthless rider in the women’s peloton. She’s already ghosted him online and, with his career on its last legs, he’s sure she won’t want anything to do with him. But Seb and Lori’s online chemistry transfers seamlessly into real life and they sleep together - a no-strings opportunity to get it out of their systems before the start of the season.

Yet Lori’s year begins with disaster, while Seb finds the best form of his career. As the Tour de France approaches, Seb expects himself to crack and let his team down. Lori is torn between family loyalty to her brother and her feelings for Seb - not to mention the complex dynamics of a sport where teamwork and individual achievement are sometimes at odds.

Now, she faces the mental fight of her life: how much is she willing to sacrifice for love - or to win?

It doesn't seem to matter what type of romance Leonie Mack turns her hand to, she seems to excel. And this being her first sports romance, had me intrigued. 

I'll admit I'm not the biggest watcher of road cycling, I prefer pretty much all other forms of it, including the cyclocross that was mentioned as part of Seb's history, over the long road races, but I totally appreciate the skill involve, the stamina, and the tactics etc.. 

Even more so having read Head Over Heels, where we have Lori back in the saddle after a pretty bad injury but having the most random and to be honest rather funny bad luck this season, and Sebastien to the new boy the team who is hoping to just have one more season before he retires from the sport. 

What neither is expecting is that they had spent months training together at opposite sides of the world, on Zpeed, a coaching system for exercise bikes, that they were both using to start preparing for this season.  And had formed a rather intense friendship while being anonymous. 

So it's unsurprising when they finally meet there is a fission of chemistry, but Lori can't afford to be distracted, although that is easier said than done. 

I was amused by the pranks pulled on Seb at training, as the new guy, but then impressed with not only how he deals with them but also how he performs in his races. 

There is a fair amount of road racing action in this book, some of it I was far more invested in than others, largely depending on how our main characters were doing, or whether I'd heard of the race before!  

This had elements of fake relationship, almost forbidden love as they really shouldn't be involved while on the same team, and plenty of humour as well as fabulous chemistry.  

I really enjoyed reading this, and I'm already looking forward to hopefully reading the next book in this series. 

Thank you to Bedford Square and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.