This was a really great forbidden love and I enjoyed every page. I breezed through this book and need more!

The concept of this book was super unique so it set itself apart from many of the books I’ve read in the past but it wasn’t my absolute favourite. I still enjoyed it overall but nothing that really wowed me. I think others would enjoy it more, just not one for me.

Hello,

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title.

While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

I look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023 and beyond.

Laura

If you're anything like me, ur always on the market for a #romcom that hits all the right notes, so, I present u with ur next fave- fun, flirty & def🔥

Or ur next listen actually- I count my lucky stars that I won the audiobook of #TheCloseUp in a giveaway from @authorsarahs herself & it was just everything #allthefeels

It starts off with Naomi, at a bar with her bff & cousin Harper, trying to drink away her cheating now-ex-boyfriend. Harper prompts her to forget about him by hitting on a hot stranger, which is how Naomi finds herself in front of Simon Rutler, telling him just how hot he actually is. He's a stranger but something about him seems familiar & as their flirty banter flies it clicks, he used to be a "cam-er," the one who's sex tapes everyone used to watch back in college. Simon is the epitome of a gentleman though, flashing his gorgeous smile, clearly interested but tells her nothing can happen tonight because she's drunk. She's smitten but after vomiting on his shoes it's all over and she expects never to see him again.

Of course, life has other plans... Naomi's boss wants her to interview this new relationship guru/therapist everyone is talking about, the one holding men accountable, the sex positive one, promoting attentiveness, respect, open communication and validating ur partner's feelings. Who else walks into her office but Simon! Naomi establishes strict profressional boundaries (despite the crackling attraction) and they agree on friendship, which only gets harder as they continue seeing more and more of each other with the success of the 'Simply Simon' series. There's so much that ensues from here but I'll leave it at that 🤪

I'm not a huge audiobook listener but I have to say, the narrator for this one, Donnabella Mortel did an amazing job. Naomi's voice was just the right amount of sweet & bad ass, and since there was just one narrator, I thought she handled the transitions into male & other characters' voices very well. (Especially Naomi's mom's accent, she totally nailed it, had me cracking up at her creativity, it was so perfect!)

Ur gonna fall in love with this couple, really u can't go wrong with any of this author's novels 💙

I loved this book so much! Her writing is always spot on and this was no different! Such a great story and strong characters

The Close-Up is a fun, steamy quick read. As with the previous Sarah Smith book I’ve read, the writing and characters are great. Unfortunately, the way the relationships progress just wasn’t for me. Definitely looking forward to Sarah Smith’s next book!

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.

This book was so HOT! And not only that, THE LESSONS 👏👏👏. There were so many important topics covered on how to have a communicative relationship and about having healthy boundaries. This book did NOT disappoint.

I wanted to love this SO much. But Naomi was the most annoying and frustrating heroine I've read in a long time. Simon was the only redeeming point to this book. I feel like there were sub-plots that were introduced that had no follow-through and left me not understanding why they were there. The hero and heroine were not together for the longest part of this book and were actively dating other people. I think this book suffered greatly for not being a dual POV. I think Naomi was not a good friend to the people around her, had way too many issues that were not dealt with and was not a good partner to Simon. And seriously, Simon was perfect. One of my most favourite hero's with a least favourite heroine.

This one was a lovely read. I really enjoyed reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me

This is the first book by Sarah Smith and it was a joy. I am now seeking out more of her books.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for kindly gifting me this book.

it started off really promising and overall I did enjoy the book but some aspects were a miss for me.

without giving too much away, boy/girl comes in the picture and that particular storyline didn’t need to be dragued on for that long. also call me old fashion ahahahah but a portion of the epilogue i was like 😭😭

cute story, i wouldn’t qualify it as necessarily friends to lovers, more like coworkers to lovers. They are friends but I just see friends to lovers a bit more developed friendship.

anywho ahahahha that was my 2 cents 😅

Sex-positive and current, The Close-Up is a fun, quick read. This workplace/friends-to-lovers romance has some unique elements I haven't read before. The lack of stigma about Simon's past as a cam guy is fresh and quite progressive. Sarah's descriptions of Naomi's job as an online content creator and Simon's expertise in relationship therapy display serious competence porn. The multicultural aspect is something I love, especially Naomi's Filipino background. I also adore the tight friendships and strong family ties in the book.

On the flip side, Simon is a tad too perfect, some of Naomi's actions were embarrassing to read, and the main reason why they couldn't be together would have benefited with a stronger basis.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would based on the blurb. It was a bit too slow moving for me. I did laugh at a few scenes but otherwise it was a bit awkward. I felt zero connection to the characters or the story.

This was a romance novel that I really enjoyed. I loved the relationship with the characters. However, I did find this book a little slow.

So so brilliant, this has to be one of my favourite books of the year. Not only is it a super lovely romance but also a lot of the topics resonated with me!

Please pick this book up you won't regret it!

**FULL REVIEW**

'"We can do this on our terms, at our pace. Is that okay with you?" His words sink in, simple and true. He's right. As long as we're having a good time and are considerate of each other's feelings, there's no reason we can't give this a try. Despite that, the tiniest flash of doubt hangs at the back of my mind. I want this--I want us--to work more than anything...but do I really have what it takes not to screw this all up?'

I can honestly say, this book is one of the best rom-coms I've read in a LONG time. I loved the sweetness, the wit, the whole storyline. It was paced beautifully and the steam was perfectly proportioned to the plot. I found myself anticipating the burn, it was slow and meaningful. I flushed right along with the heroine and smiled wide as the hero did to the camera. (You'll have to read and find out precisely what that means.)

This feel-good, sex-positive, culturally-inclusive story is what I needed to start my summer reading on the right track. Thank you *Netgalley* for allowing me to read this title in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to reading more by this author.

**5 Modern-Day Hitch, Stars**

This is my first Sarah Smith and I will be looking forward to more of her work. It was fun, flirty, and sexy. Everything I look for in a romance!

This book wasn't quite what I expected. I think from the cover I thought maybe it would be a celebrity romance, but it's not. The book did start out interesting and then sort of fizzled out the more it went on.

I enjoyed this book, but I ended up not finishing. The voyeurism got to be too much for me. I understand how some people find that sexy. I couldn't get past the heroine watching a sexually explicit video of a colleague. That's not a criticism of the book. It's just not for me.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.