Big Fan is a tight, fun, fast romance that delightfully unfolds between Maya, a political consultant in DC, who has just been unceremoniously ejected from her marriage after her politico husband has an affair with a young staffer, and Charlie Blake, a member of the boy band Mischief for which Maya and her best friend Kate had made the premier fan club.

There were so many lovely details throughout the novel that made the characters feel real. I adored Kate and Maya’s friendship and could just see the glee through the page from Kate as she’s munching on a bagel getting ready for her wedding finding out that Charlie Blake is going to be Maya’s date and be at her wedding. The romance that blooms between Maya and Charlie had me kicking my feet at points just due to how wonderful the interactions between them were.

I also appreciated the touting of universal basic income throughout the novel and the churn that Maya goes through while working on the campaign. The details really helped ground the novel even with a very dreamy premise. I also have to say, as a HeadCount Team Lead - I was so ridiculously happy to have the organization get a shoutout in the book from Charlie as he's been interviewed for a late night show. That alone helped bolster the book even more for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Author's Equity/831 Books for the advanced copy.

This is such a lovely read.

I devoured this one and was feeling strong emotions throughout. Charlie and Maya are both great characters and I love their relationship development. For such a short read there is still so much going on and I really enjoyed the story.

I would have liked it to be longer just to spend more time with them but it was hot and sweet and I loved the ride.

A fun and sexy novella about a normal woman and the boyband popstar of her dreams hooking up while working on a political campaign to popularize Universal Basic Income for all Americans??? Sign me up! This is elevated fanfic for the working woman, and I ate it up. Alexandra Romanoff was actually able to pack a lot of detail into such a short book, and I appreciated the little easter eggs to past political scandals. Charlie's song on the 831 Stories website and the epilogue were also a nice touch. Thanks to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the arc!

I had been hearing so much buzz about this book and 831 stories and I'm happy to report, this doesn't disappoint! I especially appreciated that this was a second chance love story where the characters were in their late thirties. It felt mature but also still fun and hopeful. The tension and longing (especially from Charlie!) was so good. Both Maya and Charlie felt relatable, which always makes the story so much more enjoyable. A wonderful debut from Alexandra, can't wait to see what else she writes.

Thank you to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the ARC!

They're simply not writing fun, GOOD, romcom novels like this anymore! I was indeed giggling and blushing on my commute to work. I've heard if you grew up reading fanfics you would like this and I have to agree. Really enjoyable, quick read. Exactly what you need to drag you out of a slump or as a palate cleanser.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Cute and quick rom com. Would have liked to see more plaid into the past marriage storyline of the main character but nevertheless enjoyed it.

a political girlie gets her own sidequest when her teenage dream crush pursues her professionally... and more? this novella squeezed social commentary in with a celebration of girlhood and coming back to oneself that had me cheering for our main characters. although less than 200 pages, readers still get good character development and some spice. hard to put down, 'big fan' is a well-written easy read. it's almost a shame it wasn't longer because I wanted more time with the characters.

4.5 stars / thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the eARC!

Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff manages to thread the needle between smart, sexy, and heartwarming in less than 200 pages. The chemistry between Charlie and Maya was palpable, the stakes felt real and compelling, and I could not put this story down, needing to know how it all was going to turn out.
This novella is the encapsulation of everything I love in a romance novel and if you were looking for a romance novel that is a Scandal mixed with The Idea of You, then you need to pick this up.

This fun and flirty novella is perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. The story centers on a political strategist who finds herself tangled up with her teenage crush—a former boy band heartthrob—and the sparks that fly are just as complicated as you’d expect. Romanoff’s writing is light and breezy, making it a fast read that’s easy to get lost in.

The dynamics between the characters are entertaining, and the playful nostalgia of dating your teenage crush adds a charming twist. It’s a lighthearted escape with just the right amount of drama and romance to keep the pages turning. While it may not dive too deep into character development, it’s perfect for when you want something easygoing and sweet. If you’re looking for a quick, feel-good read, Big Fan hits the spot!

@831storieshq if this is your debut book, consider me 100% loyal to all future endeavors. The only thing I have to complain about with Big Fan is that I wanted more! Alexandra Romanoff managed to craft the perfect combo of steam and heart into a bite-sized morsel of a novella. If you, like me, fit into the center of the Venn diagram of loving The Idea of You and The West Wing, you’ll be a big fan of Big Fan. It’s the perfect antidote for the anxiety of election season. @zanopticon can we get a sequel please?

Maya is a political strategist who was publicly disgraced by her cheating, connected husband. She just wants to do her job well and not be brought into his cheating drama. Enter Charlie, a former boy band member who is looking to restart his career as a solo singer/songwriter. As a teen, Maya was the president of his fan club, so Charlie reaches out to her to do her relaunch PR. Instead, Maya and Charlie bond and Maya inspires Charlie to be more politically active for Maya's new governor candidate client. But Maya's client does not want Maya to be associated with a pop star in her personal life because of her previous personal history. Will the politico and the pop star find love and be able to balance their work selves and their personal relationship?

I really loved this book. It was fun and fast paced and not long. Sometimes you just need to read a book that makes you happy and this is that book. I loved that the main characters enjoyed their jobs and made them priorities as well as how complicated that made the rest of their lives. I felt how unjust it would be for a woman in politics who did nothing wrong to be affected by a very public cheating husband. I also loved the character arches and that this is romantic drama. This one is worth the read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc. i was looking forward to this book because a lot of my irl friends and most of the book influencers/authors i like have also already read it. i thought it was a great, short read. this gave me big scandal vibes and i wish for a followup.

Maya is a political strategist powerhouse (her last client won the White House) who’s gone from managing the story to being the story thanks to her now ex-husband’s cheating scandal. Just when she makes a fresh start on a new campaign by promising to stay out of the spotlight, she finds herself in a bit of a catch-22 situation. Her teenage crush and former boy-bander, Charlie, is announcing his solo career and wants Maya’s help. She uses his fame to help her win points with her boss and then discovers she likes real adult Charlie a little too much for her own good.

Clocking in at just 176 pages this novella manages to pack quite a punch in a very short time. Big Fan balances the right tone between serious topics and breezy fun. I love that it acknowledges the power and inherent value in woman’s interest like boybands and romance novels. It seems like that’s what 831 Stories is trying to accomplish which their initial six releases. No guilty to be found in this pleasure!!

Both Maya and Charlie are great characters (plus mid-30s? Yes please!). You learn just enough about them to root for their connection. The cultural references are spot on (Jordan Catalano? come on!), and there are so many lines in here that shot straight to the top of favorites for the year.

I could have easily read another 200 pages, and I already know I’ll be rereading this.

Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. #BigFan #NetGalley #BookReview #AlexandraRomanoff

Readers who liked The Idea of You but had concerns about the age-gap will love Big Fan! In the novel retired boyband member, Charlie, and political strategist, Maya, feel like they're on an even playing field. Despite the novel's short page count their flirtation and eventual romance never feels rushed. The pair feel grounded despite the novel's fanfic-like premise which is a huge accomplishment!

Thank you to Alexandra Romanoff, Authors Equity, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff is a great first publication from the new romance imprint 831 Stories! This romance novella was a perfect pick-me-up, a breezy novella I read in one evening sitting. Maya McPherson is a talented DC political strategist, reeling from her ex-husband's extremely cheating scandal and their divorce and still finding her feet again, professionally and personally. Charlie Blake is a former boyband star making a return to music; he also happens to be Maya's teenage celebrity crush, as she had been a devoted fan of the band. They meet when he offers her a job advising him on his solo music debut; she instead asks him to use his voice in politics for her latest campaign.

At 170 pages, Big Fan is a quick and fast-paced read, though it packs in a lot: Romanoff covers everything we need to know about Maya, Charlie, and their respective worlds. I'm a sucker for all parts of this - the normal person/celebrity pairing, the political storyline, the fandom side of it - and Romanoff did a great job quickly sketching out each part. It's a really satisfying read and 170 pages was enough to convince me of their connection while still having sub-plots around both. Still, I would have loved more: more time to develop their relationship and the difficulties getting to the end, to flesh out their backgrounds, and to just hang out with them (and a glimpse of them actually together). Nonetheless, this was super fun and I'm excited to see what else 831 Stories puts out.

Thank you NetGalley and 831 Stories for my ARC.

I requested this pretty blindly, on a reco from Becca Freeman (Bad on Paper). I knew 1) it was short and 2) it was centered on the celebrity / normal person trope. And this absolutely blew my expectations out of the water.

My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer. And to be clear, not because it needed to be — but I WANTED it to be. I wanted to stay in this fun, swoony, sexy bubble with Maya and Charlie (!!!) and never ever leave.

Officially a big fan (get it?) of Alexandra Romanoff.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. I found this story delightful- perfect for fans of Annabel Monaghan and Emily Henry. I will definitely check out upcoming books from this imprint.

Maya is a political strategist whose career is struggling amidst the scandal of her husband cheating on her with a very young intern. Until one day, opportunity knocks at her door and by opportunity, I mean a former member of her favorite boyband, Mischief.

I am a total sucker for any story that plays out scenarios that my 16 year old Directioner self was sooooo sure would happen to her one day (spoiler alert: they never did). I liked that this story was a novella (which kept me from getting bored as so many romance books do these days unfortunately!) but I liked that my favorite will-they-or-won’t-they tension was still maintained. I also liked that the political backdrop to the story felt relevant in this current election season - so really, I liked that it addressed the big question of whether celebrities should speak out on political issues (the right answer is that they should).

This book reminded me a lot of Romantic Comedy and The Bodyguard - both books that I loved for the same reason. My most favorite part of this book was the fact that Maya used her public-facing career to openly talk about her love for Mischief in case they were to ever reach out for something - which is literally something I would do (which it DID work for her).

Was very excited to get this ARC and also very exciting to see it on @litgirl’s first reading list. This book is out next week on September 10th!

As a fan of Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur’s podcast and IG account – A Thing or Two – I was intrigued when I learned they were launching a romantic fiction imprint and company. I say “company,” because I think their goal is to celebrate the genre beyond publishing new romance novels, and I’m curious to see what that will look like.

Following the huge successes of Taylor Swift and Beyonce, and the adaptation of Robinne Lee’s The Idea of You, it feels like the time is ripe to embrace women’s fandoms. 831 Stories is eager to strike the “guilty” from guilty pleasure romance reading and their design-forward covers are part of that effort.

831 Stories’ first publication is Alexandra Romanoff’s novel Big Fan, and at the risk of being corny, I am a big fan of Big Fan. It’s a celebrity romance between a disgraced political strategist and a retired boy-band artist. And at 176 pages, it was long enough to get to know the main characters and short enough to read in a single day. Both characters are likeable and together they have chemistry. The story’s obstacles are refreshingly believable without being high angst. I loved that the female main character, Maya, is a career woman in her 30s (and is actually a UBI nerd), and that it was her work organizing the first fan club for Charlie’s band as a teenager that led her to eventually pursue a career as a DC strategist. (Hooray for embracing girls’ fandoms).

I was having a rough weekend, and Big Fan was the perfect pick-me-up. Highly recommend this charming contemporary romance! And huge thanks to 831 Stories, Authors Equity, and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy! Big Fan is out 9/10.

This was just okay for me - I think the fact that it was a novella detracted a little. I wanted more information on lots of extra plots and there wasn't time to get into the meat of it!