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!

This book was serving c u n t in the best way possible. I freaking inhaled it and loved every word. The author really did this for all of us who have a favorite member of 1D and are rewatching Scandal to feel alive. Five freaking stars!!!!🌟

I loved this and wished it were a bit longer! I would seriously be up for another edition of the story between Maya and Charlie because it was GOOD! I devoured this in just a few hours and it definitely had the perfect pacing. Give this one a try and SWOON!!!

Big Fan comes out next week on September 10, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!

When I was fourteen, Mischief made the world feel worth living in. I would stare out the windows of my middle school and daydream about meeting them, and how, when I did, everything would change. I'd go on tour and see the world.

Become friends with fashion designers and get dressed in fabulous clothes. Mischief was proof that something bigger and more important than eighth-grade formal existed, and eventually I'd get to be a part of it. I used to think my life would really start the day Charlie Blake knew my name.

And now he does, which is funny, because up until fairly recently, I was pretty sure my life was over.

I couldn't get into Big Fan. The biggest problem I had was the romance. It just didn't feel well developed. I didn't connect with Charlie and Maya's relationship. I felt like their relationship was missing pivotal romantic elements such as chemistry and tension. I did think Maya's occupation and world was interesting to read about. Like other reviewers, I agree that this book felt a little unfinished. Thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for the ARC.

Enjoyable and fun, Big Fan manages to pack a lot into a short number of pages. It's imperfect: Charlie seems too quickly infatuated with Maya and there isn't much time for the romance to build (again, short number of pages); it's been marketed as similar to The Idea of You, for obvious reasons, and some of the similarities are a little too close for comfort, a little too alike, but such is the world of sorta One Direction fan fiction romance. Maya was such a compelling character, with depth and baggage and a unique perspective, so being in her head was interesting.

Oh how I really enjoyed this one! Maya is a political consultant trying to rebrand herself after a scandal of her ex-husband’s making and a former boy handed, Charlie, who is putting out solo music and trying to put himself back out there. This was a quick book so the romance developed quickly and I would have liked a bit more time with that but I enjoyed every second of Charlie time. I enjoyed seeing both working on finding the confidence to develop both professionally and personally and this was fun and sexy and easy and I wish it could have been longer Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the earc!

This was so fun and sexy! I read it over an afternoon and it was a great palette cleanser after some heavier books. Highly recommend if you enjoy the normal person/famous person romance genre.

Does the thought of a spicy Huma Abedin//Harry Styles fanfic novella sound fun to you? If so, run, do not walk, to pick up this new romance.

Maya is a “political strategist” (politicos, you must suspend disbelief in order to enjoy this book) fresh out of a marriage that ended when her ex-husband cheated on her with a campaign intern. Charlie is a retired boybander turned fashion designer ready to launch a solo career. And he’s decided Maya (who used to run the fandom dedicated to his former boyband) is the only one who can help him write this new chapter.

So cheesy. But it works! Really well! I read this in one day, wished it was twice as long, and immediately recommended it to three friends.

*Highly* recommend.

This dream of a book is short and sweet and I cannot recommend it enough. Politics and boy band crushes?? Say less. However, it’s also a look at the discomfort of fame and treatment of women and their interests. I can’t wait to read more from this new publication. Thank you NetGalley and 831 stories for this delightful story. Highly recommend pre ordering!

Novellas tend to leave me with complicated feelings and Big Fan is no exception. I really loved reading about Maya's job and her connection to Charlie, but I wish there had been more build-up to their happily ever after.

I totally get the comparisons of The Idea of You meets Scandal. I didn't like The Idea of You, mainly because the MFC was dating someone her daughter has a crush on and was closer in age to her daughter, so I appreciated that Maya and Charlie didn't have that specific complication.

Dialogue felt real, conflict was perfect and not overdone. Enjoyed watching both main characters feel their way through a transitional life period and find each other at the end.

3.5! I really liked Maya’s character and her DC political life, but the ending came so quickly and felt abrupt. Maybe that means I really enjoyed it?! The rumors are true — it’s if “The Idea of You” and “Scandal” had a baby. Thanks to the folks at Netgalley for the early copy!