I am seeing this novella compared to fan fiction and while most are comparing it positively, unfortunately, I think some elements of fan fiction that should be left behind are present. While this was relatively well written, there were tropes that were written in a very surface level, a consequence of the length most likely. Romanoff spends just about as much time explaining UBE as she does on the romance elements of her story. While the UBE subplot isn’t a deal breaker for me, the length of the story makes it feel disproportionately burdensome.

I definitely felt like this was just way too short so it was hard for me to fully enjoy it. I felt that a story like this possibly needed to be a bit longer. It was still cute but I was left with wanting more.

Really fun, brisk read. Exactly what I wanted it to be (well-written romance that didn't make my brain feel like it was melting)! Did not suffer for the shorter length at all -- I still screamed the first time they kissed :) Really looking forward to seeing what else is to come from 831 Stories!

What a delightful novella! I loved how Alexandra Romanoff blended politics with pop music. This novella was a cross between The Idea of You by Robinne Lee and Party of Two by Jasmine Guillory.

It was refreshing to read about a mature relationship, in addition to Maya and Charlie's journeys of self-discovery. Maybe it's because I'm a similar age to the MCs, but it was relatable.

Read if you like:
💙 Celebrity romance
💙 '90s/'00s nostalgia
💙 Fan fiction

Many thanks to Authors Equity and NetGalley for the eARC. Don't miss this novella from Romanoff!

Maya, a political strategist is dealing with the fall out from her divorce amid her ex husbands affair. She gets a call from her childhood celebrity crush Charlie, who wants to hire her to help him with a rebrand.
A swooney quick read that you won't be able to put down. My only complaint is that I wish it would have been longer. I would definitely recommend this book and looking forward to more from the author.
Thank you to Alexandra Romanoff, Authors Equity | 831 Stories, and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
This publishes September 10, 2024.

Big Fan is part political-drama and part famous person/non-famous person meet cute. I loved that the story centered on a women who was getting the chance to work with and meet the singer of her favorite band when she was younger (that she ran a fan club for!)- what a perfect idea for a story. I also really liked the setting and job details about political consulting- it felt different than other romances I've read that always seem to take place in New York or LA with people that are lawyers or script writers.

Thank you very much to 831 Stories and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an ARC copy!

This book is for the lifetime-fangirls. Even decade(s) after the band falls apart. She is a political strategist burned by her now-ex husband. He is a former boyband rockstar looking for help on a return to the public eye. The burning between these two GOT ME! The writing is done so well that I really felt I flew through the book! I could see some missing the "slow-burn" tension that can come with a 500-page book, however I was happily surprised by the succinct and natural flow of this storyline.

Four stars!!! Can't wait to read future works of Alexandra Romanoff.

Loved this book!! Was a quick and cute read. It reminded me of alot of the romance books I adore. Super cute!

As someone who works in politics, I started this book with many doubts of how accurate this would actually be. To my surprise, this was kind of,,, spot on??? BIG FAN is what would happen if a Wattpad fanfiction met a heterosexual version of Red, White, and Royal Blue.

This wasn't a silly "we have different political beliefs but fall in love" novel, (I hate those), but rather, I work in politics and fall in love with a celebrity. TWIST! This book was so fun, but also surprisingly,,,, informative???

I'm fully on the Universal Basic Income train after reading this, and you should be, too. You should just read this book. And then check your voter registration status. And then try to conveniently get hired by your favorite celebrity. Easier said than done, I'm sure. Long story short, you could say I'm a BIG FAN of this book. (Sorry, I had to.)

Loved this book! The characters were well written and both really likeable, I found myself immediately invested in their story which was a nice surprise considering how short the book is. The author built a relationship with the characters communicating clearly and maturely, as their jobs (and ages) would indicate them capable of.

As a "West Wing" lover, I enjoyed the political element as something new to me in a romance book, and that it easily it connected to the Hollywood/music world. I also loved that the "fangirl" history of the main character was respected, and how the author turned the plot into a story that didn't feel like a forced or cringeworthy fan-fiction.

I am a Alexandra Romanoff fan for life now!

This book is SO swoony and well done. Deftly drawn characters with the correct politics. Complicated dynamics. Hot sex. Everything you could want from a good romance.

I really enjoyed parts of the writing of this books and the plot but it’s way too short. This book has very little conflict and then just kinda ends? its all very pat. For a very messy plot it’s all very easily tied up. It ends so abruptly we never have any resolution to the political aspect of this job, we never meet the ex husband, we never see this woman’s family life, and we know nothing about the love interests inner life.
Thank you to net galley for this arc.

Wow. Just wow,

When I first started reading this book I was a little worried because it's so sort. I didn't know if the author would have time to fully flesh out a plot with so few pages.

I was so wrong.

I am absolutely blown away by this book. Romanoff created this moving story with forgiveness and romance and self-reflection and work troubles, and somehow used less than 200 pages? Give her all the awards and give *me* her next work immediately.

Her writing pulls you in and conveys a million things all at once. The characters were fully fleshed out—something impressive in full-length novels, let along short books like this. The romance was swoon-worthy, the work tension was relatable and well-written, and the other subplots fit in just perfectly.

I cannot recommend this book enough. Thank you to the publisher for my e-arc. If you need me, I will be (im)patiently waiting for Romanoff's next book.

Short, steamy and such a great novella. Maya is reeling in the aftermath of her high-profile divorce from a man from an esteemed political family something that has come in the way of her career as a political consultant. She is finally working on a campaign again where they are willing to take a chance on her and on her policy passion of UBI. This is all going well at least until Charlie, the lead singer of her teenage self's favorite band comes into her life. He wants her help to rebrand himself for his solo career and well maybe to get to know this woman who talks about how organizing fan spaces for his band in the 90s turned into a major political career.

The two characters had a great tension and I appreciate having characters who are adults that think like adults. There are careers and other factors that play into their lives and the decisions they make.

5⭐️! I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was such a quick easy fun read that I devoured in a single day. The writing was so well done and I was able to picture everything so vividly. The banter was so witty and cute. Gave similar the idea of you vibes, but personally I enjoyed it a lot more. Can’t recommend enough! I loved how quick and nice of a read it was, the perfect beach read and it's going to make such a good adaptation!

Big thanks to NetGalley and to 831 stories for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

And also thanks to shameless podcast for the recommendation!

Really really cute and fun short read. The vibe like a Big Time Rush fan fiction that wasn’t written by a 14 year old so I never wanted to cringe while reading!

Exactly what I hoped a book like this would be. Fun, well developed characters. Great banter. A variety of terrific settings (as a dc girl myself, I loved this being partially set there!) A quick read I couldn’t put down. Then you to 831 Stories for the copy!

It was fun to pick up a book and get totally sucked in from page one, not want to put it down, and finish it in one sitting. Celeb/normal person romances are my favorites, and Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff added a fun new layer by making both main characters famous, but in different arenas (and one who is more infamous than famous as the novel opens). This novel has great movement that doesn't feel forced - I was rooting for the two leads, but I also understood the tension keeping them apart (no lack of communcation tropes here - hooray!). The side characters are excellent, though I do wish we got more of them. And I will say that that is perhaps the one flaw of the book overall - I wish there was more. Though I felt bought into the love story, there was more to be mined and some of the tangential stories were interesting but underdeveloped (like the tension and resolution with her boss Teresa). Overall, I would recommend this book and will look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

okay, so first of all - i read this without ever drawing the line to one direction (which i know a lot of people did and maybe considering the author profile in the back could really be the inspiration). soo i kinda had a different perspective towards the character of Charlie. He was present and there in the book, but i couldn’t really picture him. This could probably be interpreted into that he was an idea in Maya’s mind for a long time of her life and then he was suddenly in her life. Personally, I would’ve wished he’d be more described in like I just had no idea how to picture him, which maybe relies on the entire fact that people usually draw the reference into this and I just simply didn’t.

I really liked that it was one reliable narrator. In the last few years, I noticed that there is more a tendency to publishing books with multiple povs or that the narrator is all-known for everything that’s about to happen. I enjoyed that :)

Obviously due to the length of the novel, I kinda expected that a jump in the timeline would happen and when it eventually did, I felt it needed to have one or two more paragraphs transitioning it. It felt like something was cut in the final edit or something. That was a bit sad and maybe one of the reasons why I only end up giving 3 stars. i wish i want to give this 4 stars, so maybe another read at around its publication date?

overall i enjoyed reading the story though and also having the contrast in professions pictured very well :)


(gonna record a podcast episode on the book at a date in the future)

This book was short and sweet. I enjoyed the quick easy read however there are some things I wish were different. The writing was good, but Charlie fell a little flat for me. I wish we got more character development from him. I really liked that the FMC Maya was a political person, a big deal in the world of political campaigning. I also wish we had more about the other band members. They felt like shadows with no real form and I think that it would have been interesting to see Charlie’s relationship with them a bit more.

I enjoyed the set up for the story a lot, I think it has a lot of potential to be a great political drama and love story, but the love interest being a retired boy band member was out of left field. It felt out of place in the established setting from the first chapter, and unfortunately because of this the story felt like it was being tugged in two different directions. Will it be a wattpad-esque silly romcom about Harry Styles or a riveting political drama?

This could have been The Goodwife but instead it felt confused and it is unfortunate. I would maybe recommend this to the right person, but it’s only a 3 star book for me.