Thank you 831 Stories for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This story was amazing. I fell a little in love with Maya. Her spirit and drive to succeed, her trying to continue her path in a way that improves the world. Her love for a boys band from her teenager years. Her struggles to let herself have something that can be wonderful but it’s so scary at the same time. It’s good to see such different facets of a women in a character.

This is a story that doesn’t overpromise, but definitely delivers on it’s premise. It honestly left me wanting more. I wanted to see more of Kate and her relationship with Maya. I wanted to know more about the band members and I definitely wanted more of Maya and Charlie. Hell, even the political details were interesting which is something that I never thought that I would want more of.

A quote that a loved: “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, in my many, many long years, says Charlie. It’s that the world rarely ends when you think it will.”

This book left me wanting more and I will definitely pick more books from this author in the future. Definitely recommend for the ones looking for not only a love story, but a story of a woman regaining her belief in herself.

was so cute and an easy read - put it down and then had to finish before going to bed
missing some development - like it was very much just their timeline and relationship/ almost felt unfinished
but loved what was there

Thank you Alexandra Romanoff for writing a romance book that A) I enjoyed and B) had mature, experienced characters. So often the leads in this genre are 20 year olds falling in love with their hometown crush.

In Big Fan, Maya is a 30 something political strategist going through a sex scandal involving her ex-husband. Her life needs a refresh so she's starting over, even at her age. Then...she receives an email asking to help stage a comeback for Charlie, the former lead singer of Mischief. One problem, Charlie was Maya's major crush in her teenage years. As it turns out, Maya finds that she still likes Charlie and the way he views the world.

I don't know, I just like this story. This is like if Joey McIntyre came and asked me to take over managing his career. A dream....absolutely. It's a nice fantasy to dream about.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm a big fan of Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff. It's a mix of the TV show The West Wing and Robinne Lee's The Idea of You (without the age difference)..

While I'm not in the USA, I do work in politics and enjoy stories that weave in elements of this work, even if quite sensationalised. Romanoff did a good job of having politics be part of the story while allowing the romance portion be at the forefront.

My only complaint is that the story was too short (e-ARC was 132 pages). There were gaps in the story and it felt rushed. There were missed opportunities for the writer to really develop the characters and add to the storyline. Would I still recommend it? Absolutely!

A special thank you to NetGalley and 831 Stories for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

I enjoyed the politics and I enjoyed the boy band aspect. Great concept, I just wish the romance was a little more convincing. I also would have loved a flashback of the main character running the fan club, it would have provided more depth and backstory to the romance.

“Who needs the truth when you have the comments section?”

Synopsis: Maya McPherson is a political strategist in D.C. whose high-profile ex-husband had an affair. Charlie Blake is a former boy band (Mischief) member, now a fashion designer, and he’s making a comeback as a solo artist and wants Maya’s help. Maya ran a Mischief fan club back in the 2000s, and she’s asking Charlie to publicly support her candidate’s run for governor in exchange.

What I liked: While the novel is short, it doesn’t really feel that way; the story is appropriately paced without feeling rushed. The dialogue is written how people speak in real life, which makes the story feel more believable. It felt like I was in the scene with the characters. There were also modern references to TikTok, Deuxmoi, Jimmy Fallon, etc.

What I disliked: Nothing to note.

This book is for you if… you want a short fan-fic à la “The Idea of You” but for “Succession” fans.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of #BigFan.

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.