While I did really enjoy the premise of this book and the overall plot I did find the writing repetitive. It even felt like the same sentences were used multiple times and some minuscule subjects were over explained.

Over all it’s a very fun, fast, and easy read!

Cozy, tender Romcom
LATINA!!!
Fitness instructor (spin) and Journalist
Dual POV
Anxiety rep

Loved listening to Silas the part time hater (journalist) and Jo (fitness instructor) book. Jo fools everyone with her smiles and hair flips. She’s wants to find her spark again, she’s bored but wants to tell her story. Silas is writing about the industry and is expecting the worst but finds that he enjoys her class and her company.

I will be purchasing a physical copy on 4/29

I enjoyed this audiobook however there are a few things that I thought it could have been better.
I thought the whole " we met under nefarious purposes " went on too long. I don't think it should have caused that much inner turmoil, especially because the MFC knew what he through of her to begin with. They were both using each other to accomplish something.

I did appreciate the candid discussion of mental health for both MCs. I liked that they were both the black sheep in their family but together were perfect.
I liked the narrators, found the pacing to be thought out and while the story was predictable, I found myself wanting to keep listening for the resolution.

Ana Holguin's debut, Up Close & Personal, is such a fun romantic comedy and a new favorite of mine!

Jo (FMC) is a famous spin instructor and a role model for so many, but behind the scenes she battles with anxiety and mental health.
Silas (MMC) is a writer who is skeptical of Jo's following and asks to interview her for an article in the magazine he works for.
It's a SLOW burn romance that with have you anticipating THE MOMENT! 😘

The ONLY thing I didn't really care for in this story was the conflict towards the end, it just felt immature and avoidable.

I received the ALC of this novel, thanks to NetGalley & Hachette Audio!
I highly recommend the audio version, Maria Liatis and Kellen Boyle did a fantastic job. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 (I listen at 1.5x speed)

Read this if you like
- SLOW Burn
- Pining
- Strangers to Friends to Lovers
- Spin Class/Peloton
- Anxiety Rep

Silas, a New York based journalist, is tasked with writing an article about the craze around the local fitness club, Haven and their star instructor Jo. The problem is Haven has a waitlist that is months long and traditional channels to request access for his article will take weeks to months.

Silas discovers a mutual acquaintance through social media and works his way into Jo’s inner circle and slowly they become friends and his guilt of misleading Jo starts to surface.

This is a great read - light reading even with the mental wellness issues Ana has written on throughout the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early review audiobook.

This is a powerful, fun, entertaining read. Silas and Jo are interesting, wounded, strong, complex, relatable, intriguing, entertaining, complicated characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. The secondary characters added to fabric of the story and my enjoyment. Holguin handles the themes of anxiety and depression with depth and compassion. It adds a dimension to the plot and the main characters. The story is overall easy to read and get into, with powerful moments.

I enjoyed the audio version of this book and the narrators.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF at 54% the premise was promising and was excited for a Latina fmc, but the pacing was glacier, and the couple had no real chemistry on page. We were being told that feelings were developing, but I saw friendship built on a foundation of lies at best. Despite being told exceptionally private things about Jo and her struggle with popularity, this guy sought to hide the true intentions and scale of this article the whole way. It felt greasy to the point that I could not root for them as a couple. Also, this is maybe a bit nitpicky but as a Latina I've seen this a few times, where a character is from a specific culture and it's jist kind of like a tacked out detail, it doesn't really add anything to who she is. I'm not saying as Mexican she needed to make tamales and wear a sombrero, but there was a chance to add a bit more, her relationship with her family who didn't understand her career, them potentially not understanding her mental health issues, etc, common generational issues within latin american families.

Up Close & Personal by Ana Holguin is the kind of romance I wish we saw more of—raw, real, and rooted deeply in emotional truth. This isn’t just a love story between two people, it’s a love story about learning to accept and cherish every part of yourself, even the parts you think make you "too much."

Our FMC Jo De La Cruz lives with chronic anxiety and symptoms of panic disorder. Not only is Jo diagnosed with mental health disorders, but it also touches on Male mental health issues. Silas Anders has battled depression longer than he's been diagnosed—and that representation hit me straight in the heart. As a grad student in behavioral health, I absolutely LOVED seeing mental health, especially male mental health, handled with such care and nuance. This book says loud and clear: you are not alone, and you are lovable—monsters and all. You, my fellow readers who have any kind of mental health condition diagnosed or not, deserve love to. This book is an example that you don't have to fight your "invisible monsters" alone. You will find the right person/people that will fight with you. Someone that truly loves you will come along and want every single part that makes you, you. Monsters and all, you are loveable in your entirety. Jo De La Cruz, is loveable in her entirety.

The emotional intimacy between Jo and Silas was beautiful. And while the spice was minimal (2/5), the slow burn and vulnerability between them? Chef’s kiss.

My only real critique: I wanted more of Jo’s Mexican-American identity. There were brief nods to her culture—Spanglish impressions, Tex-Mex food—but for someone as layered as Jo, I wish her heritage had been more integrated into the narrative. She’s a strong, successful woman of color navigating both mental health and public pressure—that deserved more spotlight. She is "the girl behind the bike". She is a strong woman who is also part of a population within America that gets abused by its government and citizens.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the Arc Audio of this book.
I really loved how this Author brought mental health and anxiety to the front and showed that a lot of people, even people in the public eye struggle with mental health. She made both main characters so relatable that it just sucks you in. Definitely a slowww burn but oh so good. I love that they become friends first and that the MMC truly works so hard to become friends with her. A few things that he did that I don’t agree with and of course made the angst avoidable and a little predictable but it was still so cute and I couldn’t stop listening. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

I didn’t know what to expect when I first started listening to this book. The title and the cover had me hooked though. I loved the romcom feeling of the book. As well as the drama in it kept me involved. This book was a good quick listen!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to listen and review this book as an ARC

Up Close & Personal, the debut of Ana Holguin, is about a Peloton-esque spin instructor and the skeptical reporter assigned to write a feature on her cult-like following. Unfortunately the audiobook was slow moving with narrators that fell flat and a predictable third act conflict that had me rolling my eyes. While I appreciated the mental health representation, this story lacked spark.

Thank you Forever and Hachette Audio for the gifted copy!

Up Close and Personal is a must read for the Peloton girlies! This sweet rom com follows Jo, a fitness instructor reluctantly becoming a household name after the viral success of Haven’s at-home cycling classes. Our leading man is Silas, a skeptical journalist who thinks the whole thing is a cult — that is until he actually starts taking classes and begins to feel the sense of community Haven fosters. And of course, when he starts falling for Jo!

Silas and Jo’s love story unfolds gradually and feels organic, with fantastic banter and plenty of fun NYC adventures. Beyond the romance, the book also thoughtfully explores mental wellness and diversity in the fitness industry, adding depth to an already delightful read.

Audio: Dual POVs and dual narration — love to hear it! Both narrators deliver strong performances, especially in the emotional moments. This one’s a great choice in either audio or print!

🎧 AUDIOBOOK REVIEW 🎧

Thank you NetGalley and Audible Audio for the audio ARC

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all…wow! I’m speechless with how well this was written for a debut author.

But first the audio. Loved it. The narrators were great. It flowed great. There was chemistry. Great audio.

The book absolutely beautiful. It was a slow burn 🔥 but also didn’t feel like it cause the chemistry between the two main characters was amazing. Silas is a book boyfriend for sure the way he loved Jo from a far and parts where he carried for her was beautiful. The whole book was just beautifully written. I’m still in shock this is a debut author and I can’t wait to see what she brings next! Highly recommend.

Up Close & Personal is a (kind of) enemies-to-lovers, (sort of) celebrity romance with workplace-adjacent vibes. As cynical journalist Silas gets to know the subject of his latest assignment, celebrity fitness instructor Jo, and each finds that there is more to the other than meets the eye. This book had a really slow start, and the writing did a lot of telling but not much showing. The characters read really young, despite being in their 30s, and the narrators' voices had an equally young sound. This book attempted an exploration of mental health, and while I applaud the effort, I found the depth to be lacking. I think this book will find its readers, but it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for gifting me with an ALC to review. All opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️
I ended up enjoying this much more than I thought that I would due to the slow beginning and audio production.

As far as the plot it took me a bit to get into the audio as I kept checking out and. It paying attention making me have to rewind a bit. But then around 20% I started to get pulled in and became invested in the story.

I enjoyed reading about a topic that I’m not used to (cycling) and the slow burn romance was fun albeit at times frustrating. My biggest issue plot wise is the miscommunication trope. It’s just not necessary and this plot could have been kept mostly intact with choosing a more realistic avenue. And then as is common in books with this trope and hallmark movies, the ending is rushed as the author ties it up neatly.

Now for the audiobook aspect. This is a duel narrated, dual POV work which was quite obvious was not recorded the same. There are many audiobooks recorded in a home studio or similar that matches seamlessly with the other actors recordings but this was not it. It was pretty jarring to go from the female, Maria Liatis part to the male, Kellen Boyle part as it was clear that it was recorded differently and not seem less. In addition Ms Liaris vocals fit the female characters for the most part but to me personally, Mr Boyles did not. He made Silas sound nerdy and it just didn’t come off as authentic to the character written.

Thankfully, eventually you got used to the above issues (probably because i sped it up to 2x so I didn’t have to listen to it as recorded) which not so coincidentally helped me focus on the story a bit better.

So in the end, I recommend the book itself but don’t recommend the audiobook. But that’s my personal opinion!

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Hachette Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Many thanks to Ana Holguin, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for this ALC, as well as Maria Liatias and Kellen Boyle for their -very well done- narration.

Up Close and Personal follows Jo, a successful Spin Instructor facing personal struggles, and Silas, a journalist writing an article about her despite being skeptical of her profession. I must admit, the whole "gym instructor worship" aspect feels a bit odd to me, but it was a pleasant read, especially considering it’s Ana Holguin’s debut novel.

It's dual POV, which I love. Jo and Silas start off on the wrong foot, but then, the story mainly focuses on building their friendship. They are kind, relatable characters whose struggles with mental health add unexpected depth to the story. There’s a bit of miscommunication toward the end, but given the characters’ personalities, it made sense. It’s a well-rounded story that I’m sure many readers will enjoy.

Ana Holguin's debut tells the story of a fitness influencer and a journalist who is determined to expose the true woman behind the image. This reads a little like a debut novel. It starts off slow and the characters could be more developed. However, both characters were likeable, it realistically dealt with anxiety/depression, and was good once the story went from friends to lovers.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the writer comes up with next!

Thank you, NetGalley and Hachette Audio, for the ALC!

Up Close & Personal by Ana Holguin is a contemporary romance releasing on April 29. I was lucky to read the ARC, so my focus here is on the narration.

🎧 Listening speed: 1.5x
🎙 Narration: Duo performance by Maria Liatis & Kellen Boyle
Kellen Boyle’s delivery has a “matter-of-fact” tone that perfectly matches the character. Maria Liatis has a great voice, though her masculine tones were sometimes hard to distinguish.

A cute, lighthearted rom-com—perfect for an easy, feel-good listen!

The narration was exactly what I imagined their voices to sound like. This story was even more enjoyable as an audiobook and loved that the pacing was so good originally that speeding it up to my favorite speed didn’t alter their voices too much as well!

This novel gave me vibes of "How to lose a guy in 10 days" meets the phenomena of Peloton / Orange Theory set in the hustle and bustle of New York City 📝

Jo is one of spin's hottest instructors and founding member of Haven, a fitness studio that attracts in person and online clients by the thousands. She meets Silas, a reporter at a party and the pair immediately butt heads about Jo's career choice. She invites Silas to try out one of her classes and cover her career in an article. . . What could go wrong?

I really enjoyed how this novel was told from dual POV, especially with the mental health aspect I thought it added depth to both main characters in a meaningful way ❤️ Their individual development throughout the novel was inspiring and I loved the balanced mix between fun/light-hearted moments and meaningful conversations between Silas & Jo and their friends.

I will acknowledge that I thought the ending was predictable, but I think that's OK in a romance. This was an enjoyable read that captured my attention right away and left me feeling happy with the ending 🥰


I really enjoyed the main male character narrator but the female narrator had a voice that felt too young and annoying to be a famous fitness instructor