4.5 stars - The Close-Up is a very fresh take on what a rom com can be. It feels new, a little risqué, and entirely engrossing.

I love the hero, Simon. He’s perfect — mature, adventurous, kind, smoking hot, etc. the heroine, Naomi, is open-minded, talented, beautiful, and a rising star at her online media company. Theo meet cute is humorous. Their love story is all the things. I really enjoyed this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Nothing good comes from a d**k pic. I know that now”
“Don’t fret about it”
“I just drunkenly threw myself at the p***y whisperer”
This book was just amazing!!
I wasn’t expecting what I read at all and I’m very glad I had a chance to get through it!!
This was the right amount and mix between fluffiness and cuteness and spice and smuttiness and I absolutely adored it!!
I fell in love with Simon probably from the first scenes in which he was introduced and my heart screamed with happiness knowing that the only thing he wanted was to make his partners feel special, cherished. He wanted them to feel loved and appreciated … while in turn, making other men understand it and do it with their own partners!!!
I have to say though that there were some very interesting tropes that made it all way better to experience!!
A bit of forced proximity, another bit of forbidden relationship and some very, very good friends to lovers trope that I’m not typically a fan of but this time completely blow my mind!!
Naomi and Simon are amazing together!!Their relationship is so new, so fresh … it’s so uncontroversial that made me realise that sometimes relationships are just this. They’re not perfect but they shouldn’t be terrible … just something in the middle of it!!
“Someone worth fighting for - and fighting with”
And the empowerment that comes with listening to Simon do his therapy sessions, the knowledge that when a relationship fails it’s not because the woman is a catalyst for stupid douchebags but maybe because one of them, or both, is not ready for commitment!!!
I love the freedom the power that Naomi felt while being with Simon and the feeling of friendship that was at the bottom of their story!!!
And a toast to cheerful family in the background because they’re the best!!!
Please read this book cause you deserve it !!!
“Men who teach other men how to degrade and disrespect women are not welcome in any of my classes”
“Everything about you sets me off, Naomi. It always has”
“Come on, Naomi. What kind of a guy do you think I am? … Of course there’s cuddling”

The Close-Up is an unputdownable friends-to-lovers romance. Sarah Smith writes a unique and unexpected take on this popular trope!

Naomi is a digital editor for a popular magazine. She is going through a breakup after her boyfriend cheated on her. This leads her to stick to a love ban. She is over relationships and wants to focus on work and having fun. When she goes out with her best friend, they are having a good time. She has one too many and decides to tackle something on her f*ck it list. It's the list where she does something that she normally wouldn't do. This time she is going to flirt with a hot guy at the bar. That hot guy happens to be Simon. Simon is really charming and attractive. Naomi probably won't remember everything but she won't forget vomiting all over his shoes.

A few days later, she is back at work and tasked with a new assignment; to create a docuseries on a popular relationship therapist. It so happens that it is Simon, the man she was flirting with. Can you say awkward? But he makes everything so comfortable between them. A bit too comfortable because they have fantastic chemistry. Naomi doesn't want to do relationships but it's becoming harder to keep things strictly professional. Did I mention that Simon also used to be a cam guy who Naomi was a fan of when she was younger? That's just another added fact that is making it harder for her to keep her hands to herself.

I absolutely loved the chemistry and sexual tension between Naomi and Simon. And I love that the author lets the main characters build a solid friendship before ever crossing that line from friends to lovers. Like I previously mentioned this is unlike anything I have read in this trope. The author presents a character in Simon that is comfortable in his skin and doesn't shame him for being a cam guy. She gives readers a good reminder of how people can change and grow through life and how they should never be judged or shamed for their life choices. I think Naomi is such a relatable character. She has been burned too many times in the past and is afraid of love. To see her growth by the end of the book is so worth the read.

I give The Close-Up 5 stars. It's such a fresh take on one of my favorite tropes. I couldn't help but be captivated from the very beginning. I think readers will enjoy the chemistry and spark between Simon and Naomi. The romance and spice of the book make it impossible to put down!

This was so good!
I liked that the story was unique! The pacing as perfect and at times you couldn’t put the book down.
I really liked how powerful Naomi was. She’s trying to make her way to the top and isn’t shy from her work. I like that she puts herself out there.
I loved Simon! It was very different reading how he used to cam sex with his partners. I liked reading how he was a relationship therapist.
I absolutely loved how the couple talks through challenges and fears. I especially liked how Simon make sures to communicate with Naomi.
The steamy scenes were amazing! As Simon did cam when he was younger those scenes with Naomi did not disappoint.

Read if you like:
Heroine’s POV
Powerful heroine
Hero who used to cam
Steamy scenes
Friends to lovers
Workplace romance

I’ve read and enjoyed a few books by Sarah Smith (really enjoyed Simmer Down), so when I saw she had a new book coming out soon I was excited to give it a try. The premise – Naomi, a digital editor, fresh off a string of bad relationships and officially on a relationship ‘ban’ is thrown together with Simon, seemingly perfect guy, relationship therapist and her newest interview assignment.

This one was a mixed bag, and definitely not a read for everyone. For one, Simon’s character is a former ‘camguy’ – I was unfamiliar with the concept, but it’s definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

The highlights – the writing as always is good. Sarah delivers solid stories with fleshed out characters. The premise itself works – I like many, enjoy a ‘workplace’ romance and the whole idea of ‘giving up on love’ only to stumble upon that person who makes you want to give it a second chance. I thought the jobs were a nice change up too, I haven’t read a romance that featured a relationship therapist before or someone who also specialized in seminars.

I found Simon’s job intriguing and the idea that she would be following his work and doing a series based around it. The characters were ones I was intrigued by, and it was interested to learn more about them too.

Wishes / Misses – story is marked friends to lovers, this might just be a me thing, but I would not classify it as such. I think of friends to lovers as one where they truly are friends and have an established relationship first, that evolves to one or more parties having feelings. In this case, they meet – she knows him from his cam days – are attracted to one another / hit on one another and then start working together. I think my second biggest wish/miss was related to part of the storyline with Landon and Desiree – no spoilers, but especially in light of the seminar and what was said by both her and Simon, this bit felt very hypocritical on both their parts and had me yelling at them a bit. I wish that bit of the story had been cut.

The book felt a smidge long for me, I think because the Landon/Desiree bit felt a bit unnecessary and dragged a bit. However, it did do a nice job of exploring how prior relationships can have an impact on how we move forward (consciously and unconsciously).

Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this book! I’ve willingly read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.

I’ve read quite a few of Sarah Smith’s books so I was so excited to get a chance to read her newest! THE CLOSE-UP was unlike anything I’ve read before. Our main characters are Naomi, a digital editor at a popular website, and Simon, a former cam-guy and current relationship/individual relationship therapist. I was unfamiliar with the concept of canning, but it really added a level of uniqueness to the story.

Naomi is tasked by her boss (whose husband has learned how to better their relationship, so much so that they’re happier than ever) to do a piece for the website on Simon. However, Naomi and Simon have a past—only some of which he knows about.

Though the book felt a smidge too long, I loved the way Naomi’s anxieties about relationships and Simon’s past were explored. Both characters obviously have things they’re insecure about due to how precious partners acted, but these were dealt with in a way that made me root for the happily ever after between THE CLOSE-UP’s two main characters.

I really loved this one. It had me hooked from the very beginning and I just couldn’t put it down. Not only the MCs were an absolute pair of made in heaven but also I feel so connected and easily relating to the Noami. She was such a fun character to read about. And Simon was quite loving and sweet. Also, the chemistry was an absolute banger. In a nutshell, a perfect 5 stars read for me.

This entire book had me by the heart & I couldn’t put it down!
THE CLOSE-UP was a fun, quick read and was totally unputdownable.
It leaves you with feel good, happy vibes!
I absolutely love the premise of the story and the characters were beautifully matched.
The pacing was great, the side characters were great, seriously I couldn't stop gushing about how much I loved every single aspect of this book. Eager to read book two already.
I can’t wait to keep reading more from Sarah Smith!
Carina Press, Thank you so much for this wonderful advance ebook copy!

How can you keep your professional relationship strictly professional when only thing in your mind is jumping into that stunning therapist’s bones?

Dear Naomi’s life has never been easy! She’s an ambitious, aspiring film journalist. But she gets one of the most challenging tasks: Once upon a time the cam-guy she has watched at the college yearningly becomes her coworker. She has to work with Simon as partners to finish her project! She has to focus on docuseries she’s been working on and she has to obey the rules she’s created for man banning after the damage her cheating ex created.

Simon seems like a charming man, such a flirt, helping the men to fix their relationships. Their attraction is undeniable but how can they even finish their project when they’re so close to rip each other’s clothes!

I love how Sarah Smith builds sexual tension with her characters. I truly enjoyed this book even though ending was a little rushed. I will never say no to spend more time with these characters! It was so much fun!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Carina Press&Carina Adores ( Harlequin) for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.