Up Close & Personal is a charming debut novel by Ana Holguin. I love how this romcom explores emotions that are realistic and many people can relate to them. There were a few unexpected twists, which I always enjoy. Have you ever thought about being a journalist? This books takes you on the highs and lows of research for an article and the extreme lengths someone will do to find out behind the scenes information. One of the characters mentions that reading is one of their hobbies. which is always fun for any book lover to read. Wishing Ana big success with this book and looking forward to more books! Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the advance eARC of this book.

This book is technically well written, but I got no sense of who these characters were beyond their jobs. Also, I felt no chemistry between them. The descriptions of the characters could also use a lot of work. It took me so long to figure out what the FMC looked like beyond her hair. It felt like the author forgot that the readers need characters described the first time we meet them.

Overall, this was bland, and I was bored.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Huge thank you to Forever Publishing for the gifted ARC! As a Peloton fan, I jumped at the chance to read this early, and I’m so glad I did! Up Close and Personal is a swoony, heartfelt rom-com that had me laughing, tearing up, and completely falling for Jo and Silas.

Jo is a beloved spin instructor with a cult following, while Silas is a jaded journalist out to prove her job is just yelling at people from a bike. But from their banter-filled rivalry to their unexpected deep connection, this story had me hooked. I LOVED Jo and Silas—two incredibly sweet, lovable characters navigating vulnerability, trust, and their own personal battles. The mental health rep is beautifully handled, adding depth to an already compelling story.

Told in dual POV, this book is fun, flirty, and full of heart, with a fantastic found family dynamic and sizzling chemistry. Up Close and Personal is the perfect rom-com with substance, and I can’t recommend it enough! Definitely add this one to your TBR—it’s out April 29!

Felt like nothing happened in this. I unfortunately had to DNF about 60% into the book. The two MC were very unlikeable. I wanted to root for them but could not relate to them at all.

This was honestly so cute!!! I had such a good time!! It was fun and flirty and there was so much tension and yearning between Silas and Jo!!! And there was a lot of good mental health rep! I also loved the secondary characters, seeing all of them rally around their people made my heart so happy! This is such a fantastic debut!! And I cannot wait to see what else Ana does!!

Jo and Silas!!! They started off so funny - they desperately wanted to prove the other wrong!!! They were SO SURE they weren’t going to like the other person!! But they fell for each other SO SEAMLESSLY. It was so beautifully written. It was such a delicious slow burn. Jo had a lot of reservations, she was taking her time, trying to figure out how and if she could trust Silas. And he of course was keeping things from her as well. But wait was SO WORTH IT.

Thank you so much to Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

4.25 stars! What a fabulous debut. 27 Dresses is one of my absolute favorite romcoms, and I am also a huge Peloton fan, so I knew I would love this book based on the premise alone. Unsurprisingly, I was right! UP CLOSE & PERSONAL follows Jo De La Cruz, a successful spin instructor for famed fitness company Haven. On the outside, Jo is thriving, but she is secretly struggling with the effects of years spent in the public eye, and questioning whether she should step off her Haven bike for good. Is it finally time for her to tell her story on her own terms? Enter Silas, a jaded journalist who's just received a huge assignment—a cover story following none other than Haven's star instructor herself. Silas is sure that Jo must be shallow and frivolous, that her job involves nothing more than "yelling at people from a bike." But there's nothing Jo loves more than proving people wrong, and when she and Silas collide, neither of them could have predicted what would happen next...

UP CLOSE & PERSONAL was such a unique, creative love story, with the comforting nature of a classic romcom! I was so invested in Jo and Silas, both as individuals and as a couple. I particularly loved the way Ana Holguin explores mental health representation through their respective journeys. She tackles the characters' experiences with anxiety and depression in a thoughtful, authentic, and empathetic way. So many readers can relate to struggling with those "invisible monsters" every day, and the importance of a strong support system is key, which Holguin does a great job of conveying.

Another highlight for me was the NYC setting—the city really felt like its own character! It was heartwarming to watch Jo and Silas fall in love against the backdrop of a summer in the city, complete with diner lunches, thrift shopping trips, and summer nights out. Their story is certainly a slow burn, but it makes sense for their characters. Holguin progresses their relationship in a really natural, believable way, since Jo and Silas start out being a little unsure of each other, but soon develop a strong friendship, which obviously blossoms into something more! I wished we had a few more scenes with them after they officially got together, but loved all of their moments throughout the story (some of my personal favorites were when Silas joins Jo's spin class, when he comforts her after an injury, and when they open up to each other about their families, mental health, etc.). I also appreciated how well-developed the side characters were, especially Jo's best friends, and the depth given to Jo and Silas's respective workplaces. Overall, this was a super strong debut, and I am already so excited to see what Ana Holguin writes next! (Also, I might have to rewatch 27 Dresses now.) Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC.

I have mixed feelings about this romance debut following a Peloton-esque fitness influencer and a journalist doing a piece on her. The story was reminiscent of some of my comfort early 2000s romcoms like 27 Dressed and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The book also included an important message about mental health, though I found the delivery of the message a bit clunky. Overall, I didn’t love the actual line level writing of the book. The character descriptions were pretty vague and writing failed to hit me with a punch of emotion.

I loved this book! The characters were very interesting. Loved how they were written. It was nice seeing mental health being discussed and talked about in a healthy/supportive manner.

I knew from the premise I would love this! A famous spin instructor at a Soulcycle-esque studio and the journalist investigating her? So delicious, so juicy. And this was all of that and more, but it was also so damn TENDER! Jo is a fantastic heroine—funny, relatable, plucky—but also dealing with a lot of anxiety and the shame around that. Watching her figure out what it takes to move out of her comfort zone was such great character growth—and the mental health exploration here was expertly done and exactly what I needed right now. And Silas—yum. I love a hurt/comfort scene and there’s a great one in here where Silas is so swoony and sweet. Sign me up for whatever Ana writes next! Fans of Abby Jimenez, Livy Hart, and Kate Spencer will go feral!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review 🙂

If you told me I’d fall head over heels for a romance set in the high-energy world of celebrity spin instructors, I would have laughed (while firmly planted on my couch). But Up Close & Personal grabbed me from the first page and never let go—much like Jo’s death-grip on her carefully curated public image.

Jo is a powerhouse—confident, driven, and not here for anyone questioning her career, especially a grumpy journalist who thinks she’s just a glorified hype woman on a bike. Enter Silas: skeptical, broody, way too handsome for his own good… and somehow, annoyingly charming. Watching him go from cynic to full-on Jo stan was chef’s kiss perfection. Their chemistry? Off the charts. The banter? Top-tier. And the slow-burn romance? Had me pedaling (mentally, of course—I was still on my couch) toward their happily-ever-after.

Beyond the swoon, this book dives deep—touching on burnout, mental health, and the pressure of living up to an image. It’s heartfelt without ever feeling heavy, and the found-family vibes? Immaculate. I needed about 50 more pages of Jo and Silas just being adorable together.

If you love witty banter, sunshine/grump dynamics, and heroes who actually listen and grow, do yourself a favor and grab this book. Just be warned: you will want to take a spin class afterward. (Or at least watch one on YouTube while eating snacks. No judgment.)

I enjoyed this one but sadly it just didn't hit as hard for me as I thought it would.
There were some very cute moments and I enjoyed the romance.

There were times I really liked Silas and other times not so much. But I did really like Jo's character and found her relatable at times.

I did think the mental health aspect was handled very well which is always a good thing!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a great debut. The profession and concept of connection between the two leads felt like such a unique spin (no pun intended) on a romance novel, and I was so invested the entire way through.

Jo was such a dynamic character. She was in a very public-facing position while having to navigate her own boundaries for that to protect her mental health over the past few years. It was an interesting, thought-provoking insight and reminder of how much someone can have going on behind the curtain of what they choose to share publicly. Jo was incredibly driven but also feeling suffocated and ready for change while ALSO feeling scared of the idea of change. Her anxiety was incredibly relatable to me, and it was so rewarding to see her face it and work through it while at the same time finding ways to allow others to support her when it was overwhelming. Sometimes knowing when we need more help and can’t manage everything alone is half the battle. I loved the friendship bond between Jo, Amber, and Serena and the way they showed up for each other, no matter the time and distance between them.

Silas was an interesting character in his own right. He started out his assignment with an air of superiority and condescension, but it became apparent that while he may be quick to judge he also had an open mind and was willing to look at things from all sides. He wasn’t resistant to having his mind changed. I admired the way he handled his journalistic side with Jo and how respectful he was of her hesitancy. Even before their friendship developed, he was kind and considerate of her needs and worked to make her feel comfortable without pushing her before she was ready. As their friendship and feelings grew I was even more endeared to him.

The romance was a slow burn that felt tender and tense at the same time. Tender in the way that everything developed and Jo and Silas opened up to each other over time. It started as one-sided, naturally being that Jo was his interview subject and eventually became reciprocal in a very natural way. Tense in the way that I knew the conflict was imminent and I was waiting for it to drop to see how Jo and Silas would work through it. When it finally came, I greatly appreciated the way it was handled. It felt true to the characters and resolved in a way that felt so mature and solid.

The 2025 romance debut class remains elite and I can’t wait to read more from Ana Holguin. Thank you to Forever via NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Forever for the ARC of this book! I really enjoyed this book so much and I will be looking forward to reading more books by Ana Holguin in the future. The description of this book made it seem like a very lighthearted read and I was pleasantly surprised to discover quite a bit more depth in the story. The book follows Jo, an instructor at the fitness company Haven Home, much like Peloton. She has been doing the job for the last 10 years and has made quite a name for herself, since the company started streaming her classes to at home stationary bikes. Beneath her upbeat facade, she struggles quite a bit with the spotlight and the pressure it puts on her.
Silas works at a popular magazine and is assigned a story to cover Haven , when he realizes that he actually has a mutual friend with Jo. He uses this connection to get an interview with Jo. She struggles to open up while he throws himself into taking classes at her studio. As they spend more and more time together, they forge a connection that is much deeper than they expected.
The book is definitely a slow burn romance, which I thought was done well and has a lot of mental health representation. The characters are real and raw and I really was rooting for them the whole time. I had no idea I could love a book about a spin instructor so much! Five stars from me!

Jo is a fitness instructor. She is very popular and her workouts are always streaming. Her class is so popular, there's a waitlist to get in. She meets Silas, he joins her class and he's everything she doesn't expect. He gets her mental health issues and he's also a journalist writing about her. She ends up catching g feelings for him. This book was really good, I was surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did.

This book was an amazing read. The depth and growth of the characters were incredible. Everything felt well developed and full of feels. The setting of NYC felt like a background character. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I voluntarily read an early copy.

Loved this one! Amazing novel, her writing style is amazing. Loved the sizzling chemistry and the romcom feeling of this romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for allowing me to read this book!
Up Close & Personal by Ana Holguin is a debut and one my most anticipated reads of 2025. Jo De La Cruz, a star spin instructor, seems to have it all, but years in the spotlight have taken a toll—right when she meets Silas, a skeptical journalist who doubts her job is more than just shouting from a bike. Determined to change his mind, Jo is surprised when Silas fully commits to her world, bonding with her over shared struggles and unexpected chemistry. But as his article gains attention, Jo must decide whether trusting him will lead to heartbreak or the kind of love worth taking a risk on.
Unfortunately, this one didn’t click for me—I just couldn’t get into the story. 😕 But I did love the anxiety rep, which was really well done!

Up Close and Personal was soooo good! I loved the mental health rep, especially regarding anxiety. Jo and Silas were both well developed characters with depth to them, and I enjoyed how they slowly learned to trust each other.
This was a great book and I'm excited to see what's next for this author!

I want to say thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC. Up Close & Personal is a nice romance with amazing mental health representation.

I recently finished reading this book and I must say, it was a captivating and refreshing experience. From the moment I started the book, I was hooked by its grounded and relatable portrayal of romance.
The plot is incredibly realistic, which is something I truly appreciated. The love story unfolds at a pace that feels true to life—there are no unrealistic twists or melodramatic moments that often plague romantic novels. Instead, the characters face real-life challenges, personal growth, and emotional struggles that anyone can relate to. The story touches on themes of trust, vulnerability, and the importance of self-discovery before fully opening up to someone else.
What stood out most to me was the character development. The protagonist evolve throughout the book, and their emotional growth is depicted with such care. Their flaws, strengths, and vulnerabilities are portrayed in a way that makes them feel like real people, not just characters on a page. It’s rare to find a romance where the characters' emotional journeys are as important as their romantic connection, and [Book Title] does this beautifully. Their interactions felt authentic, and the relationship built naturally over time, making it all the more rewarding by the end.
This book made me reflect on my own experiences and left me with a sense of hope that love can grow in the most unexpected ways. It's a novel about finding love not just with someone else, but also with yourself. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a romance that feels real, with characters that are fully realized and a plot that keeps you invested from start to finish.