This book follows Jo, a fitness instructor with a strong online following who is hiding a secret. Silas, a journalist, is determined to uncover that secret and publish it for the world to see.

Jo is starting to question whether her work as a fitness instructor truly fulfills her. She teaches classes at Haven Studios and broadcasts to thousands of people across the country, yet something feels missing.

Silas is assigned to write an article on why people love Haven over other studios. More specifically, what is it about Jo that has nearly a million people captivated on Instagram?

I loved how this book delivers a believable romance, with a slow-burn attraction between the main characters. The author also handles mental health themes with care, making the story even more compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the e-ARC!

Up Close and Personal is the Peloton-inspired rom-com I’ve been waiting for.

Jo is a fit, inspiring instructor with a secret and Silas is the journalist set on telling her story.

Jo is at a crossroads in her life. Haven has become so successful that her name and face are broadcast into thousands and thousands of homes country wide. Only, she’s not sure why she’s no longer loving her job.

Silas is a journalist and when told to cover Haven, uses his connections to get to meet Jo who he expects to be snooty and unlikeable. Color him surprised when he finds she’s the exact opposite. Soon the two find themselves circling each other, not just for Silas to write Jo’s story but also because they wonder if maybe they’ve found a connection they’ve been searching for in each other.

But Silas has hidden the truth from Jo and Jo has been burnt one too many times before. Can the two overcome their preconceived notions and mistakes for a chance at real love?

This book was so fun, while simultaneously having nuanced characters with deep emotional journeys.

Both leads have their own struggles with mental health which gives this book additional complexity and was handled sensitively.

This book makes me want to get back into spin class!

A recommended read! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved Up Close & Personal! As someone who attends cycling classes, I really understand how a good instructor can be motivating and inspiring, and I could envision my favorite instructors when reading about Jo. The only thing holding this back from being 5 stars is Silas not telling the whole truth at the beginning. We hate a miscommunication trope.

Absolutely wonderful!

I am always hesitant about influncer-esque characters. Despite running a bookstagram myself, I just find it too.. fake? But honestly having that opinion meant that while Silas was falling in love with Jo, I was also gaining more appreciation for everything that she had gone through and everything that created her character. I'm definitely not running out to buy a peleton (which is kind of like the equivalent to the fictional bike in this book) but I respect the industry more - and thats the magic of a book like this!

This definitely is reminiscent of 27 dresses and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, so if you love a classic 2000s rom-com I'd highly recommend picking it up. Ana did a fantastic job of weaving both Jo and Silas' struggles with mental health and anxiety into the story too.

I thought this book was just going to be a cute little rom com, and it delivered on that, but it was also so much more. Jo is working for Haven a super popular spin class instructor that does online and in person classes that are booked out and hard to get into and is burnt out and Silas is writer for a magazine who thinks the whole thing is basically a cult run by airheads when he is assigned to write about what draws people to take her classes. He ends up getting the ride of his life and falling in love with beautiful instructor as he helps her navigiate her anxiety and shed some light on some important mental health issues. If you are a fan of Abby Jimenez, you will love this one!

This was such a great romance! One of my top 5 of the year so far. This was their debut book, and I’m so excited to see where they go from here!

The MMC started as a little insufferable - he’s a hater, and goes in assuming the worst. But, over the course of the book, my mind is fully turned around on him! Which almost never happens for me - I so appreciated the depth of his character.

The FMC is definitely a take on a Peloton instructor, and if you’re someone who’s ever ridden/ kept up with a instructor / wondered what they’re up to in their everyday life, this was a fantastic read.

Journalism ethics, mental health (depression/anxiety) rep, this book had it all!

A sweet, slow burn romance between a fitness influencer and a writer.

This is definitely inspired by well loved Peloton athletes, but I loved it. I love that it showed how social media can be managed and that the people we see online are ultimately HUMAN. Jo's struggles around anxiety were so raw and insightful. The mental health representation and the nuggets of "You are not alone" was so wonderfully written. I love anyone willing to break any negative stigma around mental health, therapy, and medication.

For the romance, oh I thought I was going to be unhappy with Silas, but he makes up for it. Miscommunication isn't my favorite trope, but I understood that he respected Jo's space.

The way they described spin made me want to go to a class even though i know how hard they are. 😂 It was fun and motivating. I loved that this story didn't focus on weight loss or a certain body type. Jo is STRONG and the several types of people and body types taking the classes are mentioned more than once. I appreciated that.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and recommend!!

this only reinforced my decision to never join a spin class, but I'm sincerely glad it worked out for these two crazy kids.

✰ 4-4.5 stars rounded down

thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the arc in exchange for an honest review

platform: netgalley ebook arc

I loved the play on 27 Dresses in this story. I also loved the mental health rep so much! Jo and Silas were so great! The banter between them, and the chemistry, top notch! It was so fun to see them overcome their issues and see if they could be happy together after the way it all started and their respective jobs. Such a great, fun story!

My new fav romcom of the year. This book had everything that I enjoy and look for in a romcom and I’m so glad it delivered. I absolutely loved it and would definitely recommend

I thought that this was an interesting premise. Jo is a fitness instructor for the book’s version of Peloton. Silas is a journalist who wants to figure out why people are so obsessed with this company and Jo herself. They both get more than they bargained for. I really enjoyed the anxiety rep in this book as well.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5 stars

When I saw this was comped to 27 Dresses, I knew I would love it! I loved the slow build relationship between Jo and Silas - the tension and depth that was so clearly evident as the two got to know one another - and also really enjoyed the look at anxiety and mental health. It was a fun rom-com to read

Nice debut novel. Enjoyed the play on 27 Dresses! The anxiety/mental health representation was done well. I appreciate the content warnings in the beginning.

Im a sucker for a fun romcom book (or movie) ...and Up Close & Personal is what I want in a romcom! Great Characters that leap off the page, a propulsive plot that’s built as much on deep internal challenges as it is situational external ones, and a swoony, SEXY romance I can’t help but root for! When I read a romcom, I want all the feels AND a layer of depth to sink my teeth into. Ana Holguin gave us all that in Jo & Silas’ love story—and even more in all the ways Jo learns to love her damn self!! I flew through this one. So excited to see what this author does next!

loved this romance about a bike trainer and writer and the interview that happens over this book, They both have their issues and slowly fall in love . love her friends.

There are two parts of this book that checked my boxes (out of two parts). First, the craft— at a story telling level to have the stakes feel so high when it’s mostly internal is a feat. And then to continue to up the external stakes- bravo!

And then the romance. This is a slow burn worth simmering for. Absolutely adored this novel!

A swoony romance! I loved this book so much.

The characters are sweet, the romance is well written. She is a high-level fitness instructor and he is a journalist.

I really loved the mental health representation in the story. I hope we continue to see more of this in romance.

Highly, highly recommend this one!!!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 ⭐️ and a solid debut!

This follows Jo, a celebrity spin instructor for Haven— think Peloton x Soulcycle— and Silas, a journalist who’s writing what he thinks will be an exposé of Jo and Haven. I loved the premise, and the interviews between the main characters were my favorite part of the book. They were sweet, tender, and Jo’s struggles with anxiety were handled so thoughtfully.

Here’s what I wish we would’ve gotten more of:

I’ve seen reviews and marketing highlighting that the main character is Latina, but I felt like it was mostly glossed over in the story. I would’ve loved for the author to expand on Jo’s experience and identity as a Latina, but instead we got maybe two sentences acknowledging it.

I also would’ve loved more focus on the romance. The MCs spend so much time together in the first half of the book, but I didn’t feel any chemistry or romantic feelings until I was deep in the second half of the book.

Overall, I had a fun time with Up Close & Personal, but was left wanting more.

Thanks to Forever for the gifted ARC!

Representation: Latinx, Anxiety, Depression

“You’re going to ruin me, Jo.”
“Good. Destroy me.”

A killer debut from author Ana Holguin, UP CLOSE & PERSONAL takes you into the life of a Haven spin instructor and a man who think he’s going write a scathing exposé on a fitness cult but falls in love with an instructor instead.

Silas is ready to take on what could be his biggest story yet: a tell-all with spin instructor Jo De La Cruz. He doesn’t get why the waitlist for her classes is crazy long, or why there’s an Instagram dedicated to her hair, and he’s determined to rip the whole Haven fitness program to shreds. But, like many of us, Silas finds that having a favorite instructor is really a thing, especially when he and Jo start spending more time together and opening up to each other. As a gym girlie, I loved the fitness aspect of this book and the fact that our FMC is a total strong baddie. But on the flip side, I also loved getting the perspective of what it’s like to be a not-total-celebrity, but fitness influencer on people’s screens inside their homes, and sometimes on billboards, etc. It worked really well with the anxiety and depression rep. Silas and Jo were so great together, and the slow burn was perfect for their relationship. The friend group added to the dynamic, and I loved that we got a glimpse into the future at the end, too.

Read if you like:
- Latinx rep
- Anxiety & therapy rep
- Slow burn
- Thigh tats
- Peloton
- Olive Garden 🤭

Do you know those social media clips of men doing pilates for the first time? How they struggle and are ultimately humbled by the strength it takes? That’s immediately what I thought of while reading ‘Up Close and Personal’.

I’m very much like Silas the lead male character in this novel. I’m skeptical of influencer culture, fitness clubs, and the exclusivity around the world of “wellness” that actually isn’t “all well”. Let’s just say it made my eye twitch, for a bit. However, this was such an enjoyable read. It’s fast pace, the characters are well thought out, and has the charm of New York. But, the dark side of the fitness world? The physical toll it takes? I never ever thought about it and exploring that through Jo was really nice.

While Ana Holguin insists Haven, the ultimate luxury fitness club where Jo is a superstar soul cycle lead is built on inclusivity….I think every woman has a story to share about visiting a workout studio like Haven. There’s clearly an exclusivity culture ingrained in the wellness culture. It’s the work out clothes, the smoothies, and the overall ‘gym aesthetic’ that’s completely ignored in this book. It was a missed opportunity that I wish Holguin actually acknowledged. But if you’re ok suspending those beliefs for a romance novel then you’ll enjoy this book.

Thank you Forever for the ARC!