Thank you Ana Holguin, Hachette Audio | Forever, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. This was a really fun one for me. I loved the combination of journalism and athletics along with sort of accidental celebrity. The pairing felt new and definitely not overdone which is hard to come by in romance these days. The narration was also quite well done and engaging with me feeling connected to the characters through the narration. All in all I really enjoyed this.

Ana Holguin delivers a compelling slow-burn romance in Up Close and Personal, filled with tension, vulnerability, and emotional depth. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and their transition from friction to connection feels authentic and rewarding. Holguin’s writing style is engaging, with emotionally resonant scenes and strong character development.

One of the novel’s biggest strengths is how it balances romance with deeper emotional themes—grief, healing, and learning to let someone in. The characters are flawed but relatable, and their personal growth adds substance to the love story.

While the pacing was slightly uneven in places—particularly in the middle where the momentum dipped a bit—the payoff in the final act more than made up for it. Some readers may also wish for more resolution on certain secondary plot threads, but overall, this was a deeply satisfying read.

If you love enemies-to-lovers with a heartfelt emotional core and a slow burn that feels worth the wait, Up Close and Personal is well worth picking up. I’m excited to see what Ana Holguin writes next

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one! The audio is fantastic with dual narration from Maria Liatis and Kellen Boyle who really bring out the emotion of each character. They're easy to listen to and enjoy, making this a quick audio you can listen to in one sitting.

The story itself is a love story but with plenty of depth, touching on topics like mental health, personal growth and career fulfillment. Who the characters are at the beginning are not who they are at the end and I love seeing that kind of growth in novels, watching them become more confident and self aware and finding out what it is they really want in life. Jo is such an interesting character and she kept me wanting to know more about her and see what she would ultimately decide for her future. Silas is a huge cynic and while that's not really a red flag, his actions as a journalist definitely are. Even though he starts off totally in the wrong, he's very self aware and takes steps to atone for it so I was still rooting for him and Jo all the way to the end. I personally love when the characters are flawed and not totally likable because it feels so much more realistic that way. If you're a fitness girly, especially into biking/pelotons, this one is for you! And even if you're not, it's a great story and might have you wishing you were -- I know it made me want to go to some classes!

First off—super cute cover! I went in expecting a fun romance, and while it delivered on that, this one had layers: empowerment, growth, self-assurance, and a dash of mental health awareness.

The fitness instructor–meets–journalist setup gave fresh energy to the enemies-to-lovers trope. It’s a slow burn with the right touch of spice, but fair warning—it did take a minute to get going. I also found myself wanting more backstory on a few side characters…maybe it’s part of a series?

Narration was fine, but not particularly memorable. The pacing felt off at times, like they were reading to us instead of performing for us—especially noticeable at 1x speed.

All in all, it’s a solid read with some unique twists. I’d give it 3.5/5 stars.

I really loved this book. I thought it was a great debut by Holguin, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. I loved the exploration of a celebrity and what it means to be vulnerable, as well as determining how much of ourselves we want to show the world. I thought the narrators did a pretty good job, and they did keep me coming back for more.

I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this book in the beginning, if I’m honest. Neither Jo nor Silas were particularly likeable characters at first. But I think that was the whole point. You get small glimpses of Jo, anxious and unhappy in her current job, and Silas, grumpy and quick to pass judgment, which is such a stark contrast to who these characters are by the end of the book. The amount of self-growth the two of them go through is inspiring. The mental health representation was phenomenal, and I could relate to Jo in so many ways, as someone who suffers from anxiety themselves. I also appreciated Silas’ growth and self-awareness by the end of the book, realizing how wrong his initial judgement was and how tirelessly he worked to correct his mistakes and own up to his faults.

Maria Liatis and Kellen Boyle, the narrators for this audiobook, did an amazing job conveying the emotions of the characters. I felt like I was watching, or experiencing it myself, not just listening. I commend them on their spectacular performances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Love the cover, love the premise... did not love the MMC.

Look, a romance is always going to be a tough sell when the reader's not really rooting for half the couple, and that's what stopped UP CLOSE & PERSONAL from being a big hit for me. A hater, yes, love it, *I* am a hater, I empathize with the haters. But that's not just what Silas is - he's also a "journalist" who completely abandons his ethics. I'm sorry, hand in your resignation letter, go write a blog or something because this is not acceptable behavior.

He knows how he acted was wrong - he reflects on this multiple times - and does nothing to rectify it.

Jo was great, a "celebrity fitness instructor" who doesn't view herself as a celebrity but also has someone else handle her social media and all publicity requests. She is who kept me reading; I wanted to see where her story would go.

The narration by Maria Liatis and Kellen Boyle was pretty solid; there were just a few words I didn't catch on first listen. I did prefer Maria's chapters to Kellen's, but that may have had to do more with my overall enjoyment of the story than either of the narrators.

Two minor complaints: Jo refers to a fellow instructor's "fancy fitness tracker watch thing" which felt so out of place for someone who's been in the fitness space for a decade (it's a Garmin or a Coros, maybe a sports watch - I really don't think she'd describe it like a foreign object/like she's not in the know about something so basic). And Silas tries to talk himself up by saying he's finished a marathon and three half marathons, when you'd run at least three half marathons leading up to the marathon itself, but probably more like six.

Still, I cared enough about Jo and her friends that I'd try another book in this series!

I really loved the audiobook. The story itself dragged a bit for me but listening to the audio helped since I could speed it up and get through the longer chapters that way. The narrators did an amazing job and I loved the dialogue and emotions that were portrayed when heavier conversations were had.

3 stars⭐️

I think that the premise of this book was nice and I really like the way it portrayed the main character's struggles with their mental health. My main issue was getting into this book because it felt predictable, so I found myself zoning out at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook arc.

3.5 stars

This is a romance that's focused on a soul cycle-clone company instructor and the journalist doing a story about her. If I'd read the description more closely i probably would have skipped it, but it was cute! The male main character has a fair amount of depth and is able to learn from his actions, so we love that!

This book was very sweet and dealt with some of the darker sides to fame, trauma, etc., which added some depth, but occasionally I wanted it to go a little bit faster. Over all I recommend it and liked the dual perspective in the book and as it was presented on audio.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for an advance listening copy provided for an unbiased review.

I have to admit I had to warm up to Kellen Boyle as the MMC. After finishing listening I still felt like he wasn’t the right match for Silas and sounded younger than the character. Kellen’s performance was enjoyable notheless. Maria Liatis I thought was wonderful as Jo and matched the character. So this audio was a 50/50 split for me. Thank you again for the advanced listen!

Up Close & Personal by Ana Holguin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Ok, I actually really enjoyed this book, and I was really expecting not to for some reason? It’s very obvious that this book’s inspiration was Peloton instructors. Our fmc is a “Haven” spin class and home bike streaming instructor. Our mmc is a jaded journalist set out to write a critical magazine article about workout influencers. It made me think of Cody Rigsby on Dancing with the Stars and how the world was introduced to a whole new kind of influencer when fitness became a major trend.

One thing I loved about this book was the main characters. I really liked both Jo and Silas as people and even better with a slow-burn budding romance. I initially thought that I may not end up liking Silas due to his “hater-boy” attitude about popular things, but I think Jo said it best: just because something is popular does not mean it’s not worthwhile. I truly appreciate that Silas gave her an actual chance and didn’t stick with his pre-conceived notions of Jo and the Haven company.

The mental health rep in this book was beautiful. The way the author handled depression and anxiety with care while simultaneously not creating a self-sabotaging character was fantastic. One of my biggest pet peeves in life and in books is when characters/people make bad decisions and blame it all on depression and anxiety. I do not think mental health should be used as an excuse to hurt the people you love and make poor decisions. I definitely think it can contribute, but at the end of the day, I cannot condone actively hurting yourself and others. Jo was a great example of how NOT to do that and how to take good care of yourself, to know your limits, and to lean on your support system when you can’t do it anymore. She had a great support system in Amber and Serena. I love me some girl’s girls.

Silas and Jo’s romance was so adorable! It was the perfect slow burn, the perfect amount of fun and banter, and the perfect amount of spice. The third act didn’t feel forced, and we could see it building from the beginning of the book. I feel like Jo and Silas both reacted very realistically and took accountability when it came down to admitting their wrongs. I truly believe being able to take accountability and responsibility for your actions and words is one of the strongest signs of personal growth. These two are on their way to self-actualization.

I liked both narrators for this book. It didn’t take long at all to fly through it. They gave the characters a strong voice, and I always love a dual narration.

I would recommend this book to fans of fitness and romance, books set in NYC, and people who like to read about strong, mature characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ana Holguin, and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own!

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a copy of this audiobook and an honest review!

I am not super into fitness; I wish I were, but I'm not. However, I am a huge rom-com fan! I really enjoyed most of this book. It gives major *27 Dresses* vibes.(but without the evil younger sister). It also gives something unique and puts a fun spin on workout groups and organizations.

Jo is a beautiful person, and her anxiety is very relatable. Ana somehow manages to write Jo in a way where she's not perfect but is aware of her strength and beauty and has enough self-awareness to not be a two-dimensional cardboard cutout of a beauty blogger.

However, I found the romance to fall a bit flat, and I was extremely frustrated with Silas and his lack of honesty with his friends and with Jo. That being said, it was still a fun listen and worth reading because Jo, as a main character, sparkles through. This isn't anything new or novel, but it is a sweet story about learning to figure out your life and speak up for yourself.

When the book started off it read a little more women's fiction, it seemed to focus alot on the relationship between the FMC Jo and her friends and feeling towards them. Her in general I felt was pretty relatable, feeling stagnant in life and exhaused by her job, wanting change and to pivot in a different direction. Silas, the MMC was unlikeable from the very beginning. They meet because he wants to write an article, a deep dive on what he is calling the 'inner workings' of this Spin company that Jo works for. He wants to investigate basically how fake these people really are and write all about it, only when he proposes the idea of writing about Jo, to Jo, he basically makes it seem like its some harmless article, day in the life, kind of thing, Silas is basically lying to her from the very beginning.
He meets Jo under the assumption that she's some fake stuck up bitch, but eventually after several times meeting his feelings toward her begin to change when he realizes nothing he initially thought about her was true. This however does not change very much about the article he's writing. At no point did he tell her the truth, when the relationship was turning more romantic. He kept it hidden until she came across it herself and blew him off. Then this man proceeds to love bomb her which is the biggest red flag in existence. Showing up with flowers etc trying to apologize when he did nothing to change his actions when he should have known better!!!
Nothing about this book was especially romantic to me. I was not rooting for this couple and honestly hoped the author would put a spin on the story and make them *not * get back together.
I enjoyed the conversation of mental health representation, but that was pretty much it
We did not need another book about a man trying to ruin a woman's career.

I also did not enjoy the voices of these narrators. I enjoyed it being dual pov and hvaing two voice actors but their voices grated my ears and it felt a little bit like torture trying to get through this audio.

Yes to the bangs!!! Haha.
This was a refreshing audiobook listen. I loved the mental health rep throughout this book. It's very heavily discussed but discussed well.
The narrators did a great job and it's an enjoyable listen between the two of them. The banter was so funny and addicting, and the slow burn was sweet with just the right amount of build up without overshooting it. I enjoyed Jo's character growth and relateableness as a character.

Thank you Hachette Audio and Forever Pub for the ALC and gifted book!

Oh oh oh, this is cute!

Grumpy journalist Silas, ever the skeptic, has decided that Jo De La Cruz and her cult-like following is a scam. He does not believe this fitness instructor could possibly be as amazing as social media would let on. He agrees to write a piece on her for his magazine and uses below the board maneuvers to arrange a meet up with the instructor. What could go wrong?

Silas learns that behind the scenes, Jo is complex. She is even better in real life than online. Unfortunately, Jo discovers that Silas has not been 100% honest, and she is heartbroken. These two need to figure their junk out and stat. This is a really cute story.

Both narrators, Maria Liatis and Kellen Boyle are excellent.

Thanki you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded to 5.

A skeptic contrarian journalist named Silas tasked to write an article about Jo, a famous fitness instructor who’s always in high demand. After some “shortcuts”, he secured an interview with her, only after he tried one session on her class. He took the offer while having his own full prejudice in mind, but after spending time with Jo, he realized that he was very very wrong.

Meanwhile, Jo has been struggling to find joy and purpose in doing her job after a decade, and she thought that interview could be her gateway to tell her story. Then it’s started to get complicated when they both started to catch feelings, knowing full well there’s a strict line they shouldn’t cross to maintain their professionalism.

It was surprisingly really good! I love their banter & dynamics. It’s slow burn full of chemistry. Aside from fitness & journalism, it’s also highlighting the characters mental struggles which make the characters felt even more real. Jo, Amber and Serena’s found sisterhood was also soooo precious & wholesome and I’m glad Jo has them in their life. Serena was such an interesting character and she deserves to have her own story I think🥹 but I digress. The fallout was intense and emotional, though totally expected. I blame Silas for that lol he brought it upon himself. But what’s a romance story if it doesn’t have a happy ending, right?

The narrators were amazing too! Both Maria Liatis & Kellen Boyle did great jobs in narrating Jo’s and Silas’s point of view. I was absorbed into the story. All in all, I enjoyed this.

The premise of Up Close & Personal was just too fun for me to pass up - a jaded journalist challenges a celebrity fitness instructor to prove she’s the real deal and not just a scam. I just had to know how that was going to turn out!

Jo is a popular spin instructor at Haven, a company she is also part owner of. After a decade of hard work, she is at the top of her game and has huge waiting lists for her live classes, and her classes are also streamed into thousands of homes.

Getting to the top has come at a price though and Jo has struggled with her mental health at times, particularly anxiety. She does like a challenge though, so when journalist Silas Anders challenges her to prove she is more than just a cheerleader sitting on a bike yelling at people, she not only rises to the challenge, but she sets out to absolutely torch his expectations.

I loved that as soon as Silas realized he was dead wrong about Jo, he set out to really get to know the woman behind the bike and that they both ended up surprising each other.

I also appreciated how multi layered both characters were, sometimes strong but also quite vulnerable at times. It was also really sweet watching them slowly open to one another. They have incredible chemistry but the progression of their relationship is a slow burn, I’d say friends to lovers vibes. It felt realistic though, especially since both characters were dealing with some personal struggles, and I thought the author did a wonderful job incorporating mental health representation into the story both in terms of anxiety and depression.

I read with my eyes and ears and really enjoyed the audiobook narrators, Kellen Boyle and Maria Liatis. I thought they did an exceptional job, especially when it came to the more emotional and vulnerable moments between Silas and Jo.

Up Close & Personal is a wonderful debut from Ana Holguin, and I look forward to reading more from her!

This one was such a fun and refreshing read! I really enjoyed Jo’s storyline. Watching her open up about her anxiety, come into her own, and find real peace and happiness was incredibly rewarding. The mental health rep felt genuine and well-balanced, never overshadowing the charm of the romance.

Silas was a fantastic MMC- kind, witty, and genuinely swoony- but I did find myself frustrated by how long he sat on something he clearly needed to share. It wasn’t a huge secret or shocking twist, just one of those things that grows more annoying the longer it’s left unsaid.

That aside, the banter between Jo and Silas was top-tier- fun, flirty, and full of personality. Plus, I listened to the audiobook and loved the dual narration, which added a fun extra layer to the story and made the chemistry even more engaging. Add in the satirical peek into the world of cult-like fitness companies, and this debut really stands out as both heartfelt and entertaining! Thank you so much to Hacette Audio for a chance to read an advanced copy of this.

Jo has always loved her job as a famous spin instructor. But lately she’s feeling like maybe it’s not for her anymore. But who would she be without Haven? When she learns her company may be acquired and streamed to an international audience, she knows she has to get out. And then there’s Silas, a journalist hellbent in closing the truth about Haven. But he soon discovers Haven - and Jo - aren’t what he expected and there’s something between them they can’t ignore, While the narrators have sweet voices, they’re not my favorite. I wouldn’t purposely choose to hear them narrate a romance novel again.