3.5
The Close-Up
ByPublisher Description
A new work assignment goes delightfully off script in this friends-to-lovers rom-com from Sarah Smith, author of Faker and Simmer Down
Simon Rutler is the perfect man.
Handsome, kind and smart—Simon is amazing. Naomi Ellorza-Hays might be fresh out of a bad relationship and determined to stay single, but Simon is testing her newfound relationship ban. Good thing they’re working together. Simon may be perfect, but he’s also off-limits.
There’s just one small—well, big—problem.
Simon works as a relationship therapist, specializing in helping men better support their partners. But Naomi can’t stop thinking about how she was first introduced to Simon…as the camguy she watched in college. Filming him for her new docuseries suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.
Their relationship is…complicated.
Determined to stay professional, Naomi refuses to give in to their sizzling chemistry—until she does, and even then, it’s strictly no strings attached. Until it’s not. And Naomi realizes that maybe things between her and Simon aren’t so complicated after all.
I Heart SF
Book 1: The Close-Up
Simon Rutler is the perfect man.
Handsome, kind and smart—Simon is amazing. Naomi Ellorza-Hays might be fresh out of a bad relationship and determined to stay single, but Simon is testing her newfound relationship ban. Good thing they’re working together. Simon may be perfect, but he’s also off-limits.
There’s just one small—well, big—problem.
Simon works as a relationship therapist, specializing in helping men better support their partners. But Naomi can’t stop thinking about how she was first introduced to Simon…as the camguy she watched in college. Filming him for her new docuseries suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.
Their relationship is…complicated.
Determined to stay professional, Naomi refuses to give in to their sizzling chemistry—until she does, and even then, it’s strictly no strings attached. Until it’s not. And Naomi realizes that maybe things between her and Simon aren’t so complicated after all.
I Heart SF
Book 1: The Close-Up
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3.5

Emily Thompson
Created 3 months agoShare
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FacelessReviews
Created 4 months agoShare
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Stephanie K
Created 5 months agoShare
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“Thank you to Netgalley and Carina Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Close-Up is the first standalone novel in, what I expect will be, a shared universe of novels. In this story in particular, we meet Naomi, a mid thirties online digital editor at Dash. When her boss tells her that her marriage was saved because of a relationship therapist her husband saw, she tasks Naomi with creating a series about said therapist. Simon Rutler is that therapist, but he's also someone that Naomi is intimately familiar with (in a somewhat biblical sense).
This having been my first read from Sarah Smith, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised. This may have been my first read by Smith, but it certainly won't be my last. I found her written voice easy to read. Although the story is told from Naomi's point of view, I didn't feel as though I was missing too much. I typically enjoy reading stories told in first person point of view, with a male as one of the narrators. And although we didn't get to see inside Simon's mind, Smith did an excellent job in giving us the pieces we needed in order to understand how Simon might have been feeling or thinking.
There were both some emotionally charged scenes and laugh out loud moments that had me flipping pages in my Kindle like crazy. I knew with Naomi being on a self-professed "relationship ban" while also knowing Simon as the camming guy she used to watch in college, that there were going to be some hilarious moments and boy, was I right. Between the bath tub scene, Bangerz, to Naomi's comments during the filming of the series, it was only a matter of time before the hilarity turned into hot romance. And although it took much longer than I normally like (we didn't really get a full-fledged sex scene until 70%), I found that because Smith had built her characters and their friendship up so well, I wasn't as impatient as I normally am to get to the romance and the spice.
The Close-Up gets a four star review from me. While Naomi could be irritating in her convictions at times, she had Simon by her side. While most would describe him as perfect, he has his flaws just like any other character. But he's aware of them, which makes him different from most book men I read. This entire book was a breath of fresh air and I was so happy I got the chance to read it.
Merged review:
Thank you to Netgalley and Carina Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Close-Up is the first standalone novel in, what I expect will be, a shared universe of novels. In this story in particular, we meet Naomi, a mid thirties online digital editor at Dash. When her boss tells her that her marriage was saved because of a relationship therapist her husband saw, she tasks Naomi with creating a series about said therapist. Simon Rutler is that therapist, but he's also someone that Naomi is intimately familiar with (in a somewhat biblical sense).
This having been my first read from Sarah Smith, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised. This may have been my first read by Smith, but it certainly won't be my last. I found her written voice easy to read. Although the story is told from Naomi's point of view, I didn't feel as though I was missing too much. I typically enjoy reading stories told in first person point of view, with a male as one of the narrators. And although we didn't get to see inside Simon's mind, Smith did an excellent job in giving us the pieces we needed in order to understand how Simon might have been feeling or thinking.
There were both some emotionally charged scenes and laugh out loud moments that had me flipping pages in my Kindle like crazy. I knew with Naomi being on a self-professed "relationship ban" while also knowing Simon as the camming guy she used to watch in college, that there were going to be some hilarious moments and boy, was I right. Between the bath tub scene, Bangerz, to Naomi's comments during the filming of the series, it was only a matter of time before the hilarity turned into hot romance. And although it took much longer than I normally like (we didn't really get a full-fledged sex scene until 70%), I found that because Smith had built her characters and their friendship up so well, I wasn't as impatient as I normally am to get to the romance and the spice.
The Close-Up gets a four star review from me. While Naomi could be irritating in her convictions at times, she had Simon by her side. While most would describe him as perfect, he has his flaws just like any other character. But he's aware of them, which makes him different from most book men I read. This entire book was a breath of fresh air and I was so happy I got the chance to read it.”

Brooke VanHook
Created 5 months agoShare
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Bethany Breckon
Created 5 months agoShare
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About Sarah Smith
Sarah Echavarre Smith is a copywriter-turned-author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight and she discovered her auntie’s stash of romance novels. She’s been hooked ever since. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking, eating chocolate, and perfecting her lumpia recipe. Follow her on Instagram and Tiktok: @authorsarahs
Other books by Sarah Smith
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