Big Fan: A Modern Romance

by Alexandra Romanoff

Overview

A political strategist, tainted by a scandalous ex, finds an unexpected career detour when her teenage boy band crush offers a second chance at the spotlight…and maybe something more.

"Highbrow/Brilliant." —New York Magazine

"Big Fan serves up political intrigue with a side of spine-tingling romance." —Vogue

One of Bustle's Best New Books of Fall 2024

"It sparkles with wit—pair it with a good glass of prosecco and prepare to get lost in this smart, sexy novel." —Elissa Sussman, bestselling author of Once More with Feeling and Funny You Should Ask

The debut book from 831 Stories, a modern romantic fiction company that prioritizes pleasure reading and the genre’s enthusiastic fans.

Maya was a rising star in the political world until her ex-husband’s high-profile sex scandal nearly derailed her career. Landing a gubernatorial candidate is the fresh start she desperately needs – a chance to focus on meaningful work and leave the drama behind.

But then an email from her past sends her world spinning: Charlie, former lead singer of Mischief, the boy band that fueled her teenage obsession, is staging a solo comeback and wants Maya’s help to make it happen. Turns out, she likes the grown-up Charlie and his genuine engagement with the world.

Maya’s not about to ditch her political ambitions for a teenage crush, but if she can leverage Charlie to draw attention to the policies she cares about, shouldn’t she give it a try?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798893310191
Publisher:	Authors Equity
Publication date:	09/10/2024
Series:	831 Stories
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	90,712
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

831 Stories is a modern romantic fiction company that prioritizes pleasure reading and celebrates the genre's joyful, enthusiastic fans. Alexandra Romanoff is a journalist, a cultural critic, and the author of three novels (under Zan Romanoff), most recently LOOK, which O: The Oprah Magazine called "one of the LGBTQ books that will change the literary landscape." She also co-hosts the podcast On the Bleachers, which examines the intersection of sports and pop culture. Her favorite member of One Direction is Louis Tomlinson. She lives and writes in L.A.

Editorial Reviews

831 Stories: "The finest smut to the thirsting masses, with merch to match."

Vanity Fair

"Big Fan serves up political intrigue with a side of spine-tingling romance."

Vogue

"If you’re in a book rut, pick this up. It’s steamy, just under 180 pages, and reads like TV."

Skimm

"If you’re in a book rut, pick this up. It’s steamy, just under 180 pages, and reads like TV."

—Skimm

2024-07-19
A woman fresh off a painful, public divorce falls in love with a rock star on the comeback trail.

Maya McPherson was right where she wanted to be in her career as a high-powered Washington campaign operative. But when her husband was caught up in a sex scandal, it tanked not only her marriage but also, unfairly, her reputation and career prospects. Maya finally has a chance to get back in the game when a Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate offers her a position as the campaign’s policy specialist for universal basic income. At the same time, Maya receives an interesting offer from her past. As a teenager, Maya and her best friend organized and ran the fan club for the wildly popular boy band Mischief. Charlie Blake, one of the band members, has been out of the music business for years. Currently in D.C., he sends Maya a cryptic message asking for a meeting. Charlie reveals that he’s working on a solo album and wants to hire Maya as part of the PR team that will manage his comeback. Even though Maya is flattered, she refuses, since a condition of her new campaign job is keeping a low profile. Maya and Charlie are attracted to each other and begin a coy, flirtatious texting relationship that spans several months. When Maya discovers that Charlie has a personal belief in UBI, she recruits him to be a spokesperson for the campaign. When they meet in person to plan his remarks, Maya finds it impossible to resist the attraction between them. Romanoff successfully portrays Maya’s struggle to recover from the emotional devastation of her divorce in the punishingly sexist world of the D.C. political scene. Charlie’s character is generically good and underdeveloped by comparison.

Earnest and thoughtful, this romance highlights a woman’s brave decision to love again.

Kirkus Reviews