The idea of this one sounded so cute, I was all in for a gender swapped version of The Bodyguard. Sadly the book fell really flat for me and I lost interest at 26% and decided to DNF. I really struggled to be engaged in the storyline and characters.

While reading Up Close and Personal, I went back and forth a million times: do I love it? Do I hate it? Is it okay? Do I want to DNF it? And having finished it two days ago, I am still asking those questions. I will say, I stuck with it even though it was slow to start. Will this be memorable for years to come? Nope. Especially not to the extent of The Bodyguard, seven Razzie nominations and all; but it was nevertheless a fun rom-com to get me through a few days of dreary quarantine.

The truth is, I liked Kat/Zac and even the mystery surrounding his personal life. Do I think the build-up of his background was deserving of so much secrecy and hoopla? I don't know, I'm not a celebrity with an image to protect. Don't get me wrong, they weren't my favorite romantic pairing and I found Kat to be a bit rugged for an actor's type, but in those moments when she let her guard down and softened a bit, I thought differently about her. Maybe she was his type after all? Opposites attract.

A couple of little things that remain on my mind:

Sometimes I got a little too wrapped up in the budding romance that I forgot there was a stalker threatening Zac. And just when I was beginning to care about the stalker aspect of the story, the "twist" made everything fall flat, unfortunately. I didn't care enough to be wowed by it.

And what was up with the twins? They appeared once and then that was it. This happened a couple of times with certain characters and their presence just felt unnecessary.

I don't want to drone on about the things I didn't enjoy, though. While this is certainly a spin on The Bodyguard, it had its own "thing" going for it and I ended up not hating it (if you can believe that from my review). I won't be racing to the bookstore to shop for it and I don't know who I would recommend it to, but it did its job as a feel-good rom-com, and I'm satisfied with that.

This was a cute romcom, essentially a gender switch of the movie "The Bodyguard". I thought it was cute, with a healthy dose of mystery, but I struggled to really connect to either character and had a hard time understanding the reasoning behind their attraction (it just didn't seem clear to me). Still a cute story, I'd recommend it as an easy summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Up Close and Personal is the story of Kat, the Bodyguard and Zac, the movie star (not dissimilar to the movie Bodyguard with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner)
Zac is assigned a bodyguard because he has a stalker and ex forces Kat is given the job.
From the very beginning there is chemistry between Kat and Zac as it wouldn’t be a spoiler to say the feelings between them are mutual.
Both Kat and Zac have secrets in their past that they don’t want to tell each other and that becomes an issue.
This book is classic chic lit, predictable and heartwarming.
I felt it was a bit of a slow burner but it was a nice feel good Summer read that I got through quite easily.

This was my second book of Freeman's and I cant say I was as spell bound as I was with the first.

Perhaps it's simply me but I just djdnt feel that the characters connected well in this one. Their relationship was a bit off. Kat is Zac's bodyguard and neither of them are really feeling it.

Zach wants to feel independent, but he is secretly freaking out. Kat is trying to prove herself.

It just felt a bit rushed. There was also quite a bit of British slang used in this one that I had to either google, or reach out to fellow UK friends about.

Overall ths story was pretty predictable. The characters were meh... and I was rushed to get through it.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and Netgalley for allowing me an advanced readers copy for honest feedback.

I’m not sure if I missed something, but it took me until about a fifth of the way through the book to realize it was set in London. When I read books that mentions movie stars, studios, and filming, I think Los Angeles. So I spent the first fifth of the book utterly annoyed that Kat was American using British slang assuming she was American and this was set in LA. Once London was mentioned, it made sense, they’re all British, but I think it needs to be mentioned earlier on.

Otherwise, the book was really cute. It’s a nice twist on the bodyguard with the female being the bodyguard and I enjoyed going along for the ride to watch Kat and Zac fall in love. Was this my favorite book? No. But it’s a cute beach read. It did get a little slow towards the middle, and finding the stalker was a bit anti climatic.

I am pretty much reading romance during quarantine and this is one of my favorites. Great chemistry, good plot with a bit of mystery thrown in, well paced. Couldn't put it down - recommended for fans of Jasmine Guillory, Meg Cabot and Jill Mansell

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Up Close and Personal had a strong start and stayed fairly steady throughout. There are a lot of little tidbits scattered throughout that you can't wait to find the answers to about Kat and Zac's back stories. This book was mostly a romance with a little thriller thrown into the mix. Overall, it was an enjoyable book but nothing about it is really outstanding.

So sad about this book because it had a whole lot of potential and when I started reading I was like good and we start reading and then, it died it bored me and didn't really feel like a rom-com. There were just so many things to bug and I couldn't connect with the main characters, so nope.

This was a cute-ish little romance. There were secrets between the characters, that, of course, caused some turbulence in their relationship, and that was even before it turned romantic. Then again, the fact that it WAS turning romantic was causing issues itself. (At least for one of the parties in question.) He doesn't hold back his feelings, meanwhile she has built a wall around hers... not just because of her job, but also because of her past. In addition to the romance aspect of the story, there is a little mystery, as to who is out to get him. Hence the reason she is hired on as his bodyguard. As far as the secrets go, they are kept hidden from readers until late in the book. There are some hints thrown in, but we don't get the full story until closer to the end. His character, while a hot Hollywood star, is very down to earth, humble and modest, despite his tastes for the finer things in life. She is ex-military, tough as nails, yet still lacks some confidence in herself. The side characters are mostly all good people, with the exception of the 'bad guys' that are hunting him down. There are really no other outside influences that hinder their relationship... they are their own worst enemies in that regards. In his defense, he doesn't really have many faults, it is her insecurities that wreck more havoc. But eventually get it right, since this does have a happy ending. :) There is a minor amount of sexual content, but I'd say its safe for 16 and up. The book reads easily. It alternates POVs. It is set in the UK, so the language used is as such. It's got some humor, and an emotional scene or two.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.

I was overall disappointed with this book. I was hoping for a fun Bodyguard-with-a-twist romance, but it kind of fell flat. I never connected with the characters, particularly Kat. She was, to put it bluntly, annoying. I noticed another reviewer mentioned how irksome she found it that Kat complained about Zac's "posh" vocabulary...I'm sorry, I really don't think his vocabulary was posh or any of the words he used difficult to comprehend at all. I didn't really understand the point of Kat bringing that up over and over and over again. Was it to make a statement about Kat's intelligence? Her thoughts on "class" divide? To illustrate the difference in backgrounds between the two? I feel like there were better, less demeaning ways of doing that and pointing out their differences.

I ended up speed reading through this. It read like an insta-love story, and Zac was pushy towards Kat and didn't respect that she wanted to keep things professional while on the job. This could've been a lot more fun.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this early!

I’ve never devoured a book so fast. Laugh out loud cute, full of steam, and action. Honestly what could be better. I loved it! So cute.

From the description, I really thought I would love this book. At first, it sounded great, a rom-com with flipped gender roles, with the female acting as a bodyguard for a famous male actor. I enjoyed how the story started right away, but I didn't fall in love with the characters. There was a lot of angsty talks and guilt thrown around, and they both ended up coming off kind of whiny and rigid at different points. It really didn't have any comedy in the story, but it wasn't steamy enough to be just a romance novel either. It was a quick read though, with some suspense, so overall I'd recommend it.

I received a copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I was drawn to this book by premise. I really liked the idea of a role reversal ‘Bodyguard’ situation. Although the book was well written I did struggle little to emotionally connect to the characters and I’m not sure I was 100% sold on the chemistry/ romance between Kat and Zac. Despite this the book did have cute banter and some interesting twists along the way.

Firstly, I ADORE this cover. I didn't even need to read the blurb to know I was picking this book up!

Up Close and Personal follows sassy hard-ass, Kat, who has been assigned as bodyguard to heart throb actor Zac when he begins to receive threatening notes.

I loved Kathryn Freeman's debut, The New Guy, so I had high hopes for this one. It didn't disappoint, but also didn't quite live up to its predecessor either! The characters had brilliant chemistry and I loved them both, but I wasn't convinced by their relationship. It just felt like they worked so much better as flirty strangers than two people in an actual relationship!

The tension about the stalker throughout the story builds really well, but then kind of fizzles out with a kind of unsatisfying ending.

Overall, I liked this book, but I didn't love it. Perfect for a quick and fun read though!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

There is a book within this book that I really would have been super into. Kickass leading lady working in a job that traditionally is thought of as a job for men? Yes, all the yes. Rom-com meet cute opening that had me ready for more? Check!

Where did that book go? The tone shift felt difficult to reconcile with the beginning. I think if you are reading this book and looking for something heavier this could work for you. It might depend on if you connect with the characters or not. I did try but the leads just didn’t find their way into my heart in a way that made me want to root for them. The book felt a bit long and dragged for me in places. That said - it is well written. If I had connected more with the leads I think I might not have have thought it dragged.

Just know going in that this isn’t a light rom-com and if you are looking for that then this might be your next good read!

An advanced copy was graciously provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Zac and Kat are so wonderful together. Zac is a wonderfully proper British actor who is a definite heartthrob. Despite his Hollywood stardom, he definitely has a more beta personality. He is quite, extremely hard-working and very fastidious (e.g. neat freak). Someone is stalking him and leaving some pretty freaky notes in areas that shouldn't be accessible. Zac fears that there is more to it than just a stalker - but doesn't want to share his very private, very difficult past with anyone - including his very beautiful new security guard.

Kat is a personal security officer who is very tough and definitely has an alpha personality. She is supporting her sister through addiction issues and caring for her 14 year old niece. She is a hot mess in terms of her personal life - but focused and tough in her professional life.

Zac and Kat meet before Zac is aware that he is going to have Kat as a bodyguard. They are very attracted to each other - but Kat keeps him at a professional distance. Watching the back and forth between them as they grow closer but resist their attraction is really nice to see.

You should not take the cartoon cover for this book as an indication that it is light-hearted and funny. It is both, at times, but it is a very emotional book with both Kat and Zac confronting their pasts and the effect that it has had on their lives.

Overall this book is a great bodyguard romance - with a wonderful role reversal.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This book is "The Bodyguard" but flipped with the woman as the bodyguard which was an interesting idea that drew me into the book but I didn't feel attached to the characters. The whole cast of characters didn't feel flushed out and three dimensional. The book flew by but afterwards as a whole I wasn't blown away at all. This book had all the things I wanted (fun concept, good attraction, cool setting) but just didn't click for me.

A romance ARC. This one flips the gender roles in the 'Bodyguard' plot. As it was set in the UK, I was a bit thrown by the implied strength of the film industry - but may well just be reflecting my own ignorance here! I don't like romances that chuck in a 'serious threat' plotline. However, given the meet cute of the characters, this seemed more in tune with the storyline than usual when I come across this.

Slightly repetitive and a bit soapy ... the premise of the story was interesting enough . This book was graciously provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.