The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale @pipdrysdale @billiefb_voiceover @billiefulfordbrown.bsky.social @simon.audio @simonaudio.bsky.social #TheCloseUp

the setup…
Zoe Ann Weiss is an expatriate from London living in Los Angeles. She won a writing competition that brought her worldwide attention, an agent and a two-book deal. Her debut novel failed to catch on and now she’s struggling with the second. Zoe’s dreams of being a writer seem to be fizzling as she’s almost thirty and working in her friend’s flower shop to make ends meet. But it was during a flower delivery that she has a chance meeting with an old flame who ghosted her three years ago. Zach Hamilton was a bartender at the time and now he’s a famous actor. Suddenly things look a little brighter as he may be the muse she needs as he inspired her first book. As they hookup again, things go haywire and suddenly their secret romance is exposed, goes viral and now she’s got a stalker mimicking scenes from her book. Is infamy really all it’s cracked up to be?

the heart of the story…
They don’t get more insecure and trusting than Zoe. Her string of bad relationships have left her with doubts of her self worth, which I believed was the source of her writer’s block. As Zach ghosts her again and the stalker revs up the crazy, Zoe just keeps making one bad choice after another, all in pursuit of being a successful writer and knowing that Zach is that path. Pressure from her agent and mixed messages from this guy keep her off balance. I just kept screaming at her throughout the story but she rarely followed my advice.

the narration…
Billie Fulford-Brown annoyed me…which was perfect because she was supposed to. She adeptly captured Zoe’s neuroses and often frenetic thinking and behavior. Nailed her and delivered a great performance.

the bottom line…
It was like watching a collision in the making but hope always sprang eternal. Zoe really had talent but ignored those who were her champions. I had no idea how this would end as Zach had even me on and off the fence. But I never anticipated what came in that brilliant, clever and head-spinning epilogue. As frustrating as I found Zoe, I couldn’t stop listening and had to see her story through.

Book Info

• Release Date: December 3, 2024
• Narrator: Billie Fulford-Brown
• Audio Length: 10 hours, 7 minutes
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

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(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)