big fan—a short book with big opinions.
review of big fan + discussion on short stories + new book pick
it's sunday, and that means the first book pick of bitch, i'm booked should be done by now. it was 180 pages, babe—what do you mean you forgot?
arghhh!!
spoilers ahead.
let’s talk short stories first. i love them, i hate them, i respect them. there’s something uniquely frustrating about a story that knows when to end. because sometimes, i don’t want it to end. sometimes, i want sprawling character arcs, deep dives into motivations, and at least 50 pages of romantic tension before anyone even thinks about kissing. and yet, there’s an undeniable skill in writing something short that still lingers.
which brings us to big fan.
“the passions of young girls are worth nurturing no matter how frivolous they may seem”
the burden of being a woman in a man’s world
one of the things that stuck with me most about big fan was maya’s impossible choice: her career or her personal life. and why is that??? because she’s a woman!!! in politics!!! of course reputation is everything in that field, but let’s be real—if the roles were reversed, would charlie be expected to give up his entire career for the sake of optics? no. men get to be reckless. men get to be charismatic and unfiltered and passionate (read: loud), while women have to be composed, careful, constantly aware of how they’re being perceived.
maya’s entire dilemma felt like a gut punch because we’ve seen it play out over and over again—in real life, in fiction, everywhere. women are expected to be in control at all times, and the second they slip, their credibility is on the chopping block. but men? men get to spin bad press into relatability.
so yes, this part of the book frustrated me. but also. it was real. and that’s what made it so compelling.
the fanfic vibes
this book read like a fanfic in the best way—obsessive, immediate, a little bit unhinged. and i mean that as a compliment. the protagonist? a strong woman. which I love. always.
but also, it was unsettling. not in a horror way, but in the way that makes you sit back and wonder: am i supposed to relate to this? and if so, is that a problem?
i was a big fan of this book. as i mentioned, it read like fanfic—but not in a cringey after-adjacent way. more like, i was daydreaming on a plane about harry styles and zayn malik fighting over me and accidentally wrote 50,000 words about it. but it was fun. i love a short story that knows how to pack a punch.
finally,
big fan was messy, frustrating, and uncomfortably relatable at times—but that’s what made it so good. it left me with questions. it made me think. and at the end of the day, what more can you ask from a book?
so tell me:
did you love it, hate it, or something in between?
did maya and charlie make sense to you, or were they doomed from the start?
and the big one—would you risk your entire career for love?
drop your thoughts. i’m dying to know.
next up.
wedding dashers by heather mcbreen
now that big fan is behind us (but always in our hearts), it’s time for our next book pick: wedding dashers by heather mcbreen. and yes, i’m excited. first of all, it has great reviews. second of all, it’s a debut novel, and we support women here.
about my pick:
ada’s little sister is getting married—great for her, a nightmare for ada. their year-long feud isn’t exactly resolved, the wedding is all the way in ireland, and ada barely scraped together enough for a budget airline ticket… which just got canceled. stranded in london with no way to make it to belfast, she drowns her sorrows with a handsome stranger at the airport bar.
turns out, he’s not just any stranger—he’s jack, the best man. aka, the last person she wanted to be stuck with. now, forced to road-trip their way to the wedding, they’ll have to navigate flat tires, missed trains, shady hostels, and—most annoyingly—each other.
getting to the wedding is one thing. making it there without falling for each other? that’s the real challenge.
what can we expect? (according to goodreads and bookish blogs)
banter and chaos. witty dialogue, shenanigans, and the kind of fun, fast-paced romance that keeps you hooked.
a slow burn with forced proximity. they’re stuck together, the tension builds, and we (i) live for it.
a road trip adventure. questionable decisions, unexpected detours, and, most likely, a lot of bickering.
for fans of lynn painter and katherine center. sold.
so grab your copy, clear your weekend, and let’s get into it. first check-in next sunday. see you there.