When it was revealed that Simon was lovingly dubbed as the "pussy whisperer", I knew that I was in for a fun time. And true enough, I couldn't put this book down - for better or for worse.

A few notes, though:
• For the viewers at home, divorce is not legal in the Philippines. It is literally the only country in the world (aside from the Vatican) where divorce is prohibited. Couples can either pursue legal separation or get their marriage annulled.

Spoiler

In the book, it's eventually revealed that Naomi's tita (who's visiting from the Philippines) is getting a divorce from her husband, which would be impossible to do if they were married in the Philippines.

• Sarah Smith and her team need to improve their marketing skills because The Close-Up is not friends to lovers; it's coworkers to lovers. And that's a totally different thing.
• For a storyline that hinges on "Alas, we cannot be together because we need to stay professional" ad nauseum, there are a number of questionable scenes and decisions made in this book, such as

Spoiler

Simon accidentally walking in on Naomi masturbating in a bathtub.

Very early on in the book, I wish that these horny adults just went and banged their brains out because the pretense was very exhausting, especially when they unapologetically crossed lines again and again.

Overall, The Close-Up is so embarrassingly unhinged, ridiculous, and brazenly horny. It's very clearly a self-insert type of story, and I didn't mind it at all.