Fan Service was a roadtrip straight to my golden age of fandom. The sweet spot between the late 2000s to early 2010s, where I'm thriving on Tumblr, and discovering a supernatural show that reeled me in like no other. Where I'm connecting with new friends that become lifelong friends, where I'm forming a community that becomes home. Where I find a place of belonging.

Much like our heroine Alex, a stumble into a fan convention sort of took the shine off the love I had for one show (but in this case, at no fault of the actors! can't say the same for Devin, sorry bud.), and I left that bit of me behind. Until now, until Fan Service delivered some nostalgia that had me going down memory lane. That girl I was is still behind me, but I now look back on her fondly. I see someone who took something she loved and cherished it in a way we forget too often to do. Alex reminded me of that love and the mark it leaves behind, even after you've walked away from it.

Fan Service follows Alex, a one-time fanatic of a supernatural show called The Arcane Files, and the one-time hero Devin, the washed up lead of the one-time popular show. Back when she was a teenager, Alex became a fandom forum mod for the show and excitedly met her hero Devin during a fan convention, but as the saying goes...don't meet your heroes, folks. After Alex overhears some hurtful words from her idol, her love for the fandom dwindles and she harbors resentment 17 years later when her idol connects with her, suddenly desperate for help. For the tv show may not have been so far removed from reality, as Devin alarmingly discovers...he's becoming a werewolf. Armed with a vault of fandom lore and knowledge, Alex sets aside past hurt and helps Devin to understand his new being. But along the way, it's not the lessons of being werewolf that become most valuable-- for the both of them. They set the course for a literal life changing adventure.

And, wow, what an adventure they have! I loved it! I'll gush about this book all day and evening and night and morning. It was that good, that enjoyable, that memorable.

Let's start with our wonderfully relatable, messy leads. Alex and Devin

Let's begin with my new book queen, Alex. I never self-insert, but I couldn't help but slip into Alex's skin at times. I deeply resonated with the core of her character, from her anxiety to her all her insecurities; to how fandoms became her escape and home; to how connecting with online fandom friends blossomed into years-long friendships and community she now cherishes. I saw so much of myself in Alex. But for all the ways I felt she was me, there was just many where she wasn't. Where instead I strive to rise to meet her in all the ways she's different. I found myself so inspired by her tenacity to keep driving for her goals, even if it seems everything is stacked against her. The way she always sets her own wants and comfort to help others. How she steadfastly stands up for what's right, even if it outcasts her. We can all be more like Alex.

Whether I was slipping into her skin, or wishing I was more like her, I love Alex so completely.

Now, let's take it over to Devin. What a mess. I adored him. He's a fallible character, whose cracks are hard to miss. He is a character prone to stumbling, whether it's with hurtful words, misguided actions, or unexamined thoughts. Dude is a mess, I must reiterate. But he truly shines in his POV. From his vantage point we see his hurtful words come from a thoughtless speaker, never a malicious one. We see his misguided actions come from a man without real world experience, who is prove to take the wrong turn-- but always rights himself. Devin is honestly refreshing, because he's not just another pick-of-the-litter in typical male leads. He's not a know-all, cool, suave guy. He is, thricely (let it be a word) said, a big ol' mess. But he's a lovable mess, because he's a mess that learns to clean himself up. That owns up to his mistakes, that learns to take criticism to the chin, that allows himself to finally grow up and embrace his failures along with his triumphs. Devin is a male lead who evolves. I came to love him as wholly as I did Alex.

These two characters become better versions of themselves because they meet. Because of their begrudging partnership turned budding friendship turned blossoming love story. As we find out from the prologue, Alex holds some understandable hurt due to Devin's past words, and one thing I loved the narrative did was not allow too much time pass before that is cleared. It really helped advance their relationship-- and it's one I loved to see grow. Alex and Devin mutually help each other in so many ways. Once Devin's selfishness is set aside (thanks to Alex), he's able to really pay attention to the woman she is and appreciate every quirk that's part of her. He comes to love those quirks, to obsess over her smell, to adore her way of being. It takes him a while to understand Alex, but she helps him to see things from a fresh perspective. It unlocked a humanity in him he long lacked. And, in turn, he helps boost her confidence, he becomes her cheerleader when she aims to make positive changes for her community. He supports her, and she gives it right back. Alex is all heart, and she can't deny helping her fallen idol. So she helps, helps him to embrace the wolf in him and helps him to make peace with his failures. I could honestly write a million paragraphs of all the ways I loved this relationship, but ultimately it comes down to just this: they helped in each other in poignant ways that blossomed them as individuals. For as much as I adored their romance and them as a couple (and god! I did, I did!), seeing their individual arcs evolve the way they did heartened me so much. This is a love story for romance and for self. And I left it feeling whole. Another theme in this one-- embracing one self, each other, all good things with a full heart.

The romance hit, the leads hit, and this book hits the right audience beautifully.

I do feel this book is perfect for 30+ year old readers. It includes pop culture we will instantly get and be tickled by (I see you LiveJournal namedrop!). Usually, I don't care for pop culture references, I think it can age a book in the years to come, but these are references of the past that really elevate the narrative by not being afraid to remind us of our heroine's age at 34. I massively appreciated that. These are older leads, with Alex in her 30s and Devin in his 40s. And the pop culture references emphasize that positively. And, as a reader in her 30s, it brought me comfort. It's even made me wonder if I was too harsh at the inclusion of pop culture references in past reads, because, as it turns out, when you're the target audience, it hits so incredibly well!

This book is for the fandom nerds, of every kind! If you grew up on Tumblr obsessing over your favorite show, if you connected with fandom friends that formed a cherished community, if you found comfort in a seasons-long show, Fan Service is just right for you. Welcome home.

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this advanced complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.