I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis held so much promise, but the book failed to deliver as much as I hoped for from it. I enjoyed it well enough, but with a few tweaks it could have been an even more enjoyable read.

"Famous People" by Justin Kuritzkes is a thought-provoking and entertaining novel that offers a fresh take on the celebrity memoir. The story follows a mega-famous pop star as he grapples with the realities of his fame and the existential questions that arise from his position in the world. Kuritzkes' writing is both witty and insightful, making for a compelling read that is both entertaining and meaningful. A must-read for anyone interested in the human condition and the clash between fame and normalcy.

I thought this would've been more my taste, however it just wasn't. I wasn't that crazy for the characters and the story. Ultimately, I struggled to get through it.

To be honest, I had a hard time getting through this book so much so that I couldn't finish. I appreciated that it was written from the point of view of a young, up and coming artist. However, I found it to be really hard and mundane to get through, and at time not really easy to read. There were no feelings for the character or his circumstances that made me connect at all. Maybe it was just me but I just did not enjoy it.

FAMOUS PEOPLE by Justin Kuritzkes is a new young adult novel. The first sentences are "I been famous since I was twelve. Made a vid of me singing the national anthem that got like, ten million views in its first week because I was doing some crazy shit with my voice. ... it used to be like ACTUALLY dope. You know what I mean?" If that character appeals to you, go for it. As the publisher says, this story is meant to be "a rollicking, unforgettable look at the clash between fame and the human condition." I simply could not get beyond the narrator's voice. For me, this is the perfect example of why it is so difficult to convince English teachers to assign young adult novels ... You know what I mean?

He had famous since he was twelve. He had made a video of him singing the National Anthem and got like ten thousand views the first week. He was doing some crazy stuff with his voice. He used to be able to hit high notes-like girls could, before his voice dropped. But his voice was still tight. The thing about being famous for so long is you don’t really hang with any normal people. But at the same time you are connected to normal people than even than most normal people were. Because you are one of the few that really looked at them. Here’s his daily grid: he gets up, he goes to the studio, he turns out some tracks, he goes to the gym, he goes and takes his singing lesson, he goes takes his guitar lesson- he can play all the cords but he wants to be good-, he takes meetings, he listens to stuff. Sometimes he’s on the road. It’s never as fun as you think it would be. He never backs out of his shows, they wait in line for hours , days even, just to hear the songs they’ve already heard a million times on the radio. He never once backed out of his commitments to something, it was the least he could do. Than he decided he could do more and that’s when he decided to write a book. The publishers had been reaching out to him for awhile. He decided it was time to tell his story. The really famous people are mostly chill. His mother was a dental accident and his dad had worked at the radio station. His father killed himself. It was after he was famousHe and his father were estranged. He found out about his father after he landed from a paparazzi who had asked him how he felt about his dad and what happened today. The paparazzi got quiet and he knew something was up and said “ what the f--- are you talking about?” The paparazzi stammered” he killed himself, your father is dead.” He grew up in a regular town and was a regular kid. He started singing in church , he sang all the solo parts. His parents would come and watch him and they were proud. Than his father started talking like he was his manager. They made good business partners. They both had the fire in them. There was a time when his father wanted to crush it. His dad had been in a grunge band and for a second it looked like his band was gonna have a moment. But grunge was basically done. His father still sometimes played in bands. So his father put all his hopes of killing it onto me, his son. He moved out to LA when he was about fourteen and he than got together with Mandy. I couldn’t finish this book. We didn’t even get a name for the famous young man. This just didn’t hold my attention and I finally gave up trying to force myself to read it. I am sure there are people out there who will enjoy this book. It just wasn’t for me.

This book was not my favorite. I didn’t love the story telling style, which was a stream of consciousness style. The story was ok, and I did like that the author chose to delve into a difficult topic, like stardom for children.

An entertaining read. But, the format (reading like a celebrity memoir) reminds me of Taylor Reid Jenkins (Daisy Jones and The Six and The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo) but I feel Jenkins makes it work better. This could have used some alternative POV or something to break up the narrative.

I know this book is categorized as "new adult," but I found it particularly juvenile. I would not recommend this book, even to middle schoolers.

Fun interesting original a teen pop star aging into an adult ala Justin Bieber .Told in a stream of consciousness I really enjoyed the flow quirkinesses.of the story.Enjoyable unique read.#netgaley #henryholt

As I was reading this, I had to ask myself if the author somehow tapped into my own inner monologue to develop his writing style. I thought this was fun and interesting, and definitely worth the read.

A work of fiction that reads like a memoir. Protagonist is a mega popstar with world wide recognition. He very astutely describes his life, from his original video gone viral he made with his father in their home which led to recording contracts which led to worldwide concerts and touring. His father, his original manager, and he had a falling out. This led to the introduction of various characters and relationships which both enhanced and complicated his life.

He writes quite a lot about his first love, Mandy, who also became a pop star at the same time he did, only her star fizzled out. We learn much about his tattoos (which cover his entire body), his creative process, family dynamics in both his nuclear and extended musical family.

Although this is fiction, it is a very believable narrative written from the point of view of a young man overwhelmed by constant attention from and fixation by the public. I felt that the author had done his research and enjoyed the read very much.

This book crosses many genres. I'd recommend it to young readers looking for a contemporary look at their wildest fantasies. It manages to appeal to both adults and young people.

I’ll be honest. I’m not super hard to please when it comes to entertainment. I like most everything I read or watch or listen to. I have a diverse range of likes, very few dislikes. Famous People just didn’t do it for me.

The writing is good. The story fairly good as well. I think, honestly, it was the format of the book that diminished its appeal. The book reads like one long train of thought. The unnamed protagonist of this novel is 22 years old and has been in the limelight since he was 12 and became a YouTube sensation. We get to hear about his first love and his family and his life as a superstar. It all sounds really appealing. A great story to read.

The book felt sometimes like simply mad rambling. There are some really deep thoughts, but they tend to get lost in the jumble of words. No chapters, no break in the story at all. No chance to stop and think. Perhaps our protagonist has ADHD (like me.) I needed a break. I needed time to stop and think about what I’d read. The only break in the story were the occasional descriptions of our unnamed star’s tattoos.

In all fairness, as I said, I think the writing was good. I think the concept was awesome. I liked him, this him with no name. I liked Mandy. I liked the fact that the book did, in fact, make me think. That’s why I am being generous with my rating of 3 stars. I just feel like it all sort of gets lost in word soup tho, and that’s why I only gave it 3 stars.

Not one that I’ll likely be recommending.

This book was very modern and funny. It was stream-0f-concicisouness writing where the narrator (and main character) writes as he is basically living his life, all first person. The story is about rock star who is famous and living the dream life--started out as a teen idol and has moved on the adult star. His life is not average; he is rich and spends his days recording and touring and hanging out. He is funny and tells it like it is. He write about his first love and losing his father and gives detailed descriptions of every tattoo on his body. It was short but I liked the writing style and I thought it was interesting even though he was all over the place in telling his story. Clever and original. Smart and funny! Thanks to NG for the ARC!!!

Written as a “celebrity memoir” - Famous People is almost as if a Kardashian/Justin Bieber/insert any pop culture figure here wrote a memoir sans ghostwriter. This will definitely not be for everyone but Kuritzes hit the nail on the head stylistically for me here! So short, it almost reads as a novella, which is the perfect length for this intentionally disjointed, all over the place story. From skyrocketing to fame as a child to a detailed list of every tattoo on his body, this reads like the tell all memoir we all want from our favorite stars - BEFORE their PR reps sanitize it!

I received an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Got 6% into it and I can’t do it. The language is over the top (it’s like working class Boston but not as enjoyable as Good Will Hunting)and once he decided to talk about his first relationship...nope. Not my thing. Not something I’d ever feel comfortable recommending to a student.

Famous People is an okay read. It's a good idea executed poorly. The story is just too immature and choppy. I found it lacked substance and needs fleshing out more. It's not for me.

While I liked the premise of the book, I found it difficult to actually read the book. I understand that it is written from the point of view of a young male pop-star, and so didn't really expect it to read like a regular book, but all the random LOLs and skipping around kept taking me out of the story.