I knew this book owned my soul when I didn't want Echo to be found!!! Protect Echo Blue at all costs!!!

Thank you to NetGally and Penguin Group Dutton for the eARC.

I have been vibing with celebrity trope novels lately and was super excited for this novel. Unfortunately this one wasn't one I really found I enjoyed and felt I never really "got there" with any of the characters.

I wanted to love it, based on the synopsis but I struggled to stay interested. The character development and plot are both lacking.

3.5 stars
I was really excited to read this book. I enjoyed the Echo Blue chapters but didn’t connect as much with Goldie’s POV. It shined with Echo’s mid-90s Hollywood vibe and I liked it better when the timelines combined at the end.
*Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley

While I love the premise of this book, unfortunately this one just didn't hit for me the way that I wanted it to. That said, it is a quick read that will have you thinking a lot about celebrity culture and the way both media and fans treat the celebrities they adore.

Where Are You echo Blue? Is a dual timeline and two POV novel about a struggling journalist and a missing child star and the ways their worlds intersect. I felt like there was a lot of potential here with the premise (love a Hollywood book!) but ultimately the pacing and sometimes the writing was off for me. I wanted to like it so much more than I did, I’d still recommend it to readers but overall this was just an okay read for me!

Echo Blue is 1990s Hollywood royalty. She’s successful, famous, and the daughter of actors. When Echo misses her scheduled tv appearance on MTV’s NYE celebration, everyone starts wondering what happened to her. She seems to have disappeared, and no one knows where she is. Goldie Klein, an up and coming journalist and one of Echo’s biggest fans, heads to LA on an assignment to find out the details of Echo’s disappearance.

Set throughout the 1990s/early 2000s, Echo and Goldie’s alternating POVs give a glimpse at how life as a celebrity isn’t always everything it appears to be.

.


As someone who grew up during the 90s/2000s, I loved the nostalgia of this book! The celebrity culture of this time period is so well represented and fit right in with my memories of that time period.


Thank you Dutton Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This story was so fun to keep up with. There are two timelines; the timeline of Echo Blue's life and the timeline of Goldie trying to track Echo down. I think the background of Echo's life helped make sense of her and why she disappeared. Goldie was a little crazy with her obsession of Echo from her childhood that carried over into her adult job. Echo was interesting with how she got into the movie industry and her journey to her disappearance. There are connections between Echo and Goldie even though they have such different lives. Overall, it was a good child celebrity story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy!

I enjoyed this story and think it would make a good mini series or movie. We see what the problems with fame and idolizing celebrities in this book are in a unique way. Check this out if you're looking for an engaging story with some mystery, lives of celebrities, and not fully likeable characters.

I had never hated myself more. Or felt more truly myself.

"Where Are You, Echo Blue?" by Hayley Krischer is a compelling page-turner that explores the dark side of celebrity culture, child stardom, and the obsessive nature of fandom. This smart and juicy read weaves together the lives and perspectives of both celebrity and fan, offering a fresh take on the price of ambition.

The story follows Goldie, an ambitious young journalist whose big break comes when Echo Blue, a famous child star from the nineties, mysteriously disappears just before a highly publicized television event on New Year's Eve, 1999. Goldie, a lifelong fan of Echo, is determined to uncover the truth behind her idol's disappearance. Her investigation takes her deep into Echo's troubled life, filled with parental conflicts, rehab stints, and toxic relationships. As Goldie gets closer to the truth, she begins to question her own role in Echo's downfall.

Krischer alternates between Goldie's frantic search and Echo's tumultuous past, creating a thought-provoking dual narrative. The novel shines in its exploration of the darker aspects of fame and the pressures faced by those who grow up in the spotlight. Echo's story is reminiscent of real-life child stars like Drew Barrymore and Lindsay Lohan, adding a layer of authenticity to her struggles. Goldie's character, though sometimes frustrating in her relentless ambition, is ultimately relatable and human, reflecting the complicated relationship between fans and their idols. Krischer doesn't shy away from highlighting the exploitation and objectification that often accompany fame, making the reader reflect on their own complicity in this culture.

While the ending may feel a bit too conclusive for some, it provides a satisfying resolution to both Echo's and Goldie's arcs. The novel's strength lies in its ability to keep the reader hooked until the very end, blending suspense with emotional depth.

In summary, "Where Are You, Echo Blue?" is a compelling read that offers a nuanced look at the complexities of fame and the cost of ambition. With its sharp prose and well-drawn characters, Hayley Krischer has crafted a novel that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. Highly recommended for those interested in stories about the impact of celebrity culture and the relentless pursuit of truth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for providing an early copy of this book.

Famous child celebrity all grown up, Echo Blue, had disappeared. Goldie, a New York journalist, jumps at her chance to find her and cover the story. Echo shaped her childhood and became important to her through the screen and media.

A very unique read, it takes us into the very real world of celebrity worship. I loved how this has both perspectives, the journalist obsessed with the celebrity and the celebrity herself. They both grew in ways I was not expecting. I found myself really rooting for both of them, despite Goldie’s lack of ethics. She grew on me in the end.

“Fame is a sickness that torments you, like a compulsion that refuses to shut off. Fame isn’t real; it’s a fixation. It’s a need for acceptance and empty love. It’s a weakness, a hole that you can’t stop filling.”

Where Are You, Echo Blue? Comes out 7/16.

Where Are You, Echo Blue? is told in two timelines. In one timeline, we follow Echo Blue, who is the daughter of two celebrities. Her mother is a recluse after having been a child star and her father is busy dating and traveling around the world to film movies, so Echo tries to connect with him by becoming an actor herself. She struggles with growing up in the public eye and having to deal with the paparazzi culture of the 90s. This all leads up to her appearance on New Year's Eve in 1999 where she is doing the countdown, but instead vanishes without a trace. The other half of the story is dedicated to Goldie, a fan of Echo's, and a reporter who decides she's going to be the one to find Echo Blue. Goldie's sections were very chaotic and stressful. She was really irrational at times, which I understand was the point, but it was kind of over the top. She definitely learns her lesson and grows as a character, which was good. I really enjoyed Echo's portions of the book, as it was really interesting to see her trying to connect with the people around her and struggling to do so because she was just a kid. This was definitely an enjoyable read discussing child celebrity and celebrity worship.

Thank you to Dutton Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

4.75 stars- wow! I am surprised that I liked this as much as I did. Engaging, fast paced, and fresh take for a story set in the beginning of the millennium. I loved the dual reverse timelines and felt that the pacing of how and when the story unfolded was perfect and kept me hooked, I was dying to know what happened. I enjoyed the character development and felt that both Goldie and Echo were complex and well developed characters. This story is an effective criticism on parasocial relationships, something I have found myself considering more and more with the advancement of social media, peoples obsession with celebrity, and the feeling that you really know a celebrity in a meaningful way. Really loved it!!!

Thank you, Dutton, for the review copy of Where Are You Echo Blue?

I enjoyed this book a lot once I got further into it. Initially, I found the beginning challenging as the main character, Goldie, felt overly intense. Her fandom and parasocial approach to Echo Blue made me uncomfortable, but I realized this might have been the author’s intention. The book highlights how intense fandom and the pressures surrounding celebrities can be overwhelming, especially for young adults just stepping into adulthood. I applaud the author for creating this discomfort and allowing Goldie to discover that her obsessive focus on Echo Blue was part of the problem that Echo wanted to escape.

The story also delves into other interesting themes, revealing more about Goldie’s interest in Echo Blue and drawing parallels between the two characters. This adds depth to the narrative and reminds readers that behind a celebrity’s life, there is often trauma and hurt that many people can relate to.

This was honestly unlike anything I've read, and I'm still a bit torn on what I think. Some of the tropes:
-Takes place in 2000
-Dual perspective
-Child stars (whose parents were also stars)
-But she grew up and went missing!
-Our other main character wants to find her!
-Celebrity worship
I think the celebrity worship is what made this kind of uncomfortable for me to read; our main character, Goldie, is writing an article about her childhood idol. The idolization she has for Echo is more intense than just a general love, so exploring Goldie's idolatry while she is, too, was interesting, but it did get intense at times. This book explores the roles women have had to play in Hollywood, what it's like to be a legacy actor, the treatment of child actors, and more. I like this and I would recommend it, but I don't think it's for everyone.

This is a well written book, but I didn't think the overall story was very memorable or original. It felt like a retelling of child star Tatum O'Neal turbulent life/upbringing. This is definitely a fun and breezy summer read, but I was hoping for a little depth and substance. This book would've been right up my alley back in my mid-20s, but I've outgrown this genre a long time ago. Which is why I felt the synopsis was misleading. A middle of the road novel. The author has potential, so hopefully her next novel will be a little more daring and unique.

I enjoyed this a lot -- Echo Blue is almost the same age as me in the book so I could understand the context. The author did an amazing job writing dual POV and I was intrigued! I didn't know how it would end but I loved how it did end. If you have ever been a true fan of someone, you will understand this book. I would definitely recommend!

Where Are You, Echo Blue? comes out next week on July 16, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!


I thought of my mother warning me about how pot could be laced with absolutely anything, and I considered vomiting up the cookie, but it had been a while and I wouldn't be able to get it up. I didn't want to go through my whole life thinking everything was dangerous. No, I had to embrace this moment. It was going to be a ticket for my new life. I was going to find Echo. I would charm Jamie Blue. I was going to be on one of those "twenty-three under twenty-three" lists. I was going to go in a hot tub, and I was going to casually interview Jamie Blue just to prove my mother wrong. Spite was a powerful intoxicant.

A page turner told alternately by a celebrity who disappears and the journalist who is hunting for her. Goldie has worshipped Echo Blue since she was a teen- something which caused her no end of problems, but she never knew about Echo's problems. Her problems with her mother, her father Jamie, her life in general-all of which led her to bail on an appearance. It's a story of fathers and daughters, of celebrity, of teen actors, of friendship, of despair, and of fandom. Goldie's plan to find and write about Echo morphs over time and this becomes as much about Goldie as it is about Echo. These are terrific characters, as is Belinda, one of only two people who was kind to Echo, the other being, surprisingly, her agent. Krischer has said she used the bones of Tatum O'Neal's life and yes, those familiar with O'Neal will see, well, echos but she's created a real world here. And kudos to her for thanking O'Neal and other young women (Britney Spears among them). Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I enjoyed this very much- great read.

Young journalist Goldie Klein has been a zealous fangirl of child actor Echo Blue ever since her film debut. Goldie has been floundering a bit at work, but when Echo goes missing, Goldie takes her chance and starts to search for Echo. The book alternates between Goldie and Echo, with Echo’s part covering her childhood to adulthood.

I thought this was a pretty entertaining read and I especially liked the sections with Echo. It was interesting to hear about being a child actor. Goldie is pretty unrelenting in her search for echo, and the ending is overall very fulfilling. In some ways, The book remind me of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC.

I love books that explore the ways that fame and fandom impact young women, both in fiction and non-fiction. So I was really looking forward to this book when I learned it was about a young reporter trying to figure out what happened when the starlet Echo Blue mysteriously disappeared on New Year’s Eve right before the turn of the millennium.

This is a fascinating story of both the reporter Goldie and Echo Blue. I loved how the book was exploring Goldie’s fandom and love of Echo while also showing what was really happening with Echo behind the scenes that the general public didn’t see. This is a story of becoming famous at a young age, what it means to grow up in the spotlight, strained parental relationships, feeling lost, obsession, and looking for meaning in the wrong places.

The story alternates between following Goldie as she’s working on her story and flashing back to show Echo’s account of her life. Sometimes in celebrity narratives like these it can be hard to care about the reporter because the famous person’s story is way more fascinating. However, in this book I cared about both plotlines and felt like the author did a good job of balancing the narrative.

I’d definitely recommend this book for people who enjoy stories about young starlets and how Hollywood has treated them unfairly over the years. Or for people who enjoy exploring celebrity obsession and how being a fan impacts people’s lives. It’s a nuanced story full of complicated characters and personal growth.