Another absolutely fascinating look into the dangers of social media and what it's like to be a child star.

A little different from similar books because the main characters switch back and forth from the famous actor Echo Blue to Goldie Klein, an intrepid journalist in NYC.

There were some parts that went from plausible to totally unhinged that made it hard to route for Goldie to succeed, but if you suspense disbelief and just enjoy the wild ride you'll be sucked in,!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book before publication! The review will be live on my blog on 7/1/24. I will also feature the review on Instagram that same day and post my review to Goodreads, The Storygraph, Fable, and retail sites.

Review:

With Britney Spears's recent memoir and several documentaries about the horrors some young actors faced on set in the '80s and '90s, there's no shortage of content on the dark underbelly of Hollywood. Hayley Kirscher's "Where Are You, Echo Blue?" is a fictional but riveting look at the struggles faced by child actors and what female celebrities have to go through (especially young ones) while also highlighting the thin line between being a fan and being obsessed.

The book starts in January of 2000, introducing us to Goldie Klein, a journalist with grand aspirations and an even grander fascination with Echo Blue, the enigmatic former child star who vanished without a trace while filming MTV's New Year's Eve celebration. Driven to make a name for herself, Goldie heads to L.A. to investigate Echo's disappearance. What unfolds is a spellbinding narrative of fame, ambition, and the hazy boundaries between reality and obsession.

What makes this so interesting is that Goldie isn't just a journalist looking for a celebrity. Echo is someone that Goldie has been obsessed with since she was a teenager. Goldie was so "Echo-focused" that her parents sent her to a therapist for counseling to deal with it. This ups the novel's stakes and forces the reader to wonder about Goldie's intentions. We soon realize that Goldie may be fooling herself just as much as she fools her parents when she tells them that her obsession with Echo ended as a teenager.

Krischer's writing is sharp and utterly addictive. The story alternates between Goldie's perspective and Echo's, allowing us to see both sides of the story and understand the complexities of fame and fortune. The characters are richly drawn and flawed, making them all the more captivating. Even the side characters are compelling.

Both Echo and Goldie have daddy issues but for very different reasons. Echo's parents divorced when she was young, and her mother - a former child star herself - has become a recluse. On the other hand, Echo's father is a larger-than-life actor chasing the next great part. Echo starts acting, hoping to get closer to him, but as her success takes off, her father's fragile ego stands between the close relationship she'd hoped to forge with him. Goldie's father is a professor and has always pushed Goldie to be better. She feels constantly judged by him, and she, too, longs for acceptance but for different reasons than Echo.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the book is its exploration of the dark side of celebrity culture, both for the celebrity and their fans. Krischer doesn't shy away from showing the ugly truths of fame and the toll it can take on those in the spotlight. She also raises significant questions about celebrity fandoms and their influence on celebrities, both positive and negative, making the book a relevant and insightful read.

But beyond the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, this book is ultimately a story about identity and self-discovery. Goldie's journey to uncover Echo's fate leads her to confront her own personal demons and question her own motives, making for a compelling narrative. I really enjoyed both character's stories, but I found Echo's to be the more captivating and often heartbreaking of the two.

Overall, this is a riveting read that will appeal to mystery, pop culture, and contemporary fiction fans. The characters are realistic, flawed, and, at times, questionable (which I always love), and the plot is engaging. I loved how it closely examined young celebrities' struggles while highlighting how being a "huge fan" isn't always healthy. This is the perfect beach read for the summer.

This book was not for me. I was just interesting enough to keep me turning the page, but it ultimately felt cheesy and just, off.

I had no idea where this book was going to go which in turns made me intrigued, frustrated and confused. I’d call reading this a thrilling ride yet at the same time I’m not sure it would be a ride I’d recommend to others.

Told on alternating timelines, we follow journalist Goldie who has had an obsession about Echo Blue since childhood. Celebrity actress, Echo Blue has disappeared at the turn of the century. We follow Echo’s perspective from childhood as well as Goldie’s perception of her to present day. Goldie pitches an idea to track down Echo Blue for a story- fulfilling her childhood dreams of meeting her as well as advancing her career. Through this journey, Goldie finds that things are not always what they appear in the media. The book explores the exploitation of women in celebrity culture and their perception versus men.

Truthfully, I had a hard time getting into this book because I could not identify with the main character’s (Goldie) obsession with a celebrity. I think the moral of the story was good and I’m glad that it ended with Goldie examining her own behavior and contribution to society’s obsession with celebrity culture.

I rated this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to the author and publishing company for allowing me to review this book in exchange for a honest review.

Famous 90s child star, Echo Blue, poised to return to the limelight after a stay in rehab, has suddenly disappeared. Goldie Klein, a young and ambitious journalist (who may or may not love Echo more than life) thinks there’s something fishy about the situation.

I was excited for this book. Anything set in the 90s is a sure bet for me to want to read it immediately! I was not expecting to run in to the emotions that I did, ranging from sadness and in to irritation and small bits of happiness sprinkled in. These two characters were infuriating for me to read and move through the story with..but at the same time I found myself feeling sorry for them at certain points. This book puts on display the sad reality of what Hollywood does not only to women, but to child stars. Overall a great read that will have you wondering, where is Echo? The whole way through.

I'm tired of things not similar to Daisy Jones and the Six getting comped to DJATS because it is related to famous people...saying that this book was fairly comped to DJATS. Now that I've said that, there are a lot of differences and I loved the way the story was told. Alternating between Goldie and Echo was an amazing choice. I could not stop myself from reading this book until I got to the end. I was really scared that there wasn't going to be a satisfying ending and without spoiling anything, the ending was exactly what I would want.

Goldie is obsessed with child actor Echo Blue. But she wouldn’t call herself “obsessed” A childhood fixation or maybe idolization, but not obsessed.

When Echo goes missing, Goldie uses her skills as a reporter to try and track her down. She gets turned around and hung up and the more dismal side of Hollywood and ends up finding a story she didn’t know she was looking for.

Having also read Falling Girls by this author, she does such a good job writing codependence and longing. There is also a palpable desperation making the characters feel real. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were just a few times that Goldie’s motivation seemed forced.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group!
Although I ended up enjoying this book as a whole, I did struggle with how unlikeable every single character was. Goldie, as the reporter telling the tale, was a hot mess from beginning to end, and a hot mess that I just couldn’t find myself sympathizing with. I felt bad for Echo to an extent, as she was surrounded by narcissists on all sides, but once again-those were some champagne problems.

Disclaimer: Thank you Netgalley & Dutton Publishing for an eARC

A solid 3.5 stars and a delightful read!!!

Through dual perspectives, Hayley Krischer show us the dangers of celebrity culture from both the fan’s obsessive perspective, and the stars that live under fame’s scrutiny.

Taking place in the year 2000 from Goldie’s POV and the 90s from Echo’s POV, I loved the pop culture references and callbacks.

I loved Echo’s POV, story, and character development. Goldie, on the other hand, was a bit stick and cringy in a few areas - specifically her awkward sex scenes.

Overall, a refreshing book that makes us examine society’s obsession with celebrity culture and its psychological effects.

ABOUT ME: I’m a book lover that shares book recommendations and roundups on Instagram (28K followers) and TikTok (2.1K followers).

** A copy of The Faculty Lounge was provided by the publisher and NetGalley/Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review **

Goldie is a journalist who used to adore the child actor, Echo Blue, and now she's obsessed with solving Echo's disappearance. This is a compelling page-turner about celebrities, fan culture, obsession, and the lines we do/don't draw.

I enjoyed this. It was a bit reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid. I liked the to story lines and how it delved deeper into the idea of women in Hollywood than simple stardom and fandom. This is the story of a child star and one of their biggest fans but it looks more at that happens when they grow up than the initial thrills. It had a depth that surprised me. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

Thank you #netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was an interesting read following a young journalist, Goldie, who initiates a quest to find her childhood idol who has gone missing. Goldie grew up loving Echo Blue, to a level that concerned her parents. When Echo blue went missing on new years eve, Goldie reached out to her boss to see if she could do an investigative story to hopefully find her! During this time, Goldie travels to LA and does her best to track down Echo, but when a tragic family event occurs he life is flipped upside down. We begin to watch Goldie crumble and struggle with identity. Eventually the stars align and she given an opportunity to change her life...

if you love all things celebrities, fandom, groupies, and chaos, than this book is for you! This was a suspensful and chaotic read that kept me turning each page through the night.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From the publisher Penguin Group:
When Echo Blue, the most famous child star of the nineties, disappears ahead of a highly publicized television appearance on the eve of the millennium, the salacious theories instantly start swirling. Mostly, people assume Echo has gotten herself in trouble. Goldie Klein, an ambitious young journalist who also happens to be Echo's biggest fan, knows there must be more to the story. Why, on the eve of her big comeback, would Echo just go missing without a trace?

After a year of covering dreary local stories for Manhattan Eye, Goldie is sure this will be her big break. Who better to find Echo Blue, and tell her story the right way, than her? And so, Goldie heads to L.A. to begin a wild search that takes her deep into Echo’s complicated life. Meanwhile, we also hear Echo's side of things from the beginning, showing a young woman who was chewed up and spit out by Hollywood.
*******************
My review: The book is written in two timelines. Echo in the 90's and Goldie in the early 2000's. For the most part I enjoyed Goldie's story a bit more. Her search and her determination was captivating, her poor choices were stressful. Echo's story seems so reminiscent of child stars and Hollywood gossip that are familiar to all. It was sad and I wanted her to be ok.

The middle of the book seemed to drag for me but picked up in the last quarter or so. I really wanted to know more about Belinda, another young Hollywood casualty and I wanted Goldie to make peace with her family and herself.

Good drama, pretty intriguing, and I wanted to find out where Echo was. I felt badly for both Goldie and Echo; they both needed some decent parenting and someone to listen to them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️If you like Hollywood stories and have even been a super fan, you'll be interested. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this absolutely amazing ARC. I could not put this book down, I loved how nostalgic it made me feel for my childhood in the early 2000’s. This book also serves as a great PSA for parasocial relationships and provides a look into the psyche of a super-fan of a celebrity. It was uncomfortable at times to see how obsessed Goldie was with Echo (think: Helga’s shrine to Arnold in “Hey Arnold”), and I truly loved the perspective swapping between Goldie and Echo to show both sides of the story. Overall, this is one of my favorite reads of the year so far & I will recommend it to my friends!

🎥𝚆𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙴𝙲𝙷𝙾 𝙱𝙻𝚄𝙴?🎬
𝙿𝚜𝚢𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟷𝟼, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
🗓️𝚂𝙰𝚅𝙴 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙳𝙰𝚃𝙴!
𝙼𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🎥🩷🎬🩵🎥💜🎬🩷🎥🩵🎬💜🎥🩷

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...Echo Blue is the most famous child star of the 90s. She goes missing on NYE in 1999. A journalist who is also her biggest fan is determined to uncover where she is…..

💭𝙼𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜...LOVEEEDDDD IT!! This genre needs to be more readily available because I just adore it. 🙌A bit thriller-y, but also just an amazing, well developed, domestic-y story!👌 You get two perspectives..the missing star⭐️ & the journalist👩‍💻(you will love both of their flawed selves💜). The time frame(90s-2000s) hit right for me & I could picture Echo as a young Kirsten Dunst or Drew Barrymore(yes, I know that timing doesn’t fit those actors but just how I pictured her💁‍♀️). The plot had so much depth..it was dark, yet enlightening at the same time! It felt so real! Highly recommend! 🏆 And holy shiznits on that cover, am I right?!? 🙌🤌🩷🎬

Evelyn Hugo with a missing person twist!
I came for the celebrity gossip and stayed for a majorly intriguing story of the price of fame and what public perception can to to someone! I love a unreliable/unlikeable narrator and was thrilled to dive into this!

Thank you Netgalley & Dutton Publishing for an eARC ♥️


The story follows Goldie, a young journalist who's determined to find out what happened to Echo Blue, a former child star who disappeared without a trace. I mean, who wouldn't be fascinated by a mystery like that?

As Goldie digs deeper into Echo's life, she uncovers some pretty dark secrets about the entertainment industry and the price of fame. It's really eye-opening and makes you think about the impact our obsession with celebrity culture can have on the people involved. I mean, we're always so quick to judge and speculate about celebrities, but we rarely stop to think about the human beings behind the headlines.

Echo's story is heartbreaking, and it's clear that Hayley Krischer has done her research on the challenges faced by child stars and the long-term effects of trauma. You can't help but feel for her and the struggles she's faced, and it's a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy and compassion.

The writing is engaging and immersive, and I found myself fully invested in the story from start to finish. The author does a great job of balancing the mystery and suspense with deeper themes and character development. And the twists and turns? Wow! I didn't see some of them coming at all!🤯

Rounded up from 3.5 stars

Having written a novel featuring a one-time child actor, I couldn't wait to read "Where Are You, Echo Blue?" And for the first three-quarters or so, I was all in, despite the book suffering from one of my pet peeves: Both first-person narrators sounded alike, despite their wildly disparate upbringings and circumstances. But the pacing was so sure-footed and the scenarios so precise, I let it slide.

Until Goldie, the writer chasing down the missing Echo, gets the green light from her editor to transform what was supposed to be a story about finding Echo into a five-part (!) series pontificating on what the search for Echo meant to her, what Echo's plight said about celebrity culture, blah blah blah. Um, sure. I've worked at Manhattan glossies, and the likelihood of a magazine allowing an unknown 23-year-old to navel-gaze in such a way is right up there with my mutt winning the Westminster Dog Show. (And that the editor would declare "I don't want to change a thing!"!!! Sure, and unicorns exist too.) Making matters worse, there's nothing in Goldie's first-person narration that suggests she has the insight and chops to write this five-part series that is responsible for a massive bump in the magazine's circulation.

Things get a bit more outlandish from there. Which is a shame, because so long as the book focused on Echo's life in Hollywood and Goldie's pursuit of the story, this was one of the best books I'd read so far this year.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.