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.

Thanks to NetGalley, Hayley Kirscher, and Penguin Group Dutton for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Where Are You, Echo Blue? in the return of an honest review.

The description of this book was a lot more interesting than the book itself. It flipped back and forth between two characters, Goldie and Echo. Both characters were pretty bland and nothing really exciting happened in any of the chapters. The ending was boring and predictable.

"Where Are You, Echo Blue?" by Hayley Krischer delves into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Echo Blue, a former child star, on the brink of her highly anticipated comeback. Goldie Klein, a determined journalist and Echo's devoted fan, sees an opportunity for her big break and sets out to uncover the truth behind Echo's vanishing act. As Goldie delves deeper into Echo's tumultuous life, filled with parental conflict, friendships, rehab, and troubled romances, she becomes entangled in the complexities of celebrity culture and her own role in Echo's story. Through alternating perspectives, Krischer navigates the blurred lines between admiration and obsession, interrogating the price of fame and the power of storytelling. "Where Are You, Echo Blue?" is a poignant and gripping exploration of identity, celebrity, and the relentless pursuit of truth in a world where appearances can be deceiving.

Reading this was a huge waste of time. There wasn’t really anything good about this, the story was bland and predictable, and the characters were flat. It was a dual POV story, and the different perspectives were either “eh I don’t care” or “this is literally the most annoying character I’ve ever read”. The story didn’t really say anything, and the ending was very anticlimactic.

ARC provided by NetGalley

The description of Where Are You Echo Blue really intrigued me and gave more thriller, fast-paced vibes. The reality turned out to be a bit of a let down for me. Upon realizing this would be slower and less thrilling, it seemed a lot like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a book I loved - however, the more I read, the more bored I became. This lacked the charm and finesse of Evelyn Hugo and instead felt cheap and stale. I enjoyed Echo’s chapters more than Goldie’s but neither of them gripped me as characters and nothing really unique happened in this book. I felt like this could’ve been about any celebrity/actor in the world for how simple this story was. And Echo “missing” just to get some freedom and a break from stardom was such a let down for how obvious it was. This had so much potential but it fell flat for me in execution.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the arc.

2.5 stars. I liked the idea of this one a lot more than the implementation. I would have DNF'ed but I really wanted to know what happened to Echo. I was just not drawn in by the main character at all.

This book grabbed my attention when I saw it compared to Evelyn Hugo on Instagram. When I read the synopsis and saw that there was a missing person element, I was super excited to try out Evelyn Hugo with a little mystery.

We follow two perspectives, Echo Blue, a child star, and her rise to fame at an early age, and Goldie Klein, a journalist who is obsessed with Echo's disappearance from the public eye at present. There were some great insights into Hollywood in Echo's chapters, and Krischer includes a lot of 90s-2000s film references that make the story even more fun, but I found myself bored when we switched into Goldie's perspective. I think The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is so good for multiple reasons, but one of them is that we spend 80-90% of the time in Evelyn's story, not the journalist's POV who is writing about Evelyn. I think this story could've been stronger with a larger focus on Echo Blue and less on Goldie.

Overall, this story just didn't come together for me in a way that felt cohesive and intriguing. But some people loved it, so if it piques your interest, you should still try it out!

The description of this book sounded very promising and interesting - almost like Daisy and the Six - however I felt it was more suitable for a YA book. It's good if you're looking for an easy read beach book.

This book is not an easy read. Goldie, our main protagonist, can be a difficult character/narrator/person to connect with. She borders on "way too much" at times, but I still see her as a symbol (almost) for the parasocial relationship with celebrities. Echo, on the other hand, felt real and fully fleshed out. I couldn't put this book down and while the ending could've used something (hmm, I still can't figure out what), I really really enjoyed this one. I think fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Emma Brodie will enjoy this one -- with a dash of Jessica Knoll for good measure.

Smart, thought-provoking, and utterly unputdownable, WHERE ARE YOU, ECHO BLUE? follows two very different, yet equally complex young women, child star Echo Blue, who disappears at the turn of the millennium, and journalist Goldie Klein, an Echo superfan who's determined to find her. But as Goldie embarks on an ambitious quest to uncover the truth about Echo's disappearance, she just might be forced to face the harsh reality of Echo's life—and the role she might have played in it.

I loved this book! I enjoyed following both Echo and Goldie's journeys, and felt like Krischer did a great job of balancing both of their perspectives. They're messy, complicated characters, but that makes them all the more interesting to read about, and their eventual self-awareness and growth were both really well-done. Another highlight for me was the story's exploration of celebrity culture and how, although the book is set mainly in the 90s and 2000s, so much of it is still relevant today—how women are so heavily scrutinized in the public eye and are so often defined by the men in their lives rather than by their own successes and achievements, the fine line between admiration and obsession, how parasocial relationships and various fandoms can be a source of community in a way, but can ultimately be damaging to both the celebs and the fans. In terms of things I maybe would have changed or expanded on a little more, I did wish the ending was a little bit more drawn-out—however, that might just be because I didn't want the story to end! I felt like there could have been a little more buildup of the resolution. Additionally, as other reviewers have mentioned, there were a few strange and uncomfortable scenes from Goldie's POV that, while they kind of made sense for her character and it was understandable that they'd be a bit tough to read, I felt like probably could have been left out. Otherwise, I would highly recommend WHERE ARE YOU, ECHO BLUE? and will definitely be checking out Hayley Krischer's other books! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC.

I loved the general idea of this one but had such a hard time getting into it. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ahead of time but it just wasn’t for me.

I’ve always been into celebrity gossip, so I figured this would be an interested read. Child star Echo Blue disappears at the turn of the new millennium. Goldie, a journalist and longtime Echo super fan, is determined to figure out where she is.

I enjoyed Echo’s chapters very much. She was so Drew Barrymore coded in this. I could’ve done without most of Goldie’s chapters though. She was incredibly strange and not as fun to read about.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

When I came across this book on NetGalley, I was curious about it. The premise sounded intriguing a did the year it was set in, 2000. Thank you, NetGalley, and Dutton Books for my DRC in exchange for my honest opinion.

My feelings on this tail are mixed. I was not anticipating that our primary narrator was going to have such a complex history with Echo Blue. While I appreciate the story shining a light on America’s obsession with celebrities, how it interplay with the narrator became distracting. And honestly, I just didn’t like her. I wanted the story to be about Echo Blue, not the narrator. And both were given equal weight in this story.

This was an interesting story, and really told about the constant judgement young female celebrities faced during the 90s and early 2000s. The double standards women faced in that industry were infuriating and honestly they still probably hold true today. And for that I am to be spoken about makes me glad I picked up the book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Where Are You, Echo Blue?" by Hayley Krischer is a gripping and thought-provoking exploration of fame, obsession, and the darker side of celebrity culture.
When Echo Blue, the beloved child star of the nineties, vanishes on the eve of her highly anticipated television appearance, the public is left speculating about her sudden disappearance. Enter Goldie Klein, an ambitious young journalist and Echo's biggest fan, who embarks on a determined quest to uncover the truth behind Echo's disappearance.
Krischer masterfully weaves together the narratives of Goldie and Echo, offering a multifaceted perspective on fame and its consequences. Through Goldie's relentless pursuit of the truth and Echo's own revelations about her tumultuous life in Hollywood, the novel delves into themes of identity, ambition, and the complexities of storytelling.
As Goldie delves deeper into Echo's world, she is forced to confront her own complicity in perpetuating the cycle of celebrity obsession. Krischer skillfully navigates the blurred lines between admiration and obsession, inviting readers to reflect on the ethical implications of telling other people's stories.
"Where Are You, Echo Blue?" is a riveting and emotionally resonant read that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. Krischer's insightful exploration of fame and its consequences makes this novel a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction.

Thanks for the review copy. This is a solid three star book for me. It was a quick and fun read. I liked the alternating povs.

I got 30-something percent through and had to throw in the towel. The part of the book written from Echo’s PoV was interesting and enjoyable enough, but any time it was Goldie’s turn, I inwardly groaned.
I DNF’d the book after a completely unnecessary and extremely uncomfortable *intimate* scene.

Thanks anyway to NetGalley for providing me with an ebook ARC.

Solid story with a few slower parts that kind of drug the pace of the story down for me. I liked it overall but the slower parts may bother some readers.

I flew through this book! First, the cover drew me in, but then the story captivated me and made me eager to keep going. I read this in two sittings but could've probably read it in one - it was that good. It was interesting, easy to read, and I loved the characters. There was *just enough* of a story here without it being drawn out or too long. Everything felt purposeful. It kept me interested and I could not WAIT to get to the ending to see what the conclusion was. I'd definitely recommend this book to friends or family who are looking for a captivating read.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

Where Are You, Echo Blue was an insightful look at celebrity culture in the 90s/early 2000s that made it easy to insert your favorite 90s child star into Echo Blue’s role. While I loved the concept and the plot moved at a great speed, I did not understand the need for “current day” to be in the early 2000s. Since there weren’t many references to it, reminding me of it almost took me out of the story.

this book is a little difficult to review, because it felt a little bit everywhere, so I'll do it in bullets.

what I liked:
- alternating POVs
- rather unique storyline, concept, and resolution
- a few of the side characters were likable

what I didn't love:
- the recurring and rather strange sex scenes
- a strong preference for Echo's POV than Goldie's
- ending came quickly