Equally acerbic and hilarious, this dark comedy thriller was completely unexpected and a wild ride, from start to finish. Iman's sharp writing, messily realistic characters, and the twists kept me tapping through this book until the very end - at which point I threw my Kindle in shock. What a ride. What a book. Iman, you're a genius (and I can't wait for the next one).

Unfortunately, I found "The Most Famous Girl in the World" to be pretty disappointing... Admittedly, some of this could be attributed to expectations; I was expecting something a little more literary, more of an exploration of para-social relationships and the fickle nature of public opinion. In reality, this was just a little too ridiculous for me--it was too difficult to suspend my disbelief. That being said, I'm not entirely sure who I would recommend this to (because obviously this book has an audience, even if it's not quite for me)... maybe for fans of "Cult Classic" by Sloane Crosley or Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou.

The plot was initially intriguing to me but quickly devolved into something I'm not particularly interested in. I wish there had been more of a focus on why people like Poppy and why Rose is so obsessed with her. I understand that the way it's written helps build mystery around Poppy as a celebrity, but it left me feeling like none of the actions had enough motivation.

I'm no stranger to dysfunction, but I'm sad to say that there are certain kinds of dysfunction I find it really hard to relate to and Rose got on my nerves fairly quickly. There are enjoyable moments from the other characters but I was mostly overwhelmed with the voicy-ness of the writing and interactions: it felt like everyone was trying very hard to be quirky, which ultimately made them more flat. The same can be said of the writing, sadly. There were hidden gems when Hariri-Kia explores serious topics in a very compelling way, but there easily forgotten amidst the hijinks.

And I'm really sorry but don't even get me started on the ending...

Ultimately, I think this is a very strong case of misinformed expectations. If you go in expecting silliness, you could have a very good time.

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

I want to preface this by saying I am not really a good reviewer. I'm not good at articulating what I do and don't like in an eloquent way about books, but I'll do my best. I loved the beginning premise/idea of this book. This thought that we make con artists celebrities with this whole "girl boss" attitude and give them exactly what they want is a super interesting thing to explore. That coupled with the toll that a con artists notoriety could take on the person who broke the story in an attempt to "take them down" so to speak.

That being said, I think this book executed that poorly and lost any interesting exploration of that in the first fifty pages. There was too much going on, the reveals became so ridiculous and by the third big "wow" reveal moment, I was completely turned off the book. Plot twists at the end and the end of the epilogue were just so far past ridiculous. I think my biggest issue with all of that was that this book was presented as a satire about con artists and that phenomenon in our society. The level of ridiculousness that this book went into, I feel, rendered any meaningful critique pointless as they got lost in the sheer absurdity.

Finally, the addition of the romance plot line felt quite random to me and wholly unnecessary. It sort of came out of nowhere and felt like a box to tick with tropes and the goal of drawing in an additional group of readers.

All in all, I am sorry to have not liked this book. I had high hopes and was really excited to begin it. Maybe it just wasn't for me.

The Most Famous Girl in the World is Iman Hariri-Kia's sophomore novel and a satire, social commentary on the sensationalization of scam artists and influencers. From the contents of the book itself, it's clear that the author knows what they're talking about and have enough knowledge from being inside the industry that they can create a witty and clever satirical analysis of society. There's also a clear maturity in the author's work from their first novel and you can sense that they had an incredibly fun time writing this book. It's fast-paced and quick to the bite, leaving the reader quickly flipping the next page to see what our main character has landed in.

This was satirical, and filled with drama. Rose was a hot mess to put it nicely. Half the time I was reading I was cringing and having second hand embarrassment by her antics. She was spiraling out of control and like a train wreck, I couldn’t stop looking.

Although I enjoyed some of Rose’s inner snarky dialogue, I wanted to hear Poppy’s perspective and I was ironically more intrigued with her schemes and how she was coming people than Rose obsessively wanting to take her down. This had Anna Delvey vibes which I’m always here for, but I wanted a bit more and found Rose to be quite annoying after a while.

The writing was witty, cynical, and pretty funny. I loved the characters and their complicated relationships and personal struggles.

Where the book fell short for me was the last page of the Epilogue. I am SO UPSET. I think that was a miss and the book would have been better with that piece left out.

Overall, I would have rated this book 4 stars if not for the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun, lighthearted read that was clearly inspired by the Anna Delvey scandal. If you’re unfamiliar with that story, this one might be hard to follow at first but stick with it.

I couldn't wait when I read the summary for this one- I had loved Iman Hariri-Kia's first book, and the fact that this was about a journalist who had written the expose on an Ana Delvey-type character who had just been released from jail sounded absolutely up my alley. Just like her last book, The Most Famous Girl in the World offers a smart, biting critique on social media, con artists, and the workplace today. I loved it and can't wait for her next.

I wanted to like this so, so much more than I did. It's a story very very loosely in the vein of My Friend Anna, and it appealed to me because I generally like these sorts of biting zillennial commentaries on social media culture and cons. But the writing was incredibly stilted and cheesy, I didn't like the main character nor understand her actions, and I thought some of the plot decisions - like the weird romance - fell totally flat.

Before the book starts, our main character Rose has had her life ruined by Poppy Hastings. Rose is a journalist for a buzzy online publication who gets an inside scoop that Poppy Hastings, a social media famous New York socialite, isn't who she says she is. She releases a big article exposing Poppy, but not before the FBI arrest Poppy for financial fraud. What Rose thought would be a major win for her career ends up backfiring - the internet firmly takes Poppy's side, applauding her for getting away with scamming the rich and famous for so long. At the beginning of the book, Rose learns that Poppy is getting released from prison.

What follows is a saga of Rose acting wild, adding fuel to the fire of her unhinged obsession with Poppy, and making bad decisions. The ending was completely baffling and definitely took this from a three-star to a two-star read for me.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley!

Iman Hariri-Kia has done it again.

With her sophomore debut, The Most Famous Girl in the World follows Rose, a whistleblower for an infamous socialite scammer, as she must face reality of creating an internet legend. In true Hariri-Kia fashion, she hit the nail on the head in every way possible. From the snappy, campy, and hysterical writing to the social commentary on why the internet loves making celebrities out of horrible people, this book is a delight.

If you support women's rights, but especially their wrongs, this book is for you!

Pitch perfect satire! I was never able to predict which direction Hariri-Kia was going to take this book next. There's spy's, a cult, murder, romance, and so much more! I was laughing out loud and giving my friends chapter by chapter updates as I read through this book 😂

Every page will keep you wondering what will happen next in this wild book. Now, is this a perfect book? No! But, I would argue that the more important question is "Is this a fun book?" and answer is undeniably yes!

Readers who enjoy campy, comedic takes on women's lit will love this book! Fingers crossed we get a follow up that picks up where the epilogue leaves off 🤞🏻 I know I'll be keeping an eye out for a follow up and doubling back to read more of Hariri-Kia's work after diving into this novel 🥰

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Iman Hariri-Kia for providing me with an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review 😘

This was cute, yet at sometimes confusing campy, mystery/thriller with romance thrown in there. I wish we'd gotten more of the antagonist since she's the topic of every chapter and her appearance in the climax of the ending didn't really give me more insight. I Although she's loosely based on an infamous grifter, I wish she was more fleshed put. Poppy became an endearing character throughout the book, but the end left my jaw hanging open.

The Most Famous Girl in the World is a smartly written novel that dives into the dark world of celebrity obsession and criminal fame. Two years ago, Rose wrote an investigative article about Poppy Hastings, which both sealed her prison sentence and guaranteed her fame. Now, Poppy is being released and Rose is facing the consequences of having helped Poppy's rise. While Poppy's star continues to rise higher and higher, Rose is convinced that her criminal activities are far from over. And while she may have been convicted for fraud, Rose believes Poppy's crimes are much worse (murderous, in fact). How can Rose prove to the world that Poppy is a killer when everyone desires to be Poppy?

The Most Famous Girl in the World is cleverly written and filled with satire. It mirrors quite a few recent events in which society has popularized and celebrated criminal behavior. While not overly likable, the characters all feel very real/believable. In my opinion, the epilogue was unnecessary; that final ending was a bit too much. However, overall, I enjoyed the book and will recommend it.

This is a super fun and engaging read. The story will remind many readers of the Anna Delvey scandal. There are definite "tabloid/ fun scandal" vibes going on here. I liked the journalist, Rose, and following along as she teams up with the FBI to bring down a con woman and murderer. Fans of twisty stories with a fast pace will love THE MOST FAMOUS GIRL IN THE WORLD. The narrative has a satisfying conclusion and a memorable message about the power and dangers of social media.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Most Famous Girl in the World by Iman Hariri-Kia.

The think I love most about this book is that it knows exactly what it is, a totally goofy fun house ride. Rose has been hunting a famous scam artist to the detriment of her relationships and even career, but it won't stop her from bringing down the infamous Poppy. Afterall, Rose knows what everyone else doesn't, Poppy has blood on her hands. But her biggest opponent might be the stubborn, yet painfully attractive Simon, who stands in Rose's way at every turn, perhaps they can join forces and finally bring Poppy down...

This is fun, slapstick-y, and silly. It goes way past the mark to the point that it makes you go, ooooooh, that's what we're doing. At that point, you can just chill and enjoy the ride. This is a great, light hearted, and spicy, beach read.

The entertaining plot moves along quickly with some twists. Irreverent and hilarious! I saw this author speak at PLA and I knew this one would deliver.

The Most Famous Girl in the World happens to be a woman named Poppy, who is surely a grifter. Rose Aslani is a disgraced reporter who is obsessed with proving that this is the case. Rose's obsession goes into overdrive when Poppy is released from prison early for good behavior. She is hot on her trail and convinced that she will show everyone once and for all the truth.

The problem is the truth is not necessarily what Rose thought and the threats are bigger than she ever believed. This is a great commentary on modern society! Definitely a satire and humorous. It's great to have the point of view of a Middle-Eastern American woman as our hero and I will be thinking about the deeper meaning of this delightful story for some time!
#sourcebooks #themostfamousgirlintheworld #imanharirikia

I loved the sound of this book but it wasn’t a good fit for me. The narrator came off as too self destructive, immature and unlikeable, and it felt like the story slogged with unpleasantness. I think it will be a bigger hit with younger readers and those who like a lot of gratuitous vulgarity. I don’t think I am the right audience for a book that starts with talk about waxing one’s @sshole. It was fairly well written, just not enjoyable for me.

thank you netgalley and sourcebooks landmark for this digital ARC!!

the combo of a celebrity centered plot with an unhinged narrator was enough for me to become obsessed!! + a touch of romance is always my fav! i also love the way iman incorporates humor and satire in her work.

while i found the plot super interesting at first — a reflection of obsession with celebrities. i think the pacing is what really lost me. i found that the events weren’t high stakes enough to keep my interest.

a bit of a miss for me but im sure others will love!

I love Iman's books, she really writes for a Young Adult audience. For those of us in our 20's and 30's. Her books are relatable and charming and this one was more adventurous than the first. I will read anything she writes!

I was hooked from the description. As someone who loved Inventing Anna and all scammer documentaries this book was the perfect thing for me to read.

I love Imans way of infusing comedy and heart into her books. She creates real and relatable characters that I feel as a reader I relate to or could be friends with. Because her characters, like the main character in this one Rose, is so relatable I want to go on this adventure with her. I believe that Poppy is as awful as she says and I was dying to know what would happen next. She did not disappoint! The mystery and drama was fast and fun and the characters were realistic and challenging.

Iman also does a great job of making her story relevant. All her pop culture references are up to date and relatable. I think she really did her research creating a story around a scammer in the day and age we live in. The journalistic view of making someone famous and seeing someone famous even after a scandal is something we see daily. She really wrote the right book at the right time!

I will be recommending it to all my friends.

And the cover is genius!!!

I am so excited to read her next book one day!