3.75 rounded up

This book was like a cool glass of moscato on a warm summer evening - refreshing, fun, and buzzy 💋☀️🤪

Rose Aslani is a writer for The Shred who published a story about Poppy Hastings, a fake-heiress-exposed-scammer, only to make her the most famous girl in the world. Two years later, Poppy has been released from prison and Rose finds herself sucked back into Poppy’s orbit as she finds olds habits die hard and there is more of Poppy’s story left to tell.

This book was clearly inspired by the article Jessica Pressler wrote for New York magazine about Anna Delvey (and boy oh boy do I love books clearly inspired by real events aka The Royal We). However, this book puts a genre-bending twist on it - there’s mystery, there’s romance, there’s murder, there’s satire.

As I was reading this book, I found myself thinking about why do we make certain people famous, do we have an ethical responsibility when it comes to who we make famous, why do we hold these people to different moral standards than “regular” people, what is the difference between influencers and celebrities (or is there one at this point?), and so much more. And of course, I thought about the underlying story about a second generation immigrant and the weight of that identity.

Even though this book made me think about all of that, it is also at face-value just a fun “what if” story. I felt the same thrill reading this book as I did when I was 14 and read Airhead by Meg Cabot (is that too niche?). Please lmk if you read this book because I have a lot of thoughts (and questions) about the ending that I am dying to talk about!!!!

This was such a thrilling story all the way up to the end. I could not put it down. I loved how Iman Hariri-Kia was able to really put us in the mind of the character and feel what she is feeling.

The ending!!! GASPED. Hello??

If you’re into Ana Delvey + Con Artist storylines, this is your book.

Unfortunately not a fan. DNF @ 27%

This book had so much promise but fell flat in delivery. Feels like a bad Anna Delvy ripoff.

Thank you to Sourcebook Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This one is out now!

Two years ago, journalist Rose Aslani broke the story of socialite grifter/scammer Poppy Hastings, which eventually resulted in Poppy going to prison. Rose knows Poppy is guilty of even worse crimes, which is why she spirals and has a mental breakdown as Poppy becomes even more famous. In the present, Poppy is released early from prison and sends Rose spiraling again. Determined to expose Poppy’s even darker past, Rose teams up with an FBI agent to take her down.

I had to DNF at 20% in. Obviously influenced by Anna Delvey, but way more outlandish, I couldn’t do it. The dialogue is weirdly stilted/unrealistic, I can’t buy into someone totally derailing their life for reporting on a story of someone they have never actually met, and I LOATHE when someone doesn’t name a character (refers to her roommate as just Roommate - who doesn’t even bother remembering the name of someone that lives with them???). The female scammer stories are very popular and I’m sure the over-the-top writing will appeal to a lot of people, I’m just not one of them.

I found the concept of this book very intriguing but the execution quite lackluster. When I first started reading it, I got Anna Delvey vibes, which I’m sure was the initial inspiration, but I found the murders and the secret society to go a bit off the rails.

I also find it hard to believe that a journalist (who barely broke the story, she had just been looking into it and had written like half a story when the news broke) would have as much attention on her as in this book. Rose absolutely has a main character complex that I felt was unfounded — like, girl, not everything is about you.

I also found myself rolling my eyes at the romance. It happened too quickly and it wasn’t very well developed and it just felt entirely unnecessary. Overall, this book tried to do too much at once and ended up barely doing anything.

3.5 stars - really enjoyed this one. Gave me the Anna Delvey vibes. But I really liked seeing the twists and also the reporters side of the story. The love story connection in the book was also done really well. The banter was great and the aspect of the FMC finding herself was great!

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Format: Audio

4.25🌟 - I enjoyed it!

Tysm @bookmarked and @imanharirikia for the #gifted copy 🫶💋

Celebrity culture, rich people problems, and a dash of crime? Sign me up! Anna Delvey anyone 👀. This book is true entertainment, and I ate it up! Brimming with satire and commentary on social media and pop culture, this one was a super fun audio listen.

Still recovering from that ending 🤯!! There was a bit of romance and some thriller moments making this a really dynamic read.

This feels like the epitome of #hotgirlreading. Not only was the writing razor-sharp, but I love how she integrates her culture into her stories as well. I adore the author @imanharirikia and can’t wait to see what she cooks up next 👩🏻‍🍳.

Campy, unhinged, and a wild ride!

2.5 stars

A satirical story of a con artist socialite and the reporter who put her on the map should have been a slam dunk for me, since I loved "My Friend Anna". The first 25% or so of this book I was all about it, but as soon as the romance was added it suddenly was not for me. 
Rose is a reporter who broke the story of Poppy Hastings' grifting, and when 2 years later Poppy is released from jail on good behavior, Rose starts to crack. Her sources for the article start to die one by one, and she's convinced that Poppy is responsible, but no one believes her. Determined to prove it, she starts obsessively stalking Poppy around NYC, and runs into an FBI agent also following Poppy. The story turns into a bit of a cliche enemies to lovers romance storyline rather than focusing on Poppy at that point, and while this might be a bonus for some people, it wasn't what I was hoping to get out of the book. Also the FBI agent was from the town I grew up in, but with how she wrote about it the author very clearly was not, so that biased me, some, I think. I ended up skimming the last 40% or so until I got to the ending, which was insane. I still can't decide in a good way or not. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

LOL this book is pretty insane! I had no idea what to expect going in but that made it all the more fun. The book is somewhat hard to place in a specific genre if but you love scammers, mystery, and some juicy romance it’s worth a shot. The writing is not fantastic but the wild ride makes up for it.

Rose is a journalist obsessed with socialite Poppy Hastings. Poppy is getting out of prison early. Rose helped put her there and all of a sudden, Rose's sources start to die one by one. Soon, a handsome FBI agent enters the picture who is curiously also invested in the mystery of Poppy. Rose has to decide if she trusts him enough to keep her safe from Poppy, help her solve the mystery, and overall keep her sanity and job. The ending is bonkers and surprising and the book is just a fun escape!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this story. It reminded me of the real life case of Anna Delvey (Anna Sorokin) the fake heiress. However, this book was more from the reporters perspective instead of the criminals perspective. This was an enjoyable and addicting read and I couldn't put this book down!

Though the plot has some serious issues toward the end, this is fun and wildly entertaining and I absolutely loved Rose, and those things ultimately outweighed my frustration with some of the goofball stuff going on toward the end.

This is essentially a sharp piece of social commentary on fame and obsession, centered around a sort of serial killer version of Anna Delvey. Thankfully the whole thing stays firmly on the side of camp, so there’s no ickiness to it, just some absurdity that some readers will tolerate better than others.

There’s some scooby doo-ishness at the climax of the story that I didn’t love where the camp of it all felt less self aware and more ham-fisted in the writing and plot, but I loved everything leading up to that. And I didn’t mind the cliffhanger epilogue that seems to have bothered a lot of reviewers.

In the end I just loved Rose and loved spending time in her world. Simon is a bit Romance novel tropey, “damaged guy with a heart of gold” for my taste, but he fits well in the story, and I loved Rose’s friends almost as much as I loved Rose.

Rose Aslani, a New York journalist working for The Shred, found her hit story 2 1/2 years ago - Poppy Hastings. She wrote a breakout expose a week after Poppy’s arrest with exclusive interviews and once private details that help put Poppy behind bars.

In the present, Rose and her friends Steph and Fern are still working at The Shred and Rose has not gone a day since the story leaked that she hasn’t thought about Poppy Hastings. And neither has the world. The public got ahold of this story and Poppy’s celebrity skyrocketed - and it grows beyond measure as she is released from prison on good behavior. Now Rose, obsessed and drinking heavily, begins to unravel more and more. While she spins out though, more and more people begin to die - and they just happen to be sources Rose had questioned.

This was gripping, in that it was consistently paced and surprising. The story was intriguing and had some lovable characters, like Steph and Fern (truly the best friends a girl could ask for). Unfortunately, it was not my favorite. The main character was very unlikeable and I did not care much if things panned out for her or not as the story went on. Reading her perspective, at times, felt like being a part of a conversation you’ve been trying to leave for a half hour. The way the story flowed was also unbelievable at times and I wish there was a bit more done to storyboard the parts that didn’t feel well-fleshed.

This gave me the workplace drama of UnReal (the show) but I unfortunately kept feeling a little let down that the messiness of it all was not as intriguing. Overall, would not recommend, and was a bit let down.

I do want to thank Sourcebooks Landmark, the author, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

3.5 stars (rounding up)

"The Most Famous Girl in the World" is an entertaining read with a dash of edgy humor. While it leaned more into romance than I typically prefer, the story flowed well until the ending. I must say, I was left a bit disappointed. Will there be a sequel, or are we meant to fill in the blanks ourselves? I'm not a fan of open endings!

Thanks to the author and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC provided via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#TheMostFamousGirlintheWorld #ImanHaririKia #Netgalley #SourcebooksLandmark

I whipped through this book and really enjoyed the ride. I was thrown off by the epilogue though and that ending!

Although I found it difficult to like Rose, I was instantly drawn into her story. As someone fascinated by scammers, I was very interested in this novel. I enjoyed reading and would recommend!

The Most Famous Girl in the World by Iman Hariri-Kia is an easy, fun read that’s perfect for when you just want to escape for a bit. The premise is light and entertaining, and it flies by quickly.

But honestly, it was a bit too goofy for my taste. The main character felt more like a cartoon than a real person, which made it hard to relate or feel invested in her story. If you’re in the mood for something super light and don’t mind an over-the-top protagonist, give it a go—but if you're looking for depth, this might not be it.

I quite literally am sitting here with my jaw DROPPED after finishing this book. I won't lie, I did not see that coming. I LOVED the twist(s? You'll have to read to find out!) and the way the relationships were developed in this. The writing was nuanced and detailed and kept me on the edge of my set. 100% will recommend.

This ripped-from-the-headlines story satires a celebrity influencer, in the style of "Inventing Anna," who defrauds the rich and famous to fund her lavish lifestyle. Full of camp, cutting commentary on America’s fascination with fame, and the dark spiral of obsession, this book is a witty wild ride with a dash of murder and romance.

This book is fast, fun and ridiculous. We follow our hot mess narrator, Rose, who is a journalist that is obsessed with an influencer and con-artist Poppy. Rose has become convinced that Poppy is not only a con-artist but is also a murderer, and a serial one at that. Unfortunately, Rose is also completely unhinged and between drug-fueled stalking episodes, manages to get herself fired and alienate her few friends.

Rose meets an undercover FBI agent and what follows is a very typical enemies to lovers type romance. For me, this is where the book really started to become a bit confusing, is it a thriller? Is it a romance? A mystery? It was unclear, at times reading like a detective novel and at times like a angry blog. I enjoyed the over-the-top plot but would have loved to see more Poppy as she was the most important character in the book and didn't really have much time "on screen."

Overall, I think this book would be great for fans of romance where the main character is messy. Or readers that like multi-media books about influencers and conspiracy theories.