This one was good - certainly very juicy - you just have to suspend reality to get into it. The MC is very unlikeable and delusional. I saw reviews mention the big "twist" at the end and was fully convinced the MC was actually having a mental break and was imagining all this. The twist that did occur did not feel well set up or believable or honestly even make sense. The female friendships felt fake and shallow, the sex scenes were awkward.

This one didn't do it for me, unfortunately. The central character was irritating, and not in a fun way, the relationships felt utterly fake, and I just couldn't bring myself to care enough about Poppy to care about the shenanigans involved in getting to her.

I recently posted on a thread on IG that I was reading "The Most Famous Girl in the World" and someone asked me what genre it was. I earnestly replied that I believed it was supposed to be a thriller, but was giving bantery rom-com vibes....and I stand by that statement. It's tropey (in the best way), witty, and the twists just kept coming. I won't need a pallet cleanser from this one....it was suspense and tension and mystery all wrapped up in a glorious package.

Rose is a journalist responsible for giving Poppy Hastings her fame. Everyone loves a glorious con woman #girlpower! She exposed her for fraud...but she is convinced there is more to the story. After the FBI arrest, she lets her conspiracy theories spiral and she has a full mental break. She's finally got a grip when Poppy is released from prison early..and she just can't stay away. She meets a hunk that doesn't think her theories are as outlandish as everyone made them out to seem and they become a team.

You won't see the twist coming. Or that other twist. Just take the plunge and read this. It was released today!

Thank you Iman Hariri-Kia, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Received this as an ARC from NetGalley and was quite pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it once I got past the first few chapters. Initially I felt like the author had just copied Anna Delvey’s story but as I kept reading this story definitely had its own twists and took on a life of its own. The end definitely had me a bit shocked but also confused, I guess it was left open for a potential sequel? Either way, definitely enjoyed it overall!

3.25/5 stars

I liked this book well enough. The premise is interesting and believable. I really enjoyed the bond between Rose and her two friends. Though Rose is not a wholly stable narrator, she is not untrustworthy. She irritated me at times, but honestly that is to be expected given some of the things she is dealing with. Her unexpected partnership with the FBI agent added a fun element. It did have a Spy vs Spy feel to it.

Some of the pacing felt off for me, and some reveals felt predictable. I won't say which pieces for sake of spoilers. I will say though, guessing the reveals did not ruin the story for me. The only other critique I have of the book is that, to a degree, it felt as though it was trying to be a genre blend, but did not go far enough so it wound up feeling as though it did not know what genre it was.

The ending of this book was good and easily makes a reader want to pick up the next one.

Funny and engaging, a little unhinged, loved the MC. The plot made it hard to put down. Cant wait to read more of this author.

Happy Pub Day to @imanharirikia and this laugh out loud fun, satirical, scammer, girlie pop coded book!!! This book had my favorite kind of narrator; unreliable and unhinged AND I LOVED IT! 💋

⭐️THE MOST FAMOUS GIRL IN THE WORLD, out NOW⭐️

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the review copy of this book!!!

4.25⭐️

#themostfamousgirlintheworld #imanharirikia #sourcebookslandmark #sourcebooks

I clicked on The Most Famous Girl in the World 100% because of the beautiful cover...so imagine my absolute GLEE when I found out that this book is essentially a satire about Anna Delvey!? 🙀💋

This is a book about Rose Aslani and Poppy Hastings. Rose is a reporter for an online journal named The Shred, and she wrote an investigative article that exposed Poppy for the scam artist she was. Poppy got essentially a slap on the wrist and Rose is looking for her to be held accountable for her crimes.
Insert: a handsome FBl agent gone rogue, a downward spiral of obsession and unhinged actions. 📰🚨🚔

I thought this book was hilarious. There were so many awesome one liners and sarcastic remarks (trauma porn, "use my time off to go on a little trip. Off the motherfucking deep end." "it appears he dog-ears his pages. Typical. What a sociopath" and the LIST GOES ON!!), and I loved the banter in Rose's head and with her friends Fern and Steph, and with Simon.

It even has a twist that I didn't see coming! Love that! 👏🏻

AND, I also learned how to spell "capeesh"! BONUS! 👌🏻

I thought this book was super fun and a surprisingly insightful read. It was so interesting to see as a society how we make certain people famous and fixate on people and their lives.

Releases today, 9/17!!! 💋

This was a fun read. It was fast paced and overall very interesting. I wasn’t as invested in the main characters as I would’ve liked to be. But it was entertaining to just read through.

3.5 ⭐️ or 4 ⭐️

4.5 stars
it's campy, it's c*nty, it's EVERYTHING! Obsessed with her first novel & this one is even more iconic!

Pub date 9/17
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A fun popcorn read but is not without its issues. If readers can approach this book with a fun mindset and nothing more, they'll enjoy. If readers attempt to poke even the smallest of holes in the story, characters, premise, the fun will be ruined. 3 Stars.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

I’m not that interested in infamous celebrities but I am definitely interested in criminal minds. Having watched Inventing Anna and then seeing Anna Delvey announced as a guest on Dancing with Stars, I can’t help but feel that publication of The Most Famous Girl in the World comes at a perfect time.

After @scaredstraight lovely review of this book I expected to be entertained but I had no idea what a wild, wild ride this will end up being. This book doesn’t subscribe to a single genre but mixes some of my favorite tropes in a satirical, campy read that does entertain but also explores some of the darker sides of popularity. The main character Rose is unhinged, obsessive, and really struggling with her own identity, vulnerability and (lack of) sense of belonging. I loved her outlandish behavior, as well as the extra colorful cast of “support characters.”

Grab this if you enjoy:
💋 absolutely unhinged reads
💋 enemies to lovers
💋 found family
💋 mystery/suspense
💋 just one bed
💋 a dash of spice

I would love to see a sequel 🫣 and a mini series adaptation! And just a heads up prepare up reread that ending a few times!!! 😱

A huge thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had very mixed feelings about this one. I thought it was fast paced and fun. However I actually disliked all the characters, especially the main character. There were times I had to put the book down, mainly because I was so annoyed with her. She 100% took away the joy I felt reading this book. She was full of herself but also down on herself. Very critical and negative. Unfortunately, so much of the book is written with only her perspective and personality in mind, that you don't get to know a lot about the other characters, who maybe would have made the book more enjoyable. If you are someone who can get over a not so great main character - and enjoy murder mysteries, drama and influencers, definitely try this one.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

This had such a promising start - major Anna Delvey investigative journalism vibe with a dash of unhinged girlie. Lots of things I like! I wanted to keep enjoying it! Alas, the book takes a turn at the near 50% mark where it becomes so much overwhelmingly about the romance that it took me out of it. I so, so wish this had turned into a group investigation with her two besties (who are both kind of one-note BIPOC characters), but instead she teams up with a blue-eyed cop... It just didn't hit after that.

Let me start by judging this novel by its cover. The cover is so eye catching and perfect! The cover is what drew my attention first, then I read the synopsis and started crossing my fingers that I would be able to read this novel before it came out.

I was not disappointed! Iman Hariri-Kia uses her words so beautifully to create an intriguing and compelling story. I enjoyed the plot from the very beginning, and couldn’t stop reading! I would get to the end of a chapter and not realize how much I had just read. Something I really enjoyed but didn’t expect, is the exploration of fame and social media. I found it really interesting to read about how people were worshipping someone who had just been released from jail. There were interesting parallels with real life, which added a lot to the story. At times, the main character was unlikeable. But in a way that almost made me connect to her more. I wouldn’t go as far as Rose went, but she was feeling emotions that we’ve all felt before. The Most Famous Girl in the World is an intriguing mystery with some romance! It’s definitely a page-turner, so be ready to be reading for the whole day!

Release Date: September 17, 2024

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for giving me my first ever ARC!

I devoured this book! There's something captivating about following a character like Rose as she slowly unravels, becoming more unhinged in her relentless pursuit of the truth—even when everyone around her insists she should drop it. The story puts a fresh, humorous spin on the classic "I'll stop at nothing to uncover the truth" trope, mixed with a bit of "I'm just a girl." Rose isn’t some polished, experienced journalist—she’s messy, impulsive, and fighting against the odds, especially as everyone around her tries to gaslight her. The twists kept me guessing, and the ending? Let's just say I'm impatiently waiting for a sequel!

*2.5!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC.

Very tongue in cheek. Very dry. If that's your thing then this is the perfect novel for you. A perfect summary of how social media has consumed the world.

I'm giving it 3 stars for the humor. But Rose Aslani has got to be one of the most annoying characters I've ever come across. WAY too obsessed with this Poppy Hastings, who Rose swears is up to know good. And you know, she actually is but the doldrums that Rose sinks into were hard to read. And the ending? Yeah, I kinda knew something was up with that when I realized the way it all wrapped up and yet, I still had a good 8% to get through.
Rose is a journalist who got obsessed with a celebrity socialite, blowing up her entire life in the struggle to take Poppy Hastings down. She meets up with a rogue FBI agent, Simon, who is equally obsessed with taking down Poppy and after a rocky start, they agree to work together to make sure Poppy can hurt no one else and the public is duly informed as to who she really is. Celebrities really can get away with murder.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this e-arc.*

If you are into the Anna Delvey scandal and the power social media has on society, then this is the book for you.

"The Most Famous Girl In the World" is a campy, satirical, cat-and-mouse adventure of a quirky, but cringy, journalist trying to expose the wicked ways of the famous "socialite" and social media influencer.

Unfortunately, this moved a little slow for me, and the main character truly got on my last nerve. The plot had a lot of promise, but it was just all over the place, and I knew a train wreck was coming at any minute.

The Most Famous Girl in the World by Imam Hariri-Kia ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not going to lie, I wasn’t completely into this book until about 35%. I didn’t really get it. But once I got into it, I REALLY enjoyed it and understood and appreciated what it was doing. I will be eagerly awaiting the next book by this author, and I have full intentions on checking out their backlist.

This was a chaotic, unapologetic, satirical read that poked fun at mass hysteria and online presences. It was over-the-top in every way imaginable (and that was what took me so long to get into it.) It also examined mental health and substance abuse struggles in a way that felt true. The characters made this one. They were messy and unlikable. However, by the end I so enjoyed them.

Fans of messy, unlikable characters, satire, and books with mystery and spice will enjoy this one.