This was a wild and intoxicating wild. I love Samantha's ability to weave together a story that packs a punch and leaves you wanting more. ALL the Stars. Amazing read.

𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝑰 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉, 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉...𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒆𝒔.

Ivy Westcott yearned to make it big in the acting world. But with her shy demeanor and head full of red curls, she didn't have the looks or the charisma to land leading parts. When she reads for a part in a new teen drama, the mercurial director and creator of 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐, 𝑱𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒕 Mack Foster stuns her with his brusque, dismissive critique. Lauren Malloy possesses everything Ivy doesn't--looks, charm, and confidence, but she's also incredibly kind, and the two form an unlikely friendship.

When Ivy receives the incredible news that she, not Lauren, has landed the coveted role of Juliet in the series, their friendship remains steadfast. But when small acts of sabotage toward Ivy begin happening on set and the script begins to mimic real life in uncomfortable ways, Ivy begins to wonder if her best friend could be responsible. Then when a cast member dies before the finale airs, the entire show and its relationships implode.

Ivy finds herself relegated to a series of hateful memes venomous tweets until a decade later when she and the show are the subject of a scathing tell-all docuseries. In an attempt to capitalize on the fame that the show once had, Mack reaches out for a top-secret reunion of the surviving cast. Because of the financial boost it will provide for both her and her mother, Ivy grudgingly agrees. But when she arrives at the top-secret location, no one else is there--except for the body of a co-star hanging in the closet.

HELLO, JULIET is a stunning thriller that peels back the layers of fame, exposing the dark, seedy underbelly that the Hollywood lights never shine upon. It's also a commentary on the public's obsession with celebrity and how the media can pen any narrative that we just blindly accept. Finally, it's a reminder that when the lights of fame and adoration are shining upon you, you will never truly belong to yourself, perhaps best stated by Terry Pratchett: “𝑨𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒅𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒖𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘.”

Thank you to much to Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse for this early read. At the time this review was written, this title was expected to publish April 29, 2025.