I really tried to read this book but just could not get into it. I didn’t like any of the characters and it was just so slow for me. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

The media world... ouch. There's a whole mixed bag of characters in this book. All telling the not so great world of these jobs. And how Gloria got to the top? Well, she knows and someone else knows. And now it's all coming to a head in a world of lies and deciet.
This book is a definite thriller. The characters were mostly loathsome so I wanted them to pit agaisnt eachother by the end. Even the not so bad daughter soon stooped to the lows.
Yes, good read. Not my favourite this year but still good.

I unfortunately could not finish this book. I don't know what it was about the book, but it just did not keep my attention at all despite numerous attempts in different locations even

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

The Famous
Watching attractive, graceful Gloria White on TV everyday, you would never guess what she did to get to the top. But someone knows her secrets and is taking revenge!
A sensational, twisty psychological suspense!

YIKES.

Everyone was terrible and the plot takes wayyyyyyyy too long to get going.

There's better books out there.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As a great fan of Rachel Lynch's Kelly Porter series it was interesting to read something totally different from her. The Famous was a slow burn as the scene was set, then things started to heat up. It was difficult to like any of the main characters as I'm sure the author intended. They were spoilt, entitled and only concerned with themselves. Jilly the daughter was perhaps supposed to be seen more innocently but even she reverted to type somewhat when tested! As the plot progressed it definitely became more convoluted and more interesting. Webs of deceit woven many years before coming to the fore to complicate the plot. The ending did seem a bit rushed after the slow burn start, however I was ready for it to end by then so no complaints from me. An enjoyable read but not up to Kelly Porter standards I'm afraid.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot or publisher's blurb...

I've read and enjoyed Rachel Lynch's DI Kelly Porter series, and others, so was delighted to receive an ARC of "The Famous". I find it's always interesting to read a "standalone" by a favourite author, and this was no exception.

This was a "mixed bag" read for me. I thought the plot was well thought out, and enjoyed the "flashback" sections relating to the main character's past. There was a definite sinister atmosphere at times (no spoilers - sorry, you'll have to read it to find out the cause!), and a tense finale.

The characters were also well written and described - the problem was that I didn't like any of them. Gloria's habits put me off her - though I expect it's not uncommon in the showbiz and media world. I found myself disliking the rest of her family group as well - for a variety of different reasons (which I won't go into for fear of "spoilers"!).

However I found myself glued to the book and read it in just over a day, so obviously quite enjoyed it :-)

Recommended for readers who enjoy insights into the world of showbiz, tv and the media in general.

Looking forward to reading more from Rachel Lynch - hoping for more Kelly Porter and Helen Scott stories too!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

This was an amazing thrillers.

Very intriguing, fast paced. It kept me hooked from the start.

I devored it in one sitting.

She just delivers the thriller of the year.

The Famous follows a 50-something legendary TV chat show host as she confronts secrets from her past.
I'm a big fan of books that are set in the entertainment world - movie stars, influencers, musicians, especially when they explore the pitfalls of 'getting everything you ever wished for' and the dark side of the industries. I should have loved this book, but unfortunately, it wasn't really for me.
It was a very slow start, with nothing much happening until 60% of the way through, and we spend most of the narrative inside the main character's head, which wasn't a very pleasant place to be. I really felt that interaction with outside characters was lacking, and as a result of this, the side characters really weren't fleshed out at all.
I finished the book, which is a plus point, and the mystery was in itself interesting, I just wish we'd had more time delving into that and less time watching Gloria get high/drunk and feeling sorry for herself.

I have been reading Rachel’s DI Kelly Porter series since 2023. I absolutely love them and am currently on book 11, so when I was sent an ARC of The Famous I couldn’t wait to get started! 🥰@rachellynchcrime

Gloria White is a famous and wealthy breakfast TV Presenter. She looks as though she has it all, but having it all can sometimes come at a price. A story of fame, fortune and family with a mix of vengeance and a nasty web of lies.

The last 100 pages had me completely hooked and I had to inhale the last quarter in one sitting. A fantastic psychological thriller filled with suspense and twists that you don’t see coming.

DNF about half way through, felt too descriptive with not enough on the main topic. The description about Gloria's state of mind, goes on and on, and the characters all seem too naive

I was excited to read this one based on the premise. However, it ended up being super slow and not very thrilling at all. There were not unexpected twists or turns. I was unable to relate to any of the characters, which always makes a read a bit more difficult. I genuinely did not care what happened to any of the characters.

Gloria White is a British media star who seems to have all the power and privilege. But things are getting out of her control. She's getting creepy letters from a stalker, having problems at work, taking a few too many pills, and secrets from the past that she thought were buried seem to be coming back to haunt her.
I wouldn't describe this as a particularly fast paced or twisty thriller, yet it was somehow still quite compelling and unputdownable. It was a solid 3.5 star read, exactly what you want from this genre. A fast and entertaining read to distract you from real life.

While this book promises to explore the dark side of fame - and, in fact, does so quite ably - the pacing is uneven. The slow unfolding of the first half does interfere with the enjoyment of the storytelling.

An aging TV personality receives letters that threaten to expose her past behaviour - her greed for fame and what she did to achieve it. The story does pick up speed in the second half, but it takes time to get the reader to feel invested. And by then, we are almost at the end of the book.

Rachel Lynch is one of my go to authors. I have read all her books and loved them. I was looking forward to reading this which is different style of writing that what she usually writes.
I found the blurb quite intriguing and so I was looking forward to reading this but, unfortunately, ‘the famous’ wasn’t for me. I found it rather slow, and I didn’t relate to any of the characters especially Gloria with her drinking her drug taking. It didn’t interest me. It only started to get a bit interesting about 20% towards the end. Three stars from me

A bit of a slow start but I'm glad I stuck with it as the second part of the book grabbed my attention more.

Quite a relevant plot too with cancel culture becoming the norm,

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion

The Famous by Rachel Lynch
Gloria White is an ageing TV presenter. The story begins with a threatening letter from someone who seems to know a lot about her and her past. For a psychological thriller the pacing begins really slowly, it is only in the latter half of the book that the pacing picks up. I wasn’t particularly invested in any of the major characters. The first part of the book seemed more interested in looking at the dark side of fame, how you can’t trust anybody from selling their encounters with the famous to the tabloids and touching on the cancel culture of recent years.
Gloria’s narcissistic ex-husband is the head of the media company she works which is rather awkward. Their daughter is an aspiring journalist, profiting like a nepo baby from her parents’ connections. More letters arrive and though the pace does pick up, I was disappointed overall as I had enjoyed Rachel Lynch’s police procedural novels with D I Kelly Porter far more than this.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance reader copy, I leave this review voluntarily.

This took me a while to get in to but once I did I found myself really enjoying it. I will definitely be looking for more from the author

I have to be honest, I found the first half of the book a little boring and repetitive. despite the name of the book there isn’t any glitz and glamour.

The second half of the book kept me interested with the perspectives from multiple different characters.

This book was an easy read but a little slow and there weren’t any unexpected twists to keep me interested .