With just a couple of weeks left of 2024, Rumoured by Kelly and Kristina Mancaruso might very well have succeeded in beating Yellowface as my favourite read of the year. I don’t want to spoil a single thing about this brilliant debut - there are so many twists and turns - but what a fun ride. The story motors on like a beast, growing more elaborate and entertaining with each chapter. Sure, it’s insane, but celebrity news IS insane. That’s why we lap it up. It helps that I love a good conspiracy theory, so I happily allowed myself to get sucked into the crazy life of Harlow Hayes. The use of song lyrics, articles and social media comments throughout was a great touch that added a lot of texture to this imaginary world. And underneath all the outrageous celeb drama is a tragic tale of a young woman processing the death of her sister. There’s an underlying heart that could only have been captured by two authors who have experienced the true eternal bond of sisterhood.

Publishing in July 2025, this is going to be an essential addition to those summer TBR lists.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was great how the story is broken up with fictional news articles/transcripts/social media. The premise was good and I feel the book delivered on it. I didn’t see the twist coming along or follow the Easter eggs. Characterisation was great, as was the dialogue and the length of chapters were good. If I had one criticism it was that the layout of some parts was hard to read - smaller font and/or lighter colour font. This could be due to the fact I had an arc but if not, I recommend this is looked into for the official release.

Thank you to the authors, publishers and NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review. A solid 3.5 stars.

At first I found the media format of this book distracting front he story but I got used to it in the end and it was a useful was to differentiate the sources from the narrative. I enjoyed the social media posts which were very true to form and the conspiracy theories were fun.
The protagonist is a journalist, Naomi, who is covering a case where a popstar has been arrested for murder. The story takes us through the investigation and brings in Naomi's tragic past which shapes her approach. The story itself is insanely far fetched but I note it's scheduled for release in the summer time so it'll make ideal beach reading.
It was entertaining enough and had me turning pages (and missing tube stops) but I feel like the ending seemed weak. I was expecting more.

This was an enjoyable read. It had me constantly looking out for clues, trying to figure things out for myself. Don’t think I’m very good if I’m honest :/

I would have liked to read a bit more about Harlow being arrested and why they thought it was her. How did they assume it was her in the first place.

I liked reading all of the theories and the use of social media throughout and some of the comments had me chuckling with how outrageous they were but that’s how it actually is like in reality! I think this will be a pretty popular book when it is released!

Shoutout to “When we said SLAY QUEEN, we didn’t mean literally”

Thank you to publishers and NetGalley for the arc!

A compelling plot which will keep you turning the pages but will make real-life journalists wince. The story motors along once it’s past its mid-point. The cover was not as good as the story and the story-telling was not as strong as the idea - which was very good.

Harlow Hayes.. Pop Icon and murder suspect..

This very modern andon trend debut novel is a good read. It is filled with suspense and with the added drama it is a book I really enjoyed.

I love debut novels and when they are written as good as this one I just know the author will be an eventual favourite for me.

How does a Pop icon, adored by millions of fans, go from such global success to becoming the prime suspect in a murder? Harlow Hayes is about to find out the hard way.

It takes an unusual set of circumstances, and some very big secrets. Because Harlow's circumstances are not as straightforward as they seem!

This is a suspenseful and entertaining story that easily holds the reader's interest. All things considered, a promising debut.

This was a really enjoyable debut thriller. Don't get me wrong, you will need to suspend some disbelief for a while, particularly towards the end, but if you are happy to do so, you will enjoy this.