Oh my gosh, the 'dedication' !!! I really like the structure of the story/how it's told. The book is really exciting to read, and as I read each chapter i'm more and more immersed in the story, and it gets better and better! Oh my gosh the Gilmore Girls reference(s)! I noticed the whole "inn" thing but then when the show was mentioned I was like: !!! My only peeve is the "messaging"/"text messages", it may just be the format, but the messages between characters isn't clear enough that they're messages: they seem more like narration. This book is AMAZING! I'm so in love, it made me laugh, and cry!

3.75 stars
Emmy is the secret daughter to famous rock star Nick Addison of the band Mayfair, and nobody knows. When, all but guilt tripped by her mom into meeting him, she wants nothing to do with the man who's abandonded her for the last 17 years. But as she spends more time with Nick, and the band in general (especially with one of the bandmates son, Sully) Emmy starts to reconsider her initial approach of keeping her father at arms length.

This story had drama, crazy plot twists, some romance, and a cool unexpected rush of adrenaline stage dive. The pacing felt a little weird to me, with some parts feeling very long and hard to get through, and then something happening to suck you right back in. The tense family dynamic between Emmy, her mom, and her dad, got a little werid to read at times but everything did eventually work out in the end. I really enjoyed reading this and it was refreshing to read a YA book and start getting back into a genre I really like. Emmy was a great character to follow, going through college tours, decision making, and realizing you're going to be an adult soon. She's very relatable in that way which makes it easy to connect with her, and her romance with Sully was SO FREAKING CUTE! This is a must read for anyone who likes a whole lot of drama, some forced found family bonding, and a bunch of cute bonding scenes, new fathers and romances alike.

4.5 ⭐️

What do you do when your estranged, rockstar dad invites you on the tour & then tells the whole tour that you’re the photographer and social media intern?
Enter Emmy in this Liv/ Steven Tyler inspired coming of age story.

The found family, light romcom, and omg I can’t believe that just happened moments were my favorite. And as someone who once spent a week on tour and worked in the music industry to start my career, I can confirm the tour life experiences were accurate.

This young adult contemporary fiction, good for everyone, read was a delightful story on coming to terms with parents who didn’t always make the right decisions, white lies that turned into bigger ones, and vulnerable moments of the complex emotions of a girl on the edge of adulthood.
It had all the pop culture references, banter, clumsy, angsty, awkwardness of being 17 and watching the world around you change and finding your place in it that I could have hoped for. I laughed, I cried a little, and I rooted for Emmy as we watched her go through a summer worth of growing pains.

🎸 dad is a rockstar
📸 photographer on tour
🏃 road romance with a runner
🏠 found family

How I read:
📱 100% on kindle

Thanks to NetGalley and Sarah Ainslee for the ARC!

You will never look at a grilled cheese the same way again.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, I loved this book. The real raw emotion, the real messiness of adolescence, the memorably quirks, the empathy I felt when every single thing seemed to go wrong for our protagonist, Emmy. Sullivan's sweetness while also being (at times) a perfectly normal surly teenage boy. I rarely ever read contemporary YA, and I'm glad I made this exception.

This book is funny, heartbreaking, and absolutely touching. I cried both from laughing so hard and from feeling incredibly invested in the lives of these characters. This wonderful coming of age book touches on some hard topics while also showing incredible character growth as Emmy starts to find herself. The family dynamics are complex and believable and shows the power in giving second chances.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: May 20, 2025

This YA coming of age novel surprised me in the best way. Light and fun but with a surprising amount of depth. Emmy ends up on tour with her estranged father as a photographer/social media intern and works through a number of complicated relationships along the way. Heartwarming and heartbreaking at times, this stays perfectly in its YA lane.

This was such a fun book! The plot kept me hooked and I just needed to know what was going to happen next.

Almost Infamous is a Contemporary YA book that is quirky and fun. (And might ruin gushers for you).

Here is what you need to know:

Emmy (Emerson) is the daughter of a famous rockstar, but she has never met her dad. (And to be honest didn’t know who he was for a big chunk on her 17 years). She is convinced (see forced) to ditch her NYC trip with her bestie to travel for two weeks on tour with her old man by her mom. And when she shows up, she finds out that she is not being introduced to the band as the lead singers daughter, but the photography intern. What could go wrong? 😅

My thoughts:
The way Sarah writes to me feels familiar and fun. It just satisfies the goofy itch in my brain. The way she described Travis through Emmy’s POV had me picturing the thumb things from spy kids. Also as someone who has traveled on a remodeled tour bus I knew exactly how those bunks felt. This was a fun coming of age story and I adored Emmy and Sully. And Nick also! How Sarah wrote the interactions between Emmy and everyone was fantastic. If you like Contemporary YA, check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eArc of this book.

This was a highly enjoyable book! It had lots of drama, angst, love, and intimately, forgiveness.

I can't begin to imagine Emerson's life. Between both of her parents screwing up, she ended up relatively normal. Touring with a famous band must've been a total trip. But once she got the band of it, I had so much fun reading her perspective.

The author did a fantastic job with all the craziness in the story. I loved it!!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book had my complete attention at times but at other times I was reading but couldn't READ the words if you know what I mean. The pacing felt slightly off in my opinion, but the crazy scenes thrown in kept me going. The book is filled with colorful characters who have interesting interactions. The story follows Emmy who is sent off to spend her holidays with her dad who she's never met. Her dad is a hugely famous rockstar and on tour with his bandmates, making for a strained dynamic between everyone.

I felt that the conflict was too drawn out at times which is very realistic, but I grew impatient. I don't listen to/follow any bands so I can't fully understand the level of love that fans have for them, but this book gives what appears to be an authentic view on what the workings of a band could be like. I have read a few novels/series that are band centric which in comparison to Almost Infamous feel over dramatized or romanticized. Her about you page lists "occasional band wrangler" so I believe her insights are real.

Adding this as a disclaimer, I may have been in a slight book slump and wasn't in the best mental state when I picked this book up, so a lot of my criticism could have been purely my perspective at that time. I don't usually say this and this time I don't think my review should be taken too seriously with my complaints. I'm planning to reread this in a few months when my life will look different and hopefully I have a different opinion then.

Sarah does it again in her sophomore novel. This book had everything I expect in a YA love story and I loved every second of it. The "what if I went backstage" venture is everything my fangirl heart would have desired as a kid. I think her history in the music industry coolerated to the realistic approach, while still making it fun and easy to read. Cannot recommend Sarah's books enough!!

Almost Infamous
Sarah Ainslee

Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Ainslee for gifting me a copy of Almost Infamous in exchange for an honest review.

Book Summary (No Spoilers):

Emmy Harper has her summer before freshman year of college all figured out; tour her dream college, visit New York City with her best friend, and pretend her famous rockstar dad, Nick Addison from the band Mayfair, didn’t abandon her before she was even born. That is - until her mom tells her Nick wants to meet her, leading to two unforgettable and eye-opening weeks on tour with Mayfair.

While being stuck on the road with a bunch of rockstars (who don’t know she is the daughter of their lead singer) she learns about the truth behind Nick’s past, comes across unexpected twists in her family’s history, and has the opportunity to redeem her relationship with her father.

My Thoughts and Review (Spoiler Warning):

This was such a fun read! I have been in a reading slump and my life has been super crazy, however, this novel really swept me away into a different world in the best way possible.

Starting with the characters! I enjoyed how real Emmy was - having been a teen not too long ago, it was refreshing to have one written that is relatable. She was brave and willing to open up and be accepting during a difficult situation. Sully was wonderful as well. I loved the two’s friendship and love how that turned into more at the end of the book. Nick was an interesting character to read, and honestly, I would’ve liked to see him even more. His medical condition at the end of the book was unexpected and heartbreaking, however, I would also say random. In terms of the other bandmates in Mayfair - I didn’t really bond or care for any of them. Maybe there wasn’t enough character development with them, or perhaps I just cared so much about Nick, Sully, and Emmy that I didn’t think of them enough. Emmy’s mom was well written as well and I appreciated seeing a mom and daughter fallout, which sounds crazy but I feel as if it’s not written often. There were two characters I didn’t really love; Bel and Tripp. Emmy’s past relationship with Tripp felt random and unnecessary for the plot of the book. The age gap relationship wasn’t frowned upon enough also… she was a minor and he was in college and the only reason Bel get’s mad at her is because she doesn’t like that family (not cause he was dating a minor??). I feel like that whole plot line could’ve been erased, but I guess there needed to be a reason for the friends to fight. In terms of Bel, I feel as if we didn’t get to know her enough for me to like her since she’s in NYC and all the communication is through text/phone call throughout the book (for the most part). Overall, I took off one star because of the characters and the Tripp situation.

In terms of the story line, I really enjoyed it! I loved the traveling (dying) band and really enjoyed having that insider feel. I also like that she was introduced as in intern for the plot twist at the beginning. The writing was very good in that it felt super realistic - at least to someone who has no knowledge of how being in the music industry is. I enjoyed the ending and Emmy making up with Nick. I liked how she didn’t immediately forgive her mother as well - something that is hardly written into novels. Overall, really loved the concept and thought it was well done!

Thank you again to NetGalley and the author for this gifted book in exchange for an honest review. Make sure to purchase your copy of Almost Infamous on May 20, 2025!
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Pub. Date: May 20, 2025

Young Adult

#netgalley #AlmostInfamous

Almost Infamous

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩ It’s my first time reading Sarah Ainslee’s work and I was so pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed reading this story! I loved the writing style and how distinct the MC’s POV felt while reading. It was almost as if you were there with her the entire time and experiencing all the wacky hijinks and chaotic moments with her. The lighthearted and sarcastic but not too cynical humour balanced perfectly with the MCs and the other characters’ struggles and dilemmas throughout the novel ⛅

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩ It was a big understatement to say that Emerson “Emmy” Harper didn’t handle the fact that her estranged rockstar father, Nick Addison, wanted to meet her after seventeen years very well. I mean, I probably would’ve handled it just the same as her. Her whole life’s flipped upside down and being a teenager already has its own challenges. So I totally understood the angst and anger she had towards both her mother and father for keeping so much of her life a secret from her and leaving her to grapple with her confusing feelings about her unconventional situation. I really enjoyed getting to see her journey in meeting her dad and stepping out of her comfort zone touring with her dad’s band, Mayfair. She makes some questionable decisions under the pressure of all the blindsiding realities being thrown at her, but almost all teenagers do when they don’t know how to cope with something which I thought was realistic. I liked how her character progressed throughout the story and how open-minded she became to letting people in and learning that her past doesn’t define the course of her future. She ultimately learns that things can change for the better and while it’s scary, it’s bearable with the right people by her side 💞

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩ Emmy and her mother, Laura, undergo a rocky relationship over the course of the novel. I sympathized with Laura over the fact that she didn’t know if she could rely on Nick to be fully present in Emmy’s life due to his struggles with addiction in order to protect her. But I agreed more with Emmy that it wasn’t okay for Laura to make the decision to shut Nick out from actively participating in his daughter’s life. There’s a lot of trust that becomes weakened between the two of them, which is always tragic to see. But I think it was important to show that not every relationship between a parent and a child, or in this case a mother and daughter, will always be perfect. Sometimes secrets kept for so long and being unearthed unexpectedly won’t ever mend the relationship like how it used to be, but that it’s okay as long as both are willing to move past it and embrace their new relationship one step at a time. I thought this was done well and showed no matter how much they disagreed, they would always find their way back to each other 💓

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩ Another aspect of the story that I thought was very well done was Emmy’s tumultuous relationship with Tripp. It was the furthert thing from a healthy relationship, especially for a teenager. She was a minor dating an older boy who was in college already and who only used her for physical intimacy. It was important to show teens what an unhealthy and toxic relationship looks like where your partner doesn’t have your best interests in mind and will try to gaslight you fr the relationship not working out because you don’t attend to every single one of their physical needs. I think it was approached well and although Emmy struggles with it for a good portion of the story, she does learn that that wasn’t real love and that the right person would never try to hide her due to being ashamed of being seen with her or try to pressure her into doing something she didn’t feel comfortable with. So, so important in teaching teens what consent is and to know when to walk away from a relationship 🌧

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩ Romance is a subplot in this book, but I have a few mixed feelings about how it went. On one hand, I liked that Emmy had Sullivan “Sully” Torres to vent to and relate to as a child with an absent rockstar father, and learning to deal with their own heartbreak. I think that’s what made them compatible and helped them understand each other better. That said, I was not a big fan of how their argument with each other after Emmy and her father’s crisis with the media. Sully was so insensitive and indifferent to Emmy’s struggles in having her whole family life exposed. He was not understanding at all and maybe he was cynical too because of how he grew up without his father, but it did not give him the right to be so rude and uncaring towards her feelings. We see Emmy ruminate over the things she said to him but when they finally reconcile, we don’t see any kind of explanation of all the hurtful things that happened between the two of them. He took everything she was insecure about in her life and her struggles with both her mother and best friend, and then he threw it back in her face which I felt was not okay and was not accounted for by him. I feel like it was glossed over at the end so quickly that I honestly would’ve been more satisfied with the ending had they decided to focus more on their friendship instead 😬

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩ Emmy and Nick were hands down my favourite part of this story. My heart strings tugged every single time I read them interacting and my heart honestly hurt in the best way possible watching them reconnect. I think Nick is a great dad to Emmy despite not being in active contact with her. He supported her on the sidelines and tried to respect Emmy’s mom’s wishes. When he’s met with Emmy’s hostility, he never stopped trying to reach out and connect with her. It honestly broke my heart when I realized that Nick knew Emmy’s anger towards him wasn’t anything personal because he knew her mom kept his answer to his email shut away from her and didn’t tell Emmy the whole truth. And when Emmy finally calls Nick her dad, it was so precious. Nick and Emmy deserved so much more with each other, and I wish we got to see more scenes of them bonding. Their entire relationship made me think constantly about my own dad and how lucky I am to have him in my life. The ending with his diagnosis and her heartfelt conversation with both Nick and Laura really made me tear up and it was so bittersweet but beautiful that they finally had their moment together as a family. It left so much hope for them knowing that they had missed so much time and years over decisions they wish they could take back, but now they were willing to savour the time they still had with each other by their sides. I thought it was such a beautiful depiction of a family, unconventional but a family nonetheless 💜

✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩ The humour in this book was top tier and I liked the sarcastic but lightheartedness of Emmy’s POV. Nick’s bandmates and crew were so lovable in their own ways, especially Lionel and Eighty. I loved the themes of family, toxic relationships, and trust that this book explored and will definitely check out more of this author’s books! Definitely recommend this one! 📘


<i>Thank you to Sarah Ainslee and NetGalley for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest review!</i>

<b>Tropes:</b>
- YA coming-of-age
- Found family
- Fame and Hollywood, band life 🎶📷
- Parent-child relationships 💛
- Romance as sub-plot
- First-person POV
- Pop culture references

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own

A mostly relatable young adult book, except most young adults don't get to tour with rockstars. I really enjoyed reading this, it is a book that pulls you in till the very end.

I like when books show the hardship of life, not just the dream of what it can be. Cuz no matter who you are, no one's life is perfect and we all have pain.

First of all, Sarah writes with her whole heart! The thing I love most about her writing is how real and authentic it is! The sly cultural references are *chef’s kiss*

This book follows Emmy’s journey of meeting her dad—who just so happens to be a rock star—and living the tour life on the bus with the band. She’s under cover as an intern photographer who is building up her portfolio, but in reality she’s getting to know the father she’s never had, until now. She meets the band, deals with paparazzi, and makes some life long friendships.

This book made me laugh, made me tear up, and was something I could relate to #daddyissues. One of the things this book does well is tackling tough topics. Family estrangement, secrets and lies, peer pressure, etc. to name a few. It’s not sugar coated, but at the same time it’s not brutal. It’s real—and there’s a lot to be said for writing the hard things authentically. As a reader, I like the gritty more than the sugar coated happy facade many of these stories can take.

Read this book if you enjoy:

- Found family
- Stories about bands
- Pop culture references
- Coming of age stories

Thank you to the author and netgalley for this advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review!

Enjoyed this story
Found it an easy read (only now reviewer due to only now finding my way around this app)
But I thoroughly enjoyed

What do you do when your dad’s a legendary rockstar, but you’re the only one who knows it? For seventeen-year-old Emmy Harper, the answer’s pretend he doesn’t exist. After all, Nick Addison, frontman of the iconic rock band Mayfair, bailed before she was even born.

Emmy’s summer plans are set until her mom drops a Nick wants to meet her. The catch? She has to spend two weeks on tour with Mayfair—incognito. After two decades of fame, scandals, and tabloid drama, he suddenly wants to get involved? Hard pass. Turns out, Emmy doesn’t have a choice.

Now stuck on the road with a bunch of rockstars, Emmy’s world is flipped upside down. Alongside the charming drummer’s son, Sullivan, she uncovers truths about Nick’s supposed abandonment and how everything she’s been taught about her family might be the farthest thing from reality.

Between band drama, first love, and backstage passes to the wild world of rock & roll, Emmy’s summer is a whirlwind of unexpected twists. But is it a chance for redemption or a ticket to chaos?

Oh my goodness, I have been in such a reading slump lately and Almost Infamous has absolutely pulled me out of it!

Almost Infamous has us meeting Emmy, a 17-year-old girl, who is all set to go on a dream trip to NYC with her best friend Bel, but her mom gives her some very unexpected news. Not only will she no longer be going on this long awaited trip, but she’ll be spending time with her absent father, Nick. If that wasn’t hard enough to handle - Emmy finds out that she will be spending time with Nick while he’s on tour with his band, Mayfair.

The catch to spending time with Nick? She has to adopt a fake identity as a photographer for the band because no one knows that she’s related to the famous rockstar.

At first, everything starts off tragic. Emmy is miserable, she doesn’t want to be with the band, but as time goes on, she starts to warm up to everyone. She starts to create connections with other members of the band, including Nick’s best friend and bandmate’s son, Sully, who is also on the road with the band helping out with merch.

Throughout the book, Nick drops little pieces of information that Emmy never knew about. It has her question everything that she’s ever known until everything starts to come to a head and the truth all comes out.

This book is funny, heartbreaking, and absolutely touching. I cried both from laughing so hard and from feeling incredibly invested in the lives of these characters. This wonderful coming of age book touches on some hard topics while also showing incredible character growth as Emmy starts to find herself. The family dynamics are complex and believable and shows the power in giving second chances.

Solid 10/10 book for me, fully recommend it to absolutely everyone, and I cannot wait until it releases so I can share it with everyone! Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Ainslee for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Almost Infamous by Sarah Ainslee was such a fun and emotional ride! The rockstar vibes mixed with family drama kept me turning the pages. Emmy’s journey felt so raw and real.

The writing style was fantastic. it made the characters feel so alive and easy to connect with. Both Emmy and Nick’s growth throughout the story was so well done. Watching them both work through their issues and connect after years of separation was deeply satisfying.

It took me a little time to get fully into the book, but once I did, I couldn’t stop reading. Between the family secrets, personal growth, and the rock band setting, this book had everything I could ask for. If you love stories about music, family, forgiveness, and finding yourself, you’ll love this one!

When seventeen-year-old Emmy finds out that her rockstar father, who abandoned her before she was even born, wants to reconnect, she’s forced to join him and his band on tour for a couple of weeks. Along the way, Emmy uncovers secrets that could change her life as she knows it.

I had an enjoyable time reading this book, but it didn’t evoke any strong emotions in me. Most of the characters didn’t go through much development, aside from Nick, which left me wanting more depth and growth. While I liked the author’s writing style, some of the word choices felt weird and overly complicated, and I often had to look them up, which pulled me out of the story.

Emmy herself came across as a bit bland at times, though her occasional sarcasm was refreshing—I just wish we’d seen more of it. Oddly enough, I found the side characters more engaging and fun to read about. As for the romance, it was fine, but it could have been fleshed out more to make it impactful.

The ending was bittersweet, though it leaned more on the bitter side for me. Overall, while this wasn’t a standout read, it had its moments.

Almost Infamous is layered and detailed in the best way. From Ainslee's plethora of pop culture references/memes to the toxic ex-boyfriend Travis and family drama/intensity of Nick's dementia, the book really has something for everyone (in addition to young-adult audience). The taste of vegan grilled cheese with gushers combination is palpable on the Mayfair tour bus and a hint of Sully's cinnamon gum. If the increasingly dark audio books of the bus driver are any foreshadowing indication, it is so much more than a "wild ride". The story feels extremely self-aware and relevant, from the real discussion of alcohol awareness (and Rohpynol), and feelings of inadequacy post-breakup that many people can relate to. It feels like the chic younger cousin to Daisy Jones, and holds some similarities to Lynn Painter's Nothing Like the Movies (mainly with Emmy's workaholic tendencies). Thank you to Sarah Ainslee and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this incredible book. All words are my own independent thoughts.

An absolutely fantastic easy read. I really rooted for all the main characters and the ending was PERFECT