Biggest disappointment of the year.

Make Me Famous follows the story of Cleo Louvent, a global music superstar who decides to take a vacation on a deserted island while she attempts to write her fourth album. While there, she begins to reflect on her life, her rise to fame, and the difficulties that came with trying to stay famous. Supposedly, everything started to fall apart six months prior, and that is the reason for this forced break. It’s a story about fame, about a woman deeply obsessed with herself, and about the complex weight of constantly living under public scrutiny.

My Husband by Maud Ventura was my favorite book of 2024. That was both the reason I was so excited to read Make Me Famous and why I ended up disliking it so much.

Something you need to know going into this book is that these two books are incredibly different. While I was still able to find some similarities between them, they are miles apart in terms of theme, character development, and, obviously, plot.

There were so many things in this book that I didn’t understand, I don’t even know where to start…

Let’s start with the main character, for instance. In *My Husband*, the main character is an unhinged woman obsessed with her husband. She’s intense and mentally chaotic, but also incredibly smart and intellectual. The way her mind works—I found it simply fascinating. On the other hand, in *Make Me Famous*, we again have a woman consumed by obsession, but this time the obsession is directed inward, toward herself. And I didn’t enjoy that dynamic. I tend to love when a character is obsessively focused on another person, but when that obsession turns inward, it comes off as pretentious, obnoxious, and even annoying.

I’ve realized that books about fame just aren’t for me, and I think I’m starting to understand why: characters in these types of books often come across as egocentric and narcissistic, constantly repeating inner monologues like “I was born for this,” or “I’ve always known I was meant for something big.” That kind of self-obsession doesn’t resonate with me.

That said, I do appreciate the boldness these characters often embody. Think of Evelyn Hugo and Cleo herself—these women are unapologetically fearless, and I love that. I admire the way authors portray their ambition. But even with that appreciation, I still feel emotionally removed, completely pulled out from their stories.

Another thing that worked so well in My Husband was how deeply we got into the character—how closely and intimately we came to know her. However, in Make Me Famous, we basically know nothing about Cleo. Even though she spends 300+ pages talking about her life, I don’t feel like I know her on an emotional level. Everything is narrated very superficially, and no emotional weight is added to her story to spice things up.

Next up… the pacing. It felt all wrong. The book moves so slowly for 90% of it, and then suddenly rushes through whatever it was trying to do in the final pages. If the island was supposed to mean something, I didn’t feel it. It felt more like a background than a “plot twist–thingy.” And to be completely honest, the reason our main character even goes to the island in the first place is only explained in the very last chapter. Again—she spends the entire book talking about her life but reserves just one chapter to explain why she’s really there. The entire book drags, and the ending feels rushed.

If what she tried to do in the last chapter had been introduced earlier and developed a bit more, it might have kept me at least a little interested.

Then the writing… the writing on this one really let me down. I was expecting so much more from Maud, but there were only a few quotable moments:

"It was wild that no one was bothering to whisper. I was a painting on display at a museum; people approached with curiosity, judged me, admired me, denigrated me, and eventually, went on their way."

"It’s not always easy to rejoice in other people’s success; I’ve never considered it a common gift. Jealousy is a more natural inclination. But Celeste would revel in my success without any malice whatsoever. I’ll always be grateful to her for it. “Congratulations, I’m so happy for you!” When you’re not starving to death, it’s easier to let others eat."

This book let me down hard. I kept waiting for something to click, and it never did. And then the ending? Somehow made me like the book even less. It’s like Ventura waited until the last chapter to suddenly try to introduce a plot into the story—and by then, it was just too late.

With all that being said, I still love Maud Ventura. It’s going to take a lot more than this letdown to make me stop reading her work. *Make Me Famous* didn’t do it for me—not even close—but I’m still excited for whatever she writes next. Because when she gets it right, it’s unforgettable.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo or any other kind of book about fame. Since I’m not drawn to this genre, maybe that’s why I didn’t like it. I wouldn’t fully recommend it, but if you enjoy books about fame, maybe give this one a try.

I was here for the book's first half, and then my interest waned. Maud Ventura is excellent at giving us a detailed peek at a deranged mind, but the obsessiveness does get repetitive. 21st century fame sounds like a complete nightmare.

Make Me Famous sounded like a great premise and at the beginning I was very drawn into the story. Unfortunately, Cleo is so unlikable that I couldn’t make it through the whole book from her perspective and decided to dnf. Thank you to the publisher for the free ebook.

Fame didn’t change her into a cold, cruel, and exacting star- these qualities are precisely what propelled Cleo Louvent to the toppling heights of celebrity. Will they also be responsible for her ultimate downfall?

Make Me Famous consists of an unrelenting monologue from the perspective of one of the most compelling sociopaths I’ve read since The Talented Mr Ripley. I could not stop reading with a sense of dread and fascination until the astonishing last few lines.

This is the second novel by Maud Ventura with a singularly unsympathetic woman as the narrator- I hope this is a trend she continues to build on because it makes for a really unique reading experience.

The story of Cleo’s grueling but inevitable ascent to stardom are interspersed with scenes depicting her stay on a luxury desert island at the apex of her fame- what happened to make her want to retreat so fully? There are a number of allusions to a calamitous event or horrible thing she did, so the narrative is full of tension as to this unknown element. She is paranoid, on edge, tentatively trying to enjoy the island despite what’s on her mind. “If only I’d known,” she thinks. “But we’re never given glimpses into the future.”

Some reviewers are calling Cleo an unreliable narrator, but in my opinion, Cleo is the opposite of an unreliable narrator. She is wide open to the reader, blunt and matter of fact about her disdain for the people around her, the cruelty of her words and actions, her unassailable vision for her destiny. She’s selfish, calculating, ruthlessly rational, and truly unhinged.

She’s on this island to regroup, reflect, rest. A glorious isolation that will be followed by even further success when she returns to her regular life. She’s a brute, but she worked hard for what she has, so she deserves it all, right? The public will only remember her beauty, charm, and talent…right?

I can’t emphasize enough how satisfying I found the conclusion to this novel. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time and potentially rereading it on audio when I get the chance.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for the opportunity to be an early reader for this fantastic title which is available now!

I really enjoyed this author's other book, My Husband, but this one was just not grabbing my attention. I soft DNF'd at only 20% but plan on giving it another chance on audiobook.

After reading my husband and giving that 5 stars I was super excited to get my hands on yet another obsession book by maid Ventura. Unfortunately, unlike my husband, make me famous failed to keep my attention and started sounding repetitive and boring. Also sometimes I get irritated being in the head of unlikeable and narcassitic charamcters but maybe that’s just me.

I absolutely loved the author’s prior novel, “My Husband,” and similarly, with this one, I could not put this book down! The story follows Cleo and her rise to fame as a superstar pop singer. This is more of a character study as we get the unhinged and unfiltered thoughts of an ultimate narcissist and see how her delusions lead to destructive behaviors particularly to those around her. The character is completely unlikeable but so fascinating! I really like the author’s writing style and enjoyed this story as well.

Thank you to HarperVia and NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maud Ventura dies it again!! She can write an unhinged woman (the very best kind of woman) like no one else can. I loved My Husband, but I think I loved this one a little bit more. And that ending!!

3.5 rounded up. Maud Ventura does it again with an unhinged, unreliable narrator who you can’t help but hate and root for all at once, and an ending that made my jaw drop.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVia for the ARC

Absolutely loved this one. It's smart, tense, funny, and probably the best examination of how toxic fame can be that I've ever read. I plan to recommend this to everyone I know.

Make Me Famous is the first book I have read from this author and I understand the hype. Maud Ventura writes narcissistic and deranged characters so well. This book really intrigued me and appealed to me more than My Husband based on the plot. I also have to note how gorgeous the cover is. After reading this, I will definitely be reading Ventura’s debut. Reading about such a deranged character got me hooked and is absolutely the strength of this book. Although I enjoyed this book, I left feeling a bit unsatisfied.

3.75 STARS

Fame is not for the weak. The main character is fascinating. Her inner monologue is quite hilarious yet disturbing. The themes of obsession and fame are explored expertly thru a first person lens. I don’t know how celebrities deal with the chaos that comes with fame. Fun read if you like to get in the mind of a young, narcissistic singer. The ending did seem rushed but it felt right. Almost as if the writer was trying to say life changes in a quick moment

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVia Books for my arc in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you want an in-depth look at fame, this may be for you. Otherwise im not really sure the point of this novel? The main character does in fact get famous, but nothing else really happens.

We're supposed to believe the shlub dude with shit smears on his underwear and eats peeps was able to pull that off? PUHLEEZ. I loved it.

LOVED this! It was so close to being a 5 star read but didn’t quite make the cut for me. This FMC was sooooo much worse than the one in My Husband it was almost shocking lol. This book kept me intrigued the entire time & i loovveeeee an ending that makes my jaw drop! 4.5 stars.

📚 E-ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

Make Me Famous By Maud Ventura
Translated By Gretchen Schmid
Publication Date: May 13, 2025
Publisher: Harper Via

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐✨
(Rounded Up To 3⭐)

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Via for this #gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

I said I'd give an honest review, so here goes: I was intrigued by the synopsis of this read because it was labeled as a mystery/thriller and because they compared it to Daisy Jones and the Six, one of my all-time favorite books.

1. It was not a thriller.
2. It was not a mystery.
3. It was absolutely NOTHING like Daisy Jones and the Six.

The female MC was so nauseatingly narcissistic that I kept hoping the thriller portion of the book was going to be someone coming along and un-aliving her. I don't know that I've ever hated a character as much as I absolutely abhorred Cleo. I was beyond annoyed by Cleo's narration of her life story at about 15% into the book. I mean, where's some multiple POVs when you really want them?!

Cleo was a self-absorbed narcissist who dreamt of being famous. She was inexplicably cruel before becoming famous - and she became an insufferable and even MORE self-absorbed narcissist after becoming famous. To me, this book was the story of how Cleo believed she was superior to everyone else before she became famous, followed by the story of how obnoxious Cleo became when she PROVED to everyone how superior she was to them by becoming famous. Gross. She was literally gross to me.

The only reason I didn't DNF this book was because I kept waiting for it to become a thriller or mystery. I'm always so worried I'll give up on a book just before it gets good, and I keep reading...but sadly, when the "thriller" part of this book (and I'm REEEAAALLLYYY reaching by calling even a part of this book by that genre) finally arrived near its conclusion, I just wanted the book to be done and I was angry I didn't stop reading sooner.

It's safe to say this book and Cleo's overinflated sense of self was definitely not for me. And though it wasn't my vibe, it could be one you really like! If you're someone who really loves the inside scoop of all-things Hollywood, or if you've ever wondered if the rumors about wildly difficult Hollywood starlets could actually be true -- I think you might enjoy this one. Just don't go in expecting an addictive thriller or a suspenseful mystery or a book that's anything like Daisy Jones. 😉

#MakeMeFamous #MaudVentura #GretchenSchmid #HarperVia #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARCs #bookaddict #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

Make Me Famous follows Cléo, a French-American pop star at the height of her fame, as she retreats to a remote island to write her fourth album and confront the fallout of a recent personal unraveling. Told through sharp prose and shifting timelines, the novel explores fame, obsession, and the costs of living under constant scrutiny.

What I liked:
Maud Ventura writes obsession with real intensity, and the psychological spiral Cléo undergoes is captivating. The commentary on celebrity culture, especially the parasocial relationships between fans and stars, felt both timely and biting. As a fan of artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, I recognized familiar pressures in Ventura’s portrayal of fame as a machine that both elevates and devours. The end of the book was intriguing, but I found myself wishing Ventura had taken more risks earlier on.

What I didn’t like:
Cléo is almost unbearably unlikeable vain, cruel, and deeply self-absorbed. While this may be the point, it made long sections of the book hard to engage with. The plot treads water for too long, and by the time things start to unravel, it feels too late to raise the stakes. The ending left me incredulous; a few plot threads felt too conveniently tied up. Though the novel aims for commentary on celebrity and fandom, it didn’t offer many insights that felt new.

TLDR:
A sharp, stylish novel with strong writing about fame and obsession, but bogged down by a meandering middle and a protagonist difficult to root for.

Rating: 3.5/5

A different (and younger) version of me might have loved this.

What kept me from loving it at this point in my life is that it felt a little too cheesy. I can appreciate that this is due to nothing being held back, in terms of exploring how a character willing to do anything to be famous might behave.

And I also think this is a cool character study in many ways! It just didn’t completely work for me, and I’m not sure I’d revisit it.

Thank you very much to the publisher for the opportunity and I so hope this finds its readers!

This was an incredible 5/5 look at fame and the pursuit of it. Cleo is convinced from a very young age that she will be famous. Not just famous but one of the most famous people in the world. And she does just that. We get a look at her entire life via her own memory as she’s sitting on what is basically a deserted island. It’s a new vacation spot for the most famous of people to get some privacy.

This was genuinely an incredible book from start to finish. Ventura created a character here that you will absolutely loathe but have to know more about it. Watching Cleo’s transformation and rise to the top is enthralling. It’s a story we’ve seen before but Ventura pulls you in through this characterization. Cleo is mean. She’s ruthless and she’s a psychopath. But I could not look away.

It’s a really timely look at fame too. It’s hard to include so many references and not be annoying about it but Ventura is able to do that cause she doesn’t rely on other people. She uses the references to make us feel a part of Cleo’s journey. It’s fantastic. One of my favorite reads of the year.

Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura is a sharp, intoxicating character study of ambition, obsession, and the isolating cost of fame. With echoes of Daisy Jones and Highsmith-style psychological tension, Ventura peels back the glitter to reveal a fiercely driven, deeply unraveling protagonist. Stylish, smart, and unsettling in all the right ways.