Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura and translated by Gretchen Schmid is a French contemporary exploring narcissism and fame. Cléo has always known that she was meant to be famous, but hid it from her academic parents as a child. When the chance finally comes for her to be a singer, she not only takes it, but studies every reaction around her to make sure she puts herself in the best position possible.

I thought it was fascinating how Cléo took her parents’ academic leanings and used it to study the careers of pop singers, categorizing them, their rise to stardom, etc. and used this information to figure out how to position herself. It’s very smart and I’m sure there are stars who have done exactly that; I just never would have considered doing it myself to that degree. It's not good grades that drive her, but success to a high degree and it touches a lot of aspects of her life, including intimacy. This goes a step further in how academic she approaches her music career once she finally gets a foothold and the way she approaches interviews and the press.

As a character, Cléo is interesting, abhorrent, frustrating, a spectacle, a narcissist, and a representation of the self-centered, fame-seeking person that many of us know. She’s manipulative and calculating, hiding her actual feelings so that she seems like a pleasure to work with before she ‘earns’ being a diva. I think we do need to have more conversations about who seeks fame and why and if we still need to be doing the same song and dance around fame we’ve been doing (such as paparazzi). Cléo takes this a step further and is obsessed with having a perfect body for being a pop star and displays a decent amount of fatphobia towards others, including other singers.

This was one of the most honest looks at people seeking fame that I have read in recent memory (the other being The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner). There are times where I feel that books centered on social media or fame shy away from actually diving into this topic in depth and really getting into the head of someone who doesn’t just want fame, but is going to do whatever they can to get it. It is a risk for a writer to depict a young woman who is that messy and that unapologetic about what she wants because, as a society, we still expect so much of young women and are unwilling to forgive that mess. I respect Maud Ventura for going there and taking an unflinching look at the kind of person who could be attracted to fame and believes she’s better than everyone else, warts and all, and that she never asks us to forgive Cléo. We don’t need to forgive her, we just need to understand how she thinks.

Content warning for fatphobia, death of a parent, and mentions of sexual assault

I would recommend this to fans of works centered on the darker side of fame and the music world and readers of contemporary fiction with messy female leads

DNF at 30%. I understand the concept of an unreliable narrator, and I get the idea of characters that people are meant to hate. I have read and enjoyed many books with these characteristics. But this narrator was so off-putting that it made the reading experience really unenjoyable. Maybe my mind would have been changed later in the book, but I hated Cleo's character so much that I felt like it wasn't worth my time on this earth to continue reading a book that left such a bad taste in my mouth. She has zero redeeming qualities. Then I got to one specific part that I thought was so ridiculous, I just said "I'm done." I gave the book two stars because I was initially drawn in by the story, and it did hold my attention.

Make Me Famous is a contemporary fiction following a narcissistic main character, Cleo. Cleo is entitled and knows it. Her one goal is to become famous. She is willing to step on toes and play dirty but still willing to work hard. She is a liar, fake, but clever and honest in her internal narration.

I liked reading this because I enjoy character studies and non-likable characters, particularly female. I found Cleo's thoughts and actions to be funny, audacious, and intriguing. I did not like that Cleo didn't have much character development. She starts off bad and then gets slightly worse and then something abrupt happens at the end and that's the end of the book. It didn't feel quite satisfying enough for me.

This book does offer commentary on fame and for the most part I think it was well done. However, after a certain point in the book, it felt like there wasn't much left to say. Also, this book has fictional celebrities that are straight up copies of real celebrities just with a slight name change, I thought it was silly and a bit unnecessary.

Overall I liked this and it was easy to read but it didn't really go very deep like I hoped. 3.75/5

Content warning: open door sex, fatphobia, self harm

Thank you to HarperVia for the eARC

Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura is one of those books that creeps up on you. I went into it expecting a sharp satire of influencer culture, and while it is that, it’s also much darker, more unsettling, and—somehow—uncomfortably relatable.

The narrator is this wildly self-obsessed, enigmatic woman whose entire identity revolves around her popularity online. At first, I thought I’d be rolling my eyes at the ridiculousness of her priorities, but Ventura does something clever: she pulls you inside the narrator’s head so completely that, before you realize it, you’re trapped in her spiraling logic. It’s obsessive, paranoid, and oddly mesmerizing. I kept flipping pages because I needed to know where her obsession with attention and validation would take her.

What struck me most is how this book manages to be both funny and chilling. The narrator’s internal monologue is filled with delusions of grandeur, little humiliations, and this constant need for admiration that borders on mania. And yet, she’s not totally unlikable. In fact, part of what makes this novel so effective is how it captures the little voice we all sometimes hear—the craving for approval, the need to be seen, liked, remembered. It just turns that voice up to 100.

By the end, I felt a little breathless. Not because it was a twisty thriller (though it definitely goes to a disturbing place), but because it was such an intense psychological portrait. It holds up a mirror to how we live online and dares us to look. Not everyone will love it—it’s uncomfortable by design—but I think that’s what makes it powerful.

WOW.

Make Me Famous is Maud Ventura sophomore novel. After her debut novel My Husband, I knew going into this one I would not be disappointed.

In Make Me Famous we follow Cleo, a 33 year old famous singer. She is taking a vacation on a deserted island to take a break her pop star world. We reflect back on her life starting from her childhood, and recall her journey to stardom. Cleo is morally grey. She is a narcissist. She is completely unhinged. She is mean but she’s okay with that because why? She’s famous!

I love how Maud Ventura writes Cleo to be a villain but in such a realistic way. Her thoughts and actions literally come from the little devil on everyone’s shoulder that people choose to ignore. Everyone except Cleo of course! Even though I’m not famous I found myself relating to so many of her thoughts. I feel like many people have a dark side but are afraid to show it but not Cleo. She is unapologetically herself .

I found Make Me Famous to be extremely entertaining. It’s fast paced and I could not put it down. I read it in one sitting and will be recommending to everyone.

Wow, that was unhinged AF—in the best way possible. Cleo, the main character, is completely unlikable, borderline delusional, and honestly kind of exhausting… but I couldn’t stop reading. There’s something so gripping about the way the story unravels. It’s messy, chaotic, and addictive. I found myself constantly wondering where it was all going, and needing to know how it would end. The ending wasn’t what I expected at all, but it totally fit the unhinged vibe of the book.

This book is a captivating and immersive read from start to finish. The writing is engaging, the pacing well-balanced, and the characters are richly developed with relatable emotions and motivations. The story unfolds in a way that keeps the reader hooked, offering just the right mix of tension, heart, and thought-provoking themes. Whether you're looking for an emotional journey, a thrilling plot, or simply beautiful prose, this book delivers. It's a standout example of great storytelling and leaves a lasting impression long after the final page.

As long as Maud Ventura wants to write utterly unhinged and insane women, I will be tuned in.

It takes a special rhythm and skill to write about a character so abhorrent and unlikable that still tugs at your need to keep reading on. Cleo is self absorbed, impulsive, and the image of what celebrity can (and has done) to people's minds. Reading this is like watching a feral animal slowly falling down a tree it climbed up, branches snapping on its descent down, anxious about the moment that last limb finally snaps.

The ending was jaw dropping not once, but twice.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! What an unhinged story about an unhinged woman who will do absolutely anything to be famous! This story follows Cleo who from a young age knows that she wants to be famous. We follow Cleo as she writes her first song and moves to New York and how she uses people around her to get what she wants. We also follow Cleo in the future, who is on this private island that only the richest of the richest go to, to be secluded from everything and everyone as she writes her next album. Cleo is so unhinged in her pursuit of fame that she doesn't think about how her life will be ruined but in the same breath she can't stop trying to be on top. This book had me screaming but also the ending had me shook. This book is definitely for my cool, hot, weird girls. If you know, you know.

3 stars for the whining, 5 for the second half. If you liked my husband you’ll love this! And never see peeps the same again.

I ATE THIS UP!!!!!!!! I also read My Husband by Maud Ventura and I absolutely love this author. If 'Good for her' is a genre you enjoy then this is exactly the book for you. It follows a 33 year old fame driven superstar named Cleo and all the craziness that comes with fame but also all the wild stuff she did to get there. Highly recommend if any of that, or this author sounds interesting to you!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Maud Ventura and HarperVia Publishing for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, and thought that for the most part it was well written. I think it just went on for too long, and did not need quite so many details of Cleo’s determination to become famous, and then of her dissatisfaction with her life. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Truly no one writes unhinged women quite like Maud Ventura. Her other book, My Husband, is one of my favorite books I’ve read in the past few years.

In Make Me Famous, we follow Cleo on her way to fame. She knows she’s destined to be famous and will do anything to fulfill her destiny. Ventura’s writing is amazing as always, and while her characters are deeply unlikable, she somehow gets you to fall for them. This book is the definition of “I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.” Grab this book if you are looking for a slightly darker, in a good way, Daisy Jones and the Six.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC!!

"Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband.

Ever since she was a child, Cléo, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one obsession: becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone's surprise but her own, she overcomes every obstacle and becomes a global superstar with millions of dollars, countless awards, and several Los Angeles villas to her name. But as any celebrity will tell you, getting to the top is one thing; staying there is another.

Now thirty-three years old, Cléo is taking her first real vacation in years, on a remote island with no one else in sight. With the never-ending spin cycle of her life finally on pause and no paparazzi peeking out from behind the coconut palms, she can work on her fourth album in peace. Except that with so much time to think, she can't help but ruminate on her past - including how, just six months earlier, things started to go very, very wrong...

Taking place between New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and the South Pacific, Make Me Famous is a brilliant sophomore novel from Maud Ventura that dives intoxicatingly deep into the machinations of one woman's complicated mind, and her relentless pursuit of fame."

I'm here for the Patricia Highsmith of it all!

Well, this was a delightfully entertaining novel that grew more and more deranged as it reached its surprising conclusion.

3.5 rounded up to 4

I'm a huge fan of Maud Ventura's debut novel, My Husband. You should've seen me advertising it like a used car salesman towards my book club. I thought it was hilarious, fresh, and overall a very entertaining experience. Safe to say I was immensely hyped for this when I saw it was announced.

And it was good. I liked it but I'm not blown out of the water like I was with My Husband.

We follow the story of Cléo, a singer who has decided to take a very remote vacation alone on an island. While there she's recharging, writing her fourth studio album, and is also looking back over her life and how it has spiraled out of control.

There are some very note-worthy conversations to be had over this novel. Fame and the prices you have to pay in order to achieve star status. Maud Ventura does an amazing job showing us Cléo's progression as a person over her career. Her obsession, her anger, her sadness, it's all fascinating seeing it come to head as the novel progresses. Ventura writes obsessive women so well, I can't wait to see what else she has cooking for us in the future.

My issues stem mostly from the last few chapters and how abrupt the epilogue is. What happens is interesting and engaging and I have no issues with the story whatsoever. But with how short the chapters are, everything happens so fast and the climax and ending aren't excluded from that. When it was over I wasn't shocked like I was at the end of My Husband, I was mostly just thinking "that's it?".

Overall, Ventura's sophomore novel is still a worthy successor to My Husband. Even if it falls a little flat towards the end I would still recommend it if you're a fan or even if you're looking for a new lit fic book to read. There's a lot here to keep you engaged and a lot to think about after it's over.

This was smart and sharp and a little too triggering for my tastes, but still another bold and memorable novel from Ventura. I look forward to seeing what she does next.

I was so drawn to the story of Cléo. Though flawed, her passion and drive to becoming famous kept me riveted. Her belief in herself while still acknowledging her many flaws made for a very interesting story, and the end left me wishing for more! I’m a lifelong Ventura fan!

When given an exclusive invite to a remote island for only the most elite celebrities, Cléo, one of the most famous pop stars in the world, decides that she must go. During her three-week stay, with nothing but time on her hands while she writes her fourth album, Cléo reflects on her rise to fame and the price she paid to get to where she is (quite literally, $500,000 for the trip!).

Cléo is one of the most unlikeable characters that I have ever come across in a book. She is narcissistic, selfish, and overall a deeply flawed person, yet I found myself unable to look away. Ventura’s depiction of the rise and fall of stardom made me feel as though I was reading an actual celebrity’s autobiography (although had this been an actual autobiography, I can only imagine the amount of hatred the celebrity would get... yikes!).

I absolutely loved Make Me Famous! I previously read Maud Ventura’s debut novel, The Husband, and while it didn’t quite click for me, I was very surprised by how quickly I devoured this book. Although there were moments where I felt the plot dragging a tiny bit, the ending absolutely made it all worth it. Make Me Famous perfectly captures just how far some will go in the pursuit of success.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maud Ventura is the queen of obsession and insane epilogues. Once I was sucked into this book, I couldn’t put it down.

Cleo was insufferable and miserable but in a way that was fun to read. While I assumed what happened in the epilogue from the beginning, it still felt like a gut punch to read. But also, satisfying in a sick way.

I’ve been so burnt out on famous people in general lately and this book really solidified the reasons why. The phoniness of it all is just too obvious nowadays and I loved the way Make Me Famous spelled that out clear to see. I loved that Cleo stayed consistently unlikable and miserable from before her rise to fame, all the way through.

Truly can’t wait to read what Maud Ventura puts out next.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!