Some Kind of Famous delivered a beautifully nuanced small-town romance brimming with emotional depth, complicated characters, and slow-burning chemistry. It was the kind of story that built itself patiently—more smolder than spark—but the payoff was worth it.
Merritt Valentine was a refreshingly raw and complex heroine. Her journey from faded celebrity to emotionally fragile recluse felt grounded and honest, never sensationalized. Her mental health struggles were portrayed with care and realism, and I appreciated how the author allowed her to be sharp-edged and flawed without ever making her unlikable. Watching Merritt slowly let someone in again, despite her fear of the past repeating itself, was both heartbreaking and empowering.
Niko was the perfect counterbalance—steadfast, gentle, and quietly compelling. His own reluctance to get involved, shaped by his past, made their growing bond all the more satisfying. The house renovation plotline provided just the right backdrop for their reluctant friendship to evolve into something deeper, with every shared project and near-confession pulling them closer together.
Their chemistry simmered throughout, and while the pacing lagged slightly in the middle, the emotional payoff in the final chapters made up for it. This wasn’t a flashy romance—it was a careful excavation of two guarded hearts learning how to trust again.
The writing was introspective and sharp, filled with rich emotional insight and a strong sense of place. Some Kind of Famous proved that sometimes the quietest stories leave the loudest impact.










Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so good! i can't stop thinking about these characters.
I love a good small town romance and this book has everything you could need! I enjoyed this book so much that I read it in one sitting and honestly I had the absolute best time. The slow burn was perfect and the complex characters just made it so much better. The mental health rep was also really nice to see how relatable it was and explain what it looks like for some. Merritt was a sweetie and I love how complicated but real she was. I cant wait to read more from this author!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for this arc!

4.75 ⭐️

Ava Wilder is consistently one of my favorite authors and Some Kind of Famous is no exception. This book has all of the things I love about her books. We have a complex, flawed heroine in Merritt. She’s not perfect, and no one in her life lets her forget it. Niko is someone who just hears her out and listens to her without judgement. I really appreciated that we really got to see so much of these two just confiding all of their deepest thoughts and secrets in each other, as it really made me believe in their connection. Another thing that this book does so well that is an Ava Wilder staple is its inclusion of mental health struggles into the plot line for both characters. Even though these characters struggle with things I can’t personally relate to, the way it was written made me easily empathize with the characters. Not many books make me cry, but this author always gets me feeling a bit misty by the end. My one small critique is that the first ~30% was a little bit slow, but once it really got going I was hooked until the end. I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed this is Wilder’s last celebrity romance because I truly think she is the best at writing them by far, but I enjoy her writing so much that I can say I’ll be tuned in for whatever she writes next!

4 stars ⭐️ This is an emotional slow burn romance. I love Niko and Merritt together. I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I tried to write a summary blurb for this book, and it felt too trite to cover the true heart of the story. This is not your typical popstar-moves-to-a-small-town book. Rather, it is the story of two people recovering from their past lives and discovering just how much they've grown since they were their younger selves. There is so much heart in this story. It's honest, it's reflective, and it's funny. I can see this being my newest comfort read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for a free arc in exchange for my honest review.

There were so many aspects of Some Kind of Famous that I genuinely enjoyed and appreciated. First off, the representation was fantastic—culturally, within the LGBTQ+ community, and in its progressive take on gender roles in relationships. I especially loved Niko: he was sensitive, loving, and still figuring himself out. He didn’t have all the answers, but he was consistently kind, which made him a grounding force in the story.

Merritt was a more emotionally complex character. She’s a bit prickly, with a chaotic past—and watching her navigate life after hitting rock bottom was tough, but not because of who she is. Her breakdown, the result of an untreated personality disorder and years of being exploited by the fame machine, made her pain feel raw and deeply human. You feel for her. Her regret is real, her mistakes are heavy, and her fight to heal—to simply be happy—was both harrowing and incredibly relatable. Especially for anyone who’s been chewed up by LA, or just tried to survive as a woman in a world that constantly demands more.

This story was tender, heartfelt, and full of nuance. The pacing lagged at times, but overall, it was a meaningful and memorable read.

Another enjoyable read by Ava Wilder. The family dynamic was very realistic and the romance was also believable. I enjoyed the setting in Colorado and the music industry backdrop. Thank you NetGalley

Some Kind of Famous is an absolutely breathtaking celebrity romance, like all of Ava Wilder's work! Merritt Valentine is a musician known for the excess of her younger days, which were very much ruled by people in positions of power pushing her around. She's retired from music and living with her sister in a quiet Colorado town, but when she needs to move out into her own place, it will take the services of a local handyman to fix up the beautiful fixer-upper house she's bought. And when that contractor turns out to be not only handsome, but also genuinely sweet and charming, the forced proximity makes the sparks between them impossible to ignore, despite the complications of her lingering fame at times clashing with his "normal" life. Merritt and Niko are both beautifully crafted characters that I fell in love with immediately, and their townie & celebrity love story is one for the ages. Ava Wilder remains an auto-buy, and I particularly loved the guest appearances of a few characters I recognized from earlier books!

Thank you to Ava Wilder, PRH, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ah! Ava Wilder has done it! This is the romance I was looking for. The characters are flirty and authentic. The banter is well-written—a great setting and backdrop for action. I loved reading this story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

«Deeply rooted, but still growing.»

Such a complex, sweet, and spicy one-of-them-is-famous x small-town romance.

The cover made me feel some type of way...

Reading Some Kind of Famous felt like stepping into an alternate universe where one of my favorite artists just...
slipped away.
Merritt has been MIA from the music scene for 10 years after a rough, traumatic rise to fame at a young age. Now, she's living with her twin sister and her brother-in-law in a small Colorado town, where she buys a house that desperately needs... a handyman. (Let's fucking gooo...)

«And even though he knew it was a joke, he didn't take for granted how precious it was that he had access to her mind at all.»

I really enjoyed the story and how emotional it got. Every time it seemed like we were heading toward a trope-cliché moment, the author pulled back in a fresh way. It kept the story really going for me.

I'm not the biggest fan of third-person POV, and honestly, it knocked about 30% off my enjoyment—but that's 100% a me thing, not the author's fault.

The representation in this one was amazing! I loved everything that went into this.
I was a little thrown off by the third person POV at first, but I liked how each chapter still really focused on just Merritt or Nik.
This is wholesome but messy in the sweetest way. There’s a lot of walls that both leads need to break through, and I love how they got that push from one another outside the little rut they had become comfortable in. Ava really showcased how growth can be rewarding but hard with these characters, and how the results could be amazing!

Niko & Merritt encourage each other to push through insecurities and bring out the best in each other. I loved watching them grow together

🩷Small town
🧡One of us is famous
🩷 Main characters are well developed
🧡 Fun side characters
🩷 Slow burn/medium pace
🧡 Mental health representation

~Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine, Random House Publishing Group, Dell, and Ava Wilder for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

*See review posted to Goodreads below. My review will be posted to Amazon and B&N upon publication

This book is pure emotional magic wrapped in small-town charm. The way Merritt and Niko’s relationship builds from resistance to undeniable attraction had me completely hooked. I loved how the author blended steamy tension with emotional depth, capturing the complexity of Merritt’s struggles and Niko’s quiet, steady strength. Their chemistry is electric, and watching them slowly open up to each other was heartwarming and captivating. The setting in Crested Peak adds this perfect cozy backdrop, where the romance feels both tender and intense. I found myself rooting for them to finally admit what they were feeling, and the journey they took to get there was beautiful. It’s a perfect balance of romance, emotional growth, and a touch of heartache, making it a read I couldn’t put down.

For me 'Some Kind of Famous' is a fun and quick romance read. It has the small town vibes, mental health representation, and zinging chemistry. It's a solid romance novel that I hope many readers gravitate to this autumn. There were some areas that felt like constant band aids being ripped off, there were fumbles in explaining certain actions, and a sudden third act romance trope that personally isn't a favourite of mine so I'm bumping down my rating to a 3 star. A quick romance read.

Thank you Ballantine-Dell for the digital arc!

Merritt Valentine has left Hollywood without a backwards glance, running from life as a famous singer/songwriter to her sister’s small tourist ski town. She has had an stomach flipping attraction to Niko, the gorgeous contractor and her brother in law’s best friend, since first arriving. But he’s off limits, especially with Merritt’s history of chaos and destruction. But what if this pull to Niko is just too powerful to resist?

*** Small town romance
*** Mental health representation
*** Nikolaos Petrakis. You don’t know him yet but oh my, when you do…..
*** Strong family dynamic
*** Undeniable sparks

There were so many layers to this book outside just the romance: the mental health struggle, the feelings of having purpose and direction, facing life head-on.

But the romance? TOP TIER. Our MMC Niko is just perfection. And I loved Merritt. She was complicated, but for absolutely good reason and the fact that she finally found someone that loved her with all those complications? Perfection!

I love love loveddd this book, and will absolutely be buying my own copy.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ava Wilder, and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

This small town romance has it all! This is a very emotional, medium paced, lighthearted read. It made me feel joyful, hopeful and reflective. I enjoyed the complex characters in the story as well as the scenery. This is a slow burn, spicy romance! I can tell the author put a lot of thought into writing this. It’s easy to read and well written. I enjoyed the opposites attract trope in this book! I found it to be unique and cozy! I give this a 4 out of 5 stars rating!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Ava Wilder and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for this digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book is expected to be published on October 28, 2025!

This author knows how to write electric tension and SOME KIND OF FAMOUS is no different. I enjoyed watching their relationship evolve from avoiding each other at the grocery store and around their small town in Colorado after an awkward "meet-cute" of Niko accidentally seeing Merritt in a bath towel in the bathroom at Merritt's sister's house to working together on fixing up Merritt's house to making the room crackle with tension when they are in close proximity. I always admire how the author crafts such layered characters in a beautiful and complex way that makes it so easy to connect to them and be fully invested in their story.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy Ava Wilder’s work and I enjoyed this book just as much as her other works. This felt like a sweet read and a lovely journey between Merritt and Niko. Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

Ava Wilder wrote another hit! The way she portrays characters who aren't perfect is fantastic, and this book is no different.

Merritt is a disgraced singer/songwriter who fled Los Angeles to move in with her twin sister and brother in law in a small Coloradan town. Merritt hires the town's contractor, Niko, to renovate her home. Merritt and Niko have an instant attraction, but try to heed the warnings from their mutual friends to stay apart.

This book is steamy, y'all! The characters have chemistry, and I found myself smiling several times.

Thank you Dell Romance and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!

I love Ava Wilder so much. Something about her writing just gets right to my soul. This one was definitely her most emotional, in my opinion, and the yearning was so good. Niko is a gem of a human and he was so good without being unrealistically perfect. Merritt was also so fleshed out she felt real. I love a celeb romance but also loved how this one was a little different spin. The original set up with the conflict was confusing at first and felt kind of flimsy but made a lot more sense later although I still think Olivia is kind of a terrible sister. Overall loved it and want to read everything Ava ever writes forever.