That was a fun book! Some was really predictable and easy to figure out and other things not so much! I was sucked it from the begging and it was like living through an ongoing true crime podcast in real time as things unfolded.

The pacing was great and it was well thought out and written. I would love to have this as an audiobook as I expect it will have an even greater impact.

So if you’re a true crime lover this may be the perfect book for you. Also people who love to solve Easter eggs and conspiracy theories as this was choke full of it all!


I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from NetGalley do their Camp Net Galley 2025 to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My general rating system is below. Since I primarily read ARC books I rate according to how I think like minded readers will receive the book. I will round up or down depending on many factors and try not to let my personal wants affect a books ratings.

⭐️ Hated It but pushed through as so don’t DNF ARCs I have received.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, content issues, poorly edited.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but it had something that stopped me from rounding up. Usually the book may have much more potential than what was given. I recommend it but with reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I Really enjoyed it or think others will. These are solid reads that I definitely would recommend for a variety of reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! These are books that remain rent free in my head for well after unfinished the book. It can be for a variety of reasons from being very well written or just the vibes that captured my mind. These books are also ones I would probably read again.

Right from the authors’ note, with the promise of Easter eggs, I was ready to put on my magnifying glasses and read away.

Mega superstar Harlow Hayes has been arrested for murder. With few details released, investigative reporter Naomi Barnes combs through lyrics and news articles to find out what happened.

This is a love letter to internet sleuths, conspiracy theorists and social media enthusiasts. The social media commentary was especially realistic and depressing.

I went back and forth between this is completely insane to I can see this happening. This is a wild ride for sure.

OKAY this one is a crazy goofy mix of the Hannah Montana story and the real lives of Taylor Swift/Miley Cyrus/Selena Gomez/Lana Del Rey/The Biebers etc. with thriller/murder vibes mixed it. It truly reads like a gossip magazine. I read this is one day, on a lounge chair in the sun. For this environment, it was a perfectly fun read. I chuckled a few times, and though it was a bit silly at moments, it also had true thriller components that felt satisfying for a summer read. Rounded to 3!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury USA | Head of Zeus, and of course the Mancaruso Sisters for sharing this advance copy with me in exchange for my honest review. Rumoured will be available on October 7th, 2025! #ARC #CampNetGalley #NetGalleySummer #Summer Reads #NetGalley

I’m always excited to read debut novels and even more
elated when the book is written by sister authors! I’m saddened to say that I found it hard to connect with the story because of the fragmented storytelling. It jumped between formats so often that it pulled me out of the narrative. At times, it felt more like reading a tabloid than a fully developed novel, and the heavy reliance on pop culture references made it feel less timeless and more like a stylized snapshot of celebrity culture.

I went into reading this book knowing it was out of my reading realm and I eager to try a unique and new-to-me premise. Although this wasn’t to my liking, I’m glad to have given it a try. I’d recommend this for fans who enjoy piecing together clues, spotting hidden details, and following the rise and public fall of a star.

“The Rumoured” followed Harlow Hayes a global pop sensation. Her world was shattered when she was arrested for murder at the height of her fame, and the public—and media—turned on her in real time.

Despite the storyline being fast paced. I didn’t care for the narrative structure. It incorporated a mixed-media format that leaned heavily on celebrity-set thriller with social-media commentary.

Altogether “The Rumoured” had a sharp social commentary and real-time scandal feel. Although this story wasn’t to my liking, I’d suggest this debut to those that enjoy a blend of reporter narration, social media posts, and song lyrics.

Thank you Net Galley and Bloomsbury USA for an advance copy in exchange for my feedback.

When global sensation, pop star Harlow Hayes is arrested for murder, investigative journalist Naomi Barnes is on the case and hot on her tail. In spite of the fact that the ghost of her sister lingers in New York, Naomi returns to the city to uncover the true Harlow Hayes.

I can't craft a longer summary of this one without giving something away, trust me I tried! This book was a fun roller coaster ride filled with mystery, Easter eggs, and twists. Like many of my ARCs, I hadn't heard of this book before choosing it. I went into it based solely on the cover (I try not to read the blurbs) and it lived up to my expectations. Although things got a bit crazy towards the end, this was clearly a well-planned book. Everything in the book laid the groundwork for the next thing. I'm sure there were Easter eggs and clues that I missed, but it was really fun to try to solve the mystery alongside Naomi! I really enjoyed the song lyrics; some were quite profound. I do feel like things went off the rails by the end, but that's part of the fun. Suspend your disbelief for a few hours and Read It!

Note: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

I thought this book was fantastic and hit all the right notes for me. It was part mystery/thriller, part celebrity gossip column, part Easter egg hunt. I thought it was great! Even though the book is about pop star Harlow Hayes, it is told from the perspective of a celebrity gossip columnist, Naomi, and shows how far she will go to get a story. Naomi is a bit of a mess but you feel for her and want her to figure it all out. The book kept me guessing most of the way through, but I only figured out what was happening slightly before the authors wanted you to! This was a very engaging, truly fun read and I wish I could read it again without knowing how it ends.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

When I was reading this I kept picturing Britney Spears. What would happen if she was convicted of murder. Naomi goes down such an interesting rabbit hole looking for all the Easter eggs and clues. In that way Harlow Hayes reminds me of Taylor Swift. The story was very twisty and engaging. I loved it.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one. There were so many formatting issues (which may be due to it being an ARC, so I won't rate it based on that) that it was difficult to read. Plus, the red text on the white page actually made my vision strobe and triggered a migraine. I tried to push through, but the writing just felt very unfinished. Ultimately, this felt like a messy first draft with a few good ideas that just needed to be better refined and fleshed out. I'm going to give it a 3 since it may have gotten better later on, but what I read so far was a 1.

The plot of this book was interesting but the execution didn't quite work for me. There was a lot of social media comments and articles that broke the flow, a little would have been fine but i found myself skipping over a lot of parts of the book, maybe a good third of it. the writing style doesn't didn't keep me engaged but I did finish it to see what happened. 3.5

I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly this storyline moved without getting confused by the shifts in timeline. The Easter eggs were a nice touch, but not up my alley. So the shift back and forth to bold was more a distraction than a secret message to the fans. The storyline flowed well without getting stuck on one particular character. Overall, the book has a very scary premise.

I adored this book so much! As a fellow conspiracy theory pop music lover I ate this up. I loved that every twist and turn took you somewhere you didn't expect. I genuinely didn't guess the twist until really late in so I think that's really impressive. I didn't love how it was sometimes hard to read (Maybe that was my arc's kindle format) But sometimes it was confusing on timeline or whose POV it was. Otherwise I thought this was a very clever and unique concept I really adored. Amazing work.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

4 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I hadn’t heard of this book till it was on the camp NetGalley page and I am so glad I picked it! For a debut book this was so great! I loved Harlow she was the coolest. I am such a true crime girl! Highly recommend.

This book was PAINFUL. I could not like the characters, and the writing style was just OFF to me.
I am glad I did not pay for this

ARC review

I read "Rumoured" by Kelly Mancaruso and Kristina Mancaruso in one day because I just could not put is down.

I received an advance review copy from Bloomsbury.
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

The book is a mystery thriller that starts with the news that Harlow Hayes, a pop star, was arrested.
In the first part of the book we find out information from what Naomi, a journalist, is investigating.
Also, there are some articles quoted and online comments.
Naomi slowly starts to find a lot of conspiracy theories and when she finds connections to her sister's death, she is no longer being objective.
I like that in the second part we have also Harlow's perspective and, through flashback chapters, we find out more about what happened.

The pace of the story is fast, there are many easter eggs, real conspiracy theories are discussed and it also has lyrics.
The characters are morally gray and the twists were unexpected.

Naomi has so many theories about what happened and the connections between the murders that at one point you question her mental health.

If you like music, celebrities and murder mysteries, you should like this book.

This book gripped me from the first line. Harlow Hayes is the kind of main character who commands every page famous, flawed, fiercely human. Rumoured pulls you into the glittering highs of pop stardom and the crashing lows of public scandal, all with razor-sharp writing and so much heart.

It’s messy, raw, and full of tension in the best way. You’re constantly questioning what’s real, what’s being performed and who Harlow really is behind the fame, the headlines, and the rumors.

If you love morally gray characters, media chaos, and stories that blur the line between truth and persona, Rumoured will absolutely keep you hooked. I devoured it in a single sitting.

I really enjoyed this! I loved the pop culture references, the easter eggs hidden throughout, and trying to guess what twist or turn was coming up next! The plot kept me on my toes, constantly rearranging information much like the main character.

Took a star off because I found the foreshadowing to be a bit heavy-handed in places, and because the big reveal seemed extremely far-fetched to me. It took me out of the story a bit. Overall, though, a very compelling read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

3 1/2 ⭐️

The synopsis and premise of this book sounded exactly like my type of book, an investigative journalist covering a pop star accused of murder and all the twists and conspiracy theories that come with it. While I ended up enjoying the book, the pacing during the first half felt like it dragged at times, and I was finding it hard to feel invested in the main character Naomi, or the murder case. Once Harlow’s point of view started however, the story and action picked up, and I found myself reading through until the end to find out if I was correct in my theories on the twist (I was, but it was still satisfying.)

If you are looking for a book that you can't put down and reminds you how easily is to fall into the rabbit hole of crazy theories about your favorite artist, this is the book for you. I got to say that this book surprised me in the best way! I couldn't stop reading and the foreshadowing was good enough that I was able to follow where the story was going without it being super obvious. The first half of this book is solid and while the second half is not, I was eager through it all to know how it was going to end. The ending was surprising but it made sense that that was how it ended. I was able to root for Naomi and Harlow even if there were some parts where Naomi was a little frustrating. The twists were surprising and the Easter Eggs were pretty cool! I will be definitely keep an eye on the Mancaruso Sisters going forward.

This book was a complete miss for me. I couldn’t connect with the characters, and I found the author’s writing style to be too pretentious. The constant switching between present, past, and social media became overwhelming and distracting.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

I was a little disappointed that the book focused on Naomi, a reporter for a celebrity magazine doing a investigative piece on Harlow Hayes at first as I wanted a insider view and I just felt like the reporter was too far away from the actual crimes. Then it all started to unfold and I actually loved how we started with Naomi and then switched POV with Harlow. I honestly did not see the reveal coming - I thought Naomi had lost it and was just an unreliable narrator at first. I loved the Easter eggs and all of the discoveries. It was all a little far fetched but that is what made it fun. I really enjoyed the ride and now I want to do some research into the Beatles... Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!