“Don’t meet your idols.”

This book is a murder mystery filled with celebrity gossip, family drama, and conspiracy theories. It’s fun and turned out to be a great pallet cleanser, summer read!

I am pretty sure this book confirms I am a mood reader that is just along for the ride because I did not see that twist coming at all!! I knew Faye and Harlow’s lives had to be intertwined or overlapped in some way, but I was still shocked. I was feeling stuck for a while when there were more and more questions and things weren’t adding up. Like, is Naomi a reliable narrator?? She lost me a little going off the deep end around the middle of the story. Just as well, all the clues are right in front of you if you pay attention. Everything has a purpose! If you’re a fan of artists that leave Easter egg clues in their work, or any kind of celebrity conspiracy theories, then you’ll love this book.

Hot take: This is how I learned Lana del Ray was previously Lizzy Grant??

As a popcorn thriller, this lives up to its name in terms of "shocking" twists. If you dabble in conspiracy theories and enjoy the music industry (or simply Taylor Swift, as the lead character is clearly modeled after her), this might just be for you.

Personally, having worked in the industry both in the label and the journalism fields, a lot of this really didn't work for me -- largely because it's so absurd (and the big "reveal" felt quite obvious very early on -- but perhaps I owe that to being a Millennial music nerd). The plot basically hinges on conjecture and hearsay and when one of the main characters is a journalist (even if it is from a perceived "gossip" style online mag), that really rubbed me the wrong way (especially in this media environment!), in terms of obvious legalities that would intercede any of this being real life. For this reason, the plot feels patchy at best. As a commentary on public opinion, parasocial celebrity obsession, and social media armchair philosophy, initially I really thought this book was taking aim and shooting straight, which felt fresh and exciting but ultimately, I was left pretty underwhelmed.

That being said -- this being a wild ride would be an understatement. Just be prepared to suspend your disbelief by quite a large measure. Personally, I think this would perhaps work best with a reader who is more of a casual fan of the media business.

I have feedback but not an entire review since I DNFed the book. Everything about this book feels one dimensional. At 29% in, I did not pick up on any subplot to support the plot. Additionally, all the supporting characters only make an appearance when they have a piece of info to feed to the main character, which makes them feel convenient and easy instead of genuine characters with arcs of their own. I didn't feel like I could connect to any of the characters, therefore not really caring about their outcome.

I tried to give this novel a chance but the pacing was so slow that the "pieces of the puzzle" that are revealed are not worth the wait and are lackluster. All the articles and tabloids prevent the reader from getting close to the FMC, they pull the reader out of her headspace and paint her to be an unreliable and impressionable source.

I think the tension in this book could be increased by tightening up what has been written (maybe cutting around 10,000 words) and then adding in some chapters from the POV of "Harlow's" character.

I thought this was going to be a thriller, but it felt like I got online and read a lot of speculation about a pop star. I can do that on my own already and read about a person I care about. I don't feel like I am given anything to hope for in means of outcome. Also, the plot just feels flat. I picked up on a body double like 10% through (though I could be wrong). I recommend some red herrings to stir interest and build tension.

This is book is on its way, but it isn't quite there yet.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
“For the glory and fame, I’d do it the same.”

This one is for the Swifties. Rumoured follows a pop star, Harlow Hayes, who is accused and arrested for two murders. The similarities are uncanny - Harlow gets told she doesn’t deserve her award at the VMAs (hello, Kanye), takes a dark and edgy turn during the pandemic, and even has fans looking for Easter eggs in song titles and cover art.

As a reader, you will have to suspend your disbelief from sea to shining sea. The FMC even at one point admits that the sequence of events is “preposterous”. However, the story is engaging and even though it is unbelievable…all of my questions are reconciled. At the end of the day, it makes sense. I enjoyed that it was a wild ride and that some of my theories were on the right track, but not entirely correct.

One thing that was really unique is the primary sources, articles, gossip posts, social media comments, and song lyrics throughout the book. They added other voices and layers of intrigue to the plot, and they were simply well written.

Rumoured is twisty, thrilling, and fun. If you want a “whodunnit” that will give you goosebumps, pick this one up!

Rumoured was such a fun read. Harlow is the world's most famous pop star at the height of her career. And then she gets accused of murder. Naomi is a celebrity journalist following Harlow's story and trying to solve the mystery. As a Swiftie I loved the easter egg vibes of it all. It was a super fun thriller and perfect for pop culture addicts.

The format of this novel and the cover intrigued me for this one. As someone quite deep in a fandom, I thought it would be a perfect summer read. I was interested mostly in the format: lyrics, news stories, tweets, Easter eggs, and celeb drama.

I definitely enjoyed it for what it was - a chaotic and voyeuristic thriller that follows Naomi Barnes, a writer for C*Leb News who is following and investigating a murder case. The murderer just so happens to be the biggest pop star in the world, Harlow Hayes. It’s full of twists and turns and I was excited to see how it would all play out.

It definitely reads as YA or fanfic, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing - if you are into that. You can’t go into it expecting more than what it promises, which is a fast paced, scandalous dive into the gossip-filled celebrity world.

A con for me was the formatting of the e-book. It was very disjointed but if it’s fixed for the final version, it would read a little easier.

A perfect little summer read that gives Taylor Swift x Halsey vibes and twists and turns until the end. Also a final little shout-out to BTS Army was a fun little surprise. 💜

I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank NetGalley, Bloomsbury USA, Head of Zeus - an Aries Book, and the authors, Kelly and Kristina Mancaruso for the advance copy. #CampNetGalley

Rumoured begins with a bang as we find out that world famous pop star ,Harlow Hayes, has been arrested for murder. Who did she murder? Baby…this is only the beginning of a murder mystery that kept me turning pages late into the night like I did not have to be up at the crack of dawn.

As the mystery grew, so did the questions and I swear, you feel like it’s modern day celeb news and you are drawn to social media, television and news outlets trying to put the pieces together to figure out what happened and why.

The Mandarin Sisters do a phenomenal job of pacing the story with tidbits of information and giving you insight into Harlow’s world via the work of a reporter named Naomi as she begins investigating what happened the story includes articles written about Harlow, the social media posts on TikTok, and Harlow’s lyrics. The court of public opinion is featured significantly throughout the story, which we all know can be a very unreliable source of information. It definitely adds a layer of complexity to the mystery and I found it enthralling how deep the rabbit hole could go.

Naomi has ghosts of her own as she lost her sister, who was trying to make it in the music world so she’s often comparing her sister’s journey to that of Harlow and wondering what could have been if her sister had been successful. Naomi’s investigation has you second guessing theories about what really happened that keep you on the edge of your seat and sometimes question your own sanity and judgement.

Rumoured is a juicy, salacious mystery that has many twists and turns, leaving you unsure of how it will end and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Thank you Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rumored starts with a compelling premise—a celebrity murder scandal, a determined journalist, and a trail of secrets that might link it all to a personal tragedy. Naomi, a writer for C*leb News, is called back to New York to cover the arrest of A-list pop star Harlow Hayes. As Naomi begins to peel back the layers of Harlow’s past, she uncovers surprising ties to her own family’s history—particularly the death of her sister years earlier.

The narrative is punctuated with gossip articles and online posts, which add a fun, multimedia feel to the story and help build the atmosphere of a high-profile, media-fueled scandal. The book shines when it focuses on the mystery and the intersection between fame, public perception, and personal trauma.

However, despite the intriguing setup and strong concept, Rumored struggled to hold my attention. The pacing dragged in places, and the story took a strange and abrupt turn about three-quarters of the way through that felt more confusing than surprising. While conspiracy theories and clever Easter eggs can be fun, here they overwhelmed the narrative rather than elevating it.

That said, readers who enjoy layered mysteries with a pop culture twist may still find something to enjoy in this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA | Head of Zeus for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Really happy I picked this book for Camp NetGalley - it was like reading real time drama and tea. I had a lot of fun reading this and felt interested the entire time. I look forward to more books by this author! Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you @bloomsburybooksus and @netgalley for the free arc copy 💖.

🗓️Out October 7th, 2025

✨What it is about:
Harlow is a pop star at the height of her fame, loved by millions, known for her raw, emotional music, until she’s suddenly arrested for murder. The media explodes, and everyone thinks they know the truth about her… but do they?✨

💭My thoughts:
“Is she a beloved icon or a murderer?”
This was a lot of fun! The story is told through the eyes of Naomi, an investigative journalist with her own reasons for digging into the case. As she uncovers secrets and chases leads, you get a an up close look into to the glitzy, messy world of fame, and the dark things that can happen behind the scenes. It really makes you think about how much we don’t see when it comes to celebrities and Hollywood.
These days, that glossy image of fame is starting to crack, and this book taps right into that. Celebs are just people at the end of the day, even if they live their lives in public.
The story itself was twisty, fast-paced, and felt like scrolling through a live celebrity scandal on social media. Lots of twists, some far fetched, lots of drama, and an unreliable narrator that kept me guessing the whole time until something clicked and I figured how it all would end. It was a quick read I really enjoyed.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
🎤Psychological suspense
🎤Pop Culture/ pop stars
🎤Celebrity life/ the dark side of fame
🎤Emotional journeys
🎤Modern scandals/celebrity gossip
🎤Conspiracy theories
🎤Easter eggs in music, lyrics, pictures

⚠️CW: Discussions of murder, death, violence, addiction, overdose, grief and loss.

I skimmed the beginning, predicted the end, skimmed the end, and was right.

I also hated the articles taking up the majority of the first 10%.

Title: Rumoured
Authors: Kelly & Kristina Mancaruso
Format: Advanced Reader Copy (eBook)
Narration Style: N/A
Tropes/Themes: Pop star scandal, celebrity gossip, sisterhood, investigative journalism, murder mystery

@goodfucknggirl rating: 3 stars – “Enjoyed It, Just Didn’t Love It”
✨ Gave me something different
✨ Would recommend to the right reader
✨ Fun, fast-paced read that didn’t fully wow me

⸻

Review:
Wow—Rumoured was one wild, twisty ride! If you live for internet conspiracy theories, dive into celeb gossip threads for fun, or still secretly check TMZ, this book will absolutely scratch that itch.

The story follows Harlow Hayes, an ultra-famous pop star whose life is flipped upside down when she’s arrested for double homicide. Enter Naomi Barnes, a sharp and grieving celebrity journalist who starts unraveling the truth behind the headline—and her personal connection to the case. Told in dual POV and sprinkled with juicy extras like lyrics, social posts, gossip columns, and fan theories, Rumoured reads like a fast-moving Twitter thread you can’t stop refreshing.

The premise? Brilliant. The celebrity parallels? Unmissable. Think Taylor Swift meets Britney circa 2007 with a splash of Only Murders in the Building. There’s a ton of Easter eggs, and decoding them was half the fun.

Where it fell a bit short for me was the emotional depth and the ending. While the pace was quick and engaging, some of the characters’ thoughts—especially Naomi’s—felt repetitive, and the resolution didn’t land with the punch I hoped for. I wanted more OMG moments and a bigger climax after all the build-up.

Still, Rumoured is a fun, dramatic, and timely mystery perfect for celebrity culture junkies. If you like your thrillers with a side of gossip, glitter, and girl power, this one is worth picking up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA | Head of Zeus for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book follows Naomi a reporter for a celebrity tabloid, less trashy than TMZ but around People Magazine. When a VERY famous pop star is convicted of a double murder Naomi is tasks with covering the case and looking in to what really went down. Naomi gets VERY invested in the investigation.

This book is fun, it includes social media posts, comments, song lyrics, and newspaper clips. It is twisty and turny and took many turns I didn't expect, which as a regular mystery and thriller reader I don't always get surprised by these books. The writing is good and when I was reading it I didn't want to stop. So, why only 3.75 stars? I think at times this book gets a little to in the weeds. There were parts of it that were introduced as part of the large grand conspiracy but then never actually got explained in the big reveal. There was just so many pieces of this that not all of it had time to be fleshed out. There is also a sudden perspective add that although it helps explain things it always feels very abrupt when it isn't included from the start (just a personal pet peeve).

That being said this book is fun, its a fun mystery set in celebrity society. It has a lot of cool hidden messages in music and album art like the Beetles had. There is a lot of good in this book. If you like complex mysteries and reading about how rich people misuse their power you will like this book. Also if you want a book about a Taylor Swift like pop star could be accused of murder, you might like this.

Review by Nic @polycraftory on Instagram & Tumblr where I do book reviews and crafts with my polycule. If you are curious about my thoughts on more books, you can find me @businesswife on Storygraph or Nic Morrow on Netgalley. You can also find content warnings on my Storygraph review of this book. You can also find my reviews @polycraftory on Goodreads.

Rumoured is serving all the pop-star scandal and investigative sass you didn’t know you needed—and honey, I was here for every glitter-dusted second.

Imagine Taylor Swift meets Ariana Grande with a splash of early-2000s Britney drama, and you’ve got Harlow Hayes: a pop goddess so iconic she practically owns the charts. When she gets wrapped up in a murder scandal hotter than a TMZ headline, the internet loses it. Enter Naomi Barnes, a grieving and fiercely determined investigative journalist with a jaw-dropping personal stake in the case.

The Mancaruso Sisters nailed the vibe—this book reads like scrolling through a juicy Twitter thread at a VIP afterparty, complete with social media posts, cryptic lyrics, shady comments, and all the stan culture accuracy we crave. Naomi decoding Harlow’s lyrics? Total DeuxMoi blind item energy.

I adored Naomi’s “grieving but glamorous” vibe and her relentless pursuit of the truth. Plus, the sisterly love woven through the story added real heart. The writing is engaging, breezy, and packed with clever Easter eggs referencing Taylor Swift, The Beatles, and more.

My one gripe? The ending felt like the DJ cut the music just as the party was hitting its peak. After all that buildup, the mystery wrapped up with less bang and more quick DMs—where was my epic Charlie’s Angels showdown with mic drops and sass?

Still, 3.5 stars from me for a twisty, addictive read that’s perfect for celebrity gossip junkies, thriller lovers, and anyone who enjoys a good “what in the actual eff” moment. Just don’t ask me to call Twitter “X.”

OMG! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought I had this book all figured out, but turns out I was dead wrong! This book is about Harlow Hayes a singer icon and how she is arrested and charged with murder. The first half of the book is told from a journalists POV Naomi Barnes. Which I really enjoyed the dual POV and how it went back in time to help unravel the story. This is probably my new favorite thriller!

Wow, what a wild ride Rumoured by The Mancaruso Sisters was! The story was undeniably engaging, interesting, and full of delightful similarities to "real" celebrity gossip, which made the whole experience incredibly fun. While the twists were not that shocking, I still thought it was a great and unique story overall. I genuinely enjoyed every moment of it.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. # Netgalley #Rumoured

Pub date: 10-27-25

This thriller is so good. Harlow is a super famous pop star whose just been arrested for murder!! Naomi is a journalist trying to uncover the truth. Between the ups and downs, music industry moments sprinkled in, and the latest celebrity gossip. Rumored was a fast-paced conspiracy filled story that I couldn't put down.

Rumoured by Kelly & Kristina Mancaruso
Star Rating: I loved it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What a wild ride this book was! I will admit I am a junky for celebrity gossip, so this book was perfect for me. I found myself frequently picking it back up to just read one more chapter. The chapters are short, which for me makes a fast read. My only critique is that there were a few times I felt some of the main character’s thoughts were a bit repetitive throughout the story. Overall, I felt the story was engaging, interesting, and full of similarities to “real”celebrity gossip, which made it fun to read. I wasn’t shocked by the twists, but thought overall a great unique story. Really enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA | headofzeus publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. Review posted on Instagram and Goodreads on 7/23/25

Rumored
By Kelly and Kristina Mancaruso

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I picked this book for the Camp NetGalley challenge. This is the Mancaruso sisters’ debut thriller novel.

It’s a mystery wrapped in the world of pop stars, and invites the reader to sift through articles and social media fodder to really find out what happened.

If you don’t pay close attention, your mind will be blown by the twist at the end.

The first half was a little slow and sluggish but then it picked up and the back half was gripping.

I would like to start off by thanking netgalley and Zeus publishing for the arc of this book.

I knew when I saw this book and the description I needed to get my hands on it for more than one reason. One I love thrillers, two I love being a sister and three, who doesn't love trying to find easter eggs not only in a book but that the authors gave us. At one point I am not gonna lie I did find the main character a little annoying and absolutely crazy but that quickly disintegrated as I continued to read. I never thought I could go through so many emotions reading one book. I went from heartbreak to what in the world to oh my god jaw on the floor all in about the final 20% of the book which is how I knew these authors are amazing. This book is about songs, conspiracy theories, heartbreak, thrilling moments, pop stardom, but above all is about a sisters love and a sisters bond. If you love music then this book is definitely for you as well it has so many easter eggs hidden in song lyrics, and album covers as well as conspiracy theories that they bring to life throughout the book. I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending to everybody!