Rumoured by Kelly Mancaruso from Bloomsbury, USA books was a fun, sleuthy novel to read. There are many hints and pop culture references. The Swifties will have fun with this one! Perhaps a more YA audience would engage with the plot more. The writing style isn’t my preference. Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

Twisty thriller about a celebrity new reporter (Naomi) who moves from Los Angelas to New York City to cover the case of Harlow Hayes who was arrested for murdering her golden boy movie star ex-boyfriend. As Naomi digs deeper into Harlow’s world she starts to find hidden lyrics and clues in her songs and on her album’s art work. This book kept me guessing thought out the whole book!

I read this as part of the Camp Netgalley offerings because I'm a sucker for a completion badge, digital or otherwise. Perhaps I should have chosen another option, since I had an inkling this might be where I ended up but the premise was interesting enough and I liked the cover.

I am 100% sure this book will find its audience. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. I guessed the biggest twist about 15% of the way in. (To be fair, I'm also a chronically online girlie who is honestly mostly against my will very familiar with <spoiler>the Avril Lavigne body double/replacement conspiracy theory.</spoiler> So it might be more obfuscated until later in the story for others.) I might have bought in more to the twists and turns if I wasn't so distracted by the writing. I found it overwrought and angsty in an unironic way. There was a version of this that could have leaned heavily into the camp and it would have been more enjoyable for me personally. This was especially true for the songwriting. I get it, songwriting is hard. But if you're going to talk a big talk about this character being a lyrical genius...it would be better if like 90% of the lyrics you share didn't make me absolutely cringe. And call me an elitist or hater or whatever you will, I just continue to be startled by the reality of people dissecting "secret messages" in such a parasocial way, and that aspect of it made it read a bit more YA-toned for me.

I do think there was the glimmer of something interesting about the fame conversation here, but it was left by the wayside in pursuit of "twists."

4.5 Stars for this fantastic book! I was taken by surprise by this one and I am so stinking happy I picked it up. The mystery and intrigue was top tier all the while the authors threw in social media posts, wikipedia articles, new publications, all fabricated for this story that we so good that I kept forgetting that Harlow wasn't a real pop star! I am actually quite bummed she's not! The writing was fantastic, the story was incredibly well paced, and all of the characters felt realist. The only reason I didn't give this book a 5 star rating was because I saw the twist coming a little too early and wanted to live in the mystery just a little longer. Highly highly recommend this book if you're looking for the perfect summer thriller!!

#campnetgalley

Pros: the plot had some interesting twists and turns. I kept thinking that this might work well as a movie.

Cons: I think this needs at least one more round of editing. The grammar and writing choices were distracting. There were several places where proper writing rules were not followed, and those places weren’t where it made sense to not follow rules because the reader should pay extra attention. (One example - sentence about how she would dress.:::. “In Layers.” (In layers) as a full sentence. Obviously this isn’t a full sentence, and the character dressing in layers is not surprising or funny or critical to the plot - so as a reader I was distracted with no value to the distraction. There are several other examples of this - dangling participles, wrong pronoun case used (“her and I went…), misplaced modifiers.

In addition to overall grammar cleanup, this moved slowly. There are way too many unnecessary sentences that don’t move the plot forward or develop the characters or create insight.

I did not enjoy this, and would not purchase or recommend to friends unless it had a significant amount of editing.

This mixed-media thriller, written by sisters, captivated me from page one. I love unpredictability, and this one had it in spades. There was good character development and a fast-moving plot. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a multiple POV thriller.

Release: October 7, 2025
Author: The Mancaruso sisters
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Rating: 4 ★ 

Harlow Hayes seems to have it all — a wildly successful career as a pop star, millions of devoted fans who feel she understands them through her raw, emotional lyrics, and a public image as an icon of talent and authenticity. To the world, she’s untouchable, a superstar who can do no wrong.
But everything shatters on September 24th, when Harlow is arrested for murder.
Suddenly, the girl everyone thought they knew is at the center of a shocking crime. As the world watches and speculates, the line between truth and illusion blurs. Who is the real Harlow Hayes — the adored artist, the flawless celebrity, or something far darker?
Because behind the fame and the music, Harlow has secrets… and the world has no idea just how far she’ll go.

If you love celebrity gossip, dark secrets, and a good old-fashioned whodunit with a modern twist, Rumoured is a fun, fast-paced thriller you’ll want to binge in one sitting.
The story follows Harlow Hayes, the world’s biggest pop star, whose glamorous life implodes when she’s arrested for murder — not just any murder, but the shocking death of her famous actor ex-boyfriend and another mysterious woman. Enter Naomi Barnes, a celebrity journalist sent to cover the story of the year. But for Naomi, this case is personal: it dredges up memories of her own sister’s tragic death, and the deeper she digs into Harlow’s past, the more twisted and tangled the truth becomes.
At first, the pacing is a little slow, with Naomi spending a lot of time speculating, reflecting, and rehashing details. But once the narrative switches to include Harlow’s perspective and the investigation heats up, the action really picks up — and the twists keep coming right up to the shocking, over-the-top finale.
What makes this book stand out is how it blends celebrity culture, social media obsession, and murder mystery into something that feels both over-the-top and oddly believable. The inclusion of fan theories, gossip blogs, and Reddit-style commentary throughout gives it a fun, modern edge.
The story isn’t perfect — some parts feel repetitive, some of Naomi’s choices don’t always make sense, and the final reveal asks you to suspend disbelief quite a bit — but that’s also part of the charm. This is a juicy, dramatic, slightly unhinged thriller with plenty of Easter eggs for fans of pop culture and true crime.
If you enjoy books about the dark side of fame, conspiracies hiding in plain sight, and the dangerous line between image and reality, Rumoured is well worth picking up. Just don’t expect it to be completely realistic — lean into the drama, and enjoy the ride.

Favorite Quote:
"however, it looks like Hayes will only be touring courthouses and prisons for the foreseeable future, as sources claim "worrying evidence" led to the starlets arrest."

Rumoured by The Mancaruso Sisters, I do think others will enjoy it, for me the writing style was strange and off putting, seemed to be a mix of jumping back and forth from 3rd to 1st person and back and that made it difficult for me to immerse myself.

This book grabbed me immediately. The premise is interesting - a mega pop star (Harlow Hayes) is arrested for murder in New York, shocking the nation. A reporter for a celebrity news site, Naomi, is assigned the story. She flies from LA to New York to cover the case. However, it is hitting a little too close to home - Naomi used to live in New York, and her sister Faye, an aspiring singer-songwriter, recently passed away. Faye was obsessed with Harlow's music, so Naomi has avoided it and anything to do with Harlow since her sister's passing. The more she investigates the case, the more she uncovers, both about Harlow and her late sister.

The interspersed articles and social media posts/comments were interesting and made it feel as though we were going down the rabbit hole along with Naomi. Sometimes it feels like the facts of the case are repeated several times (maybe for the readers' benefit), and Naomi tends to wonder the same things over and over. I did feel like you have to suspend your disbelief a little. Naomi contacts several sources to find out information about Harlow and the case, some of whom she is already friends with, but mostly people she is meeting for the first time. For total strangers to give up as much information as they did to Naomi, especially since she's a reporter for a celebrity gossip site (not a reputable publication), was a little unbelievable. There were a lot of characters and sometimes a person's name was only mentioned a time or two, then mentioned again many pages later and I didn't remember who it was. That could have been since I read this book over several days, whereas if I had read in one sitting I would have remembered. I just kind of skimmed over and it didn't seem to be too important. Also a minor gripe, one of the last articles published by Naomi mentions someone being "meters" away from something, but Naomi is American so I doubt she would use meters as a handy measurement. I know of the two authors, one of the sisters lives in England, so that may be why.

The author's note at the beginning explicitly states this is not meant to be based on any specific person, but it's hard not to draw parallels to Taylor Swift. The book does not shy away from the similarities - arguably the most famous female music artist in the world, leaves Easter eggs in music, etc. Prior to the book's events, Harlow takes a break from the public eye for a while and comes back with a new, darker persona... sound familiar? An article about this "era" of Harlow's is in the book, and one of the comments says something like "it's giving Taylor Swift rep era".

Overall this book was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a mystery. The author's note at the beginning also mentions there are Easter eggs in the book - the most obvious of which will jump out to an amateur Easter egg hunter immediately, but there are other things that you don't realize were clues until the end. I would definitely read more from the Mancaruso sisters in the future!

The formatting issues made it really hard to get into this book -- and I tried! I requested it because of the cover, which I'm guessing will draw a lot of people in.

The plot kept moving, and there were some interesting twists and turns, but ultimately, this book just wasn't for me. It might be a case of "right book, wrong time" but I'm not sure.

For fans of glitzy thrillers: this might be your book! I appreciate the opportunity to read an ARC of Rumoured.

There were so many places this could have gone horribly awry, I started looking out for the gaps in the train tracks super early on. But here's the thing: It didn't.

What a fun and wild ride!! I won’t lie I love some good celebrity gossip and scandal as much as the next person….the juicier the better and this book absolutely feeds into that so well. Naomi is a reporter for a celebrity gossip publication and gets the juiciest break ever….a huge pop princess has just been arrested for murder. As she starts working on this story she also starts digging up a lot more than she ever expected. Full of twists and turns and lots of celebrity shenanigans this is a story that will stick with you for a long time after the final page. If you love a good thriller, celebrity story or conspiracy theory this is definitely the book for you.

"Rumoured" by Kelly and Kristina Mancaruso is a thrilling debut that masterfully blends celebrity culture, social media obsession, and dark secrets. The story follows Naomi, an investigative journalist, as she digs into the shocking arrest of pop icon Harlow Hayes. With its fast-paced and twisty narrative, this book is a wild ride that explores themes of fame, grief, and identity. The authors' writing style is engaging, and the use of mixed media adds to the story's realism. Fans of psychological suspense and celebrity gossip will devour this book. Overall, "Rumoured" is a dark, dazzling, and disturbingly believable thriller ¹.

Harlow Hayes, the world's biggest pop star—think Taylor Swift-level fame—has been arrested for murder. Naomi Barnes, a celebrity gossip journalist, travels to New York to investigate the charges against Harlow. What she doesn’t realize is that the case may be linked to a tragedy from her own family's past in an unexpectedly shocking way.
I found this book to be an engaging, fast-paced read. It would make for an ideal beach read, offering a perfect mix of intrigue and relaxation for a day in the sun.
I particularly appreciated the multimedia storytelling elements and the subtle Easter eggs woven throughout the narrative. It added an extra layer of depth to the story that I really enjoyed.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and the publisher for providing a digital ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

This one is so good!

I was worried it was going to be a bit cringey due to the pop star aspect but this drew me in and I couldn’t put it down. There are even mixed media pieces throughout like comments on social media posts and forums and it was done so well it made the book jump off the page.

I’m seriously impressed and loved this book immensely. THE COVER IS SO PRETTY

I recommend this one to thriller lovers, it’s an easy read but has perfect plot twists and just enough shock. I didn’t see the ending.

Thank you for the ARC! I appreciate the opportunity to leave honest feedback voluntarily.

Rumoured by The Mancaruso Sisters is an ambitious, meta-glam thriller that blends true crime, celebrity culture, conspiracy theories, and grief into a high-octane narrative. Think: Black Mirror meets Daisy Jones meets a Reddit rabbit hole you can’t stop scrolling through. It’s a smartly structured, creatively daring novel that occasionally stumbles in execution but never lacks in intrigue.

Harlow Hayes, a global pop icon arrested for the murder of a beloved actor and an unknown woman. Across from her is Naomi Barnes, a celebrity journalist haunted by her sister’s unsolved death—and increasingly convinced Harlow might be the key to unlocking it. What starts as sensationalist reporting spirals into an obsession, and Naomi’s descent is as unsettling as it is fascinating.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its multimedia storytelling. The chapters are interspersed with tweets, Reddit threads, gossip headlines, fan theories, and YouTube comments, all speculating on Harlow’s innocence (or guilt), body doubles, secret codes in her lyrics, and the possibility that this is all part of a larger, carefully orchestrated performance. These moments are sharp, funny, and eerily real—perfectly mimicking the internet’s chaotic commentary on celebrity scandal. If you’ve ever fallen into a Taylor Swift Easter egg thread at 2am, this will feel uncomfortably familiar.

The second half of the novel shifts into Harlow’s perspective, complicating the narrative and reframing her role. Is she a manipulative genius? A broken woman trapped in a machine too powerful to escape? A scapegoat? This tonal pivot is one of the book’s smartest decisions, lending depth to a character previously filtered through headlines and second-hand accounts.

That said, the writing style leans heavily on tell-not-show. Much of the storytelling is direct and expository, which can flatten emotional impact. Scenes that should feel charged with tension sometimes read like summaries. Character development feels patchy and plot conveniences ask a bit too much from the reader. The story also occasionally loses subtlety in its thematic delivery, hammering points that might have been more powerful left understated.

Still, the book is self-aware enough to get away with most of it. You get the sense that the authors know they’re crafting a glitzy, heightened narrative, and they lean into the spectacle without losing sight of the more serious commentary underneath. Behind the sequins and streaming numbers is a biting critique of fame, grief commodification, and the way media reshapes truth into content.

For readers who like:
-Fast-paced, bingeable thrillers
-Gossip blog energy
-Multimedia narratives

Final Verdict
Rumoured is a messy, glitter-drenched mystery with a biting core. While the prose occasionally falters and the plot leans implausible, the creativity, structure, and cultural critique shine. If you can suspend disbelief and enjoy the spectacle, you’ll find a story that reflects the eeriest parts of our obsession with fame and the stories we build around it. A chaotic, clever debut with a lot to say and a lot of fun getting there.

Grateful to NetGalley, Bloomsbury USA and The Mancaruso Sisters For the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

A thriller about the perils and struggles of fame, overflowing with plot twists and complicated characters.

It’s clear that this book was meant to be if Taylor Swift had a dark side and murdered people… And that’s not meant as a compliment. Even Harlow’s discography felt like a ripoff of Taylor’s, despite her being mentioned in the book.

I could barely get past the horrible formatting issues that this book had, but I am giving it the benefit of the doubt as this is an advanced readers copy, and all edits are not final.

I don’t know, something about this book just felt off to me. Whether it was the formatting issues or the T.S. ripoff, this book just didn’t hit the spot.

This debut thriller totally hooked me from the start! I got to read an early copy thanks to NetGalley, and I can already tell it’s going to be a big hit when it comes out. The story follows Naomi, a celebrity gossip journalist sent back to NYC to cover a major musician’s murder arrest...something that hits close to home because of her own sister’s tragic past. As Naomi digs deeper, things spiral fast, and the twists don’t let up. I couldn’t tell if she was chasing the story of her career or completely unraveling. Either way, it was a wild ride.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Is this Taylor Swift fanfiction? Sure feels like Taylor Swift fanfiction. It is trying to pretend that it isn't though.

The lyrics in this book really didn't work for me and that's a big problem if I'm supposed to believe that these are the lyrics written by someone super famous and also critically acclaimed.

The ending was also a wild ride that required a lot of suspension of disbelief.

I think some people will love this book with all it's easter eggs and celebrity gossip and unhinged plot, but it just wasn't for me.