I loved this book! Great characters, great suspense, and that twist! So so sooo good! Can’t wait to read more!

Rumoured Review
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA for the eARC in return for an honest review. I chose this as a #CampNetGalley book.
This book follows Naomi who is an investigative journalist who is covering the arrest of pop-star, Harlow, who is accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend.
I enjoyed the inclusion of articles, social media posts, interviews, and song lyrics throughout the story’s narrative. I felt they added a nice true-crime vibe to the overall plot and gives a real investigation feel to the book.
I thought this book was okay, not amazing, but not bad either. I was expecting to enjoy it more as I do enjoy thrillers, reality TV, true crime, etc. that this book does give off the vibe to, but I did find myself having a difficult time paying attention. This is likely a me problem as I had surgery within the last week and have been feeling more tired than usual.

This was a gripping book about a journalist who becomes entangled in a murder mystery involving a monumentally famous pop star. When what she starts to uncover leads her to the death of her sister years ago, she realizes she has more at stake than just writing a good story; she exploits her sources, burns bridges, and puts herself in danger to find the truth. Filled with articles, comment sections, lyrics, and tons of Easter Eggs (including some intended specifically for the reader as an additional layer to the story), it was truly an engrossing book.

I wish I had connected more with the characters. Even Naomi, with who we spent almost the entire book, seemed a bit flat, and sometimes the descriptions of her actions felt stuttered. Perhaps it would have been better for Naomi to be in first person.

In all, it was entertaining. It was apparent how much work they put into the lyrics, songs, and the meanings behind them all. I'll be looking out for more by the Mancaruso Sisters!

A pop star arrested for murder!? What happened and why? Rumoured follows pop star Harlow Hayes who has been aressted for the murder of her ex and possibly others. When C*Leb news catches wind of the story, journalist Naomi Barnes is all over it. What Naomi discovers is a complete shock to all those involved, even Naomi!

This is my first novel by the Mancaruso sisters and it definitely won't be my last. I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the authors left easter eggs to try to see if you could figure out the ending yourself. I didn't quite figure all of it out but got a majority of it. The writing was engaging and fast paced! There were times I didn't want to put the book down because it had me on my toes trying to figure out who the killer really was. I enjoyed reading from the different perspectives. It was also neat to see some of the social media posts that Naomi came across when digging for information about Harlow, Colton, or Jade. If you have a love for mysteries or music this book is for you, as it does a great job of covering that and more!

Thank you Bloomsbury USA | Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book, the Mancaruso Sisters, and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and reviews will be posted on Goodreads and Fable on July 30, 2025.

Harlow Hayes is a pop icon, a global sensation, and, shockingly, a suspected killer. I’m so glad I browsed through this year’s offerings from NetGalley Camp; otherwise, I would have missed "Rumoured." This thriller totally blew my mind! It was nothing like the fan thriller I had imagined. The authors, who are sisters, jump right into the action.

Harlow is wildly famous, and her fanbase worships her. She writes her own song lyrics, which are dark and personal, leading me to envision her as a mix of Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks, a rather strange combo, but that’s where my imagination took me. When Harlow gets arrested for the murder of her ex-boyfriend, it shocks everyone.

Naomi, an investigative journalist, is chasing the story while confronting ghosts from her own past. It dives into the darkness hidden behind the glitz and glam. As Naomi investigates Harlow’s history, she unpacks the cult of fame and wrestles with her own complicated motivations. What unfolds is a thriller far more intricate than I anticipated.

Naomi dives into a rabbit hole of lyrical Easter eggs in Harlow's songs. Before reading this book, I hadn’t heard that specific phrase, but I was familiar with the concept. I was captivated by the information the authors presented. This isn’t the shallow fandom thriller I thought it would be. The latter part of the book is intense, emotional, and veers off in an unexpected direction, making the whole journey addictive and hard to put down. It was that final stretch that earned this book its five-star rating! Also, the book cover enhances the vibrant and passionate vibe.

Thanks to the authors and Head of Zeus for providing this #giftedARC through #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Rumoured by Kelly & Kristina Mancaruso

Journalist Naomi Barnes is just as shocked as the rest of the world when she heard that the famous pop star and global sensation Harlow Hayes is being accused of murder. Assigned to investigate the case, Naomi dives headfirst into the mystery – but the deeper she digs, the more unsettling secrets she uncovers. Soon, she realizes that they have more in common than she ever imagined.

This book is a murder mystery thriller, clearly inspired by Taylor Swift—if she had a major dark secret. In fact, I could summarize this book as “easter eggs! Easter eggs everywhere!” *Insert Oprah meme here* As a huge Swiftie, they were super fun to find, but eventually, it felt too much when all I wanted was to dive deep into the story. TS references aside, the book in general was a little hard to read at first, and I almost DNF. In my opinion, there was too much blurb and details, and not enough action. That said, I loved the articles and blog entries because it made me feel like i was reading all the gossip in real life. I enjoyed the last 30% of the book; that’s where it all starts picking up, and the plot twists were great!

If you can push past the first half of the book, you will definitely enjoy it.

I rate this book 3/5

Huge thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

This book premise was so fun! The story revolves around a report, Naomi, who writes celebrity articles. Harlow, is a Taylor Swift type artist, is accused of murder. Naomi is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. I love the way the story flowed with the use of social media comments, news articles, and past and present accounts. Thanks Netgalley for the arc twisty thriller. I couldn’t put it down! The end left me shocked and I immediately checked out the authors social medias for Easter eggs I might have missed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. I loved all the pop culture references and sprinkling of social media in between chapters. I look forward to future books by these sisters. Swifties and Beatles fans will love all the musical aspects!

I enjoyed this book. It was a slow read for me but I still finished it. This as my first read by this author.

This was an interesting book - I received it from netgalley camp - and the formatting was a bit weird. But I really felt like I was watching a real life scandal unfurl! It was fast paced and really fun to read. I loved the lyrics throughout the book - I always love doing the deep dive on lyrics for my favorite artists. Overall, this was a really fun read - and I would definitely recommend it once it comes out.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for the gifted copy! #campnetgalley

Set in the celebrity world, a pop star, actor and journalists worlds weave a web of deception. When pop star Harlow Hayes is accused of killing the golden boy, Naomi a celebrity journalist investigates to uncover the truth, but what she finds instead is more sinister than anyone could imagine. The clues and eater eggs take you on a journey through the sordid lives of the rich and famous that they will do anything to keep hidden. An excellent and engrossing journey from beginning to end.

How much you enjoy this is definitely going to depend on what kind of reader you are.

If figuring out the puzzle super early ruins the book for you? You're not going to have the best time (Hi, it's me!). If you're NOT that person but enjoy following clues and easter eggs, you'll probably have an incredible time with it.

As I said, I figured out where this was going within the first 20 pages. I still enjoyed the ride enough to keep reading to see how we got there, but it's pretty obvious what happened early--even before the Easter Egg hunt starts.

Naomi as a character was....a lot. I really liked her for the first part of the book, but after about the first third, she takes a pretty random turn and goes absolutely unhinged. I mean, her obsession over the case comes out of NOWHERE and she basically tries to ruin her own life with a manic episode randomly. And then in the last 10% she pops back into her sane brain. It didn't really work well for me as a plot device--it happened too early, and didn't really feel realistic.

There's a lot of really random actions from characters that happen just to move the plot along, and it really pulled me out of the story whenever it happened. Leo, for example, is a cop. But he's clearly not a very good one because he leaks SO MUCH information to Naomi just because she asked for it. I don't care if it's allegedly off the record, that's....not how any of that works? Especially THAT often?

Overall I had fun, and enjoyed the easter eggs and the story as a whole. It just didn't really work for me in execution. If you're looking to step into thrillers and love the idea of a fame driven mystery, this is definitely a good book to start with! If you're well meshed into the genre, you probably won't enjoy it as much.

I want to thank camp net galley for this book first! The quick set up is that Naomi is a celebrity gossip journalist and when one celebrity dies and another celebrity is accused of the crime she is given the assignment. I was not able to put this book down, I just kept turning the pages and squeezing reading it into all of my free time! I liked the use of celebrity interviews, news articles, and Reddit threads to propel the story forward as well as the prose itself. I hope to see more from these authors. And if they decided to make it a series where Naomi investigates all kinds of celebrity crimes I wouldn’t be mad about it.

I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t think I’d enjoy this but I’m glad I was proven wrong. This was a quick popcorn thriller (definitely YA themed even if it’s not under that category) taking place in the music industry. It was a whirlwind of conspiracy theories and investigation stuff. I loved that the twist caught me by surprise cause I was thinking of something else. What a crazy good read for me.


Thank you NetGalley for this ARC 🫶🏽

This book is giving pop-star scandal with aside of reporter/investigator with easter eggs like Swift vibes. Thanks Camp NetGalley for this ARC. If you are a fan of celebrity gossip, twisty thrillers or just love a good plot twist, that you may not see coming. Then this is definitely the book for you. Even though I did manage to figure out the big plot twist, it was still plot twist worthy. It has drama, secrets and a heroine who is not going to stop till she unravels the mystery.

“It’s okay to feel things. Feeling things doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human. And humans write better stories.”
I received an early copy through NetGalley. This book is filled with a lot of topics, murder, journalism, grief, family/friend relationships. It’s fast paced but I was suspecting the twist about half way through the book. Nothing wrong with that, I think it was a good story over all. I loved the change of POV as well as the snippets of articles and song lyrics. It added a fun element to the whole murder mystery. The books own Easter eggs were really on theme, loved the Immersiveness of it.

Overall rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

If you love pop culture and thrillers you will LOVE Rumoured. Thank you to the Mancaruso Sisters, Bloomsbury USA, Head of Zeus, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

I highly recommend Rumoured to anyone who loves pop music, music lore, pop culture conspiracies, and a good plot-twist. If you've ever fallen down a social media rabbit hole, you will easily relate to Naomi. Second guessing if you just too deep or if it all does actually make perfect sense.

I did guess where the story was going due to some of the easter eggs combined with my own lore knowledge. The writing was descriptive, believable, and easy to follow. It was nice to have the story play out in full in the "real world" with memorable references. The ending felt a little rushed and incomplete compared to the rest of the storyline, but I did really enjoy it!

This is a fun and twisty murder mystery told through a series of celebrity news articles and present events. Following the arrest on suspicion of murder of pop star Harlow Hayes, investigative journalist Naomi Barnes attempts to decipher the truth. The more she uncovers and the more complicated the truth appears, the more personally connected she feels. This leads her to act out of character and make some terrible choices that she is unable to justify to the people around her.

I really wanted to feel a connection to Naomi because she’s so likable, but her motivation felt insincere when she gave no real consideration for the victims and their families. She might say otherwise but it feels like a like. Like all she wants is a good story and to satisfy the ‘what ifs’ she’s inventing to make the situation fit her experience. Particularly because most of the ‘investigative journalism’ she’s doing is googling stuff and going through conspiracy theories online that validate her own. Harlow is an amalgamation of the pop stars of today, but the taylor-swift level of stardom and connection makes the comparison almost too on the nose. We do get some of her perspective throughout which I found to be a great addition.

It is an entertaining story and a great concept that felt fresh to me. I loved the songs written for this book and the easter eggs, it’s clear this was a labor of love. The main problem for me is it felt predictable and so I had difficulty trusting the pay off. About halfway through the book, Naomi discovers a personal connection to the current events that unraveled the mystery for me too quickly. Additionally, I think the writing style is not for me. Naomi takes you along for the ride while she internally comes up with a plan and lays out ideas for her next move. This is one of those rare occasions where I personally would rather just be told than shown.

Overall, it was a fun journey. If you like pop culture, celebrity gossip, and twisty murder mysteries then this book is for you. Get ready to go down the rabbit hole with this one! I’d also like to give props to the cover design, it’s so beautiful and eye catching. I’d definitely have picked this up while shopping if I saw it on a shelf!

I forgot how much I love a good thriller! This one had me in a chokehold the whole way through. I was desperate to know the truth about Harlow Hayes. Packed with Easter eggs, exciting twists, and full of theories that had my brain spinning, this book had me locked in from page one. I thought I knew where it was heading at the end, but, spoiler alert, I had no clue. Highly recommend!

I am so glad that I chose this as my #CampNetGalley book. It was so entertaining!

I loved all of the investigative work that Naomi did. She didn't give up even when everyone was trying to get her to.

This book started off a little slow, but it got much better. And the twists - perfect! 🩷💚