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Superstars
Louise, la trentaine, est une ancienne musicienne de rock, reconvertie dans la techno. Un matin, au réveil, elle met un disque et replonge vers le passé. Elle a envie de revenir en arrière sans régresser. Louise a besoin et envie de choses simples : toucher la peau d'un garçon, écouter des chansons qui racontent des histoires. Elle est mûre pour une nouvelle chance. Et aussi pour un dérapage, sans doute inévitable
Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2000
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April 17, 2026i should've loved this but it became sort of a chore to pick up
October 30, 2025
‘Superstars’ reads like the hardcore nepo baby of ‘The L Word’ and ‘brat’, except it was originally published in French in 2000 and thus predates those pieces of media entirely. We don’t really follow a plot as much as experience the life of Louise, a DJ in her early 30s, as she drifts in a drug-fueled haze through the queer Parisian techno scene.
Louise is deeply unlikeable and at best completely delusional. At one point, she monologues about how she’s so mature and knows how act in relationships, but at the same time is in a secret situationship with her ex’s new girlfriend (who is 17, btw) and then cheats on said situationship with her current roommate and best friend (did I mention this is a book about lesbians? Lol).
The authentic 90s setting is really prominent and enjoyable. Louise is annoyed by Britney Spears and everyone’s baggy clothes (she’s clearly not like other girls) and she constantly watches MTV. The ravers also have a “standard survival kit” that consists of a TV, VCR, and stereo.
Louise struggles with a heroin addiction, which gets increasingly worse as she crashes-out more and more throughout the novel. In general, the hard drug-use that’s portrayed is pretty graphic and consistent, so be aware of triggers related to that before reading.
The writing and translation are both excellent; some moments in the novel are truly beautiful and made me pause. Overall, I enjoyed ‘Superstars’ and I’m excited that it’s finally being released in English!
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc.*
Louise is deeply unlikeable and at best completely delusional. At one point, she monologues about how she’s so mature and knows how act in relationships, but at the same time is in a secret situationship with her ex’s new girlfriend (who is 17, btw) and then cheats on said situationship with her current roommate and best friend (did I mention this is a book about lesbians? Lol).
The authentic 90s setting is really prominent and enjoyable. Louise is annoyed by Britney Spears and everyone’s baggy clothes (she’s clearly not like other girls) and she constantly watches MTV. The ravers also have a “standard survival kit” that consists of a TV, VCR, and stereo.
Louise struggles with a heroin addiction, which gets increasingly worse as she crashes-out more and more throughout the novel. In general, the hard drug-use that’s portrayed is pretty graphic and consistent, so be aware of triggers related to that before reading.
The writing and translation are both excellent; some moments in the novel are truly beautiful and made me pause. Overall, I enjoyed ‘Superstars’ and I’m excited that it’s finally being released in English!
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc.*
May 16, 2026
The vibes in this book are IMMACULATE. It follows a sapphic friend group of DJs and party girls in Y2K-era France as they lust after and feud with one another. In her early thirties, the main character, Louise, is the oldest of the group, and she’s just signed a life-changing record deal. The problem is that she’s becoming disenchanted with the techno beats they signed her for and longs for rock music. Her life becomes more complicated when she falls for the worst possible person, someone with the potential to alienate her from her closest friends.
I’m starting to get really into translated French literature and this is one of my favourites I’ve read. It’s like Rent meets Cat Marnell’s How to Murder Your Life but set in the nightclubs of Paris. I’m a big fan!
Thank you to the publisher for giving me access to an eARC of this book!
I’m starting to get really into translated French literature and this is one of my favourites I’ve read. It’s like Rent meets Cat Marnell’s How to Murder Your Life but set in the nightclubs of Paris. I’m a big fan!
Thank you to the publisher for giving me access to an eARC of this book!
June 25, 2024
je suis toujours super émue des récits lesbien qui dépeignent des moments que je n’ai pas vécu pcq suis un bb et qui ancrent ses moments dans la réalité. allo les lesbiennes ne sont pas nées hier, tout comme leurs lieux de sociabilité, leurs codes et leurs dramas. ici j’avoue que j’ai sauté des pages parce que les descriptions de dr0gue à la fin c’était compliqué pour moi a lire, surtout quand ça fait 150 pages que c’est quasi que ça. MAIS ça m’a fait rire de voir que Carhartt fonctionne avec notre agent et ça depuis avant 2002 bref merci !!
April 29, 2026
Maybe closer to 3.5 than 4 but idk I had a pretty good time with this one. Very messy, VERY hot, kinda like the L Word if any of them had good taste in anything. Need to go out dancing to techno ASAP! Also liked this better than Valencia even though Valencia takes place in my city !
April 13, 2023
This is my favorite book (if I have to pick one), I have read it four times now and it is still addictive. I love the characters and the action and it is about music and lesbians, so what is not to like....
June 13, 2025
j’ai été certes happée par l’intensité de ce livre mais je l’ai trouvé hautement problématique dans le traitement de l’homosexualité. de l’homophobie internalisee, assumée, pure. les scènes de sexe étaient aussi ultra TW en terme de consentement et de violence.
:s
:s
January 23, 2010
Lu tellement de fois!! Un grand roman à lire et relire en y trouvant toujours les mêmes émotions.
April 8, 2026
In 2000, Ann Scott released Superstars, a novel about young women in the Paris rave scene, and it became a cult sensation. Twenty-six years later, we get an English translation, and the story feels like a time capsule, a reminder of how the late nineties so far removed that we can look back with nostalgia and horror. The story’s central character is Louise, a DJ and artist trying to figure out how to navigate her way through the dance scene. She is older than the rest of the women she parties and has sex with, in her early thirties compared to everyone else being in their early to mid-20s (except her biggest love interest Ines, who is seventeen). Louise is drifting from party to party, from drug to drug, and from woman to man to woman. Louise is not the most likeable character and her biggest flaw is that she does not see this in the actions and reactions of all of her friends.
Louise is a pathetic character. Even though she has a record contract and an advance coming from Virgin Records for her debut album, the only reason most of her friends stick around is for her payday, the day her advance gets deposited into her account and she can pay back the money that she borrowed from all of them. Her friendship with the women and her place in the group barely makes it to this point because Louise has not only worked her way through most all of the friends sexually, she has some nights where she can no longer function due to her drugs and bad behavior. Louise is aware that her behavior is making some of her friend group distance themselves from her but she does not find their coldness as something she did. When her advance is deposited, even the money that they are owed is not enough to repair the damages that have been done.
An unspoken thing about Louise with this group is her age. Since she is older than the rest of the girls, getting into the scene after a long relationship with Nikki, a guy who idolizes the Rolling Stones, and only embraces the rave scene due to her girlfriend Alex. I can see that her friends only accept her to a degree. She is someone to hang out with, but they do not trust her, probably see her as a bit of a poser, and none of them are close to her outside of the bedroom. I feel like there are some conversations about her behind her back, calling her creepy and pathetic. An older person in a young person’s scene is never fully embraced except for the things that she can do for them. Once she is too much of a hassle or is too annoying for them to be around anymore, they cut her off. She does not exactly understand. This might be that she has been in such a drug haze that she cannot recognize the way she is perceived and treated in her friend group. This becomes her downfall.
Superstar does feel like a time capsule, a walk down memory lane. I remember how popular some of the music she mentions was at that time. I did not go to raves or do heroin, but I would have been the same age as most of Louise’s friends at the time this takes place. When the discussion about the popularity of Marilyn Manson, particularly the album Mechanical Animals and the song “Dope Show”, I remember how much we listened to the CD in the car. There are also times when Nine Inch Nails and Aphex Twin are put on repeat in the background, and there were so many times when a CD would get played over and over while we did other things (not so much drugs as video games and reading books). I love the feeling and the vibes this novel brings, like a musical and cinematic moment in time is dusted off. Superstars also feels like many of the other drug books and movies that were very popular at the time, those stories where the drug use and the partying steal all of the time and creativity from many good artists that never finished their novel or their album. There could have been many more books telling stories equal to Superstars, but they were not written because the scene swallowed them up. Fortunately we get this novel and this perspective. It is a masterful document that very deftly illustrates how being young in the late 90s and early 2000s felt. I found this compelling and a little nostalgic to a time of renting videos for the VHS and smoking cigarettes absolutely everywhere. I am shocked that not only is this the first translation of Superstars, but it is the first of any of Ann Scott's books that has been translated into English. I hope we get to read more of her work in English.
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Louise is a pathetic character. Even though she has a record contract and an advance coming from Virgin Records for her debut album, the only reason most of her friends stick around is for her payday, the day her advance gets deposited into her account and she can pay back the money that she borrowed from all of them. Her friendship with the women and her place in the group barely makes it to this point because Louise has not only worked her way through most all of the friends sexually, she has some nights where she can no longer function due to her drugs and bad behavior. Louise is aware that her behavior is making some of her friend group distance themselves from her but she does not find their coldness as something she did. When her advance is deposited, even the money that they are owed is not enough to repair the damages that have been done.
An unspoken thing about Louise with this group is her age. Since she is older than the rest of the girls, getting into the scene after a long relationship with Nikki, a guy who idolizes the Rolling Stones, and only embraces the rave scene due to her girlfriend Alex. I can see that her friends only accept her to a degree. She is someone to hang out with, but they do not trust her, probably see her as a bit of a poser, and none of them are close to her outside of the bedroom. I feel like there are some conversations about her behind her back, calling her creepy and pathetic. An older person in a young person’s scene is never fully embraced except for the things that she can do for them. Once she is too much of a hassle or is too annoying for them to be around anymore, they cut her off. She does not exactly understand. This might be that she has been in such a drug haze that she cannot recognize the way she is perceived and treated in her friend group. This becomes her downfall.
Superstar does feel like a time capsule, a walk down memory lane. I remember how popular some of the music she mentions was at that time. I did not go to raves or do heroin, but I would have been the same age as most of Louise’s friends at the time this takes place. When the discussion about the popularity of Marilyn Manson, particularly the album Mechanical Animals and the song “Dope Show”, I remember how much we listened to the CD in the car. There are also times when Nine Inch Nails and Aphex Twin are put on repeat in the background, and there were so many times when a CD would get played over and over while we did other things (not so much drugs as video games and reading books). I love the feeling and the vibes this novel brings, like a musical and cinematic moment in time is dusted off. Superstars also feels like many of the other drug books and movies that were very popular at the time, those stories where the drug use and the partying steal all of the time and creativity from many good artists that never finished their novel or their album. There could have been many more books telling stories equal to Superstars, but they were not written because the scene swallowed them up. Fortunately we get this novel and this perspective. It is a masterful document that very deftly illustrates how being young in the late 90s and early 2000s felt. I found this compelling and a little nostalgic to a time of renting videos for the VHS and smoking cigarettes absolutely everywhere. I am shocked that not only is this the first translation of Superstars, but it is the first of any of Ann Scott's books that has been translated into English. I hope we get to read more of her work in English.
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 Stars
Louise, after recently turning 30, lands a dream of a record contract as a techno artist in the late 90s. This accomplishment is accompanied by a shift in her queer friend group as Lousie has recently broken up with her girlfriend who immediately began to date… I sigh as I say this… A 17-year-old. Louise has a bit of an identity crisis, but through her we get a glimpse into this friend group and all the fun shit they got up to in the Paris techno scene.
“Superstars” by Ann Scott read like 00s trashy reality TV show (it kept bringing me back to Skins and Jersey Shore), and I’m not going to lie, I loved it for that reason. It was nice to lose myself in distinct scene. The dizziness of the drugs, the thumping of the club, the absolute chaos of the queer friend group who all seem to hook-up with each other seemingly at random (which could also be called into question as it is a harmful stereotype). But, as someone who is usually down for a drama debrief… I found it entertaining.
One of my major qualms with the book was its tendency to over-explain or indulge in far too many details. I’m not sure if this was due to the translation from French to English, or if that is all what was already packed in there. But, I don’t need to know every single item in every single living room we enter. Just list what is important, give me the vibe of the space and we will be all set.
My other hiccup was the portrayal of the 17-year-old who finds her way into this group, there is a lot of explicit details given regarding her character and various people falling in love with her. While reading all I wanted to do was take her out of the novel and say “run away from all of that please.” I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt, wondering if it was a commentary on the sexualization of young queer women, and maybe it was, but overall it just felt a little off to me. I was questioning if it was making a statement or leaning into the fetish of it all. For my sake, I’m hoping it was a statement. She more so seemed to be a vessel for people to project their idea of “youth” into, wanting to be with her while also wanting to be her. I don’t know, the 90s/00s were a gross time, I wish the messaging was more clear, but maybe that was the point because I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review
Louise, after recently turning 30, lands a dream of a record contract as a techno artist in the late 90s. This accomplishment is accompanied by a shift in her queer friend group as Lousie has recently broken up with her girlfriend who immediately began to date… I sigh as I say this… A 17-year-old. Louise has a bit of an identity crisis, but through her we get a glimpse into this friend group and all the fun shit they got up to in the Paris techno scene.
“Superstars” by Ann Scott read like 00s trashy reality TV show (it kept bringing me back to Skins and Jersey Shore), and I’m not going to lie, I loved it for that reason. It was nice to lose myself in distinct scene. The dizziness of the drugs, the thumping of the club, the absolute chaos of the queer friend group who all seem to hook-up with each other seemingly at random (which could also be called into question as it is a harmful stereotype). But, as someone who is usually down for a drama debrief… I found it entertaining.
One of my major qualms with the book was its tendency to over-explain or indulge in far too many details. I’m not sure if this was due to the translation from French to English, or if that is all what was already packed in there. But, I don’t need to know every single item in every single living room we enter. Just list what is important, give me the vibe of the space and we will be all set.
My other hiccup was the portrayal of the 17-year-old who finds her way into this group, there is a lot of explicit details given regarding her character and various people falling in love with her. While reading all I wanted to do was take her out of the novel and say “run away from all of that please.” I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt, wondering if it was a commentary on the sexualization of young queer women, and maybe it was, but overall it just felt a little off to me. I was questioning if it was making a statement or leaning into the fetish of it all. For my sake, I’m hoping it was a statement. She more so seemed to be a vessel for people to project their idea of “youth” into, wanting to be with her while also wanting to be her. I don’t know, the 90s/00s were a gross time, I wish the messaging was more clear, but maybe that was the point because I haven’t stopped thinking about it.
Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review
Did Not Finish
March 21, 2026I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
DNF at 37%
This was a really interesting look at the queer rave scene in Paris in the 90s. There was a lot going on and this didn’t shy away from showing everything.
However, there were a few things I just couldn’t look past and made me want to stop reading.
I have seen lots of reviews calling this book lesbian and on Goodreads it is tagged as lesbian. The main character, Louise, is certainly not a lesbian as she sleeps with various men multiple times. This book is definitely queer but it is not lesbian. I think it is being wrongly marketed a little bit.
This book couldn’t really keep my attention or make me want to continue reading as I didn’t care about the characters or the plot.
It is definitely of its time and the characters opinions demonstrated that.
Louise, who is in her early 30s, ends up in a situationship with her ex girlfriend’s new girlfriend, who is a 17 year old. This was completely inappropriate and icky and gross and I just couldn’t bring myself to read more of it.
Louise is not very likeable at all and neither are any of the other characters really.
The writing style is good, I just can’t get past the rest of the story.
DNF at 37%
This was a really interesting look at the queer rave scene in Paris in the 90s. There was a lot going on and this didn’t shy away from showing everything.
However, there were a few things I just couldn’t look past and made me want to stop reading.
I have seen lots of reviews calling this book lesbian and on Goodreads it is tagged as lesbian. The main character, Louise, is certainly not a lesbian as she sleeps with various men multiple times. This book is definitely queer but it is not lesbian. I think it is being wrongly marketed a little bit.
This book couldn’t really keep my attention or make me want to continue reading as I didn’t care about the characters or the plot.
It is definitely of its time and the characters opinions demonstrated that.
Louise, who is in her early 30s, ends up in a situationship with her ex girlfriend’s new girlfriend, who is a 17 year old. This was completely inappropriate and icky and gross and I just couldn’t bring myself to read more of it.
Louise is not very likeable at all and neither are any of the other characters really.
The writing style is good, I just can’t get past the rest of the story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Superstars by Ann Scott is not just a novel about the 90s in Paris, it is an experience through the lense of Louise who doesn't always seem grounded or truthful.
Louise is a thirty one year old woman who has been hanging out most of her life while also wanting a "real" music career. She is mostly submerged in the techno scene, clubs, raves, sex and lots of drugs. Louise is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Louise finally catches a break when she lands a lucrative record deal. She now has the means to create the music she always dreamed of. But it seems like she can't center herself and leave the world that has all the things she wants but holds her back creatively.
I loved this novel! It was unique and different but very compelling and heartfelt. I felt like a voyeur watching all the characters navigate their drug infused lives. There are beautiful moments in this novel too. Reading about the Paris scene in the 90s seemed like fabulous good time.
Thank you Netgalley and Astra Publishing House for this eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.
Louise is a thirty one year old woman who has been hanging out most of her life while also wanting a "real" music career. She is mostly submerged in the techno scene, clubs, raves, sex and lots of drugs. Louise is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Louise finally catches a break when she lands a lucrative record deal. She now has the means to create the music she always dreamed of. But it seems like she can't center herself and leave the world that has all the things she wants but holds her back creatively.
I loved this novel! It was unique and different but very compelling and heartfelt. I felt like a voyeur watching all the characters navigate their drug infused lives. There are beautiful moments in this novel too. Reading about the Paris scene in the 90s seemed like fabulous good time.
Thank you Netgalley and Astra Publishing House for this eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.
May 9, 2026
This book was the literary equivalent of watching a car crash in slow motion.
Louise is incapable of making a good choice, but she’s not the only one. This is not a book for people who need likable characters, or a strong plot. That being said, these were not my complaints about the book. Apart from stilted writing (which may be due to translation or a disconnect from the original French) and ableist/ other offensive language, why did Ines have to be 17!! The narrator is constantly reminding the reader that she is 17, in high school and still lives with her parents. Seeing a 31 year old woman be so obsessed with a 17 year old (that all of their other ADULT friends are also obsessed with) is not what I was expecting.
I liked the interpersonal drama and the fighting but aging Ines up to 18-19 maybe in her first year of college would have to change nearly nothing about the book except making it slightly less creepy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!
Louise is incapable of making a good choice, but she’s not the only one. This is not a book for people who need likable characters, or a strong plot. That being said, these were not my complaints about the book. Apart from stilted writing (which may be due to translation or a disconnect from the original French) and ableist/ other offensive language, why did Ines have to be 17!! The narrator is constantly reminding the reader that she is 17, in high school and still lives with her parents. Seeing a 31 year old woman be so obsessed with a 17 year old (that all of their other ADULT friends are also obsessed with) is not what I was expecting.
I liked the interpersonal drama and the fighting but aging Ines up to 18-19 maybe in her first year of college would have to change nearly nothing about the book except making it slightly less creepy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2025
Available for sale in April, 2026, I had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of the English translation of Superstars by Ann Scott. What a cynical, blunt, and messy rollercoaster of a book?! I love an unreliable narrator, I love chaotic sapphic characters, I love punk culture and music. This was the perfect combination of all three. It makes sense why this is/was such a cult classic in France. I understand why there is a certain amount of controversy surrounding the portrayl of the LGBTQIA community in this novel, but I see it as a blatent caricature, not an honest portrait. If you loved watching movies like "Trainspotting" or "SLC Punk," this is a must read for you.
November 1, 2025
On plonge dans le crade des années 2000, la déchéance des baby rockstar et la naissance des dj techno superstar. On ne romantise pas le lesbianisme, au contraire on nous plonge dans la réalité des amitiés gouines entre passion, promess, plan cul et faux cul. On nous dégoûte des drogues utilisés parfois à outrance comme pinceaux dépeignant le paysage degueulasse du Paris underground.
May 6, 2026
5 May 2026 / OMG THIS GIRL. I LOVEDDD ITTTTT. This book is much more fast paced than what I’ve been reading lately but it is just delightful. The drama is crazy, our main character is a perfect mix of incredibly personable and exceptionally insufferable, and although translated, the writing is great. Perfect little book to keep me out of a slump.
March 22, 2026
I held out for Louise until the end but she never redeems herself. This is a shelve for me.
If you’re into disastrous women that will continue to disappoint you and make questionable choices then you might like this.
TW: addiction, dating a minor
If you’re into disastrous women that will continue to disappoint you and make questionable choices then you might like this.
TW: addiction, dating a minor
April 21, 2026
One of the best "no plot just vibes" books I've read. Everyone in this book is a mess but I'd die for them all. It was pretty cool having the fictional characters DJ with real artists like Green Velvet and Aphex Twin - I enjoyed those little easter eggs for those in the know
May 6, 2026
L-word in the sense that there’s a bunch of characters and they’re all hard to root for.
I was super into this book until about half way through, where it began to draggggg for me. Three stars for the overall vibe and culture, will probably attempt to reread it with fresh eyes 😁
I was super into this book until about half way through, where it began to draggggg for me. Three stars for the overall vibe and culture, will probably attempt to reread it with fresh eyes 😁
October 9, 2025
hyper trop trash, homophobe au possible bien que ça soit sur une « « romance » » lesbienne, mais addictif ? c’est malheureusement bien écrit
mais waw attention aux crises d’angoisse lol
mais waw attention aux crises d’angoisse lol
January 6, 2026
borderline sociopathic rave lesbians screwing and screwing over each other while addicted to drugs. It's something, for sure!
January 29, 2026
would've definitely enjoyed more in french, but does a wonderful job revealing a moment in time in paris!
February 1, 2026
gorgeously tender and effective book with some good plotting and impressive vibes. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
April 30, 2026
A coming of age story for a 31 year old.
May 3, 2026
Picked it up for the vibes, stayed for the vibes.
May 4, 2026
Morals aside this was awesome
May 8, 2026
300 pages that felt like 3000
May 11, 2026
I don’t even know what to say
January 2, 2026
This is apparently a queer French classic novel, so I'm glad that we're getting this in translation. We zoom in on a young woman who dabbles in electronic music, hard drugs, lesbians, and drama. Fantastic read over the winter here.
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