Drop Dead Famous

by Jennifer Pearson

When global singing sensation Blair Baker rises on a platform high above the stage for the opening number of her triumphant hometown concert, the crowd erupts in applause. But their joy quickly turns to horror when they realize Blair is dead. The shocking revelation that music's brightest star has been murdered rocks the world. But for her younger sister, Stevie, the tragedy is more than a headline - it's personal.
Determined to uncover the truth, Stevie dives headfirst into the shadows of her sister's glittering life.

What begins as a search for answers turns into a dangerous journey through the toxic underbelly of fame, where betrayal, manipulation, and obsession thrive. Yet, as Stevie peels back the layers of who her sister really was, she begins to uncover dark secrets closer to home - secrets that someone is desperate to keep buried...

Genres: Young Adult

Paperback

Expected publication March 1, 2026

Reviews

[Jazzy Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am incredibly grateful to both NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK Children's for the opportunity to read and review Drop Dead Famous. Being selected to explore this captivating story before its official release has been such a treat, and I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it with all of you. A huge thank you to the teams at NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK Children's for their generosity and for making this advanced reading experience possible.

I absolutely devoured Drop Dead Famous. It had me hooked from the get go!

There's nothing I love more than a super twisty young adult mystery novel and this was exactly that.

I actually did pretty well with figuring it out which makes a change but it was not through any lack of efforts from the author. Drop Dead Famous is full to the brim with mystery and it was such a fun and easy read. It was easy to follow but so well thought out at the same time.

I've read countless young adult mystery books and this one was just different. I won't say too much as I am not one for spoiling books but there was just a lot going on. Some authors have tunnel vision with certain plot lines in other books but that's really not the case with Jennifer Pearson.

This book is well written, extremely fast paced and will have you obsessed from the very beginning.

Honestly this was just fantastic.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly don’t know if I have the words to describe this book. It’s an absolute tear jerking, emotional roller coaster with never ending tension that keeps you gripped through out. There was never a single moment where I wanted to put this book down. Every line had me hooked and when this is released I see true potential at it becoming a best seller.

The story line was phenomenal and the characters were so deeply humanised on the page that I genuinely saw them as real people. The relationship between Stevie and Colby was so nurtured and it didn’t feel like a forced “grumpy and happy” friendship due.

The multiple twists at the end were an emotional pit for me, I cried for the last few chapters because you grow so fond of the character throughout the book and you actually start to feel some sort of connection to them. Finding out about frank, jimmy and Annie was devastating but the way it was crafted with the year later scene was beautiful showing that even when the truth feels wrong it still is the right thing to do and in the end it brought everyone healing.

Can not wait to see more from Jennifer Pearson in the future

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Popstar Blair Baker is found lying dead in front of a huge crowd as the stage rises for her homecoming concert. Her sister Stevie is determined to find out who is responsible, especially as she had tried and failed to solve the mystery of the disappearance of another family member not so long ago. She pairs up with one of Blair’s superfans to carry out her own investigation into the murder, despite being warned to leave it to the local police.
This YA murder mystery has a great plot, but it did lose direction and pace a bit in the middle, and I felt that the book could have been shorter and still tell the same story. I enjoyed the sense of jeopardy as Stevie worked out who to trust and there was enough foreshadowing that I could guess at some of the later revelations.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

[Farah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

This engaging young adult thriller tells us the story of how Blair Baker's sister Stevie is determined to get to the bottom of her superstar sibling's untimely demise, after a concert in their hometown goes horribly wrong.

Blair's death was witnessed by hundreds of people. Surely someone must know more about it than they are admitting? And Stevie is determined to find that person or die in the attempt (which is not as unlikely as it sounds, given the risks involved...)

An entertaining read - particularly for fans of this genre - this one gets 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Zoeslibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a cool mystery and not too predictable, I really enjoyed guessing the answers even though I mostly got them wrong. The characters were not fleshed out enough in my opinion, so it made it hard to connect, but the main plot was engaging enough to make me read on.
Thank you NetGalley for the early copy, all opinions are my own

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

When popstar Blair is murdered her sister seeks the truth, lots of things happening in each chapter. I could work out who shot Blair however a very enjoyable read

Thank you NetGalley for the early release