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I Could Be Famous: Stories
"A terrific fresh, original, and surprising." -George Saunders
For fans of Homesick for Another World and HBO's Girls, a magnetic debut story collection following ten ambitious women and one male superstar as they pursue their desires-however deluded-for more.
A listless woman befriends an influencer at a rooftop party, only to discover her lifestyle is not as glamorous as it seems. A college freshman gives the world's longest blow job to a boy whose name she's forgotten. A fan-favorite reality TV star joins a dating app after an explosive breakup, ready to move on, but finds she's only in control when cameras are rolling. While working in a hot tub showroom, a struggling actress goes method so she can nail an audition for the role of High School Junkie Girlfriend. Threaded throughout these explorations of neuroses and aspirations is one Arlo Banks, a hotshot actor, who faces his own downfall when he's accused of cannibalism.
From the dazzling to the mundane, Rende's brilliant, unnerving, cynical stories hold a mirror to our obsession with how we're perceived and our ache to be adored. Above all else, I Could Be Famous is a love letter to big ambitions and bigger dissatisfactions, belief in ourselves, and the fascination we hold with the idea that we could-somehow, someday-be famous.
For fans of Homesick for Another World and HBO's Girls, a magnetic debut story collection following ten ambitious women and one male superstar as they pursue their desires-however deluded-for more.
A listless woman befriends an influencer at a rooftop party, only to discover her lifestyle is not as glamorous as it seems. A college freshman gives the world's longest blow job to a boy whose name she's forgotten. A fan-favorite reality TV star joins a dating app after an explosive breakup, ready to move on, but finds she's only in control when cameras are rolling. While working in a hot tub showroom, a struggling actress goes method so she can nail an audition for the role of High School Junkie Girlfriend. Threaded throughout these explorations of neuroses and aspirations is one Arlo Banks, a hotshot actor, who faces his own downfall when he's accused of cannibalism.
From the dazzling to the mundane, Rende's brilliant, unnerving, cynical stories hold a mirror to our obsession with how we're perceived and our ache to be adored. Above all else, I Could Be Famous is a love letter to big ambitions and bigger dissatisfactions, belief in ourselves, and the fascination we hold with the idea that we could-somehow, someday-be famous.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 13, 2026
68 people are currently reading
6832 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
April 25, 2026
the perfect audiobook to listen to while cleaning your apartment to feel better about yourself for not being any of these freaks
August 31, 2025
This was a fun collection of stories! I always land around 3-4 stars for short story collections because some entries always resonate with me more than others — in this case, I liked Rende’s writing a lot, but I don’t know if short stories make the best use of it. They’re still enjoyable reads, but often suffer from an abrupt ending. If you’re a fan of short story collections (I know they can be divisive), this is so unserious and fun.
The darkly comedic tone was akin to Anna Dorn, Ottessa Moshfegh and Halle Butler. Several excerpts made me laugh out loud from the sheer insanity of it all; the way the stories connect is fun, and the pop culture references are camp. Armie Hammer is a lovely muse for this satirical dive into fame and faking it until you make it.
Will I remember all the details of this collection? Probably not. But it does its job of introducing a debut author with undeniable talent and wit — very excited to see what she publishes next! If you’re a fan of weird literary fiction, these are good stories to breeze through. Thank you to Bloomsbury for the early review copy!
The darkly comedic tone was akin to Anna Dorn, Ottessa Moshfegh and Halle Butler. Several excerpts made me laugh out loud from the sheer insanity of it all; the way the stories connect is fun, and the pop culture references are camp. Armie Hammer is a lovely muse for this satirical dive into fame and faking it until you make it.
Will I remember all the details of this collection? Probably not. But it does its job of introducing a debut author with undeniable talent and wit — very excited to see what she publishes next! If you’re a fan of weird literary fiction, these are good stories to breeze through. Thank you to Bloomsbury for the early review copy!
January 22, 2026
The longer I looked at him, the more I wanted to wrap my arms around him. I imagined him resting his chin on my head, his tears gliding down his face and into my hair. There, there I'd say, rubbing his back.*
Social media influencers, bratty celebrities, reality TV stars . . . these are a few of my LEAST FAVORITEthings people. And yet, I couldn't stop reading these quirky stories about them. Though many of these characters are at the end of their respective ropes, the author uses dark humor to make their sad tales more palatable. There was not a dud in the bunch.
Whether Rende's next project is more short stories or a novel, I'll be waiting in line to buy it.
* From Home Videos.
Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for the physical ARC.
Social media influencers, bratty celebrities, reality TV stars . . . these are a few of my LEAST FAVORITE
Whether Rende's next project is more short stories or a novel, I'll be waiting in line to buy it.
* From Home Videos.
Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for the physical ARC.
January 19, 2026
I'm very confused. I was enthralled from the get-go. Yet when I hit chapter 3, each page began to lose me slowly. i will admit that i have 50 pages to go, and have given up. But I feel absolutely no connection to the main character; all that's kept me here is a mix of curiosity, boredom, and enjoyment for the writing.
February 20, 2026
Alas, not much to get excited about here.
This semi-interconnected collection mostly focuses on celebrity-adjacent types in contemporary LA, which doesn’t do much for me. The writing is better than the content, but isn’t enough to rescue it.
The first two stories (Nothing Special and The Hole in Your Heart Is Mine) and the last story (High School Junkie Girlfriend) are probably the best of the collection.
Part of the problem is that the narrator of each story is in theory a different person, but they all sound exactly the same. Perhaps the idea is that they’re all facets of the same woman, but mostly it just feels like Rende used the exact same personality and perspective over and over, making all the stories run unmemorably together.
The writing tells me Rende has potential, but the material needs work.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
This semi-interconnected collection mostly focuses on celebrity-adjacent types in contemporary LA, which doesn’t do much for me. The writing is better than the content, but isn’t enough to rescue it.
The first two stories (Nothing Special and The Hole in Your Heart Is Mine) and the last story (High School Junkie Girlfriend) are probably the best of the collection.
Part of the problem is that the narrator of each story is in theory a different person, but they all sound exactly the same. Perhaps the idea is that they’re all facets of the same woman, but mostly it just feels like Rende used the exact same personality and perspective over and over, making all the stories run unmemorably together.
The writing tells me Rende has potential, but the material needs work.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
March 9, 2026
I enjoyed this collection, which offers a thematic take on how regular people relate to fame, which becomes a deeper exploration of how people are enchanted by a fantasy of themselves and the ways it is (foolishly) constructed with influencer culture, service industry/gig work, and relationships.
A few of the stories step away from celebrities and those were probably my favorites (lopsided was a standout to me), but the celebrity ones (a girl steals from the homes while she’s a production assistant on AD videos for ex.) are a lot of fun and at times cringy and hysterical.
A few of the stories step away from celebrities and those were probably my favorites (lopsided was a standout to me), but the celebrity ones (a girl steals from the homes while she’s a production assistant on AD videos for ex.) are a lot of fun and at times cringy and hysterical.
February 17, 2026
A really enjoyable collection of stories orbiting the fame-hungry, type of influencer-obsessed young women desperately treading the murky water of new adulthood.
I'm such a fan of Rende's writing style, each story dumped me into a life that instantly became bright and compelling, I felt like each one could have been fleshed out into a whole novel, that's how enjoyable and present I found them. Often, the stories end a little abruptly and I actually really enjoyed that "oh damn, what?" moment they left me in.
The women (and one enigmatic male heart throb) in these stories find themselves in awkward verging on dangerous situations that are both darkly funny and tinged with the tension of the unpredictable violence of men and whether something truly terrible is going to happen, and if it's worth sacrificing to get a step closer to what they really want.
Stand out stories for me were "Nothing Special," about a woman who befriends a glossy influencer only to balk at her real life intimacies; "Smart Girl," an actually hilarious account of a college student having an existential crisis during the world's longest blow job; "Monsters," a reality tv star realizes she might not be the person she thinks she is after a failed love triangle ruins her life; "Party Favors," about a wedding photographer who moonlights as a camgirl and what happens when she's recognized at a wedding; "Home Videos," an assistant to a cinematographer who films one of those inside celebrity homes type of shows gets caught stealing strange things onsite, "Lopsided," what happens when a woman who just got a kidney transplant from her boyfriend decides she wants to break up with him.
I think this would have been a five star collection for me if the interconnected short stories about the male movie star Arlo Banks weren't included. I found them off putting in a different way and not really cohesive with the rest. They were the least interesting of the stories for sure.
I'm such a fan of Rende's writing style, each story dumped me into a life that instantly became bright and compelling, I felt like each one could have been fleshed out into a whole novel, that's how enjoyable and present I found them. Often, the stories end a little abruptly and I actually really enjoyed that "oh damn, what?" moment they left me in.
The women (and one enigmatic male heart throb) in these stories find themselves in awkward verging on dangerous situations that are both darkly funny and tinged with the tension of the unpredictable violence of men and whether something truly terrible is going to happen, and if it's worth sacrificing to get a step closer to what they really want.
Stand out stories for me were "Nothing Special," about a woman who befriends a glossy influencer only to balk at her real life intimacies; "Smart Girl," an actually hilarious account of a college student having an existential crisis during the world's longest blow job; "Monsters," a reality tv star realizes she might not be the person she thinks she is after a failed love triangle ruins her life; "Party Favors," about a wedding photographer who moonlights as a camgirl and what happens when she's recognized at a wedding; "Home Videos," an assistant to a cinematographer who films one of those inside celebrity homes type of shows gets caught stealing strange things onsite, "Lopsided," what happens when a woman who just got a kidney transplant from her boyfriend decides she wants to break up with him.
I think this would have been a five star collection for me if the interconnected short stories about the male movie star Arlo Banks weren't included. I found them off putting in a different way and not really cohesive with the rest. They were the least interesting of the stories for sure.
February 24, 2026
3.5 stars rounded up
Thanks to Bloomsbury for the gifted ARC! Review to come.
Thanks to Bloomsbury for the gifted ARC! Review to come.
August 9, 2025
I rushed through this one, so take my words with a grain of salt. That said, I did not enjoy this book very much. I think it’s largely a matter of personal taste, as I have no taste for books that are so unapologetically current in their premises. I can’t deny the basis of these stories, that we live in a fame obsessed society, where social media drives our desires, so I can see why some would want to read this. The trouble is, I’ve seen these sorts of disaffected yet acutely aware narrators before in other works, to much better effect. This book exists firmly in a post Moshfegh literary world. Even the cover, with its classical painting overlaid with colorful block text, is indicative of what the publisher wants this book to be, who they want to read it. There were certainly moments in some of these stories that made me pause appreciatively, but, overall, this collection failed to capture my interest. I am curious to see what others say when the book comes out in January. Maybe other readers will love it. Ah well.
March 31, 2026
I Could Be Famous: Stories by Sydney Rende is a sharp, darkly funny debut that explores the uneasy intersection between ambition, identity, and the cultural obsession with fame. Across eleven interconnected stories, Rende builds a world populated by characters who are desperate to be seen—if not fully understood. What I found most compelling throughout the collection were the “interesting interiors” she creates: deeply drawn psychological spaces that reveal how personality and perspective are shaped by a culture saturated in celebrity and performance.
The opening story, “Nothing Special,” introduces Jane, a disaffected receptionist who becomes fixated on a fading movie star, Arlo Banks. Her attempts to bridge the gap between her mundane life and the glamorous world she imagines highlight a central tension in the collection: the distance between aspiration and reality. Like many of Rende’s characters, Jane is driven less by love or connection than by proximity to fame.
“The Hole in Your Heart Is Mine” shifts inward, blending emotional vulnerability with dark humor. It examines grief and longing through a slightly surreal lens, emphasizing how personal narratives can become performative even in private moments. This theme carries into “Smart Girl,” one of the collection’s most provocative stories, where a college freshman’s awkward sexual encounter becomes a vehicle for exploring agency, self-consciousness, and the strange performativity of intimacy.
“Trick” and “Monsters” both deal explicitly with constructed identity. In “Monsters,” a reality TV star finds that she feels most authentic only when being filmed, reinforcing the idea that performance can become more real than reality itself. Rende deftly captures how media exposure reshapes self-perception, suggesting that identity is increasingly mediated rather than lived.
In “Party Favors,” a wedding photographer secretly working as a camgirl confronts the collision of her dual identities. The story highlights how easily the boundaries between private and public selves collapse in a culture that monetizes both. Similarly, “Home Videos” follows an assistant on a celebrity home show who begins stealing small items from the houses she films. Her behavior feels less like theft and more like an attempt to access the intangible aura of fame—an attempt to possess what cannot actually be owned.
“Okay, Okay, Okay” offers a quieter, more introspective look at self-doubt and social performance, while “Lopsided” stands out as one of the most emotionally complex entries. In it, a woman grapples with the moral implications of wanting to leave her boyfriend after he donates a kidney to her. The story is both absurd and deeply human, capturing the tension between obligation and autonomy with remarkable nuance.
“The Actor Naked” explores vulnerability and power dynamics through the relationship between an actor and his assistant, while “High School Junkie Girlfriend” follows a struggling actress who immerses herself in method acting for a minor role. This story, in particular, underscores Rende’s fascination with performance as identity—how people shape themselves to fit roles, both literal and metaphorical.
Threaded throughout several stories is the figure of Arlo Banks, a once-famous actor whose career unravels amid bizarre scandal. His arc—shifting from heartthrob to tabloid spectacle—serves as a unifying thread and a symbol of fame’s instability. Rather than presenting celebrity as something enviable, Rende portrays it as volatile and ultimately hollow, sustained by attention but always at risk of collapse.
What makes this collection particularly effective is how it examines celebrity culture not just as an external force, but as an internalized framework. These characters don’t simply admire fame—they measure themselves against it. Rende suggests that the mythos of the film star has seeped into everyday consciousness, shaping how people construct their identities and evaluate their worth. Even those far removed from fame behave as if they are performing for an invisible audience.
I found this exploration of interiority especially engaging. Rende’s characters are often flawed, even unlikable, but their inner lives are rendered with clarity and precision. Their thoughts—contradictory, self-aware, and sometimes delusional—feel authentic to a world in which identity is constantly mediated by perception. These interiors, spanning different personalities and perspectives, are what give the collection its emotional weight.
Stylistically, Rende’s voice is confident and distinctive. Her prose is lean, contemporary, and often laced with biting humor. She excels at placing characters in uncomfortable or absurd situations and allowing those moments to reveal deeper truths. While some stories end abruptly, this lack of resolution feels intentional, mirroring the instability and incompleteness of the lives she depicts.
If there is a weakness, it lies in the thematic repetition. Many characters share similar concerns—ambition, insecurity, the desire for visibility—which can blur the distinctions between stories. However, this repetition also reinforces the collection’s central argument: that these experiences are not isolated, but symptomatic of a broader cultural condition.
Overall, I Could Be Famous: Stories is an engaging and thought-provoking debut that offers a sharp critique of celebrity culture and the human desire to be seen. Rende has an interesting voice and perspective, and her ability to craft such vivid psychological interiors marks her as a writer to watch. I’m genuinely excited to see what she comes up with next.
The opening story, “Nothing Special,” introduces Jane, a disaffected receptionist who becomes fixated on a fading movie star, Arlo Banks. Her attempts to bridge the gap between her mundane life and the glamorous world she imagines highlight a central tension in the collection: the distance between aspiration and reality. Like many of Rende’s characters, Jane is driven less by love or connection than by proximity to fame.
“The Hole in Your Heart Is Mine” shifts inward, blending emotional vulnerability with dark humor. It examines grief and longing through a slightly surreal lens, emphasizing how personal narratives can become performative even in private moments. This theme carries into “Smart Girl,” one of the collection’s most provocative stories, where a college freshman’s awkward sexual encounter becomes a vehicle for exploring agency, self-consciousness, and the strange performativity of intimacy.
“Trick” and “Monsters” both deal explicitly with constructed identity. In “Monsters,” a reality TV star finds that she feels most authentic only when being filmed, reinforcing the idea that performance can become more real than reality itself. Rende deftly captures how media exposure reshapes self-perception, suggesting that identity is increasingly mediated rather than lived.
In “Party Favors,” a wedding photographer secretly working as a camgirl confronts the collision of her dual identities. The story highlights how easily the boundaries between private and public selves collapse in a culture that monetizes both. Similarly, “Home Videos” follows an assistant on a celebrity home show who begins stealing small items from the houses she films. Her behavior feels less like theft and more like an attempt to access the intangible aura of fame—an attempt to possess what cannot actually be owned.
“Okay, Okay, Okay” offers a quieter, more introspective look at self-doubt and social performance, while “Lopsided” stands out as one of the most emotionally complex entries. In it, a woman grapples with the moral implications of wanting to leave her boyfriend after he donates a kidney to her. The story is both absurd and deeply human, capturing the tension between obligation and autonomy with remarkable nuance.
“The Actor Naked” explores vulnerability and power dynamics through the relationship between an actor and his assistant, while “High School Junkie Girlfriend” follows a struggling actress who immerses herself in method acting for a minor role. This story, in particular, underscores Rende’s fascination with performance as identity—how people shape themselves to fit roles, both literal and metaphorical.
Threaded throughout several stories is the figure of Arlo Banks, a once-famous actor whose career unravels amid bizarre scandal. His arc—shifting from heartthrob to tabloid spectacle—serves as a unifying thread and a symbol of fame’s instability. Rather than presenting celebrity as something enviable, Rende portrays it as volatile and ultimately hollow, sustained by attention but always at risk of collapse.
What makes this collection particularly effective is how it examines celebrity culture not just as an external force, but as an internalized framework. These characters don’t simply admire fame—they measure themselves against it. Rende suggests that the mythos of the film star has seeped into everyday consciousness, shaping how people construct their identities and evaluate their worth. Even those far removed from fame behave as if they are performing for an invisible audience.
I found this exploration of interiority especially engaging. Rende’s characters are often flawed, even unlikable, but their inner lives are rendered with clarity and precision. Their thoughts—contradictory, self-aware, and sometimes delusional—feel authentic to a world in which identity is constantly mediated by perception. These interiors, spanning different personalities and perspectives, are what give the collection its emotional weight.
Stylistically, Rende’s voice is confident and distinctive. Her prose is lean, contemporary, and often laced with biting humor. She excels at placing characters in uncomfortable or absurd situations and allowing those moments to reveal deeper truths. While some stories end abruptly, this lack of resolution feels intentional, mirroring the instability and incompleteness of the lives she depicts.
If there is a weakness, it lies in the thematic repetition. Many characters share similar concerns—ambition, insecurity, the desire for visibility—which can blur the distinctions between stories. However, this repetition also reinforces the collection’s central argument: that these experiences are not isolated, but symptomatic of a broader cultural condition.
Overall, I Could Be Famous: Stories is an engaging and thought-provoking debut that offers a sharp critique of celebrity culture and the human desire to be seen. Rende has an interesting voice and perspective, and her ability to craft such vivid psychological interiors marks her as a writer to watch. I’m genuinely excited to see what she comes up with next.
January 25, 2026
Hmm…how to rate an anthology that had some stories that absolutely captivated me, some stories that were interconnected, and some stories that I couldn’t understand the meaning and purpose of (if there even was one)? I was HOOKED at the beginning of this collection, but the middle and end fell apart unfortunately. I found it weird that the only recurring character was a male celebrity when I thought the stories would be centered around women, and I’m still confused on whether or not this male celebrity IS a cannibal. What’s his issue? Anyway…I’m disappointed, but it wasn’t all bad.
January 20, 2026
“A lot can happen in a year. I could become a whole new person. I could be famous by then.”
January 17, 2026
Thoroughly enjoyed this sharp collection. “The Hole in Your Heart Is Mine” was a clear standout for me, but many left me wanting more in exactly the way a good short story should.
Throughout, Rende explores themes of intimacy and distance, desire and self-invention — people circling one another, misreading signals, or trying on versions of themselves that don’t quite fit.
Reading this was a reminder of how much I love short stories when they’re done well. I somehow drifted away from the form last year, and this felt like a return. More short fiction for me in 2026!
Throughout, Rende explores themes of intimacy and distance, desire and self-invention — people circling one another, misreading signals, or trying on versions of themselves that don’t quite fit.
Reading this was a reminder of how much I love short stories when they’re done well. I somehow drifted away from the form last year, and this felt like a return. More short fiction for me in 2026!
January 23, 2026
This is a DNF after reading four of the short stories. The first was promising and the author has some clever moments but a series of pointless, abrupt-ending chapters and I’m done. I don’t mind ambiguity but it reads like the author has no idea how to end any of them. The theme is inconsistent and it left me with the feeling that I was reading outlines or first drafts. Disappointing but I hope this author finds their voice in a better format in the future.
March 12, 2026
This was so interesting, and I did find myself unable to put it down. The through-line is interesting and I could definitely see it expanding, but the other stories kept me interested enough to not worry about it. A few of the stories felt a bit too similar to each other, but otherwise they were enjoyable reads (even though most of these characters are not likable).
February 2, 2026
this was quite entertaining. some of the stories were bizarre, certain scenes were weird as fuck, but overall it was entertaining. each of the stories had a certain addictive quality that made me want to keep reading
April 15, 2026
Short stories são sempre difíceis de julgar porque sempre tem umas que eu gosto mais que outras, mas esse aqui eu gostei bastante num geral. Gostei como todas elas são meio que conectadas de uma maneira ou de outra.
Interessante- e diferente do que eu normalmente leio.
Interessante- e diferente do que eu normalmente leio.
February 2, 2026
I’m very much target audience for this, I had fun
February 3, 2026
(Audiobook)
February 21, 2026
4.5 stars!! A fantastic collection of short stories full of messy people with big dreams and weird vibes, couldn’t be more entertaining
February 26, 2026
These were a fun, fresh time: slightly skin-crawling but extremely addictive, like a high school junkie girlfriend! Armie Hammer would think, wait is this fucking play about us?
April 29, 2026
4.75⭐️ rounded up!
This was so fun to read, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it anytime I put it down. I’m having fun trying to find the connections between all of the short stories!
This was so fun to read, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it anytime I put it down. I’m having fun trying to find the connections between all of the short stories!
February 22, 2026
fun short stories and perfect for small dose reading. All were fun and celebrity/Hollywood adjacent/themed so I loved. Kind of read like nonfiction essays but they were made up so all a little absurd. Highly rec
February 10, 2026
Some of these stories shine, usually the ones that get a little absurd with it. A lot of stories end with the main character “wanting to cry,” which is a little unfulfilling.
April 16, 2026
Interesting concept but the narrators all felt the same which made the stories blend together
March 20, 2026
I was very entertained by each story
Review of advance copy
Thanks to Libro.fm for an Advanced Listener's Copy! I enjoyed these clever, often funny, but also sometimes sad, contemporary stories.
January 21, 2026
Extremely witty and fun to read. Sydney Rende is so talented!!!
December 2, 2025
If you’re looking to break your social media addiction, this collection of short stories is it! At times NSFW, but always sharply insightful, hysterically funny, these quirky but richly human characters are begging for a Netflix treatment. She could be famous, indeed.
January 21, 2026
4.5 stars
“Money. Fame. The high you get when a group of strangers screams your name with tears in their eyes. The ability to strut around L.A. like you really belong there (most people don’t), like you landed in the exact right spot.”
The quote above describes the characters that some of the stories in this enjoyable debut collection center around. In some cases they’re famous; in others, they’re infamous; and in others they’re either fame-adjacent or wanting to be famous. (The irony is not lost on me that I’m discussing this book on social media for my followers.)
There are 11 stories in this collection. The characters always made me a little bit nervous, wondering what disaster they might cause. But I really enjoyed nearly all of them.
Some of my favorite stories include: “Nothing Special,” about a young woman who becomes friends with a popular influencer yet realizes the life she covets isn’t all that great; “High School Junkie Girlfriend,” in which an aspiring young actress aims for authenticity before her audition for the role of said girlfriend; “The Actor Naked,” which deals with the ways the relationship between an actor and his assistant changes when she sees him naked; and “Monsters,” about a reality TV star who just wants to be loved, but can’t seem to pull it together when she’s not on camera.
I really was impressed with Sydney Rende’s storytelling abilities. All of the stories felt complete and I felt totally immersed in the mini-universes she created. Not all of the characters are sympathetic but they were all fascinating.
Check out my best reads of 2025 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2025.html .
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
“Money. Fame. The high you get when a group of strangers screams your name with tears in their eyes. The ability to strut around L.A. like you really belong there (most people don’t), like you landed in the exact right spot.”
The quote above describes the characters that some of the stories in this enjoyable debut collection center around. In some cases they’re famous; in others, they’re infamous; and in others they’re either fame-adjacent or wanting to be famous. (The irony is not lost on me that I’m discussing this book on social media for my followers.)
There are 11 stories in this collection. The characters always made me a little bit nervous, wondering what disaster they might cause. But I really enjoyed nearly all of them.
Some of my favorite stories include: “Nothing Special,” about a young woman who becomes friends with a popular influencer yet realizes the life she covets isn’t all that great; “High School Junkie Girlfriend,” in which an aspiring young actress aims for authenticity before her audition for the role of said girlfriend; “The Actor Naked,” which deals with the ways the relationship between an actor and his assistant changes when she sees him naked; and “Monsters,” about a reality TV star who just wants to be loved, but can’t seem to pull it together when she’s not on camera.
I really was impressed with Sydney Rende’s storytelling abilities. All of the stories felt complete and I felt totally immersed in the mini-universes she created. Not all of the characters are sympathetic but they were all fascinating.
Check out my best reads of 2025 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2025.html .
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
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