Close Relationships with Strangers

by Krista Diamond

Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler meets Ryan Gosling in Drive, Close Relationships with Strangers follows a Las Vegas wildlife photographer who moves to Los Angeles to become a paparazzo and in the process loses his relationships, his morals, and eventually his tether to reality.

Every paparazzo has their white whale, for Ben, that person is movie star Jack Whitlock.

Reviled by celebrities and the public, Ben is one of the last remaining paparazzi scouring the streets of Los Angeles. Amateurs with camera phones, social media, and a lack of bonafide stars have slowly killed a once essential role in the Hollywood apparatus. Jack Whitlock is one of the last remaining A-listers, and Ben has followed his career since the years he spent bussing tables at a diner in Las Vegas where his most popular movie once filmed a scene.

When Jack Whitlock is suddenly embroiled in a sex scandal, Ben begins his pursuit, eager for both a big paycheck and a chance to be close to the elusive star. Along the way, he is haunted by mistakes from his the photos he took of a pop star that have led to death threats, the ghost of his failed relationship with a burlesque dancer named Ellory, and his abandoned dream of being a wildlife photographer.

Searing and propulsive, Close Relationships with Strangers is a behind the lens tour-de-force through the streets of Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and the desert in between, as readers follow Ben, unrelenting, obsessive, and wry, on a quest that will lead either to his redemption or demise.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Summer, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 23, 2026

Reviews

[Brady Lockerby · Rating 3 out of 5]

another one of my highly anticipated 2026 releases! this book follows Ben who is a wildlife photographer turned paparazzo who is obsessedddd with a specific celebrity. that celeb finds themselves in the middle of a scandal and Ben becomes so desperate to find him and get a photo of him, his personal life starts to unravel. this book was eerie, creepy, and i did enjoy it! the ending just left me feeling.. empty? and a bit unsatisfied

[Debbie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review

3.5 ⭐️ set in Vegas and LA this book focuses on Ben a wildlife photographer who turns to celebrity photography. As a Paparazzo he becomes obsessed with Jack Whitlock, a very famous and elusive star embroiled in a scandal.

The story progresses through past and present timelines as we learn about an event that changes the trajectory of Ben’s life and leads to his obsession and downfall.
We follow Ben on his downward spiral as he gives everything in search of the big money shot, losing it all as he goes.

While I did really like Ben and his girlfriend ElIory, I wanted more from the story and the ending was a bit of a let down.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

[Kyrah Stewart · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ben is a wildlife photographer turned paparazzo looking to further his career. He moves to LA and becomes obsessed with movie star Jack Whitlock—essentially willing to do anything to get the perfect shot and move up in the paparazzi ranks.

I was so looking forward to this, thinking it would be an exploration of parasocial relationships or celebrity obsession. It reads more like a list of actions rather than a dive into why he is having these obsessions and what they mean for our society. I wouldn’t necessarily say this is literary fiction.

Also, the number of strange sexual scenes was so random and felt unnecessary. And the ending??? Came across as trying too hard to be artsy and literary.

[William de_Rham · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Close Relationships with Strangers” is a novel set in Las Vegas and LA about a paparazzo who becomes obsessed with a single star. It’s well-researched and well-written, and gives readers an excellent idea of what it’s like to be a photographer perpetually on the hunt for celebrity photographs that will bring big money. At the same time, it’s a sad, sometimes creepy story about one man’s descent into obsession and all that he loses (e.g., relationships, homes, bank accounts, and maybe even his sanity) in pursuit of that which he cannot give up. Author Krista Diamond displays a great amount of talent in this, her debut novel. But I found the main character and the story so creepy that it was impossible for me to enjoy.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Krista Diamond, and publisher Simon and Schuster for providing me with a complimentary electronic ARC. All of the foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

[Julie Maleski (juliereads_alot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon & Schuster #SimonBooksBuddy and Netgalley for the gifted copy of this e-ARC...this is my honest review.

📱Close Relationships With Strangers📱
Author: Krista Diamond
Pub Date: June 23, 2026
Publisher: Simon and Schuster

MY RATING: 4/5⭐

Close Relationships With Strangers is a gritty and compelling debut novel from Krista Diamond coming in June 2026 from Simon & Schuster. This contemporary fiction read pulled me in with its character-driven story about a paparazzo's unhealthy obsession with getting the perfect shot of the rich and famous.

Diamond's writing was so authentically captivating as she shared Ben's story, and the pacing throughout the book really kept me intrigued. For me, this was a pretty fast read.

Ben is a Las Vegas photographer who moves to Los Angeles to become a paparazzo. In the process, he loses his relationships, his morals, and eventually even loses his tether to reality. The story is told in dual timelines of past and present as we learn about the man Ben was before, the choices he made in those moments, and the subsequent scandal that followed him as a result of his choices. The reader sees the slow unraveling of his life as he becomes more and more unhinged in his obsession to capture that one money-making shot of a Hollywood icon.

Reading about Ben's life unraveling was a lot like driving past a terrible car accident -- you don't want to look, but you can't help yourself. As unhinged as Ben was becoming throughout the pages, there was something about him that had me rooting for his success too -- and I attribute that to Diamond's genuine writing style. There were so many times I wanted to reach into the pages and shake him back to reality, yet his character still captured my heart.

This book is listed as both general fiction and as a thriller. While Ben is definitely an unhinged character, I don't think I'd really call this one a thriller. There are hints of psychological suspense with regard to the train wreck of Ben's life, but this one is definitely more contemporary or general fiction than thriller. The ending of this book feels abrupt and normally I'm not a fan of that kind of ending. But in this book, it really worked and seemed a perfect fit for the main character's descent into a truly unhinged perspective.

If you enjoy character-driven storylines, slow descents into unhinged obsessions, or fictional stories adjacent to the glitzy lifestyles of Hollywood's rich and famous, you will really enjoy Choose Relationships With Strangers. Diamond's well-written and authentic debut has me excited to see what she will bring us next -- don't miss this book when it publishes in June. And it's available to request on Netgalley now!

#CloseRelationshipsWithStrangers #KristaDiamond #SimonBooksBuddy #SimonAndSchuster #gifted #eARC #Netgalley #contemporaryfiction #debutnovel #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

[n · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved. i think you might like if you liked emma cline's the guest

[Meggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75⭐️ Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Wow! If you’re a fan of Brat, Yellowface, or Big Swiss— this is a great read for you!
Close Relationships With Strangers is one man’s journey of replacing one obsession with another to the point of letting it become a manic episode. This is my favorite type of thriller where nothing specifically “happens,” just continuous stress and anxiety over the unlikable main character’s poor life choices. I feel like this will be a hit!

Close Relationships with Strangers comes out this June.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me with timothee chalamet

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was about 2.5 stars for me. This is labeled as a thriller, but nothing really thrilling or on edge ever happens. It is a sad story about one man's journey to obtain the perfect picture as a paparazzo. He will do anything to obtain a picture, and this book is the tell all of that journey. The book sounded like it would be really interesting, but I was happy when I was finally finished.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review 🫶
4.25 ⭐️
🗓️ Publication date: June 22nd 2026 🗓️

It’s hard to believe Close Relationships with Strangers is a debut book. It was so unique, and gritty. I usually gravitate toward stories about women slowly descending into madness. So flipping the coin where a man is the one slowly unraveling was a fun change.

I thought that Ben was a really well developed character. The way Ben changes throughout the book and how he slowly loses his morality was very real, raw, and compelling. He starts his paparazzi gig with at least a shred of morals and the understanding of right from wrong, but then he slowly starts losing sense of it, or just not caring. This book was so intriguing because of that, especially when we’re talking about paparazzi and the ethics of it. He goes from an aspiring wildlife photographer to an obsessive paparazzi who is trying to survive in LA amidst scandal, relationship trouble and financial hardship. All while he’s still obsessing over and chasing his ultimate subject. Jack Whitlock.

This is a book about power, greed, desire, loneliness, and obsession. It’s about how all those things can change and warp a person into someone the people around them don’t recognize. Ben is a very unlikable character at times, but that’s what makes him so fascinating.

I thought this was a fantastic debut.

[friday reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐ - This book is for the weird lit lover and chalk full of characters you love to hate, obsession and delusion, and the pure desperation that occurs when someone has nothing left to lose.

(Thank you Simon Books for the copy, all thoughts are my own - #Simonbooksbuddy)

I could not put this book down and finished 60% of it in one sitting. We follow a lowly busboy named Ben in Vegas who works at a restaurant that was used as a film location featuring a famous actor Jack Whitlock. Our main character grows infatuated with Jack and uses him as a pillar in his life in all aspects. Ben meets dancer Ellory and this book follows them in the past as their relationship develops and eventually falls apart and current day where Ben is living in LA as a desperate paparazzi who has seemingly hit the low point of his life.

Ben is very unlikeable, extremely selfish and obsessive and falls into an addiction-like cycle with being a pap. This addiction leads to the desecration of his life in all aspects until he feels the only way to set his life back on track is to get a shot of Jack Whitlock amid scandal, and he goes to extreme lengths to achieve this goal.

I found Ben’s voice and mind fascinating to be around and the relationship he had with Ellory compelling. The prose is simple but effective, and there’s that juicy element of slimy people doing bad things that keeps you turning the page.

The weakest point of the novel is the ending. There’s a big buildup to Ben finally tracking Jack down and getting the shot, but then the author ends the story in a very ambiguous and artsy way that falls flat. If the author decided to go there with the ending and commit to the weird and obsessive atmosphere she created this could’ve been a home run.

Overall I enjoyed my time with this book and look forward to more books by this author!

[Skye Pestana · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 - I would never think to write about a paparazzo and I'm so glad this author did. Gives me what I love-- an unlikeable narrator, LA name drops, male loneliness.

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Close Relationships with Strangers, I never would have described a book as “cringe fiction.” But if cringe fiction were a genre, this would be one of its defining novels.

Ben is a paparazzo who stumbles into success after capturing a coveted photo of movie star Jack Whitlock. What begins as a career breakthrough slowly transforms into something much darker: an all-consuming obsession. As Ben becomes increasingly fixated on Jack, his own life begins to unravel. His relationship with his girlfriend, Ellery—a burlesque dancer in Las Vegas—frays, his work grows more ethically murky, and the loneliness that has always lingered beneath the surface becomes impossible to ignore.

What fascinated me most wasn’t the celebrity himself, but the unsettling way the novel explores parasocial relationships. Ben first becomes familiar with Jack while bussing tables at the Bluebird, a classic Las Vegas diner that endlessly plays one of Jack’s most famous movie scenes. Day after day, Jack becomes part of Ben’s routine until he starts to feel strangely familiar. It’s an exaggerated version of something many of us have experienced. Whether it’s an actor, a morning show host, a podcaster, or another public figure whose work fills our daily lives, it’s easy to develop the illusion that we know someone who has absolutely no idea we exist.

Krista Dimond takes that very human impulse and pushes it to an uncomfortable extreme. Ben lies, manipulates, bribes valets and medical staff, and sacrifices nearly every meaningful relationship in pursuit of the next photograph. I didn’t necessarily like him, but I genuinely felt sorry for him. He’s a deeply lonely, painfully pathetic protagonist, and watching him spiral is equal parts heartbreaking and unsettling.

This isn’t a feel-good novel, but it’s an incredibly compelling character study. Readers who enjoy morally messy protagonists and literary fiction with an undercurrent of suspense will likely find a lot to appreciate here. It reminded me of the uncomfortable intimacy of The Guest, the obsession of Yellowface, and the character-driven unease of My Year of Rest and Relaxation.

The ending is wonderfully abrupt in a way that feels completely intentional. Rather than tying everything up neatly, it leaves you sitting with uncomfortable questions about celebrity culture, voyeurism, and our own role as consumers. Most of us would never chase celebrities for photographs, but many of us have clicked on those photos, lingered over tabloid headlines, or fueled the demand in quieter ways. That’s what has stayed with me most since finishing this novel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the Simon Buddy Books program for the complimentary copy. This book was published June 23, 2026.

[Erin Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short read but could be improved by being even shorter tbh! Sometimes the details were like… why?? But a compelling story of obsession.

Horrible protagonist but fascinating to be in his head. He increasingly has an extremely warped view of reality - such that this is one of those where you reach the end not quite sure what happened (I feel it’s fair to know that before picking this up).

Loved how the breakdown of his relationship was written. Poor Ellory. Ben’s mindset is so well drawn.

I feel like the fixation on Jack was him reasoning “it’ll all be worth it if I just get this photo.” The money, the proof of skill, the recognition. But it morphs into an identification with Jack that is really strange and disturbing.

Weird boy lit instead of weird girl lit. 😂 I can get behind this flavor of it.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some books tell a story. This one quietly gets under your skin.

Close Relationships with Strangers is a sharp, unsettling look at obsession, celebrity culture, and the stories we convince ourselves are worth chasing. It’s less about Hollywood glamour and more about the loneliness hiding behind the lens.

The writing is immersive and introspective, making it easy to slip into Ben’s increasingly complicated mindset—even when you don’t agree with his choices. It’s a slow, character-driven novel that asks uncomfortable questions about ambition, identity, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for validation.

This isn’t a book for readers looking for nonstop action. It’s for those who enjoy morally gray characters, literary fiction that lingers, and stories that leave you thinking long after you’ve turned the last page.

Thank you @netgalley @simonschuster @kristamariediamond for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

[Michael Berquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Close Relationships with Strangers is a mixed bag of a novel quality wise. The authors use of animals as symbolism and sense of place are stunning. Diamond captures the essence of both Las Vegas and Los Angeles sincerely and flawlessly.
The homages to Moby Dick and Raymond Chandler are fun to read and the comparisons to Nightcrawler are apt. However, the sex scenes are gratuitous, verging on vulgar, and the main character is one who is rarely redeemable. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy.

[hailey nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so fun

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

ate this right up 🎰📸⭐️🌃

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I felt so icky reading this. But that is the point! The author did an excellent job writing the character in that way. Sadly, at least for me, the author didn’t make him likeable despite that. Maybe the author’s goal was to make us hate Ben and find nothing redeemable, but part of me feels like that’s not the case. Ben was the worst to follow. I did not enjoy reading this. I’m actively rooting against this guy because he is so sleezy. To me, I’m all for an author making an unlikeable character, usually I prefer them because they are so interesting and fun to follow! But the character needs to have at least one quality you want to root for, otherwise there’s no point in reading the book. It shouldn’t be a painful process.

I think it’s a fascinating concept. I’ve never thought to make a story from the point of view of the paparazzi. I’m glad the author didn’t glorify or try to convince us it’s a good profession or they are good people. I was still waiting for a connection to the story to get me to want to read it. I wonder if this would have been better as a short story. It just got a little long for me. And a bit repetitive.

Ellory deserved better. I don’t really think we needed the plotline of their relationship. Maybe it was there to humanize him, but I never cared for their relationship. How she kept giving him the time of day was beyond me! She should have listened to her roommate right off the bat and ran for the hills. Even after everything went down with him, she stuck around for a while, which was wild to me.

Jack Whitlock haunted the narrative which was kind of cool. I love that trope. Ben’s obsession with him was really weird most of the book, but again, that was the point. I was hoping for a little more closure at the end with that plotline, but it was about what I expected for this type of book. There is no real good way to end it other than to leave it somewhat open ended.

Things I didn’t like was it seemed like there was a scene of animal cruelty, which I can never handle and always think is unnecessary to have. Unless I didn’t understand the scene, because there were a few of those that were kind of vague, and I may be too naive to get. But if I am correct, that made me start to really dislike this book. Before it was about a 3 star book.

There were too many sexual moments, but for people who enjoy that in books there’s probably not a lot and it wasn’t too detailed. There were some very vulgar things that seemed kind of random and not needed either.

I did like that there was a lot of dialogue, it made the book go by faster for me.

It’s a cool concept, and other people may get more out of this than I did. If you want to read about awful people with no good qualities, then this one could be good to pick up!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most interesting things about this novel is its choice of protagonist. After all, nobody likes paparazzi. So from the very beginning, the novel is asking you to do something uncomfortable: spend several hundred pages inside the mind of one.

Ben is a wildlife hobby photographer living a fairly mundane life when he's presented with an opportunity to break into celebrity photography. What starts as a chance to make a quick buck quickly spirals into an unhealthy obsession. Told across multiple timelines, the novel gradually reveals both the scandal that has made Ben public enemy #1 and the series of choices that led him there.

The premise itself is refreshingly unique. On the surface, it's a story about paparazzi, but the setting allows the novel to explore larger questions about obsession, ambition, and personal integrity. I found myself constantly caught between feeling empathetic toward Ben and becoming increasingly frustrated by his decisions. His obsession builds through small compromises and rationalizations, fueled by the belief that the next shot might finally be the one that changes everything. It's an effective portrayal of how ambition can quickly spiral into something much less healthy, often without the person realizing it.

While I found Ben's voice convincing, the plot occasionally felt stagnant. There is a lot of character study, but not necessarily a lot of progression. In many ways, the novel is less about character growth than character decay. Ben doesn't evolve so much as unravel. As the story progresses, he becomes increasingly willing to sacrifice everything—his money, his relationships, even his sense of self—in pursuit of a singular goal. The spiral feels believable, but it also makes the ending feel somewhat inevitable. While the conclusion felt fitting, it also struck me as fairly obvious and, ultimately, a bit unsatisfying.

Overall, Close Relationships With Strangers feels less like a story of transformation than one of erosion. It's a fascinating portrait of a man slowly sacrificing pieces of himself in pursuit of something he believes will finally make him whole.

Rating 3.5/5, rounded up
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Recommendation: This actually reminded me quite a bit of Emma Cline’s The Guest. If you enjoy watching a flawed protagonist make increasingly questionable decisions while drifting toward an inevitable outcome, you might enjoy this one.

[Mandee · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are few things I love quite as much as a story about fame. Dealing with how it changes people, the power that comes with it, how easily it can be lost, what people will do to get it. And Close Relationships with Strangers does a really excellent job of showing us how the pursuit of fame can cause us to completely lose our minds.

Ben’s journey to try and get photos of Jack Whitlock is fascinating. He’s willing to do anything, willing to destroy the few relationships he has in his life in the singular pursuit of one specific celebrity, one person that seems like the key to everything. We bounce between two timelines, one in the present and one in the recent past, watching as we find out how Ben landed where he is now. In the present timeline, he’s being haunted by the repercussions of something he did, and we get whispers and hints of what it was and why it would mean he’d be the subject of death threats and stalking.

For a reveal that was built up for so much of the book, I found the actual thing that he did to be underwhelming. It feels strange to say about something that is so major, but it just didn’t ring true to me that it’d have the kind of repercussions that it does. It’s an interesting statement about stan culture and celebrity obsession, I guess, but it didn’t really work for me.

I also struggled a bit with the pacing. Early on it was easy to get sucked in, to really feel like we were in Los Angeles and Las Vegas with Ben, but as we swapped between timelines and got deeper into this convoluted story, I started to lose focus. The long stretch with Ellory lost me in particular, as much as I did really like her character.

This was an interesting enough read, and I don’t regret giving it a go! I love a bummer of a book and this certainly fits that bill. I also appreciate a big swing, even if it ultimately ends up being a bit of a miss for me. 3.5 stars, rounded down because I really needed just a little bit more from that ending and the climax of the story in general. This will probably hit for you if you love things like The Talented Mr. Ripley and Nightcrawler and like when your thrillers are a little more muted.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the eARC!

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.75*)

Close Relationships With Strangers is a dark, unsettling novel about celebrity culture, loneliness, obsession, and the ways people convince themselves (and others) that their worst decisions are actually reasonable.

The story follows Ben, a former wildlife photographer from Las Vegas who abandons his whole life and moves to Los Angeles to become a paparazzo. He’s very consumed by his fascination with Jack Whitlock, a movie star. When Whitlock is involved in a huge scandal, Ben launches out on an extremely obsessive hunt to find him. Ben is one of those main characters that you may never like, but yet you’re so intrigued that you can’t stop reading… Throughout the novel, we watch him cross moral boundaries while continuously justifying his actions & behavior; even though the more steps he takes toward Whitlock, the further he pushes away the people who actually love and care for him. Ben convinces himself that he’s somehow connected to Jack, despite barely knowing him and only having a parasocial relationship.

One of the saddest parts of the book is how lonely Ben seems — he’s isolated himself by having this ONE goal of finding Jack and photographing him. This also turns into him neglecting real relationships by being heavily focused on chasing strangers. As an addict (who’s in recovery) but also diagnosed OCD, I felt for Ben in so many ways— addicted, obsessed, pushing away the people who loved me, isolating myself with one goal in mind, and be outright delusional while convincing myself and others around me that what I was doing was justified… Oh how I don’t miss any of that, but definitely felt for Ben.

I personally think that’s what works with this novel is it’s less about the celebrity culture & paparazzi and more about what happens when a person mistakes obsession for purpose. It’s truly written to show how chasing something so relentlessly can make you lose yourself and others in the process. It was uncomfortable and sad at times, but definitely relatable for someone who is an addict like myself.

If you as a reader enjoy flawed characters, psychological unraveling, and stories that linger even after reading it, this one’s for you!! Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

[Natalie Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

**A Haunting Literary Thriller About Obsession, Identity, and the Price of Chasing Someone Else's Life**

*Close Relationships with Strangers* is far more than an intense novel about Hollywood, celebrity culture, or the world of paparazzi. At its heart, it is a psychologically rich exploration of ambition, loneliness, obsession, and the quiet erosion of identity that can occur when the pursuit of success overshadows the pursuit of purpose.

Krista Diamond has crafted a story that asks readers to consider a compelling question: What happens when we spend so much time watching someone else's life that we stop living our own?

Ben is an unforgettable protagonist because he isn't driven solely by greed or notoriety. He is propelled by longing for recognition, redemption, belonging, and perhaps even a version of himself that existed before compromise slowly reshaped his values. His pursuit of Jack Whitlock becomes less about celebrity and more about the dangerous human tendency to believe fulfillment always exists just beyond the next achievement.

What struck me most is the novel's emotional honesty. Beneath its propulsive pacing lies a profound meditation on regret, fractured relationships, and the difficult reality that every choice leaves a mark on the person we become. Ben's memories, failures, and abandoned dreams are woven into the narrative with remarkable depth, reminding readers that our greatest ghosts are often the lives we might have lived.

The Hollywood setting becomes an inspired backdrop for examining performance—not only the performances demanded of celebrities, but also the identities ordinary people construct while chasing validation, success, or escape. In that way, *Close Relationships with Strangers* feels both timely and timeless.

Krista Diamond has written a bold and emotionally resonant novel that challenges readers to reflect on ambition, morality, perception, and the fragile line between observing life and truly living it.

A compelling literary achievement that lingers long after the final page, inviting readers to question what they are chasing and what they may be leaving behind.

[Carole Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A paparazzo's life is about buying or taking what he needs

Once Ben had hoped to become a wildlife photographer, but instead he became a stalker of a different kind of creature...the celebrity. As a paparazzo he worked first in Las Vegas and now in LA, but the boom years of the profession are behind him and his ilk. In a time where social media dominates the news cycle and everyone has a camera phone its hard for the professionals to break a story. Ben has also been somewhat obsessed by a particular celebrity, megastar and overall good guy Jack Whitlock, with whom he had crossed paths years ago. When a huge scandal involving Jack erupts Ben feels that he is meant to be the one to track Jack down and get The Picture. Between the downturn in the profession overall and the hit his career took when he released photos of a pop star that brought him a tsunami of backlash, Ben could use a get like this in many ways. Will his pursuit of Jack end with his resurrection or finish him off once and for all?
Close Relationships with Strangers is a contemporary spin on literary noir, featuring a less-than-admirable (and quite honestly less-than-likable) protagonist whose profession is generally reviled by both the public and the celebrities who are pursued by its practitioners. Author Krista Diamond creates a vivid, gritty backdrop for the narrative and shines a harsh light on the obsession with celebrity and the predatory side of fame. The story offers a peek behind the curtain at the machinery behind both Hollywood and Las Vegas. Readers looking for an upbeat story aren't likely to find it here; instead it is a character-driven, cinematic tale that slowly burns its way to a conclusion. Fans of Bret Easton Ellis, Emma Cline and Beth Morgan might find this to their taste; I found it a well-written debut. but had a hard time liking Ben and consequently didn't totally connect with his unravelling. All in all, a 3.5 ⭐️ reqd rounded up to 4. My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review.

[Justin Day]

TL;DR

Close Relationships with Strangers by Krista Diamond starts strong, drags a bit in the middle, and finishes with an ending that I found both strange and memorable. It’s a good, not great, debut novel, but I think it’ll really click with readers interested in photography, obsession, and the line between passion and compulsion.

Synopsis

Krista Diamond’s novel follows a paparazzo whose work gradually becomes more than just a job. Through the lens of celebrity photography, the book explores obsession, ambition, and the personal cost of devoting yourself to a profession that constantly pushes ethical boundaries.

Three Key Insights

* The photography was easily the strongest part of the book. As someone who does street photography, I found myself connecting with a lot of the discussions about photographing strangers, even though paparazzi work is driven by very different motivations. The ethical questions felt authentic, and I believed the world the novel created.

* I especially liked the comparison between paparazzi photography and wildlife photography. It’s not a connection I’d ever considered before, but it made a surprising amount of sense and ended up being one of the book’s most interesting ideas.

* The relationship and celebrity culture elements didn’t resonate with me as much. The middle section lost some momentum, but the novel recovered with a strong, weird ending that I could easily see being divisive.

Final Thoughts

The whole experience reminded me a bit of Nightcrawler, with its portrait of someone whose career slowly becomes an obsession that reshapes their life. I can’t say whether it’s an accurate portrayal of life as a paparazzo, but it certainly felt believable. I’d love to hear what someone in that profession thinks of it.

Overall, I enjoyed Close Relationships with Strangers. It didn’t completely come together for me, but its exploration of photography and obsession was compelling enough that I’d recommend it to anyone interested in creative work, ethical gray areas, or stories about passion slowly taking over a person’s life.

[Ti · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Short of It:

Celebrity obsession and its aftermath.

The Rest of It:

Ben, a “sometimes” wildlife photographer unsatisfied with life, is forced to sling food to make ends meet. Las Vegas is a tough town. There’s so much going on, but the glitz and glam don’t make it to him the way they seem to for everyone else. He’s miserable and lacks direction. He watches other people become successful. You know the type.

Enter Ellory. She’s a beautiful burlesque dancer. She’s matter-of-fact and blunt but sees something in Ben that Ben simply cannot. Although their relationship quickly gets physical, the connection between the two grows slowly as they figure out who they want to be and how they want to live.

Creating a life with Ellory sounds good, but Ben’s obsession with an actor named Jack Whitlock becomes all-consuming when Jack’s sex scandal goes public and every paparazzo is on his trail to get that pictorial. Ben decides he could crack the story if he heads to Hollywood.

This is the part of the story where, as a reader, you begin to question all of Ben’s choices. Ben is impulsive and so caught up in the chase that it doesn’t occur to him what he’s asking of Ellory. He’s lost with a false sense of direction. That’s a deadly combination.

I found this story to be very realistic in the telling. The desire to be part of that elite circle clouds Ben’s judgment in the most real way possible. Diamond’s handling of LA culture was spot on. I grew up on the streets of Hollywood, and the grittiness can be heartbreaking, but then you turn a corner and it’s glamorous again. That’s Los Angeles. Homelessness on every corner, but celebs too. It’s impossible not to have a hope or a dream when you wake up and see the Hollywood sign every day.

I liked the imperfect nature of these characters and the glimpse of Hollywood behind the curtain. I found parts of it to be a little surreal, but that’s celebrity culture.

Highly recommend.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Close Relationships with Strangers follows Ben, a Las Vegas native with an affinity for wildlife photography, who moves to Los Angeles to trade photographing wildlife to shooting celebrities as a paparazzo. As Ben becomes more and more embroiled in this world, his real motivations and obsessions slowly start to unravel his life.

While is sort of a plot happening here, the real focus is heavily on Ben and how he has allowed his obsession with Jack Whitlock, a famous movie star now embroiled in scandal, to take over ever aspect of his life. Ben is an incredibly intriguing focal point in this story, and his spiral into more and more unhinged behaviors really drove the book along.

Where I lost a little bit of interest was in the pacing. We jump between Ben the Las Vegas busboy, figuring out his first relationship and moving to LA to become a paparazzo, and then Ben the actual paparazzo who has done something rather terrible and is now solely focused on getting a photo of Jack Whitlock. While the relationship between Ben and Ellory worked to show his previous humanity and highlight how truly unraveled he was becoming in the later timeline, it dragged out a little as they went on hikes and seemed to have the same conversation about Ben's new career path.

Rather in the same vein, with so much buildup around Ben's descent into obsession, the ending was incredibly abrupt. When I saw the author acknowledgements on the very next page, I had a moment of 'oh, that was it?' and had to go back to make sure I did not actually miss something. While I would consider this read a 3.5 overall, I ultimately rounded down due to this letdown of an ending.

Overall, this was a compulsive read. For most of it, I feel like the comp to Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler is an accurate one; I'd also dare to say there are some elements that reminded me of Fight Club, in a way. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eArc of this book!

[Rachaelbookhunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Close Relationships With Strangers is going to be one of the most memorable books of the year for me. I've never read anything quite like it before!

We follow Ben, living in Las Vegas and working as a busboy at a popular diner. Sometimes he does wildlife photography on the side. The Bluebird diner is where the famous movie star Jack Whitlock filmed one of his movies. Ben wants nothing more than to move to Los Angeles and to make that happen he points his camera towards celebrities instead of animals.

The book begins with Ben already three years deep into his new "job" when the Jack Whitlock becomes a greater source of tabloid gossip after a new scandal. As part of the paparazzi Ben will stop at nothing to get a photo of the most sought after subject in Hollywood. But it's not just for money. Ben himself is obsessed. Will he get what he wants? How far will he go?

It's hard to pin down a genre for this book. It's part character study, a look into loneliness, and definitely obsession. It feels thriller like at times. The writing is very good. It's atmospheric and the descriptions of Las Vegas and Los Angeles are lovely while also showing the negative parts. We can see why certain characters prefer one or the other.

Ben is something else. I started out kind of rooting for him but that changed as Ben goes down a dark road. It's fascinating watching him. I was very interested to see if he would get what he wants while also maintaining my horror at his actions. I have to warn you the ending is open ended and although I would have liked at least a few more sentences to show what happens next, I'm fine with how it left off. It's not really necessary to know...

Close Relationships With Strangers is a perfect summer read. It moves smoothly with the writing taking you along with it. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the chance to read!

[MC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm. I’m having a hard time articulating my feelings about this one. I would probably say more of a 2.5 stars to put it smack in the middle. But I’m rounding up cuz I guess I did enjoy it, overall.

Concept was very compelling. Breezy read and compelling enough to keep you hooked for a long plane ride, though not sure I would truly call it a thriller. More like a “dark beach read” if you will. Loved all the parts set in Vegas and exploration of what it means to be a normal human living in a city like that. But the rest… man, I dunno. For me, the characters all felt kind of hollow and the pacing was way off. Like the first two thirds is a lot of oooh this guy sucks for some vague reason and he feels like shit about it and the last third is like surprise here’s why he sucks and now he’s going to be crazy about it. I dunno, just like— no development of the tension or build up of a thriller!! With the character stuff, I know some of that’s just me— I love an unlikeable character but I get annoyed with characters who are mopers and Ben moped the vast majority of the book. Most of the time I was just thinking “get a grip brother!” Maybe I wanted to see him be more ruthlessly crazy. Less “I’m sad that my deranged obsession cost me my girlfriend” and more “fuck you girlfriend if you don’t see my psychotic vision!”

In many ways it reminded me of a boy version of My Year of R&R which I loved but also felt did not stick the landing. You have to imagine Ben now the wildlife and Jack an animal about to get hunted. But it really is just your imagination because the ending gives you nothing.

Anyway, that sounds like a lot of smack talk but I did find it to be entertaining and I’d read something else by this author!!! Especially something that really goes hard on her obvious Vegas expertise.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exploring obsession, celebrity culture, and the “predatory nature of fame,” this debut novel searingly brings these together through the story of a man who is willing to sell himself for a delusion.

Ben, a former wildlife photographer, comes to Hollywood to pursue a career as a paparazzi lured there by a man he met - in a Las Vegas dinner where scenes from Jack Whitlock movies (“the last real star”) are reenacted for tourists - promising more money can be had for photographs there. Ben is also obsessed by Whitlock, a reclusive Hollywood star and jumps at the thought of a new career. Over a year later, he’s broke, girlfriend-less (Ellory), friendless and receiving death threats from fans of a pop star due to a photo he took of her - you learn why this is later in the book. When a scandal about Whitlock comes out, Ben is obsessed with being the first to capture Whitlock and he’ll do anything to get them

The story alternates between time as we get to know about Ben, whom I found somewhat unlikable but I think it’s his obsession that led me there. As he pursues the photos of Whitlock and his obsession intensifies you realize he is delusional - and I think the ending confirms this - and totally amoral.

The author has done a splendid job of crafting a story that shows the price for a reality that is based on very little that’s redeeming is a terrible price to pay for one’s soul. Even the book’s cover supports this - a naked man walking toward water. If you have nothing to show for your life, who are you? I know this sounds very philosophical but this book pressed my thought buttons very hard.

This isn’t a simple or easy book to read but it has thought provoking depth. If you are looking for a book that provides that then don’t miss this one.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for granting me access to this ARC.