The Simp: A Novel Without a Hero

by Roshan Sethi

A novel without a hero. Hellscape with an infinity pool.

Raj Ladlani is one of thousands in an unemployable actor. He has reasons to believe he is spectacularly talented (his beloved acting coach Anthony says so), a legend in every way but for the success.

His anonymous life working at Yogurtland, obsessively reading Vanity Fair, and fantasizing about stardom, comes to an end when he answers a job ad detailing a relentless, laughable parade of menial responsibilities for a 'Hollywood Family'. So begins the astonishing decline and fall of Raj Ladlani.

The Simp tells the story of Raj's momentous employment and the destruction that follows in the wake of his time with the with the H Jim, a macho director determined to prove himself as an artist; and Anna, his much younger wife who has ambitions of her own.

And when the job reveals itself to be an absurdist walk through affluent domestic chaos and misguided engagements with identity politics, Raj might be about to lose it - on a very public stage.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Satire, Adult, Literary Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Published July 7, 2026

About the author

Roshan Sethi is a writer, director, and practicing oncologist. He is the cocreator of The Resident, which ran for six seasons on Fox. His directorial debut, 7 Days, won the Independent Spirit Award for best first feature. He subsequently directed World’s Best for Disney+ and cowrote the abortion drama Call Jane, which premiered at Sundance in 2022. His third film as a director, A Nice Indian Boy, recently premiered at SXSW to rave reviews. His next film, The Surgeon, starring Michelle Yeoh and Martin Freeman, is forthcoming. The Simp is his debut novel

Reviews

[alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE SIMP a riot of a book. incisive and acerbic, this is a brutal reckoning with celebrity culture and the West Coast film industry studded with themes of desperate proximity to power and modern race relations in a post-2020 United States

our main character, so deeply embedded in his own lies, is pitiful, complex, and nigh unredeemable. Sethi is utterly damning of his characters but every time he softens just enough to let the sympathy pierce through. no character escaped this treatment and i gleefully hated one character then another, before finishing the book with a sigh — privilege is privilege. this is a very funny book but it’s also really quite depressing!

THE SIMP is an upturned Vanity Fair for the Instagram activism generation. highly enjoyed!

thank you to Sceptre and NetGalley for the arc <3

[ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite not caring much about Hollywood or acting, I really enjoyed this book. It’s focuses on hard things (race, grief, class) but it’s also really funny. I love a good absurd, satirical novel & this one delivered. I really enjoyed Raj as a main character. I particularly loved his relationship with Anthony. Funny, deep, & entertaining. & now I feel like I should read Vanity Fair.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Stroop · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hilarious story of a wannabe actor and adept liar who finagles his way into a job assisting a famous director and his younger wife. This is a fun read that is full of delusional characters and unreliable narration. If you are in the mood for a sharp satire of celebrity culture, give this a read.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

[jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Simp” follows Raj, a gay, Indian-American, failed actor who is still desperate to break into the upper echelons of Hollywood. Raj, harboring a deep-seated anger and secrets from his past, stumbles upon a job posting: an assistant to a wealthy, powerful director-writer couple. Despite the egregious expectations of the position paired with the poor salary, Raj’s desire to immerse himself amongst the Hollywood upper class pushes him to get the job by any means. Raj’s desperation and eagerness to please earns him the titular nickname “The Simp” by his employers, but as Raj becomes more involved in the affairs of the affluent family, his anger begins to rear its head.

This novel does an exceptional job of analyzing power dynamics, racial identity, and political activism in the entertainment industry in the midst of our cancel culture generation. It is also a scathing critique on the continued lack of diversity in Hollywood and media, despite the uproar for more equity and inclusion post-2020. The novel’s tagline “A Novel Without a Hero” boils down to every character being complex and multifaceted. Each character, even our protagonist Raj, has moments of poor judgment and flawed behavior that allow us to view them critically, even if we feel empathy for them.

Funny and absurd, yet critical and insightful, “The Simp” is such a great read! I devoured it in 3 days because it’s so easily bingeable and hard to put down! Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the advance eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Remi]

i see absurdism, so i choose to stay

*thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC*

[Resh (The Book Satchel)]

Pick this up if you are in the mood for a satire often bordering on comedy that lands a punch. Raj, is an aspiring actor stuck in Yogurtland. He is trying to land himself some good roles in Hollywood with little success. That's when he chances upon a job opp to assist (more like a PA. Also with very mysterious and secretive set of duties) a famous director and his much younger life. But instead of something that'll help his professional life, Raj is entrusted with personal tasks, like making ready the dog's meal, and listening to the director's mean pokes (that he calls 'jokes').

Raj is very much a manipulator and an unreliable narrator. To land the job, Raj forms his narrative as a poor man in India trying to live the American dream and be a meek, good immigrant. In reality, he is from an influential rich family in India and migrated to America for better opportunities. There's some thought provoking stuff in here about narratives spun out by chronically online people, public image, the immigrant experience in Hollywood, the accent problem, micro aggressions, celebrity culture and more. It also makes you wonder where you fall on the ladder depending on your location and circumstances.

For all its merits, I also found the characters to be very much on-the-page. So I didn't particularly feel big emotions.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC. All opinions are my own.
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[Sam Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun one, and riddled with upsettingly accurate virtue signaling towards BIPOC communities from the white perspective, writing this as a fully self-aware white woman who is disgusted with society's artificial sympathies towards people of color.

I am so thankful to Simon Books, Roshan Sethi, and NetGalley for advanced access to this page-turner, before it hits shelves on July 7, 2026.

Raj Ladlani wants to make it big in Hollywood as an actor. That's all he's ever wanted, yet he finds himself unemployable due to his race, even though everyone LOVEEEEEEEES Slumdog Millionaire... sheesh. And he finds that with any given connection, he's either left on read or taken advantage of with some white savior-mentality.

When a personal assistant job role is listed for an A-list directing family, he jumps at the bait only to find this to be the most demeaning title, practically fulfilling grocery orders and whipping up meals for their dog, and definitely not opening any connecting doors for the future of Raj's acting desires.

Yet, Raj is witty and chronically online enough to know he can finagle some promise out of this rock bottom job, perhaps making what's to follow his best performance yet!

Super quick and razor sharp, Roshan Sethi knows how to write a novel (without a hero) -- yet I was really rooting for Raj.

[Chelsea (gofetchabook)]

This reads like a weird memoir of an unlikable person that I don’t care to know anything about.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Simp surprised me. I honestly didn’t like Raj at the beginning. He self-sabotages every time life gives him something good, and watching him make the same destructive choices over and over was frustrating. But somewhere along the way he completely grew on me. He became my antihero — messy, insecure, selfish at times, but also painfully human.

What really worked for me was the way the couple Raj worked for slowly changed throughout the story. At first they seem polished, successful, and almost generous in the way they pull Raj into their world. But as the plot unfolds, the cracks start showing. Their manipulation, entitlement, and the way they use Raj for their own emotional needs slowly turns them into the real villains of the book. That shift was one of the strongest parts of the story for me because it happened gradually instead of all at once.

The novel does a great job showing power imbalances, loneliness, and the way people can lose themselves trying to belong somewhere they were never truly accepted. Raj keeps making mistakes, but by the end I understood him far more than I expected to.

A messy, uncomfortable, and surprisingly emotional story with one of those flawed main characters that stays in your head afterward. This book will sit with me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC

[Brian Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tore through this novel. It’s brilliant, it’s a train wreck you can’t take your eyes off of (in the best way possible), and I need it to release sooner so I can convince everyone I know to read this.

[Skip Ferderber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A “simp,” more or less is described as “someone with excessive sympathy and attention toward another person, typically to someone who does not reciprocate the same feelings, in pursuit of affection or a sexual relationship.” In other words, meet Raj, the anti-hero star of this remarkable novel, “The Simp,” who takes on Hollywood while crawling from his belly, a gay man from an upper middle class home in India who migrates to Hollywood in hopes of finding a career as an actor.

Such is not his fate after years of chasing roles even as Hollywood begins pivoting to a more race-conscious stance in its productions. Alas. Raj’s obsequious approach to life produces no roles, no creditability, a “career” at a yogurt stand, until he reads what must be the most demanding resume ever published for a personal assistant to serve a cinematic family. It requires a devotion beyond belief, a near-groveling sense of servitude to the family and their many, over-the-top needs. In other words, something that fits Raj’s personality exactly.

He may sweat a great deal, but he is not stupid. He carries on a lengthy campaign to work his way into the plush home and even more plush life of actor/director Jim L_, his wife Anna, who lives uncomfortably in the great man’s (nervous) shadow. Then there’s Peter, their child who seems closer to Raj yhan his own parents. Without the resume required for this job, paying $45,000 a year, Raj lies, makes phony dorsement phone calls to the highly suspicious woman who runs the household. Finally, he has his way. He is hired.

We see this family through Raj’s eye. It’s not a pretty picture. The amount of detail an assistant must handle is mind-boggling including custom food for the family dog that the family’s chef cooks- food that cost more than Raj’s salary. But he is up to the task, constantly smiling, constantly praising, constantly obsequious beyond even the family’s tolerance for that behavior.

And yet, they begin to depend on him. When they take meetings, he is there, but sits in the lobby, waiting like a faithful dog. When they have emotional panic about being invited to the Oscars and where they will be placed, Raj is there to comfort them. And when they get accepted, Raj is invited to go with them, if even to sit in a balcony but not with them.

What they don’t know is that the job description that got Raj his job is a ticking time bomb, especially when Raj becomes upset about his treatment. He is competent enough to make sure the document gets into the right social media hands with a little added gossip about what family it refers to.

Through all of this, Raj has one friend, an actor named Anthony and his wife who genuinely care for him and believe he has the talent to become a great actor. When he dies, unheralded, unknown, something changes in Raj which leads to an explosive final act that none of them could have imagined.

This is a remarkable novel on many fronts. It is about an unusual protagonist with a unique trajectory in Hollywood. It’s also literate as Raj compares his life through the lens of the 19th Century novel “Vanity Fair,” understanding through his reading of it his own complicity in Hollywood’s enduring focus on white privilege, and finally understand what he must do to challenge just his small role in it.

One final note: in the author’s acknowledgements, he credits someone, presumably his life partner “[who has] given me everything including his life story, which I have ripped off to compose this novel.” Let the gossip begin, even as the bids roll in to make a terrific movie of this most Hollywood of stories.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️

This was such a strange book. This is about a gay man from India, who wants to desperately become an actor. Instead, he lies and manipulates his way into the lives of a Hollywood-elite couple as an assistant where he continues to lie and manipulate things, depending on how he’s feeling in the moment with the hope that he will somehow get his shot. Over and over again he finds himself in situations where he is surrounded by mostly white people and as uncomfortable as it makes him feel at times, he desires to be among them.

When I first picked up this book, I picked it up because I thought the name was interesting and I liked the cover. I had no idea who the author was. As I was reading this book, it did become apparent to me that this was somewhat based on real experiences or semi autobiographical. There was just a lot of information that seemed like it came from somebody who had inside information and who had experienced similar situations. When I finished reading the book, I decided to do some research on the author and found that although it wasn’t necessarily his experiences (even though it would not surprise me if he also experienced some of these situations), a lot of what he wrote about he says was based off of his husband‘s experiences. That shed a lot of light on the book.

The prose in the novel is easy to read and follow along. I found that each of the characters had very distinct voices. I also very much enjoyed the relationship that was developing between Raj and Peter. It was very heartwarming and probably my favorite part of the whole book. I wish Raj’s background was explored more because I also found that very interesting.

That being said, I did not care for a lot of the story. I felt that a majority of the time the author was repetitive and instead of showing me, told me. I also felt like the main character was overall awful. In fact he’s pretty insufferable. Anytime you even begin to feel remotely sorry for him or to even empathize with him, he does something truly awful. He was really hard to connect to. In fact, there aren’t any characters in this book that are really likable. I don’t mind there being an unlikable narrator or an unlikable main character. I do prefer to have at least one character in the book that is at least relatable. I don’t feel like that is in this book. It did seem like this character had a great background story, but it wasn’t explored enough for me to care or latch onto. The main character was almost as awful as the people who were being awful to him. He was mistrustful, sneaky, manipulative, and inconsistent. Just when I thought he had a redeeming characteristic, he would turn around and do something else that was awful.

This book has a lot to say I just don’t think it did it very well. I don’t think it followed through with the points it was trying to make. There’s a lot that could’ve been explored that was only touched on in a surface level way which was disappointing.

But this was a debut novel for this author and I think he has a lot of potential to write a great book so I would probably read from this author again.


***Thank you NetGalley, Roshan Sethi, and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.***

[Sandy Quill · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Sim0n & Schuster for the ARC of "The Simp" in exchange for an honest review.

Disturbing, cringe inducing, vicious and unforgiving in its satire.......and ultimately, a sad depressing commentary on its lead character and the shark infested waters of the toxic ocean he chose to swim in.

But once I started "The Simp", I couldn't turn away from it. Readable to the max, the book felt like I'd spent time rubbernecking a horrendous one car traffic accident happening in slow motion.

Flawed as he is, I felt compelled to follow the calamitous journey of struggling actor from India Raj Ladlani. Raj is but one of multitudes of aspiring (and perspiring) actors trying to break into L.A.'s film and TV industry......where actors have a better chance of hitting the PowerBall Lottery than snagging even a small role. Raj tries to persevere, knowing that if ever given the opportunity, he's capable of gifted work. And he's encouraged by Anthony, his beloved mentor and acting coach.

With the goal of a flourishing acting career more likely out of his reach than ever, Raj takes on a different kind of performative work...... ..getting hired as an administrative assistant to a married Hollywood power couple, an impossible job that's a combination of personal secretary and indentured slave. Raj plays the role of a groveling, simpering, always solicitous toady so well that he actually annoys and confounds his employers. Film director Jim and his wife Anna,, both working on scripts, treat Raj with a mixture of entitled contempt alternating with surprising moments of friendship and dependency.

But through all his time spent with Jim and Anna, Raj struggles to contain the simmering anger boiling within him and the urge to break away from the 'Simp' role he's playing in real life all to0 well. And when he finally does.......the chain reaction of events becomes nothing like anyone would expect.

Author Roshan Sethi creates a truly one-of-a-kind character in Raj, whose efforts to become the hero of his own story keep you in a state of constant wincing on his behalf. The book's cleverly set in the early post-COVID years, with the film industry's oncoming embrace of diversity and representation. The knowing, witty evisceration of Hollywood power players and the pampered bubble they live is brutal......(and given their behavior and the general quality of their creative output, well deserved..)

Fascinating from beginning to end and not kidding about its declaration as 'a novel without a hero'. But I still couldn't stop reading to the very last bittersweet moment.

(My others reviews can also be found at www.thesandyquill.blogspot.com)

[Roslyn Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was granted The Simp by Roshan Sethi as an ARC from NetGalley, and I’m really glad I did because this was also my first time reading this author, and it definitely won’t be my last. From the start, Raj is one of those characters who’s almost INSUFFERABLE but somehow still compelling. He’s delusional, self-serious, and clinging to this idea of his own greatness despite having…very little to show for it. And yet, I found myself weirdly rooting for him? Or at least fascinated by how far he was going to spiral. The setup is fantastic: a struggling actor lands a job as a personal assistant for a mysterious “Hollywood Family,” and things quickly unravel into something absurd, satirical, and increasingly chaotic. The “H Family” dynamic is where the book really shines. Jim H and Anna H are exaggerated in a way that feels both ridiculous and just believable enough if you’ve ever side-eyed celebrity culture. Their world is hyper-specific, privileged, petty, image-obsessed and Raj stepping into it feels like watching someone gleefully walk into a trap he absolutely built for himself. What I appreciated most was the sharpness of the writing in this novel. It’s funny, but in a dry, uncomfortable way more “oh no” than laugh-out-loud. There’s a constant undercurrent of secondhand embarrassment and tension, especially as Raj’s lies start stacking up. The satire around Hollywood, identity, ambition, and even performative “meaning” in creative spaces felt on point without getting too heavy-handed. Anna H’s secret project added an extra layer that took things in an unexpected direction. I won’t spoil anything, but it deepens the story beyond just a workplace satire and pushes Raj into territory that’s messy and a little painful to watch.
The only reason this isn’t a full 5 stars for me is that the pacing felt a bit uneven in the middle, and Raj’s internal monologue occasionally ran long in a way that slowed things down. But honestly, that’s a small complaint in what was otherwise such a sharp, entertaining read.
So glad I was granted this book and I look forward to reading more from this author!

[Nick Artrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested and received an eARC of The Simp: A Novel Without a Hero by Roshan Sethi via NetGalley. Raj Ladlani is an aspiring actor who cannot get ahead. He has reasons to believe he’s very talented, his acting coach Anthony tells him so, but he's stuck working at Yogurtland. When he spots a job advertisement detailing a parade of menial responsibilities for a "Hollywood Family", however, Raj decides the job must be his. After worming his way into the role, Raj becomes the executive assistant to Jim, a macho director determined to prove himself as an artist, and Anna, his much younger wife. It's isn't long before Raj's momentous employment takes a turn for chaos and destruction.

A gay protagonist who compares himself to Amelia Sedley when he clearly thinks like a Becky Sharp? Darling! Yes! When I tell you I nearly instantly fell in love with Sethi's The Simp, I am not exaggerating. Like in Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, Sethi is not afraid to make a mockery of his own characters. Raj is a complicated fellow! I couldn’t decide whether I felt sorry for him or wanted to take him by the shoulders and shake him until he snapped out of it! Despite all of his quirks and poor decisions, I couldn’t help but root for him. Anna and Jim, both utterly absurd and frighteningly realistic, come alive beautifully on the page.

Every page of The Simp is dripping with biting satire. Sethi tackles important issues surrounding power, class, race, and cancel culture in the most magnificent way. There’s a constant thread of tension running through the narrative that feels especially strong in scenes with the unpredictable Jim. There were several moments when I was actually quite nervous for Raj, with the possibility of him being caught in a moment of indiscretion or in Jim’s wrath always dancing around in the back of my mind. This tension, however, is made bearable by the tremendous humor that colors the story. The Simp is a thematically rich and entertaining novel that feels like watching a trainwreck in slow motion. I loved every single page!

[Skyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so very much to Roshan Sethi, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for offering me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

While I was intrigued by the premise of this novel prior to starting it, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that author Roshan Sethi has led an incredibly multifaceted life--he is a practicing doctor, and even co-wrote a television show that I enjoyed back in the day (The Resident).

Moving on to his new creation, The Simp follows our not-quite-a-hero, Raj, who is a very unemployed very underpaid aspiring Hollywood actor looking to make his big break. Desperate to make his dreams come true, Raj does absolutely everything he can to get even a simple job as an assistant with an elite Hollywood family. The cost of this little job? His dignity and his sense of self. Utter chaos ensues.

This story is giving off a heavily meta vibe, since the main character appears to in part be inspired by the author...and maybe things that he has felt or witnessed in life as a gay Indian man in the United States. Throughout the novel Raj lies, cheats, and makes himself smaller just to please those around him. He becomes a caricature of himself--the stereotype of an eager to please mindless Indian boy, a Simp, if you will. This was a lovely read and I enjoyed getting to know all of the absurd characters throughout. From the warmth of Raj's mentor, to the naïveté of his boss' son, I really get a feel of the mindset that Raj might have had when interacting with each character. The way he code switches and improvs his "selves" to suit the situation just shows how good of an actor he is, even if he does not believe in himself. It was fascinating to read through this dynamic, and I feel like the ending was earned.

On another note, this will probably be fixed in the final release, however I would like to note that I did notice a few typos throughout the book. Not misspellings, but whole phrases or sentences being repeated in a row. As an example, this can be seen in Chapter 4, when Raj discusses "transference".

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Simp follows Raj, an unemployed actor, as he desperately pursues a new and unconventional avenue into the movie-making industry. After lying about his references and job experiences, Raj continues, through any means necessary, to try to fit the mold of a good personal assistant to one of Hollywood's leading directors and his wife.

This book managed to be both thought-provoking and fun at the same time. It deals with the topics of privilege and racism, in both Hollywood and beyond, while also discussing what it means to actually be truthful in a world built upon appearances. Sethi's writing is smart and compelling, which made it difficult to put this one down. Throughout the novel, there was this thread of just waiting for the other shoe to drop, for someone to trip up in one of their lies, and it made the reading experience incredibly engrossing.

Each character was also incredibly interesting and flawed in a way that was clearly deliberate. No one in this book is meant to be a hero, as the tagline so loudly proclaims from the outset, and Sethi was adept in pointing out their flaws and poking fun at the performance they were all putting on for one another, while also making the reader care about what happened next.

Personally, I did find the ending just the tiniest bit rushed. While it was clear that something was going to happen to these characters at some point, once that thing did happen, I wished we just had a few more pages to explore it and the consequences that stemmed from it.

If you're looking for a novel that is somehow both cleverly insightful and fun at the same time, definitely check this one out. I also think this one would work for anyone who is (rightfully) cynical about the lives of the Hollywood elite. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an Arc of this book!

[Castille · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, without a doubt, one of the most authentic accounts of Hollywood I have ever read. Sethi precisely captures that exact, excruciating shade of humiliation experienced by an upstart trying to claw their way into the entertainment industry. It borders on painful to read, but it is rendered with such biting wit that it manages to stay firmly on the right side of existential angst. Ultimately, it acts as a funhouse mirror, forcing the reader to examine the masks we wear, the roles we play, and whether we're at the top or the bottom of the proverbial food chain, the ways in which we are complicit in designing our own perpetual miseries.

Beyond the industry satire, the novel brilliantly tackles the complexities of race and ethnicity. Sethi levels a ruthless attack on the lip service paid by the left-wing elite—those who claim to champion equity but continuously fall short of being true allies. He dismantles political correctness and capitalism, pointing out the rampant hypocrisies inherent in our media landscape and the "ruling class," while taking cultural appropriation to an entirely new level.

The narrative arc itself isn't particularly unexpected, but this is a book about how things unfold rather than what happens. Tonally, it reminded me quite a bit of Kaveh Akbar's Martyr! (my favorite read of 2024). However, The Simp doesn't aim quite as high philosophically, which actually works in its favor, making it more accessible and less pretentious.

The Caveat: I’m not entirely sure how this will resonate with readers completely outside of this landscape. The absurdism is so particular and distinct that it might not fully land if you haven't lived the Hollywood grind yourself. But for those with an appetite for this specific brand of industry satire, it is an absolute must-read.

[Maine Colonial · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Raj Ladlani has ever wanted is to be a Hollywood actor, but that ship has sailed. He can’t get roles, and the only person who believes in him is his now-ancient acting teacher. When Raj sees an ad asking for a personal assistant to a Hollywood family, he is obsessed with getting the job, even though the ad’s long description of job duties makes it clear that the demands will be absurd and capricious, the hours long, the treatment possibly abusive, and the pay insultingly low. Raj gets creative with his resume and fakes references to get the job.

Though his new bosses—a wildly successful action-film director and his much younger tightly-wound wife—are every bit as awful as a clear-eyed reading of the ad would have indicated, Raj laps it all up, thrilled to be adjacent to the world he has always longed to be part of, even at the price of daily micro- (and not-so-micro-) aggressions.

From this setup, the book develops into a biting satire of Hollywood, with its empty competitiveness, grossly conspicuous consumption, performative virtue, and neuroticism. But more than that, it’s an emotionally raw exploration of race and privilege, especially as experienced in an ostensibly welcoming place. Raj’s mental state becomes increasingly unstable, at the same time as his employers’ pretenses begin to crumble.

Raj is not a hero, but he becomes such a vividly drawn character that he draws sympathy even when he is at his worst. The author draws parallels between Raj’s world and that of Thackeray’s Vanity Fair. If you’ve never read that book, don’t worry, the connections come out through the course of the story. I’ll also say the book reminded me just a little bit of the film Parasite.

Funny and painful, this is an impressive debut novel that I expect will garner a lot of attention.

[priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Simp is hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure. Each time I sat down to read, I was fully engrossed in the world of Raj, a down-on-his-luck aspiring actor and unreliable narrator entirely consumed by his desperate hunger for success. As he gets closer and closer to true stardom via his tedious, unnecessary work as an assistant to an absurd Hollywood couple (I would love nothing more than to know which real life celebrities inspired these characters), he begins to unravel in ways both predictable and shocking.

I’m familiar with Roshan Sethi’s razor-sharp cultural commentary about the current state of the film industry and its murky relationship to race, so I had high hopes for a satire written through his lens—and as I expected, The Simp is smart enough to accurately capture the post-2020 white perspective (inclusive of, but not limited to: guilt, pity, fear, resentment) towards people of color in Hollywood. Sethi doesn’t shy away from pointing out the hypocrisy of people like Jim and Anna L— who, like so many others, jumped to publicly align themselves with DEI initiatives without ever actually making a single change.

I know the tagline is “A Novel Without A Hero,” but I felt nothing but sympathy and tenderness (and a heavy helping of secondhand embarrassment) towards Raj. At the end of the day, aren’t we all performing into the abyss, hoping that someone might truly see us?

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for early access!

[B K178 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Simp” is a debut novel by Roshan Sethi, who co-created the TV show The Resident and, more recently, directed the film A Nice Indian Boy. Sethi is clearly talented—a doctor, a director, and an author? I can't wait to see what comes next!

In this novel, Raj is a gay Indian American who had planned to become an actor but ended up floundering. Raj eventually finagles his way into an absurd personal assistant job for a Hollywood couple.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, which explores race, class, performance, and the nature of fame. It reminded me of RF Kuang's Yellowface in that it features morally grey characters and examines who gets to tell others' stories, fame, and the phenomenon of cancel culture.

It also shows how much of life can be a performance—or, in Raj's case, he treats his work with celebrities Anna and Jim H. as such. However, they, too, perform in many ways, as do we all. It prompts reflection on opportunity gaps, Hollywood, shifting sensibilities, and even how the industry and our culture performed around the BLM movement instead of creating actual change.

This book makes me think, laugh, and really want to discuss it with others. I definitely would recommend it and believe it would be an excellent book club pick. It balances humor with thought-provoking themes and builds suspense effectively. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[seher · Rating 3 out of 5]

an entertaining satire that was inexplicably gripping. if you go in with clear eyes that the main character is massive mess and are bought into the satire, the book reads like a train wreck you can’t look away from. i’m not that familiar with the inner workings of hollywood and assistant culture, so it was also an interesting read from that vantage point. i kept thinking about how many examples not so far off from the “hollywood family” in this book actually likely exist in real life. it’s a wild world.

what kept me from rating it higher: 1) there often seemed to be confusing usage of certain words that then distracted me, 2) the omniscient narrator at times read as it might be a version of raj and i kept getting confused if i should believe the omniscient’s POV— especially when it seemed to contradict itself, 3) especially given this was written in 3rd person, raj’s character could have been more dimensionalized, 4) while the book was entertaining, i felt like it missed opportunity to move the reader more, even if through humor— it seemed to confine itself to certain register even though it didn’t have to; can’t fully put my finger on it. for example, i think the developments towards the end could have been more fleshed out or their consequences more realized vs. kind of tacked on— that could have lent really interesting narrative texture, i think.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was good. I’m putting a 4 here not because I think it’s necessarily a 4 star book, but because I know it’s not a 3 star book. As always, the lack of half star options on goodreads strikes again.

I enjoyed a lot of the bones here. The themes of race and class were well done and the characters were consistent in the messy roles they played. I found myself sympathizing with many people in the book, even the “bad” ones, which I do feel is a testament to Sethi’s writing. At times both funny and thought provoking, the book really brought a lot to the table (including a dictionary to my literal table because oh my I learned some new vocabulary words!). However, at the same time it did feel a bit detached and clinical. Some of the more emotional moments didn’t work for me as they tended to be told so matter-of-factly that it was hard to make them feel real. At the end when there was, in my opinion, a totally valid crashout pending, it felt like the reaction from Raj was not strong enough to suit the character. He, in my opinion, had greater reactions to lesser transgressions previously in the book.

Nonetheless, if character-driven books that tackle race, class, and celebrity culture are of interest to you, this may be the book for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me access to the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Sacha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

After reading the first book in the series, I knew what to expect from the follow-up: good food, mystery, murder, and entertaining quips. Savvy has a lot on her plate (yep) once again, and she is serving (!!!) do not mess with ME from cover to cover.

The most important takeaway for me is that I always thought dying in one's sleep sounded like a peaceful, easy way to go, but now that I know dying from hot sauce is an option, I'll aim for that instead. Nothing in life is better than spicy food. It's a new personal goal, and at least I know I'll have fun on the journey!

This time, Savvy caters a professional event, and someone ends up dead: not the best advertisement for her food! On the upside, this is Savvy, of course, so we know she'll likely be the one to provide the resolution.

I enjoyed this book, the characters, and especially the talk about food. The pacing is a bit slow, but this is still a good time. I'll look forward to Savvy's next dish!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Danielle Prielipp at Simon & Schuster for this widget, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[winnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raj is a struggling actor in LA, despite his unwavering belief that he is incredibly talented and legendary. Working at a frozen yogurt shop, Raj fantasizes about life as a star while clinging onto the words of wisdom from his aging mentor. These fantasies take a turn when Raj stumbles upon a weirdly specific job posting for an assistant job for an anonymous Hollywood couple, thus beginning Raj’s downfall.

Set post-COVID and major BLM movements, The Simp grapples with the film industry’s reaction to embracing diversity and representation in media. Despite this desire for increasing diversity in film, Raj continues to struggle to find roles. Raj is an unlikeable character and the people he works for are even more unlikeable. However, everyone has this belief that they are incredibly self-important, while having little talent to show for it.

This was an interesting take on Hollywood and the role of race and class on the film industry. Sethi’s wit shines through in his satirical approach to chronically online people, celebrities, and cancel culture.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. 

[Lauren (sharonoldsfanclub) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(ARC - out 07/07/26 via Simon & Schuster) (4.5 rounded down) Spiky and sharp satire that touches on racism, celebrity culture, and identity among other topical themes, The Simp follows Raj (or Ray) as he begins a job as an assistant for a wealthy Hollywood power couple. The job, with copious responsibilities and a $45,000 payday, is treated as important and necessary as someone defusing a bomb. Raj himself is an extremely unreliable character (he’s the focal point, but the novel is written in third person). Raj is written as a pathetic liar, someone who sits on the periphery of fame and desperately imagines himself on the other side. The people he works for are vacuous and self-serving and living in a false reality that only Hollywood can provide. This is definitely satire (I think if you like Paul Beatty, you’d vibe hard with this) and it is frequently funny while also making you cringe. I really enjoyed it. It’s a novel with bad people that is fun to read and has something to say. My kind of fiction.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was nervous to read this ARC since I felt its satire would be too high-brow for me. But I had more in common with an aspiring actor, Indian-American simp than I thought possible.

In some ways, this is a satire about Hollywood elites and how they live in a weird world nobody else understands or is part of and in some ways it’s about race. But mostly it felt like the desperation to achieve our dreams.

Raj was not a likable character. He definitely wasn’t a reliable narrator. His employers were in their own reality and jerks. Even his roommates were self-absorbed. The son was cool though. Although we saw hints he was a product of his parents.

The middle to end were much better than the first part. Probably because it took that long to understand Raj. In the end, this book made me think about how inauthentic everyone can be. Acting their way through life. On line in particular.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[hannah ⊹ ࣪ ˖ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what this was going to be about before I started it, but I am so glad I requested this ARC! The Simp is a sharp, darkly funny satire that skewers Hollywood ambition and ego with precision. Raj is an infuriating yet fascinating antihero—delusional, desperate, and completely committed to the version of himself he wants the world to see.

His job assisting the wildly dysfunctional H family spirals into a chaotic, absurd look at wealth, power, and identity, all filtered through his unreliable narration. The humor lands well, but there’s an edge of discomfort that makes it hit a lot deeper.

At times the satire feels a bit repetitive, but overall it’s an entertaining, biting read with plenty to say about performance—on and off the screen! If you like messy antiheroes, unreliable narrators, and stories that poke fun at celebrity culture while exposing its uglier truths, this one absolutely delivers.

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

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
This is about Raj, an actor in training who stumbles across a job posting by an absurdly wealthy and just absurd couple. Raj does everything in his power, and then some, to get the job. However, Raj is always preoccupied with something dark from his past that he hopes never arises for him again.
This is a well written, captivating story about power, racism and how it reaches internally, and emotions all in the meantime. Raj and how he navigates all this explores accountability, the limits of compassion, and what can happen the world makes clear to you that your existence and emotions are too threatening to those in power.
I was hooked right away and excited to turn the page. I've never read anything from this author before but now I will look out for him.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absurdist novel dealing with the effects of power, white privilege and racism in post-2020s as well as highlighting the anxieties of the elites in the time of cancel culture.

Raj Ladlani, 31, gay, from India and dreaming of making it big in Hollywood, isn’t making it. Forced to find alternative employment, he becomes an assistant to a Hollywood family, Jim and Anna L. Jim calls Raj “the simp” because he’s “like a butler too easy to please.” Raj’s finds himself navigating affluent domestic chaos and misguided identity politics. But he himself has secrets. When he finds out he’s being betrayed and being put in a secret project that could have him facing public humiliation cancel culture.

The book is funny, snarky but insightful. It looks at the silly world of Hollywood what happens when the lines cross in the real world. It also shows the marginalization and anxieties of people trying to make it in Hollywood.

Great read.

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