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Make Me Famous
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Expected 13 May 25Daisy Jones and the Six meets Patricia Highsmith in this addictive, intense novel about the brutal and ferocious road to glory, from the award-winning author of My Husband.听
Ever since she was a child, Cl茅o, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone鈥檚 surprise but her own, she overcomes every obstacle and becomes a global superstar with millions of dollars, countless awards, and several Los Angeles villas to her name. But as any celebrity will tell you, getting to the top is one thing; staying there is another.
Now thirty-three years old, Cl茅o is taking her first real vacation in years, on a remote island with no one else in sight. With the never-ending spin cycle of her life finally on pause and no paparazzi peeking out from behind the coconut palms, she can work on her fourth album in peace. Except that with so much time to think, she can鈥檛 help but ruminate on her past鈥攊ncluding how, just six months earlier, things started to go very, very wrong . . .
Taking place between New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and the South Pacific, How to Become a Celebrity is a brilliant sophomore novel from Maud Ventura that dives intoxicatingly deep into the machinations of one woman鈥檚 complicated mind, and her relentless pursuit of fame.
Ever since she was a child, Cl茅o, the French-American daughter of two academics, has had only one becoming a famous singer. Over the years, to everyone鈥檚 surprise but her own, she overcomes every obstacle and becomes a global superstar with millions of dollars, countless awards, and several Los Angeles villas to her name. But as any celebrity will tell you, getting to the top is one thing; staying there is another.
Now thirty-three years old, Cl茅o is taking her first real vacation in years, on a remote island with no one else in sight. With the never-ending spin cycle of her life finally on pause and no paparazzi peeking out from behind the coconut palms, she can work on her fourth album in peace. Except that with so much time to think, she can鈥檛 help but ruminate on her past鈥攊ncluding how, just six months earlier, things started to go very, very wrong . . .
Taking place between New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and the South Pacific, How to Become a Celebrity is a brilliant sophomore novel from Maud Ventura that dives intoxicatingly deep into the machinations of one woman鈥檚 complicated mind, and her relentless pursuit of fame.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 22, 2024
9,859 people want to read
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March 24, 2025
Last year, I read the author鈥檚 DEBUT novel, 鈥淢y Husband鈥�, and despite a low average rating on 欧宝娱乐, I was part of a 鈥渘iche audience鈥� who found the glimpse into this particular French marriage, utterly fascinating. So, I was excited to see that award winning author Maud Ventura had a new novel translated from French to English.
Both book covers feature a glamorous Parisian woman, wearing signature red lipstick.馃拕
And, they share some other similarities as well鈥�
In 鈥淢y Husband鈥�, we have an unlikable, narcissistic French Wife, who is OBSESSED with her husband, and shares the story of her marriage with us in the first person POV.
In 鈥淢ake Me Famous鈥� we have an unlikable, Narcissistic French/American Pop Star who is OBSESSED with FAME (and herself) who shares with us, in the First Person POV, the story of her rise and fall in the cutthroat World of Music.
Both books also feature a 鈥淢IC DROP鈥� final scene as the book closes鉂楋笍
鈥淢y Husband鈥� earned 5 stars from me because I was fascinated by the dynamics of the marriage and remained curious throughout the narrative about where the story was going.
鈥淢ake Me Famous鈥� earns 3 stars from me because I am NOT as intrigued by the ups and downs of the Celebrity lifestyle, and this reads like a self indulgent Memoir, shared by our Pop Star Cl茅o from a Private Island where she is vacationing alone to recharge and write her next album. 馃捒
Which subject captures your fancy more, will determine which of the two books you prefer.
Review for 鈥淢y Husband鈥� : /review/show...
Expected Publication Date: May 13, 2025
Thank You to Harper Via for providing a gifted ARC through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
Both book covers feature a glamorous Parisian woman, wearing signature red lipstick.馃拕
And, they share some other similarities as well鈥�
In 鈥淢y Husband鈥�, we have an unlikable, narcissistic French Wife, who is OBSESSED with her husband, and shares the story of her marriage with us in the first person POV.
In 鈥淢ake Me Famous鈥� we have an unlikable, Narcissistic French/American Pop Star who is OBSESSED with FAME (and herself) who shares with us, in the First Person POV, the story of her rise and fall in the cutthroat World of Music.
Both books also feature a 鈥淢IC DROP鈥� final scene as the book closes鉂楋笍
鈥淢y Husband鈥� earned 5 stars from me because I was fascinated by the dynamics of the marriage and remained curious throughout the narrative about where the story was going.
鈥淢ake Me Famous鈥� earns 3 stars from me because I am NOT as intrigued by the ups and downs of the Celebrity lifestyle, and this reads like a self indulgent Memoir, shared by our Pop Star Cl茅o from a Private Island where she is vacationing alone to recharge and write her next album. 馃捒
Which subject captures your fancy more, will determine which of the two books you prefer.
Review for 鈥淢y Husband鈥� : /review/show...
Expected Publication Date: May 13, 2025
Thank You to Harper Via for providing a gifted ARC through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!
August 1, 2024
LA FIN WHAT THE FUCKKKKKKKK MAUD VENTURA TU VAS M鈥櫭塁RIRE LA SUITE TOUTE SUIIIITE WTFFFFFF
September 26, 2024
je pense que les personnes qui nient le fait que Maud Ventura est une 茅crivaine extr锚mement g茅n茅reuse avec son lecteur, dont les livres offrent un vrai moment d'茅vasion, de frisson et de captivation, qui s'茅clate en poussant tous les curseurs d'intensit茅 脿 fond et qui le fait avec ing茅niosit茅 et finesse, et tant pis si parfois 莽a fr么le le too much parce qu'elle reste toujours coh茅rente et rigoureuse dans sa construction, alors 莽a marche :
1) sont jalouses
2) n'aiment pas le fun
3) devraient se questionner sur leur capacit茅 脿 admettre qu'elles ont appr茅ci茅 un ouvrage de litt茅rature grand public 脿 vis茅e de divertissement
merci d'锚tre venus 脿 mon Ted Parler
PS : je ne g茅n茅ralise que pour rire. peut-锚tre que tu as d茅test茅 ce livre mais que tu es quelqu'un de bien. promis. je pratique juste la gal茅jade. laissez-moi.
1) sont jalouses
2) n'aiment pas le fun
3) devraient se questionner sur leur capacit茅 脿 admettre qu'elles ont appr茅ci茅 un ouvrage de litt茅rature grand public 脿 vis茅e de divertissement
merci d'锚tre venus 脿 mon Ted Parler
PS : je ne g茅n茅ralise que pour rire. peut-锚tre que tu as d茅test茅 ce livre mais que tu es quelqu'un de bien. promis. je pratique juste la gal茅jade. laissez-moi.
April 17, 2025
In this story we follow an insufferable narcissist that believes she's the best, most beautiful, most talented, most accomplished, most cherished musician to have ever lived in all of history.
What she actually is: Most annoying, most self-inflated, most ridiculous, most awful, most vain, most annoying person to have to ever spend time with.
At the start I was really enjoying this but then for 200 pages I felt like I was stuck in a loop that I desperately wanted to end. I become completely exhausted with her.
I'm not a person that finds Hollywood, celebrities, fame and fortune fascinating at all so this was doomed from the start.
That being said, Ventura is such a talented writer who definitely knows how flesh out obsessive characters. I loved her debut, My Husband, but this subject matter just didn't appeal to me. 2 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for my complimentary copy.
What she actually is: Most annoying, most self-inflated, most ridiculous, most awful, most vain, most annoying person to have to ever spend time with.
At the start I was really enjoying this but then for 200 pages I felt like I was stuck in a loop that I desperately wanted to end. I become completely exhausted with her.
I'm not a person that finds Hollywood, celebrities, fame and fortune fascinating at all so this was doomed from the start.
That being said, Ventura is such a talented writer who definitely knows how flesh out obsessive characters. I loved her debut, My Husband, but this subject matter just didn't appeal to me. 2 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVia for my complimentary copy.
March 17, 2025
Ventura channels , aiming to display how our contemporary idea of celebrity mirrors society's neuroses (as she explains ): Protagonist Cl茅o Louvent narrates her rise to international superstardom, as she is pondering her life while on a luxury vacation - she pays an insane amount of money to be left alone on a remote island. We learn about her obsession with attention and power, her unhealthy desire with gaining and maintaining control, her self-hatred and longing for approval. The intelligent pop star knows and uses all tricks of the attention economy, she improves her appearance and exploits her private life - only to lose control over the ever growing dissatisfaction rooted in her inability to fill her inner void.
Maud's debut was great, because it was a psychologically smart investigation into another obsessed woman - this other narrator was obsessing over her husband to find self-worth, Cl茅o obsesses over fame to feel like she counts. Both women are struggling with questions of identity, seeking who they are outside themselves by curating their personas in order to fit a projection of self. In "Make Me Famous", the author has hidden several references to real-life celebrities, their destinies, decisions, scandals, and images, among them Hailey Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Macauly Culkin, Britney Spears etc. I love these kinds of puzzles in my fiction, I enjoy hunting clues and ponder how an author has altered details and why.
Still, large parts of the plot are rather predictable, and Cl茅o is crafted as a caricature, leading to satirical episodes about the abuse of power, losing the sense of reality, manipulation and outright viciousness. But especially because she is an unreliable narrator, Cl茅o's descriptions could have bordered less on self-aware narcissism and ruthless attention capitalism, as this takes away space from the readers to infer messages themselves: It renders the text less impactful than it could have been.
Still, France can be proud to have young authors like Maud, and I can't wait to read her next effort.
Maud's debut was great, because it was a psychologically smart investigation into another obsessed woman - this other narrator was obsessing over her husband to find self-worth, Cl茅o obsesses over fame to feel like she counts. Both women are struggling with questions of identity, seeking who they are outside themselves by curating their personas in order to fit a projection of self. In "Make Me Famous", the author has hidden several references to real-life celebrities, their destinies, decisions, scandals, and images, among them Hailey Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Macauly Culkin, Britney Spears etc. I love these kinds of puzzles in my fiction, I enjoy hunting clues and ponder how an author has altered details and why.
Still, large parts of the plot are rather predictable, and Cl茅o is crafted as a caricature, leading to satirical episodes about the abuse of power, losing the sense of reality, manipulation and outright viciousness. But especially because she is an unreliable narrator, Cl茅o's descriptions could have bordered less on self-aware narcissism and ruthless attention capitalism, as this takes away space from the readers to infer messages themselves: It renders the text less impactful than it could have been.
Still, France can be proud to have young authors like Maud, and I can't wait to read her next effort.
April 15, 2025
A sociopathic and narcissistic French American woman will do whatever it takes to make it as a popstar!
Cl猫o has dreamed of becoming a famous singer her whole life and is determined to succeed at all costs. Once she achieves her goal, she is determined to stay relevant. From her first vacation alone on a remote island, thirty-three-year-old Cl猫o details her rise to stardom in a long monologue. But it soon becomes clear she is a bit unhinged. Culminating in a shocking ending, Maud Ventura鈥檚 Sophomore novel exposes the secrets of stardom and the price one pays for it.
I did it again鈥 just couldn鈥檛 help myself! I was going to skip this book, but when the audiobook became available on NetGalley and I saw that January LaVoy voiced the narration, I just HAD to read it! Ventura鈥檚 first novel, 鈥淢y Husband鈥� received 5 stars from this reviewer, so I took the gamble.
January LaVoy NEVER disappoints! Thanks to her fabulous narration, I was able to plow through this 352-page monologue.
As in 鈥淢y Husband,鈥� 鈥淢ake Me Famous鈥� includes an unhinged unreliable narrator and a mic drop ending. While I enjoyed this book, it didn鈥檛 work as well for me as her first. I didn鈥檛 find Cl猫o quite as intriguing and unreliable as the nameless wife in 鈥淢y Husband,鈥� which led to a lack of twists and a bit of predictability in the final scene. However, the ending is mostly satisfying and will appeal to thriller readers.
3.5/5 stars rounded up
Expected publication date: 5/13/25
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ARC of Make Me Famous in exchange for an honest review.
Cl猫o has dreamed of becoming a famous singer her whole life and is determined to succeed at all costs. Once she achieves her goal, she is determined to stay relevant. From her first vacation alone on a remote island, thirty-three-year-old Cl猫o details her rise to stardom in a long monologue. But it soon becomes clear she is a bit unhinged. Culminating in a shocking ending, Maud Ventura鈥檚 Sophomore novel exposes the secrets of stardom and the price one pays for it.
I did it again鈥 just couldn鈥檛 help myself! I was going to skip this book, but when the audiobook became available on NetGalley and I saw that January LaVoy voiced the narration, I just HAD to read it! Ventura鈥檚 first novel, 鈥淢y Husband鈥� received 5 stars from this reviewer, so I took the gamble.
January LaVoy NEVER disappoints! Thanks to her fabulous narration, I was able to plow through this 352-page monologue.
As in 鈥淢y Husband,鈥� 鈥淢ake Me Famous鈥� includes an unhinged unreliable narrator and a mic drop ending. While I enjoyed this book, it didn鈥檛 work as well for me as her first. I didn鈥檛 find Cl猫o quite as intriguing and unreliable as the nameless wife in 鈥淢y Husband,鈥� which led to a lack of twists and a bit of predictability in the final scene. However, the ending is mostly satisfying and will appeal to thriller readers.
3.5/5 stars rounded up
Expected publication date: 5/13/25
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ARC of Make Me Famous in exchange for an honest review.
January 23, 2025
ARC for review. To be published May 13, 2025.
4 stars.
In this, the sophomore effort from the author of the hit MY HUSBANDS (which I didn鈥檛 read), which was translated from the French by Gretchen Schmid, Cleo Louvent (nee Johnson) is the daughter of a French academic and an American Egyptologist and an overachiever raised in Paris. All she has ever wanted is to be famous and she has worked toward that end from a young age. After floundering for awhile she finally made it, becoming a global sensation as a singer/songwriter, but for Cleo it was fame for the sake of fame. How do you stay on top?
The perspective is from Cleo at age 33, on a three week solo vacation available only to the ultra rich, but very spartan, just a hut, supplies, a satellite phone in case of emergencies and herself. Other than that she is totally disconnected from the world so she can work on her fourth album and she鈥檚 also looking back over her life, especially the last six months, where it all seemed to start going wrong.
I enjoyed this. The ending was a bit abrupt and a bit of a surprise to me, interesting. I am wondering if, in some small ways, Cleo鈥檚 life mirrored a bit of Maud鈥檚 when Maude was suddenly lauded last year for her debut novel (not exactly a stadium of fans, but I鈥檒l bet things are different for her now.)
4 stars.
In this, the sophomore effort from the author of the hit MY HUSBANDS (which I didn鈥檛 read), which was translated from the French by Gretchen Schmid, Cleo Louvent (nee Johnson) is the daughter of a French academic and an American Egyptologist and an overachiever raised in Paris. All she has ever wanted is to be famous and she has worked toward that end from a young age. After floundering for awhile she finally made it, becoming a global sensation as a singer/songwriter, but for Cleo it was fame for the sake of fame. How do you stay on top?
The perspective is from Cleo at age 33, on a three week solo vacation available only to the ultra rich, but very spartan, just a hut, supplies, a satellite phone in case of emergencies and herself. Other than that she is totally disconnected from the world so she can work on her fourth album and she鈥檚 also looking back over her life, especially the last six months, where it all seemed to start going wrong.
I enjoyed this. The ending was a bit abrupt and a bit of a surprise to me, interesting. I am wondering if, in some small ways, Cleo鈥檚 life mirrored a bit of Maud鈥檚 when Maude was suddenly lauded last year for her debut novel (not exactly a stadium of fans, but I鈥檒l bet things are different for her now.)
April 5, 2025
This book is all about fame and the consequences that come with it! It is a fictional novel that is about a thirty-three year old woman named Cleo, who always wanted to be famous ever since she was young. This book gave me dark mystery vibes aded with a shock factor. I did not relate to the female main character Cl茅o. While there are positives about becoming famous, there鈥檚 also a lot of negatives that come with it. This book is written in first person point of view . Cl茅o begins to get obsessed with fame and starts spiraling downwards. Overall, I find this to be a reasonable read and found it to be well written! I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars rating.
Thank you to NetGalley, author Maud Ventura and HarperVia Publishing for this digital advanced reader鈥檚 copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is expected to be published on May 13, 2025!
Thank you to NetGalley, author Maud Ventura and HarperVia Publishing for this digital advanced reader鈥檚 copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is expected to be published on May 13, 2025!
September 1, 2024
un roman g茅nialissime.
addictif, palpitant, je me suis retrouv茅e embarqu茅e dans l鈥檋istoire de cette femme-monstre ayant soif de succ猫s.
notre personnage principal est profond茅ment antipathique, mesquin et 茅go茂ste. et pourtant je l鈥檃i ador茅e. le sourire aux l猫vres, c鈥檈st le genre de personnage qu鈥檕n appr茅cie lire mais qu鈥檕n ha茂rait dans la vraie vie.
ce livre raconte la soif de r茅ussite, la c茅l茅brit茅, et tout ce qui fait de nos stars pr茅f茅r茅es des personnes dont on ne pourra jamais 锚tre s没r.es qu鈥檕n les conna卯t vraiment. 脿 travers Cl茅o, on passe en coulisses, on d茅couvre les mensonges, l鈥檋ypocrisie d茅goulinante du monde de la c茅l茅brit茅, c鈥檈st 茅poustouflant tellement 莽a fait peur.
j鈥檃i 茅t茅 脿 la fois d茅go没t茅e, d茅莽ue, de me dire que certaines de ces personnes qu鈥檕n adule sont probablement fausses dans toutes leurs apparitions publiques, que tr猫s souvent tout est calcul茅. mais honn锚tement, 莽a m鈥檃 vraiment permis de remettre les pieds sur terre, de me dire qu鈥櫭猼re fan c鈥檈st 锚tre un peu dans les nuages, que c鈥檈st g茅nial d鈥檌dol芒trer des stars mais que c鈥檈st un monde dont on conna卯t finalement peu les dessous.
j鈥檃i l鈥檌mpression d鈥檃voir v茅cu une exp茅rience sociologique 脿 travers ce livre. je me suis questionn茅e sur le succ猫s, et m锚me sur moi et mes attentes dans la vie. je sens que beaucoup de passages et de r茅flexions vont me tourner dans la t锚te. je ne pensais pas mais je ressors de cette lecture un peu plus lucide sur ce sujet, et sur l鈥檌nfluence des c茅l茅brit茅s et des idoles dans nos vies.
bref 莽a part en dissertation et th茅rapie en m锚me temps mais c鈥櫭﹖ait incroyable !!!!
addictif, palpitant, je me suis retrouv茅e embarqu茅e dans l鈥檋istoire de cette femme-monstre ayant soif de succ猫s.
notre personnage principal est profond茅ment antipathique, mesquin et 茅go茂ste. et pourtant je l鈥檃i ador茅e. le sourire aux l猫vres, c鈥檈st le genre de personnage qu鈥檕n appr茅cie lire mais qu鈥檕n ha茂rait dans la vraie vie.
ce livre raconte la soif de r茅ussite, la c茅l茅brit茅, et tout ce qui fait de nos stars pr茅f茅r茅es des personnes dont on ne pourra jamais 锚tre s没r.es qu鈥檕n les conna卯t vraiment. 脿 travers Cl茅o, on passe en coulisses, on d茅couvre les mensonges, l鈥檋ypocrisie d茅goulinante du monde de la c茅l茅brit茅, c鈥檈st 茅poustouflant tellement 莽a fait peur.
j鈥檃i 茅t茅 脿 la fois d茅go没t茅e, d茅莽ue, de me dire que certaines de ces personnes qu鈥檕n adule sont probablement fausses dans toutes leurs apparitions publiques, que tr猫s souvent tout est calcul茅. mais honn锚tement, 莽a m鈥檃 vraiment permis de remettre les pieds sur terre, de me dire qu鈥櫭猼re fan c鈥檈st 锚tre un peu dans les nuages, que c鈥檈st g茅nial d鈥檌dol芒trer des stars mais que c鈥檈st un monde dont on conna卯t finalement peu les dessous.
j鈥檃i l鈥檌mpression d鈥檃voir v茅cu une exp茅rience sociologique 脿 travers ce livre. je me suis questionn茅e sur le succ猫s, et m锚me sur moi et mes attentes dans la vie. je sens que beaucoup de passages et de r茅flexions vont me tourner dans la t锚te. je ne pensais pas mais je ressors de cette lecture un peu plus lucide sur ce sujet, et sur l鈥檌nfluence des c茅l茅brit茅s et des idoles dans nos vies.
bref 莽a part en dissertation et th茅rapie en m锚me temps mais c鈥櫭﹖ait incroyable !!!!
April 18, 2025
Hmmmm鈥� this is a tough one to review. I can鈥檛 say that I鈥檝e read a novel like this before. It read very much like an Expos茅 in an entertainment or tabloid magazine. But written not by a third-party, but by the celebrity themselves. That鈥檚 basically the nuts and bolts of this novel. Cl茅o has only ever wanted to become a celebrity and will not stop until she makes it to the top .Through a lot of perfection, and I mean a ton of perfection, she ends up becoming a famous performer. She鈥檚 extremely unlikable, and I cringed every time she would speak to people. That is the extent of the novel, following her rise to fame and inner thoughts on how everybody else is beneath her. The author wrote this so well it certainly felt like we were hearing an autobiographical account of Cl茅o鈥檚 life.
Overall, did I like this book? Not really, but it hooked me in instantly and I finished it in less than 24 hours. I also appreciated the uniqueness of it and how well it was written that I felt I was in Chloe鈥榮 mind, even though I didn鈥檛 really want to be! The drawback was nothing really happened.
I will certainly look for other books by this author!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review .
Overall, did I like this book? Not really, but it hooked me in instantly and I finished it in less than 24 hours. I also appreciated the uniqueness of it and how well it was written that I felt I was in Chloe鈥榮 mind, even though I didn鈥檛 really want to be! The drawback was nothing really happened.
I will certainly look for other books by this author!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review .
December 11, 2024
J'ai du mal 脿 donner une note 脿 ce roman. J'ai rarement vu une h茅ro茂ne aussi d茅testable et il ne fait pas bon 锚tre dans sa t锚te. Pourtant, elle fascine et elle nous fait r茅fl茅chir sur la c茅l茅brit茅 et tout ce qui va avec. La fin n'茅tait pas mal du tout!
Want to read
December 21, 2024The author of My Husband has a new book coming out in 2025. Yes and YES!
Preordered!
Preordered!
July 22, 2024
3,5
la fin est un peu d茅cevante et pr茅visible, on tourne un peu en rond dans la deuxi猫me partie et cleo que j'adorais d茅tester au d茅but juste je la d茅testais a la fin et j'arrivais plus 脿 supporter une page de plus sous son pdv. mais c'茅tait tr猫s addictif, 莽a se lit tr猫s bien
la fin est un peu d茅cevante et pr茅visible, on tourne un peu en rond dans la deuxi猫me partie et cleo que j'adorais d茅tester au d茅but juste je la d茅testais a la fin et j'arrivais plus 脿 supporter une page de plus sous son pdv. mais c'茅tait tr猫s addictif, 莽a se lit tr猫s bien
April 10, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! What an unhinged story about an unhinged woman who will do absolutely anything to be famous! This story follows Cleo who from a young age knows that she wants to be famous. We follow Cleo as she writes her first song and moves to New York and how she uses people around her to get what she wants. We also follow Cleo in the future, who is on this private island that only the richest of the richest go to, to be secluded from everything and everyone as she writes her next album. Cleo is so unhinged in her pursuit of fame that she doesn鈥檛 think about how her life will be ruined but in the same breath she can鈥檛 stop trying to be on top. This book had me screaming but also the ending had me shook. This book is definitely for my cool, hot, weird girls. If you know, you know.
January 7, 2025
Excellent !!!
L'ambition d茅vorante, le travail acharn茅, la r茅ussite, le succ猫s, le revers de la m茅daille... Tout y est!
Magnifiquement 茅crit.
J'avais d茅j脿 ador茅 "Mon mari" et voil脿 que j'aime encore plus "c茅l猫bre".
Je vais surveiller de tr猫s pr猫s les prochaines sorties de Maud Ventura.
L'ambition d茅vorante, le travail acharn茅, la r茅ussite, le succ猫s, le revers de la m茅daille... Tout y est!
Magnifiquement 茅crit.
J'avais d茅j脿 ador茅 "Mon mari" et voil脿 que j'aime encore plus "c茅l猫bre".
Je vais surveiller de tr猫s pr猫s les prochaines sorties de Maud Ventura.
September 7, 2024
G茅nial tout simplement ! Maud Ventura a le talent de nous faire d茅tester son h茅ro茂ne sans pour autant nous faire l芒cher l'histoire. Plus elle est d茅testable et monstrueuse plus on en veut ! Et pourtant comme elle est froide, imbue d'elle-m锚me, 茅gocentrique, un vrai gla莽on, m茅chante, on a envie de lui faire mal pour la faire r茅agir un peu et lui montrer que la vie ne s'arr锚te pas 脿 elle Cl茅o Louvent ! Une h茅ro茂ne qu'on adore (???) d茅tester.
La fin est un peu rapide et facile, et 莽a ressemble beaucoup 脿 Mon mari, c'est dommage et 莽a m'a un peu d茅莽u.
La fin est un peu rapide et facile, et 莽a ressemble beaucoup 脿 Mon mari, c'est dommage et 莽a m'a un peu d茅莽u.
July 11, 2024
plut么t 4.5 猸愶笍 je pense parce que c鈥檈st pas non plus un coup de c艙ur (quoique鈥� je vais y repenser) mais c鈥櫭﹖ait vraiment incroyable ! un titre 脿 surveiller d茅finitivement pour cette rentr茅e litt茅raire je vous le dis 馃憖
c鈥檈st tellement bien 茅crit, bien construit, le personnage principal est horrible mais g茅nial 脿 suivre ; on adore la d茅tester. la fin 茅tait 脿 la hauteur de mes attentes et a r茅ussi 脿 me surprendre malgr茅 mes nombreuses sp茅culations.
je lirai Mon mari je pense, parce que l鈥檃utrice est vraiment une tr猫s bonne d茅couverte !!
c鈥檈st tellement bien 茅crit, bien construit, le personnage principal est horrible mais g茅nial 脿 suivre ; on adore la d茅tester. la fin 茅tait 脿 la hauteur de mes attentes et a r茅ussi 脿 me surprendre malgr茅 mes nombreuses sp茅culations.
je lirai Mon mari je pense, parce que l鈥檃utrice est vraiment une tr猫s bonne d茅couverte !!
Want to read
March 5, 2025YES! I am going to be as insufferable as the lady in My Husband when this comes out!
November 25, 2024
J'h茅site entre trois et quatre 茅toiles, parce qu'objectivement j'ai aim茅 me plonger dans ce roman (assez prenant apr猫s tout, on a envie de savoir comment/pourquoi Cl茅o finit sur une 卯le d茅serte) mais j'ai d茅test茅 sa protagoniste environ tout le temps.
Bien s没r, c'est voulu par l'autrice (enfin j'imagine : Cl茅o est quand m锚me une sacr茅e sociopathe, difficile d'锚tre tr猫s empathique 脿 son 茅gard) et 莽a rend le personnage fascinant aussi (un peu comme les faits divers nous fascinent quoi). Le portrait (tr猫s pouss茅) de la c茅l茅brit茅 fait aussi r茅fl茅chir, notamment 脿 nos propres idoles (pour peu qu'on en ait) et peut-锚tre aussi 脿 ce que 莽a nous ferait 脿 nous, si on devenait riches et c茅l猫bre comme Cl茅o Louvent...
Par contre, je suis partag茅e sur ce twist de fin : g茅nie ou pas ? (il me frustre un petit peu je dois dire, mais bon)
En somme un livre fascinant, port茅 par une h茅ro茂ne qu'on adore d茅tester et qui m'a pas mal marqu茅e (mais pour combien de temps, on verra).
Bien s没r, c'est voulu par l'autrice (enfin j'imagine : Cl茅o est quand m锚me une sacr茅e sociopathe, difficile d'锚tre tr猫s empathique 脿 son 茅gard) et 莽a rend le personnage fascinant aussi (un peu comme les faits divers nous fascinent quoi). Le portrait (tr猫s pouss茅) de la c茅l茅brit茅 fait aussi r茅fl茅chir, notamment 脿 nos propres idoles (pour peu qu'on en ait) et peut-锚tre aussi 脿 ce que 莽a nous ferait 脿 nous, si on devenait riches et c茅l猫bre comme Cl茅o Louvent...
Par contre, je suis partag茅e sur ce twist de fin : g茅nie ou pas ? (il me frustre un petit peu je dois dire, mais bon)
En somme un livre fascinant, port茅 par une h茅ro茂ne qu'on adore d茅tester et qui m'a pas mal marqu茅e (mais pour combien de temps, on verra).
March 10, 2025
(4.25/5, rounded up bc I make the rules here)
Read this in less than 24hrs, love it but am still thinking...
Writing-wise it's totally what I expected & wanted from Maud. The more translated lit I read the more I notice nuances in source languages鈥攖his is a beautiful example of French lit translated seamlessly. Had it not been for those cultural differences, you'd swear Anna Dorn wrote this. The snide (and HILARIOUS) remarks, teetering on the cusp of its Overton Window, transitions from one mindset to another coming on subtly鈥攋arringly so (in a good way). Ahh I just love Maud. My Husband (the novel lol) has a special place in my heart as the first translated lit that truly "fooled me" enough I was under the impression its source language was English. I kid you not, it was on my plain 'ol fiction shelf for MONTHS before realizing.
Thank you times a million to Harper Via, I am no joke HONORED to be able to read early without having to fight my son for my kindle the entire time.
Read this in less than 24hrs, love it but am still thinking...
Writing-wise it's totally what I expected & wanted from Maud. The more translated lit I read the more I notice nuances in source languages鈥攖his is a beautiful example of French lit translated seamlessly. Had it not been for those cultural differences, you'd swear Anna Dorn wrote this. The snide (and HILARIOUS) remarks, teetering on the cusp of its Overton Window, transitions from one mindset to another coming on subtly鈥攋arringly so (in a good way). Ahh I just love Maud. My Husband (the novel lol) has a special place in my heart as the first translated lit that truly "fooled me" enough I was under the impression its source language was English. I kid you not, it was on my plain 'ol fiction shelf for MONTHS before realizing.
Thank you times a million to Harper Via, I am no joke HONORED to be able to read early without having to fight my son for my kindle the entire time.
August 20, 2024
Fabuleux ! 茅tait ma conclusion 脿 la fin de la lecture de ce r茅cit jouissif.
Cl茅o Louvent a toujours su d猫s son plus jeune 芒ge qu'elle serait c茅l猫bre, son destin 茅tait d'锚tre une star, ce n'茅tait pas une option, juste sa r茅alit茅, son destin, sa vie.
Depuis ses 4 ans, son obsession est de devenir c茅l猫bre, elle dit qu'elle sera aussi connue que C茅line Dion et elle va tout faire pour y arriver. Elle va au fil des ans braver tous les obstacles et 脿 la surprise de tous sauf d'elle-m锚me devenir une star mondiale. Elle a besoin d'un break, pour d茅connecter, se reposer, se ressourcer, vivre une exp茅rience et trouver l'inspiration pour son nouvel album.
C鈥檈st sur une 卯le d茅serte paradisiaque qu鈥檈lle se rem茅more son parcours, sa foi enfant, la r茅v茅lation de la signification de son pr茅nom lorsqu'elle a 15 ans "Cl茅op芒tre", Kleos = gloire, c茅l茅brit茅 qui la conforte dans cette voie. Elle travaillera dur, ne se fiant qu'脿 elle-m锚me pour y arriver, se punissant dans sa chair 脿 chaque 茅chec. Elle gravira chaque marche, 脿 la conqu锚te de notori茅t茅, argent, gloire, toujours insatisfaite. Atteindra-t-elle enfin ce qu'elle souhaite ?
On rit, on s'attendrit sur la volont茅 et le courage de Cl茅o qui veut se faire toute seule, qui veut tout contr么ler mais on la d茅teste aussi et on se surprend 脿 aimer la d茅tester car c'est une 茅ternelle insatisfaite, orgueilleuse, cynique, narcissique, 茅gocentrique, tyrannique.
La c茅l茅brit茅 rend-elle heureux ? Un beau portrait sur notre 茅poque d茅voilant les coulisses du star syst猫me, ses d茅rives, le pouvoir de l'argent, la solitude, l'envers du d茅cor qui oublie souvent les valeurs essentielles. La gloire, l'argent peuvent-ils tout acheter, procurer le bonheur ? Une fa莽on de traiter la th茅matique tr猫s originale.
L'茅criture est vive, acide, c'est addictif, un livre impossible 脿 l芒cher et la chute finale est remarquable.
Magnifique portrait de notre soci茅t茅, l'occasion de prendre conscience de ses d茅rives et de celles du genre humain.
Ma note : Coup de 鈾�
Les jolies phrases
Le myst猫re cr茅e l'envie.
La solitude est une autre sorte d'enfer.
Il faut avoir de grands r锚ves pour vivre de grandes choses.
Mais, il y a un paradoxe auquel je n'茅chapperai pas : depuis le d茅but, cette citadelle me prot猫ge autant qu'elle m'isole. Plus je suis entour茅e - et plus je suis seule.
J'apprends 脿 锚tre c茅l猫bre mais j'apprends aussi 脿 锚tre riche, et je d茅couvre que la richesse n'apporte pas toujours le sentiment d'abondance.
Par crainte de mal le placer, je jette mon argent par les fen锚tres, et le vrai luxe est l脿.
脢tre victime de son succ猫s.
Le seul moteur des grandes r茅ussites est la frustration. Pour avoir les crocs, il faut un certain degr茅 d'inconfort, ne pas se satisfaire du monde tel qu'il est.
Il n'est pas toujours 茅vident de se r茅jouir du succ猫s des autres, je n'ai jamais consid茅r茅 qu'il s'agissait d'un cadeau qui allait de soi, la jalousie est une pente plus naturelle.
Je cr猫ve d'锚tre admir茅e, mais en silence et sans effusion. En fait, je veux 锚tre regard茅e mais je ne veux pas 锚tre vue - 脿 moins que ce ne soit l'inverse ?
Tant de personnes ne sont pas l脿 o霉 elles doivent 锚tre. On se trompe de m茅tier, on se trompe de partenaire, on se trompe de lieu de vie. Et puis on rectifie le tir. Soudain tout s'aligne, tout s'explique, il n'y a plus ni compromis ni lassitude, les efforts n'en sont plus, rien n'est un sacrifice, tout s'imbrique, naturel, facile, joyeux.
Je souhaite 脿 tout le monde de conna卯tre un jour le sentiment d'锚tre 脿 sa place.
Cl茅o Louvent a toujours su d猫s son plus jeune 芒ge qu'elle serait c茅l猫bre, son destin 茅tait d'锚tre une star, ce n'茅tait pas une option, juste sa r茅alit茅, son destin, sa vie.
Depuis ses 4 ans, son obsession est de devenir c茅l猫bre, elle dit qu'elle sera aussi connue que C茅line Dion et elle va tout faire pour y arriver. Elle va au fil des ans braver tous les obstacles et 脿 la surprise de tous sauf d'elle-m锚me devenir une star mondiale. Elle a besoin d'un break, pour d茅connecter, se reposer, se ressourcer, vivre une exp茅rience et trouver l'inspiration pour son nouvel album.
C鈥檈st sur une 卯le d茅serte paradisiaque qu鈥檈lle se rem茅more son parcours, sa foi enfant, la r茅v茅lation de la signification de son pr茅nom lorsqu'elle a 15 ans "Cl茅op芒tre", Kleos = gloire, c茅l茅brit茅 qui la conforte dans cette voie. Elle travaillera dur, ne se fiant qu'脿 elle-m锚me pour y arriver, se punissant dans sa chair 脿 chaque 茅chec. Elle gravira chaque marche, 脿 la conqu锚te de notori茅t茅, argent, gloire, toujours insatisfaite. Atteindra-t-elle enfin ce qu'elle souhaite ?
On rit, on s'attendrit sur la volont茅 et le courage de Cl茅o qui veut se faire toute seule, qui veut tout contr么ler mais on la d茅teste aussi et on se surprend 脿 aimer la d茅tester car c'est une 茅ternelle insatisfaite, orgueilleuse, cynique, narcissique, 茅gocentrique, tyrannique.
La c茅l茅brit茅 rend-elle heureux ? Un beau portrait sur notre 茅poque d茅voilant les coulisses du star syst猫me, ses d茅rives, le pouvoir de l'argent, la solitude, l'envers du d茅cor qui oublie souvent les valeurs essentielles. La gloire, l'argent peuvent-ils tout acheter, procurer le bonheur ? Une fa莽on de traiter la th茅matique tr猫s originale.
L'茅criture est vive, acide, c'est addictif, un livre impossible 脿 l芒cher et la chute finale est remarquable.
Magnifique portrait de notre soci茅t茅, l'occasion de prendre conscience de ses d茅rives et de celles du genre humain.
Ma note : Coup de 鈾�
Les jolies phrases
Le myst猫re cr茅e l'envie.
La solitude est une autre sorte d'enfer.
Il faut avoir de grands r锚ves pour vivre de grandes choses.
Mais, il y a un paradoxe auquel je n'茅chapperai pas : depuis le d茅but, cette citadelle me prot猫ge autant qu'elle m'isole. Plus je suis entour茅e - et plus je suis seule.
J'apprends 脿 锚tre c茅l猫bre mais j'apprends aussi 脿 锚tre riche, et je d茅couvre que la richesse n'apporte pas toujours le sentiment d'abondance.
Par crainte de mal le placer, je jette mon argent par les fen锚tres, et le vrai luxe est l脿.
脢tre victime de son succ猫s.
Le seul moteur des grandes r茅ussites est la frustration. Pour avoir les crocs, il faut un certain degr茅 d'inconfort, ne pas se satisfaire du monde tel qu'il est.
Il n'est pas toujours 茅vident de se r茅jouir du succ猫s des autres, je n'ai jamais consid茅r茅 qu'il s'agissait d'un cadeau qui allait de soi, la jalousie est une pente plus naturelle.
Je cr猫ve d'锚tre admir茅e, mais en silence et sans effusion. En fait, je veux 锚tre regard茅e mais je ne veux pas 锚tre vue - 脿 moins que ce ne soit l'inverse ?
Tant de personnes ne sont pas l脿 o霉 elles doivent 锚tre. On se trompe de m茅tier, on se trompe de partenaire, on se trompe de lieu de vie. Et puis on rectifie le tir. Soudain tout s'aligne, tout s'explique, il n'y a plus ni compromis ni lassitude, les efforts n'en sont plus, rien n'est un sacrifice, tout s'imbrique, naturel, facile, joyeux.
Je souhaite 脿 tout le monde de conna卯tre un jour le sentiment d'锚tre 脿 sa place.
September 24, 2024
Compl猫tement addictif ! OMG ! 馃槼
August 1, 2024
Oups she did it again 馃馃徎
January 9, 2025
ugh im devastated to be giving this anything less than five stars.. i was hooked by the writing and the storyline but by 50% through it became boring and redundant and painful to continue reading. the plot twists were underwhelming and predictable and the latter half was nearly impossible for me to get through. ventura is so extremely talented but this novel felt like it was a thousand pages long
October 25, 2024
Quel ennui...Pas de style (ah si les parenth猫ses), pas d'histoire (elle aurait pu tenir en 100 pages mais c'est 530), du bla bla et des r茅p茅titions et surtout z茅ro 茅motion... apr猫s Mon Mari qui 茅tait 脿 peine mieux, je renonce aux prochains livres de l'auteure...
October 25, 2024
juste excellent
February 6, 2025
3.5 star rating rounded up!
With My Husband being one of my favorite books of all time, I tried to go into this without comparing the two. It鈥檚 almost impossible because they鈥檙e similar in many ways.
Things I Liked:
Maud Ventura writes an obsessive woman perfectly. There are few things I enjoy more than a literary crash out. The ending surprised me even though I thought it would. I saw another review comparing the storyline to Venturas potential experience in having to follow a mega hit (My Husband) and I was thinking the exact same thing.
What Missed for Me:
This book felt like it was trying to do the exact thing that My Husband did but it didn鈥檛 work quite as well because there was more going on. I felt like there was a ton of lead up with a pretty abrupt ending. I also struggle with contemporary books and this was SO current (mention of glazed donut nails and current celeb name drops) that it took away some for me, which is just my personal preference.
Overall I think this will be a pretty big hit and I鈥檓 so excited to hear what other people have to say!! Thank you thank you thank you HarperVia for the ARC - Maud Ventura I will read anything you write!
With My Husband being one of my favorite books of all time, I tried to go into this without comparing the two. It鈥檚 almost impossible because they鈥檙e similar in many ways.
Things I Liked:
Maud Ventura writes an obsessive woman perfectly. There are few things I enjoy more than a literary crash out. The ending surprised me even though I thought it would. I saw another review comparing the storyline to Venturas potential experience in having to follow a mega hit (My Husband) and I was thinking the exact same thing.
What Missed for Me:
This book felt like it was trying to do the exact thing that My Husband did but it didn鈥檛 work quite as well because there was more going on. I felt like there was a ton of lead up with a pretty abrupt ending. I also struggle with contemporary books and this was SO current (mention of glazed donut nails and current celeb name drops) that it took away some for me, which is just my personal preference.
Overall I think this will be a pretty big hit and I鈥檓 so excited to hear what other people have to say!! Thank you thank you thank you HarperVia for the ARC - Maud Ventura I will read anything you write!
November 28, 2024
une vraie p茅pite c'茅tait incroyable
September 13, 2024
Probablement une de mes meilleures lectures de l'ann茅e! J'ai ador茅 le style, l'茅criture ac茅r茅e, le cynisme, la vision du narcissisme, le caract猫re obsessionnel du personnage, les coulisses de la c茅l茅brit茅, les envers du d茅cor, la folie, la d茅cadence, la critique acerbe, les pailletes... J'ai aim茅 茅galement que ce roman fiction soit le fruit de multiples recherches, interviews, t茅moignages, un travail document茅 et qui nous interroge sur nos c茅l茅brit茅s contemporaines.
Outre le fait que c'茅tait ce livre 茅tait d'une richesse d'茅criture rare, je me suis laiss茅e happer par son personnage, Cl茅o Louvent. Un page-turner 脿 la Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, mais 脿 la plume fine et tranchante, que 莽a fait du bien que de d茅couvrir des auteur.e.s encore dot茅.e.s d'un tel talent!
Outre le fait que c'茅tait ce livre 茅tait d'une richesse d'茅criture rare, je me suis laiss茅e happer par son personnage, Cl茅o Louvent. Un page-turner 脿 la Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, mais 脿 la plume fine et tranchante, que 莽a fait du bien que de d茅couvrir des auteur.e.s encore dot茅.e.s d'un tel talent!
February 4, 2025
WHAT THE HEEELLLLLLLLLLL LA FIN????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ce livre 茅tait vraiment incroyable !!!!!! Une analyse sur la c茅l茅brit茅 et un personnage principal tellement d茅testable qu鈥檕n ne peut s鈥檈mp锚cher de lire et de savoir la suite. Je suis tellement choqu茅e de la fin, Maud Ventura arrive toujours 脿 pondre une fin et un 茅pilogue incroyable qui nous laisse gamberger.
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