Member Reviews

This book had me hooked the entire time I was reading it. I was never quite sure what was going on and could not predict how it was going to end. A great thriller!

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From the outset I was unsure of this book. Trust me, I really tried. I even started from the beginning again. I am afraid it didn’t improve. The subject matter was all about self-indulgent people and I found myself quite desperate to unburden myself from the whole sorry lot. I despised each and every one of them. Strong words I know, but I finished the book with a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to read another word about these horrible characters. I am not usually so harsh with my reviews but…

With apologies to the author – just not my thing apparently.

Thank you to the author publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

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A really great storyline played out as if the reader was seeing and hearing the whole story in real life. Tv, media, online, it was all so realistic...or as realistic as a Hollywood crime can get. Kyle Rutkin gives us a suspect who feels as if his life is out of control and he doesn't know where it began. This book screams READ ME!

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I really just loved the way this book was presented. We had magazine articles, direct interviews with friends, Kelly's own interviews, the blog of Kaleb. It was so interesting to read it from so many angles and it was written the same way that a murder show is produced on television. I really liked that.

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What a great book. I love murder mysteries and this book was such a rollercoaster. I didn't know what to expect from this book but I was shocked at how intriguing it was. Definitely a good read.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Really great read. In SHE DIED FAMOUS, Rutkin has given us us a compellingly dark mystery, a peek at the underbelly of stardom, and a exploration of one man's soul. Kelly Trozzo is a superstar (modeled on a combo of Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift) who wants Kaleb Reed to write her story. Kaleb wrote her favorite book, PAY ME, ALICE, so Trozzo thinks he's her man. But she doesn't know the darkness that lies within Kaleb - a darkness that is hard to control - or does she? The story of Kaleb and Kelly's relationship is told though interviews and blog postings, giving the book a fresh, contemporary feel while maintaining an enthralling story line and fascinating characters. I look forward to Rutkin's next book. I'll be first in line.

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Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Everything I heard about this book screamed a 5 star read for me. Celebrity murder mystery, sign me up! However, this story didn't sit with me like I thought it would. I'd like to blame my super busy work schedule for not allowing me the time to read, so when I did I wasn't as immersed in the story as I usually would be. Also, while I usually enjoy books with unique formats, such as this one (interviews, blog posts, news articles), I don't think it worked in this book's favor. It made the story kind of choppy and I was looking for more from it. The ending was a bit of a let down and not what I was expecting from the build up. I may give this book another chance in the future but as it currently stands I give it 3 stars. It had so much promise but it fell short for me.

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What a ride.

She Died Famous still has me trying to figure out truly, who really killed Kelly Trozzo?

This book was a roller coaster of a book for me, it kept me hooked though, the way Kyle Rutkin constructed this book was fabulous. I love the blog posts, the police interviews, the book excerpts, the tabloids and the interviews. It made the pacing absolutely wonderful, which is something that is really important for me personally because if I get too bored, I can put the book down and never pick it back up.

I loved all these different stories twisted into one, it was so fun to try to piece them together and try to solve it.

Also, what a refreshing read from my normal mystery/thriller theme with a Hollywood setting, something about it really felt like fantasy and it was a really great setting in my opinion.



Thanks so much, Netgalley and Greater Path LLC for sharing this copy with me!

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Kyle Rutkin is a new author to me and I had no expectations before I started reading She Died Famous. I have no interest in celebrities or pop stars but something about the description drew me to this book. I loved this book. I loved the story unfolding and not knowing where it would end. It reminds me of early Chuck Palahniuk. It is a very dark story, dealing with all the aspects of human nature that we don’t often talk about. Thank you to NetGalley, Kyle Rutkin and the publisher for my copy of this five star read

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"She died famous" is an incredible book writing-wise ! I was blown away by the way Kyle Rutkin managed to express so many emotions and torments here.

Now, we have a murder mystery, but told from various perspectives. It was pretty innovative, as you read from Kaleb's blog, police interviews reports, magazines reports, and it's styled as such, which made my reading more enjoyable than in a regular book's style. The story is told from differents point of views, but also from different time periods.
I must admit I had a hard time keeping up with what happened when, but honestly, all in all, I still understood everything that was going on really well. It's a wild ride in time and place until the mystery is solved !

I was most impressed with the general direction of this book. It doesn't follow the classic pattern of "good vs. evil" here. We simply have two main characters, very human, with their flaws and issues to fix (or not). All the characters are morally grey, and must fight their own battles. The drama and inner demon-fighting is here, and I'm also here for it. This is really a poor description for it, but, please, read it if only for the tortured characters. They're absolutely enthralling and captivating.

Kaleb is an absolute gem. He's a drug addict, obsessed with a girl, and then with Kelly, and they all intertwine in a twisted relationship, that keeps you reading more and more. I connected a lot with him, for some reason. I just loved the way he was described and how I could embrace all the sides of his personnality.
Kelly is exactly the same type, maybe even more twisted than Kaleb. The fact that she's famous was a great way for the author to bring the reader in the life of a celebrity when the medias are not watching. I'm not saying all celebrities lead the life Kelly does, but it was a good way to show what showbiz can do to a person.

There were two/three things I wasn't really fond of in this book though. First of all, all the detailed sex scenes felt sometimes unnecessary. Sure, they help understand the state of mind of the characters, but I'm certain it could have been conveyed well without them. If you feel uncomfortable with this kind of scenes, you might want to avoid it.
I also wasn't a big fan of the "knight in shining armor saves the princess" thing, even though it's meant to be sarcastic and ironic. I could have done without all the moments where there's a song about that.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this a lot. There are a lot of triggers in it though, so here they are if you want to avoid this type of things : explicit sex, violence, mental issues, drugs, depression, etc... The book is really mature, and brings to life a complex story that made me want to never stop reading it. The characters were briliant, and I really applaud Kyle Rutkin for the way he wrote them. The suspens was up till the very end, and it was worth waiting for. The whole book is an emotional journey, both for the characters and the reader, so if you're not too sensitive, I'd really recommend to read "She died famous" !

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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to.

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This book is not your typical chapter after chapter storyline.It evolves through a blog,newspaper articles etc.Ill admit...it took some getting used to.
I would describe it as a dark thriller which grips your attention.It is a tragic behind the scenes story of a Hollywood star.
Thankyou Netgalley and Greater Path llc for this ARC.

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She Died Famous is a dark and twisted novel of fame, addiction, obsession, inner demons and so much more.

After reading his book, Kelly Trozzo, a young Hollywood star, solicits Kaleb to write her life story. Very quickly they form an unhealthy and dependent relationship of sex, drugs and alcohol abuse. When Kelly is murdered, Kaleb naturally becomes the prime suspect. Through out this book it was impossible to determine what was actually real and I had no idea who killed Kelly or why.

Told through interviews, news articles and a blog, we are sucked into the dark side of the Hollywood lifestyle and fame. I honestly felt like I was watching this train wreck on the big screen.

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#Netgalley #shediedfamous #kylerutkin #booksofinstagram #books📚 #bookstagram this book is a thriller of sorts. It is filled with articles, interviews, and a blog post from a man on drugs and alcohol. While it wasn't a horrible book it left me with more questions than answers. It was a quick, interesting read. I'd say 3/5 stars. #imconfused #whatjusthappened #cansomeoneexplain😂

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Kyle Rutkin came up with a genius plot idea but sadly the execution left me wanting a hell of a lot more.

Two words to describe this book: Disorienting and tedious.

So we have a lot of alcohol and drugs. Like bucket loads. We have a cast of unreliable narrators that all seem to suffer mental illness. We have a story within a story being told only adding to the confusion. We also have Greek mythology making appearances through out. Hence, disorienting. Every chapter is like an LSD trip of epic proportions but this wasn't a good trip folks. Nope, not at all. And it went on forever. Every chapter is the same fucking thing. Our two main narrators: Kelly Trozzo the famous singer and Kaleb Reed the author she hires to write her biography they both have their heads stuck so far up their own selfish asses that I'm surprised they can even walk upright. I mean if I could tell two people to shut the fuck up it would be these two. The both of them are just wretched human beings.

Actually every single character in this book is horrible, horrible, horrible. And what about Kelly's fans the KTroops? Y'all are a little frightening to us sane people. No one and I mean NO ONE should ever follow and obsess over a celebrity like this.

I'll admit I had to skim through some of the drug addled scenes and Kaleb's nightmare visions because who gives a shit, right? Not me. Still though I fought my way to the end even though I didn't give a shit who killed Kelly because good riddance as far as I'm concerned and guess what: The ending sucked! 2 stars for a genius idea (this could have been great!) and for compelling me to the end even though I hated it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Greater Path LLC for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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A thrill ride on the dark side. Every aspect of this book is unique, poignant and an utter train wreck that the reader just cannot walk away from. Kyle Rutkin was able to step into the mind of a seriously disillusioned individual and deliver a fantastic story with a conclusion that will have your head spinning. Absolute must read. 5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this copy of #SheDiedFamous, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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All I can say or think, is wow! I’m obsessed with this book, these character’s, everything. This story was completely captivating. Thrilling, erotic, and mysterious, the author did an amazing job of capturing the multiple storylines and trying everything together in one tantalizing package. The story of an author with a sordid past who meets a child-star, infatuated with his book, are drawn together through a shared love of drugs and an agreement to write her final story. I read this book in 1 day and couldn’t put it down until the end. This was an incredible journey into the dark side of stardom and I would definitely recommend reading it.

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I loved the unique format of this book and how well it worked for the story. The book weaves together news stories, police interviews, blog posts and social media postings. This was an entertaining read, and kept me guessing to find out who the murder was. It’s perfect if you love a good, exciting thriller. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

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This book has been described as, “𝑨 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝑩𝒐𝒓𝒏 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍, in this dark and twisted love story with an unforgettable conclusion.”

Hollywood Superstar Kelly Trozzo is found dead outside of her mansion alongside her manager Barry Monroe. An author, Kaleb Reed becomes the prime suspect due to his obsessive relationship with Kelly. As Kaleb explains his involvement with Kelly, pieces of the puzzle come together to show just how twisted their relationship was.

This story is told through blog posts from Kaleb, celebrity gossip sites, newspaper articles and interviews with Kelly’s closest friends. The cover initially pulled me in, but Kyle Rutkin’s writing style is brilliant. The format of this story made it fast paced and unique as we heard from different characters throughout.

This story was every bit as dark as I hoped it would be and I know I was kept guessing until the very end! Kyle Rutkin gives us a look into the price one pays for fame- and how sometimes our inner demons win.

Thank you Netgalley and Greater Path LLC for sending a copy of this my way. This book was published on 7/30/19.

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