How To Die Famous

A twisty and inclusive YA thriller with all the glitz, glamour, and scandals! Lifting the curtain on the hidden world of big production companies and their media darlings, contrasting what we see on the outside (and what sets social media on fire) with what's really going on. Really enjoyed that! I mean who doesn't love a good scandal or two?

Abel Miller is on his way to Hollywood, having landed one of the lead roles in a major teen blockbuster series, Sunset High. This is the third reboot of the series which has been cancelled before due to a curse that seems to plague the series. Now, as Able heads to begin filming, not only will he be acting, but he will also be surreptitiously reporting back to Hannah Wilkes at the Daily Eye newspaper for he is determined to expose Omnificent, the film company behind Sunset High, and their treatment of its staff. After meeting Lucky, Ryan and Ella, his co-stars, Abel quickly realises that the beneath the surface of the glamour and glitz of acting, there is a very different, much darker world; one that can be deadly.
Having read and loved Benjamin's MG books (Me, My Dad & The End Of The Rainbow (review here), and The Secret Sunshine Project (review here)), and devoured Benjamin's first YA novel The King Is Dead (review here) on a sunbed last July, I was rather giddy when I saw his upcoming YA, How To Die Famous, on NetGalley. I downloaded it immediately, knowing that a train journey to London would be the perfect opportunity to get lost in the Hollywood hills.

From the very beginning, you know that this is going to be a book full of drama with the prologue ending with the sentence 'One of us is dead.' It gives the reader a sense of anticipation and suspense from the very beginning and this carries through the entire book. Far from the glitz and glamour of the film industry, How To Die Famous shines a spotlight on the darker, controlling side of the film industry which made me shudder on many occasions. I know that the book was based on Benjamin's time as a celebrity reporter and is fictional but it did make me wonder how much of this goes on behind the scenes of the film industry; it's a life that many young people aspire to yet one that the book quickly shows readers isn't all that it seems. When you can't leave your hotel without being mobbed by paparazzi; when you can't be yourself and have to live the life you are instructed to, and when you aren't given the time to grieve, all in the name of building audience excitement for the show, it makes you realise that the glitzy outward appearance hides a much darker side; one that is showcased chillingly in this book.

The four main characters are very different from each other and I liked the four person perspective of the narrative. Lucky has recently lost his mother and is finding it difficult to come to terms with this, which results in him backing bad choices, especially in terms of drink. Ryan is a young black actor who is only too aware that this life could end at any moment, and Ella is the girl Omnificent want to be their new leading lady - on the surface she has everything anybody could possibly want but there is much behind the scenes that is making her miserable. Then there is Ryan, the young English actor heading towards his big break, but why is he determined to expose the world he is about to enter?

How To Die Famous is a deliciously thrilling book full of twists, stalkers, curses and suspense that will have you on the edge of your seat. In fact, not only did I read it on the train without pausing, but I also found myself reading it on the tube in London and even whilst at dinner as the book was compelling and utterly unputdownable.

Publishing on the 20th July, How To Die Famous is the perfect summer YA read and I predict that it will be seen around many a poolside this summer.

How To Die Famous is a book you will read in one sitting. It's deliciously scandalous. It keeps you on your toes and is a wild and unpredictable ride behind the scenes of the celebrity world we all love to read about. Benjamin Dean draws on his knowledge from his time as a celebrity journalist to create a jaw-dropping and addictive read.

How do you find out what really happened to your brother when it involves the secrecy of all that Hollywood offers? Well you gain a part in the machine that he worked for and gain trust and hope to expose it all. But along the way how much do you expose of the ones you grow to care about and how much danger are you actually in?

What can I say about this book… what a journey! I fell in love with Abel’s character so quickly and I was on his side the whole way through.

The twists, the turns, so many reveals it felt like a scream movie and that is a compliment!

My only downside was the multiple POVs we were introduced to the back story of four main characters and only one of their storied was wrapped up nicely, Abel’s, I wish we’d have heard how Ella and Ryan felt at the end.

Oooo this one had me hooked from the get go!! Fast paced, well written & wonderful storyline! Such a great YA thriller I was pleasantly surprised by this! Suspenseful & gripping !

How To Die Famous, is Benjamin Dean’s second YA novel, and a queer mystery which will have you on the edge of your seat, with so many twists and turns that even if you predict five of the twists there’ll be five more which will surprise you!
It focuses on four protagonists as they start production on the tv show Sunset High, a supposedly cursed television show currently on its second reboot: The original show caused the breakdown of the star and the 2010 reboot was followed by the star going missing and the death of a crew member from the top of a hotel, it seems destined that this 2023 reboot is doomed.
Abel Miller is hired to be one of the new stars, but he has a secret; Abel isn’t just there to act, he’s there to investigate the death of the crew member, his brother, and to expose the Omnificent production company for being complicit.
Abel is joined by Omni Channel’s best actors who are all going through their own troubles:
Ella Winter is becoming the lead actress of the show, but her inner life is in shambles, she’s fighting to have some autonomy between Omni trying to force her into a soul-selling contract, and with her abusive momager trying to control every decision, including who she’s seen as dating publicly.
Lucky Tate is the teenage heartthrob, with paparazzi and fans following his every move, but really he’s on the cusp of alcoholism, drinking to deal with the accidental death of his mother in a car accident while being chased by paparazzi. He’s been caught by paparazzi on a date with Ella, while still dating Ryan, at least publicly.
Ryan Hudson was the star of Omni but her role is seemingly being snatched by Ella, she has a tough exterior and seemingly no family, she’s had to fight for everything she got amid the racism of casting and racist views, as well as a new stalker making her home feel unsafe. Now with Lucky cheating on her it seems that she’s being pushed aside by everyone.
Abel has to work with the other three, while also passing on information about them to get help with his own attempt to get justice for his brother.
Dean used his background in celebrity journalism to portray a realistic inner world of celebrity, and working on a television set, in all its fake glory and lack of morals in an attempt to get viewers.
I absolutely loved this book. Having read and loved his previous YA book, The King is Dead, my standards for it were high, yet somehow he managed to not just meet but surpass them. The relationships formed between the characters are so natural, and the four eventually fit together like s puzzle, Dean also shows them being both young adults and mature for ages due to their backstories and working in the industry. He also shows the effects of grief and living under the spotlight on people, as well as being forced to stay closeted.
I look forward to any and every Benjamin Dean YA novel now!

An incredibly twisty and suspenseful mystery that has you on the edge of your seat. This was great and had me hooked from the first page, I loved the idea of a 'curse' and a long-term mystery. How To Die Famous is truly unputdownable and I read this in one sitting and I didn't see the end or all the twists coming. Overall this is an amazing YA thriller that I highly recommend.

Just finished this after reading this in one afternoon and I have to say I enjoyed it more as it went on! When reading a book about a tv show, you expect the book to be mainly centred around the events of the show but I didn't feel that with this book. I really enjoyed getting to know the different characters and all their back stories and was so glad that Abel got the justice his brother deserved. I also found the twists in the last 100 pages or so incredibly gripping and enjoyable, especially the epilogue! That ending!!! I don't know if I love or hated that it ended on such a cliffhanger. Probably my favourite Benjamin Dean book yet so I recommend if you've enjoyed his other books!

Very much enjoyed this! Loved how gay it was and the characters were brilliant. Favourite character was Ryan - she’s one of those characters who you just think ‘yeah, sure’. Love Benjamin Dean’s books and would recommend this to anyone who asked me!

With HOW TO DIE FAMOUS, Benjamin Dean delivers another pacy, hard-to-put down thriller that delves into the pressures put on those in public view,

This is a book all about how Hollywood, production companies, and the culture of celebrity gossip manipulates stories and invades privacy in order to sell media. It also explores how companies treat people like rubbish and discard them when they are no longer profitable - or begin to stand up for themselves.

It's sharp and uncompromising about how it portrays the effect this has on young actors and their mental health. Benjamin Dean is clearly drawing on his years as a celebrity reporter to make both the tangled lives that result from the pressure and the way it's all reported feel so painfully familiar. There's no dignity in it, from either the press or the production companies, no sense that these people are people to these bodies.

The book is mainly told from the perspectives of the four teen actors at the front of the show, revealing their different experiences and pressures. It's really good at humanising them so you can see why they might act as they are, see the different sides of the story. Plus you're rooting for these actors who are being pitted against each other in order for the production company to maintain power to come together to take it down.

Here and there, there are chapters from other characters' perspectives. These are when the events are being narrated to the main characters, in order to make the events more emotionally impactful, rather than being filtered through the listener's ears. It gives the chapters an imediacy.

It is also a twisty thriller to find out exactly what happened to Abel's brother and the other people who have been tangled with the production company's attempts to launch this show over the years. It's a mystery to keep you guessing - and then wondering how they're going to take those responsible down.

I was so excited to have been sent an ARC of How to Die Famous by Benjamin Dean, by NetGalley. This book is classed as a YA Mystery and is set to be released in July 2023.

This book needs a Netflix adaptation and a sequel, like, yesterday, and it hasn’t even been released yet!!!!

Honestly, I think I have a new favourite book. I was immediately drawn in by the premise and the opening of the novel does not disappoint. I loved everything about this book, I found the twists (both good and bad) absolutely thrilling and found myself immersed in the world of all things Omni. Anybody who loved books like One of Them is Lying or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder will definitely love this book and I cannot wait for it to be released.

This is a great story about the realities of Hollywood and how young stars navigate their way through the minefield of showbiz.

The story follows four young starlets all signed with a huge Hollywood studio in reviving a popular but cursed TV show. There is mystery, scandal and lots of drama. And although this is purely fiction, when reading it feels like it could be reality. It is compelling, exciting and was fantastic to the very last page.

As a secondary school librarian this is the exact sort of book which the kids love, so I can’t wait to have it available to them. I’m also hoping there will be sequel, as I’d love to know what happens next.

How to die famous
By Benjamin Dean
Published by Simon & Schuster Ltd

This YA thriller about the pitfalls of instant fame in the TV arena is an absolute page turner! Brought to us by the award-winning author Benjamin Dean, we are introduced to the four main characters and a suspicious death to investigate. But all is not as it first seems. As the characters unveil themselves and their involvement within the industry is peeled back, layer by layer, each one has their own demons to keep under wraps.

When Abel Miller’s brother dies, he is determined to find the real answer - this was no accident. So juggling his Hollywood role & answering to a journalist on speed dial, Abel makes it his mission to expose the TV industry and make them pay as revenge for his brother’s murder.

This deliciously dark and addictive YA thriller follows the lives of the young, rich and famous through relationships, loves lost alongside struggles to stay alive.
Who are these actors beneath their scripts?
Why does everyone have something to hide?
What will become of these four teenage heart throbs?
Who will be next to die?

With thanks to Dean’s previous career as a celebrity journalist, we get the inside and outside story, up close and personal! Glamour and glitz, sit side by side with dark and daring, secrecy and scandal - read on for a fabulous showbiz ‘guess who’ with many a twist and turn! Nothing is as it seems on the surface,; congratulations Dean.

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.

#Netgalley

How to Die Famous is a YA thriller novel about the lives of four young celebrities involved with the reboot of a popular show which is believed to be cursed due to its actors encountering disasters over the years. We meet four main characters, Abel, Lucky, Ryan, and Ella, whose POV we explore throughout the novel as the clues for the reveal at the start of the book all start to add up. However, the reveal seems to have more to it and we find this out as we read further into the novel, leading up to the events at the end. The plot twists were absolutely amazing and had me shocked at every turn, as every time I thought I had figured out what was going on, something else happened and changed my perception. There is a bonus end reveal which I definitely wasn’t expecting, and I am hoping it leads to more because it’s a fantastic cliffhanger! I don’t frequently read thrillers but I have loved Benjamin Dean’s other books and knew I would love this one too. I’m glad I got the chance to read this and would definitely recommend it!

5/5⭐️ How to Die Famous was a book I absolutely devoured! This queer mystery was suspenseful and engaging and had you constantly guessing. I loved the characters and was rooting for them all the way through; the side of romance was perfect and there were many moments that had me giggling. I also appreciated how the author included some of the characters dealing with grief and how they supported each other, it was heartwarming to read.

This book follows the viewpoint of each of the court protagonists: Abel, Lucky, Ella and Ryan, and having the story told from each of their POVS really made everything come together. They are all to star in the supposedly cursed show called Sunset High and as they embark on this journey they learnt there’s more to the curse than just myth. Murder seems to follow the production company, Omnificent and after his brother suffers an “accidental” death whilst working for the company, Abel sets out to find the truth.

Each revelation had me shocked especially the ending, I didn’t want to stop reading. This story of secrets, lies and murder will keep you hooked from the very first line until the end