Make Me Famous Review

Posted on January 26, 2026

Cléo wants one thing: to become a famous singer, and she will do anything to get there. Stardom may be a cutthroat, backstabbing industry, but to Cléo, it feels like her calling.

Once she finally reaches the popularity and money she believes she rightfully deserves, the work of maintaining her celebrity comes with fatal consequences. While on her first vacation in years in the South Pacific, Cléo reflects on the past six months that led her there.

Cléo is a villain who punishes everyone, including herself, to get what she wants. Watching her mask fall as fame takes hold is unsettling and magnetic. This isn’t a story about an industry destroying a celebrity; there’s no underdog here—only a villain.

And still, she wants to convince you she’s the victim.

Reading from Cléo’s POV is darkly fun because she genuinely believes she is the only competent person in the room, the only one with what it takes to be truly great. Everyone else is inferior in her eyes. For every moment she punishes her staff, she also punishes herself for failing to meet her own impossible standards. This self-directed cruelty is one of the novel’s most human moments and helps explain why Cléo is the way she is.

Although this isn’t the first translated book I’ve read, it was the first to include the translator’s notes on her experience working with the author. I loved this addition as it felt like a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how translation works in the publishing industry.

Lastly, a shoutout to audiobook narrator January LaVoy, who was the perfect match for Make Me Famous. I’ll definitely be seeking out more of her audiobooks in the future.

This isn’t the first book I gave 5 stars, but it did motivate me to make more 5 Star Reviews this year. I hope you guys enjoy this if you choose to read it.