Sometimes a fluffy kind of silly rom-com is exactly what you need. Sometimes you want to bite into a story with a little bit more angst and real, complicated emotional baggage. That’s what you’re getting with Some Kind of Famous by Ava Wilder, and it is wonderful.
Some would say Merritt Valentine is washed up. She used to be famous, once upon a time. Then she had a very public breakdown and hasn’t made any music since. She recently moved to the same small town as her sister. That’s where she meets Niko – a Greek god of a handman who is actually from Greece. But with her history and tendency to leave hearts broken and bleeding in her wake, she doesn’t want to get involved. She promises her sister, even, that she won’t make things complicated for them in this oasis of a town. But there’s an undeniable connection there, and every time they get into the same room, chemistry fizzes and sparks.
I love this book. Both lead characters are smart and well-rounded and are trying to do the right thing, whatever that is. Their journey to one another is jumbled and clumsy and start-and-stop. It felt real. It felt honest.
The one part of the story that kind of irked me was Merritt’s sister. I can see where she’s coming from, but she really goes pretty hard at Merritt, not really trying to see both sides of the issue. She could have taken that down several notches and still gotten her point across, but that’s not always how family’s work, is it? It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility in the real world, so I’ll forgive the intensity of that big scene between sisters.
If you’re looking for a great romance novel with characters who will stick with you for awhile after you turn the last page, this one fits that bill! Thank you, Dell, for the opportunity to read this one early!
Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Details
Title:: Some Kind of Famous
Author:: Ava Wilder
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Dell
Length:: 432 pages
Audio Length:: 12h 2m
Audiobook Narrator:: January LaVoy
Published:: October 28th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars
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