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A Mashad Family Novel
by Candice Jalili
The Princess Diaries meets reality television in a story about fame (the kind you definitely didn't ask for), first love (the kind you didn't even know you wanted), and most importantly, family (the kind you can't live without).
Ever since her mom died, Josie Lawrence has been content with her safe, predictable life. She hangs out with exactly two people: her best (and only) friend, Louise, and her stepdad, Matt. She has exactly one (unrequited) crush on resident high school himbo, Isaac. And she's fully prepared to spend the end senior year preparing for Stanford and actively avoiding anything that reminds her of her mother.
But when Josie discovers that her biological father is the recently deceased Ali Mashad—patriarch of America's original reality TV family, dripping with wealth, fame, and Vogue magazine covers—Josie's "predictable" life is gone quicker than you can say "you're doing amazing, sweetie."
Being a Mashad means that the entire world is now at Josie's feet—desperate to dress her, to photograph her, to know her—opening a door to a world that Josie never expected to find: one with a cute guy who just might be her soulmate, three ridiculous but wonderful sisters, and answers to all the questions she wishes she could ask her mom. But the biggest question of all is: If being a Mashad is the chance of a lifetime, will Josie be brave enough to take it?
"Lines that casually pathologize characters' behaviors occasionally clash with Josie's otherwise conscientious narration. Still, Jalili ascribes depth and nuance to the Persian American cast and, as a treat for die-hard fans of media glamour, peppers the text with tongue-in-cheek nods to Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Gossip Girl, and The Princess Diaries." —Publishers Weekly
"Jalili's YA debut is fast-paced and full of drama. While the characters feel a bit like generic types, and the resolutions are a bit too tidy, the warm moments of familial connection are highlights. Light, pleasurable fare for pop-culture fans." —Kirkus Reviews
This information about Finding Famous was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Candice Jalili is an Iranian American writer whose work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, The Cut, Rolling Stone, Elite Daily, and more. Finding Famous: A Mashad Family Novel is her YA debut. Candice lives in New York City with her husband, where she is a convenient walk away from her cousins and childhood best friend. She grew up in the Bay Area and spends hours of her days FaceTiming her parents there.
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