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A review by xangemtheelibrarian
Finding Famous: a Mashad Family Novel by Candice Jalili
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ohhhh my god. I thought I was going to hate this. Josie had me ROLLING my eyes at her from page ONE. Isaac. Really?? That guy??? C'MON.
This is a tropey YA romcom with the sweetest, most wholesome cast of characters. Princess Diaries meets the (Persian) Kardashians? Marketing NAILED it. I am not a fan of the Kardashians. I have never seen Meet the Kardashians and I never really plan to. But that being said, they are so prevalent in our society. EVERYONE knows who the Kardashians are. I'm fairly certain they MADE reality TV what it is today. And look at where they are now because of it! The Mashad Family and their show, Making Mashad, is the exact same concept. EVERYONE knows the Mashad Family, whether you watch their show or not, Josie Lawrence included.
When Josie is thrust into the stardom and luxury of being a Mashad, it's practically like finding out she is a secret princess in a previously unobtainable level of society: your Princess Diaries moment.
Josie herself is... Cheese whiz she was such a pick me at first. The way she fawned over Isaac who is CLEARLY not into her, the way she constantly painted herself as superior, the way she consistently tried to make excuses for Isaac and her dad, Matt. She would've had a panic attack if book characters could hear readers screaming at them because I could NOT stop yelling at her to STOP IT ALREADY.
The Mashad sisters are each lovely characters. Every one of them is fleshed out and complex, dealing with fame and the issues that come with having your actual real life aired in front of the literal world. Mary is a complicated character and probably my least favorite protagonist, but she does play her role very well. Actually, NO. Matt is my least favorite character. He's an ADULT and Josie's FATHER yet he acted like the BIGGEST child out of everyone in this story! At least Josie has the excuse of being a TEENAGER.
This book has all the drama of a reality TV show (literally I cannot count the times I gasped aloud or felt my jaw drop at a new twist) and all the wholesome ending of a Hallmark romcom. Every plotline introduced is resolved beautifully, and sometimes "beautifully" just means "family is messy."
Perfect. I loved it. It was such a fun ride!
This is a tropey YA romcom with the sweetest, most wholesome cast of characters. Princess Diaries meets the (Persian) Kardashians? Marketing NAILED it. I am not a fan of the Kardashians. I have never seen Meet the Kardashians and I never really plan to. But that being said, they are so prevalent in our society. EVERYONE knows who the Kardashians are. I'm fairly certain they MADE reality TV what it is today. And look at where they are now because of it! The Mashad Family and their show, Making Mashad, is the exact same concept. EVERYONE knows the Mashad Family, whether you watch their show or not, Josie Lawrence included.
When Josie is thrust into the stardom and luxury of being a Mashad, it's practically like finding out she is a secret princess in a previously unobtainable level of society: your Princess Diaries moment.
Josie herself is... Cheese whiz she was such a pick me at first. The way she fawned over Isaac who is CLEARLY not into her, the way she constantly painted herself as superior, the way she consistently tried to make excuses for Isaac and her dad, Matt. She would've had a panic attack if book characters could hear readers screaming at them because I could NOT stop yelling at her to STOP IT ALREADY.
The Mashad sisters are each lovely characters. Every one of them is fleshed out and complex, dealing with fame and the issues that come with having your actual real life aired in front of the literal world. Mary is a complicated character and probably my least favorite protagonist, but she does play her role very well. Actually, NO. Matt is my least favorite character. He's an ADULT and Josie's FATHER yet he acted like the BIGGEST child out of everyone in this story! At least Josie has the excuse of being a TEENAGER.
This book has all the drama of a reality TV show (literally I cannot count the times I gasped aloud or felt my jaw drop at a new twist) and all the wholesome ending of a Hallmark romcom. Every plotline introduced is resolved beautifully, and sometimes "beautifully" just means "family is messy."
Perfect. I loved it. It was such a fun ride!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol