The Writing Style/Production:
If you had handed me a copy of Not Famous and I knew nothing about the creation of this novel, I’d swear it was released by a major publisher. However, it was not. This is a self-published novel that comes across with incredibly class and polish. Everything from the cover art to the description and the editing screams professionalism. I read a lot of self-published work across all different genres and I cannot think of a single novel that has come across this well polished before.
Matthew Hanover writes in a simple, down to Earth style that reminds you of how people actually talk. He does an amazing job telling the story from a first-person perspective and despite having a flawed character narrating the story, not once does the first-person perspective become annoying or bothersome. In fact, as a male who encompasses some of the same traits as our protagonist Nick, I was able to relate to his character even more closely thanks to the first-person approach.
As I’ve gotten older, my patience for overwriting has gone down dramatically. In fact, I don’t tend to take on reading huge novels anymore because I feel like most books could use a lot cut from them and the once the pace slows, so does my interest. I always have backlog of books to read, so you gotta hook me and keep me hanging on or I’ll just move onto the next. I actually stopped reading High Fidelity so I could start Not Famous and I had intended on reading both but Not Famous really drew me in. The pace is not too fast, but it’s never slow. It takes a very middle of the road approach that hooks you with just enough mystery and intrigue that you want to keep turning the page to find out more about the idiosyncrasies of the characters. One particular character, Alli, really drives the reader to keep reading to find out more of her story because she is both mysterious and incredibly sweet. You root for her from the moment you meet her in a coffee shop and even after the reveal of her past, you still root for the underdog that she is.
The Characters:
Not Famous centers mostly around two characters: Nick and Alli, our love story. Both characters are likeable, yet flawed, and both characters have to evolve in order to make room for the trust needed to develop a healthy relationship. The most enjoyment I received while reading this novel was watching these two young people fight through their insecurities, battle their own egos, and attempted to find something bigger than just themselves.
The supporting characters are all equally interesting in their own rights. One particular female character, manages to go from funny to absolute bitch to a micro hero in just a few short chapters. It’s arguably the most change I’ve ever experienced emotionally with a character in a single novel which is a testament to the writing. I honestly didn’t think it would have been possible to make me like this character once her bad attributes began to show.
The Story:
According to Wikipedia, Lad Lit is defined as “a fictional genre of male-authored novels about young men and their emotional and personal lives, often characterized by a confessional and humorous writing style.” This pretty much sums up Not Famous.
We hear from a male’s point of view his desire to have a relationship with a complicated female. To explain a little bit more of the plot, the story is told by Nick, a web designer who recently had his heart broken when he proposed to his girlfriend who took that opportunity to confess that she had cheated on him. Nick found himself depressed and not feeling like a man following this bombshell. After a one night stand, Nick garners enough confidence to flirt with a barista (Alli) at the local Starbucks that he ends up running into later in the day. An unlikely romance blossoms between the two, with Nick still hiding the pain and embarrassment of having been cheated on and it turns out Alli has some secrets in her past as well.
Does Not Famous contain there explosions, zombies, mayhem, or murder? No.
What Not Famous does contain is love, self-exploration, growth, romance, humor, and a believable relationship.
Final Thoughts:
I enjoyed Not Famous way more than I ever expected to. I became invested in our two leads very early on in the book and I just couldn’t put it down until I saw them to the end of their story. The book read easy, went by with no distractions, and never once did I feel bored. I can’t say that about a lot of books I read these days.
I highly recommend checking out Not Famous if you are fan of Nick Hornby, stories about emotionally immature males dealing with relationships, or even simple love stories. I recommend it even more if you love music, because music plays a very important role in the plot of this novel and most of the settings take place in night clubs or bars in and around Boston.
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Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Loved It
Reviewed in the United States on 16 July 2019Verified Purchase
Nigel Cartner
For fans of Nick Hornby - An uplifting and unexpected tale around life, love and music!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 February 2019Verified Purchase
David
Very Good Debut Work
Reviewed in the United States on 16 January 2020Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
A heartfelt and charming story
Reviewed in the United States on 9 February 2019Verified Purchase
andy r
My book of the year so far
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 June 2019Verified Purchase
