I Could Be Famous: Stories (Pre-order Jan 13, 2026)

I Could Be Famous by Sydney Rende Pre-Order now. Pre Order. Jan 13th 2026

From the sharp, daring voice of Sydney Rende comes I Could Be Famous: Stories, a bold, darkly funny collection that peeks behind the curtain of fame, ambition, and desire.

A listless woman befriends an influencer at a rooftop party, only to discover that curated perfection masks chaos. A college freshman gives the world’s longest blow job to a boy whose name she’s forgotten. A fan-favorite reality TV star joins a dating app after an explosive breakup, only to realize control exists only when cameras are rolling. A struggling actress works in a hot tub showroom while method-acting her way toward a role as High School Junkie Girlfriend. Threaded throughout these explorations of neuroses and aspiration is Arlo Banks, a hotshot actor whose meteoric rise threatens to collapse under scandal.

From the dazzling to the mundane, Rende’s unnervingly astute stories hold a mirror to our obsession with perception and the ache to be adored. I Could Be Famous is a love letter to ambition and dissatisfaction, to the belief in ourselves, and to the wild, sometimes absurd, idea that we could—somehow, someday—be famous.