Truthfully, I read this book in one sitting but if you asked me what happened, I don’t think I could tell you.

Meredith and Aspen used to be influencer besties, but as soon as Aspen grew a big following, she ditched Meredith. Meredith becomes obsessed, reaching a point where she even gets ahold of one of Aspen’s kid’s iPad, giving her access to Aspen’s calendar and social media accounts, which also gives her the opportunity to really mess with Aspen’s life. Meanwhile Aspen is wondering how she is messing up so much. But when Meredith suddenly goes missing, Aspen’s life is upended even more..

There’s something about a story of badly behaved moms that makes for such an interesting thriller, and this book was one of the best out there. I hated both characters but I was immediately sucked into their world. It was hard to know who and what to believe in this story full of twists and turns. This story is incredibly bingeable and would translate to screen so well!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I loved this book so much. To me, authors who can craft two flawed, believable main characters are the best of the best, and Sutanto does just that here. Meredith and Aspen are not people you would truly "root for" in real life, but they are so compelling and complex that you just want to know more about them.

I wasn't really a fan of this book. I didn't find myself in love with it. It was more of a meh read. Like, it's okay to read but wasn't terrible though. It needed something more. I just don't know what.

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q Sutanto
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Two best friends who are social media influencers have a falling out after one of them makes it big on Tik Tok. Jealousy and hurt lead to stalking. What would you do to become a social media star?
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What I liked:
-I loved how this story really showed the dark side of social media. We all know it could be harmful, but this story went DDDARRRRRK. That kept me flying through the chapters.
-These women were low key AWFUL. It was like watching a train wreck and I couldn’t look away.
-A quick and addicting read, about a third of the way in the story twisted in a direction I didn’t see coming and it was un-put-down-able by that point.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I would definitely recommend and then I can have someone to chat to. I wasn’t a fan of how it ended, but it was an immensely compulsive read.

I ate this up!! Literal influencers with millions of followers being besties then enemies and all the things that unfold because of lack of communication! Both gals were wrong in their own right and I hated them both, but in the best way. It was wild how it all ended. A true thriller but with a fun social media twist. Would recommend!! Had me turning the page nonstop

'You Will Never Be Me' is one of those thrillers that pulls you in from page one. The tension is immediate, and it only escalates as secrets unravel and both Meredith and Aspen spiral into layers of deception, manipulation, and all-around bad behavior. This isn’t a “good guy” vs. “bad guy” story; both characters are deeply flawed, and the story takes you down their tangled paths in such an engrossing way. Just when you think you know how they’ll react, there’s a new twist, another layer of duplicity—and I was here for every minute of it.

One of the most devastating elements is the toxic friendship at the story’s core. What begins as admiration twists into competition and betrayal, with fame poisoning any chance they might have had to be real friends. And yet, at moments, it feels like they’re so close to that true connection—as if they could even be each other’s only real friends in this world of fake online followers. It’s chilling to see how fame and greed unravel what might have been a rare, sincere friendship.

Beyond the suspense, the book also brings to light the toxic reality of social media, showing how deeply it affects users and influencers alike. The leads’ relentless craving for fame and notoriety felt disturbingly relatable—who hasn’t been lured in, even slightly, by that shiny promise of stardom? But the way these two are so consumed by their greed for it that they’re willing to lie, sabotage, and even unalive for their own gain? Chilling.

The bad behavior and suspense-driven plot kept me hooked, but the ending, while satisfying enough, felt a bit too tame compared to the rest of the story’s intensity. Still, the book's rollercoaster of twists and character decisions kept me entertained throughout. For fans of morally complex characters and thrillers that don’t hold back on drama, 'You Will Never Be Me' is absolutely worth the ride. Four stars!

TL;DR: A tense, twisty ride that kept me hooked till the very end—though I wish the finale had packed a bit more punch, this was still a highly entertaining read.

This book was sneaky shocking! I thought it would be heavy on the Influencer culture (which isn't of interest) but it was way more psychological and manipulative. For fans of Ingrid Goes West.

I love that Jesse Q Suranto is able to switch between her fun auntie series and these psychological thrillers. I feel like there have been so many recent books about influencers but this one stood out and I really liked it. I did think Meredith and Aspen with a little unlikeable but I think that was on purpose. Overall I really liked it and thought it was fun.

Aspen & Meredith are former best friends. They are now competing "momfluencers." Meredith is envious of Aspen's success since she believes she's the one who taught Aspen everything she knows. Meredith is able to get her hands on Aspen's social calendar & plots to take over her appointments to rise back to the top. Aspen doesn't understand why she is being dropped by all her sponsors & starts to spiral. Aspen is willing to do whatever it takes to keep her wealth & fame.

This book was intense! It was just what I needed to get out of my mini slump. I was hooked from the beginning. I'm all for strong female friendships, but every now & then experiencing a toxic fictional friendship is just what's needed. There were surprising twists. I thought it was interesting seeing how the influencer lifestyle was portrayed.

This book is twisty, drama filled and a book that will keep you up way past bedtime! The story is told via POV which gives a lot of insight and background information regarding the build up and break down of their close friendship.

Dipping into both the suspense and rom-com genres, the author of “Dial A for Aunties,” Jesse Q. Sutanto, returns with “You Will Never Be Me” (Berkley, $29), another splendid thriller for mystery and non-mystery fans alike. Think MomTok meets reality TV stars you love to hate, with a hefty serving of humor.

After influencers Aspen and Meredith have a falling out, Meredith decides to have some seemingly lighthearted revenge, I mean fun, upon discovering one of Aspen’s kids’ iPads. Aspen soon begins wondering why her online social life is tanking — lost sponsorships, dwindling followers, fellow influencers turning their back — but nothing will stop her climb to the top of the digital world, even after mysterious threats start to arrive and Meredith suddenly disappears.

The disconnect from reality of these two unlikable characters, paired with murder and a twisty plot, makes for a rousing read that will have you gasping at both the gripping suspense and outlandish, uncouth behavior. “Jesse Q. Sutanto not only gives readers a voyeuristic glimpse into the lives of mom-fluencers, she pulls off a twist sure to surprise even veteran thriller readers,” says a starred BookPage review. “You Will Never Be Me” offers an unexpected comedic puzzle for those of us looking for a little drama, without all the horror.

Two influencers, Meredith and Aspen, have a falling out in their friendship. Meredith started out as the more successful one and takes Aspen under her wing but then Apsen becomes more successful and Meredith is envious. Meredith gets access to Aspen's family calendar and decides to use that information to turn her own career around. Overall, a twisty story of two friends who find themselves at odds and the stakes they go to maintain their social influencer status. Reader's who liked Sutanto's "I'm Not Done with You Yet" will also like this one.

Mom friends/influencers Meredith and Aspen has one of those friendships were everything is good at first then when it goes bad, it’s really bad. I enjoyed this read and I loved the switch from past to present in the storylines. Full of twists and suspense!

Meredith taught Aspen how to be an social media influencer without her she's be nobody. When Aspen becomes BIG she dumbs Meredith. Meredith is pissed, hurt, jealous and misses her friendship with Aspen. Meredith was the IT girl and when she gets access to an iPad that belongs to one of Aspens kids her revenge game starts.

Meredith takes advantage of the family calendar on the iPad and uses it to mix up and cancel appointments creating confusion and havoc in Aspens life. Aspen's life is usually well cultivated and organized but the schedule mixups are causing her to lose sponsors and followers. To make matters worse fellow influencers are ghosting her and her husband is distancing himself from her.

Then Meredith goes missing .... and Aspen's live is completely turned upside down.

You Will Never Be Me is twisty, drama filled and a book that will keep you up way past bedtime! The story is told via POV which gives a lot of insight and background information regarding the build up and break down of their close friendship.

This was a book about "momfluencers" Aspen and Meredith who become good friends then end up in a fight. It goes back and forth from the current to the past and is def twisty and kept my attention!

This is a compulsively readable psychological thriller that takes place in the crazy world of social media and influencers. Ashley and Mer are long time best friends, but when Mer decides to undermine Ashley and reveal her not so perfect life, Ashley starts to lose her following and can't figure out why. Don't want to give anything away, but when Mer goes missing, everyone is looking at Ashley for answers. Jesse Q. Sutanto is an amazing author with a versatile range. This isn't funny like her "Aunties" books -- so if you are a longtime reader, be prepared for something different -- and wonderful!

One of the most entertaining thrillers I’ve read this year. So fun, fresh, and engaging. I recommend it to everyone! Full review on TikTok

Read Completed 8/22/24 | 3.75 stars
YOU WILL NEVER BE ME was a really fun read! Jesse Q. Sutanto is an author that I just picked up in the last year or so and I've really been enjoying her books. I loved the darkness creeping into each one of them and this toxic friendship story was no exception.

The beginning was just a little bit slow, and most of the time, it was really hard to follow these two main characters. Both are influencers that have made posting on social media their careers and everything about them is fake. We as the audience are supposed to know that, though, and it's just painful watching them be miserable but relishing in the praise of their social media audiences. There's also a fair bit of rivalry as the friend who was the protege takes over in follower count and popularity, creating our main exciting hook!

I really liked this back and forth between the two friends and there's the anticipation of what might happen now that they're estranged from a huge blow-out fight. There's also so much tension, never knowing if the other person is going to sabotage the other. There's an excellent twist that I REALLY enjoyed (it's one of my favorite thriller concepts) and I did not see it coming.

The second half of the book lost a little momentum, but I was definitely still interested in seeing how it ended. It was also a tad predictable because once I was about halfway through, I figured that's how it would end.

I still enjoyed this read, even though I had hoped to be sucked in just a bit more, but the twist really sold it for me!

This was told by both Meredith and Aspen. They were both not very likable characters, which intrigued me more with their dynamic. I seriously could not look away from the fractured duo and what led them to become frenemies. Meredith felt like she “made” Aspen, and cue the jealousy when Aspen surpassed her. On Aspen’s end, of course everything was not perfect as she portrayed on social media. Both women were selfish, and a bit self absorbed.

This had jealousy, cattiness and toxic friendships. When the twist came, I didn’t see it coming at all. I had someone in mind, but I was very surprised. Once that twist dropped, I couldn’t out this one down. I had to see how things would play out. This had stalking, obsession, fake friendships and all centered around momfluencers. I love reading about social media influencers, so this did not disappoint!