This book had an interesting premise, and I was excited to read it. Sadly, the story did not live up to the expectations, and that might not be on me. I found myself struggling to connect and get into the book.

I really enjoyed this, I do t know why it didn’t get more buzz. The dual timelines kept me interested to find out what happened. I think this was really well done.

This book has a fabulous premise which is really timely. The first half was interesting and brought up a lot of scary points about social media and data. Unfortunately, the second half didn't hold up that interest, and the ending was a disappointment.

Followers is a dystopia quite unlike anything I’ve read up until now. Half the book is set in 2051, mostly in the closed town of Constellation, California. Government-appointed celebrities live 99% of their lives in front of a camera, for the viewing pleasure of the rest of the country. Corporate sponsors dictate what happens in their lives, and the stars have zero input. No one is allowed to leave. Despite having millions of followers, that is precisely what Marlow wants to do when she learns her life is based on a lie.

The other half of the story is set from 2015 to 2016. In this portion of the story, you meet two women who share a singular goal. Orla Cadden is a blogger on a celebrity-gossip site, rather than the serious writer she wants to be. Floss Natuzzi, the wannabe star no one ever heard of, wants to be famous. Orla helps manipulate Floss onto the road of fame, and together, they become household names… all thanks to social media.

Then the Spill happened, plunging an entire generation into devastation and chaos. Things had to change, and they did—which eventually led to the creation of Constellation.

I liked the premise of this book, despite being initially puzzled about certain connections and events. Everything is explained, but there were times I felt impatient about how long it took to get there. In time, I could see why certain answers weren’t given sooner… and yet, the frustration lingered.

The tech used made sense in the story, but it didn’t have the wow factor for me. That probably has more than a little to do with the fact that I’m a HUGE fan of Star Trek and various other sci-fi, so I’m accustomed to more sophisticated sort of technology than the type described in this novel. The device (as it is referred to) was just fine for this story, but I didn’t finish the novel wishing I had one of my own. (A transporter or a holodeck, on the other hand… those fire up the imagination with possibilities!)

The characters were interesting, but I didn’t really feel a connection with them most of the time. Towards the end that changed somewhat, but it was late in the game for it to have any meaningful impact.

This all sounds incredibly negative, but it isn’t meant to be. With privacy being a constant concern in our digital lives, the premise of this book is not only unique, but relevant. Within the framework of this world, the cost of fame is the complete loss of privacy, raising the stakes even higher when someone attempts to regain what they (willingly) gave up. It also serves as commentary on the preoccupation with social media by the population at large, and invents a terrible consequence for it in this fictional setting… which can’t help but make the reader think about how much of their own time is spent on social media sites.

Most of the people who read advance copies of this book gave it four or five stars, but for me, three stars felt right. I enjoyed the book, but wasn’t moved to give it a high rating. Perhaps this is because I started reading Followers soon after I finished reading The Testaments by Margaret Atwood—a book I felt was exceptionally well done. Did my enthusiastic response to Atwood’s book color my perceptions of Angelo’s book? It’s definitely possible.

I’ll be curious to see what Angelo’s next book will be about, and I’ll be watching for it. I’m definitely willing to read more of her work in the future.

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Graydon House via Netgalley.

Overall: What I loved about this book was the futuristic element that is surprisingly (and worryingly) SO close to how a lot of us live our lives today - driven by social media. It really brings to life the dark reality we are heading towards. The story alternates between around 2015 to 2051 following several main characters. The characters are all well developed and I loved the premise of the storyline, but I did end up a bit confused, hence the loss in stars. BUT- For fans of Black Mirror, you won't want to miss this one!

Followers is a wry and telling satire of the usage of social media in instigating friendships and notoriety. The future placed in Followers is not far from our own.

This book is such a great pick for anyone who loves Black Mirror, Stepford Wives, or The Truman Show. It was engrossing, a bit creepy, but not entirely unrealistic. It was deviously close to real life - just skewed enough to make my cell phone feel ominous.

This book was definitely not what I was expecting! if you judge the book by the cover, you would think this is a contemporary book. However, I felt like this book was a cross between Illuminae Files, Lunar Chronicles and Across the Universe series. I felt like the plot was extremely confusing and I didn't enjoy it like I was expecting to. We follow two main characters Olga and Marlow who are supposed to be mother and daughter but, their relationship was extremely confusing. I definitely saw the potential that this book could have been but, it just wasn't there for me. The timeline that the author created I feel could have been a little more thought out and developed so that the reader would enjoy the book more.

A fast paced cautionary tale about fame and privacy set in 2051 after the "Spill" and in 2019 before. Marlow (age about 35 in 2051) lives in a utopian village with her parents where everything is broadcast on the government controlled internet for the entire country to watch -- think "live" soap opera or a whole village involved in a "reality" show. Her entire life has been scripted and planned according to a story arc. Orla is a budding novelist (in 2019) who is working temporarily (hopefully) as a writer for a gossip blog. She teams up with her ambitious roommate whose goal in life is to be a famous internet personality/influencer. The story is told in alternating chapters the slowly reveal what happened in the "Spill" and how the US has change in the intervening 35 years.

The dialogue and plot is timely and intriguing, the political and social overtones are engaging and thought-provoking, and the characters (although maddening!!!) are captivating -- like watching a train wreck. I just could not stop reading. While not described as a YA novel, this would be a great novel for teens. Not the very best of those post-Armageddon or post-political catastrophe novels, there are certainly some messages here for the generation that shares way too much online (that's practically everyone, isn't it?) and some truths about honesty, friendship, family, fame, and privacy. Not the best I've ever read, but certainly enjoyable and worth the time and effort.

I wish I could give half stars because this is a solid 3,5 stars for me. I'm a harsh grader, so I'm giving it 3 stars. I like the premise more than I liked the actual book. I didn't find much redeeming about the characters and I wasn't rooting for anyone really. I think it would be an interesting limited series that I could watch on a rainy afternoon, but I didn't love it as a book to sit and read over several days. I also used this for my book club, and the conversation was interesting, but it was more about the ideas presented in the book rather than the story/characters themselves.

I think because I don't really 'get' the influencer life some of this was lost on me, but I think if you're reading closely there are some super funny, super sharp lines that will stick with me.

I think this may have been a case of the premise was better than the actual story. Orla and Floss, 2 characters I didn't like are social media-obsessed girls who will go to any lengths for fame. Fast forward 35 years and we meet Marlow who's living in a closed government society in which every move she makes is live on a camera for millions to watch and floow. and judge. Sounds very much like the reality tv we have these days. Overall this was a watch out type of story for our social media consumption of today. There wasn't much suspense but if youre a fan of social media type stories you might like this

I really enjoyed this book, even when it creeped me out. The world that Angelo created was so realistic that it became eerie at times. Like some of the crazy things she was talking about could actually happen. I felt that the book's ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked to have a little more than just the general synopsis of the one meeting that I looked forward to for the entire second half of the book. The characters were well developed and well thought out. 4 stars for this one. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

This was a very strange book that made no sense. I could not get into the story and had no connection to the characters or plotlines.

This was an exciting and fantastic read. I appreciated the commentary on social media/fame/celebrity. Characters were complex, intriguing, and frustrating in the most wonderful way. It was a surprising read with unexpected timelines, characters and endings.

I found this copy confusing and hard to keep up with while reading. Maybe because it was the unedited version. I will have to get my hands on this book to see the edited version.

A lot of people I know and respect loved this book. I requested it after Tarryn Fisher raved about it on social media. Unfortunately, I just didn't see the same qualities in this book as the others. I hated all the characters and really stopped caring what happened to both of them in the first third of the book. The book also has a lot of commentary on social media and fame and while I agree with the points, I just never felt the full impact of this story that a lot of others did. Someone else I follow said it best. You're either going to love this book or hate it. I didn't hate it but I didn't like it.

This book travels between two time periods. It is told from the perspective of more than one person. It is intriguing and I was drawn in almost immediately. I found myself yelling at the characters and telling them to do things differently. Leave, don't listen to her, etc. It is full of twists and turns. A very good debut novel!

I really enjoyed this book. If you are active on social media, this one is a must read. Such an interesting look at the dangers of social media. But this story is so much more than that. Some really great twists and turns that kept me guessing. The Followers by Megan Angelo was a well-written and compelling story for a modern age.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and after reading it, I'm not sure where to categorize it - it's a well-crafted mix of dystopian and satire. The book follows two linked storylines - one roughly present day (2015), one set in a near-future (2051), after the arrival of "The Spill", a world-changing event that...well, you'll need to read it to figure out what it actually was, as this was one element that took a while to reveal itself.

The story alternates between Marlow and Orla, and eventually, connections are made between the two characters. The main characters Orla and Floss (from the present-day storyline) are mostly unlikeable, which would usually make me set aside a book, but the author has given them fleeting moments of vulnerability that make me want to stick with them to see where the path leads. They are influencers, with every planned move and carefully curated photo made with the intention of fame. Floss offers a hard look at the lengths people will go when driven by a combination of ambition and fame.

I felt more empathy for Marlow, living her life on camera (akin to The Truman Show, only she is well aware of it, forced into the situation by her parents, and with every aspect of her life overseen by the corporation that runs their community), and forced into repping a mood-altering psych med after she acts out violently in anger - albeit, perhaps justifiably, given the situation.

Orla's path somewhat parallels Marlow's situation in that, at least initially, she is pushed into a role. However, she is a more willing participant whereas Marlow's situation is a bit less voluntary. Her life is driven by externally influenced storylines.

The character development, like them or not, is well done. The tension, the dialogue, the near-plausibility of the dystopic event all combine to form a riveting commentary on our societal addiction to our cell phones as well as social media. This is a clever and well-imagined story.

For me, the disaster that befalls society was a bit underwhelming when finally revealed, even though the far-reaching implications of it were believable. I was expecting a connection between the event and "the fog", an Alzheimer's-like disease that besets some of the older members of society in the future. The pace began to slow near the end - right about the time that my tolerance for Floss runs out.

This is a story that looks deeply into how social media (and technology as a larger whole) influences how we see and experience the world.