Followers is a book unlike any I normally read and I loved it!!! Set in dual timelines, 2016 with Orla and Floss and in 2051 with Marlow. At first it is a tad confusing keeping the storylines straight, but quickly you understand what is going on in both timelines. The characters are amazing. They are flawed but real. I loved the sci-fi part of the book and it makes you wonder are we as a culture over sharing our lives? I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
This novel reminded me of the feelings I got while reading The Circle, and I enjoyed both.
A sci-fi thriller that jumps back and forth between present day, and a little bit further in the future. The book follows two friends Orla and Floss (present day)who become obsessed with fame/followers..and then also follows another character Marlow (near future) who lives in a closed environment where she is watched by her followers most every moment of her day.
This book was much longer then I expected it to be, but I enjoyed the read and look into a world that seems both scary and possible.

This was an interesting book that focuses on the current social media craze in fiction form and imagines what would happen if it were to all implode. Orly, a budding writer, sets out to make her roommate, Floss, famous on social media. She is successful beyond her wildest dreams but the fallacy and distrust that develops from this eats their friendship alive. When the internet comes crashing down, exposing everyone's worst secrets, both women need to figure out how to respond. The book also takes you 50 years into the future when being on camera is a what the government wants and the more followers you have the better. As the next generation tries to make sense of their life, the choices they make will surprise you. While the story was good, most of the characters did not become "relatable" until midway through the book. However, the author's opinion on the current state of social media could not be more clear. Thought-provoking.

*Received via NetGalley for review*

A fun, semi-light read that seems cognizant about where society is heading. Once hackers have revealed everyone's deeply personal and shameful secrets to the world, those who could handle the shock manage to move forward.

Marlow's story, about a young girl growing up constantly watched directed and followed and judged (by choice, technically) is tragic and frighteningly plausible. Even today I can think of people who would sign up for that in a heartbeat, simply for the allure of fame and followers.

The interconnecting storylines are well-done and equally important and engaging.

Just finished this last night and it was *so good*. Exactly the kind of summer read I was in the mood for. Followers is told in alternating time frames- 2016 and 2051 between two characters Orla and Marlow. It’s a story of celebrity obsession, social media (especially the idea of doing things for clicks), and probably most importantly, our own privacy. The two stories begin intersecting pretty quickly and it’s clear there’s a connection between the two. One of the main focuses on this story is “The Spill” i.e. when the internet as we know it stopped working and privacy became a thing of the past. This is a solid 4.5 stars for me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The ending was too rushed for me to give it a full 5 stars. Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book, which is set to release January 2020. You won’t want to miss this one when it comes out!

Eh, man. I really wanted to love this one. The cover and premise of this book had me so excited to receive an early copy of this book. Then it all fell a bit flat for me.

I agree with a lot of the middle of the fence reviews on this one. The book is wordy. So many words that don't need to be there and really lose focus of the story. So many paragraphs reread just to remind my brain who and what I was reading about in certain chapters.

Also, that ending. What was that? What was the purpose? It was like I picked up a completely different book to finish this one. I'm just not sure where the author was going with it.

The writing for the most part is really good and I can see why so many did love this book and why so many will. The characters were pretty great, even those with small roles and the premise was fascinating and almost frightening when you think about the world we live in right now.

I think many will really love this one and many will be on the fence like I am but in the end I think the premise is interesting enough to encourage readers to pick this one up themselves and make their own conclusion.

Now that I have had a day to think about this one, I have decided that I did not love Followers nor did I hate it. In fact-- I really loved the premise of the story itself. It's what encouraged me to read the book in the first place (as well as the cover). When it was all said and done, I felt like what I had read was two episodes of Black Mirror crammed into one book. The mediocre ones. 

Followers was lengthy and wordy. There. I said it. It was. I think the words in this one took over and at some point(s) you don't even know what is going on because the author gets so long winded. I had to start paragraphs over multiple times. But maybe that was just me.

I think the ending really killed this one for me. That's what I will say about that. Moving on.

HOWEVER, with me saying all of the above, I really loved the concept of this story and the way it was laid out. I think for me, it was a very realistic story that fits into the world we live in today. For an author to write that out, it was fascinating to me.

Thus concluding: I believe it's definitely possible to enjoy Followers and not be annoyed by what annoyed me. There were some great elements and like I said above, the premise of the book as a whole was so interesting. I just wished the writing flowed a little better for me. And about 2000 words were removed.

Very interesting story that shows the dangers of today’s technology and fascination with peoples lives on the internet. I really enjoyed it and the message behind it. I loved the suspense.

3.5/5 stars

DISCLAIMER: I was given an ARC of Followers for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Y’all, I had such high hopes for Followers.

Between the glowing reviews on Goodreads and the premise of the book itself, I went into it thinking this would end up being a five-star review. In fact, the first half of the book was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed Marlow’s perspective on Constellation, the closed California village, and the in-depth look into what it really means to grow up in the spotlight. I was also drawn in by Orla’s scheme to make Floss famous by abusing her blogging powers.

The first half of the book exceeded all of my expectations. So what went wrong?

The story lost me shortly after Marlow left Constellation to find her birth father. Seeing Marlow navigate the outside world post-Spill, while being hunted by the entire country, was interesting enough. However, afterwards the story line was no longer a line. She wanted to find her birth father, got a lead on a girl her mother might’ve known once upon a time, Marlow’s nemesis steps in, and then…your guess is as good as mine. She finds out her birth mother isn’t the woman who raised her and then she travels to Atlantis, an off-the-grid country in what used to be a city in New Jersey.

Are you confused? Because I sure as hell was.

This paragraph contains spoilers for the ending! I was truly looking forward to Floss and Orla reuniting with a big blowout fight — it’s what I felt I deserved after sitting through the Lifetime movie nonsense that led to Floss and Aston raising Marlow — but it…didn’t happen. Orla told Floss she hated her and then they laughed, as if kidnapping Orla’s newborn baby was somehow water under the bridge. I mean, come on, in what world could Orla be so cool, calm and collected after everything Floss put her through? I get they’re older now and lived entire lives, but get real! Spoilers over.

One positive thing I will say about the ending was that it showed us what all of the characters will likely do with the rest of their lives. The scene made up for some of the inconsistencies throughout the story, though not all of them.

Do I recommend this book? I believe it’s possible to enjoy Followers and not be bothered by all of the parts at which bothered me. There were some great elements, like how the author found a way to develop even the most minor of characters (i.e. the news anchor on TV), the range of destruction the hacker caused by releasing everyone’s dirty laundry, and, of course, the world the characters were at the mercy of.

Personally, I find relief in the knowledge that I will never have to read Followers again.

CW: Suicide mentions in the aftermath of the Spill.

Megan Angelo's upcoming novel Followers tells two linked storylines, connected at first by the concept of followers and reality celebrity, but later by the needs of these well-developed characters.

In the first story, twentysomething Orla is sure she's going to move to NYC and become a novelist, but unfortunately, she finds a job writing celeb clickbait, with success measured in views and not literary merit. I was reminded of Eleanor's popular listicles in Sociable, Orla would definitely write about things that are just so coffee on a slow celeb-news day. She still wants to write a novel, but at night, she finds herself exhausted, drained, and aimlessly scrolling social media instead of creating.

Her roommate, Floss, knows that social fame is the key to riches and stardom, and she's ready to crash parties, date a famously obnoxious celeb, or whatever it takes to make that happen.  What Floss and Orla put into motion changes everyone's lives, and I loved how it was unstoppable without being a predictable Overnight Sensation storyline. The scenes of Orla's high school crush, now a suburban schlub, are deeply sad, especially how she really wants him to be her True Love, even as he prepares a depressing pitch deck on applying Floss' stardom for his own chance at wealth.

The second story begins in our future, in a closed, reality-TV community. Resident Marlow is extra famous as the face of an anti-depressant, mood stabilizing drug. She's on camera 23 hours a day, with a handsome husband, beautiful friends, and this season, the scriptwriters tell her that she'll be having a new baby. The viewer comments are hilariously on-point, criticizing armpit chub or tiny facial expressions, but of course, Marlow can't respond directly to them without breaking the illusion. This lifestyle is obviously brittle and unsustainable, but again, it doesn't unfold too predictably.

There was one small part of the book that was gorier than I expected -- it's not a shock, readers are led up to it with a lot of warnings about that terrible night and the scar left behind, but I was still revolted.

Because both storylines explore internet celebrity, I worried that this was going to slip into typical pearl-clutching thinkpiece territory (Young people are doing things in public, just for the clicks! Dumb stunts didn't exist before the internet!) but instead this well-plotted novel showed the corporate machine behind reality celebs and sponsored products.

This book was really good! The writing was great, the story goes from present to future which I really enjoyed. The social media aspect was very interesting as it seems so close to our world and ultimately where it could take us. I would definitely recommend this for older students to read.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book is interesting and frightening at the same time. To think that the technological road we are heading down currently could lead to the events that happen in this book is a little terrifying. This story takes you through a family and friends journey through some trying times with an ending that should make anyone happy.

What hath technology wrought? This look at social media's power in today's society and its possible effect on our future gave me pause. It would be a great book for teen book clubs as the story, leaping back and forth from present to future, has the meat for some provocative discussions. A definite purchase for high schools.

I could not put down this book. It was so interesting and the writing was great. I will definitely be recommending this to customers at my work!

This engrossing debut novel felt uncomfortably timely. The celebrity and online culture aspects were both cringe-inducing and hard to look away from, maybe because it mirrors where we are as a society so closely. It was a joy to read and, days later, I'm still thinking about it.

Followers by Megan Angelo is about our current world, obsessed with influence and social media clout and having followers. It's also about our future, one where this obsession turns life-altering and deadly. It follows so-called friends Orla and Floss, both trying to achieve fame of varying levels, and Marlow, living in an idyllic future that is actually hellish.

I felt like this book was a perfect example of a premise I wish had been followed through with more skill, or maybe even by a different writer. The premise is truly engaging and the main reason I requested this book at all. But Angelo vacillates too much between over-the-top camp and literary fiction. Characters have throw away lines of dialogue that make no sense other than to give the reader a little chuckle. And the ending attempts a version of the Six Feet Under series finale that is so unearned, I had whiplash from the last 20 or so pages.

There were parts of the book that I found novel and interesting, particularly the Honey character. There were moments when I truly felt for some of the characters. But I ultimately felt like I wished Angelo had taken the ideas and metaphors she develops in the book to a more insane logical conclusion or weaved in a more literary style throughout the book.

I'm not too sure what kind of reader this book is intended for. It's a touch too long to be a fun junk food read and it's too ridiculous at times to be a serious literary read. I guess this book is for anyone who is interested in speculative fiction related to social media and celebrity culture.

Floss has come to New York to make it big. Hoping to be the next big social media star, she is willing to do whatever it takes. Her roommate Orla is hoping to write a novel, but for now is working as a writer for one of the innumerable online magazines who report on social media's biggest and brightest. When they team up to turn Floss into the next big thing, they set off a chain of events that will alter their lives, and their relationship, forever.

In the future, Marlowe lives in a carefully designed community where everyone's lives are a kind of reality show, played out for millions of followers. Nothing is real, and nothing is private. Carefully dosed with a powerful anti-depressant, Marlowe is compliant and kind of bored. When the network decides it's time for Marlowe to have a baby with her husband, they take her off the medication, and all hell breaks loose.

This is a really clever book about the all-too probable future. The characters are well-drawn, and the plot in each time line moves along quickly with lots of surprises along the way, until the two timelines merge. Highly recommended.

Tags: psychological thriller, dystopian, satire

It is hard to pin this book down with a review. Based on the pink and cursive cover and a brief skim of the synopsis, I was expecting a lighthearted satire on Kardashian culture. What I got was a thrilling, occasionally satirical, critique of what we value as a society. (Or, more specifically, what we think OTHERS THINK we should value in society.)

The main characters are awful people, but the brief glimpses of vulnerability and honesty that the reader sees allows us to forgive them, just a bit. Even an unrepentant narcissist does something brave and selfless eventually. The timeline bounces back and forth before and after "the Spill," a psychological terrorist attack using mined online data, and American society is wildly changed as a result. But one thing is still the same -- family is complicated.

Highly recommended.

It would be so much more convenient for me if I could pigeon hole this novel as just another "dangers of social media" story, but I cannot. It is, of course, inherently that, but it is many other things as well. So here I am, inconveniently, at two on the morning reading the final pages with my fist between my teeth because nothing about this story could wait until morning.