This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It is also the reason I want to put a sticker on my laptop's camera now. The novel follows a successful social media star/blogger who has someone who takes the "follow me" a bit too far and becomes more of a stalker than a follower. It'll keep you guessing, and will definitely have you questioning your own online habits! I recommend this one if you like fast paced reads with modern plots. Publish date: February 25th!

Wow. I was totally hooked on this suspenseful tale of a twenty-something social media influencer and her less-sparkly best friend with a secret past. For fans of You and users of Instagram.

Such a timely topic! Do we really need to share our whole lives on social media? How much is too much? As the mother of 2 young women, I have had these conversations with my daughters. Audrey definitely needed to stop over sharing. There were so many possible people that she could have been giving too much information. Follow Me was fast paced and kept me page turning.

Want to be a social influencer and share your life? You may wish to reconsider that goal. The story of social media gone wrong, this book changed how I think about media in general. Read at your own risk.

This is the story of Audrey, who is very active on Instagram with thousands of followers following her every post. When she moves to DC for her dream job working in a museum as the social director, she realizes she only knows two people, her ex-boyfriend and an old college friend. When her apartment gets broken into and a sleep app on her phone picks up a strangers voice, she turns to her new boyfriend. While she only knows the three people, are they the ones that she can trust? Great story with many twists and turns, many you don't see coming.

Audrey Miller, an “influencer” with over a million followers has relocated from New York to Washington DC for her dream job where she is reunited with an old friend as well her ex boyfriend from college. Foolishly renting an apartment over the internet, she finds the basement location to be lacking in security. And, security is exactly what she needs as she is pursued by someone who has become obsessed with her via her online presence.

This is an engrossing, can’t put down quick read that is reflective of our social media crazed culture. Told from three different points of view, there are red herrings and surprising personalities. At times, the characters reminded me more of middle schoolers than mature functioning women holding down professional jobs……is that really endemic of that generation? Or, is that what social media has done to us?

Not to be a spoiler, but……..see if you can read this novel without putting it down and getting up to cover the webcam on your computer!!!!

Wow! What a timely, provocative and downright creepylicious story! Don't misunderstand: Generally speaking, I'm all in when it comes to new technology, even though I realize that just about any advancement comes with the potential for misuse. Knowing that, I'm active on social media, but I don't post anything I'd be upset about if my grandmother saw it; still, I recognize that who gets what I post - and what they do with it - isn't always under my control.

Case in point: As I was in the middle of this book, my husband and I were recovering from nasty colds. One morning, I mentioned that tidbit on my Facebook page (garnering expected sympathy, of course, from family and friends). What I didn't expect was this: the very next day, an email arrived from our drugstore of choice expressing the hope that we were feeling better and offering a discount on cold-related items. Immediately, the theme from "Twlight Zone" passed through my brain; to this day, I'm not clear on how that happened, but I'm totally sure it was no coincidence.

The story here follows the experiences of Audrey Miller, who has an enviable following on her blog and Instagram posts. She's just moved from her beloved New York City to Washington, D.C., to take a job managing social media for a major museum. She's also moved close to her ex-boyfriend, who's an on-again, off-again friend with benefits, and to her long-time friend Cat, an on-the-climb attorney at a high-powered D.C. firm.

Audrey lucks into a basement apartment not far from her friends, but it comes with her landlady's whacked-out grandson who loves get into her apartment whenever he feels like staring at her up close and personal. Chapters shift between perspectives of Audrey and Cat and "Him" - an anonymous male who's been in lust with Audrey ever since she began posting all her comings, goings, likes and dislikes online. In fact, her life is like a day-to-day autobiography, open to anyone who cares; clearly, "Him" cares beyond the point of obsession.

Her stalker isn't identified, but readers learn he's managed to install secret software on Audrey's laptop that allows him to track her every moment - even when she's asleep. All she knows is that strange things are happening - like the feeling that she's being watched and that someone besides that grandson has been in her apartment - but there's no way she can prove anything. Meantime, there's growing tension between Audrey and Cat that only grows stronger when Audrey meets Max, who knows one of Cat's darkest secrets - one she's determined to keep that way.

As the relationship between Audrey and Max heats up, the unknown "Him" gets bolder in his pursuit of her affections and the action ratchets up to a can't-put-it-down frenzy that doesn't stop till the bang-up ending. Super good - as well as a scary reminder that somebody's out there watching us all. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a pre-publication copy for review.

I am amazed at the things I learn reading books about technology and crazy people. I have never heard of Ratting and now I am going to be super cautious about what I open from anyone I know (or don't know!).

There are many twists and turns in this book and when I thought I had figured out who "him" was, I find out at the end I was dead wrong. OMG, I did NOT expect that reveal.

Audrey is self-absorbed and I suppose that is common for influencers - they think the world revolves around them. Plus it goes to show that their life is NOT perfect and is just a stage to gain attention from the public. She claims she didn't want to be a mean girl, but not caring about those around you is a way of being mean.

Cat lacks self-esteem and some of her past that is revealed throughout the book, especially at the end was surprising.

I do think some things were left unanswered about some of the characters in this book. I would have liked to have seen some resolution to these characters and some specific incidents.

This book will definitely keep you up at night wondering what might happen next.

Excellent look at the dangers of social media and the type of personality who wants to be an Insta star. Terrific twist (which I predicted) near the ending... the climax will leave some readers feeling disappointed. The most sympathetic character in the book is treated poorly by the author. But overall, a compelling read.

Thank you NetGalley & Gallery Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Follow Me really makes you wonder about your social media stamp you have on the world. Also my finger is hovering over the "deactivate" button on my Instagram account after this read...To say I'm happy I'm not an influencer after this book is an understatement!! Kudos to you Kathleen Barber for making this a spine tingling, page turn!!
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This story is told in three perspectives Audrey, Cat, and HIM. He is the stalker. The one who is making Audrey slowly break down and become unhinged. Audrey Miller is a social media star, with over 1 million followers on Instagram. But she's not your average influencer, her pictures are art. So much so it landed her a coveted job at a Washington DC museum. The move is hard on her as she loves living in NYC, but she has comfort knowing two people in DC, Nick and ex boyfriend and Cat, a long time friend and sorority sister. Cat thinks Audrey puts too much of herself out there for people to see... and as her stalker closes in on her it proves you need to be careful what you post, and with whom you're sharing these aspects of your live with.

This is the first book I’ve read by Kathleen Barber but definitely won’t be my last. I couldn’t put this book down. It definitely makes you think twice about how and what you put on the internet about yourself. In this day in age where everything is driven by social media, it was good to read a book about things that could happen.

Love, love, LOVED Kathleen Barber's upcoming psychological thriller, Follow Me . This book is the 2020 Instagram version of Caroline Kepnes' YOU, so if you enjoy that book or Netflix series, buckle up because Miz Barber's got something wicked coming your way this year.

The story focuses on two friends, Audrey Miller and her best friend Cat. Audrey accepts a new career that will relocate her to Washington DC, but her favorite hobby is her social media following. Living in New York, Audrey has become a lifestyle brand on Instagram and has a million followers. Audrey is reaping the perks of having such an influencer-styled life and she has countless of male suitors that will bend over backwards for her. After Audrey relocates to DC, she reconnects with college best friend Cat. Cat is an attorney at a large law firm and has been working as hard as she can to climb to Partner. The two women have vastly different lives, but they continue to forge a strong bond.

As Audrey invades Cat's life in DC, she can't help but notice that Audrey is still very superficial and self-absorbed. Audrey attracts any guy she wants, but Cat is overlooked by men who have always held her interest. Audrey leads the life that Cat has always dreamed...until Audrey finds out she has a stalker. This man is hiding in the shadows, but has infused his life with hers. Following her on all social media, he now has the chance of a lifetime—Audrey has moved to his neighborhood.

We live in a world where social media has taken away of anonymity completely. Follow Me shows the dangers of over exploitation through the power of social media, but it also shows the incentives behind it as well. It really steered a deeper conversation for me, while also providing the most interesting psychological thriller narrative I've seen in a long time. I believe anyone who uses social media will resonate with this book in some capacity, even if they aren't using them the way Audrey does. You've made a fan of me Kathleen Barber and you've also made me a little concerned that I could possibly have a stalker on my bookstagram account @scaredstraightreads (see what I did there ;) ). Can't wait to see what's next for this author!

Wow! I loved this book. It appealed to me in a couple different ways. First, the book has some interesting things to say about social media, the internet, and influencer culture. Second, the book was a fun and wild ride! I didn't anticipate how unsettling it would be at times. I read this late at night at times and my heart was racing.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

Well, this is certainly a timely novel. Lately, the news has been filled with clips concerning folks taking control of other peoples’ webcams, baby monitors and the like, which is scary beyond belief. Kathleen Barber had an awakening when she stumbled on the subject on a legal advice website, which led to her writing this novel.

Unfortunately, this stalker book has been done before. And done better. I never felt that Audrey seemed like a real person, especially the idea that she would attract every man within a one mile radius.

We hear from Audrey, Him (the stalker) and Cat, Audrey’s introverted, hardworking friend. The three different POVs keep the book moving at a fast pace, especially since the chapters tend to be short. The author uses Cat to good advantage, expressing the fear of social media compared to Audrey’s obsessive need for exposure.

While the author’s writing isn’t particularly enticing, every now and then a line hit home with me. “My family - and my parents in particular - had the emotional capacity of cats. They knew how you felt; they simply didn’t care.”

Still, Audrey was so obnoxious and egocentric, I had trouble caring about her, especially when she was so incredibly stupid. At times, Audrey reminded me of the GEICO ad when the teenagers say, “let’s go hide behind the chainsaws”. You also have to be able to willing to suspend your need for believability because there are some big leaps of faith. The twist at the end was just good enough to allow me to rate this a 3 star.

Again, maybe it’s my age and that I’m not totally wedded to my phone and don’t even use most social media. Certainly, the book is getting lots of strong reviews. But this one just didn’t really work for me.

My thanks to netgalley and Gallery Books for an advance copy of this book.

Kathleen Barber is a genius in writing a creepy book
But this book makes you think twice about how much of yourself you put online
Whether its on instagram, twitter, youtube, or on a blog.
Now if you will excuse i’m going to go cover my webcam on my laptop and probably go throw my phone away and get a flip phone lol

Ugh, no. Follow Me by Kathleen Barber has some of the most shallow characters to inhabit the pages. I couldn't even get through the first chapter of the book. Could not follow and did not care about the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Follow Me is my first book by Kathleen Barber, but this definitely will not be my last. I plan to check out Truth Be Told very soon.
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Follow me centers around Audrey, a very successful instagrammer, her best friend, Cat, and Him. The story is told through their viewpoints. Audrey has recently moved from NYC to DC, and has reconnected with Cat, started a new job, and rented an apartment.
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I really liked the beginning of this book, it grabbed my attention right away. I also really liked the ending to this book, even though I felt like it left a couple questions unanswered. In the middle I felt like the story dragged some. I didn’t find any of the characters too like-able. For a good portion of the book, I had the feeling you get when you are watching a horror movie, and the characters keep making terribly frustrating choices. I appreciated that it was a very easy book to follow, and there were not too many characters to keep track of. I also liked that it took place in DC, so I was able to recognize a lot of where the story took place.
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I would recommend this book to social media lovers. It really makes you think about how easily we share information online. If you liked the book You, I think you may enjoy this one as well. Thanks to #netgalley and #gallerybooks for me providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read. An Instagram influencer moves from NYC to DC for a job as a social media content creator at a museum and finds herself with as many ups as there are downs.

Audrey is able to reconnect with odd but reliable sorority sister, Cat, an up and coming attorney in DC who considers Audrey a best friend. Cat is none to happy with Audrey's selection of a sight unseen apartment and with good reason, not only is it a basement level apartment, with an adjoining alley, it also features a creepy neighbor that just happens to be the landlords grandson.

Her love of her new job has a few sour moments as she learns of the macabre gallery opening that she will be covering while trying to avoid a creepy museum patron and a touchy-feely coworker.

Luckily, she is able to assuage her loneliness but reconnecting with her on again off again college boyfriend Nick who may have stronger feelings for her than she has for me.

Just as she starts a new relationship, things go from strange to stranger. Is someone watching her? Who is leaving her gifts and anonymous comments on her posts and stories on Instagram?

Audrey goes out of her way to create content for her Instagram that shows her most polished and put together side, even if that means a careful staged corner in a room still full of her packing boxes. Even as things because stressful and upsetting, she shows her happy highlights in her posts and stories.

How can she explain to her friend sand family that she is feeling watched when her whole persona revolves around showing her life to the world? How much privacy can you expect when you invite the world to look at your every move?

The author does a good job of giving us a cast of possible suspects and events that may or may not be all in Audrey's mind. It is a fast paced read with some very interesting twists and turns ad manages to be culturally relevant without being Insta-overload,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ever feels as if someone was watching you? Ever come home and get the feeling someone has been there even though nothing has been taken?

Audrey Miller has everything - a job at the Smithsonian, a huge social media following and a stalker!

Audrey shares almost every moment of her life online, she is used to having fans, even creepy ones....until one day, one decides to walk into her life and make her his own.

Audrey has moved to Washington, DC and is working hard at impressing her boss, spending time with her best friend, Cat, hooking up with her ex, all while dealing with her landlord's creepy son. Things should be falling into place for her, but she can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her, that someone has entered her apartment and may even be following her.

This is a fast-paced book that is told through various POV - Audrey, Cat and "Him". Each has an interesting story to tell. We get a better glimpse into their lives, thoughts and emotions. The reader also learns that one is hiding a secret while the other is well....you'll have to read the book!

I really enjoyed Kathleen Barber's book "Are You Sleeping" and found that I did not enjoy this one as much. It's still enjoyable, but I do recommend checking out her other book as well! This one was slightly predictable but had a nice twist. I wasn't shocked at the identity of "Him" I thought it was obvious but enjoyed how the characters found out.

This was an enjoyable fun read, that didn't require much thought. It is well written and had a nice pace throughout. Although, I enjoyed it, I thought the characters could have used a little more dimension and oomph. Some just felt a little flat to me and none really stood out as likable.

Overall, an enjoyable book which cautions the reader about over sharing on social media. It also begs the question about how well we know those in our lives.

Thank you to Gallery, Pocket Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was hooked from the very first page of this very addictive scary side of social media thriller and I was afraid to put it down. Audrey Miller accepted a new job at a museum in Washington, DC and goes there to begin a new chapter in her life. Audrey is obsessed with social media and has an Instagram account with hundreds of thousands of followers. She constantly posts her every move and thought on her blog, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. After she is in DC for a while, she realizes she has a stalker. Could it be her new boss? An old best friend, or a new best friend? An old boyfriend, or a new boyfriend? Could it be the creepy grandson of her landlady, or could it be someone else??? There are plenty of twists with a surprise ending in this spine-tingling thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this very gripping thriller in exchange for an honest review.