There was so much about this that I loved. For starters, the book was extremely relevant to what is going on today's time with the social media frenzy and how easily it is to stalk people from near and far. I also loved the way it was written. I enjoyed the shorter chapters and switching between the point of views because it was a nice way to break up the story and give every perspective with little to no fluff. I definitely loved the plot twist at the end. Bravo!

Follow Me – Kathleen Barber

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review. This review will also publish to my blog, tropicaldelusions.blog, a few days before publication.

Audrey Miller is the girl next door, with her eye catching beauty and outgoing personality, as well as her success as an Instagrammer. Followed far and wide by those wishing to connect to her exuberant lifestyle, she’s created quite a fan base. But some of those fans are not as harmless as the others…

Audrey decides to make a big move, from NYC to Washington DC after she receives a job offer from a DC museum looking for a social media manager. Upon her arrival, she connects with a friend Cat, who resides in DC and the two renew their friendship. Unbeknownst to Audrey, someone else has been awaiting her arrival as well.

As Audrey settles into her new apartment and job, she finds herself the unwelcome recipient of unwanted attention, and unannounced visits from her landlord’s grandson. Then one night, she hears noises at her bedroom window, and sneaks out to see an individual running away. Flowers appear, in her favorite color. She also finds herself dealing with the subtle advances of a colleague, and the booty calls of an old lover. And then she meets Max, a friend of Cats, whom she falls head over heels for. But someone isn’t happy…

Told from the perspectives of the various characters, including a stalker identified only as Him, we gain depth into the individual quirks of each character as well as the moments that drive them. I would almost call this a young adult read, particularly as it relates to the dangers of social media posting, and how much is too much.
I found this to be a quick, engaging & enlightening read, with a gentle reminder – do you really know who your friends are??

I am definitely in the minority with my review. The repetitive dialogue, the unlikeable characters, the stupidity of the main protagonist and her constant poor judgement, and her recurring impaired choices, left me bereft. Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Author Kathleen Barber's latest novel "Follow Me" is a true modern day thriller. Stalking in the digital age has taken it up a notch. Every picture, status or video a person posts leaves a digital footprint letting a stalker follow you to our precise location. This novel did a terrific job showing readers the adverse effect of being a social media star.

I will say this book has some exciting twists and turns. I stayed engaged and excited to turn the page despite the flaws I found in this story. The characters, to me, felt incomplete and there wasn't a single one I connected with. Backstories were lacking and I just felt like there were too many characters to truly get to know any of them.

This story is told from alternate perspectives, which makes for a more in depth story from all angles. I liked reading the chapters from the stalker's point of view, and when he was revealed, it made the story even more interesting.

I felt like the ending came too quick. It was all over in the blink of an eye and wrapped up in a cute little bow. With the main character being a social media star, and her constant posting of information is what lead up to this whole fiasco, I would have loved to see more of the "after" and find out if it changed her way of life and posting habits after going through this ordeal.

Overall, it was a very quick and entertaining 3 star read for me! Perfect for a weekend read or to get into on a work commute.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery, Pocket Books for allowing me an eARC to read and give my honest review.

Follow Me is due to be released here in the USA on February 25, 2020 so preorder and ad it to your list today!

Happy Reading!

Thank you Netgalley and to the publisher for the advance ecopy. This is my first book by Kathleen Barber and it did not disappoint. It's a book with a real disturbing topic that I'm sure is happening more than we know. Audrey has thousands of followers on Instagram. But someone seems to love her a little bit too much. Someone is following her and not just online. Is it someone she knows?? Suspenseful and twisty! Highly recommend it.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I can see this as a movie or TV show. wonderful thriller and very complex characters. I had no idea who to trust. Audrey has a stalker. The question is who can it be? You will be sucked in quickly and be shocked at the end.

I teetered on my review for this book.. I liked it, the story flowed quite nicely with a great character development. But,it did not have the WOW factor, like "what just happened here!" but it tried really hard-it was just a little too predictable. I would read another book from this author so I opted to rate this a four star book. I recommend for an easy beach read for sure.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read and give an honest review.

Follow Me is an absolutely electric thriller, terrifying and creepy and all too plausible. I started this right before I was supposed to go to sleep and almost stayed up all night reading - it's that kind of a page turner. This reminded me a lot of Caroline Kepnes' You and has the same unsettling creep factor with an added bonus of whodunit - Audrey meets a lot of men in D.C., and you have no idea which one is her mystery stalker. The only complaint I have is that the ending happened a little too fast - I think Barber could have drawn it out a little more, made us wait a little longer before everything lined up and fell to pieces. Pick up this book if you're looking for a fast-paced, highly readable, creepy novel about the dangers of overexposing ourselves on social media. You never know who's watching you.

I kid you not when I tell you I've been waiting for Kathleen Barber to write a new book since the moment I finished Are You Sleeping as an ARC in 2017 - and if you know me at all, I'm not exactly the most patient person :)

Well, I am extremely happy to report that 5 stars are absolutely in order for Follow Me. Creepy, suspenseful, real and full of intrigue, Barber poses readers with the question - how much about yourself do you really put out there to the public on the internet? Audrey is a successful influencer toting 1m followers, going about her life instagramming every moment - but someone out there is watching, maybe a bit too closely!

In the vein of Caroline Kepnes "You" - we get perspectives from Audrey, her bff Cat and a mysterious "Him" - the man obsessed with Audrey. The chapters added from Him are incredibly chilling and add an extra layer of intrigue to an already suspenseful story. Now, all I can say is, I just can't wait two more years for more Kathleen Barber goodness!

This book is a bit of a mess. It was hard to follow what exactly was going on becuase all of the characters blended together. The idea was interesting but I didn't care abou the stalker, the influencer or the friend. They all seemed like messes.

Has She Endangered Herself By Being Too Well Known On The Internet?

Audrey Miller enjoys being a star to the million or so followers she has on social media. Sometimes neglecting her own life, she goes out of her way to visit places that her vast audience will find post-worthy and exciting. And if she makes up some of the excitement, what’s the harm? She just moved to Washington, DC, landing her dream job doing what she loves. Two of her old friends live in the city, providing her encouragement and support, but unknown to her there is another person thrilled with her move to the city. He has been a fan of hers forever and now he plans to make her his own.

Sight unseen, she rented a small apartment in DC. It’s in a good location and not too bad, if you don’t mind that the door lock doesn’t always work, the windows don’t let in any light, and the landlord has a creepy son that likes to pop in unexpectedly. She can handle all that, but then there is the stalker and the strange “gifts” left for her.

Wonderfully written with an insightful combination of credibility and fear, Kathleen Barber has captured the risks of being obsessed with sharing your whole life with the world. I highly recommend Follow Me to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/thriller and is not planning to be alone in the dark.

Thank you, Gallery, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of Follow Me for my honest review.

I read this mainly because I am fascinated by people who live their lives on the internet. This is a cautionary tale about how dangerous that can be.

Audrey documents her life on line. This has garnered her over 1 million instagram followers, and directly led to her dream job in Washington DC. Once there, she reconnects with her college friend, her college boyfriend, and finds herself in the same city where an obsessive fan lives. The book becomes a question of who is the one stalking her.

All of the characters here are flawed. The stalker could be anyone. It could be one of her old friends, one of her new coworkers, or the new man in her life. The reader can't rule anyone out because no one is totally trustworthy. I liked trying to guess the stalker's identity, but found myself unsure until the end. This book kept the tension high and kept me invested in the story. I enjoyed reading it.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Audrey Miller is a social-media star. She shares nearly everything with her 1 million followers: nights out, coffee runs, the coolest workout classes, even her home decor choices. Her followers feel like they truly know her... maybe a little too well. When a job opportunity moves her to D.C., she unknowingly moves right into the radius of one of her biggest, most obsessive fans. As Audrey navigates life in a new city, dalliances with an ex-boyfriend, and a friendship with an old sorority sister with a mysterious past, her number one fan becomes increasingly bold in the ways he shows his affection. Most would call it stalking, but he calls it love.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is the scariest book I have read so far this year. Follow Me is an A+ thriller... solid writing, good character development, and not predictable! Barber utilized red herrings well, and I was surprised by the ending. I love a book that makes me audibly gasp over plot twists! We ALL follow influencers who are over-exposed, and this book made me genuinely concerned over how much we share online. Follow Me will be released on February 25, 2020. Thank you @netgalley and @gallerybooks for my advanced readers copy!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. I only docked it a half star because the ending seemed a little clunky to me. But Oh F***! This book freaked me out with the idea that anyone could be stalker thanks to social media. I didn’t trust any character in this book and it makes me want to delete my social media ASAP.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Gallery Books for letting me read and review “Follow Me” by Kathleen Barber. This book was excellent! In today’s day and age of social media and people posting EVERYTHING they do, it really makes you stop and think. Audrey is an Instagram influencer and, being quite narcissistic, loves to post everything about her life. Her more practical friend Cat thinks this is too much and Audrey soon finds out she has a stalker. But there are also some secrets from the past and a twist that I did NOT see coming. Highly recommend this book and couldn’t put it down.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

This was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time- on the tip with You and Gone Girl. Will definitely be a phenom. Can’t wait to read the next one

This novel takes place in the present, where "brand ambassadors" and "social media influencers" rule the day. It concerns a group of 20-somethings who live in DC and try to live their lives online, posting frequently about their loves, their meals, their moments. It isn't so far-fetched and the collisions among them gets intense as the postings fly across the Internet. "A girl has to protect her brand," one character remarks during one scene -- something that I have heard in real life with some regularity. She goes on to say, "Like every other basic white girl on the planet, I'd started a blog in the late 2000s with a free WordPress template and very little to say "
The plot concerns obsession between the characters: not just about dating and relationships, but the need to document their lives, rather than make actual choices about them based on what one's desires and motivations outside of being in the public eye. It is a very believable and sadly, cautionary tale for the modern era. Even if you aren't all that familiar with social media, this is a worthy read for you.

This is the new modern day, technology over share, HORROR story. This book was highly enjoyable, fast paced, and will have you overthinking every social media post you have ever made in your life! Well done!

Really good psych/thriller about social media. Today, seems everyone who is anyone is on all forms of social media. Some to be the attention people, others, to follow & like
The chapters in this book are named by the character POV at that time in the book. Main characters being Audrey, Cat &.....Him. We finally find out who Him is ( somewhat easy, having figured it out, which I rarely do) but so much more happens after that & all in the span of about 3 chapters
Great plot set up. I don’t want to give away spoilers, but glad it didn’t turn out the way it was headed ;)
I’d highly recommend this book when it comes out next year
I received a digital copy by Net Galley & in return it was easy to leave this review because these are my types of stories/books! Thank you to Gallery publishers, partner of Simon & Schuster for allowing nearly this digital copy #KathleenBarber #NetGalley #GalleryPublishers #PsychThriller #SocialMediaStory

Really enjoyed this book. The book is told from the point of view of three different people, which confused me in the beginning, but was soon sorted out. The ending was more than just a twist, and it was unexpected. Not only was this book set near me, it mentioned one of my favorite spots - Gravelly Point- and captured the excitement of the planes landing over your head at Reagan National. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to read more by this author!