There are plenty of thrills and some "oh no" moments in JC Bidonde's DO YOU FOLLOW? as the story follows two sisters who have both had some mental health issues as they try to live outside their usual environment. It was sometimes hard to tell which sister was the worse, keeping the tension dialed up to 10.

(3.5 stars, rounded up to 4)

'Do You Follow?' is a thought-provoking journey through the complexities of modern identity in the age of social media. Bidonde crafts a narrative that seamlessly blends elements of mystery, romance, and social commentary, keeping readers captivated from beginning to end.

The novel's greatest strength lies in its intricately developed characters, each with their own unique struggles and desires. From Alexa, the enigmatic protagonist grappling with questions of authenticity, to the vibrant supporting cast navigating their personal dilemmas, every character feels remarkably real and relatable. Bidonde's prose effortlessly transports readers into the story through vivid imagery that brings every scene to life with remarkable clarity.

At its core, 'Do You Follow?' is a meditation on how social media shapes our sense of self. Through its exploration of themes such as authenticity, validation, and the quest for connection, the novel prompts readers to reflect on their own relationships with technology and social media. While the pacing occasionally falters, particularly in the middle sections of the book, the strength of the characters and the depth of the themes explored more than compensate for any minor shortcomings.

I had the pleasure of reading Do You Follow?, a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The author's skillful storytelling and ability to create tension and suspense had me hooked from the very first page. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a thrilling ride filled with suspense, mystery, and unexpected surprises.

I really enjoyed this book. I would definitely recommend this book. I was on the edge of my seat from page one! You can't go wrong reading this book.

For some reason, this was different than I expected.. I wanted it to be more about social media, but it lacked in that area. The story was okay, but not my favorite trope and I found some of it to be outlandish,

I was a bit disappointed in this one. I thought it would be more about social media than it was. Still a decent read, not what I would call a thriller.

Thank you netgalley for the ebook.

Solid read. It helped passed the time by allowing full immersion. The writing
style easily flowed. The characters played rhe role they were meant to play.

#DOYOUFOĹLOW. #NETGALLEY. #JCBIDONDE

OMG!!! I could not put it down!!! Every time I said one more chapter, it ended on a cliff-hanger and I just had to know what was going on!! I started this morning and finished it at 2 am, and although I’m exhausted today it was totally worth it.
If you like a good thriller, this is the book for you. This is the beginning of a new series. I can’t wait to read the next book.
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Was the "twist" so easy to figure out, or am I a thriller expert?
I got the whole thing from the very first chapter, which was frustrating because, apart from the secret, nothing special was happening.
Alexa was such a typical character to the point of being so bland. She cherished her independence and kept saying she had everything under control, but I felt she was a bit pushover and easy to manipulate, especially by Beth.
The constant reminders both twins kept saying about how they should never reveal their past was really boring and cringe-y.
It was like they were saying, "Hey, nothing is wrong here. We have absolutely no earth shattering secret that we can't tell, ok?"
The second part of the book was significantly better, nothing new was happening per se, but the writing was super engaging, so I flew through it in a short time.
The ending made sense, the final twist was unnecessary in my opinion, but I didn't hate it. The closure was enough to me.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

After Alex was sheltered by her father for most of her life she decides to move to New York City. After her estranged twin shows up things get complicated. Especially after she warns her about a new guy she's dating.

If you like true crime then you'll love this one with all it's twists. I would definitely recommend this to friends!

DO YOU FOLLOW? – by J.C. Bidonde – Thriller

‘Alexa lives a sheltered life with her widowed father, feeling stifled by his helicopter parenting. When she secures a marketing job and apartment in New York City—much to her father’s and therapist’s concern—Alexa has high hopes of finally sneaking her way into adulthood. But her newfound freedom is cut short when her estranged twin sister Beth, after a long stint in a psychiatric setting, unexpectedly shows up at the doorstep of her tiny apartment.’

‘As the sister bond grows strained over Alexa’s relationship and career success, questions mount, and secrets unfold, revealing the wickedly dark shared history of the twin siblings’

Bidonde does an excellent job of dropping tidbits of detail so the reader can speculate how the story may or may not play out, and for me, it included an ending I did and didn’t expect.

Recommend!

Thank You, NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press, for providing me with an eBook of DO YOU FOLLOW? at the request of an honest review.

This is a book review for the book ' Do you follow?' By J.C. Bidonde. Its a short book with 125 pages and a fast read.

The premise begins describing the story of 2 twin sisters, Alexa and Beth. We keep shifting between their points of view. They seem to be geting rehabilitated into the outside world after a stint at the mental hospital. Alexa is excited about her new job in New York but her dad is worried if she could mamage on her own.

Alexa seems to be calm and reasonable but Beth is the one with the short fuse. Alexa seems uncomfortable in Beth's prescence but they manage to get along.

There is a love interest and the story moves forward until it stops right in its tracks with a plot twist . After that we need to see everything 8in n a new way.

I definitely didn't see the plot twist coming. It was thoroughly enjoyable and most certainly a novel of the current age with mentions of instagram, youtubing, views and getting popular

I wpuld certainly recommend this book and apart from 1 or 2 errors, this book was thoroughly enjoyable..

Do You Follow? is a decent 3.5-star debut thriller that makes you question what your think you know about your own reality and how that reality can be manipulated by oneself, others, and the ever-present social media. The overall premise of Alexa's and Beth's story was easy to pick up on as the topic has been a subject of several high-profile thrillers and horror novels in recent years. the end was a fascinating twist that felt fresh. The fast pace was great, and the different characters' voices really came though. I appreciated that the author alluded to psychiatric medications but did not try to actually work them into the story line... it wouldn't have added much, and the risk of messing up the medication details/pharmacology would be too high without expert consultation. On the down side, some instances, particularly the courtroom scenes, were not quite accurate with regards as to how courts function and could have benefited from a legal expert review. Lastly, I wish perhaps there was a POV from Alexa's dad worked in somehow as the parental observation of events would have been interesting. Overall, not a perfect story but an interesting and quick read to spend a rainy afternoon with.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The story is a thriller that heavily is influenced on mental illness and how social media can affect each and every one of us. The story is based on twins sisters, both struggled with mental health issues as both have spent time in a psychiatric ward but Alexa seems to have bettered herself. She moved to NYC, got a new marketing job, has a boyfriend, Curt so needless to say she has done well for herself. On the other hand her sister Beth still is in the psych ward but is soon released. Beth moves in with Alexa which brings back some childhood traumas. Oh what a mess this gets to be! Then plot twist, CURT IS MURDERED and Alexa is put on trial for the murder. She claims it was not her but her sister Beth.

I don't think I was able to close my mouth the whole time. I was utterly shocked! What a great book!

This was a fast-paced story that went totally in a different direction than I though, well done! I did feel there was some inacurateness but it is a fictional story and it made it more interesting. 3.5 stars

(Recieved from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Being from a small, Southern town, any book set in a big city always appeals to me. This was a thriller with surprises along the way. It was an enjoyable read for me.

This is a case where an excellent concept meets poor execution. I really wish I could have liked it but in all honesty I couldn't wait for it to be over.

On a more positive note, I ended up listening to this on audio and found the narrator did an excellent job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for a free digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

I’m a sucker for any book set in NYC.

Although most thrillers on the market nowadays are a bit predictable, “Do you follow?” had an element of surprise. Once I started reading, I quickly became invested in the story and couldn’t put it down.

Super engaging story! I was hooked right away, I pretty much knew the way it was going, but it did have some surprises. It's very well written, I did get a bit confused at one one point, forgetting to read the name on the chapter.
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

I found the story fairly interesting until it became clear that Alexa suffers from DID. I don’t particularly like DID being used as a shock factor in media. The vast majority of people with DID are not a danger to society. There are also many moments of the narrative that don’t make sense with Alexa and Beth being the same person. Also not a huge fan of the inclusion of Covid. It wasn’t relavent to the story, so there wasn’t really a need to include it.