This book was so compelling that I finished it in one afternoon and evening.

Alexa is a young woman who has experienced trauma in her past. Her mom died young and her father sent her twin sister away. But Alexa, through therapy, has made great strides and now feels she is strong enough to get a job and live alone in NYC. Her father is very hesitant, and her therapist is supportive, but with limitations.

Yet Alexa has landed a job she loves and wants to be independent. Her first client turns out to be a very attractive man she met at her therapy center. They keep the fact that they met at a mental institution a secret, for both their sakes. Alexa seems to be settling in until the moment that her twin Beth shows up at her door.

Beth and Alexa are identical twins. Alexa knows that Beth is trouble. Beth can be erratic and unreliable. So Alexa isn’t quite sure what to do with Beth, especially when Beth decides to move in. But twins they are, so Alexa relents and allows Beth to move in to the tiny New York City apartment.

The three of them, Beth, Alexa & Curt, become fast friends and everything seems to be going along perfectly. Alexa can never trust Beth to remain as normal as possible, so she worries constantly. Especially when Beth starts to display her old erratic behaviors.

Gotta say this one kept me turning page after page. The story of these twins, the tragedies they’ve suffered, and the strange connection they have leaves you wanting to know more. There is so much talk about the ‘incident’ that happened when they were young and how it affected them. The scars they both carry. Bidonde did a fabulous job of keeping really great secrets until the end.

This was a fun one.

“Do You Follow?” was a wild story. The book opens with the main character, Alexa, at the police station, suspected of killing her boyfriend, Curt, although she claims the killer is her sister, Beth. Alexa and Beth are identical twins and an incident at age nine irrevocably changed their lives, and ultimately had tragic consequences for other family members. Both girls/young women have been in therapy, but Beth has been institutionalized the longest and most often, and is estranged from their father, who forbids Alexa from even mentioning her. Alexa yearns for independence from her father and thinks she has finally found it when she lands a job at a social media company in New York. Her first client, Curt, has a food blog/vlog and is on the major social media sites, but struggling to gain the followers to make him an influencer. Alexa’s ideas for promoting his brand resonate with him (and with Alexa’s boss), and even more exciting for Alexa, a romantic relationship (her first real relationship) develops with Curt. However, complicating matters is that Beth has shown up, taking up residence with Alexa in her tiny NY apartment, and she does not trust Curt. Beth also wants to make sure that Alexa keeps their secrets safe, a task made harder by Alexa holding onto a childhood journal that contains some of their secrets. Their secrets, when finally revealed, are more shocking than one would suspect. The book has plenty of suspense, drama, and surprises, but also some humorous and lighthearted moments. The story has some thought-provoking aspects, especially regarding mental health treatment and the criminal justice system.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This is my first book by this author & WOW it was insanely good!!!!!!! At first it was a little confusing keeping the twin sisters versions straight but after a little bit that got easy and the story flew by from there. This is definitely a crazy but in a good way page turner. I highly recommend this book to thriller fans.

For me this was not a very enjoyable book. The basic premise was figured out early on making the rest of the book rather long and drawn out. None of the characters were very likable. The writing style itself was lacking. The only good thing I found in relation to this book was that it ended. I’m giving it a very generous two-star rating.

This book was amazing! I read it in 2 days. The book captures you from the beginning and doesn't let you go until the very end, There is so much suspense and drama in this book-you won't put it down. The story keeps you guessing until the end, which you won't see coming! I highly recommend this book.

I thought it was a very well-written book. I enjoyed the different outlooks on certain topics. Alexa and Beth's characters are well developed and their relationship is hard to explain. I think Curt's character was unnecessary. His character did nothing to propel or add to the story. Curt could have been written out of the story and the ending would have stayed the same. Although, after the third chapter, I guess what was going on, I did not see the real ending. It was an interesting read.


Thank you to Greenleaf Book Group, Greenleaf Book Group Press and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alexa and Beth are identical twins and young adults. Alexa has recently started her first job in New York city. Beth has never worked. They had a "troubled" childhood and have been under the care of a Therapist for many years. Alexa moves into her first apartment with her father's assistance. Her Mother had died years earlier. As soon as her father leaves, Beth arrives and moves in. On her first day at her job, Alexa meets Curt, an influencer who is using her firm to develop more followers as an influencer. They begin dating, something Beth is not happy about. Going deeper into the plot will lead to spoilers, however it is complex and well developed. This was a solid 3.5 stars raised to a 4. Thanks to Net Galley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for an ARC for an honest review.

I have mixed thoughts on this one. The book was definitely a thriller and had a fast pace and many twists and turns but unfortunately I saw most of the twists and turns coming and the grammar was very juvenile. I don't want to get into too much detail and give any part of the book away, I will say this, the book is about twins and basically a good versus evil. Yes at the end of the book there was a major twist reveal and the guy has said before I kind of saw it coming but, over all this book was not bad and I would rate it three stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

A deeply disturbing psychological drama. Alexa is a young girl looking to get away from her dad and strike out on her own in New York City. The story is told from the point of view of Alexa, her twin Beth and the psychiatrist Dr. Greer. It explores the pandemic as well as the hold that social media can have on our lives. There are many twists and turns throughout the story before the full truths are revealed.

I absolutely devoured this book. I am always intrigued by stories with twins, and also psychiatry - so put those two together and that's the making of a 5-star book if you ask me!

The biggest issue I had with this book was that I predicted the "big twist" during the very first chapter. (And Chapter 1 should probably have been a Prologue.) I'm not sure if it was the way things were worded, but I just knew, and assuming what I did, I thought it was really obvious what was going on right up until it was revealed at 67%. I really only kept reading to see if I was right (I was), but there were some other things that surprised me that I didn't see coming, which was great.

I think some parts of the plot could have been fleshed out a little more, but I was definitely intrigued by this book and could not put it down!

Random sidenote: I did NOT like the part about the cat! 😭 (And also, who names their cat "Susan"? 😆)

Brilliant...I am sitting here with my mouth open trying to catch my breath.

Totally unique, totally unexpected and entirely original, I LOVED this book.

FIVE STARS

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy, it was my pleasure to write an honest review.

I thought this started a little slow and wasn’t sure I was going to like it but I just kept reading and it got better and better. I don’t want to give anything away but I must say I didn’t figure it out. This was played out very well with a lot of twists and a lot to process. I really enjoyed this book and I am glad I stuck with it. I would recommend this book.

Review of eBook

Alexa Martin, tired of the overbearing parenting of her widowed father, interviews for a job and is hired as a marketing assistant at FLLW. She finds a small walk-up apartment in the West Village and happily looks forward to settling into her new home and job . . . and independence.

And then her estranged twin sister, Beth, arrives, maneuvering Alexa into letting her stay while she searches for a place of her own. Despite the awkwardness between the sisters, Alexa easily settles into her new job; soon she is dating Curt Kempton, one of FLLW’s clients.

And then the unthinkable happens . . . .

=========

Told alternately by Alexa, Beth, and Doctor Greer, the unfolding story has an unsettling undercurrent nurtured by the tension between the two thoroughly unlikeable sisters and the questions concerning reality and imagination. In keeping with the unlikeable characters, manipulative Curt is just as annoying as the two sisters with their constant squabbling.

The concept for the story is intriguing and while it raises some interesting mental health questions, the majority of the story promulgates the “good twin/bad twin” trope when either Alexa or Beth is the focal point of the story being told. Throughout most of the narrative, the two sisters seem to be in a contest of wills, each intent on proving herself as the one in the right. Nevertheless, later in the story, when nothing is as it seemed, the shadow of the "good twin/bad twin" trope remains to dishearten readers.

Although the evolving story slowly reveals snippets of the truth, the revelation late in the story may come as quite a surprise for some readers, but it raises the question of why no one intimately involved with the twins for so many years seemed to have an inkling of an idea that this had occurred. Clearly related to the “incident,” its revelation plays out reasonably well. But the "incident" itself requires far too much suspension of disbelief for most readers. In the end, the uniqueness in this story simply isn’t enough to make it anything more than a disappointment.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Greenleaf Book Group, Greenleaf Book Group Press and NetGalley
#DoYouFollow #NetGalley

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of DO YOU FOLLOW by JC Bidonde in exchange for my honest review.***

MAJOR SPOILERS
Don’t read further unless you want to know.

Stories about twins intrigue me, so the blurb for DO YOU FOLLOW seemed like it might possibly be a good fit. Instead I read the type of book that angers me, because it fictionalizes real psychiatric diagnosis to the point of misleading readers about the nature of the conditions.

Alexa killed Beth when they were nine, so the Beth chapters are actually Alexa’s DID (once called multiple personality disorder) alter which isn’t how the condition Dissociative Identity Disorder works, though JC Bidonde claims there have been three cases where a patient developed an alter to replace a dead person.

Even if I could get past the DID distortion, the characters felt more like characters than people. None was particularly compelling or made me care much about the characters. The only reason I kept reading was to see if my theory was correct (it was).

I can’t recommend this book. I wanted to give two stars, but couldn’t find a reason.

This book had potential to be a lot better but unfortunately it did not live up to that. Without giving away spoilers the subject was not treated with the depth and respect it deserved. So a fast read and a somewhat predictable read that was overall disappointing

An interesting premise that was spoiled by easily predictable "twists", unlikable and dull characters, and poor writing. Simple grammatical errors and over-describing every action by every character made this read less like the flow of a finished novel and more like an awkward draft. I am a believer in the "show, not tell" storytelling method, which was not to be found here. Some of the stated details were almost painful- I just don't care why Alexa has cutlery from home, or why she's using a delivery app for food. Not everything has to have a backstory. This looks like the first novel by this author, and the creativity and promise is definitely there, this just wasn't the book for me. I don't think I would ever reread this, but I would be interested to see what they come up with in the next book they write.

Do you Follow was a read I enjoyed, It had me guessing throughout. The characters were interesting and the story line was unique. This author is now on my radar.
Thank you Netgalley and Greenleaf Books for the arc.

Bad things happen when Beth is around. Is Beth the real culprit or the victim? The plot was somewhat predictable and I struggled to connect with the characters. It took me quite some time to complete this book. The book had much potential. Maybe it just needs some polishing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy - the following opinions are my own. Do You Follow is a good beginning to what should have been a great book. From the beginning, a savvy reader would be able to predict what the story was all about and it what direction you were being led. There were moments of "Oh, no! Watch Out!" but they were few. Every time a twist or turn was brought to my attention, it was more of an "Yep. I saw that coming." This book was more of a first draft or outline that needed some more depth and detail. Insert Spoiler Here: We meet Alexa. We watch Alexa leave for a job and an indepence in NYC. Alexa gets a job, and has her own apartment. Alexa's twin sister, Beth arrives. Something doesn't seem right with Beth. Is Beth real? Who is the bad twin - Alexa or Beth. Bad things happen when Beth is around but is it really Alexa doing the bad things blaming Beth? The chapters are labelled with both names but sometimes Alexa gets two chapters in a row. The job is unbelievably good for someone who has just started - the responsibilities are geared for someone with more experience. Then we are introduced to the boyfriend - a guy Alex knows for only a blink of an eye yet they are instant lovers. Boyfriend moves in and "meets" Beth. The fun begins and quickly ends. There is only one thing that I didn't see but it wasn't a shocker. There are a lot of holes in this story; however, I couldn't put the book down hoping for a better ending. The book needed details, it needed some fattening up for lack of better terms. It wasn't as different a story as the author may have hoped. I give it three stars for effort and for future potential books.

This was an interesting psychological thriller, centered on Alexa, who has had issues in the past with mental illness and is now taking a stab at independence, getting an apartment, job, and boyfriend in New York City. Her estranged twin sister, Beth, shows up almost as soon as she arrives, and threatens to shatter the safe world she has built around her by bringing up unresolved issues from their entwined pasts.

I am also enthralled by tales of twins, and this one gives you an interesting dynamic. There is a big twist in this book, but I figured it out almost immediately- not sure if everyone would, but I read so many books in this genre that I look for twists. I didn't fully connect with either Beth or Alexa- Alexa was a bit of wet blanket and Beth was bit of a bitch, but I was able to understand where both were coming from.

You get a few paragraphs thrown in from the psychiatrist who has been treating Alexa, which I found very interesting- very rarely do you read a book from that particular POV. The ending wrapped things up very nicely, and while may cause you to suspend your disbelief a bit, was satisfying to me.

Overall, unique read that moved at a fast clip. Would recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.