Really enjoyed this book even though when the twist came I was super confused and had to reread a few parts. Very good, a little sad of an ending but I enjoyed the whole story. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

This review is spoiler-free, even though that’s a big challenge, because this is a book full of twists and turns.

"Do You Follow?" is a compulsively readable thriller that explores themes of mental illness, the lives of twins, and the nature of fame. The story is very layered, and even if you predict some of the twists, there is always another reveal right around the corner. And once you take it all in, you get the urge to reread the book with the new information in mind, and past scenes click differently – it’s great when books achieve that.

The book starts in a very engaging way, right in the middle of things, and Alexa’s voice is very relatable and draws the reader right in. The way the story unfolds, with the flashbacks and Alexa’s and Beth’s alternating voices is truly compelling. The suspense that surrounds Curt’s character and his relationship to the sisters is also very exciting – is he a victim of a dangerous web of secrets, can he be trusted, did he bite off more than he can chew?

Mental health is portrayed with a lot of compassion, although from a slightly different perspective than what we are used to, and this is definitely a strength of this book. The character of Dr. Greer represents a great foil to the police officers in their treatment of the patient, and he embodies admirably the author’s exploration of how difficult it really is to help people. These things aren’t easy to talk or write about, and we’re used to either dismissing people who suffer from mental illnesses as someone not worthy of participating in society, or we go to the other extreme and romanticize these conditions, frame them with aggressive, undue optimism. There is a note of realness in the portrayal in this book that steers away from that, which is much needed and appreciated.

The subtle hints the author drops are like breadcrumbs scattered in the woods, and assembling them into a trail that leads to what happened engages the reader. The way the story is written, it’s obvious from the start that the relationship between Alexa and Beth isn’t as straightforward as expected, and it unravels at just the right pace to keep you guessing but also to feed you with bits of information to give you something to go on.

Focusing on social media and the life of influencers is a very interesting and relatable angle, and all the scenes related to that are refreshing and written convincingly. What could have worked amazingly was a little bit more of Curt’s point of view, which would allow the reader to understand the character a bit better. However, the other characters are great at telling the story.

After some of the bigger reveals, it would have been great to see flashbacks of Alexa’s and Beth’s life before the “incident” to even further drive the point home and strengthen the representation and the themes of the novel. There is definitely enough material and space to have expanded the book a little without fear of losing the readers, because the pace is just right, and the story is such a page-turner that no one would mind a little more. Another bit that could benefit from a little expanding are the courtroom scenes, because it feels like the trial was cut a little short.

The edition includes some questions that help start a discussion and offer more insight into the topics explored in the book. This is great for book clubs or for anyone who appreciates talking about what they read, selecting books based on the topics discussed, or comparing the way one issue is dealt with in different pieces of fiction. The book also includes a Q&A session with the author, which really sheds light on the writing process and how much effort goes into turing an idea to a full novel.

Overall, a thrilling and recommended read.

This novel brought me in from the beginning. At times, following identical twins, Alexa and Beth, was a slow burn, yet the twists held my attention, and I NEEDED to find out more. A timely read, and almost a bit satirical at times. I would recommend, and thank the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy.

The book was interesting, but I was expecting a little bit more of a plot twist. There's some suspense, and you want to know what will actually happen, but some things are pretty obvious from the start.
Alexa had some mental problems in the past, but now is finally ready to move out by herself to NYC. In the first day there her twin sister shows up, but she is focused on getting start on her new job so she doesn't let her interfere with anything. In fact, she doesn't want anyone to see her, not even her new boyfriend that she met at her new job. How long can she keep her sister a secret?

Do You Follow is a twisty, mind-bending thriller about the troubled lives of identical twins Alexa and Beth, as Alexa tries to launch her adult life in New York and leave her damaging past behind her. Some of the twists are heavily hinted at, so they became obvious as the story progressed, but others were a complete surprise, so they kept me wanting to read until the final conclusion. The points of view change between Alexa, Beth and Alexa's therapist, Dr. Greer, so it was nice to have insight into each character's part in the story, but it would have been interesting to have chapters narrated by Curt, Alexa's new boyfriend, and see his evolving point of view as the story unfolds. I especially would have loved to read some actual entries from the journal that becomes very central to the storyline in the middle of the book. The ending wraps up lingering questions for a satisfying conclusion. Enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to any new ones by the author in the future!

This was a fast, short read (or should I say listen?) with some great twists. I found it very entertaining. Snag this “read now” on #Netgalley for your kindle or as an audiobook!

Thank you so much for this ARC!

Wow, what a great book to kick off the new year. A short psychological thriller that packs a lot of twists.

Loved the psychology (which was obvious around the middle of the book for me) and the social media aspect.

This is a quick read, a psychological thriller strongly targeted at a younger audience. There are some sizable twists that make the story unpredictable. A pretty enjoyable read!

A slow-paced, twisty mind- freak that will have you guessing until the end. I could not figure out what was going on through this entire book. I thought I may have known what was going on, but I was so utterly beyond wrong. It was slower paced than I usually prefer, but the underlying mystery that was interlaced into the story kept me turning each page desperate for answers. This story is not light and fluffy and if you are looking for happily ever after, then you might want to really think this through.

Flashbacks to the past give you little insights into what happened in twin sisters Beth and Alexs' life.Each flash is a little bread crumb leading you to a molding piece of stale bread that your starved body feeds on like it was the finest baked goods out there. It was awful. It was amazing. It was eye-opening. It was emotional. There were so many moments where I just whispered to myself "what the...."

Mental Health and Social Media are two heavy topics addressed in this book, and it is very relatable to today's world. While I could not relate to either of the sister's I still felt a connection to the actual story and was definitely drawn in.

That being said DO NOT LOOK AT THE BACK OF THE BOOK BEFORE READING .... There is a major spoiler and I feel like that would ruin the reading experience!

While this book started out slow it did pick up a bit.
Definitely a psychological thriller but this book was a little too YA for me.
A couple of good twists and turns that made for a sad but interesting story line.
Thank you to Netgalley, Greenleaf book group and the Author, J.C. Bidonde for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A shocking event that traumatized twin sisters Alexa and Beth led them to spend time at a psychiatric facility as children. While Alexa has been able to heal and acclimate to everyday life now as a young woman in her 20’s, Beth has had more difficulty adjusting. Just as Beth finishes another stint at the psychiatric center and reunites with her sister, Alexa–in contrast–has flourished and gained more independence through a new job and apartment in the city. The sister’s bond grows strained and secrets come to light about the terrible night that has haunted them since they were nine years old.

Holy moly what a tale. I started listening to the audiobook without checking the synopsis to help kill time while doing chores, and I ended up really enjoying this story. My gripe with a lot of thrillers recently is that they can take too long to progress the plot and reveal interesting twists, but I thought this one was the perfect length. The pacing moved at a brisk speed and every passage had a purpose in moving the storyline along.

In terms of characterization, Alexa and Beth had distinct personalities that set them apart. Beth is direct, quick to anger, and has no problem speaking her mind, whereas Alexa is reserved and the more level-headed half of the duo. There is an influencer-type boyfriend who comes into the picture early on and serves as a buffer between the two sisters’ sometimes clashing personalities. There’s also a few chapters involving the doctor assigned to care for the sisters at the psychiatric facility. I found him particularly interesting and well-written because he had his moments of being sympathetic to Alexa and Beth’s situation but also his moments of pure focus on the medical aspect of their case as a scientific professional. But truthfully I was definitely a lot more invested in the interactions between Alexa and Beth.

The twist in the story obviously is what caused the sisters to end up at a psychiatric center at nine years old. It’s quite interesting so I won’t mention anymore and save any potential spoilers. What I do wanna mention is how the story goes beyond that night. I’m so used to thrillers unveiling a final twist to shock readers, and then fading to black, that it caught me off guard when I was reunited with the main characters and the story continued. Because this book leans on the shorter side, it didn’t feel like the author was dragging the story out. It rather felt like the full story had yet to be unveiled and there were more pieces of the puzzle to be discovered, which definitely excited me and kept me reading.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and was satisfied where it ended. I haven’t read a lot of thrillers so I can’t say if the curveballs were predictable, but I personally enjoyed where the plot went and how each character reacted as the story went on. I thought the narrator of the audiobook did a wonderful job with highlighting the mounting tension between the sisters, and giving Alexa and Beth distinct voices. It’s a short read so if you’re looking for something quick to occupy some time definitely consider giving this one a try!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This is a challenging review to write without spoilers, but I will do my best. Alexa finds herself in an exciting situation, having scored a job in New York. This is her first job and she has to move into her own apartment ivery quickly as the offer involves starting her job the following Monday. It is clear that her Dad is concerned about her moving out but excited about her success in getting a job she wants. He is also concerned about her seeing her twin sister, Beth, who has been banished from the house, and has not been seen for over a year. Alexa does not tell Dad that Beth shows up at her apartment shortly after she moves in, asking if she can stay there until she finds a place of her own. Dad would not be okay with this arrangement, so she keeps it to herself. Alexa's new job is to work at a firm that helps influences to gain the traction they desire. Alexa's first client is Curt, who she has seen a few times at the Weinstein Center, where she goes to see her therapist. They quickly start a whirlwind romance. Everything seems to be going okay, despite some of Beth's behavior that Alexa is not happy with. But then Beth is not happy about Curt, and Alexa has to figure out what she will do to keep her happy little world intact.

What the above description does not show is that this is psychological thriller. The reader has no idea what is really going on with these characters until well in the novel., In fact it is a little confusing to know what is going on at times, as there is information that is not revealed until late in the story. These revelations come as a tremendous surprise to the reader, which I think was a good move by the author,. However, some of them did not ring true to this reader, perhaps because of the work I do, which I will not reveal here, because again - it might create a spoiler for the reader.

This is a novel I read quickly, but honestly became disenchanted with after some of the twists. They were interesting and unexpected but did not work for this particular reader. Nonetheless, the book was interesting and an easy read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Greenleaf Book Group for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars!

This was a fun, short thriller to read. Our two main characters are Alexa and Beth, twins who both have dark secrets from their past that they do not want to get out.

Alexa moves to NYC to start her career at a marketing agency for influencers, and shortly after moving her twin sister shows up on her doorstep to crash at her place. Tension is high between the two, and it only escalates as the book goes on, especially when Alexa shares with Beth that she's met a guy at work, Curt, who might have some secrets of his own. Beth is afraid of Curt finding out about their past, and Alexa is afraid of what Beth might say, or do, to Curt.

At around 250 pages, this book is a short read that I thought was enjoyable! I will say the main plot twist was pretty easy to guess, but that didn't keep me from liking the book, and there were a few additional twists I didn't see coming. Some of the plot points felt a little disjointed, and there were some extra details I didn't feel were needed, especially for such a short book. I wish that time was spent more with the characters and understanding their personalities a little more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Amazing! Loved it and will for sure be reading more by this author! Will make sure to tell others about it as well!

I avoided the spoiler that was on the back of the book, but I have to say I figured out the main “twist” in the first few chapters. The book was a fairly quick read, but the characters all felt a little superficial. I also didn’t love the way the book twisted a real mental health diagnosis quite so much. Overall it was an ok read but not great. Alexa has experienced a lot of trauma and something bad happened with her twin sister Beth which has led to Beth being out of the family. Alexa hasn’t heard from Beth in a year when she finally realizes her dream of getting a job and moving into her own apartment in New York City. Before Alexa can even finish unpacking her sister is knocking on her door and asking if she can stay for a while. Things are ok until Alexa also meets a client at work and they start to date. Beth has always been protective and she does not like Curt and worries for Alexa. Alexa is still seeing her psychiatrist regularly and is starting to have a few bumps and times she doesn’t remember. Life on her own isn’t what she expected.

This is such a hard book to rate i feel like.

I was so intrigued through the first half of this book. I wanted to know the secrets between the two sisters and find out what they were hiding. It kept me turning the pages.

I did figure out the main twists. And was waiting for it to come to light so that kinda dimmed it a little when it did come out. It wasn’t much of a shock. As well as the court proceedings weren’t too exciting for me. I also found some of the dialogue annoying. The amount of times they say duh was a bit much.

I just found this to not be very plausible or realistic although entertaining. And the chapters being short, as well as the book only being 219, was pretty great too. All in all a solid read.

This book seemed so promising. It wasn’t very far into the book that it became very obvious what was going to be revealed at some point. I found the style of the writing a little difficult to get into. This just wasn’t for me.

I’ll be honest, I requested this book based on just the cover and title. I’ve always been a fan of the “dark side of social media” trope, so I figured I’d enjoy it. The story ended up being more about Alexa and Beth’s relationship and dark past, but I enjoyed it just as much. The reader doesn’t really know what happened to Alexa and Beth as children, just that it was traumatic enough to send them both to a psychiatric facility. Alexa is finally out on her own and determined to live her life as a normal adult.

There isn’t a lot I can say without spoilers (beware, the Goodreads reviews are full of them!), but trust me that this is definitely a book you’ll want to pick up.

I enjoyed reading both Beth and Alexa’s perspectives. It was fun to try to piece together their history from the hints they both dropped. Unfortunately I guessed the main twist immediately, but there were multiple other twists that kept me on my toes. This is a quick, well-paced read that could easily be finished in a day.

I think Do You Follow? will really hit its stride a few years down the road. There were a few pandemic references along the lines of “back in 2020 when people wore masks and my hands were dry all the time from so much washing”. These were worded in a way that made it seem like the reader is past the pandemic, when obviously we aren’t. I think phrases like that will feel more comfortable a few years down the road–obviously it’s impossible to predict when it will end, and I understand the author’s wishful thinking that we’d be done with masks by 2022!

There are some trigger warnings in this book, but they also serve as spoilers. Feel free to DM me if you want to know what they are!

Do you follow? By J. C. Bidonde.
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.
This was slow to start with but then I couldn't put it down. I did like Alexa and dr Greer. What a twister of a read. 5*.

Thank you to Netgalley & J.C. Bidonde for my copy!!

First I’m going to say, I was not a fan of the cover of this book, although the plot makes it fitting in a sense. But who cares about the cover when what’s inside is sooo good. This was a very well written book, I really enjoy multiple POVs in books, this along with chapters that aren’t super long and dragging are really my jam! The author makes the perfect combination of likeable and questionable characters because what story doesn’t have a “villain” so to say. I wanted to read this book because when I was younger I also had a dream to move to New York and make a
Life for myself and a father who rightfully so would not have wanted that for me. Any stories that are based on a move to the big city draw me in off rip. The fact that it was a thriller was just an added bonus. And boy let me tell you this definitely thrilled me!! The storyline was great from the beginning, but the twists the author adds were even better. I’m never to sure how I’m going to feel about a “read now” book because I’m always afraid they’re going to fall
Short for some reason, after all anyone can just get a copy easily. But this was a great read and I’m glad I chose it.