“In Real Life” is a new reality show. The kings and queens of social media have been invited to spend 3 weeks completely unplugged on a deserted island. Cameras are going to be watching their every move. UNTIL the camera crew never shows up and the group is left stranded with no way to reach the mainland. Then the first body is discovered and it turns everyone into a suspect.

This novel has been done quite a few times before. It is nothing new. I did enjoy the story, even if it is a bit of a repeat. But I absolutely hated every character in this tale. This is the main reason for the 3 star rating. I just really wanted to slap each and every one. They are spoiled, self centered, little brats. This is what makes the story turn…I guess. The reader really doesn’t know who, what, when or why this is happening. Each character has some major bad qualities and so you are guessing which one is causing this whole ruckus. And believe me…all of them are capable.

Need a story with a reality tv feel….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review

It seems the writer is fairly young, but this read a lot like an old person (such as myself) trying to write teens. The dialogue was so unbearably cringy that I couldn’t enjoy the story. I’m a sucker for people trapped and being killed off one by one kinds of stories, but I have to hope at least someone stays alive or I can’t continue.

I absolutely love YA, or at least I guess I used to love YA. But I haven’t read a solid YA thriller in a while. It’s the same issue every time - any sense of realism or feasibility is thrown out to make it twisty and fun. But if it’s implausible, it just doesn’t work me. This was actually mor plausible than most (and some of the issues were probably realistic for teens - hey, there’s a murderer but let’s have a party). But they were just so annoying that I was excited for their demise.

People to Follow is a YA thriller that focuses on ten teen influencers who sign up for a reality TV show on a remote island. Each person joins for different reasons, but none of them ever expected that they may not make it off the island alive. When one of them is found dead, a dangerous game begins with more lives in jeopardy, as the mastermind behind it all is determined to expose the dark secrets they all strive to keep hidden. No one is innocent, but which one of them is capable of murder?

I really enjoyed this book! I do enjoy the drama of reality shows, and this felt like a deadly teen version of Big Brother on an island. I loved the whodunit vibe of the book, and trying to figure out who was really behind it all. It kept me guessing throughout the novel, and I honestly did not anticipate the reveal of the true culprit. I love when I don’t guess the twist in a book! The narrative switches between several of the main characters, with one character’s voice being especially entertaining. Overall, if you enjoy YA thrillers or reality shows, I would definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for this advance copy, in exchange for my honest review.

Think social media influencers mixed with And then there were none. This was a guilty pleasure for me. There’s just something about a deserted island and murders that I enjoy.

I do like books that tell the story from different POVs. Some of these characters were so annoying that you just couldn’t wait for them to be knocked off.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

All the influencer thrillers that have come out lately are fun to read. I didn't exactly pick this up thinking it would blow my mind, but I did enjoy the twists! Definitely highlighted the dark side of the influencer world! I'd recommend it to those who like thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars

Ten teen influencers are selected for a new reality TV show called In Real Life. What was suppose to be an amazing opportunity quickly turns into a nightmare when they find themselves stranded alone on the island, with no way to contact the outside world. Things continue to take a turn as one of them is discovered dead the following morning. When an anonymous Sponsor starts sending them messages they realize that they’ve been pulled into a dangerous game.

I was sold on this book from the minute I read the synopsis. Young adult locked room, remote island thriller that gives And Then There Were None Vibes…sign me up! (To read not participate in obviously)

There are quite a few characters to keep track of but I didn’t find it too difficult. And as multiple POV is my favorite, I loved how we got 4 different perspectives. There was a good balance between getting us inside each characters head while also keeping a flow to the story….at least at first. In the beginning I couldn’t stop flipping the pages but as it neared the end, the story started feel very drawn out.

The ending/twist was a good one but parts of it were just a little too far fetched for me. Overall a solid debut and I’m excited to see what she does next!

A thriller about teenage influencers in a remote setting being murdered? Sign me up! I love locked room thrillers/whodunits, and I always devour a good plot mixed with social media. There were a lot of characters to keep up with, but the reality show vibes were immaculate. I loved how twisty this was & it was a blast to read!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

This book literally hooked me in from the very first chapter and kept me glued to my seat the entire time! Couldn’t stop!

I sadly had to DNF this one. I was instantly hooked on this idea of people traveling to a remote location for a reality show. I think the characters were just not clicking for me. I found a lot of the teen influencers very unlikeable. I also felt as though the length was too long and made me end up skipping to the end.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this whodunnit in a locked room setting. It reminded me of the movie Clue if they were teenager/young adult influencers.

I did have a couple issues. One of the characters drove me off the wall the way they talked, and I really could’ve done without all the “babes.” And the other is a bit of a spoiler, but one of the murders most likely couldn’t have occurred based on the method used for killing (trying to keep this vague).

But a solid thriller that kept me guessing until the very end, and had just enough plot twists and turns to keep me invested. It was a quick, easy read that I finished in a day.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

People to Follow by Olivia Worley follows a new reality show "In Real Life," where 10 social media stars are forced to unplug on a secluded island. It turns dark when the production crew is late, a death occurs, and a mysterious Sponsor threatens to reveal their darkest secrets. As the body count rises, the social media influencers must uncover the identity of their hidden adversary before they become the next victims in this deadly game of survival.

I was intrigued by this book from the synopsis. Then, the cover sealed the deal. Who doesn’t love a pool cover??
Now I started this book and finished it within 48 hours. I simply could not put this book down. I wanted to know who the killer was and I wouldn’t stop until I knew!

What I enjoyed:
Multiple POVs. This is one of my favorite things in books, I love to see the story from multiple angles.
The concept! I love the idea of a psychological thriller with social media influencers. I feel that this book is primarily geared towards Gen Z, but I think lots of people could enjoy it!
Elody.

What I did not enjoy:
There are 10 social media influencers that you follow. As well as there are 4 different POVs. At times, it took effort to keep everyone separate. The POVs read very similarly. One character does use ‘babe’ in every sentence, so it is easy to keep her separate! As I got further in the book, I had to check the chapter title often to see whose POV I was reading.

You will enjoy this book if:
You love social media influencer drama
You enjoy Jeneva Rose's books
You enjoy multiple POVs

Content Warnings: Death, Murder, Sexual Assault, Panic Attacks

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Oh look I finally managed to get a post together! 😯😱 Life in October was non-stop but I’m really hoping that things settle down a bit before the holiday craziness! But luckily even with less posts, I’ve still managed to read some great books and here is one of them!

People To Follow is about 10 influencers that are brought to a remote island to film a reality show. But when one of them is found dead, they start to find out that everyone is hiding something and can’t be trusted.

I really love a “locked-room” thriller. I love the limited amount of suspects and trying to figure out who did it. This book was so fun for that reason. I like that the multiple POV’s were all so different and figuring out everyone’s secrets.

It’s an easy read that’s fast paced and keeps you guessing. Is it going to be a literary classic? No probably not. But I really enjoyed it!

People to follow is out now! Thank you @stmartinspress for my advanced copy!

I loved this one! Don’t get me wrong, some of the characters were a NIGHTMARE. I could not take one more sentence that ended in “babe” (IYKYK). But that made it all the more fun to read imo. It added to the story and the suspense. I was on the edge of my seat with each new murder. Definitely did not guess the killer! Solid closed door thriller.

Thank you @wednesdaybooks @netgalley for a copy of this book. I always enjoy a locked room thriller and this one was set on a secluded island with 10 influencers and one gets murdered. You add in a tropical storm and the suspense element just goes up exponentially. This book was a little flat for me that there were way too many POV to keep track of. I did enjoy all the secrets that were revealed but it was easy to mix up the characters.

Ten teenage influencers go to a private island, for three weeks off the grid, in a new reality show. But when bodies start showing up, the satellite phone disappears and the production team is a no show, it becomes clear something more sinister is going on.

I really enjoyed this YA thriller. It was very dramatic and over the top, but I expected that, and ended up enjoying it. There were a lot of creepy happenings in this book, it will definitely make you rethink going into a room alone. I wasn’t able to guess the killer or the plot twist, and thought that aspect was well done. I really liked the commentary on the influencer lifestyle and how problematic it can be. Overall, I really enjoyed this one.

Influencers invited to an island to film a new reality show. No wifi or phones allowed. What could go wrong?

There were a LOT of characters in this one. They all are very similar so it was hard to keep track at times. When someone dies, it seems to really pick up. There is a lot of twists. Some are predictable but keep the book really fast-paced. I liked this one until the end. One of the characters just was over the top and put blame on some of the characters where they shouldn't have been blamed on anything. The "epilogue" also was so over the top by one of the characters it just didn't sit well with me. Maybe if the last chapter was about a different character it would have been better.

I liked the mystery and trying to figure out who was behind everything. But the ending made my eyes roll.

So I have been known to loveeee a book that features 1.)Influencers (most of the time behaving badly 2.) A competition game show and 3.) A modern day Agatha Christie spin AND THIS HAD ALL THREE AND SO MUCH MORE!

My only gripe is some of characters definitely erred on the side of being bratty and unlikeable (which definitely was a plot device but at points I wanted to scream “your parents did not raise you like this”😂)and at times the characters seemed to read slightly younger than they actually were, but all in all I really like this fun and action packed YA read!!!

ALSO WE ALL KNOW I LOVED THE PRETTY COVER 💕

This book is out today so definitely go out and get it if it sounds up your alley!!!

4.25⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher; @wednesdaybooks for a review copy of this book!

I don’t usually enjoy books with influencers as main characters, so I didn’t have high hopes for this book. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The characters were all terrible people and it really worked well. I loved the multiple POVs, multiple twists, and fast pacing. I found myself reading late into the night trying to figure out what was going on. I thought the author did a great job with the ending. My only complaint was the over usable of the word babe. So annoying.

Overall, this is a fun YA thrasher with highly unlikeable characters and lots of suspects to keep you guessing.

I’m still undecided on how I feel about locked room mysteries, but this was a fun premise. Ten influencers are brought to a secluded island to film a reality show and then one of them turns up dead.

I loved all the secrets and drama, especially when everyone starts turning on each other. I’m not sure if any of the characters were likeable, but there were definitely some more than others that I just wanted to punch in the face. The twists were good with a couple wow moments for me.

This is definitely a YA book, with the speech and actions of teenagers, so if that’s not your thing, I would steer clear. But if you want a fast paced, entertaining, and deadly inside look into influencer culture, pick this one up.

What happens when 10 influencers head to a deserted island for a reality show about unplugging for three weeks? But wait, what if one of the influencers ends up dead and this isn't really about a reality show and all about revenge?

Max (a Youtuber) is sent to the island to help film the influencers (there are cameras everywhere, in all the rooms, etc.) We also have Kira (a fitness influencer) Elody (an instagram model,) and Logan (a disgraced TikTok star.) While they all have similar traits, each influencer has a secret that makes everyone a suspect.

It was interesting to see the influencers without social media - how do they act without "followers" watching them. When the realization sinks in that they have no way to communicate with the outside world, the tension on the island becomes intense. There are twists throughout the story and I found the ending to be rather satisfying.

This book definitely gave me And Then There Were None vibes with a reality show twist. There are some interesting characters on the island and lots of drama. This book dives into the idea of being cancelled and living without social media, which to these influencers, is a huge deal (and in this case, deadly.) I did wish each character had a little more substance to them, there were a few that I had trouble keeping straight or rooting for.

Tropes
YA thriller
Multi POV

Thanks to NetGalley for this copy. All opinions expressed are my own.