People to Follow is young adult thriller about a group of young people who travel to a private island to film a reality show and instead are murdered one by one by an unknown “sponsor”.

A group of ten influencers who are internet famous are lured to a tropical island under the guise that they will be filming a reality show. But when they quickly lose contact with the mainland, mysterious messages start appearing and the bodies begin to pile up they realize that they’ve been brought there for a different purpose…punishment. The survivors will have to figure out who would want revenge against them and why.

This was an entertaining beach read type teen thriller. Despite the various first person POV’s I didn’t really feel strongly about any of the characters or think they jumped off the page. The reveal of who is behind the murders and why was kind of a convoluted let down that fell a little flat. But overall this was fast paced read that kept my interest.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

People to Follow is a locked room mystery involving ten content creators (influencers) who get invited to a remote island to star in a reality show. What starts as an exciting getaway soon devolves into a deadly game of cat and mouse. It becomes a game that could end each of their careers for good.

The plot unfolds through multiple points of view. I seem to think, however, that the better delivery for this novel would have been through a single point of view due to the novel’s theme. I got lost several times and it became a little frustrating to constantly refer to the table of contents to determine whose point of view I was reading.

The characters were not distinguishable from one another. They all seemed to have the same personality regardless of their gender. Perhaps it was this lack of character development that was the root cause of me losing my way in the novel.

There were a number of plot twists which made for a suspenseful whodunit. Despite the lack of character development, it was the plot twists that kept me moving forward until the surprising finale. Four stars.

I received a DRC from St. Martin’s Press & Wednesday Books through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Ten teen influencers agree to a reality show and end up stranded on a private island. But when rivalries turn deadly, how many will make it off the island alive?

This story was just pure entertainment. I’ve been enjoying stories with influencers lately because it is so now, and there is so much there to work with. Influencers are creating an illusion, but everyone believes that everything on their feed is real - that difference in expectations creates situations fraught with potential, as is seen in this story.

There are some plot holes, but really, I was okay with that because the payoff was worth it. This story is entirely fast-paced and full of shocks, twists, and loads of tension that kept me on the edge of my seat. I also loved the reality show angle on top of a cast of influencers - it makes it much more fun.

The characters, particularly the main ones, are really complex as they fight with the ramifications of being an influencer. I loved how deep the development goes and how authentic their struggles are while also being over-the-top for entertainment purposes. The narration is in the first person but alternates between five influencers. Sometimes, that could get confusing, but overall, I enjoyed this fun YA thriller.

This book was a lot of fun! Obviously, it had its grittier moments, since it's a murder mystery situation, but it was still very entertaining. The characters , some of whom are absolutely The Worst™, and some of whom are probably just misunderstood, are from various social media genres. Most of them have some deeper issues, but they all have that sudden internet fame in common. We get to hear from most of the group in chapters of their points of view, which is fun. I was afraid it would be overwhelming, but for the most part it was done really well. I think it worked too, because the POVs all offered something different: seriousness, acerbic wit, denial, etc. So it changed things up, kept it fresh.

Anyway, I won't say too much because hello, mystery. But this book was incredibly entertaining, and I quite enjoyed it. I may have wanted a wee bit more from the end, but overall the story kept me guessing and turning the pages, and I consider that a win!

Bottom Line: Very fun take on the "influencer" culture, and entertaining to boot!

What a wild ride in the best way! This book had multiple POVs, multiple twists, multiple suspects, and multiple murders, and I did not want to put it down! I finished it at a coffee stop with my friend and every last 5% or so had to keep updating her 😂. The pacing was great, the characters were morally questionable, and they just kept revealing secret after secret.

It gives me feelings of Pretty Little Liars with Knives Out Glass Onion mixed with TikTok, and of course is full of teens behaving badly. I love being completely surprised with the ending and the surprises in a book, and this absolutely delivered on that. An incredible debut and a must for your fall tbr!!

I was very excited to get into this book! The cover sold me at the beginning with how pretty it is and I bet you wouldn't expect this to be a mystery book at first glance. Ten influencers show up to a remote island and someone ends up dead within the first night there... now was it an accident or was someone behind it??

I enjoyed the story, but I struggled to keep up with the 10 characters. There were 4 POVs throughout the story and it was a bit much to keep switching between whos background I was learning about. I highly recommend making a list to keep track of who is who and small details to go along. The drama really made the book and I tried to guess who might of been behind it, but didn't see it coming. There was one part that didn't quite make sense, that didn't quite add up and make sense.
The ending was tied up quickly and didn't answer all my questions, but didn't leave one to wonder what happen. The beginning felt like information overload, but once all the characters are introduced, you'll start flying by in the book. Overall, a good mystery read and I liked it but not my favorite due to the amount of characters you have to know.

What a wild and crazy locked room, I mean locked island, story. A group of social media influencers signed up for a reality series on a secluded island called IRL. They won’t have their cell phones or access to social media. But these top influencers aren’t really at the top of their game. Each person has done something or is loosing followers and they all fear the lose of the limelight so they decided to do this show. Little do they know - they were each chosen for a specific reason and they might be #cancelled.
Following 4 different POVs we learn about why each of these influencers can be cancelled and what their deepest darkest secrets are. Fast paced and with a surprising twist I did not see coming. Only issue I really had was that it was definitely written for a younger audience that understands or cares about all the social media references and slang. But the big twist made it all worth it.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵. 𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦? 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳."

I LOVE me a good murder mystery, especially when it's a group of people and I genuinely don't know how it's going to end. This book absolutely kept me coming back for more and wanting to know who did what! And what their secrets were.

I can honestly say I did NOT see that ending coming. LOL

And the people you're supposed to hate? You absolutely do 😅

Plus you get a "behind the scenes" look at the life of an "Influencer" and learn that not everyone is who they appear to me on your phone screen!

Thank you to @stmartinspress, @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review!
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This book got so addictive! I love the drama and the “who-done-it” type of books. What stood out to me was how the author organized this book. That made all the difference! Easy to read and follow even with so many characters! Love, Love, Love!

4.5 ⭐️

When 10 influencers are lured to an island for a reality show, and then left alone surrounded by cameras... what is the worst that could happen? Well, they quickly find out when one of them is found dead and the mysterious Sponsor is bringing to light all their secrets.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and I had no idea what was going to happen next or who the killer was until it was revealed. Olivia Worley did an amazing job of making everyone seem both suspicious and making me hope they were innocent. Kira, Max, and Corrine were my favorite characters in the group and I was rooting for them all to survive till the end.

Although this book is marketed as YA, and I definitely saw that come through in the way it's written, the ages of the characters and the themes of the book make me think it would be more appropriate as New Adult, not YA. This book was a fast read, and I enjoyed the overall And Then There Were None vibes of it. On the other hand, I think the first person perspectives and switching POV chapters made it difficult for me to really get into it, because I kept losing track of who was speaking.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I’m forever chasing that feeling that I had when I first read And Then There Were None. So whenever I see a mystery/thriller set on an isolated island, I immediately have to read it.

This one definitely delivered on that feeling I’m always looking for. I didn’t want to stop reading once I started and I really enjoyed this particular set of characters being in this setting.

People to Follow was an entertaining read for lovers of this trope.

Ten influencers with struggling careers agree to be on a reality show, living on a secluded island for three weeks. Of course the camera crew is delayed and there is no communication with the outside world.

Told from the point of view of four of the contestants, I was engaged through the whole book. Who would die next? What was the next secret to be revealed? And biggest of all, who is the killer?!

Like how it wrapped up. Would definitely recommend.

Over the last couple of years books featuring social media influencers or podcasters seems to have become all the rage, and Olivia Worley’s People to Follow is the latest book I’ve read featuring the social media influencer angle. Ten of the hottest young influencer are brought to a remote island to participate in a reality show. Of course nothing is as it seems, everyone has secrets, and people begin to drop dead! This was a fun little thriller. A number of the cast isn’t particularly likable (intentionally so), with a number of character you’ll like to hate and won’t be too upset about their fate. Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the allowing me to read and review an eARC of People to Follow.

A group of social media influencers land on a deserted island to film a new reality show. But when one of them is found dead, and they start getting strange messages threatening to reveal their secrets and cancel them, things turn scary fast. Will any of them make it off the island alive?

This was a good read for Spooky Season, and I absolutely love the trope of deserted space where the killer is one of them. The secrets being revealed adds another layer and ups the suspense even more. I also did not see the ending coming, which I love. I would recommend this book.

What a debut! I absolutely loved the idea of 10 influencers being stuck on a remote island without their technology. All of the influencers were awful and horrid people but I still managed to get sucked in and was thoroughly entertained! In an age where social media is prominent, I appreciated the author showing us how far people will go to remain on top, relevant, and popular. I definitely did not expect the ending and can't decide if I'm satisfied with it. However, it does feel like a rather realistic end for our current society.

The one thing I struggled with was connecting with the characters and navigating the 4 POVs. I think some of the perspectives were more developed than others and I would have liked some of the characters having more redeemable qualities. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be checking out her future books! 4⭐️

Thank you St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and Wednesday Books for providing the ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

People to Follow by Olivia Worley
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Ten influencers agree to stay on a private island without their phones for a reality show.
Everyone has secrets.
Then they find the dead body.
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What I liked:
-Fun and fast-paced.
-Lots of characters to suspect.
-Locked room thriller.
-I liked how it ended.
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One of the things that made this fun to read was that even though there are ten characters, we only read from the POV of a couple, and they are easy to keep track of.
I thought the author made great choices in our POV characters!
I had such fun trying to figure out what was really going on and play detective.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(Posted to IG on 10/23/24)

This one was so much fun! The action started off the bat and had me hooked. I was constantly trying to guess who the sponsor was. None of the characters were particularly likeable, but in a weird way it actually worked. The end reveal was something that I did not guess, but overall enjoyable.

Ten social media influencers travel to a deserted island to film a reality show called In Real Life (IRL). The show was supposed to feature the influencers living without technology for several weeks. However, the production crew fails to show up. Oh, and one of the influencers is now dead. Then, they begin to receive messages from a mysterious sponsor threatening to reveal their darkest secrets if they don’t comply. Will the influencers figure out who the sponsor is? Who will make it out alive?

The story was told from four different characters’ perspectives. At first, I struggled to keep all the characters and their backstories straight. However, as I continued to read, things started to fall into place, and it was easier to keep the characters straight. The book was not exactly what I expected. I enjoyed the premise of it, but unfortunately, I never grew attached to any of the characters. Overall, it was a fast, fun read with some good twists and turns. I give it 3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of Olivia Worley's People to Follow.

The pitch for this book - ten influencers, one island, a dead body - caught my attention from the very beginning. Olivia Worley wove a wild mystery that incorporated threads of modern conversations around consent, cancel culture, and career influencing. It delved into the consequences of the lack of accountability for all participants, and the after-effects of exploitation for monetary gain. I really enjoyed People to Follow and recommend if for anyone looking for an angsty, YA thriller.

CW: Discussion of sexual assault, drug and alcohol abuse, on-page physical assaults