Member Reviews

A fun twist on the AND THEN THERE WERE NONE story!

Each character had such distinct voices; it was easy to keep track of whose head I was in. I loved the island setting, and each of their ‘sins’ were definitely big enough to carry the story. And the ENDING made this book—it was so clever and twisty, and believable, and I just loved it so much. An extra star for that ending alone.

I’ll admit, I’m not into influencers/social media, so that ‘over the top’ aspect wasn’t really appealing to me—but that’s just me, and I really enjoyed the commentary on how social media has affected our culture. The characters are teens, some adults just barely, fueled by fame and money and this book really shows the dark side of all of it. I think this is a great read for lovers of locked-room mysteries, AND thoughtful explorations of social media.

3.5 stars, rounded up. So grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

-A

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This is definitely a novel for the YA crows as it follows a group of influencers embarking on a reality show. Part humor, part who-dun-it, readers will easily relate and recognize the characters we follow. The issue is none of them are very likable so it’s hard to truly care when death becomes them.

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I was SO excited to recieve this ARC! I was interested by the beautiful cover and once I read the blurb, I KNEW i needed to read it immediately. I was hooked from the vey beginning and read it in one sitting. It was such a unique concept and I adored it. I loved the influencer and reality show aspect and couldn't wait for the answers to unravel. a MUST read!

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This modern take on “And Then There Were None” had me hooked! I read it every spare moment I could over a day and a half and stayed up late to finish it.

This book had a lot that intrigued me right off the bat: Agatha Christie-style plot? Check. Influencer culture? Check. Teens behaving badly? Check.

I was initially concerned that I might have a hard time remembering who everyone was with so many characters, but the author did a great job of using defining characteristics and nicknames that helped keep it all straight.

Told through 4 perspectives, the story unfolded at a good pace, and the short chapters made it easy to read “just a little more!” 😆

The dialog and terminology felt very of-the-moment and so spot on for influencer culture (Bless by Kaylz had me cracking up).

I did see the twist coming which is always a little disappointing, but there was still a lot to be surprised by with this book. Overall it was super enjoyable!

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Well…Shitake mushrooms. What a story! Olivia Worley can write. I really enjoyed People to Follow. It was fast paced and from multiple POV’s. I usually don’t like more than 2 POV’s but with this story is was needed and so well done. I’d bet this book turns into a movie or show down the line. I’d read books from this author again and hope she does have more YA murder/mysteries coming!

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Thank you to NetGalley, Olivia Worley & St. Martin’s Press Wednesday Books for an arc of People to Follow in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

When I read the description of this book, it made me think of a cross between Hide & Small Game. I was on board!

Reigning social media influencers compete on a new reality show called In Real Life to unplug and go live for 3 weeks with no filters. When it comes time for the cameras to roll, the production crew is MIA and one of the influencers turns up dead. They are all completely secluded and again, unplugged, so they have no way to reach the outside world. Then they start to get messages from a “Sponsor” that they are going to expose each of the influencer’s darkest secrets and only then do they realize they’ve been lured into a deadly game and it’s possible that one of the influencers is behind it all. They have to work together to figure out who is behind it before they all wind up dead.

Set for an October 31, 2023, release, this is a perfect thriller for the spooky season.

With an isolation trope and told from multiple POV, this story will keep you hooked from start to finish. All characters were well developed & unique. It is easy to become invested in each of them in different ways. Very fast paced & a quick easy read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s touted as YA, but it’s a more mature YA.

I give this one a 4/5 Stars and definitely recommend picking up a copy!

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This book is about influencers invited to an island to film a reality show. One by one they end up dead. Multiple perspectives are flipped through in the story but it’s easy to keep up. This book is a page turner. It’s very well written.

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3.5/5
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

People to Follow is an entertaining read that is told in multiple POV’s. Teen influencers are brought to a private island for a reality tv show. When one is found dead they wait for the TV crew to show up for help. But no one shows…..the only communication they have is with a watch they’re all wearing and get messages from “the sponsor”. One by one they get exposed with their secrets. One of them is a murderer…. Will they figure it out before they all get “canceled”?

The beginning was a bit slow for me to get into and the way some of the influencers talk was way to cringe for me. I know they’re teen influencers but it was a lot. But this was still a fun read that had me trying to figure out who the Sponsor was with all the twists and turns!

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This YA thriller is a must read for anyone that’s a fan of the genre! Quite the page turner I could not put it down! The isolation trope is one of my favs for thrillers and this did not disappoint.

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Amazing cover and great story idea even though I feel like it's been done a lot. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Three stars. It just didn't capture my full attention.

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I loved the multiple points of view and the twist at the end! It was a little slow for me at the beginning and took me a few chapters to get in to but then I wanted to keep reading. Overall this book was just okay for me.

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This is a debut novel, and I was shocked at how much I liked it because I usually don’t like when books have modern stuff in it like Instagram and TikTok, but I really enjoyed this. I didn’t figure any of the twists out either which is rare for me. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for reaching out to give me this book, and I really can’t wait to read more from this author. Also, thank you NetGalley for giving me access to the arc!

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Okay, so first I want to acknowledge I am friends with Olivia! But regardless, this review is my 100% own thoughts and opinions. :-)

I loved this book!! It’s a young adult thriller about teen influencers (ya know, like ex-Dance Moms girls, TikTok singer dudes, vegan food influencer, fitness girly, etc.) who all go to a remote island for a reality tv show where they’re challenge to live IRL. Except not long after they get there, there’s a dead body (no spoilers I promise!) and things start getting a little chaotic.

I could not put this book down! I was so invested in the drama between the characters, trying to figure out who the mysterious and creepy “Sponsor” is and needing to know what was going to happen next.

I loved that this book was not just a fun-to-read thriller but also a close look at influencer culture, asking questions about what it means for individuals to have that much influence online.

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I sure do love a locked door mystery type of read. However, the way these characters speak make it extremely difficult to read. I understand these are all young influencers and of course they’re going to use “like” or “babe” in every other sentence…but to read their dialogue both with each other and internally was at times quite annoying. I am so sick of those words now. There’s really no one to root for here, as they’re all completely unlikable. Even if you want to lighten the mood, when you have people dying and decide to play spin the bottle, it really shows how ridiculous they all are. And perhaps that’s the point, these kids are terrible humans, okay. But it was an aggravating read when you don’t have any hope for redemption. It was also difficult to differentiate who was who when the chapters change POV, because they all sound the same in the way they think and speak. I honestly still do not have all these characters straight. I gave it 3 stars because it’s certainly not a BAD book, but it’s definitely a book I didn’t personally enjoy.

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4.5⭐️

When I picked up this book, my eyes saw a thriller involving influencers, and right away, I knew I needed to read it. I missed that they were TEEN influencers and that this was YA, but that just made this so much better. You actually forget that they are teenagers until they remind you. I got so invested in each one learning what they did IRL and who could possibly be the sponsor. I definitely did not figure it out! Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Thanks Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. I’m enjoying the books about social media influencers, they feel very relatable right now! Kira, Logan, Elody, and Max were invited to star in a reality show, one where they have to access to technology or their social medias. Along with 6 other people they’ll spend a few weeks just relaxing on a remote Island. But when they’re alone it’s clear that they all have secrets how far will they go to keep them? And when someone knows their secrets how dangerous can it get? I enjoyed all the twists and turns in the book, couldn’t put it down and didn’t see the ending coming! I also think there were some good points in there, how far will people go to maintain their status quo? What do influencers owe their followers? This is a great mystery and I highly recommend! Can’t wait to read it again!

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Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

This was a fun, thrilling read but there wasn't anything unique about it. I didn't particularly care for many characters and I felt like I've read a similar book before. It was interesting just not for me.

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I have to start by saying that this in an intricate plot with a lot of characters and a lot of possible motives. Each person has their public and private persona, and this means that each person actually has dual motivations and behaviors. The danger builds just as the storm on the island does. There were some elements that I figured out, but there was an explosive revelation at the end that not only surprised me, but also reminded me that Karma has her own plans. Now for the characters: this doomed experiment couldn't have included more deserving people. What a bunch of shallow, narcissistic and waste-of-space people! Their whole existence was promoting their self-importance, and that is why the IRL experience was perfect for them! I loved the characters (and I did love that I hated most of them) and all of the little plot twists! There is a lot of action, a lot of backstabbing, a lot of decoding true nature, and suspense aplenty to keep you turning just one more page until you reach the end!

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Are you as obsessed as I am with those trashy reality tv shows that are filled with beautiful people and juicy drama?
If you answered yes, then add this to your TBR pile!

10 influencers are cast on a reality tv show taking place on a remote island, with no access to the outside world. When the production crew doesn’t show up and one influencer ends up dead, the others wonder if it was it a drunken accident or something more sinister… As the bodies start to pile up, everyone has a motive, but who is the killer?

Secrets, lies, drama and murder…. I could not put it down!

Told from 3 different points of view, it was easy to follow and kept you guessing.

People to Follow is Olivia Worley’s debut novel and I’m excited to read more!

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Setting: Caribbean private island
Rep: one of the Pov characters is Black

This had a solid premise but unfortunately the execution was lacking. It didn't ramp up the tension the way I needed it to and there were way too many characters. I think we start with ten, and it's only after about 5 deaths that I started to realize who was who. And by then the book was almost over.

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