Their lives are perfect online so they must be IRL…right?
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Long time influencer Meredith Lee took floundering rookie Aspen Palmer under wing, growing her brand and becoming best friends in the process, but when Aspen starts to eclipse Meredith, the two have a falling out. Mer takes to stalking Aspen, her husband and kids, which turns out to be fortuitous when Mer is able to swipe Aspen’s daughter’s iPad that has all her content ideas, calendar and brand deals. Now Mer is growing steadily on the socials again as she steals jobs from Aspen. Meanwhile Aspen feels like she’s losing her mind, missing appointments and deals left and right. When Meredith goes missing, eyes turn to Aspen as she tries desperately to get her old life back.
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JQS is amazing. She can write YA and adult thrillers cozy mysteries, and romance so well! I’m convinced she can write anything. This mystery did such a great job with the multiple POVs, as well as the twist that occurs midway through the story, flipping it totally on its head. I loved the behind-the-scenes look into influencers’ lives, especially those with mom channels. Immediate recommend to anyone who loves suspense books.

CW: death, murder, diabetes, domestic abuse, misogyny, cyberbullying, gaslighting, violence, body shaming, alcohol, grief, pregnancy, car accident, stalking, emesis, medical content, kidnapping, racism, classism, confinement, xenophobia

4.75 ⭐️

I have no idea what to rate this one. 😂 both main characters were so terribly unlikeable but it was like a really bad train wreck, i couldn’t stop reading. Maybe a 3.5? Let’s go with 4 just for the sake of it.

Absolutely LOVED this THRILLING read! Meredith, a very successful influencer meets Aspen, an aspiring influencer. Taken under her wing, over the years, Aspen followers surpasses Meredith. Jealousy and envy come to play in this thrilling and exciting story. Someone goes missing and then the unthinkable happens. Truly an UNPUTDOWNABLE read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutano!

Is there anything this author can't do? She can be so fun in Vera, but I'm even more impressed by her dark side. Loved this one!

I enjoyed this one. Another bingeable thriller for sure. Friendships gone wrong in this one - two former best friends where one begins to stalk her ex best friend and sabotaging her life. I liked the influencer aspect of this one. How fitting for this time and day of instagram and all things social media obsessed. I was definitely glue to the pages of this one.

Thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love a good influencer thriller, and that’s what we have here! Drama, fighting, besties-turned sworn enemies, exploiting family time for engagement…it’s all here.

I loved how devious everyone in the story was. Like, several levels of devious above what I could imagine. I loved seeing behind the scenes at the mess. And I loved the messiness of everyone’s lives. None of the characters were particularly lovable—which means they were written brilliantly.

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q Sutanto is a friendship-gone-wrong mystery/thriller that dives deep into the professional influencer scene (of which I'm not a huge fan).

Meredith Lee and her bestie Aspen Palmer are both professional lifestyle influences on social media. Meredith taught Aspen everything there was to know about gaining followers and bringing in the sponsors and money. But, when Aspen surpasses her fame online and the two women get into a fight, Meredith has had enough. She gets hold of all of Aspen's information and uses it to take down her former friend. Aspen doesn't understand why her world, online and in real life, is falling apart. And just when you think this is just a friendship drama, things begin to go wrong for the women and we're thrown into the thriller.

This wasn't my favorite Sutanto novel. I found it hard to connect to the characters - they were all so very unlikeable. I also found the constant talk about currating the perfect social media presense to be tiring and uninteresting. But this book really does have a lot going on and it will definitly keep you turning the pages.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I hated all the characters in this book, but I think that was the point. Drama, drama, drama with fake friends, TikTok, and influencers. If you want a modern thriller, this is for you.

I'd give this incredible book six stars if I could! A twisty, wild ride of a read - You Will Never Be Me is one that I will not soon forget! Highly recommended!

Pick this up if you’re looking for an absolute rollercoaster ride through a toxic female friendship

I rarely recommend going in blind — but either way this one, I do. If you like dark academia and toxic female friendships, you’ll be all in on this book. It has a cover blurb from the queen of writing about toxic female relationships, @may_cobb, so I knew it was going to be excellent. I read 90% of this book in less than three hours — I was hooked and couldn’t put it down!

I’m also very impressed by this author’s range of work. Her other book I read was a quirky mystery - “Dial A For Aunties.” I enjoyed both books and they are SO different and both done so well for its respective genre.

Meredith and Aspen are social media influencers and former best friends. Aspen’s influencer career has taken off and Meredith envies her for it. Meredith gets the opportunity to improve her own social media accounts, and takes it, even if it hurts Aspen. Meanwhile, Aspen’s image starts to fall, and she’s not going to let her perfectly curated life go away so easily.

Meredith and Aspen are both unlikable characters. The story alternates between their two points of view, and it’s hard to choose which one to root for. The story is well-paced, and the influencer storyline is entertaining.

You Will Never Be Me is an intriguing and creepy psychological thriller.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

✨Book Review✨
You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto
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This was SUCH a good thriller that follows the story of two estranged best friends who are both extremely successful momfluencers. I sound like a broken record, but I will ready anything Sutanto writes. However, I think her two psychological thrillers are my favorites so far. If you like to hate characters, but also weirdly root for them, and never really know who to trust, this one will be for you. :p

I'm torn on this one, while I devoured the book and found it engaging throughout, the pacing slowed down toward the end. I was expecting a big twist, but it played out predictably, which was a bit unsatisfying. The central conflicts also felt unrealistic—people shocked that an influencer stages their photos/videos in today's world? Really? that mostly happens with all influencers out there.

That said, the book was still a lot of fun, and there was a huge twist around the 50% mark that completely changed the direction of the story. The behind-the-scenes drama and commentary on social media fame were fascinating, and the characters were hilariously unlikeable. I definitely think I'll pick up more from this author, especially curious about her other genres.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

This was so much fun! The juicy drama, the rivalry and cattiness, the insight and social commentary on the dark underside of social media and influencers – I enjoyed it all! Though I'm not sure why Mer was so surprised by the behind-the-scenes of Aspen's posts because I'd think it's an open secret in the real-life industry?

Both women's POVs were compelling and kept me turning the pages. There were plenty of twists and turns, with one being a real shocker for me. The plot and writing were both engaging, with a satisfying ending to boot.

Not my favourite from Jesse Sutanto, but still a very solid and entertaining read with her trademarks all over and definitely one to devour!

Short synopsis: Meredith and Aspen are influencer besties, until a little fight breaks them up. Now, Aspen has gone viral and Meredith is jealous.

My thoughts: I’m going to keep this somewhat vague because the unexpected moments add so much depth to the story! But loved this fun and unique premise about the authenticity or lack there of of social media influencers.

I knew this was a thriller, but we don’t get to the actual thrilling part until about halfway though. Once I got here I binged to the end. I couldn’t wait to see what happened!

I read the majority of this on audio and loved the dual narration! The narrators really brought the story to life.

Read if you love:
- Social Media
- Dual POV
- Besties
- Unexpected twists

This wasn’t the most unique or twisty thriller I’ve ever read, but I enjoyed every minute! I’ve been wanting to read something that would keep me on the edge of my seat without being overly dark (I can only handle so many thrillers with rape, abductions, etc.), and this perfectly fit the bill.

I guess I’d be what you call a “micro-influencer” on bookstagram, so reading about social media culture—its fakeness and toxicity—and having it woven into a plot filled with deceit, stalking, manipulation, and murder was incredibly enticing. This started off by giving me major You vibes (Joe Goldberg is even referenced a few times) but ended up taking a completely different direction. While slightly predictable, it was bingeable and oh-so-good!

As someone who is intimately familiar with losing best friends (I’ve admittedly lost quite a few over the years), this plot really hit a nerve for me, but it was far too fun to put down. This was a suspenseful and addictive thriller that brilliantly tackled the nuances of female friendship, social media toxicity, armchair detectives, true-crime obsessions, and how threatened men can be by successful women. If these topics are of interest to you and you are looking for you next popcorn thriller - look no further than this one! 🔥

Thank you NetGalley & Berkley for this ARC!

This was a perfect audiobook to keep me entertained through the tedium of Thanksgiving grocery shopping (the worst) and the fun of baking pies (the best).

Influencer insanity + toxic friendships + some solid snark + delightfully unlikeable characters = loved it.

I found this one inferior to the others I've read from Sutanto. It has none of the fun of the Aunties books. It was a quick, mindless read, which is good in a thriller. But I wasn't thrilled and I didn't enjoy any of the characters. Everybody was one-dimensional, so none of the bad things they do are especially interesting or shocking.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I purchased for my library and will share in a monthly recommendation meeting.

I’ve enjoyed all of Sutanto novels I read! Here she weaves a suspenseful, character-driven plot, using alternating perspectives or a first-person narration to allow readers to experience the complexity of the sisters' bond. The story builds a palpable sense of unease as the obsessed sister’s fixation grows, creating an unsettling atmosphere that keeps readers on edge. There were well-developed characters that feel real and relatable despite the dark events they find themselves caught up in. The pacing is quick. The plot twists are well executed, leading to a finale that is both shocking and thought-provoking. At its core, the book explores the fragility of identity and the destructive power of envy and jealousy. Themes of self-worth and the struggle for individuality are explored, making the book more than just a thriller but also a meditation on what it means to be yourself in the face of overwhelming comparison.