I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Perhaps I should have a more organized approach to how I read my ARCs, because this book doesn’t come out until August. My strategy is just to scroll through what’s on my Kindle and pick the thing that jumps out in the moment - I rarely look at the release date until I’m actually trying to write a review. In this case, I’m dealing with some pretty bummer life stuff, so I wanted something frothy and distracting, and this fits the bill perfectly.

It’s tough to talk about this without giving too much away…which, as others have already pointed out, did not seem to be a concern for whoever wrote the blurb for this book! It’s a satirical tale of dueling momfluencers (a word that hurts my soul to type!). Meredith was once at the top of the influencer game, and took Aspen (formerly Ryleebelle, yeesh) under her wing and helped her grow her brand. But then Aspen got married, had a family, and switched her brand from lifestyle to “mom”, and basically blew up overnight. Given that they’ve always had more of a frenemy relationship, Meredith is understandably bitter about how their fortunes have shifted. She’s still trying to crack the high hundred thousands of followers, while Aspen is in the millions.

When the novel opens, the two friends have had a falling out, it’s not clear over what. We switch back and forth between their perspectives, so we can see that, while they each miss the other one, neither wants to be the first to cave and offer an apology. Things pretty much just go downhill from there.

I don’t want to spoil too much about what happens next, but suffice it to say, things get bonkers in a hurry. This is clearly meant to satirize influencers, so it’s extremely over the top, and every small revelation that a toddler could have reasoned out is treated with Maximum! Shock! Value! Eventually, things develop into a mystery, but it’s honestly more fun to watch these two bozos attempt to destroy one another.

I’ll save any spoilery comments for closer to the release date, but the one thing that bugged me (which could still change, given how far out the pub date is) was the ages of Aspen’s twin daughters. They’re meant to be six, but they read as closer to 10 or 11. One of them is sweet and loving and just wants mommy to be happy, while the other is snarky and does everything she can to ruin Aspen’s “happy family” videos (because, and I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say this: They’re all extremely staged and fake). Elea, the snarky one, read as MUCH older than six. And again, I get that it’s satire, so we’re not looking for reality here, but any time the twins were in a scene, it bugged me, because I kept thinking there’s no way a six year old would say or act that way. I see no reason why they can’t be aged up a few years. Other than that, this is pretty entertaining, as long as you don’t take it too seriously.

This mystery/thriller revolves around two friends Meredith and Aspen. Meredith met Aspen when she was on top of the influencer game. She took Aspen under her wing and taught her everything she knows about social media. These two became inseparable , even called each other soul sisters! Until, Aspen blew up and gained millions of followers more than Meredith. Jealousy seeped into their friendship and they have a a major falling out, Meredith made Aspen, now she will destroy her.

This was such a fun read full of juicy drama! The ridiculousness of the influencers made it so entertaining. There were so many twists but I appreciated the realism. I find often mystery/thriller authors try so hard to shock you, it becomes unrealistic. Overall, a really enjoyable and fast paced read. Keep this book on your shelf for your next reading slump, because this is sure to pull you out!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley publishing for the chance to read this ARC. All opinions are of my own and given freely.

First things first: publishing companies need to stop <b>REVEALING SO DAMN MUCH</b> in their blurbs. This blurb reveals half of the story for no good reason. I get that they have better information on what works, but I would be satisfied with the premise summarised as "someone is out to ruin influencer Aspen Palmer's life - but who?" This book is definitely still worth reading even knowing the whole blurb (there is more), but it seems bizarre that Sutanto chose not to reveal the information that the blurb does until later on, while the blurb is out there telling the reader exactly where it goes.

Onto the novel itself...

<b>3.5 stars</b>

Here's the thing: I don't watch momfluencers. I don't have kids, which might have something to do with it. Their content just isn't interesting to me. But what I <i>do</i> know about parent influencers is...some of the worst stuff I've heard about people on the Internet. And, look, I grew up on the Internet, so I've heard a lot of terrible things. But let me just think of a few things I've heard about momfluencers in the last few years.

Intentionally scoping out a severely disabled child from a foreign country, then "rehoming" said disabled child when the child turned out to have severe disabilities. Returning to the Internet to lie about that exact sequence of events and to continue looking for another disabled child to exploit, because more or less selling one on eBay wasn't enough. Posting content of young daughters in underwear and discussing intimate matters like periods and "The Talk" for their audience of mainly adult men. Pulling cruel "pranks" on one child to highlight how they are the unloved/unwanted one, while said child screams and sobs hysterically, and posting those videos on YouTube. Forcing a teenager to sleep on the floor instead of on a bed for months as a punishment and then getting said teenager to appear in videos to defend it because it wasn't all that bad - and going on to abuse, beat, and imprison their younger siblings.

All the work of momfluencers that have found their way into my Internet life. (And their husbands, who are at best blank-faced enablers, and, at worst, abusive leaders in the whole nightmare, but still to slip away without responsibility).

All this to say: nothing affirms the misanthropic feeling that people might be worse than you imagine like parent influencers. That's not even touching that children put in this position even by loving and well-intentioned people aren't legally entitled to a cent of the millions they can make in exchange for hours of work, lost privacy, and the creation of a permanent digital footprint before they've even entered school.

For half this book, Jesse Sutanto's new novel butted up against this problem for me. How do you satirise a profession that is both so wild and, honestly, repellant? Aspen and Meredith aren't pleasant people, but their behaviour pales in comparison to so many people in their position. As a result, the novel hits this weird middle ground of being just crazy enough to be infuriating and page-turning, but not being heightened or comic or thought-provoking or even dark enough to take me over that ledge of annoyance into enjoying myself. It's still good - it just doesn't quite live up to either the premise or Sutanto's previous novels.

Then that twist hit and <i>alllllll</i> that changed. Sutanto takes her foot off the gas and all hell breaks loose, and we had fun! It's pretty derivative of other novels, but it's also fun to see those tropes getting updated for an age of TikTok and general out of control influencer backlash and backlash-to-the-backlash. Read it, switch off your brain, and have fun.

Thank you Netgalley for the gifted copy. This was a rollercoaster thriller. One minute you thought you knew where the story was going and then bam plot twist. This was a good read.

After obsessing over I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET, I was thrilled to read YOU WILL NEVER BE ME, a story that predictably, I gobbled up in a day. The thing that I loved about I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET, that I was thrilled to find still held true in this story, was that the dialogue and inner thoughts of the characters were startlingly hilarious, relatable and words that I would never put on paper, but gleefully loved reading because I’d thought of similar sentiments a time or two. It was refreshing to live vicariously through characters, who are imperfect, catty and sometimes cruel.

The concept of two friends climbing the ranks of influencer stardom hooked me from the beginning, especially when the gracious mentor gets left in the dust by the mentee, who surpasses her golden status. The idea of influencers of all kinds always fascinated me because they’re always so darn polished. The past few months, I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of easy food prep videos and they’re always perfectly poised and plated, whereas mine are… not. How do they do it?! I loved the darker side of the influencer world, the catty competition, the real rawness behind the camera, the importance of an M over a K. That’s millions of followers, versus a meager embarrassing k.

If you’re looking for a quick read with snappy dialogue and dark, but satisfyingly naughty inner dialogue, look no further. Throw in mothers behaving badly, an incriminating iPad with a treasure trove of unedited videos capturing a not so perfect life, and one murder… you have yourself a good time.

First I’d like to say thanks so much to Berkley and NetGalley for my early copy of You Will Never Be Me to read and review.

This is a bingeable thriller (read in a day) and I’ve never read this author before although I have heard it’s her first adult thriller.

The characters here are insufferable to say the least. Just zero redeemable qualities at all. Those in no way usually sways my feeling about books I read. I tend to love to hate the horrible characters. Here not so much. It was hard!

I seem to be in the minority here by saying I did not LOVE this book. Did I hate it? No, I did not hate it but it was a bit predictable, familiar and over the top for me personally. Perhaps it’s meant to be just that.

Toxic friendship (understatement), affairs, inauthentic over the top content creators and murder are all here. All good ingredients and I’m sure many thriller lovers will love this one. 🤷‍♀️

It’s a 3 star for me which is not horrible but I just wasn’t thrilled here and found myself rolling my eyes and asking myself if this was satire (maybe it is !) too many times.

I will def give this author another read though as the writing was good. I think I’ve just had it with influencer premises.

This book was so good. It was twisty, unpredictable, and thrilling. I love how it explores the dark side of influencer culture. I was sucked in from the very beginning.

4.5 stars. I *loved* Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers and enjoyed Dial A for Aunties, so was excited to read more from this author, especially a "non-cozy" thriller!

I recommend NOT reading the plot synopsis from Goodreads - it gives away something that doesn't happen at the beginning of the book and may spoil your enjoyment/suspense.

Here, we have two friends turned rivals in the social media influencer/mom-fluencer world. It was fun to get a glimpse into that world, but the two characters were not particularly likable. There may have been one or two tiny plot holes, and I'm not sure I would call the ending satisfying, but I did enjoy reading this and it definitely kept my interest. Will definitely read more from Jesse Sutanto--she can do both cozy and non-cozy thrillers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley publishing for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review this book.

I first came across this authors with “Dial A for Aunties” and loved her work. Of course when a new book on NetGalley showed up, I jumped at the chance. I had high expectations.

Sadly, the author let me down. The book itself was fine. A mediocre 3-star. Entertaining enough, even though predictable.

The worst part was reading everything I did about diabetes. As a mother of a child with type 1 diabetes, I was appalled at the inaccurate references. Considering this book was published by a major publishing house, I was shocked. I took notes in all the areas where the references were incorrect. At some parts I had to cringe just to get through the book.

There is so much awareness about type 1 diabetes and the access, to knowledge about it, is infinite. I don’t know how this got past the editors. I have emailed the publisher with no response. Hopefully NetGalley will reach out.

With all that said, I give this book 1 star. It could have had a good thing going if someone bothered to do their homework.

If inaccurate medical references and mediocre drama incites you, pick this one up.

Lots of twists and turns in this one and I did not see them coming. You will absolutely hate both Meredith and Aspen and will have no clue whose side you’re on. I think this book will start a momfluencer main character trend.

Oh my gosh, I loved this book! Engaging and so many secrets and twists to figure out, with a pretty satisfying ending. I still have some questions - a few things that never were really fully explained - but I was not at all disappointed in this book.
And Jesse - I’ve enjoyed many of her other books of different genres…how does she write them all so well?!

OBSESSED!!! Thank you NetGalley, Jesse Q. Sutanto and Berkley Publishing Group for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a deliciously twisted, incredibly clever, utterly gripping and thoroughly entertaining influencer trope thriller that delves into the complexities of toxic friendships and pervasive influence of social media!! You Will Never Be Me is an insane popcorn thriller right from the start, featuring truly reprehensible and unlikeable main characters. Typically, I avoid books with such awful characters because I struggle to relate to or root for them. However, this one totally drew me into their lives and I couldn't get enough! I found myself completely unable to tear my eyes away from this addictive story. The insane tension, seething rage, envy, popularity, jealousy, secrets, deception, stalking, and suspense all contribute to making this a wild and crazy ride. With twisty twists and a shocking jaw-dropping ending, it's an unforgettable journey that keeps readers engaged to the very end! This is my first read by this author and it did not disappoint. Now I am excited to read other books by Sutanto!! 💜💜💜💜💜

Influencer Meredith Lee didn't mentor Aspen Palmer on social media success just to be abandoned once Aspen achieved fame. So, can anyone truly fault Mer for indulging in a bit of light stalking? Nothing too serious, just a dash of Stalking Life. Then, Mer strikes gold; she comes across one of Aspen's children's iPads and swipes it, gaining access to the family calendar and Aspen's social media accounts. What unfolds next is both harrowing and achingly plausible, mirroring the real realities of our contemporary society.

The book skillfully shows the extremes to which social influencers will go in pursuit of fame and fortune from their followers. I was absolutely captivated from start to finish! I highly recommend this unputdownable, engrossing read and it deserves all the stars!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two best friends, Meredith and Ashley, get into social influencing, and though one helped the other to gain followers at the beginning, both become fierce competitors, always comparing the number of followers they gain. They both need the money from their social media work, as Ashley's husband makes a meager salary, and Meredith is a single mom.

I liked the plot direction that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride between the two former friends, and how one tries to sabotage the other. I also think the book is a spoof on the lengths social influencers will go to get fame and fortune from their followers. The book also shows the negatives to this kind of lifestyle, when it becomes extreme, and how it affects families and readers alike.

The suspense becomes more intense as Meredith and Ashley compete fiercely, and after one sabotages the other secretly, one of them disappears. At the end, I found myself rooting for one of them. This is fiction, after all, but one with a unique way of bringing a social media message.

I was struck by the similarity of the two friends Meredity and Ashley to two influencer friends in a K drama I am now watching on Netflix. "Celebrity" has two female friends, one who helped the other in the influencer field to get more followers and fame. They soon became heated rivals, however. A look inside the sometimes complex world of social media rivalry.

This was a pretty alright thriller. I was excited to get it because I loved “Vera Wong.” The narration was great but the story was ten sort of ways of insanity. And although I enjoyed the way it was written, I didn’t enjoy the characters very much.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for this ARC. This book will be out in August.

This was such a fun and engaging thriller!! It is not often that I enjoy a book where the main characters are so unlikeable, but that is what is so special about this book, it draws you in you end up obsessed with their lives...which is ironic in and of itself as the book is trying to warn about the dangers of social media and influencing. I think that is why this book is so interesting, it touches on real life, raw issues in a very blunt way. Obviously it's dramatized for entertainment value in some aspects, but not all of them.

Readers meet Aspen and Meredith, two social media "mom-fluencers" when they first meet, Meredith has already risen to fame and takes Aspen under her wing to help her along. Fast forward many years and Aspen has now surpassed Meredith in popularity and they have had a blow up fight over jealously and popularity. When Meredith stumbles upon a chance to try and take Aspen down a few pegs, she can't resist. What follows is a stark reminder of how dangerous the world of social media can be, while also providing a fast paced, binge-worthy thriller read!!

I spent the weekend glued to the pages of this book. I must say that none of the characters were remotely likeable except for the children and I loved it! Eight years ago Meredith was an established beauty and fashion influencer and took an aspiring singer under her wing. Meredith helped the newly named Aspen to learn the ropes and that her YouTube music videos just weren't doing it. They became very good friends and then Aspen met Ben and started documenting their love story on Instagram. She had finally found her niche and Meredith was proud of her. Now the tables have turned and Aspen is one of the top #MomGoals content creators while Meredith feels left out. After seeing the success that Aspen has had as an Instagram mother with her three adorable girls-a set of twins and a toddler, Meredith decides the single mom doing it on her own should be her niche. Only Meredith soon realizes that motherhood is not as easy as Aspen makes it look and despairs that she had a boy and not a cute little girl since boy's clothes are so boring. Like I said, these are not sympathetic people. When the story opens, Meredith and Aspen have had a blowup that has demolished their friendship.

Aspen's life is anything but perfect with her husband and children less and less interested in being props for her content. When Meredith swipes one of this children's iPad's, she suddenly has access to Aspen's calendar and unedited videos-morning routine filmed at 4pm. Meredith uses this information to make more appealing content and cause Aspen to miss important meetings with potential sponsors.

What Meredith doesn't realize is how far Aspen will go to maintain the facade of a perfect life. Being the primary breadwinner is hard work.

I loved that Aspen was so resourceful and that there weren't any loose ends left by the end.

This is a crackling and spooky thriller about social influencing and how quickly it can go wrong. Meredith taught her friend Aspen the ropes for social media, she was happy to have a convert and wanted a buddy to consult with. It wasn't long before Aspen surpassed her and left her behind. Meredith is so hurt and so jealous she takes steps that descend into stalking and madness. What happens next will leave your mouth open in shock but the truth is, we could all see it happen in real life.

If you love a good thriller, commentary on social media or just want to be a fly on the wall of a "real-life" housewives style meltdown. Read You Will Never Be Me! #youwillneverbeme #jessqsutanto #berkley

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

You Will Never Be Me is a book about 2 influencers who used to be best friends. Mer taught Aspen everything she knew. When Aspen surpasses Mer in followers and influence jealousy ensues, leading to a falling out between them.

This book is a quick, engaging read. I binged it and finished it in 24 hours. There were several times when I chuckled as they were discussing the very ridiculous world of social media, and the lengths people will go to make their lives look post worthy.

There were twists that I did not necessarily see coming and I enjoyed the book through to the end.

Other than the children, none of the characters is likeable. It is so rare that I can enjoy a book and cheer for no one. lol

Overall, I really enjoyed this quick read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

A book I binged in a day.

A peek into the lives of two women and their experiences as "influencers" on IG and TikTok and the demise that slowly happens. Meredith and Aspen become best friends and help one another in their online growth. As the years go on, Aspen becomes huge, with millions of followers and their relationship starts to become strained. Jealousy evolves as Aspen grows her online community and her family and Meredith begins to feel left out. Watching this complex friendship turned to stalking was fascinating.

A completely indulgent book that was a quick read, gripping, and had enough depth to keep me engaged. A friendship book that turned into a thriller and I loved it!

My biggest advice, DON'T read the GR synopsis. IMHO there is a major spoiler that you want to find for yourself!

This had a different feel from Sutanto's previous books, Dial A For Aunties and Vera Wong. Both of those had a level of humor in it. This didn't have the humor, but it still had some lightness to it. It didn't drag me down or feel dark, even though it was a serious book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the complimentary eARC.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for the ARC!
Aspen is a YouTuber with a minuscule following who wants to make it big. She meets Meredith, a “big” influencer, who takes Aspen under her wing. As their friendship grows, Meredith guides Aspen on how to gain a following and a bigger social media presence — and eventually, Aspen builds a brand bigger than Meredith’s. Needless to say, jealousy is a b*tch, and things spiral from there.
Suspenseful, funny at times, thrilling, and makes you wonder whose side you’re on after all.