This is a compulsively readable psychological thriller that takes place in the crazy world of social media and influencers. Ashley and Mer are long time best friends, but when Mer decides to undermine Ashley and reveal her not so perfect life, Ashley starts to lose her following and can't figure out why. Don't want to give anything away, but when Mer goes missing, everyone is looking at Ashley for answers. Jesse Q. Sutanto is an amazing author with a versatile range. This isn't funny like her "Aunties" books -- so if you are a longtime reader, be prepared for something different -- and wonderful!

One of the most entertaining thrillers I’ve read this year. So fun, fresh, and engaging. I recommend it to everyone! Full review on TikTok

Read Completed 8/22/24 | 3.75 stars
YOU WILL NEVER BE ME was a really fun read! Jesse Q. Sutanto is an author that I just picked up in the last year or so and I've really been enjoying her books. I loved the darkness creeping into each one of them and this toxic friendship story was no exception.

The beginning was just a little bit slow, and most of the time, it was really hard to follow these two main characters. Both are influencers that have made posting on social media their careers and everything about them is fake. We as the audience are supposed to know that, though, and it's just painful watching them be miserable but relishing in the praise of their social media audiences. There's also a fair bit of rivalry as the friend who was the protege takes over in follower count and popularity, creating our main exciting hook!

I really liked this back and forth between the two friends and there's the anticipation of what might happen now that they're estranged from a huge blow-out fight. There's also so much tension, never knowing if the other person is going to sabotage the other. There's an excellent twist that I REALLY enjoyed (it's one of my favorite thriller concepts) and I did not see it coming.

The second half of the book lost a little momentum, but I was definitely still interested in seeing how it ended. It was also a tad predictable because once I was about halfway through, I figured that's how it would end.

I still enjoyed this read, even though I had hoped to be sucked in just a bit more, but the twist really sold it for me!

This was told by both Meredith and Aspen. They were both not very likable characters, which intrigued me more with their dynamic. I seriously could not look away from the fractured duo and what led them to become frenemies. Meredith felt like she “made” Aspen, and cue the jealousy when Aspen surpassed her. On Aspen’s end, of course everything was not perfect as she portrayed on social media. Both women were selfish, and a bit self absorbed.

This had jealousy, cattiness and toxic friendships. When the twist came, I didn’t see it coming at all. I had someone in mind, but I was very surprised. Once that twist dropped, I couldn’t out this one down. I had to see how things would play out. This had stalking, obsession, fake friendships and all centered around momfluencers. I love reading about social media influencers, so this did not disappoint!

YIKES BIKES!!! Its Jesse Q. Sutanto !!!!

If Sutanto wrote a phonebook, I would read it. The depths of my love for this author are immeasurable and this book right here is everything my little heart could have desired and so much more.

In true Sutanto fashion, you'll never figure out this twisted tale and when it smacks you right up in the face, you'll never know what hit you.

If you know anything about Sutanto books you know not to spoil it for the next reader. So, I will leave you with this. Read You Will Never Be Me, it will change the way you feel about the thriller genre and sets a whole new bar for authors to follow.

Check out this teaser :

Influencer Meredith Lee didn’t teach Aspen Palmer how to blossom on social media just to be ditched as soon as Aspen became big. So can anyone really blame Mer for doing a little stalking? Nothing serious, more like Stalking Lite. Then, Mer gets lucky; she finds one of Aspen’s kids’ iPads and swipes it. Now, she has access to everything: the family calendar and Aspen’s social media accounts. Would anyone else be able to resist tweaking things a little here and there, showing up in Aspen’s place for meetings with potential sponsors? Mer’s only taking back what she deserves—what should have been hers.

Meanwhile, Aspen doesn’t understand why her perfectly filtered life is falling apart. Sponsors are dropping her, fellow influencers are ghosting her, and even her own husband seems to find her repulsive. If she doesn’t find out who’s behind everything, she might just lose it all. What everyone seems to forget is that Aspen didn’t become one of TikTok’s biggest momfluencers by being naive. When Meredith suddenly goes missing, Aspen’s world is upended and mysterious threats begin to arrive—but she won’t let anything get in the way of her perfect life again.

3.5 Stars

Meredith and Ashton are two influencers, one-time BFFs, and current self-involved moms. After Mer and Ashton have a falling out, Mer decides to mess with Ashton’s perfect online life all the while using Ashton’s losses for her gains. Ashton at first struggles to understand how these mishaps keep occurring, and as she’s piecing it altogether, Meredith goes missing and all eyes turn to her.

Parts of this read like a “ripped from the headlines” story -the harshness of social media, the portrayal of how inauthentic influencers can be, and the struggles of marriage and kids - and I can’t help but think the rest of it could very well happen one day. I seriously disliked every character, but in a way that showed how well the characters were written. An entertaining and fun book to read!

I am SO grateful to Berkley for providing me with an early copy of You Will Never Be Me. (She's the best!) #VeraforPresident

I found great pleasure in this riveting psychological thriller. As someone with a keen interest in literature centered on influencers, I am intrigued by the exploration of the deleterious effects of social media on one's mental state and decision-making.


Jesse's writing skills are impressive because she can create funny stories, explore dark themes, and surprise readers with unexpected plot twists. She has unequivocally earned her place as one of the most beloved writers of the past ten years. With meticulous attention to detail, she masterfully constructs every character, intricately weaves each plot, and delivers twists that leave readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting her next novel.

I’ve never read a book with a huge twist midway that still had me hooked on the back-half. This was so well done! The drama, the “friendships”, and everything else was so entertaining. I loved the split narration between Aspen and Meredith and I really was shocked with how the events unfolded. If you enjoy a thriller that will have you grasping at clues, but doesn’t leave you hanging, read this!

Who here loves a juicy influencer thriller?! 🙋

Me! Me! Me!!!

The momfluencer culture is one that has been talked about plenty, but Sutanto takes us into the very core of a friendship gone wrong between two of these women. Told through alternating narratives from Meredith and Aspen, the reader is captivated from the start as we get a front row seat to tons of drama!

I loved getting to know Meredith and Aspen both individually, learning what makes them tick, what drives them, and how far they are willing to go for fame. The pacing is fast and will certainly keep you on your toes as the tension builds higher and higher.

Momfluencer life may be curated content, but Sutanto’s story is gritty and highly entertaining from start to finish!

🎧: I stumbled upon a review for this one saying they chose the audio on a whim and loved it. That reviewer was 100% correct! Such a great story for audio!

Meredith Lee and Aspen Palmer are mom-fluencers, or internet influencers/ semi-famous moms on the internet who make videos on Instagram and TikTok to show their followers how easy it is to be a mom and have it all. They're also former best friends. Meredith discovered Aspen during her YouTuber days, and helped her get big, only to be ditched when Aspen surpassed Meredith's numbers.

Then one day, Meredith sees an opportunity and takes it - she swipes Aspen's daughter's iPad - a gold mine of videos of Aspen faking it behind the scenes, showing that she doesn't actually have it all together, as well as access to her social calendar, which Meredith quickly messes with.

As Aspen's perfect life falls apart, Meredith begins to feel in control, but is "having it all" all it's cracked up to be?

Thank you to Berkley Books and PRH Audio for the free copies to review.

I think I have read all of Jesse Q. Sutanto’s books and I am a huge fan. This one was excellent, I loved all the drama involved and that it was based around becoming an influencer and how far someone will go, especially when they are jealous of another’s followers / popularity. It’s all harmless, right? Until it goes too far and someone is dead, then things get real.

I loved this one, the audio was fantastic, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what exactly happened, how it got so bad, and how it was all going to end. I was happy with the ending and while this was a bit out there, the overall message was there, it is all too easy to see someone else’s life online and think it is greener, better, happier, when in reality it is all smoke in mirrors. I could not get enough of this one and highly recommend it.

I have loved every single Jesse Q. Sutanto book I have read no matter what the genre, and You Will Never Be Me was no exception. In this novel, she dives into the cutthroat world of influencers, specifically momfluencers, with Aspen and Meredith (Mer). They are besties that have had a huge fight and then things get really dicey. I was smitten with this storyline from the very first page, and there is little I love more than juicy influencer drama in books. There is of course a female friendship aspect as well, though the one between these ladies isn't one I would ever aspire to have.

I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Eunice Wong & Risa Mei and WOW. I loved them both so much and thought they were the perfect fit for the voices of Aspen and Mer. Their pacing was on point, and they pulled me even further into the story than I already was. I wasn't paying attention to the timing of the audiobook and just when I thought the book was almost over, I realized I was only halfway! 🤣 I couldn't wait to see how You Will Never Be Me would end and I don't know that I could have predicted it! I'm still not sure if I loved or hated the way things turned out, but either way, this is still a 5 ⭐ read for me and Sutanto is life.

“The only reason crazy bitches exist is because there’s always some asshole gaslighting us into losing our shit.”

I’ve long been a fan of Jesse’s Aunties series, but ever since reading her thriller, I’m Not Done With You Yet, I’ve been waiting for her next foray into the thriller world, and You Will Never Be Me did not at all disappoint!

This was a wild, twisty, gripping read that I listened to and read in about 36 hours, and the audio was *chef’s kiss 🤌* Both @eunicewongnarration and @loverisamei did a great job narrating this suspenseful tale centered around two social media influencers, and I even had to listen to one chapter over again because I couldn’t quite believe what was going on!

This hit shelves Aug. 20, so if you’re looking for a bingeable, twisty listen that will have you on the edge of your seat, read/listen to You Will Never Be Me ASAP!!

Sometimes I can't decide whether I'm really interested in books about influencer culture, or if it's something a little too close to home and not interesting because of how ever-present it already is in my daily life. I felt the same wishy-washy-ness come over me while reading this book - when I started it, I didn't really know if I was going to enjoy it, but then chapter after chapter I found myself thinking that I actually was getting pretty invested in the characters along with the depiction and over-arching discussion/critiques of influencers. While the mystery of this book didn't do much for me, I found myself enjoying the discussion topics and suspense of it in a similar way to Yellowface - actually many parts of the book reminded me of Yellowface, only that it's following social media influencers instead of authors. If that particular information intrigues you, I do think this is worth a read! If you think you'll just get annoyed with two over-the-top mom-fluencers, then I'd say you can skip it. This is my first book by this author, but I've seen overall good reviews for multiple of her other books, so I'm sure I'll give more of them a try in the future.

I love this book but as I post this review, I need to soft DNF. My head isn't in the right mental place for me to keep reading it. I will be picking it back up as soon as I can.

Thank you, Netgalley

Thank you to Berkley publishing and PRH Audio for my gifted review copies.

Who knew crazy friendships and mom influencers could be so entertaining but still very dark. I love how crazy this book got. This author never disappoints with taking a darker turn with her characters.

Two ladies become friends while building their empires influencing. Till one of them takes off in the new niche - momfluencing. Of course, jealousy ensues. Bitterness, revenge, and of course murder. It was fun seeing how desperation can make people make bad decisions, that lead them to their own ruin. And of course the blinders that we all put on thinking we're smarter than the person next to us. I loved the dark side of this book, though the end felt rushed and forced to make decision quickly and completely out of character.

Sutanto is an auto-read for me, so I will always be on the pre-order list. That being said, I personally feel like she does better in the comedy than dark thriller department (e.g. The New Girl and Vera Wong). This one was super popcorny in that you could easily read this in a couple of sittings, but I felt it was Predictable from the start. Maybe that was the author's intention, but I just wish there was some sort of plot twist to get me excited about the rest of the book. I also feel like this momfluencer trope has been done before and this release seemed late to the game.

What happens when cracks begin to show in the perfectly curated version of an influencers life? Meredith Lee is in that boat. Having been the OG influencer in her circle of friends, she gave tips on how to maintain the image portrayed online. But when her friend Aspen begins to grow and surpass Meredith in the influencer space, Mer’s jealousy spikes. When Mer finds Aspen’s kids iPads, she finds Aspen’s family calendar and begins to mess with Aspen’s sponsors and content.

Aspen can’t understand why her life is falling apart, her fellow mom-fluencers don’t want to be associated with her, sponsors are dropping her, and even her husband is repulsed by her. But when Mer goes missing, Aspen becomes the number one suspect.

💭My Thoughts:
You guys. Do NOT sleep on this book! This is a wild ride and I binged it. I couldn’t stop listening to it!! What a crazy good thriller with twists at every angle. It out now so grab a copy or the audio and thank me later!

I feel like influencer books are becoming overdone so that was a drawback for me. This also felt similar to both Yellowface and Jesse Sutanto's last suspense book as all have toxic friendship themes (which I'm not about in real life but enjoy in books.)

I still think Jesse Sutanto's strength is comic mysteries and not sure I will keep reading her suspense stories unless her next one has a premise that does not involve toxic female friendship, social media, etc.

Thank you @prhaudio for this free audiobook! And to Berkley Pub and NetGalley for an eARC. It exceeded my expectations.
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Welcome to the dark side of the influencing world. It’s not all perfectly curated posts and smiles. Lying, cheating and backstabbing galore in this twisty thriller and I loved every minute! I flew through this one. The narrators did an amazing job of making this even more deliciously evil! Highly recommend!!