I love Jesse Q. Sutanto and was so excited to get a chance to preview this book. It definitely did not disappoint. I read it in an afternoon and really enjoyed the whole premise and story. Influencers, frenemies, and a toxic marriage combine to create an original unputdownable thriller! I loved every unpredictable moment of this tale of influencer obsession and friendship gone wrong. I enjoyed getting a glimpse inside the world of creating internet content and found that just as fascinating as the mystery. While I really did not like any of the characters, they were so perfect for this story. I loved the ending and can't wait to share this my other thriller/mystery lovers in the library.

Thank you, NetGalleyfor the ebook preview.

☑️ Social Media Influencers Being Bad
☑️Toxic friendships
☑️ Unexpected twists
☑️ Dual POVs

Jesse Sutanto has been an auto-buy author for me since her release of Dial A for Aunties. Vera Wong and I’m Not Done With You Yet were just as entertaining. Sutanto has great versatility. Her books are super entertaining and I’ll say she knows how to write toxic friendships too good.

Social media influencer Meredith Lee connects with her newfound best friend at a party. Taking her under her wing, she teaches her all that she knows to start building her own platform. She gets good, really good… too good that their perfect friendship finds a crack and things start to break down and unravel. That’s when the good stuff starts…

🎧 Narrated by Eunice Wong and Risa Mei - perfect duo to cover this book.

As an aside. Eunice Wong previously narrated Sutanto’s I’m Not Done With You Yet & Risa Mei previously narrated her Auntie’s series which were all fantastic.

Split this read between audio and my kindle, both formats were awesome!

Meredith Lee and Aspen Palmer were both influencers and best friends, until success tore them apart. Meredith was more successful at the influencing game… at first. After helping Aspen learn the ins-and-outs, co-posting with her, and even giving her the name “Aspen” (soooo much better than her old name), Aspen finally took off. But it isn’t long before Aspen far surpasses Meredith in popularity. A lot of this can be contributed to her early fans responding well to her relationship, which turned into a marriage, which turned into three kids.

Now a momfluencer with millions of followers, Aspen doesn’t have a need for Meredith anymore. After a blow up fight, the two haven’t spoken for months. But when Meredith discovers Aspen’s daughter’s iPad and instant access to her life (and calendar), she realizes she has a way to get to Aspen. Some light stalking and a few changed calendar appointments later, Aspen’s life is falling apart. But she didn’t get where she was by being naïve—Aspen has plenty of tricks up her sleeve as well. Which one of these frenemies will win?

What did I think?

This is a twisted little number from Jesse Q Sutanto! Several times everything I thought was turned around as I learned new information. Twists galore and one absolutely toxic friendship at the center of it all. Sutanto actually opens a book dedicating it to a friend saying that they have the type of friendship that Aspen and Meredith pretended to have (I loved this, it made me laugh).

Chapters from both Meredith and Aspen paint a troubled and fraught friendship between the two influencers, but it wasn’t always like that. Through flashbacks, we’re shown that there was a great friendship there at one point. I was left wondering if there was any way that friendship could return? And at one point, it seems possible. Meredith gets over her anger and Aspen seeks out a connection in the midst of the unraveling of her entire life. Does it work? I can’t divulge that here (but check out the spoilers over here). Let’s just say these two have ups and downs in store for you until the very last page.

The peek behind the curtains on influencer culture was one of my favorite parts. This isn’t one of those frivolous influencer depictions, Sutanto gets into the seedy underbelly that influencers don’t let you see. She shows the grind it takes to keep up with the competition, and the pressure to constantly grow your account. She shows the fake side (Aspen) and the authentic but demoralizing side (Meredith). One of the funniest things was Aspen’s husband reacting to her burying carrots in the garden so she can film herself digging them up and pretend she grew them. This tickled me! She also shows how underestimated influencers can be. Aspen and Meredith aren’t the only influencers in this book, and there is plenty to show when it comes to the world of brand deals and sponsorships. No one’s life is as perfect as it seems on social media, I’ll say that much.

A twisty thriller that packs a punch from start to finish. Obsession, friendship, and jealousy swirl around and you won’t know who will end up on top when it all stops!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Jesse Q. Sutanto. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Influencer Meredith Lee took Aspen Palmer under her wing and taught her how to become successful in the momfluence world. But the student quickly surpassed the teacher and then Aspen no longer seemed to have time for Meredith. So Meredith began quietly stalking Aspen and then sabotaged her calendar, so that all of a sudden, Aspen's world became out of control. When Meredith goes missing, Aspen's world is again turned upside down.

This was just an entertaining thriller that kept me guessing until the end. Social media definitely has its dark side, and this book showcased what people will do to become powerful and rich influencers. Friendships, marriages, and parenthood all took a backseat to maintaining millions of followers. I liked the alternating POV of both Aspen and Meredith, neither likable, but so much fun to follow. Pack this one along in your beach bag - there's still time before summer ends!

Favorite Quotes:

it’s just a fact of life that people adore the knowledge of having something that others don’t. If there was no pleasure to be taken from exclusivity, then the rich wouldn’t be so into their private country clubs. There is joy from knowing you are blessed while others are not; if you deny it, you’ll only be lying.

Sometimes, I look at Liv and I hate her because the world hasn’t broken her yet.

It was like I walked into a stark, white room filled with nothing but a tiny, high-pitched sound. A room of cold, quiet, murderous rage.

Oh my god. Spare me the Gaslighting 101, okay? None of that ‘I’m sorry you feel that way’ crap. No, you need to be sorry that you made me feel that way.


My Review:

This clever tale was full of gasp-producing zigs and eye-popping zags. I had a hard time putting my Kindle down and felt like hissing at any interruption to my rapt perusal. I greedily devoured it like a guilty pleasure, but the ending left me pondering, contemplating, and debating for quite some time about how I should feel about the outcome. Hmm… What does that say about me?

The characters were all rather vile and selfish creatures, who were deliciously and insightfully detailed with well-honed and witty narratives of their inner musings and self-serving observations and justifications.

You Will Never Be Me was my virgin voyage with this crafty scribe and I instantly fell into an oddly compelling vortex of an online Stepford-type wife. Ms. Sutano has strong word voodoo, mad skills, and a new acolyte. I covetously want to amass all her scribblings.

I have yet to find a Jesse Q Sutanto title that I have not enjoyed. From Vera Wong to the four Aunties and now a couple of social media influencers that are supposed to be adults, she gives readers drama and entertainment along with original plots and characters. In YOU WILL NEVER BE ME, Meredith has taught Aspen everything she knows about becoming a successful influencer. Now that Aspen is a success, Meredith feels she is owed a piece of that success. Told from the POV of both women, readers see their relationship move from friends and mentor to adversaries as quickly as a blog rises and falls. The story takes a few twists that will cause some "oh no she didn't" moments. The fun is seeing where Sutanto takes these two ladies in their quest to be the most popular. 5 easy stars.

Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for my complimentary copy. My thoughts are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this look into the lives of two unhinged influencers!

Meredith is a successful beauty influencer on TickTock and Instagram when she meets Aspen, an aspiring influencer. Meredith takes Aspen under her wing as she introduces her to influential people and shares her knowledge and expertise about the influencer world. Soon, Meredith and Aspen become the best of friends. But when Aspen becomes a popular momfluencer and her follower count surpasses Meredith’s, both women are plunged into the spiraling world of jealousy and competition.

Jessie Q. Sutanto is a fairly new author for me. I really enjoyed 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘞𝘰𝘯𝘨‘𝘴 𝘜𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘴 so I have been looking forward to reading this one. I was not disappointed! The story is told through the altering perspectives of Meredith and Aspen. The tension builds quickly as Meredith becomes increasingly jealous of Aspen, and we learn a few surprises about Aspen. For me, the book became unputdownable as I couldn’t wait to see what happened next! I found myself rooting for a particular character and I have to admit the conclusion was surprising and things did not end up as I thought they would!

Read this if you enjoy:
*Women’s Rivalry
*Unhinged Characters
*Building Tension
*Surprising Conclusions

I also checked out the audio version and it is just as enjoyable as the print version. The two narrators did an excellent job!

Clever twist to the mommy influence culture. This book was gripping and entertaining with surprising twists and turns which made it an excellent thriller that delves into the complexities of toxic friendships and pervasive influence of social media!! Good and bad and how easily you get roped into to believe your own hype. You Will Never Be Me had unlikeable characters that I ended up rooting for.

Grab some popcorn and a drink; I’m thinking iced tea because this popcorn thriller spills the tea on the influencers.

Don't read much of the book's synopsis because it reveals too many plot details. Just know that Aspen and Meredith, best friends and momfluencers on TikTok and IG, support each other in growing their accounts until jealousy and cattiness creep in.

You Will Never Be Me is filled with characters you love to hate. The basic threads of the story seem typical for a thriller: toxic friendships, questionable morals, secrets, lies, deception, and sabotage. However, Sutanto brings a freshness to the genre by incorporating the influencer aspect. I love how she reveals the fake personas that curate the perfect Instagram life—terrific social media satire! And the twists!!! One literally had me shouting, "Whaaaaat?!"

I paired the ebook with the audiobook. Eunice Wong and Risa Mei narrate the complex dynamics between the frienemies, Mer and Aspen. The narration vividly portrays their desperation, envy, shallowness, and greed. Both characters exhibit an insatiable need for likes and followers and an unhealthy, compulsive drive to go viral while disregarding their family and friends.

I’m in perpetual awe of Jesse Q. Sutanto —- I swear her talent in churning out highly bingeable and entertaining books across multiple genres never ceases to amaze me! From cozy murder mysteries to suspense thrillers, she kills it every single time! In her latest novel, You Will Never Be Me, she explored the friendship between two social media influencers and how it turned deadly as their followers increase in number. One can’t help but be hooked from the first page! There’s jealousy, drama, backstabbing, behind the scenes of social media posts, all the staged/fake stuff, more drama and of course, murder!!! I wasn’t expecting the ending, and although I didn’t agree with how it turned out, it was still a good read! Love the twists and the crazy glitzy world of influencers!!! Thanks @berkleypub for providing me with digital arc.

This one wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be, and I think that the main problem is that the main characters we are following are pretty two dimensional and pretty darn hard to root for. I don't need to have likable main characters, especially in my thrillers and ESPECIALLY in thrillers involving suds and picture perfect people behaving badly, but I at least want the terrible people to be complex and/or interesting. And I didn't feel like Mer or Aspen were either of these things, sadly. I will say that one of the first big twists was REALLY surprising and caught me totally off guard, and I LOVE IT when that happens in a thriller because so often I feel like the twists aren't pulled off as well as I'd like. This one was great. So a really mixed bag for me.

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto is a suspenseful, satirical dive into the world of influencers.
The story follows Meredith, an influencer who feels betrayed by her former friend Aspen, now a top momfluencer. In a bid to reclaim her status, Meredith starts stalking Aspen and tampering with her life.
Aspen, meanwhile, watches her perfect world crumble and suspects something sinister is at play.
The dual perspectives give insight into both women’s minds, making for an engaging read. Although the characters were very unlikeable for me, their flaws and drama keep the story entertaining. The pacing drags a bit in the middle but picks up in the last portion, delivering an intriguing and satisfying ending.
A fun a quick read that you don’t have to think too much about since we all live in this social media world.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own.

You Will Never Be Me has themes of jealousy and infidelity that aren't unique to thrillers, but what sets it apart is how it delves into the world of social media momfluencers (mom influencers). Jesse Q. Sutanto balances the suspense with wit as we're inside the heads of 30-something social media-obsessed main characters. Sometimes, you empathize with the characters when they express how managing their accounts and curating their feeds are for their livelihoods including supporting their children, but you also have moments where as an outside viewer you see how absurd they are being especially when they put the concerns or needs of their children to the wayside to get the best camera angle.

I appreciated the nuance that someone can both be hyper-concerned about providing for their families yet also super into "fame". I found it surprising and great that there is also a social critique on the inauthenticity of social media and parasocial relationships that we may form with people we only “know” via Instagram or TikTok. A not-so-subtle reminder that the people behind the screen are real, that the parts they show might not be the entire truth, and to not take what you see on your screen as the blueprint for how you should or shouldn't be living your life.

The pacing on this one is quick and about 50% in I was shocked with a particular part and ended up finishing the same night (no spoilers but OMG). It's a turn of events that I didn't expect for only halfway through the book.

I wasn't shocked by the ending and even guessed it would end the way it did. The author did a great job showing us the characters' motivations that the ending made sense.

As much as I love Jesse Q. Sutanto's cozier stories, her psychological thrillers might be even better. Dark influencer stories are popular right now, and this one is successful at showing all sides of that world, as well as a dark take on female friendship. This is a quick, easy, interesting read.

My goodness what a thrill ride. Mominfluencers. Friends turned enemies. Sucked me right in and kept me turning the pages. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Jess Q. Sutano’s stories are always such a treat!

I loved Dial A for Aunties and had a blast reading Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers with my ears. You Will Never Be Me had the same flavor of Sutano’s other books with equal parts drama and mystery as well as moments of humor that made me laugh out loud. I think this one may be my favorite!

I love a story that you can’t stop thinking about when you aren’t reading and makes you forget where you are when you are reading it. This story was that for me. I am a newish bookstagrammer and loved reading about the influencer lifestyle so much. AND from two perspectives?!? That was SO fun!

Getting to see what life is like from Aspen and Meredith’s perspective made me do a really deep dive after reading. So many of us follow influencers. I do for pretty much everything. I love to watch how people curate their closet, cook their food, take care of their plants, how they manage their homes and families, and of course get introduced to the latest and greatest books! This story really made me think about what it must be like for them and are people being authentic?

I know as a newish bookstagrammer I am kind of feeling the pressure and I am just taking pictures of books I love! There are so many people online now trying to make a living. At what point will that change? Will it get bigger than it is somehow? Will we as a society be impacted at some point?

This book really makes you think and its one you will not want to put down until you know what happens!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The story revolves around two best friends, Meredith and Aspen, who are also mom influencers aka momfluencers. Mer helped Aspen to grow on social media but later got ditched when Aspen made it big. Mer's not gonna calm down until she seeks revenge– by manipulating Aspen's meetings. Aspen, on the other hand, has no idea how her world is crumbling right in front of her eyes.

I love when authors make you glued to the book even when the characters are highly unlikable. Both Mer and Aspen showcase how toxic influencer life can get. I feel angry yet miserable for them. This book dwells into the minds of these women and sheds light on the fake lives of Instagram. It's been a while since I got so involved in a book– it's fast-paced, quick read and will keep you at the edge. I didn't expect the twist and the ending. This author never fails to surprise me.

Last year when I read Jesse Q. Sutanto’s debut thriller, I’m Not Done With You Yet, I knew there was a deft hand at work. With a gift for creating obsessive female friendships and twisty, twisty plots, it was no surprise when I discovered that You Will Never Be Me was just as good if not better. After all, from the plot charging drama to the thoroughly unguessable twists, there wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t completely enthralled. So much so, in fact, that I flew through the book in just a matter of hours.

What in particular did I love the most about this slam dunk success? Well, first off were the characters. From the dual frenemy POVs to the perfectly fractured marriage, I was addicted to the well-developed personas as the plot unwound before me. And let me tell you, they were each more unlikeable than the last. One hundred percent selfish, vindictive, and loathsome, I went back and forth on who to root for and, even by the end, I still happily couldn’t decide.

Next up in my long list of loves was the premise itself. Taking a deep dive into the world of influencers, the idea that it could so easily take a dark turn felt realistic in every respect. At the same time, it was a brilliant satire on our insatiable social media obsession. Witty and insightful, I was duly impressed. The only piece that didn’t quite work was the somewhat long, slow burn first half. Despite that, however, I was wholly won over by this addictive, unputdownable novel.

All in all, Sutanto has managed to pull out all of the stops and deliver yet another buzz-worthy rollercoaster ride of suspense. Just know that you shouldn’t trust anyone or anything within these pages. I mean, the well-hidden lies, snarky banter, and shrewd cunning had me utterly spellbound. So if you haven’t heard of this one yet, take my review as a sign to run out and grab a copy today. After all, who doesn’t love their popcorn with a side of revenge? Rating of 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Jesse Q. Sutanto, Berkeley Publishing, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Over the top and fun - as fun as a super toxic relationship and light stalking can be. I was here for it! Follower count envy, social media worthy content and backstabbing friends are talked about in this book. It was fast paced and towards the end, it became a propulsive read and I just kept turning pages to the end.

What. A. Rush.

Do you despise momfluencers, too? (I mean, who doesn’t, right?)  Do you love momfluencers, and can't get enough?  Do you avoid all social media influencers but just love books about women behaving badly (very very badly)?  Well buckle up bitches, you’re in for a flaming ride. 

(Full disclosure: I’m not on TikTok, rarely on Instagram, and even less rarely on Pinterest - does anyone use Pinterest these days? - so I have very little personal exposure to influencers.  And I like it that way.  All that is to say that it’s possible that Sutanto’s portrayal of influencers is less than accurate, I wouldn’t know.)

This was fantastic.  At first I was loving it just because Aspen and Meredith were so deliciously catty.   And then at the 50% point it took a turn, and, well, dinner is going to be late tonight because I could not stop reading.

This was a fantastic psychological thriller, perfectly placed in our modern day, but with echoes of the classic Strangers on a Train.  Aspen and Meredith are in opposing downward spirals, fighting against each other and yet still loving each other, because they are exactly the same.  They are beautiful, charming, ambitious, greedy for status and influence, desperate to be the best mothers possible, secretly insecure, and obsessed with social media.  They can't stay away from each other, but they can't stay friends, either, because they are now competitors.  Things get worse and worse as each woman attempts to course-correct and regain the upper hand, but they are both too brilliant to stay down for long.  

This was EXACTLY the book I wanted to read.

I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for the early, uncorrected copy.  Happy pub day today, Aug 20!!