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!!

I can usually hang with unlikable characters but I couldn’t spend another minute with these characters and decided to DNF. I also saw a review mentioning poor depiction of type 1 diabetes and that’s a hard pass for me.

This was another great read from Sutanto! Influencer thrillers have quickly become a must read subgenre for me. The dynamic between Mer and Aspen was so interesting - I would not want a best friend like either of them! The drama in this kept me hooked and I didn’t want to put it down. I went back and forth between listening and reading and would recommend either format as the narration was.

I loved this inside view of the influencer world.

You Will Never Be Me unveils all the toxicity that can come with social media including jealousy and petty revenge.

I thought I knew where this one was going but there was a twist halfway through that caught me by surprise. Brilliant and shocking. From that point, everything amped up to a spectacular finish.

Absolutely loved that ending

You Will Never Be Me
By: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Berkley Publishing Group; Berkley
Pub Date: August 20, 2024
General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers, Women's Fiction

This is a drama filled, suspenseful story of about two influencers and their toxic friendship. The book is full of twists and turns. I had previously read one of Sutanto's books, and it's easy to see why so many enjoy her writing.

I received an advance reader's copy from Berkley Publishing Group; Berkley and Net Galley. My review is my own.

I'm giving 3.5 stars because, although of course this is well-written, I just couldn't get into the story and the main characters are WAY too hateable. Meredith Lee and her bestie, Aspen Palmer, are momfluencers. (Yeah, that's really what they're called.) Meredith and Aspen get into a huge fight because Meredith is jealous of Aspen's success. (I mean Meredith even had a kid so she could change her brand!) Anyway, Meredith sets out to ruin Aspen and this whole thing feels childish and ridiculous. And then Aspen comes off even worse than Meredith and if you didn't think social media was terrible before, then read this book. Honestly, though, no one can write a toxic female like Sutanto.

*Special thanks to NetGalley And Berkley for this e-arc.*

I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down! Two narrators, both influencers and both obsessed with the numbers of follows, likes and views. The drama, the broken friendship, the suspense and twists made it such a fun ride. If you enjoy fast paced thrillers with a side of juicy gossip and murder, read this one!

Thank you @BerkleyPub for the free book and thank you @prhaudio for the #gifted listening copy of You Will Never Be Me! #BerkleyBookstagram #berkleypub #BerkleyIG #berkley #PRHAudioPartner #PRHAInfluencer #YouWillNeverBeMe #JesseQSutanto

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐞 𝐌𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞 𝐐. 𝐒𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐄𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐠 & 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐢
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 - 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰!

𝟓★

This book was FLAWLESS! I have read and loved every one of her books and while nothing will ever top my love for Vera, this one is a close second. This book will have you hooked from the very start, and you will have a hard time putting it done once you start. I have no idea how Jesse Q. Sutanto thinks up these plots in her head, but she is a genius! This book is a MUST read!

Meredith Lee didn’t teach Aspen Palmer how to become social media famous just to be ditched as soon as she made it big. But that’s exactly what happened. So when who can blame Meredith for talking a little stalking when she finds one of Aspen’s kids’ iPads? She finds her family calendar and starts messing around with her social account. Perhaps delating a few meetings with potential sponsors. All of a sudden, Aspen starts getting dropped by sponsors, and missing meetings, and she can’t figure out why. But suddenly, Meredith goes missing and Aspen starts getting threats. But she’s not going to let anything get in the way of the perfect life she’s created.

🎧You know I had to listen to this audiobook when I saw Eunice Wong was one of the narrators. Risa Mei is another favorite of mine, and these two were just phenomenal together. I seriously loved listening to this audiobook and while I wanted I could not listen to this one fast enough, I also did not want it to end because I loved listening to these two together so much! You are in for such a treat with these two together!

Posted on Goodreads on August 19, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around August 20, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on August 20, 2024
**-will post on designated date

There is a price for social influencers, and it could be your life.

You Never Be Me highlights the underbelly of the beast as an influencer with millions of followers. The reader is introduced to two "Mom Influencers" who are best friends until one wanted the others life. There's secrets, deceit and murder.

Stop scrolling to grab this twisty, dark story. You'll never dislike so many characters, just sayin',

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley

Huge thank you to @prhaudio @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and let me tell you the narration of this audiobook kept me so engaged! I didn’t want to stop listening !
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I loved this soapy, twisty tale of influencer best friends. Meredith took Aspen under her wing but as Aspen’s follower count grows Meredith is being left behind. As Aspen becomes a mom influencer, recognizable off the street, it’s not long before she has an entirely new group of mommy friends, a best friend she dropped and a husband who resents her.
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Meredith is heartbroken about the loss of the friendship and maybe a little jealous. She can’t help herself when it comes to messing a bit with Aspen’s perfectly filtered life, but when Meredith goes missing nothing is as it seems.
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I love the way Sutanto writes and this was no exception! Just like all her other works I would love to see this brought to the screen!
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"When cracks start forming in an influencer's curated life, she finds out that jealousy is just as viral as a video in this riveting suspense novel."
Authenticity is tested, as tables turn, a shift of balance and relationships change between two influencer's Meredith and Aspen, at one time they were besties. When Meredith bent over to help pull Aspen up to the top of millions of followers, she never expected her protege to surpass her. Jealousy sets in and Meredith seeks revenge. She begins to stalk Aspen's every move and even swipes an Ipad after she trespasses on Aspen's property. This Ipad is a game changer for Aspen. It contains her calendar of events and all the connections to her social media. She becomes entangled in mixed up appointment times and days causing sponsors to drop her and even some of her followers after they see an ugly side to her.
I enjoyed reading this and it makes me wonder if all of the perfect lifestyles we see on social media are as fake as the influencers in this book. Great job to this author. This is a gem!
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jesse Q. Sutano has quickly become an auto-buy author in the last year and I’ve been flying through her books. It always amazes me when authors are able to jump around to different genres — Jesse has written thrillers, cozy mysteries, YA romcoms — what can’t she do?!? 🤩

YOU WILL NEVER BE ME is a suspense novel about the dark sides of social media and influencer culture. Meredith Lee showed Aspen Palmer how to find success on social media, but Aspen ditched her as soon as she made it big. Meredith does some light stalking of Aspen and hits the jackpot when she finds one of her kid’s iPads — giving her access to Aspen’s calendar and social media… The perfect life Aspen built is falling apart and she doesn’t know why, but she’ll do whatever it takes to fix it.

Sutano does an incredible job building suspense and keeping the reader invested in the outcome. There were times I was at the edge of my seat and couldn’t stop reading. The portrayal of influencers faking it in the name of looking “authentic” reminded me to not believe everything I see and that social media is often a highlight reel of people’s lives.

I didn’t read the full synopsis before picking this one up so I was shocked when things took a turn 😮 from that point forward I was glued to the pages.

While this is a novel, it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibilities in this world we live in 🙈

#AlldayAspen had me glued to the pages. When a momfluencer's carefully curated life on TikTok starts to crack, be prepared for the fallout.

Aspen Palmer and Meredith Lee are besties for life until the apprentice (Aspen) and her millions of followers overshadow the teacher (Meredith). As the book begins, the two are estranged and things are going to get ugly.

Jesse Q. Sutanto has given us a brilliant satire on the current obsession with influencers. We see Aspen and Meredith (and others) networking and collaborating in that never-ending quest for likes and followers. It's a hamster wheel that never stops.

If you are looking for likable characters in this one, it will probably just be the children. It is heartbreaking to think of their lives being full of curated posts and "helping" mommy share with her followers.

I am giving this one all the stars as I was glued to those pages through a day of travelling in central Latvia. Stayed up past my bedtime just to finish and it was worth it!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Six words. Loved it. Couldn’t put it down.

I honestly no idea where this book was going but I was completely sucked in and couldn’t put it down!

Initially, I was creeped out by Meredith. I felt uneasy and a bit uncomfortable. Then the tables turn and we see the truth and things escalate quickly from there. And in the last few pages, it all shifts again. Nothing is shocking but it’s manipulative, somewhat twisty and seems shockingly feasible.

Advance reader copy provided by Berkley Books and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Super fast, fun read told in dual POV tackling the topic of influencer life and how far some will go for those follows. It definitely has me side-eyeing some of the more popular influencers whom I follow! I recommended this book as the September read for my virtual book club; it’s just perfect!

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read in advance!

This was entertaining and I didn’t realize it was the same author as dial a for aunties which I thought was a little ridiculous.

This was over the top for sure but apparently what I was in the mood for. People will stop at nothing to portray the perfect image. Lots of influencers behaving badly and an expose on the culture.

Jesse writes toxic female friendships so well as we noticed in I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET! In YOU’LL NEVER BE ME, I love how she completely dives into each of the girls heads and we can see what makes them tick! I also enjoyed that this was an influencer based book, about moms sharing their journey of motherhood. It is always fascinating to see behind the scenes of their seemingly perfect lives. I definitely did NOT predict the huge twist about halfway through, it honestly changed the whole vibe of the book!! I can’t divulge any further without spoiling the book! The ending was absolute perfection as well, in my opinion! I could see others finding it controversial!