The novel explores themes of jealousy, friendship, identity, and the facade of social media. Sutanto delves into the dissonance between online and offline lives, highlighting how the pressure to maintain a perfect online image can lead to destructive behavior. The book also examines the concept of viral jealousy and the impact of toxic friendships.

"You Will Never Be Me" is a riveting suspense novel that offers a deep dive into the dark side of social media influence. Jesse Q. Sutanto's sharp writing and keen observations make this book a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and social commentaries.

this was a fun take on a ‘mommy drama’ domestic thriller - i liked the ‘momfluencer’ thing, and Sutanto knows it’s a fun and silly premise (i feel like lately ‘fun’ books end up taking things too seriously). nothing too memorable but an interesting and bingeable story about obsession

Thank you so much @Netgalley for finished copy! I am obsessed with anything @jesseqsutanto writes and this may just be my favorite yet, but I honestly cant choose. I binged this so hard. It held me in a chokehold and that major twist …. Mind blown! I had to go back and reread because I was shocked. If you like a peek into the ugly side of influencing, toxic friendships, jealousy and greed-run! Also, I may be biased but, an LA setting always gets me! This was freaking SO good.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Jesse Q. Sutanto, and Berkley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

JUICY!!!! This is the second thriller this year that I've read about the world of influencers (and specifically, momfluencers or family vloggers), and I am HOOKED!! The world of influencing is still so new, especially on platforms like TikTok, and with the rise of people using their family and children for views, it's only time something tragic happens. I think that's what made this such a compelling read because there's several layers regarding the dark side of influencing. This was only my second read by Sutanto, but I will definitely check out her other books. Although this wasn't the best book I've ever read, I was hooked from page 1 and surprised by a few of the many twists and turns. Sutanto knows how to write a compelling hook and a great mystery/thriller, and I definitely recommend if you are intrigued about the dangers of social media.

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a change in genre for this author and also enjoyable like her other books. It kept my attention from start to finish, which is rough to do!

his addictive read exposes the cutthroat, ugly side of social media and toxic relationships. Two L.A. influencers see their friendship destroyed by jealousy, stalking, and sabotage. Nothing in their lives is as picture-perfect as it seems.

I could not put this down! The story is dark, twisty, and, at times, shocking. Sutanto does a great job of making some pretty unlikable characters compelling. This story contains layers of toxicity in the characters' relationships and their relentless pursuit of creating content that will push them to the next level of internet fame. Cleverly plotted and fast-paced, I thought this was going in one direction when suddenly everything changed. My jaw dropped. The drama could not be contained from there as the carefully curated facades crumbled.

Sutanto is such a versatile and talented writer. Her books are so much fun to read, from her hilarious cozy mysteries to her juicy thrillers. I cannot wait to see what she writes next! If you enjoy domestic thrillers, don't miss this one. It's fast-paced, super entertaining, and a wild ride!


Thank you Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the gifted ARC

I could not put this one down! Momfluencers and frenemies?? Yes, give me more! It's just toxic fun and 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. Another great read from Sutanto! Less cozy but just as compelling as her other books/series! Great in print and audio for this one, can recommend both.

This book sounded so simplistic and basic when I first read the premise. It gives off a lot of "bitch I'm gonna steal your life" vibes but oooh this turned out to be so much more than that.

In this book we are following two influencers, Meredith and Aspen, and the toxic relationship they have with one another. We learn pretty quickly that Meredith and Aspen have had a major falling out and that these two "momfluencers" are now arch enemies. We get perspectives from both women and it is clear that the situation between these two is more murky than anyone could have guessed.

There is a twist reveal at the halfway point in this book that literally had my jaw dropped. It wasn't the most original twist but given the way that the story had been set up and told up until that point really allowed the reveal to have some hefty weight to it. On the flip side, this book is pretty slow moving both before and after this major reveal and it did drag in some areas, especially in the latter half. I really enjoyed going back and forth between Meredith and Aspen and then in the second half of the book we became focused on one of the women's perspectives only and that dragged a bit for me. I was a little disappointed by the ending of the book and "twist" that we get but it wasn't terrible. It just felt very reminiscent of some other thrillers that I have read and I wish that we could have kept up the same steam and impact that the first reveal at 50% had.

This is also a book that heavily deals with social media and "momfluencers" in particular. It has a lot to say about that culture of putting your family online (most of the time without their explicit consent) and the idea of using your children as a source of income and content. The author also talks a lot about the repercussions of curating a perfect life on social media and the impacts that has both on yourself, as the content creator, and on those who are consuming the content that you put out especially in the "mom world". This notion that there are "perfect" moms out there who handmake lunches everyday and have perfect households with perfect families who color coordinate and have grand adventures is just a complete facade that people put out to make money. It was interesting to see how the author explored the idea of where to draw the line in content creation and social media: we all need to make money and support our families but should our families be the cost of that? Also, we explore the idea of capitalizing off of tragedy and the fall of others and I think that was a really interesting topic to connect to social media.

I guess my biggest issues with this was that the characters had a lot of unchecked shitty things about them particularly when talking about the bodies of other people and that started to grate on me. I understand that these are two inherently unlikable characters but it still felt like it should have been called out more in the story. Perhaps that was the author trying to showcase the vanity and cruelty of the behind the scenes of influencers but it wasn't my favorite aspect of this book. It also felt like a bit of a letdown the way that things wrapped up so easily for one of our main characters. I wanted more stakes and more retribution.

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Rating: 4.5 stars
Pub date: 8/20

Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley for my advanced copy!

I am a huge fan of Jesse Q Sutanto! Her writing is fun and engaging, and her thrillers always keep me on the edge of my seat.

This one is a wild ride through the world of social media influencers. The story follows Meredith Lee, a beauty influencer whose best friend, Aspen, skyrockets to fame as a top momfluencer. Meredith helped create Aspen’s brand, and she’s not too happy when her friend chooses her fame over her friendship with Meredith. Fueled by jealousy, Meredith starts messing with Aspen's life, setting off a chain reaction that neither of them sees coming.

Sutanto does a fantastic job of showing how messy and fake the influencer world can be. The characters are a hot mess, and you’ll love to hate them. They're driven by jealousy and desperation, and their antics make the book impossible to put down. There’s a twist in the middle that totally changes the game, and after that, you won’t be able to stop reading.

This book is a must-read for anyone who’s into psychological thrillers. It’s a super fun, twisty look at the dark side of social media fame.

Loved loved loved this one! The synopsis of You Will Never Be Me grabbed my attention. It sounded right up my alley! And then one of my book besties loved it and said I would too. She was right! I loved the influencer aspect and reading about friendships in thrillers (especially those not so perfect ones) is a fave trope of mine. I ate this one up! 4 stars.

Meredith and Aspen were best friends, with Meredith taking Aspen under her wing and teaching her how to succeed as an influencer. And succeed Aspen did – now she’s one of the biggest stars in the Momfluencer world, while Meredith’s own following is lagging behind. After a big fight, the two women are no longer speaking – which doesn’t mean Meredith doesn’t know what her former bestie is up to, because she’s stalking her. Just a little. Enough that she knew when Aspen was not home and snuck in to steal her kid’s tablet. And with access to all of Aspen’s secrets, as well as her personal schedule, Meredith can’t help but feel like her career is about to improve...

Like Sutanto’s last thriller, I’m Not Done With You Yet, this novel features two unlikeable characters embroiled in a toxic friendship steeped in jealousy. I don’t make this comparison unfavorably to point out their similarity, but to highlight that it’s remarkable she could write two such compelling stories that explore similar themes but are so different. One other thing this book has in common with the last novel: this one has some absolutely killer twists. It’s fast-paced and I had a hard time putting it down. I actually liked this one better than Sutanto’s previous thriller, though like with that one, I’ll warn that if you can't stand books with unlikeable narrators, this is probably not the book for you. Four and a half stars, rounded up to five.

CW: toxic friendship, stalking, domestic abuse

Ok this is a tough one for me. Ultimately the best way I can describe my feelings about this book is: confused.

I'm a huge fan of Vera Wong so when I saw that Sutanto had a new book coming out, I had to jump on it. While the writing was still good, I feel like this lacked the same humor and lightheartedness and heart that I found in Vera.

While I found the influencer theme interesting given that is the era we currently find ourselves, I really found myself rolling my eyes quite a bit throughout the whole book. I understood that she was making subtle nods at how easy it is to believe that influencers lives are just so easy and not carefully curated highlight reels, but it just came off as unbelievable.

Also the literal first half of this book felt like a completely different book than the second half. I found myself being more interested in the first half and seeing where this rift in friendship over follower counts was going to go but when blammo - one of them murders the other it was like the biggest eye roll of all time. It just didn't seem plausible or believe-able at all. We didn't get any sort of deeper understanding about why Aspen would need to MURDER her former best friend b/c she was sabotaging her? It just seemed so out of left field and the rest of the book took on a "how am I going to get away with this" vibe that also just felt "off".

Ultimately I am still confused about what the point of this story was. I don't understand the characters or what the author was trying to convey. If influencers were going around murdering other influencers maybe it would feel more plausible, but this story just didn't make sense to me even in a suspended reality sort of way.
Still giving it a 3 as it was an easy, quick read that did move along but can't really rush to recommend b/c I just found it too all over the place. Would for sure make an interesting book club book, lots to discuss. LOL

Thank you, Berkley and NetGalley, for my free copy for review.

This entertaining thriller serves as a clever parody of influencer life. In "You Will Never Be Me," we meet two friends, Aspen and Mer, whose bond forms during their early journeys to becoming influencers. Mer, the more popular of the two at their first meeting, takes shy, YouTube aspiring singer Aspen under her wing. They remain inseparable until Aspen finds love, starts a family, and carves out her niche as a mom influencer, causing their once-close friendship to fray.

The book immerses readers in the day-to-day life of an influencer, primarily from Aspen’s perspective. The lengths she goes to are incredulous, yet that’s exactly the point of her character. On the flip side, Mer is a single mom struggling to navigate her daily challenges until she makes a choice she shouldn’t have. Her jealousy drives her ambition to join the ranks of the million-follower club, leading to a rivalry that makes both characters come off as somewhat petty; it’s hard to tell who is worse.

Beyond the parody, this novel thoughtfully critiques the superficial aspects of social media, revealing the complexities and absurdities behind the glamorous facade.

I had high hopes for this book because I love this author's writing. But honestly it just really didn't hit me. The Characters were not likeable and I had a hard time staying engaged.

I’m obsessed with every part of JESSE Q. SUTANTO’S newest thriller YOU WILL NEVER BE ME.

This is so square in my dark and messed up happy place. I was living for all the bad behavior and also cheering on the characters. The snark, the deception, the lies, the relentless drive for likes and followers. And one of the best mic drop moments I’ve read in a long time. Bravo!

While a totally bingeable thriller, the book also raised so many questions about the supposed authenticity of online life. Can we blame them for getting addicted to the attention? Did ambition drive their choices? Or are these two women who are desperate to do whatever is necessary to rise to the top because they rely on it to survive?

I’m continually fascinated by stories about toxic female friendships and by influencer life, so it’s no surprise I devoured this book. SUTANTO tears back the curtain on living your life online and this book read like an insider’s view. I gobbled up every betrayal and vicious word and absolutely loved these characters.

SUTANTO has such a gift for creating intriguing, complicated characters. There were so many moments where I was smiling along, despite being at times horrified. And there were plenty of laugh out loud moments. I feel like words don’t do justice for how much I loved this book.

My advice is to go into this knowing just a smidge:

Meredith Lee pays it forward by helping Aspen Palmer navigate that influencer life. Aspen only has 5,000 subscribers when they meet so Mer happily teachers her all her tricks on how to grow online. The two became the fastest and closest of friends. But online life is competitive and a series of events starts to drive a wedge between them.

Now Meredith is spends her days doing some low-key stalking of Aspen fixated on exacting a little revenge on her former best friend. But Aspen’s rise wasn’t just dumb luck. She’s built a life for herself that she will do anything to protect.

Massive thanks again to @berkleypub and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is about the dark side of social media. It is shocking and very entertaining. Two mommy influencer friends, Meredith and Aspen. Aspen took off on social media and forgot her friend, Meredith. Meredith begins stalking Aspen and soon Meredith goes missing. The setting of the book is Los Angeles and it is told in dual POV.

If you like a good thriller and want it to center around the whole social media stuff, this one is for you!

Domestic Thriller, Unexpected Twists, and an Edge of your Seat Book ! 3.5 Stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy! This book will be released 8/20/24.

You Will Never be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto is standalone mystery thriller. We meet Meredith Lee, who is a successful Momfluencer, on both Instagram and Tik Tok. Meredith runs into an up-and-coming influencer, Aspen Palmer, and takes her under her wing, with both becoming BFF. Meredith taught Aspen to be an influencer, and how to increase her followers. Eight years later, Aspen has surpassed Meredith’s online popularity with millions of followers and Meridith is losing more each day. The ladies have a nasty fight, especially after Aspen cuts her off, ignores her and blocked her calls; and now they are enemies.

Meredith’s bitterness rises and as she begins stalking Aspen, secretly sabotaging her life; she changes appointments of Aspen, finding information about what is upcoming and slowly Aspen sees things are falling apart. Her sponsors have dropped her, influencers are ignoring her, and she sees both Meredith and later Liv, kissing her husband. Who is doing this to her?

About half way through the book, there is a twist, as Meredith goes missing, and Aspen’s world is upended and she puts herself live to show her worry about Meredith, as well as getting everyone to help find her; pleading to those who kidnapped Meredith and return her best friend. Followers go out of their way to help look for Meredith, and Aspen has reached out to millions.

Personally, I thought both Meredith and Aspen were not really likeable & mean, as they only cared about themselves. I knew this was a mystery, so I expected a whodunnit and even murder. Meredith’s sister was stuck taking care of Luca, and was desperate to find her. Aspen’s family, especially her husband Ben, were not happy with all that was going on. To say too much more, would be spoilers, and I do not want to ruin it for you.

You Will Never Be Me is a wild, crazy adventure that as we reach closer to the end, there were a number of twists and surprises. You Will Never Be Me was very well written by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Sutanto always writes different kinds of stories, with this book centering on friendships and obsession.

I loved this so much! I loved the characters, the storyline and the influencer angle. I kept me guessing and I came up with so many theories that were just wrong. She really got me!

I will definitely be reading more from this author. This is one of my favorite recent reads!

I'll read anything by Jesse Q. Sutanto, so was thrilled to see a new title out. You Will Never Be Me feels quite a bit darker than Sutano's other books, as we delve into the dark side of influencer competitiveness, but has her trademark thrills and strong female leads. Gripping and tense, I couldn't put it down!

This was unhinged! I love this author's ability to write the most over the top, ridiculous, devious, self-important characters. They are all on the path for destruction (their own or others) and it was like watching a wonderfully written car wreck. These characters are so unlikeable and yet you still somehow pick a side a root for one of them?! I don't know how the author does it, but she is a mastermind. I am fascinated by mom-fluencers so this just struck the perfect note for me of what I image the real stories are.