interesting premise, with a lot of side plots that could be taken as ways to flesh out the characters and add depth but felt a bit unnecessary to get to the finale of the main arc. still worth reading i think since the premise of a kid possibly setting a legal precedent for internet privacy from their own influencer parent is intriguing enough, plus a quick read.

many thanks to william morrow and netgalley for the advance reader copy.

I was fascinated by the idea of this and loved how it played out. Many awful choices made and some characters that you just can’t to shake, Hate Follow evoked so many strong emotions.

I obsessed with stories that focus in on the lives of the children of influencers, and Hate Follow by Erin Quinn-Kong might be one of the best I've read so far. The story follows the story of Whitney, lifestyle and mommy influencer making her living and supporting her family as a single mom posting about her family online, and her oldest daughter, Mia, who decides to refuse to participate in her mom's influencer life. This book had everything, and I really enjoyed exploring the mother-daughter dynamics at play, as well as the biggest questions about the role of social media in society.

Hate Follow tells the story of picture-perfect momfluencer Whitney Golden and her teenage daughter Mia who is rejecting the idea of being posted on her mother's accounts. They experience a major fallout after Mia learns just how much of their whole family's lives are posted including the picture of a younger her crying at her father's open casket funeral. She decides to sue her mother regarding her privacy and her siblings privacy. It discusses the ethics of children and social media and opens up the beginning of a conversation that is very much needed in our modern society.
I was hoping for more from this book. These ethical questions are very nuanced and I would have loved to see them more in depth, while I am pleased that the pair were able to reconcile there was a lot of build up to a trial that never happened. Even with Whitney's change of heart at the end I still did not see her truly believe that what she was doing with the blog was harmful to the children, she never really apologized for the pictures of her other children bathing or potty training. We see that she has deleted her photos & her blog but there was a whole plot thread early on the book that involved hiring someone to scrub the casket photos from the internet, so did she do that for all her photos of the children? Also her new job would be working with influencers, is she planning to do any advocacy work or is she just going to allow others to exploit their children?
This ending did feel as though it was the only possible outcome as we reached the midway point of the book and the trial was not anywhere close to happening. Both Whitney and Mia had very repetitive monologues that did offer any real new insights into their characters and they both did many unrealistic or absurd things. Mia getting someone possibly kicked off the newspaper and an acceptance revoked for a Tiktok she posted? Whitney yelling at other influencers in the crowd after getting an award?
Unfortunately this book was not for me. I had originally been very excited for it based on the premise and zoomed it up my TBR.

In Hate Follow, an influencer’s teenage daughter sues her for invasion of privacy and requests that her mom stop sharing photos of her and her siblings online. While this book was entertaining, I think the character development and writing could have gone deeper.

If you’re interested in plots about influencers and ethics, you’ll likely enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

While the plot was a bit predictable, and I didn't actually like the influencer, a widowed mom, it was a good read. Her oldest daughter Mia starts to object to being "used" in the content, etc. It all spirals out of control, but it's interesting on both sides of the issue.
The story is OK and easy but it's getting boring and predictable around 60% through.
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was told by both Whitney and Mia, so you got a better look at both of their sides. Whitney at first was so focused on being perfect on social media, and brand deals, it didn’t seem genuine. But when you pulled back a few layers, and found out Whitney’s upbringing, you can understand her need and want for a better life. Mia I understood from a perspective of private moments being posted, but I wished the mother and daughter duo communicated a lot better with each other. There were also comments on a public forum either bashing Whitney or praising her.

Where I struggled with this one is I had a different expectation of where the story was going. At times the characters were not likable and logical at all which kind of annoyed me. Personally, I don’t like when characters don’t listen to each other or try to understand where the other is coming from. And Whitney and Mia both did this to each other throughout. This would book be great for book clubs, because I feel like the social commentary would be a great discussion.

Mom influencer Whitney Golden seems to have it all–until her teenage daughter Mia sues her for invasion of privacy. What started as a family spat turns into a media frenzy and an historic case about child privacy and modern parenting. This was a true page-turner and offered a fascinating and nuanced look at so many relevant and timely issues. I really appreciated that mom Whitney wasn't a pure villain (as we can often paint influencers to be) and appreciated the realistic-seeming awakening she experienced throughout the book. I'll be recommending this one to everyone I know!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC. I absolutely loved this book! Coming out on October 8th, it follows a momfluencer as she navigates privacy concerns, her children's roles in her online persona, and the phenomenon of "hate following." I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day. The characters are richly developed, and the writing is fantastic. The author cleverly draws from Reddit snark pages, offering spot-on commentary. This book would be perfect for book clubs and is sure to ignite meaningful discussions about parenting in the digital age. I give it 4 stars!

A fast read that shines a spotlight on social media and children’s privacy. Told in two perspectives—a mother and daughter. Whitney is a single mom of four and an extremely popular social media influencer with over a million followers. Mia is Whitney’s oldest daughter (9th grader) who gets fed up with being forced into lengthy photo shoots for her mom’s career. When kids at Mia’s school publicly humiliate her, she decides to sue her mother. She’s tired of being exploited and is ready to take a stand. Family drama, social media issues surrounding privacy and instant gratification, strong female characters, and finding your voice. Excellent read that will make you think twice before your next social media post!

The Hate Follow was an entertaining novel that kept me engaged until the very end. I definitely recommend this one.

This book wasn't what I thought it was. It's more of a warning about the dangers and challenges of social media. More specifically in this book, the mother is a big time influencer but posting her children starts to have repercussions and dangers for her oldest Mia. She then must navigate the situation to draw boundaries and respect her daughter's wishes to not post her and other intimate pictures.

The story is OK and easy but it's getting boring and predictable around 60% through.

In "Hate Follow," Erin Quinn-Kong explores the unraveling of influencer Whitney Golden's seemingly perfect life when her teenage daughter, Mia, demands her mom to remove her and her late father from her blog and socials. Whitney, a widowed mom of four with over a million followers, has built her brand and financial stability around sharing her family's life online. The situation quickly spirals into a legal battle that challenges the boundaries of online privacy and modern parenting. The story, while sparking interesting discussions about these topics, feels a bit far-fetched and struggles with character likability.

I was excited to read this book because I enjoy social satires, even when they're a bit over the top. However, I found it difficult to connect with the characters, none of whom were particularly likable or logical. The book does provide a good starting point for book clubs to discuss issues like online privacy, the impact of social media on children, and the ethics of mommy influencers. Overall, it was okay, but not quite what I had hoped for. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.

A big thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the widget.

I really enjoyed this debut! Loved the story, and it even had me tearing up at times.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins, and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

I’m disappointed to be rating this so low since I was really excited to get this ARC, however this story is all over the place.

First and most importantly, how is this being advertised as a child suing their parent and they never end up going to court after building the anticipation? This story took too many liberties with its side plots which added no substance to the main theme of the story. Because of this, the reader meanders around the plot which never truly unfolds. The beginning 25% of Hate Follow created intrigue into what’s to come, but then it comes crashing down in the back 75%. Ace, the Garcia’s, Tawny, Judith, and Whitney’s family were all plot devices that didn’t provide anything meaningful.

Next, some elements of this story are pretty unbelievable. When we get to the end of this story, we find a “changed Whitney” who truly only changed because her mom and MIL apologized for things that had nothing to do with the fact that she exploited her children including indecent photos of toddlers?? She fails to realize the harmful effects of her actions but we are lead to believe she’s seen the error of her ways. Another example, the man at the thrift store who tries to ask Mia out on a date when he knows she’s a minor due to following her mom online. He then finds her on social media and reaches out to her. This could’ve been used as a standing argument for Mia’s side of the court case to show negative ramifications, however this never comes up again. There’s other little examples like how Alex got his journalism scholarship revoked after Mia outted him on social media when she didn’t show any tangible proof. I have to believe a college would need that to move forward with allegations.

The last thing I’ll mention that was a big turn off for me was the shallow writing and the hollow characters. The writing was beyond simplistic which made for an easy read, however failed to bring character to the story. Some of the dialogue was unrealistic for the minors in the story as well. This leads into the surface level characterization of basically the entire cast which makes for a lack of connection and care to what’s going on with them.

Truthfully this leans more on the side of 1 star but the beginning hooks you in enough where I don’t think it’s terrible. However, I am majorly disappointed in this since it showed a lot of promise.

Review will be on @brittany.reads.books closer to October 8th publication.

Loved, loved, loved! Bingeable in one sitting with such great character development. I am a long time lurker of snark pages on reddit and this really spoke to that. If you know you know. I think beyond the obvious appeal of the influencer world, this book touches on some deeper real life issues that have yet to be resolved on in the influencer world.

Hate Follow is as addicting as it can be to check up on that influencer you just can’t believe. This novel follows the story of an influencer mother and her daughter, who just can’t take being content anymore.

I read this during a summer weekend, and it was the perfect book for that scenario. Interesting, smart, and equally easy to read on the Kindle app and device so I barely had to put it down.

I liked that no one in the book is really awful. It’s easy to see the worst in momfluencers (for me at least), and while I never liked the one in this book, I appreciated that not every choice she made along the way was all terrible, even if most made me cringe. The action feels driven by the characters but also by the contexts in which they find themselves, which makes for a more interesting exploration of the issues.

All in all, a fun fiction book that I recommend to readers who like novels that intelligently explore a contemporary topic, like Such A Fun Age (Kiley Reid) or I Have Some Questions for You (Rebecca Makkai). Also seems like it would be excellent for book club discussions.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy.

A fascinating dive into the complex world of family focused influencing and the effects it has on children. This is one of those conflicts where you can empathize with both sides. I think having the alternating POVs really helped with that. The inclusion on the snark page was a great choice as well. I definitely think a lotttttt of people need to read this book. Although fiction, it is rooted in a lot of reality.

I was so excited to receive and ARC of “Hate Follow” coming to your bookshelf 10/8/24!

We’ve all been there, found the most relatable influencer and followed their every move, only to become disenchanted but unable to simply hit “unfollow”. As the original “mommy bloggers” kids are growing up, I can only think of how many families are in similar positions as Whitney and Mia. So pour yourself a cup of coffee and dive deep into Hate Follow, you’re definitely going to be sad when this book ends

Publication Date: October 8, 2024

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whitney Golden's life commands the attention of one million followers. Her teenage daughter, Mia, sued her for invasion of privacy.

Observing the mother-daughter relationship in this context is fascinating, showcasing their interactions and the implications of the constant public eye. The narrative presents a dual perspective from Mia, the eldest daughter, and Whitney, her mother, exploring their dynamic. Their story and bond were intriguing, leaving me wanting to find out more about their story

page turner

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow Books for ARC