2.5 ⭐️

First, I’m so grateful to the publisher, NetGalley and author for sending me this e-arc!

For what I think was more so intended to be funny and witty, it started to feel a bit repetitive and overkill when referencing social media influencer culture. I wanted more on the mystery and thriller aspect of this book and that’s what I was drawn to in the book description. I pushed through to find out what happened with Chiara, but the plot did drag at times and felt drawn out. I did not relate much to Adrienne nor super love her character, so it was hard to not be annoyed most of the book. This book did not end up meeting expectations for me unfortunately!

Absolutely LOvED this book!! It was full of various plot twists. I loved the multiple point of views presented! I definitely didn’t see the ending coming.

⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a fun, funny thriller. One of the main characters being from Utah made me think that this was inspired by a group of people of a certain tv show that are featured in my home state. I didn’t see the plot twist.
This was a quick, easy read. I listened on audio and I did like listening to the narrator

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I know this is a debut author and I tend to give debut authors more grace because they're still attempting to hone their craft and writing style, but I’ve never read a book where I genuinely can’t tell if this was supposed to be satire or dead serious because of how big of a joke the entire plot felt. The worst part of it all? It didn't feel like a thriller to me. More on that later.

Chiara, a thirty-something-year-old mom to two young twin boys, needs a break. After a video of her sons in the bathtub goes massively viral, she's thrust into the world of Momstagram, mommy bloggers, and family influencers. She gets sponsorships, brand deals, and everything else in between, but declines them all. One day, she spontaneously enters a contest to win tickets to a mom-fluencer weekend that's run and hosted by 5 of the top mommy bloggers on Instagram on an expansive ranch in the country. She wins the tickets and goes to the retreat only to never return home. Her twin sister, Adrienne, decides to take matters into her own hands after Chiara's still missing a year later and infiltrates the mom-fluencer weekend to get answers on what happened to her sister.

I can kind of see where they were going with the description of Heathers meets The Stepford Wives, but I think there's also a bit of Midsommar in there as well. The way the attendees of the retreat all seem very robotic and cult-like lines up with the cult we see in Midsommar. (There's also a scene where everyone is ferally screaming in unison, but that's all I'll say about that.)

To get the good things out of the way at first, I felt the writing was strong and pulled you into the story very easily. I found myself 75% of the way through the book before I stopped and realized how close I was to finishing. It also helps that the book is less than 300 pages so it makes for a quick and easy read! I think the topic of family bloggers and mommy influencers has gotten a lot more scrutiny and attention lately, especially with the Hulu documentary of Ruby Franke and 8Passengers that came out recently and the whole "trad wife" trend that's been going on with Nara Smith and the like, so I thought a book about that topic would be interesting to read. I never understood the appeal of showcasing your family to everyone on the internet and documenting it for everyone to see and thus, stripping you and your family of privacy and peace.

The five hosts of the retreat--Thea, the ringleader, followed by McKenna, Ashleigh, Opal, and Tamarind--all emulate a different stereotype of mom-fluencer that people tend to make fun of a lot. McKenna is an arts and crafts mom who likes to DIY everything and anything under the sun, Ashleigh is a trad wife who lives off the land, Opal is a former businesswoman turned stay-at-home-mom, and Tamarind is a fitness mom who's into green smoothies and intense workouts to stay fit. Thea is sort of a combination of all of them. I'm not sure if the book was written primarily to satirize different types of mommy influencers and how out of touch with reality they can be at times with the lengths they go to make money and become popular on social media, but I don't think the book necessarily did that well. The "Mom Squad," as they call themselves, I feel were there for comedic effect. They were shallow, vapid, superficial, and so out of touch with reality that it was laughable. There was no depth to them beyond how much they wanted a curated image of them and their family to portray the "perfect" family.

I don't even know where to start. There's so many things I physically cringed at. Like, this HAS to be satire, right? (Prepare for the try not to cringe challenge ahead. You've been warned.)

ᨒ There are 70 uses of a hashtag throughout the 271 pages of this book. No, I'm not joking. SEVENTY. Think #InstaWorthy, #HealthyGirlies, #CuteAF. The one they were missing? #no❤️, because that's how I felt reading this disastrous, cringy book.

ᨒ The characters' names. Holy crap, every single one of these names belongs in r/Tragedeigh. Here are some of the names:
Tod (yes. Todd, but with one "d." No, this wasn't a typo. That's actually his name.)
Azure
Cyan
Navy
Tamarind
Honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised if there was a character in the book named Tragedeigh.

ᨒ The dialogue. There's one particular scene in the book where this happens, and it's uh...a choice, to say the least, given the current climate of the US with what's going on regarding immigration. Obviously, I'm not sure if this is in the final copy of the book so take this as you will.
"Opal moved onto her next target. “Ashleigh has like eight nannies she never shows."
Mckenna added, “And four homeschool teachers.”
Then Tamarind added, “And migrant workers who tend to her orchard.”"
Like...if I had a nickel for every time I came across a book that mentioned something about that particular subject so far this March--this book and Sparrow and Vine (that Sophie Lark rightfully got canceled for)--I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot, but it's weird (and insane) that it's happened twice.

ᨒ The activities: There's this one personality quiz activity all the attendees do on the first day where they get to find out their "Mom Sign." Think zodiac signs but instead of any normal zodiac, it's based on Opal, Tamarind, Thea, Ashleigh, and McKenna. It's based on their "mommy blogger aesthetics" and what they can do to improve their accounts. When Adrienne takes the quiz, her results are a "Tamarind sign with a McKenna rising." Yes, you read that right. Someone really sat here and thought of this and said, "Yup, this is absolutely fantastic and imma put that in a book." I'm laughing out of disbelief as I'm typing this review.

ᨒ Adrienne: Adrienne was a massive hater the entire time. I get it, she's out of her element considering she's not a mom herself and doesn't want a family. However, she was rude, abrasive, mean, and judgemental towards everything and anyone the entire book. I don't get her attitude considering SHE was the one who VOLUNTARILY went out of her way to spend THOUSANDS of dollars on a ticket to this mom-fluencer retreat and that doesn't even count the money spent on gas, new clothes to fit in, a new hairstyle, makeup, etc. On top of all of that, she studied and stalked multiple mommy influencer accounts for MONTHS to prepare for this event to fit in. She, again, VOLUNTARILY did all of this to find out what happened to Chiara and then becomes the embodiment of the shocked Pikachu face meme when she doesn't have a good time and she doesn't even try that hard to fit in to make her less suspicious.

She was supposed to be the self-proclaimed detective during the story trying to put the pieces together to find out what happened to Chiara, yet it felt like she did nothing but hate on everything the entire time. The only person more useless than Adrienne was Chiara's husband who did nothing but cry and be a wimp the entire time. Buddy didn't even go out to look for her or notice his own wife was missing until he didn't hear back from her for TWO DAYS. You would also think that being at the same mommy influencer retreat as Chiara would be a chance for Adrienne to spend a couple days in Chiara's shoes and realize how important her role was as a mother to her family. It's a big point of contention between Chiara and Adrienne and their tension, yet Adrienne just continued on hating. It was so annoying.

ᨒ The ending: The "plot twist" that usually comes in a thriller was NOT present in this book. It was barely even a plot TURN. I'm not going to go into this further to avoid spoilers, but it was so anticlimatic I rolled my eyes. It's a combination of me being able to see what happened from a mile away and the reasoning behind the plot twist was so stupid that I feel like the book shouldn't even be considered a thriller. It's probably one of the top 3 dumbest things I've read...ever. The final pages of the book were also so random and didn't fit the overall vibe of the story. It just didn't make sense for it to be the way it was in the context of everything else although I will admit it was mildly satisfying to read.

Overall, I feel like calling this a thriller is a disservice, because this book felt like social commentary about mommy bloggers and influencers disguised as a poorly set-up thriller. I don't disagree with the takes they have on mommy bloggers, but I probably would've enjoyed the book more if it was supposed to be a satirical take on that side of social media. The fact that it has "a thriller" on the front cover of the book didn't do it any favors considering everything I already said. I cringed more than I ever have reading a book, and while the writing was good enough to pull you into the story, this wasn't the book for me.

I loved this!

For starters it’s a fast paced, dramatic pop corn thriller that’s quick, easy and entertaining to read.

Secondly the main character is extremely likeable and relatable, a recent mother of twins who is floundering to survive motherhood and accidentally goes viral on social media thrusting her into the world of “influencers” and ends up on a retreat for an army of “mommies” who you just know are going to be cliquey and unhinged 😂

I won’t give any more away but I’d recommend reading!

Thank you for the gifted copy 🙏🏻🙏🏻

The ridiculousness of these influencer mommies is phenomenal. Being stupid rich is something I will never be, so I love immersing myself into the world of petty dramatics. This was such a fun read. The ending was satisfying, unpredictable, and had me cheering so hard for Adrienne.

This went off the rails and I was not expecting it at all. I’m pretty sure this was suppose to be satire (because if not then I have a very different opinion lol.) This is truly an unhinged version of mommy bloggers who will stop at nothing to keep shilling. I enjoyed Adrienne’s quest to find her sister but the whole mystery was pretty thin. Film rights to this were purchased by Amazon which makes sense because it does have Ready or Not vibes.

When I saw this promoted with Heathers in the description, I had to have it. I am so glad I read this because it was so good!! While this definitely has camp in it, it also covered more serious and layered topics. I was completely engaged the whole time reading this.

DNF.
lost interest in this book, and felt disconnected- i don’t think i will continue in the story due to feeling displaced

Quick moving and filled with characters who will feel familiar to anyone who's spent anytime on the mom internet, this is slightly over the top but quite entertaining. I didn't expect the ending!

After new mom Chiara goes missing after a mommy influencer retreat, her twin sister Adrienne will do whatever it takes to find out what really happened to her. Adrienne thinks everyone else is useless – the police, Chiara’s DH – so she’s just going to have to handle things herself. Convinced Chiara was the victim of foul play, Adrienne finds herself infiltrating a momfluencer “Style Summit” retreat at the same ranch her twin went missing from.

This satirical social media thriller is so snarky and fun! The pointed social commentary is scathing but hilarious, with the author nailing the archetypes of momfluencers (the fitness guru, the multiples mommy, the crunchy tradwife, etc), the blind devotion to the top mom, and the cringe-inducing dynamics of mean-mom cliques and parasocial relationships. The images of over-the-top insta-worthy perfection are deliciously hyperbolic, from copious hashtags and “tragedeigh” sibling names in various shades of blue (Navy, Cyan, and Azure) to handcrafting elaborate families of pumpkin-headed scarecrows. The last 25% of the book is non-stop action and it’s a crazy, campy, bloody ride that’s unhinged in the very best way!

Many thanks to MBC Books, NetGalley, and Thomas & Mercer for the advance reader copy!

📚: Follow Me by Elizabeth Rose Quinn
⭐️: 3.5/5 (rounding up on #goodreads)

Chiara & Adrienne. Twin sisters who ended up on two different life paths. After partying their way through their 20s together, Chiara finds herself married and a mom to twin boys. Adrienne can’t believe this is the life Chiara chose, and finds herself at the bottom of a bottle or baggie most nights.

Chiara, desperate to find herself kindred spirit mom friends, attends a mom-fluencer weekend. A retreat of instagrammable moms and everything to curate the perfect mom image. And then Chiara disappears and doesn’t come home.

Adrienne finds herself obsessed with her sister’s disappearance and finds herself willing to do anything - even become one of those moms - to find what happened.

This book was part dark comedy, part “this is so real about motherhood,” part thriller, and ended up being surprisingly horror. (Seriously, some of the imagery in this gets dark and gory, this is my warning.)

A quick pace that kept the pages turning for me, a rounded up score for how many times I said, “yeah I feel that,” but not quite a solid 4 star rating for predictability.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Follow Me is out now!

So the premise for this story was interesting and accurate in today's social media obsessed world.

I'm a mother myself, and I related to some of what the motherly themes (and pressures) were in this story.

With that said, it was all just too much. Too many hashtags, descriptions of posts, the conference twee themes and words ... I'm middle-aged (NOT elderly) and maybe, dare I say, I'm too "old" for this story?

I felt like I was trying to navigate another language. I found the dialogue and descriptions that hard to follow.

I get the comparison of Heathers and Stepford Wives. That was certainly accurate. And maybe the point is to make a satire or mockery of social media and motherhood. But, I just could not keep up with any of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an e-copy of FOLLOW ME to review.

I rate FOLLOW ME two out of five stars.

I was drawn to FOLLOW ME because of its cover, and "frighteningly funny dark thriller" sounded good.

The first 20% or so seemed to both satirize and humanize mom-fluencers who have gathered at a weekend event. But then suddenly the novel veered directly into campy mode and while I know many who'll enjoy, it's not for me.

DNF at 23%.

Just by luck, mommy influencer Chiara became a viral hit on Instagram and one of my least favorite kind of mom influencers , the one that thinks the world should cater to her because she’s a mom. And I couldn’t tell if the author didn’t catch on to that or if it was written in irony. But luck would have it, she finally gets invited to a summit retreat, baby free and really trying to remember who she was before. Off subject- is this what influencer retreats really are? It feels like a bad work outing.

I did not like the character Chiara at all; spoiled, lucky, not very bright; so it was a lot of pages in the beginning of dealing with her, I wanted to DNF. If you like your novels front loaded in set up, this is the one for you. It was way too much for me and I think I would have enjoyed it a little more sprinkled in. When the transition to the missing sister thriller part happened, I was completely thrown- definitely felt some transition needed there. But the thriller part of the story feels better written, the Adrienne character not so cliched; and it was enjoyable reading the self reflection she had when thinking of moments she should have had with her sister she missed out on, moments she wished she could do again. The regret there was relatable. The dynamic between Adrienne and Bernice was the best and really let the reader see how much Adrienne was missing her sister.

What this novel was missing was recognizing the “cheesiness” or some of the writing cliches, some of the insincere emotional moments that felt too on the nose and i wish it had been written in a way that felt like the author recognized it too. And for a comparison to Heathers and The Stepford Wives, it was missing some of the darkness, even the subtlety of it. The back half of this story gets so much better, it’s a shame the almost first half felt like a first draft. But the ending was confusing- don’t look for a motive in this one. A story with a fun idea but not my favorite execution

It took me months to finish this book, I almost DNFed it. The premise was interesting, but it just didn’t hook me enough to keep turning the pages. The characters felt forgettable, and I struggled to connect with them. Well except for Chiara’s exhaustion and needing a break. But beyond that, nothing really stood out.

At first, I rated it 2 stars, but then I realized I’ve given 2 stars to better books. Here’s to a 1.5 then.

I found out after finishing that this was a debut novel, which makes sense. I hope Quinn continues to grow as a writer, adding more depth to both the characters and the plot. The twists could be stronger, and the execution needs work, but the concept itself has potential.

I love both Heathers meets The Stepford Wives so this was a perfect read for me. It was a very intense and suspensful read that showed a dark side to influencers that had me hooked.

Follow Me was such a fun read. It's a wild ride, part psychological thriller, part commentary on the loneliness of motherhood, and part satire of the mommy-blogging industry. I loved it, particularly the insane, darkly funny resolution and the touching epilogue.

This was a fun and entertaining read. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about a book set at a mom influencer retreat, but I really enjoyed this one! I really liked the mystery of what happened to the main character’s sister. It was interesting to follow along with the MC as she explored this crazy world of mom influencers. Some of the story was predictable, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. The ending was bonkers and it kind of felt like a different book. It went from feeling like a mystery/thriller to a horror/slasher. I did enjoy the ending, but it was wild!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Amazon Publishing for gifting me both a physical and digital ARC of this debut book by Elizabeth Rose Quinn. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Adrienne Shaw feels like she is the only one who really believes that her twin sister, Chiara, who went missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, never left the resort. The authorities found nothing, and she feels her brother-in-law is useless. Adrienne decides to go undercover at the next influencer retreat to see if she can find any answers.

While this is all a bit over the top, this was an entertaining story with a very relevant storyline. Especially for moms who are struggling, it’s impossible to measure up with all the Instagram/Facebook perfect pictures and stories. Adrienne is single and childless and it’s funny to watch her try to fit in with these “perfect” mothers. Plus, it’s a good mystery to try and figure out exactly what happened to Chiara. Will absolutely pick up more books from this debut author, plus the film rights have been optioned by Amazon MGM Studios!