"Julie Chan is Dead" is a novel that follows Julie, the twin sister of a famous influencer Chloe, who was separated from her twin as a child following a tragic accident. Julie, broke and stuck in life, travels to NYC to unexpectedly find Chloe lying dead in her apartment. As identical twins, Julie sees the opportunity to step into Chloe's life of fame, privilege and ease and takes it.

Wow, what a wonderful debut novel. Zhang's impressive writing is highlighted not only in her ability to tell a cohesive and interesting story where ever single detail mentioned is important, but also in her ability to make me laugh out loud while doing it. I love anything that is dark and satirical, but especially when it involves a takedown of social media and the way it has completely fractured our way of thinking and communicating. The ways in which we become commodified simply by being able to exploit and market ourselves online is explored in a really interesting, and tragic way in this novel.

The second half of this book is really what took me from a 4-star rating to a 5. I've actually seen a lot of critique that the later half is "too dark and weird" which I think is funny, because what did you expect? There was no way for this novel to wrap up as well as it did without things getting really, really dark and really, really weird. The aspect of the girls trip was super reminiscent of Mona Awad's "Bunny" in the way all of the girls thought and communicated as a hive-mind. This type of push really put me in the place of thinking a lot about what people will do for acceptance and love, and the crazy things people will do to have acceptance and love from a mass audience -- even if it's not entirely genuine.

My only critique for this book would be that a thematic thread of "religion" was introduced and I wasn't entirely sure what the author was trying to say about that. Is social media Gen Z's modern day religion? Are people just so desperate, still, to find something to believe in? Are the sacrifices we make for a higher belief worth it? All of these thoughts broached my mind towards the end of the book but I felt the author just skated by this major theme that was introduced in a way that was extremely pivotal to the story. Would've loved to see her take a stronger stance!

Highly recommend this book, I can see why it's one of the most anticipated reads of 2025. Cheers to Zhang, looking forward to what she will write in the future!

This book started one way and then turned into something else - not in a bad way, I was just not expecting it to go the way it did.

Gave me Yellow Face vibes but then add a horror aspect.

DNF at 58%
This book started off really, really good. It made me laugh out loud, the first few chapters were intriguing, I didn’t want to stop reading, all I wanted to do was find out what happened next! And it was still good after that, and then it was okay, and by 50%, I was throughly annoyed and literally rolling my eyes at all of Julie’s choices. Julie felt like the stupidest protagonist I’ve ever read. How many times do I have to read about her being shocked and amazed by all the crazy stuff rich people do? At first, it’s understandable, but it got repetitive so quick. Julie’s reactions and plans (or lack thereof) also annoyed me greatly.
There was one part I found offensive, and honestly that is what pushed me over the edge of the DNF line. After all of Julie’s stupidity, I couldn’t deal with this book anymore.
I did think this book was funny in the beginning, but it quickly lost its charm for me. And it annoyed me, as a Christian, and annoyed me as a reader, when God is not capitalized. It’s offensive and also just not grammatically correct!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC. I am not being paid, I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you again!

To say that I read this book would be a wild understatement because the truth is that I DEVOURED it in a single day, a feat which I thought I wasn’t capable of anymore. This book is fast-paced, gripping (would not let me go), and well-written. The messaging is poignant and the execution is satisfying. There’s so much here to love.

Absolutely an immersive read from start to finish. One twin impersonating a dead twin? Sign me up! Julie Chan is such a flawed character and rightfully so, especially with some questionable decisions (ie: stepping in her dead twin sister’s life). The story explores grief, belonging, and the dark side of social media and being an influencer. I love the satire and how enticing attention can be once it’s captured online, but also the nonsensical “hive mind” the Belladonnas have in their hard work as influencers. Both parts of the book were fast paced with unexpected twists that left me wanting more. I kept turning the pages from Julie posing as an idol for followers to posing as a follower for a cult! From glam to horror! A must read!!
Thank you Atria Books for the eARC!

This was such a fantastic concept in the thriller novel, it had that element that I was hoping for and enjoyed figuring out what was happening. The characters had that overall feel and was hooked from the first page. Liann Zhang has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this. It was wonderfully done and am excited to read more from Liann Zhang.

3.75 stars! This book would be a good pick up for fans of Yellowface and/or Such a Bad Influence as it discusses stolen identity and influencer culture/social media. I experienced a myriad of emotions reading this book and I can’t wait until it launches so I can understand exactly how the author hoped readers would walk away feeling after reading. Initially, I was not enjoying the book because I was trying to root for Julie considering her upbringing but once it became clearer that you’re not expected (I hope) to like her, it became easier to see this in a more humorous and satirical light. I will say the end of the book started to get really weird and readers definitely should check the content warnings first before reading. This is an amazing debut novel and I hope it gets the wide reception it deserves because there is a LOT that can be unpacked through this story — an entertaining book club selection for sure!

Thank you Atria Books for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Influencers! Identity fraud! Cults! Psychedelic drugs! This was so fun!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me this book!

What a fantastic read! I wish I could give it a full 5 stars instead of 4.5. I received this book through NetGalley as an ARC, and I couldn't put it down. I laughed, cried, yelled, and laughed some more. It was beautifully written, full of charm, and truly opened my mind to what it must be like to be a social media influencer.
While two scenes were somewhat challenging to get through-moments where I almost wished they had been omitted-I understand their significance to the story.

4 stars

The buzz is warranted.

Julie and Chloe are twins, but their paths diverge when their biological parents die, and Julie goes to live with their maternal aunt - a truly disturbing individual - and Chloe is adopted by a wealthy couple with less than pure intentions. Their lives grow even further apart when Chloe becomes a wealthy influencer and Julie is barely able to pay her bills. When Chloe appears in Julie's life for a social media stunt, they are so briefly reconnected, but when one of them ends up dead (per the title), the other's life makes the most shocking departure of all.

I found this wildly readable. In fact, I read it straight through in one afternoon/evening. I never lost interest, and the weirder it got, the more intriguing it became. It's easy to see how folks can get so easily absorbed into bad decisions and bizarre behavior. Zhang demonstrates that so adeptly here both in the immediate characters and in the messaging that pervades the entire work.

This is simultaneously fun, engaging, bizarre, and campy, and I really enjoyed the read. I hope we get more from this promising author in the near future.

Wow what a crazy story. This books takes you through some ups and downs of being an influencer but it takes it even further where I didn’t even expect it to go!

Thanks Net Galley and Atria books for providing the ARC!

What a clever witty book! Julie and Chloe (twins sisters) were separated very young. Chloe went on to become a famous influencer while Julie struggles to make it through the day. When Chloe is found dead in her apartment, Julie takes this opportunity to step into her life!

This book was fun although I did find the second half a huge departure from the first half so beware! It gets super wild and crazy. I think this is truly a tale of greed and envy as well as the dangers of social media. A lesson in being content with whatever we do have!

I love, love, loved this book up until about the halfway point. Then...it didn't just jump the shark, it invented sharks, put them in a blender, then crammed them down your throat while forcing you to participate in calisthenics.
Or...something.

This novel started out frothy and entertaining but veered off about halfway through into something darker. In some ways that made it more interesting, but it was jarring. That said, it's a page-turner. This is a first novel, and very entertaining. Liann Zhang has a promising future ahead of her.
#Atria #Netgalley

3.75

the first half of this book had me on the edge of my seat. seeing julie immerse herself more in chloe's life was crazy, especially with how she was becoming everything she hated about chloe while also trying really hard to convince herself (and the readers) why she deserves to act that way.

the second half took a turn i definitely wasn't expecting. i'm not sure how to feel about certain aspects of the plot... it fell a bit flat to me, and seemed to come off as shock-value.

overall, i enjoyed it!

Overall, this book was really good! The beginning started off really strong - it was fast-paced and I didn't have to push myself to stay interested. That being said, the second half of the book did fall a little flat for me. Once I got into the second half, it felt like too much was going on all at once, but I did still really enjoy the book and would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy thrillers!

Wow, this book definitely turned me off from ever wanting to be an influencer-ever! When Julie finds her twin sister, Chloe, dead on her floor following a mysterious phone call, Julie kind of.... just slips into her life. At first, she's thrilled with having a luxurious place to live, six figure brand deals, and and endless supply of high end skin creams, as well as access to Chloe's credit cards and glam team. When the shine wears off, however, Julie realizes what a perilous position she has put herself in- she is being blackmailed by her aunt, the possible cult (the Belladonnas) with their mysterious God/demon Eto are getting stranger by the day, and she has to remember to pretend to be someone she's not. Although those is considered a mystery/thriller, it absolutely has a dark side and could be also classified as a horror story. The thought of being an influencer is horrific in itself to me, but eating baby mice and swearing my firstborn in order to obtain followers is.... unimaginably horrific. Alllllll that said, I really enjoyed this book- I ate it up, hardly putting it down over the course of the weekend before Christmas. I'll definitely be recommending and handselling this one, and I cannot wait to see what Liann Ziang writes next!

What a fun read! It reminded me of Yellow Face, in the way of stolen identities and secrets, but was such a better execution of those themes!

This book was definitely unexpected. I enjoyed the beginning and the fast paced style, however the last half of the book was not for me. I felt like it was trying so hard to tick all the boxes that it fell flat and I was quickly uninterested.

A suspenseful thriller that explores the dark side of social media and the lengths that some will go to for fame. Julie Chen is the forgotten twin raised by a money hungry aunt. What happens when she stumbles upon her rich influencer twin’s dead body?
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.