My first thought after finishing it was: what did I just read?! It was one of the most riveting books I’ve read in ages - I couldn’t put it down, and when I was forced to take breaks I was still thinking about it, wondering what would happen next. A read it in less than 48 hours and stay up late to finish because you can’t get enough kind of book. The twists just kept coming and every time I thought I knew where it was going, I was surprised once again. I can definitely see the Yellowface comparisons thanks to the morally grey main character, although this book almost leaned toward the horror side at parts. There were some very disturbing parts in the last third or so of the book that were difficult for me to read, so definitely check trigger warnings before starting this one (particularly for miscarriage and animal cruelty) - and be prepared for things to get gory! Some of the gore felt a bit excessive to me, but the razor sharp observations about influencer culture and race made this worth reading. This was a debut and I already can’t wait to read more from this author. If you’re someone like me who is fascinated by deep dives into the dark side of influencer culture, add this one to your TBR!

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Julie and her twin sister Chloe were separated at an early age when their parents died. Julie stayed with her not nice aunt while a much wealthier family adopts Chloe. Julie struggles to survive as a grocery store employee,while Chloe is a famous influencer. When Julie finds Chloe dead, well, what else can she do but switch places with her twin. It seems like her life will now be fabulous for faux Chloe. Well, not exactly. There was much more to her life than Julie knew. It was quite an enlightening glimpse into the life of an influencer. But the story took a, I did not see this coming turn, and in some ways almost seemed like a different book. How it ended, though was a wild ride. Somewhere between a hilarious story of a stolen identity and a brutally hard look at the age of influencers.

The start of this book was amazing, it really reminded me of Yellowface (in the sense that it's someone assuming another person's identity to benefit from it) but with a lot of social media commentary. I found it super interesting to learn more about the world of influencers and their extremely lavish lifestyles.

However, while the first half of the book was very solid, the second half took a major dive off the deep end--in a somewhat fun, somewhat insanely crazy way. I was very thrown off by the tone and plot shift into an almost unrecognizable book. I think it was a unique way to discuss the lengths that people go to in order to become famous/influencers, but maybe (very!) far-fetched and surprising.

I thought that this book would have a lot more to say about the difference between a regular job and the life of an influencer, but it stopped after a couple of surface-level comments. I think that would have been a great discussion point for this book to make. Further, I thought that the book would delve into a race-based influencer privilege commentary because it would have made a lot of sense. Julie's friend started the discussion, but it was quickly ended by some of the other characters (which I guess is telling by itself but I wished Julie had more to say about it from an Asian perspective).

Overall, if you told me that this was a debut novel I would never have believed you! Zhang's writing was excellent, the plot was fun and intriguing, and I really enjoyed this book. The second half shift did throw me off a little, but I have faith that her books will only get better from here.

Thank you to NetGalley + Atria Books for this ARC!

I read this book in 24hrs and it was exactly what I needed. Julie’s rich influencer twin dies and she decides to steal her life. Unfortunately for Julie, her sister’s life is not all she imagined it to be. It’s like Yellowface, but better. It’s satirical, thrilling, funny, and horrific. I would also comp this to the movie Midsommar, iykyk. This book gets crazy and just plain WEIRD. In a good way. This is for all the girlies that have been following influencer lore since the earlier tumblr days. Add to your TBRs, this drops April 29th.

4.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good thriller. This one was pretty good. An anti-hero who takes over her dead twin's life, stumbling into the cutthroat world of influencing? A second half that goes absolutely balls-to-the-wall with a dark and disturbing turn that I could NOT have predicted? Yes, PLEASE.

I wish there was more satire of race and influencing or religion and influencing, not just influencing itself, but c'est la vie. This was still a sparkling debut and a great examination of social media culture..

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a mixture of humor, confronting modern values, and suspense.
As is referenced in the foreword for the book, Julie Chan is Dead has a lot in common with Yellowface in that it has someone benefitting from stealing the "perfect" life (or book) of a rival. But while Yellowface explores the publishing world, Julie Chan gives a behind the scenes look at the influencer lifestyle from the viewpoint of the average person. I found myself able to connect with Julie more because the author keeps Julie likable and relatable in both her reactions to the grand lifestyle she is suddenly engulfed in as well as her feelings during her deception.
Julie steals the life of her twin sister who she has only seen once since their parents died when they were four and adopted out to vastly different living experiences. Julie works as a (not to good at her job between her attitude and stealing) checker at a grocery while Chloe gets thousands of dollars in free swag, jet sets with celebrities, and from all angles seems to live the perfect life.
Of course, it can't be that simple or Julie wouldn't find Chloe dead in her gorgeous apartment, so the book has a nice balance of tension as Julie gets deeper into Chloe's life with the fabulous but toxic "Belladonna" group of influencers that Chloe has been a member of for years. Julie faces obstacles from her past and present, and I was surprised by the direction the book took.

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

This book took me by surprise. If you’re a fan of *Yellowface* by RF Kuang, you’ll likely enjoy this one too. The main character is morally grey, making some deeply questionable decisions, and there are strong themes around race and social media. These aspects were particularly engaging, and I loved how they were explored. However, a major subplot involving religious cults and sacrifices felt jarring and disconnected from the rest of the narrative. It seemed out of place alongside the themes of influencer culture, racism, and class, which threw me off a bit. Overall, I was hooked for the first half of the book, but by the second half, I found myself feeling increasingly confused and detached.

Dark, zeitgeisty, and so funny! I read this book over the course of two breathless days and couldn't stop until I was done. Liann Zhang is one to watch, can't wait to see what's next for her!

I haven’t really been finding much enjoyment in reading lately nor has much desire to read and this book got me out of that slump. This book is was darker and more disturbing than I was expecting. Man, the second half takes a really unexpected turn. Lemme just say right now, this book is marketed as something way cuter than it actually is, with the cutesy title and cover. The actual book? I’d classify the part of it as full on horror. The ending took a turn I never would’ve guessed.

The book doesn’t start to get dark until the second half, but even with the first 20% where this book is just setting everything up, it’s still unputdownable. You learn quickly that influencer Bella Marie is the queen bee, and anyone she takes under her wing (influencers who are penned Belladonnas) becomes instant successes, with a plethora of wealth, fame, brand deals, and millions of followers. Chloe herself is a belladonna, attributing her fame to Bella Marie’s help. What really keeps you reading for the first half is this big overarching mystery about an annual trip in June headed by Bella Marie, where no phones are allowed, and the belladonnas fall off the face of the earth for a week while on this island. Everything that happens is a complete secret and they aren’t even allowed to talk about the existence of this trip, because whenever Julie (as Chloe) brings it up, people laugh it off like they have no clue what she’s talking about. The first half of the book reels you in with unanswered questions and the second half takes place on the highly anticipated island trip, where the tone changes into something much weirder and darker.

This book is a critique of influencer culture, brought to life with a visceral, horror like concept. The second half of this book is super WEIRD. I thought Julie was a horribly mean, brazen character with a terrible attitude and downright offensive dialogue. Julie is super unlikable and is a horrible character, and the author isn’t subtle about that. Most of other characters, also mostly influencers, are awful, disturbed people too. This book is a critique of influencer culture which, I know there for sure are influencers out there are tone deaf, and this book criticizes that. At the end of the day, someone making reaction videos is not contributing more to society than a doctor or lawyer, and should not be making triple what doctors and lawyers do. How can a doctor, after several years of stressful school and tons of medical school debt, doing life saving work after so much stress and toil, be paid less than someone who makes tiktoks and vlogs a couple times a week? Not saying it isn’t time consuming or that it doesn’t take effort, but you cannot equate that to a surgeon or a teacher. Literally, a teenager could do influencing. There may even be tone deaf influencers out there who think that they fully deserve to be making triple what doctors do for posting photos and vlogs because “they work hard”, when doctors and lawyers and teachers do more difficult work/work even harder doing actually noble and lifesaving work, but do not come close to the millions influencers are making. The reality is, influencers are overpaid compared to people who do actual lifesaving work, when influencers’ only contribution is providing entertainment on social media. I’m not saying every influencer has this attitude and I’m sure many are very grateful and fully realize they are part of an unfair system that favors them. But, there surely are entitled, tone deaf ones out there too. Just be grateful and realize you’re reaping the benefits of an unfair and broken system. Acknowledge your privilege. This is something every influencer needs to take to heart.

This book actually does get really scary. These people are seriously disturbed weirdos. Despite Julie and basically every other character being really unlikable, I cannot believe that this is a debut novel because the descriptions are so good and this book is so visual. And I could not have predicted the turn the second half of the book took because wtf. Don’t let that cute cover fool you because this book is genuinely disturbing and messed up! Far scarier than any thriller you’d read with some of the most terrible, weirdest characters you’ll encounter. This was terrifying and gripping and this is a debut author to watch.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Julie Chan has gotten the short end of the stick. Not only did her parents die young, but she’s stuck with an abusive aunt while her twin sister is adopted by a wealthy New York and is now living the influencer dream. After a mysterious, frightening phone call, Julie travels to New York to find her sister dead on the kitchen floor, her fancy life ripe for taking by someone who looks identical to her.

This is fast moving novel and I was surprised by the direction it took, but I found the Easter eggs for the chronically online and pop culture references to be so plentiful and on the nose that it started to feel too juvenile. Plot points felt very familiar to recent media (Yellowface, Bunny, Don’t Blink), so it was impossible not to compare, and unfortunately the referenced material just did it better. The dialogue was stilted and there wasn’t enough magical realism to support the suspension of belief required for the story.

Fun read, but it seemed to get in its own way from being either a campy romp or a thrilling social commentary.

I read this book in less than a day. I was captivated from the first page. I could not stop reading to see what was going to happen. I loved the story and how this book was written! I can’t wait for her next book! Incredible!!

I flew through this in hours! The premise favs fascinating from start to finish but did devolve a bit towards the end where it spiraled into a cult like plot line that became hard to believe. I. Think there is merit to the comparison of influencer culture to the cult aspects it describes, but I thought the ending took it a bit too far!

3.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded up)

"Julie Chen is Dead" by Liann Zhang delivers a biting, satirical jab at influencer culture with a twist so sharp it might just leave a mark. The story kicks off with Julie, a regular grocery store clerk, discovering her ultra-famous influencer twin, Chloe, dead. In a moment of envy and impulse, Julie decides to assume Chloe’s identity, letting the world believe that *she's* the one pushing daisies.

The first half of the novel offers a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes chaos of influencer life—where tragedy and trauma are just content fodder for likes and sponsorships. Zhang masterfully peels back the glossy filter to reveal the messy reality, and it’s hard to look away. Like many readers, I was reminded of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, though this book leans even harder into the absurd.

Then—BAM—the plot takes a hard swerve into cult-horror territory. The sudden shift cranks up the pace, making it nearly impossible to put down, but it also feels like two wildly different books mashed into one. Both halves had the potential to shine on their own, but the drastic tonal pivot left me scratching my head and struggling to connect with Julie. As an anti-hero, she’s less "lovably flawed" and more "what even are you doing, girl?"

The novel dabbles with racial commentary in the influencer world, which was fascinating but felt underexplored. Instead, the cult-horror plotline takes center stage, delivering jaw-dropping moments (looking at you, mouse scene—IYKYK). While the shock factor is high, it sometimes feels like it hijacks a deeper conversation for sheer drama.

Julie Chan is Dead is a wild ride you can devour like a popcorn bucket at the movies. If you loved Yellowface, dig cult-horror, or just want something unputdownable, buckle up and dive in.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for a honest review. Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang is scheduled to be released on April 29, 2025.

What happens when you twin sister secretly dies and you take over her {social media platforms} famous life? This was interesting story. Lots of commentary about about what is real vs. fake online and FOMO. How is being an influencer a real job? Good story with a stratifying ending. I will read another Liann Zhang book. Recommended.

WHEW! What a RIDE. I really enjoyed this book!


Liann Zhang’s debut book, Julie Chan is D ead follows estranged twins Julie Chan and Chloe VanHuusen, who couldn't be more different. Julie is scraping by working at a supermarket, while Chloe is a famous influencer living the high life in NYC. After a series of events, Julie ends up assuming her sister’s life when she finds Chloe unalived. As Julie slips into the influencer world, navigating its lavish lifestyle and frenemies, she starts to uncover that Chloe’s perfect life was anything but.

Zhang’s writing is brilliant. I was simultaneously creeped out and cracking up at Julie’s witty, Gen Z voice. As a geriatric Gen Z myself- it almost felt like the book was written just for me😂. Like Zhang and I have to be the same age because I could relate so much to the fictional references to the early days of social media, like the YouTube beauty gurus and Tumblr era. Also side note- I love little lavish details in books like brand names and luxurious details. It’s the girly girl in me 🤪

Zhang also offers a sharp commentary on the dark side of social media and influencer culture. As Julie digs deeper into Chloe’s world and the mystery of her friends, the Belladonnas, she gets drawn into the addictive cycle of posting and engagement. It’s a solid reminder to take a step back and remember what’s real outside the screen.

The ending is very interesting, I’ll leave it at that. 🤭 Liann Zhang is definitely an author I will be picking up books from in the future ☺️
Thank you so much to Net Galley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book in advance!

Julie Chan is D ead comes out on April 29th 2025

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫



#liannzhang #netgalley #atriabooks #bookstagram #bookrecs #bookreview

Decent thriller. I enjoyed the first half more than the second. First half had laughing and intrigued. Second half fell a little short and I just hurried to ending. Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

This was a creative premise and the first half of the book had me laughing and fully engaged. I did not enjoy the second half of the book as much as the first, but it was still a quick and easy read. I’d recommend that others try this book and see for themselves!

Julie Chan is Dead delves into identity, ambition, and the dark side of fame. Julie Chan, the estranged twin sister of glamorous social media influencer Chloe, has spent her life in the shadow of a tragic childhood accident that tore their family apart. Struggling with financial woes and feeling trapped in a dead-end existence, Julie is drawn to New York City after an unexpected and cryptic message from Chloe. when Julie arrives, she discovers Chloe dead in her luxurious apartment under mysterious circumstances. Faced with the surreal opportunity to leave her old life behind, Julie decides to assume Chloe's identity, stepping into a world of fame, privilege, and influence that feels like a dream—but quickly reveals its cracks. As Julie navigates Chloe's seemingly perfect life, she uncovers secrets that make her question not only who her sister truly was but also the cost of living a lie.

this book was SO SATIRE but it masterfully critiques social media’s commodification of identity. the second half of the novel takes a bold, unsettling turn, diving into themes of identity, belonging, and the lengths people will go for acceptance. While some may find its darkness jarring, it’s precisely this daring shift that elevates the book, reminiscent of the hive-mind dynamics in Mona Awad’s Bunny and R. F. Kuang's Yellowface. The girls’ trip, in particular, underscores the desperate measures taken to feel loved and validated by both individuals and a faceless online audience.

One minor critique is the underexplored religious metaphor introduced late in the story. while the connection between social media and modern-day belief systems is compelling, the thematic thread felt underdeveloped. Still, Zhang’s ability to provoke such questions adds depth to an already exceptional debut.

4.5 stars! thank you so much Atria Books. this was a fun and engaging read.

The first half of the book was genuinely really good— so much so that I thought this would be a 5-star read. I loved the characters, the unique premise, and the overall writing. However, the second half was super disappointing. The story went in an unexpected direction that felt disjointed and hard to follow, which made it harder for me to stay invested. The main reason for this was because I really didn’t like the “plot twist,” as it almost always feels overdone, unreal, and uninspired, almost like a cop-out. Lastly, I think the story would have benefited from more backstory and detail about Chloe (or any of the other characters), as they felt underdeveloped, and I struggled to care about anyone other than Julie. That said, I really enjoyed the ending, and the book overall was an interesting read. It just felt like two completely different stories mashed together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC.

Be careful of what you wish for. For Julie Chan, minimum wage worker at the local Shop and Save, this rings true when she has an opportunity to slip into her identical twin’s glamorous influencer life. Initially, her sister’s lux apartment, free product deliveries, and adoring fans sate Julie’s reluctant thirst for what she thought she was missing. But there’s always a trade off. And although Julie adapts quickly to the change of lifestyle, she also encounters some unanticipated costs of being famous—some deadly costs.

Therein lies the rub.

The first half of Zhang’s novel is an entertaining read, satisfying wish fulfillment tempered by some insightful commentary on influencer culture and consumerism. However, the second half of the novel turns dark and strange. The annual influencer retreat on a private island introduces random surprises—some feel a little over the top. The feel of the second half of the book changes significantly and we almost get a different genre of story.

While Liann Zhang skillfully illustrates the downside of fame and social media popularity, she takes her reader on a strange journey in the second half of the book that muddies some of her initial themes.