The concept had so much potential—twin-switch thriller meets influencer culture with a dark edge—but it just didn’t hold my attention. While the setup is juicy and the social commentary sharp, the pacing dragged for me and I couldn’t bring myself to finish. A clever premise that ultimately didn’t live up to its promise.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #AtriaBooks for the book #JulieChanIsDead by #LiannZhang. Julie and her sister, Chloe are twins and were separated when their parents died at a young age. Julie grew up with her aunt and Chloe was adopted by a well to do family. When Chloe reaches out to Julie one night and seems upset, Julie decides to go visit her. What she finds is Chloe’s dead body. Chloe was an influencer and had lots of money, so when Julie decides to pose as her dead sister, what can go wrong? I really enjoyed this thrilling book!

This is so good. I just bought the audible version so I could share it with the family. I love how it is just unhinged and weird. It gave me anxiety. Absolute perfection.

Thank you to Atria Books and Simon Audio for the copies to review.

WTF did I just read?! Books like these always give me anxiety, but this took a turn like I could never ever see coming. And while it was out there for sure, I kind of didn’t mind it and in fact enjoyed it? But let’s back up. Julie is a twin, and her sister Chloe was adopted into a rich family and never really saw her birth family again. She became a famous influencer, leaving Julie to work as a supermarket cashier. Later on, Chloe dies and Julie finds herself inhabiting her life as Chloe, as one does. She realizes this is the life to be living, that the privileged inner circle is not to be missed. Or is it? From here it takes the turn I mentioned, and you need to read this for yourself. I could not get through it fast enough that’s for sure, it was UNHINGED.

I started with the audio and enjoyed it, but really just wanted to be on the couch with a book and so I finished it out that way. I do have to note there is a scene with mice that I did turn the pages on, but that was just me. I could not believe this was a debut and cannot wait to read what Zhang writes next!

What a wild ride! Sort of a blend of "Yellowface," "Nine Perfect Strangers," and "Ingrid Goes West" and with all of creepy and grey area morality that makes a story fun. I really enjoyed it!

🍿 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴: I will be honest, I found Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang to be a very strange book. Original definitely, and very weird by the time I got to the end. The baby mice!! 🤮😱 However, I loved it, and it gave me serious cult vibes while also showing a dark and dirty side of social media influencers.

🤩 𝚃͏𝚑͏𝚎͏ 𝙱͏𝚎͏𝚜͏𝚝͏ 𝙱͏𝚒͏𝚝͏𝚜͏: The pacing for this one is nonstop, and we really get thrown into the action which I loved. I wouldn’t say I actually liked Julie all that much, though she grew on me as the book went on, but she was certainly an interesting and well-thought-out character which I have to give the author props for. The story ends with a bang, and I was thoroughly satisfied with the conclusion.

🎧 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝒩𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: I loved my time listening to the audiobook and Yu-Li Alice Shen slayed. She was the perfect narrator for Julie and her narration added so much to the book for me. She expertly got every moment and emotion across, and I can’t recommend the audio enough.

💭 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴: While Julie Chan Is Dead is being marketed as a thriller, I’m not sure I actually got that vibe from it. I did, however, get dark comedy as well what ended up being a twisty little mystery added in. This is not going to be a book for everyone, but if you are looking for unique, unhinged, and bingeable – this is a perfect pick!

T͏h͏i͏s͏ B͏o͏o͏k͏ i͏n͏ 5͏ E͏m͏o͏j͏i͏’s͏ o͏r͏ L͏e͏s͏s͏: 🐭🤳🏼🌴👯‍♀️

𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut. It was trendy set in the world of influencers with a twisty life swap aspect that turns dark. Very unique and eye opening. Loved the satire. A great debut!

This was just an okay mystery/thriller, the biggest reason for not enjoying it was that I felt like the cult ending seemed a bit out of nowhere even for a satire. As well as the book not having great pacing. Julie spends a lot of time just being an influencer and then the last 1/3 of the book turns into a horror without any suspense leading up to it. I also feel like because none of the characters, including Julie, were likeable, it made me much less interested in the story, especially since there isn't much known about the Belladonna's.


Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang.

When Julie and her identical twin were given up for adoption, Julie certainly drew the short stick. Being raised by her hateful aunt and working as a cash register, she can't help but feel resentment towards her estranged sister who got everything. Chloe has fame, wealth and love, everything that Julie envies. So Julie is confused and horrified to visit her sister and find her dead. But this might also be her chance to escape her life, being completely identical to Chloe. And at first Julie is totally taken with the lifestyle, fashion, immediate friends, and a fortune look good on her. But it doesn't take long before she realizes that Chloe's life came with a hefty cost.

I was initially so into this story, but it got a little too weird...and gross. I'll be honest, I just wasn't a fan of this book.

A darkly compelling thriller with a razor-sharp social commentary. Zhang delivers a story that’s both eerie and emotionally resonant, exploring grief, girlhood, and the allure of the mysterious. Julie's voice is haunting in all the right ways, though the pacing lags slightly in the middle. Still, a standout debut that lingers long after the final page.

What the heck did I just read? In the best way possible.
This book follows twin sisters who were separated after their mom dies young. One grows up to be a glamorous influencer with a seemingly perfect life. The other gets stuck with a scam artist aunt and struggles through a much rougher upbringing. Out of nowhere, Chloe, the influencer twin, reappears—then turns up dead. Julie, the twin with the harder life, steps into her sister’s identity. Yep, she actually does it.

What starts as pretending quickly spirals into something much darker. Julie gets pulled into Chloe’s elite world full of secrets, anxiety, extortion, and a creepy influencer cult called Belladonna. Everything looks shiny on the outside but is seriously messed up underneath.
Would you take over your dead twin’s life for a taste of the good life? After reading this, I wouldn’t.
The pacing was fantastic. Tense, fast, and full of twists. But do not read this while eating once she gets to the island. You’ll know the part when you hit it. 🤢


If you like thrillers with influencer drama, culty rich people vibes, and a main character making all the wrong choices for all the right reasons, definitely check this one out.

This was a fun fast paced suspenseful read. After finding her twin dead Julie does what anyone would do assumes her identity. I completely agreed with Julie’s decision and couldn’t wait to see every consequence there after. After a while I had an idea who may be Chloe’s killer I was not expecting the reasons why or how it unfolded. The last chapter felt sort of rushed

This was such a wickedly fun thriller - unhinged & darkly comedic, I flew through this one. Extra thanks to the short chapters for that. 🫶🏻

My only complaint is the direction it went in the ending was not my favorite and I felt it wrapped up a bit too neatly BUT given how much fun I had leading up to it, I’m still recommending it.
I’m sure other people will vibe with the ending, particularly if you like Bunny by Mona Awad (at least from what I’ve heard)

Anyways, y’all go give this debut some love! Can’t wait to see what Zhang does next!

Don't let the cute cover deceive you. This book is wild. It started off so great - it felt similar to Yellowface. I had heard that comparison going into it and I saw it, too. Then it started to feel a little like Nine Perfect Strangers, another book I enjoyed! Then things got pretty weird. I love weird books, but this one was also kind of gross. I still enjoyed it. I think I'd go so far as to say I recommend it! But I warned you about the gross part. :)

I hope Liann Zhang keeps writing. I want to see what's next.

Julie Chan is Dead is a mystery/thriller about a woman who takes the identity of her twin sister after she dies. Julie is struggling to make ends meet in her twenties. Her identical twin, Chloe, was adopted by a wealthy white family in New York City when she was young. Chloe is now living an enviable life as an influencer.
Though they are rarely in contact, Julie receives an ominous sounding call from Chloe. Julie decides to drop everything and travel to Chloe to make sure she is okay. There she finds Chloe has died. Instead of reporting her death, she pretends that Julie is the twin who has died, not Chloe. She decides to take on Chloe’s persona and life, figuring she will have access to a better life if she does so. She also wants to escape her miserable, conniving aunt who raised her.
Julie swiftly takes on her sister’s persona and falls in with the inner circle of influencers that catapulted Chloe’s Insta-fame. The story drew me in and I kept turning pages. It goes a little deeper than the barrage of influencer mysteries that have flooded the market, at times reflecting on class and race. It gets a little weird, but I wish it got weirder! Overall, an intriguing and fun mystery that is a perfect beach read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This book was absolutely wild and unrealistic... but in the BEST way. I thoroughly enjoyed Julie Chan Is Dead and gave it 4 stars. It follows the story of Julie, whose life... honestly sucks. She was sent to live with her abusive aunt while her twin sister was adopted by a rich, white, upper class family after their parents died. Her sister, Chloe, is a famous influencer, and after finding her dead in her apartment, Julie decides to steal her life.

The writing style and prose of this book was very engaging and humorous. It caught my attention right from the start and held it all the way to the end. While the "who did it" aspect of the story was predictable, the journey that Julie takes to uncover the truth is wild. There were a couple times that my jaw dropped in disbelief or disgust, but in a good way? It was almost like a car crash... you don't want to look but you can't look away.

Liann Zhang also approached topics such as classism and racism in this book that are very prevalent in today's day and age with technology and influencers. None of the characters in this book were particularly likable, but I think that added to the commentary on influencer culture and how some people are inherently set up to be more successful on social media than others.

There were definitely some moments where I thought the plot didn't make sense (such as why Julie picked up her old phone to talk to her aunt even though she was supposed to be dead? So many problems could've been avoided if she ignored her aunt's original calls?). There were also some pretty far fetched and nonsensical moments, especially on the island. But, the story was very entertaining and in stories like this, you have to suspend some aspects of reality to enjoy the thriller and suspense part.

Overall, I would recommend this book!!

Julie Chan is envious of her twin sister’s life. Chloe has everything that she wants and lives the life of a glamorous influencer, so when the opportunity arises for Julie to slip into that life, she takes it. This thriller is fun, if a bit unhinged. The behind-the-scenes trope of the internet celebrity lifestyle is entertaining, and you can see the author’s past as a beauty content creator used to full effect.

I love books about influencers and this one was really fun. I loved the concept of Julie stealing her twins life and then learning more and more about her sister. It was really fun and I loved the mystery and loved the island and other influencers she interacted with.

Thank you Atria for the ARC! This was such a unique book in so many ways, and I was definitely hooked from the first page. The plot was intriguing and made me want to find out what happened next. I did end up giving this a lower rating simply because the second half got a bit too dark for me. That particularly part of the storyline, while executed very well, just wasn't for me personally. However, overall this was a really solid debut thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely devoured this book oh my goodness gracious. I love all the pop culture references, the subtle digs at certain influencers and cancel culture, and how Zhang had the ability to dive into the supernatural but chose not to. The writing style is what brought this book from a 4 star read to a 5 star, as the use of punctuation, contractions, and tonal shifts. [ When Julie is on the trip and fully starts "feeling" like a Belladonna, Zhang's writing style completely changes. The narrative we get from Julie is no longer a stream of consciousness with the hyperawareness we're used to seeing, but an eerily calm, completely dulled thought process with no true feeling behind it. (hide spoiler)]

Liann Zhang is a genius when it comes to using literature to alter the way we interact with stories and using small details to make an entire plot change.