Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this book. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

In this book Julie Chan is the twin sister to influencer Chloe. Julie was adopted by her aunt while Chloe was raised by a wealthy family. Julie is called by her sister Chloe one day after work and Chloe sounds out of breath and keeps talking about a mistake and ends the call. After Julie doesn’t hear from Chloe she goes to New York to her apartment and is instantly mistaken for her twin Chloe. Julie arrives to the apartment and finds Chloe dead and decides to steal her life since it was so easy for people to mistake her for Chloe and gets caught up with being an influencer. Julie as Chloe is invited to Bella Marie’s family island where she and other female influencers are involved in this cult where they sacrifice something big to get what they want. As well as doing some pretty disturbing things in order to get what they want. Julie is found out about not being Chloe and she finds out that Bella Marie killed Chloe because she wanted to tell the truth about the cult. Julie gives the girls a sleeping gummy and ends up putting them all on fire except for one who miscarried on the island and the other had been kidnapped and placed somewhere else after seeing the others being cult-y. Julie is arrested and decides to tell her story on a livestream days before her trial.

Julie Chan is Dead was a miss for me. I felt like there were a lot of bitter feelings and then a lot of cultlike storylines that didn't quite get resolved. There are times the plot could've gone somewhere but then it faded. The ending seemed too clean and wrapped in bow and very unlikely.

Sharp, witty, and mysterious—this one surprised me with its emotional depth beneath the satire. While the title sets up for shock value, the novel delivers thoughtful commentary on fame, identity, and grief. The pacing was a little uneven, but I couldn’t put it down. A smart, strange, and satisfying read.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book - I was so excited to review it!

This book felt like 3 different stories all in one: Julie’s life before Chloe’s death, her life as an influencer after assuming her twin’s identity, and that CRAZY shenanigans that went on all around that private island. I found every character to be very unlikeable, but was ultimately interested in how everything would play out. The beginning of the book had slow pacing and the writing felt clunky as the story was getting started, BUT it really picked up about halfway through the story and I couldn’t put it down near the end. With a little more editing in the beginning, this could have been a 4-star read, but it took a little too long to really get into the story. The back 1/3 of the book was the best.

If you are a fan of mean girl antics, and misbehaved social media influencers then this book is for you! Overall this read more like a screenplay and I think this would play out very well in a limited series format.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4⭐️
JULIE CHAN IS DEAD
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: thriller/mystery
📖 320 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🤫🤳🏼📸🌆🚔😱💊📱🚲📔🏝️🛩️🐁🔥
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 4/29/2025

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ influencers
◽️ cults

💛𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲💛

Thank you @simon.audio @netgalley @librofm @atriabooks for the #gifted copy!

This is an absolute knockout of a debut—fast-paced, sharply entertaining, & instantly immersive. From the first chapter, the plot hooks you in with its biting commentary on influencer culture & the intoxicating power of social media. Zhang doesn’t just skim the surface; she dives deep into the pressure, performance, & addiction to validation that drives so much of the online world.

Set against a backdrop of private jets, mysterious islands, & curated perfection, the story delivers both suspense & satire, wrapped in cultish vibes & comic relief. The characters are exaggerated just enough to feel both ridiculous & all too real, & the audio version takes it to another level. The narrator’s ability to switch voices added so much personality & clarity—I laughed, I cringed, & I couldn’t stop listening. Highly recommend this for anyone who loves a smart, stylish mystery with a razor-sharp edge!

𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier, is pulled into the glamorous world of her estranged twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a famous influencer who’s found dead under suspicious circumstances. Seizing the opportunity, Julie steps into Chloe’s shoes & begins living her luxurious life of fame, followers, & flawless filters. At first, the transformation is seamless—but the picture-perfect life quickly starts to crack.
During a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s inner circle of influencer friends, Julie struggles to keep up the charade while feeling increasingly out of place. As secrets unravel & danger closes in, Julie must confront the truth about Chloe’s death—before she becomes the next victim.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Liann Zhang for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Julie Chan Is Dead coming out April 29, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received this directly from NetGalley. I thought the summary sounded really interesting. I’m not sure about the execution though. It started off really well and I enjoyed it, but I think it became a little too unhinged for me. There was a lot going on and I wasn’t as into it as the beginning. I would check out other books by this author though. I really enjoy Asian stories.

Book review 📖

📜Julie Chan Is Dead
✍️Liann Zhang
📠Atria Books
📚Mystery/Thriller Fiction/Satire
🗓️Pub date: April 29, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Thank you @NetGalley and @atriabooks @atriathrillers for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to @theliannz for keeping me up way too late, giggling myself into crying fits. Julie Chan is everything!

✨Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier, is nothing like her twin sister, Chloe—moreso now since she’s the only one of the two with a pulse. Separated at a young age, the twins rarely spoke with one another. Only when Chloe becomes a mega influencer and has something to gain from the public eye does she show Julie any amount of attention. So when Chloe ends up dead from mysterious circumstances and Julie is the one to find her, the wheels start turning in motion.

✨Pretending to be Chloe is easy. After all, it’s not everyday you can slip into designer clothes, have a meticulous skincare routine, millions of followers on social media, and PR boxes galore at your doorstep.

✨On a weeklong island trip with Chloe’s influencer friends, Julie soon realizes that behind Chloe’s perfect façade was anything but, and realizes the dangers that lie in the dark. As an event spirals out of control, Julie is caught in the cross-hairs and fears her life may be next.

✨In the likes of R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface and Jesse Q. Sutanto’s You Will Never Be Me, Julie Chan is Dead is satirically sharp and witty, and I will be singing this book’s praises from the rooftop of Chloe Van Huusen’s NYC highrise! From laugh-out-loud scenes and one-liners, to the accuracy of the cut-throat and catty social media world, this book couldn’t be more down-to-earth and just REAL. The ending took a crazy and unexpected turn, but nods to the absurdity of Julie’s newfound life.
This book is a new favorite of mine!
ALL.THE.DAMN.STARS!

#netgalley #juliechanisdead #liannzhang #atriabooks #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookreview #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #springreleases #thrillerfiction #readthisnow #debutauthor

Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier, steps into her dead twin sister Chloe's life as a famous influencer after finding her body under mysterious circumstances. She starts posting as the influencer but discovers her sister's seemingly perfect world was hiding dark secrets. During an island retreat she uncovers sinister forces behind her sister's death and realizes she might be the next target.

Thank you @atriabooks for the arc!

One thing I absolutely love in books is satire, and this was SO much fun! There isn't one dull moment in all 320 pages. I had an inkling something wild was coming, but I never could have predicted where that ending would go.
It shows all sides of the coin: the media consumers, the bts influencer lifestyle, and the massive egos that often develop.

It's thought-provoking, completely unhinged, and wildly entertaining. It blends thriller elements with sharp satire of influencer culture, constantly wondering how far someone would go to get everything they’ve ever wanted.

Julie Chan is alive; then she’s not. Kind of. In “Julie Chan Is Dead” (Atria Books, $28.99), Liann Zhang serves up influencer culture with a twist of doppelgänger drama, a splash of social satire and a full-blown shot of unhinged chaos. When Julie finds her estranged (and very famous) twin sister dead in a luxury apartment, she does what any cash-strapped supermarket cashier might do: steals her identity, skin care routine and 1.2 million followers.

What follows is a dizzying descent into #glamlife hell, complete with cultish retreats, murdery besties and ghosted brand deals — literally. Think “Yellowface” meets “The Talented Mr. Ripley” in a ring light. Zhang’s debut is biting, bonkers and just self-aware enough to make you laugh while you’re cringing. It’s not always tidy, but that’s kind of the point. Virality is messy, and so is grief. Consider this the ultimate anti-influencer beach read. Bring SPF. And maybe sage.

Wow what a story.... and unfortunately, not in a good way. The first half of the book was actually very interesting. Julie has always been living a vastly different life then her twin Chloe. The girls were separated at a young age after her parents were killed and Chloe got adopted to a wealthy family and becomes an influencer. Julie, on the other hand, is raised by her aunt and struggles to survive. When Julie receives a garbled phone call from Chloe she goes to check on her and finds her dead. Seeing an opportunity Julie decides to take over Chloe's life. This is the point where the book turns and becomes an almost different book altogether. I don't want to give anything away but the rest of the book is filled with the unbelievable and incredibly disturbing. I honestly feel like there should be more of a warning as well for the second half of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

Julie Chan is a twin who was separated from her sister Chloe, when their parents died in an accident as young children. Julie is raised by her Aunt and Chloe was adopted by a couple with money giving her a very different upbringing than Julie’s lonely struggling life. Her Aunt only wants to collect a check for keeping Julie. Chloe is a popular influencer, and contacts Chloe later in life to make a video on meeting her and buying her a house. After she makes the video which gains millions of views, she stops contact with Julie. This eats at Julie who has always missed her sister, and she realizes all Chloe wanted to do was exploit her. One day she receives a phone call that says she’s with heavy breathing and then hangs up. Julie tries to text and call with no response, so she goes to Chloe’s home only to find her unalive. She calls the police and quickly gets caught up in the lie of them thinking she is Chloe. Instead of correcting them, she believes this could be her way of living the life she has always wanted and takes on her identity. She has an agent who contacts her (through Chloe’s phone which she can unlock with her identical face), to make sure she is going to a high profile event with the Belladonna’s, a group of seven high profile influencers, and because she doesn’t want to raise suspicions she agrees.

Because they are identical twins, everyone thinking she is Chloe is realistic, but as I’m reading this, I’m thinking how can she pull off the personality? She should know all these people right? Thankfully this book was well thought out and every unbelievable idea is backed with a realistic explanation. Julie is able to use grief of losing her sister for her forgetfulness and sadder state than usual when someone confesses that they think she has changed. Also because everyone is an influencer, she is able to go through everyone’s accounts and quickly learn things about them since they share everything.

The Belladonna’s also seem to go dark on social media once a year for a week. It’s a top secret retreat that they can never share anything about. Phones are not allowed. Julie is in the dark on what goes on here, but Chloe has been for the past five years, so she has to act like she knows what’s going on. This is where the story gets really strange with occult behavior on a private island in the middle of nowhere.
Like I said, the whole story was well thought out. Anytime I questioned something, it has an explanation.

This book has mystery, thrills, and even horror once they arrive on the island. This is perfect for those of you who like to read books about the occultist elite with bizarre circumstances, fans of the show YellowJackets, and fans of the book Bunny by Mona Awad (although don’t get confused… these books are not the same, only the circle of occultist girls and the bizarre within the group are).

What a WILD ride this book is and I loved every bit of it! For a debut thriller novel, I must say I am very impressed by Liann Zhang! I could not put this book down... Finished in 5 WORKING days which is something I haven't been able to do for a while now but I could not stop reading just to figure out WHAT IS GOING OOONNNNNN!?!? I love cult-ish stories so cult and a beach getaway.... Sign me up! Also dives into the dark side of social media where people are pushed to extremes such as stealing your own dead sisters identity... what could go wrong... only one way to find out... READ THIS !!!

Thank you to the publishers at Atria Books and NetGalley for the e-arc!!! :)

If you’re looking for a fast, unputdownable thriller with a sharp edge and a twisted sense of humor, Julie Chan Is Dead needs to be on your radar. Julie Chan Is Dead is Zhang’s debut thriller, and wow—what a debut It’s witty, dark, and fast-paced, giving readers a backseat view into the wild world of influencer culture.

Julie Chan is a supermarket cashier stuck in a boring, unsatisfying life. Her identical twin, Chloe VanHuusen, lives a completely different existence as a glamorous, successful influencer. The two were separated at a young age after their parents died in a tragic accident. Their aunt—a ruthless and uncaring woman—could only take one child and chose Julie. Chloe was adopted by a wealthy white couple, mostly for optics, as they wanted to appear non-racist by adopting a Chinese child.

The twins met only once, during a cringey “Buying My Long-Lost Twin a House” video Chloe made for views. But then Julie gets a strange, cryptic call from Chloe. When she notices her sister has gone completely silent on social media, she gets a weird feeling and decides to check on her. She finds Chloe’s body—and what follows is a wild ride that ends with Julie stepping into her sister’s life.

You’d think impersonating your identical twin wouldn’t be that hard, but Julie has to research Chloe’s mannerisms, speech, and even her social circles to pull it off. The people closest to Chloe (and Julie) are the biggest threat—they know her too well.

Then Julie gets an invite from Bella, one of Chloe’s influencer friends, for a girls’ trip. She’s equal parts excited and anxious—she has no idea what kind of relationships Chloe had with these people. And even stranger, no one seems too concerned about Chloe’s absence, not even her adoptive parents. What secrets was Chloe hiding?

And then the trip happens. This section of the book takes a wild, dark turn. I won’t spoil it, but once I figured out what was going on, I was hooked. It was unexpected, intense, and totally entertaining. There were even moments that made me laugh—though I do have a pretty dark sense of humor.

Overall, this book was a fast, entertaining read. It’s the perfect quick summer thriller (though honestly, it would also be great for spooky season). I still can’t believe this is a debut. Zhang offers a fresh, sharp take on influencer culture, and I absolutely devoured this book. The characters worked, the plot kept me flipping pages, and the second half—especially the island setting—was totally unhinged in the best way. This debut takes influencer culture, identity swaps, and sisterhood to a whole new level of wild.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me a chance to read this fresh and wild eARC.

This was a wild ride of a thriller novel that is an effective satire of influencer culture, racism, privilege, and the need for fame. I always love a soapy tale about influencers behaving badly, and JULIE CHAN IS DEAD did that and took it to levels I didn't expect. And while it went to really outlandish places, even when it went REALLY crazy I was still fully into it because Zhang always has a bit of a wink and a nudge in this story, with Julie Chan being both a bit unlikable while also being sympathetic. This was a fun and at times crazy read, and it will be the perfect summer poolside read that will keep you guessing.

3.5 stars

Julie and her identical twin, Chloe, were separated when they were preschool age after their parents died in a car accident. Julie went to live with her aunt and was constantly put down while Chloe was adopted by a rich white family and seemed to be given every advantage in life. Now a supermarket cashier, Julie is constantly recognized either as her twin or from the viral video Chloe made when she gifted Julie a house. Aside from their short time together during the video, the two don't speak. When Julie receives a strange call from Chloe, she tracks her down only to be greeted by her dead body. Julie finds herself stepping into Chloe's life and trying to piece together the parts that she should know as her sister. On a trip to a remote island with Chloe's group of influencer friends, Julie learns that Chloe's success may have come at a high price and needs to decide if she's willing to pay.

The best way to describe this book is F'D UP! Julie's life is a mess - she was emotionally abused by her aunt and is frequently obsessing over her sister's better fortune. She was a very unlikeable character in the beginning. I'm not sure if she grew on me and/or starting redeeming herself or if the others were just such much more awful that I started to like her better. Julie switching lives was the necessary crazy plot point for the story to happen, but it wouldn't even place in a competition for the most messed up thing to happen in the book! It is fairly slow until the girls get to the island for their remote retreat. After that, things start unraveling quickly and you should clear some time on your schedule to finish it.

The first half was interesting and had me wanting more . The second half I did not love and did not seem very believable .
Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off in a very intriguing way, and just became more twisted the longer it went, to the point of bizarre. It's a good suspense, but also feels like possibly a parody on social media influencers and their followers. It's definitely quite a different take on things and I appreciated the originality.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fun thriller that got more than a little bit unhinged towards the end. I love a thriller about stolen identity, so this was a very juicy premise--the less fortunate twin stealing her famous influencer sister's identity. I was really engaged in the story for the first half, and it was easy to see how stepping into her twin's life was so inviting for Julie. But once she gets more involved with a group of ultra successful influencers called the Belladonnas, things went a bit off the rails for me.

This book is about our obsession with social media. It shines a glaring spotlight on those living their lives almost entirely online and those who blindly follow them. The book has extremely dark undertones, which get even darker as the book goes along. Julie starts out as a likable, relatable character, but eventually, the character goes totally off the rails and is no longer either. Thus, in the end, there is no one to really root for. The book works well as a cautionary tale about the dangers of social media and of being obsessed with the online world over the real world. However, if you are more interested in a lighthearted, fun, happy read than a morality lesson, you may prefer reading something else.

I was hanging with this one during the first half of it (though I wouldn't say I loved it), but oh boy did this one fall apart in the second half. It was so far-fetched and outlandish in a way that I could not suspend disbelief and get on board with. And the ending.......oof is about all I can say.