First half of the book was entertaining/lightish (as light as a thriller could be) but then the second half just got dark. I didn't dislike it, just a warning to others. All in all a good read and one I'd read again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the published for an ARC of Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang. The premise of this book was much better than the execution. I was drawn to the influencer murder/twin impersonation description, but what I got was that plus an additional weird element that I won't describe here to avoid spoilers. The biggest problem I had with Julie Chan is Dead is that the author clearly disdains almost all of her characters. Besides one side character that has a couple redeeming qualities, the rest of the bunch (including the protagonist) are portrayed as vain, vapid, and extremely greedy. I know influencers don't have a great collective reputation; however, the author seems to wholly despise the entire industry. It's hard for me to enjoy a book when the characters are written by someone who hates them.

I was entertained through some of the story, and I did finish the book. I just wanted so much more from the story and needed someone to connect with to give it a higher rating.

I loved the first half and it was so good and witty. Super clever and fast paced. However the second half really took me out, because at that point I had some difficulty seeing where Julie’s head and mindset was at. Suspension of disbelief became increasingly difficult. Maybe it just wasn’t what I expected, and it felt almost like two different books. 5 stars first half, 2 stars second half?

OKAY FUN FACT, i’ve been following this book since zhang posted about it on the pubtips subreddit. i’m not usually a thriller gworl but i was so excited for this one & its concept i could not help it. influencer commentary books are hit or miss for me but smth about this one was so NYOMMY like i’m obsessed. this is exactly the kind of book i want every time i open a thriller: a page turner that keeps you on the edge of yr seat wanting to know the answers to the questions posed, with NO pause to be bored. oh liann zhang u ate this one up so bad

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Julie Chan Is Dead.

First, I'm not on social media and I despise influencers. I can't stand that word.

But the premise sounded mysterious minus the standard cliche.

The MC, Julie Chan, is a nobody. A loser stuck in a loser job, no friends, no social life, no ambition, and no future.

Unlike her more interesting twin sister, Chloe, who had it all. HAD. Now she's dead but Julie is alive. It's obvious what's going to happen next.

If you can suspend disbelief, and I mean REALLY suspend disbelief, the narrative is enjoyable, at least the first half where Julie learns what it takes to be her sister.

I did learn a lot about stats, data, sponsorships, ad revenue, and my mind is still whirling. The amount of $$ influencers can make is mind boggling. That's hard to suspend disbelief for even though its real.

Then, the narrative makes a random detour into Albuquerque and the tone becomes woo-woo cult horror I wasn't prepared for.

If the setup had hinted in this direction, that this was going to turn into Midsommar or Ready or Not, then I would have accepted it or suspend disbelief in this area.

The writing was good; I liked the tone and writing style and the first half of the narrative kept me engaged.

My attention waned once they arrived at the island.

I didn't like anyone except Iz. I wanted to like Julie but I didn't; maybe I'm not supposed to.

I understand she had a difficult childhood; no love, support or understanding so she lacks confidence and healthy self-esteem.

When she steps into her sister's shoes, she's easily seduced by the love and support from 'her' fans but also notes how none of these people are her 'real' friends.

I thought this was a more straight-forward thriller/mystery, Julie figuring out who killed her sister so the cult aspect was unusual.

It wasn't terrible, but I wasn't a fan.

Liann Zhang is an author to watch this year, bringing a lot of frothy fun to our book stacks with her debut thriller exploring the darker secrets of influencer culture.

Julie and Chloe are identical twin sisters whose lives veered into very different paths after their parents tragically died in a car accident. Julie is sent to her penny-pinching aunt and is unhappily working a minimum-wage job at a supermarket. Chloe is adopted by a wealthy white family and has become an influencer with a rabid following. These estranged sisters only interact when Chloe uses Julie's unfortunate life for a video, gifting her sister a house, when she realizes philanthropic work is trending, and her sponsorships could be lucrative.

Despite their complicated relationship, Julie can't help but answer the phone when Chloe reaches out in a bewildering call that indicates she could be in trouble. Trouble is putting it mildly because Julie finds her sister's cold, dead body in her high-rise apartment with few clues as to what could have happened. When confusion ensues on the case, and the cops believe it is Julie who has died and not the infamous Chloe, she decides this could be reparations for all her life's hardships. She swiftly takes over her sister's world in a classic con story moment filled with fun revelations on what it would be like to suddenly be inundated with love and scrutiny by your fandom.

But the second half develops into an unusual influencer excursion on a private island where she uncovers dark secrets about what it took for her sister to rise on the influencer food chain. Zhang takes the reader on surprisingly diabolical and sometimes grotesque turns as a cult horror subplot develops, reaching a fevered pace until the story's final page. Readers should be prepared for Bunny meets Yellowface as these two halves of the puzzle come together in sometimes farfetched ways that still offer sharp commentary on race, class, and privilege. I enjoyed this story immensely.

"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