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A wild and complex debut. A look into the darkest of the darkest side of social media influencers.

What. A. Book. Julie Chen is Dead is a heart pounding crazy story of Julie who takes over the life of her dead twin sister Chloe. She is immediately accepted into the posh world of the social media influencers called the Belladonnas led by Bella Marie. With each video posted Julie’s world becomes more and more driven by each like, each reaction, each comment.

But then she’s invited to a private island hosted by Bella and her minions. Insanity ensues. The second half of the book is wild and somewhat far fetched but wow is this a stunning debut.

I’m sure I’m not the first to say it, but when I first heard of this book I related it a lot to by R F Kuang and it had a very similar read to it the first half of the book. That being said, Julie has it a lot harder than June from yellowface as she wasn’t just stealing her twins work but also her identity altogether. Because of that she faced a lot more challenges with not only the fans but also her “friends” and acquaintances.

The second half of the book is where things got darker and was a very different and more eerie vibe. To be honest, the reason it took me a while to write a review is because I had to go back and re-read parts. When I first read it, I was so intrigued to find out the ending I think parts of it went over my head. Now that I have more of an understanding, I can say I enjoyed seeing how Julie handled situations as an outsider being thrown into her sisters world.

This was a thrill to read from start to finish.

While it reminded me of “Yellowface” for most of the story, it took a darker turn toward the end that felt more like “youthjuice”.

The writing and pace conveyed all of the bundled emotions of imposter syndrome and the lengths a person is willing to go for validation and inclusion.

Great debut!

In her razor-sharp debut thriller, Liann Zhang presents a gripping tale of identity and deception in "Julie Chan Is Dead." The story follows Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier who discovers the lifeless body of her estranged twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a successful social media influencer. Seizing the opportunity to escape her mundane life, Julie steps into Chloe’s shoes, effortlessly adopting her sister’s glamorous lifestyle. However, as Julie navigates Chloe’s world of luxury and influence, she uncovers dark secrets lurking behind the curated perfection. During a high-stakes island retreat with Chloe’s influencer circle, Julie is thrust into a web of intrigue and danger, uncovering the sinister forces that may have led to Chloe’s untimely death—and realizing she could be the next target.

"Julie Chan Is Dead" is an absolutely riveting blend of thriller and dark comedy that kept me glued to the pages. The mystery surrounding Chloe's life and death was both gripping and deeply immersive, reminiscent of the excitement I felt reading "Finlay Donovan." The first half of the book captivated me with its intriguing exploration of identity and the dark underbelly of influencer culture. The second half, set on an exotic island, escalated into a more surreal and extravagant adventure that was thoroughly entertaining. If you're seeking a novel that's unique, sharp, and engaging, I highly recommend this irresistible page-turner that offers a thrilling journey into a world where nothing is quite as it appears.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have so many words for this and it is all good. I went into this thinking it would be like Yellowface and instead of Liann just leaning into that she took a story we've seen before and made it entirely her own. The twists of this book were so gripping and you feel just so CONFLICTED throughout it. This does turn into a horror novel which I didn't expect and I loved that. The level of surprise in this is so well done. As you become more enthralled with Julie you start to see things turn but you're in so deep that I didn't even realize what was happening! The critiques on modern influencer culture, especially white rich women (hello NYC influencer scandal happening right as I was reading this) was incredibly grounded.

I think I liked the ending the best contrary to what many people say. It made total sense and I ate it up. This is an insanely amazing debut novel and is a must read!!!

f you like culty, bat shit off the rails crazy, twisted, and horror, this is for you. 🙀

Twins Julie and Chloe are separated after the death of their parents. Julie goes to live with a bitter aunt while Chloe gets adopted by a rich white family. They both go many years without contact, until one day Chloe shows up at Julie's work (a cashier) recording her "reunion" with her long-lost sister. Chloe is a social media influencer who decides to use her life story about her twin sister to gain more followers. Julie is gifted a home and "change of life" by Julie. All contact stops once the socials start climbing for Chloe until one day, Julie receives a very weird call from chloe, and chole disappears. Concerned Julie decides to go check in on Chloe in New York, arriving at her apartment to find Chloe dead.

I enjoyed the first half of the book. Mysterious and lots of character build, funny. The second half however went completely left field! 😳
Over-the-top top, repetitive, creepy, not what I predicting at all. Overall, it was entertaining, but not my cup of tea.

Thank you, Netgalley, for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars.*

I'd seen this title on a few lists of new releases not to miss and was excited to see it as an offering on NetGalley.

It is the first book by Liann Zhang that I have read and I enjoyed her voice and the very of-the-moment story.

Julie Chan is one of a set of twins who were separated when their parents died in an accident. Julie was taken in (reluctantly) by her aunt and Chloe was adopted by the uber wealthy, caucasian VanHuusen family. Rumor has it that the VanHuusen's only adopted an asian child to compensate for racist comments they made that were leaked to the press.

Chloe grows up to become a famous influencer and Julie struggles to make ends meet working at a grocery store. Chloe reaches out to Julie and films a segment where she gives Julie a home and gives her hope of a connection. But that doesn't happen. It was clearly all for views. When Chloe calls and leaves a panicky crypic message, Julie decides to go to her apartment to find out what is going on. She finds Chloe dead and rather than go back to her sad life, she decides to pass off the dead body as herself and take over Chloe's life.

It is a strange but clever tale. I hated almost all of the characters, but really liked the plot and enjoyed the ride!

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Overall it’s a great mystery and thriller that kept me interested. I thought the influencer aspect was a nice modern touch, although at times it gave more detail than I was expecting. I understood Julie’s motivation to find her twin’s killer and to take over her life to escape hers completely, I thought the author did a great job painting that picture for the reader. I did not expect the ending, which means I was not able to guess the complete ending, besides her real identity being discovered by everyone else. Also Isla turning on her in the end was ice cold haha, Julie saved her life basically! Although in real life I could see how someone might go that route selfishly. .

This is one of the BEST thrillers I've read in a long time. This debut novel by the author is brilliantly written with wit, grit and lots of plot twists. When the estranged identical twin assumes the identity of her dead twin her life is thrust into the spotlight and into possible danger. She unveils countless secrets her twin had been hiding and get to the bottom of the mystery.

I thought the premise and plot were very entertaining along with it's dialogue with influencer culture. There were times when the plot lacked an overall direction but the ending satisfied my qualms. Good read.

In one word: WOW. This story was captivating! Wishing for Part 2 because WHAT HAPPENS TO JULIE?! And Eto?!! Thank you so much for putting this on my radar, I’d give it more than 5⭐️ if I could,

A novel that toys with the lines of mystery and horror delving into the world of social media influencers and what they will do for views and followers!

This book started as a mystery but then started to turn into a cult horror novel and back to mystery over and over. I was uncomfortable, didn't know what was going to happen, and I loved it!

Thank you to Atria books for the eARC

Online review will be posted in April (closer to release day)
TikTok.com/@toober26

Julie Chan is Dead is such a fun, fast-paced ride—I couldn’t put it down! It had major Get Out vibes, with sharp social commentary wrapped in a gripping, twisty plot. The story moves at lightning speed and keeps you totally hooked the whole way through. It’s clever, engaging, and just the right amount of creepy. If you’re looking for a book that’ll pull you in and not let go, this one’s a must-read!

One of the worst books I've ever read. Wow. How can this even be published? The ending is... INSANE. Not in a good way. Who approved this book????

This is a high concept thriller in which identical twins separated in childhood lead different lives, one taken in by a cruel and greedy aunt, the other adopted by a wealthy white couple. Predictably, they change places. The downtrodden twin takes the place of the wealthy one, who has become a popular influencer, learning that life isn’t so great after all. Plus, she’s sucked into a weird, murderous cult. I did like the fact that the protagonist was morally ambiguous, but I found it hard to like her enough to really feel for her situation.

This could have leaned into its critique of influencer culture, but it went the route of becoming more or less horror. The critique is there but takes a back seat to action and high drama. Subtle it is not. It will probably be a huge hit even though it was decidedly not for me.

I loved this!

It starts off innocuously enough. You have the dynamic between ordinary girl and her super-famous influencer sister, but it seriously unravels into absolute bonkers craziness!

Think your pretty-people teen angst filled drama turns into Bunny or Rouge by Mona Awad and you've got the picture. It all starts so innocently lol!

The book is a lot of fun, but does get very surreal about halfway through. Suddenly, you have no idea what's really happening, but you're munching your popcorn and rooting for our MC.

I enjoyed every page of this one!

*ARC via Publisher

Super fast paced. Just the right amount of funny mixed in with my thriller. Seeing the “inside” of influencers even just in this telling was crazy. The lengths they go too. The mean girl antics and just the diabolical way Julie jumped into her sisters “skin” .. SO GOOD. This book had me from the beginning I absolutely loved it!

Thank you to Atria Books for the advance digital copy of JULIE CHAN IS DEAD in exchange for my honest feedback. There is a lot to like about Liann Zhang’s buzzy, debut novel. There’s hilarious, insightful (and unfortunately spot-on) observations about social media and influencers, as well as crazy cult vibes that I think readers will eat right up #YoullSeeWhatIDidThere.

Ahem. There’s also a highly disturbing scene with a baby rodent that I won’t get into. I was grossed out, but I know others will be genuinely upset by it, so check trigger warnings before reading that section!

Julie Chan is an identical twin who was separated from her sister when they were young. Chloe was adopted by an affluent family while Julie was brought up by her wicked aunt. Chloe goes on to be an ultra-famous influencer with millions of followers; Julie works at a dead-end job and struggles to find contentment. When Julie receives an alarming and cryptic phone call from her estranged twin, she goes to Chloe’s apartment, only to find her dead. Julie, a quick thinker, takes advantage of the situation and “becomes” Chloe, only to find that her sibling’s life wasn’t as picture perfect as it looked on Instagram (or YouTube or TikTok).

While I enjoyed JULIE CHAN IS DEAD, I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. The “Belladonnas” all blended together for me, and this limited my enjoyment of the second half of the book because I didn’t really care what happened to them. I wish there would have been more background and more substance to their characters and their relationships with Chloe/Julie. Even the wicked aunt could have been fleshed out more.

JULIE CHAN IS DEAD is giving Yellowface/Nine Perfect Strangers vibes. I predict it will be popular - how could it not, with such relevant subject matter? - and I can’t wait to see what Liann Zhang comes up with next.

I've seen this compared to Yellowface, but this book is WAY more disturbing, half thriller and half horror novel. A mix of White Lotus (actually referenced in the book), Blink Twice and a bit of Yellowjackets.

This is a really solid debut, a story about terrible people who do terrible things and to whom terrible things happen. It's an unhinged story with a crazy plot, better enjoyed if you just relax and let the author take you wherever she wants (but do beware of the trigger warnings, there's some truly messed up stuff).