Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang completely blew my mind! Julie stepping into her sister Chloe’s influencer-perfect life after her death was such a bold, messy move, and I couldn’t stop rooting for her even when things spiraled out of control. The tension and twists made my heart race, and I loved how it explored the darker sides of fame and family.

This book had me hooked from the start with its juicy drama and shocking reveals. If you’re into thrillers with complicated characters and a story that keeps you guessing, you’ll love this one. I couldn’t put it down—it’s one of those reads that stays with you long after you’re done. ★★★★☆

This was a damn roller coaster!

I loved all of it! I’m a huge fan of cult horror or suspense and this one is top tier. Nothing was over the top, it felt like everything flowed well and honestly, that ending was perfect- I had a feeling it was going to end similar to that.

10/10

4.5 stars rounded up. This was my dream love child of 'Bunny' and 'Yellowface'. I was gripped from the start, and enjoyed all of the twists and turns. I love books that spiral wildly out of control.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

If you had a twin who was a mega influencer and you had the opportunity to take over her life after her death, would you? I would! This was a sparkling debut that has an over the top, satirical take on the influencer world and how desensitized we’ve become to the perfect cookie cutter world that is presented to us so readily. It was laugh out loud hilarious, eye rolling relatable and lots of fun with a major twist that I didn’t see coming.

I am obsessed with this book. The quintessential "perfect influencer life" and a twisty mystery thriller pulled me in. It definitely hit home that what you see online is just a show, a mask that hides someone real life. As the book went on there was so much suspense I couldn't put the book down. I found myself so immersed in this story I was actually losing time from being so invested. The darkness that came along with this story was just perfection for a thriller. I hope this book ends up with the praise it deserves.

The first 70% of this book was amazing; great plot, fast paced, I couldn’t read it fast enough. The last 30% lost me; it seemed like it was written by a completely different person, it became completely unhinged and I just wanted it to end. Thank you, Liann Zhang and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of ‘Julie Chan Is Dead’.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Julie Chan Is Dead actually starts out determining Julie isn’t really dead but rather her influencer sister Chloe is. That said Julie has had a rough upbringing while her golden twin was adopted by an affluent family, seeing herself killing the influencer game while Julie is a lackluster grocery store checker. The easy solution for Julie, who carries a lot of resentment for her twin, is to slip into Chloe’s life and make some money during her time as Chloe. It’s all champagne and free PR until Julie starts to get closer to Chloe’s influencer circle and realize that the life she and many others envied from afar is as cult like as it can appear to the skeptical eye.

I enjoyed the suspense and premise in this story and the rather scathing take on social media and influencers, as well as us the sheeple who follow. I thought Julie might just have enough wits about her to keep her head above water but that ending, which was fantastic, disproved it. Great book!

This book reminded me of "Yellowface," which I loved, and I devoured the first half. Then, it changed suddenly and dramatically into cult horror, which was a bit too much for me, in particular the part with the mice. Still, it is a strong read and I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys influencers, social media and dark suspense/horror. I will interested to read what Liann Zhang writes next. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Pub Date: April 29, 2025.

#JulieChanIsDead

Well this one was coo-coo-ka-kooky- choo!
First half book: 5 stars
Second half book: 3 stars

I don't want to say a lot about the 2nd half because I love to keep my reviews spoiler free.

Julie Chan is a supermarket employee who is living paycheck to paycheck and not much going on in her life. Typically, her workplace puts her in a position to have no choice but to steal from them and then threaten to fire her. She is a pitiable individual. Julie is an identical twin, she and Chloe were separated at the age of 4. After a car accident killed their parents, Julie is taken in by their greedy, rude aunt. Chloe is adopted by racist white people who are rich and will use her as an exploitation device.

Still, Julie has it worse. Due to Chloe's privilege- and also likely her extroversion- she is a successful and rich influencer. When she is found dead, Julie takes her phone (Face ID works!) and completely takes over her identity. Will she be found out? Can she infiltrate into the influencer world by studying the people Chloe is following and her DMs? Some of this is easy, and others, not so much.

This book is making a point to compare social media and influencing to being in a cult like mentality. That the collective internet thinks they know you and they don't. That all of us, to some extent, curate our identities into an online brand. In a way, I am doing it right now, by writing this review. It gives you a lot to think about. The second half will tell you how Chloe died and will unite the social media Chloe with the real world Julie. The reader will find themselves rooting for her.

Again, the second half takes a turn. It is much darker and more disturbing. If you like the themes and exploring how celebrity and wealth change people, and you like a roller coaster dark thriller, you will probably love this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for recommending this ARC to me. I am grateful that I got to be one of the first people to read this talented new debut author. Book to be published April 29, 2025

Julie’s twin sister Chloe is dead. The two women were not close, having been separated at the age of four when their parents died. Chloe was adopted by wealthy parents and raised in an upper class lifestyle while Julie went to her aunt in a lower middle class household. Her aunt didn’t really care for her. When Chloe dies unexpectedly, Julie takes over her influencer career living as her twin. Will she be able to pass herself off? Was Chloe’s death under natural circumstances or something much more sinister?

Author Liann Zhao delivers a sly, well crafted skewering of influencer culture in this clever novel. The plot is well crafted and brimming with tongue-in-cheek satire. It’s completely wild in the best way. I found the first 25% a little slow, but then the twists started and kept coming until the explosive finale. Four stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

Julie Chan is Dead is an inside look into your favorite influencers and how their lives may not be as perfect as they portray on social media. Fans of Yellowface and Nine Perfect Strangers will love this mystery about Julie and Chloe, twins separated at a young age and lived two very different lives. When Chloe dies under mysterious circumstances, Julie takes the opportunity to step into Chloe's life and live the lavish life she has always dreamed of. While Chloe's life seems perfect from the outside, what Julie doesn't expect is that it is much darker than she realizes.

I could not put this book down! If you love psychological thrillers, this one is a must read and will keep you laughing as well. I can already tell this one will be a 2025 favorite. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Total wild ride. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Basically, this woman decides to take over her dead twin sister’s influencer life, and trust me, things go from zero to crazy real quick. At first, it’s all glitz, glam, and designer clothes, but like, oh boy, the dark secrets hidden under all that sparkle? Chilling.

I loved how it totally messes with the whole influencer world we see online. It’s like, you think you know someone’s life based on social media? Well, guess again, babe. The twists were soooo good, and I was like, on the edge of my seat the whole time. The vibe is a little Black Mirror, a little White Lotus, and all kinds of twisted, so if that’s your jam, you’ll be hooked.

A few moments felt a little uneven, but honestly, the suspense was enough to keep me totally into it. Definitely worth the read if you love psychological thrillers!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I liked the first part of the book pretty much. Julie, a damaged, abused young woman slips into her famous sisters life after she finds her twin dead. Some interesting commentary on social media , influencers and racism and classism. then it goes more into horror and a type of spiritality and it became not interesting or believable to me

unexpected, incisive, and engaging—a thrilling debut exploring social media, privilege, and family. although a little heavy-handed at times, the plot was captivating, full of twists and turns, and i did not want to put the book down!
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thank you to netgalley and atria books for this ARC<3

Wow! This was such a refreshingly delicious new book that I just ate right up. I couldn’t stop sneaking peaks of it because I couldn’t wait to find out what crazy trip this story would take me on.

I really liked this book a lot, twins, mysterious deaths, taking people lives, influencers aren’t quite what they seem to be… Lots of themes explored here that are unpacked in a delectable little treat that I promise you will devour the first chance you may get.

This book was okay, I think it played off of Yellowface too much, it just had way too many similarities to it, so it felt like a copycat. I think the story was decent if it was original. Other than that the characters were good, I think the integration of social media and influencers was a good added perspective

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

A really stunning debut. I hope this book gets a few content warnings before going to print, as it gets extremely dark. It felt a bit more like horror than thriller to me, but damn can Liann Zhang write. I'll be eagerly following her career, this is a truly fantastic debut.

I just finished Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang. I thought this was a great book.It gets five stars from me.

Influencers cult’s social media Julie Chan is Dead nails them perfectly.I had so much fun reading this gem of a book.I will be recommending this perfect way to start my 2025 list.#netgalley #atria

JULIE CHAN IS DEAD
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
GENRE: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

We are all caught in the world of social media and influencers these days, but what if one day, you took over the life of a successful influencer who happened to be your dead twin? Julie Chan is Dead is the debut novel by Liann Zhang and it takes us on a wild ride on an inside look at what it means to be “a social media influencer”. However, our narrator, Julie falls into the trap of the glitz and glam of the world of rich and famous.

Initially I was captured by the idea of the commentary on how society views influencers and allow us to be part of this para-social relationship where they’re letting us look inside their glamorous lives as a “friend”. The book takes a dark turn though as Julie delves deeper into the elite influencer group, the Belladonas. How did Julie’s twin, Chloe, end up dead? And are these people so superficial that they did not notice ‘Chloe’ is now different as Julie takes on her life?

I won’t reveal too much on the twists and turns this book takes you through but it was such a fun and enjoyable read. I literally had no idea where it would end when certain events occurred. Read to find out for yourself if you enjoy twisted thrillers like Pretty Little Liars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this e-ARC of Julie Chan is Dead. Pick up your copy releasing 4/29/25! I can definitely seeing this becoming a Netflix series.