⭐️ 3.5/5

Thank you to Atria Books (@atriabooks) for the ARC and Simon Audio (@simon.audio) for the ALC!

One word to describe this thriller: UNHINGED! All I have to say is get ready for a wild story from start to finish!

I have so many thoughts about this book, but none of them are eloquent by any means! 🤪 This was a story about obsession. Absolute and utter obsession in the worst kind of way. It showed the highs and lows of social media influencing and all that comes with it, but throw in a dash of murder. And stolen identities. And some good old-fashioned cult vibes. This book was absolutely insane!!

The narration totally sucked me in. I was hanging on her every word she spoke and needed to know what happened next!

Would I recommend this book? If you have a queasy stomach, no, based on one scene in particular. If you’re up for a wild ride from start to finish, GO FOR IT, my friend! There’s definitely never a dull moment!

This was certainly a unique story, going from intriguing to downright DARK! I’m still kind of torn on how I feel about this one, but I will say it is certainly memorable!

Thank you again to Atria Books for the ARC and Simon Audio for the ALC!

An unfortunate byproduct of the "BookTok" boom is a lot more books with the sole purpose of going viral on Booktok. Julie Chan is Dead is one of those books. The chapters are short, its fast paced, and almost every chapter ends on a cliff hanger. However, this book just doesnt work for me. It is extremely plot driven to the point where the characters felt like nothing more than empty vessels to drive the plot forward. Not even Julie, who is the main character, had any defining characteristics besides her hating her sister Chloe. We never get a sense for who Julie really is before, or after for that matter, she gets sucked into the Belladonna of it all. The book itself also read a little bit young. It felt more like I was reading a YA thriller rather than an adult one. The writing was very simple in a way that felt catered towards a younger audience. The multiple pop culture references (as well as references to actual real life influencers) did not help. Overall it just wasn't for me.

I feel very sad to give this book only 2 stars. I really liked the first half, but the second half spiraled into something I wasn’t expecting and had some very disturbing moments. Would have loved more focus on the mystery and Julie’s quest to solve it.

thank you to netgalley, atria books & liann zhang for the e arc!!!

wow - this was SOOO good & better than i could’ve imagined???? i was hooked from the beginning & ate it tf up !! it was full of such interesting + real commentary on top of it being a funny/ unserious & unhinged story all in one. it was also so interesting to see all the nuances to the characters. i enjoyed the way it was told, simply would recommend for anyone looking for a fast paced, funny & interesting read. would loveeee to read more of liann zhang , can’t believe this is her debut novel!!

ok this was such a fun read. julie chan is dead is about two twin sisters separated at a young age after their parents' death. chloe is adopted by an affluent white family while julie is stuck with their terrifying blood relative aunt. i won’t spoil too much but chloe becomes an influencer, and julie is stuck working a dead-end register job at a supermarket. their relationship is strained until one day julie shows up to chloe’s apartment... and she’s dead. julie takes her identity, and from there, everything unfolds.

the pacing of this book was chef’s kiss. short chapters, cliffhangers at the end of each one, and that edge of your seat anxiety throughout. i love when a thriller makes me feel genuinely nervous about what’s going to happen next and this one definitely did that.

the only real downfall for me was how split the book felt. the first half is all about julie stepping into chloe’s life and trying to manage the chaos under the surface. the second half focuses on an influencer retreat with a weirdly culty vibe and a focus on the cracks behind curated perfection. the shift didn’t feel super cohesive. the first half was perfect and i wish it had stayed in that space of tension and unraveling. the second half had a totally different vibe, like blink twice meets bunny with a sprinkle of severance. i won’t say why, you just have to read it. honestly if these had been two separate books i think it would have worked better.

overall though i had a great time reading this. 3.5 stars

this arc was provided by atria books via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. thank you so much atria and netgalley!!

Just finished Julie Chan Is Dead by debut author Liann Zhang and… I have thoughts.

This book is a genre-bending ride that starts with Yellowface vibes, detours into Nine Perfect Strangers territory, and ends in a full-blown American Horror Story twist. It’s bold. It’s chaotic. It’s unsettling in the best (and sometimes weirdest) ways.

Not everything landed for me—and I’m still sitting with that ending—but Zhang’s voice is sharp, daring, and totally unique. I’ll definitely be picking up whatever she writes next.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by Atria Books.

Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.

Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she has always envied.

Transforming into Chloe is easier than expected. Julie effortlessly adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life, complete with designer clothes, a meticulous skincare routine, and millions of adoring followers. However, Julie soon realizes that Chloe’s seemingly picture-perfect life was anything but.

Haunted by Chloe’s untimely death and struggling to fit into the privileged influencer circle, Julie faces mounting challenges during a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s exclusive group of influencer friends. As events spiral out of control, Julie uncovers the sinister forces that may have led to her sister’s demise and realizes she might be the next target.

I would of never thought I would love a debut this much. What a wild ride. From the very first page, I was hooked and had such a hard time putting this one down. It starts as an entertaining story of stolen identity and influencer culture, then takes a sharp turn and I just enjoyed all of it. At times, I found myself questioning reality alongside Julie, wondering what was truly happening. This story was just the perfect balance of unsettling and upbeat. Zhang also offers a sharp commentary on the dark side of social media and influencer culture. It is a solid reminder to take a step back and remember what is real outside of those screens. Julie Chan is Dead will be a wildly discussed release imo, and I can not wait to see how other readers interpret its twists and turns. I still can not believe this is a debut novel and will be on the lookout for the next book by Zhang. Will be recommending everyone to read this one.

Julie Chan and her sister Chloe Van Hussen were separated at the age of four after their parents were killed in a car accident. Chloe was adopted by a wealthy couple and Julie was raised by a poor Aunt. After Julie receives a strange phone call from Chloe, Julie travels to Manhattan where she discovers Chloe is dead. In a hastily made decision, Julie decides to assume Chloe’s life as a famous social media influencer.

The premise started out good, and in the beginning, I was enjoying the story of Julie trying to pass as Chloe and the mystery surrounding Chloe’s death. But after Julie joins fellow influencers on an island getaway, the book takes a weird turn. The plot became just too much for me. I found parts to be quite disturbing.

Despite this, the book did keep me hooked until the end. Maybe it was all the bizarre happenings that kept me reading.

I will say the book is well written. The second half was just too strange for my taste.

If you enjoy books or shows such as Nine Perfect Strangers or books about cults, you will probably like this book.

This was an absolutely insane experience. Julie Chan is Dead combines horror, thriller, and dark comedy in one beautiful recipe for success. I love a well-written unreliable narrator, and Liam Zhang penned one up perfectly.

Julie Chan is a nobody. She works a dead end supermarket job, has no friends, no family, except for the twin sister she hasn’t seen in years and an aunt and cousin who hate her. Chloe Van Huusen has everything. After their parents died, Chloe was adopted by a rich white family, and eventually went on to create a YouTube channel that rose up the ranks perfectly, giving her the funds to reunite with her long lost twin and graciously gift her a house! That was the last Julie saw of Chloe, until a mysterious call from her leads Julie to fly to New York to investigate.

Chloe’s dead body awaits in her sister’s apartment. When the paramedics mistake her for Chloe, Julie decides to go with it, and takes over Chloe’s life. Chloe’s money. Chloe’s friends. Chloe’s sponsorships. All hers. Thrust into a life of glitz and glam, Julie is thrilled to be part of the Belladonnas, the inner circle of the biggest influencer of their era.

But on the Belladonnas’ yearly trip, Julie begins to realize that something is very wrong with her new friends. Trapped and unplugged on a private island, things are starting to get culty…and her lies start to unravel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the e-arc! Julie Chan is Dead releases on April 29th and will be one book you won’t be able to put down!

This was an odd story. It started out good, Julie and Chloe are twins. At a young age their parents die. Chloe is adopted by a well to do family and Julie is adopted by her aunt, who only seems to have adopted her for financial reasons. Julie is working at a grocery store, where she has been stealing food. She's likely going to loose her job when she gets a late night call from her twin, who is a well to do influencer, where she only hears gurgling and sorry. Julie arrives at her sisters place, being mistaken for her sister, only to find her dead. She decides to go ahead and take over Chloe's identity.

Now I’ll be the first to say that the trend (or perhaps it’s now a trope) of using a social media influencer as a main character is starting to feel a bit overused…and yet in Julie Chan Is Dead, author Liann Zhang flips the notion o it’s head. You see Chloe isn’t a social media darling, but her twin is…or was. Twins separated early in life, with Julie going to live with her disagreeable aunt and Chloe going to live with a rich family, their lives couldn’t have been any different. Early on we learn the girls have at best an estranged relationship or if we are honest hardly any relationship at all. When Julie receives a bizarre partial message from Chloe and isn’t able to get in contact with her again, she worries, then she sets out to find. Only it’s too late. Sure Chloe is gone, but since Julie is her identical twin…why not see what it’s like to be her. But is the grass really greener on the other side of the fence. And is it possible Chloe;s demise wasn’t an accident? This being Zhang’s first novel, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I must say I got drawn in right from the start and absolute loved the twisted humor. While I will say I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the back end, overall I still thought it was a lot of fun and well worth the time. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. Liann Zhangs debut “Julie Chan is Dead” is a fun take on a murder mystery while also exposing the insidiousness of social media. When Julie finds her estranged twin sister Chloe dead, she assumes her popular social media persona and pretends to be her. She discovers an elusive club that Chloe belonged to called the Belladonnas.

A fun read for folks that love a good mystery. Themes of racial disparity, social media and popularity. There were quite a few loose ends in this one that had me scratching my head but otherwise this was a fun read!

Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang is a highly recommended thriller that takes an entertaining trek into the world of influencers but, and this is a warning, later turns down a dark road.

Julie Chan and twin sister Chloe VanHuusen were separated at age 4 when their parents died in a car crash. Chloe was adopted by a wealthy couple while Julie was raised by her grumpy, pilfering aunt. Now Julie, 24, works as a supermarket cashier while her twin is a very successful influencer. a few years earlier Chloe reached out to Julie, gave her a rundown house, and filmed the whole event to boost her online engagement, which subsequently went viral. Then she ghosted her.

When Julie receives a garbled message from Chloe saying she was sorry, she tries to call back but can't get through so she decides to go to her apartment in NY. She finds Chloe dead and calls the police. When they arrive, they mistake Julie for Chloe, which inspires Julie to take on her sister's identity and influencer lifestyle. It seems to be working out well since Chloe was organized, had sponsorships in place, and a large following. The only question is how will Julie fit in at the secretive, annual “Belladonna” friends’ getaway hosted by wealthy socialite mega-influencer Bella Marie.

The first part of the novel had me totally immersed and deliciously entertained as Julie entered into the, vapid, self focused influencer culture. Sure, Julie is a grifter taking on Chloe's identity, but it soon becomes quite clear that all the big influencers are also grifters. I actually like Julie despite her obvious character flaws. It was humorous to read about the influencers claiming how hard they worked compared to those who worked in fast food, etc. It can be exhausting filming yourself telling people what to think and do while promoting products.

The second part of the book when she goes to the Belladonna friends getaway veers off into unexpected horror/cult novel territory and was disturbing. The whole novel requires setting disbelief aside, but this part of the plot requires a huge commitment to accepting the preposterous. This turn in the plot dropped my rating. I really enjoyed it until the getaway. I initially stuck with it, with some trepidation, and then said, nope, not enjoying this.

In the final analysis, the first part of the novel was definitely a five star read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The last part was maybe a two as it became increasingly absurd and horrific. Adding to my dilemma is the fact that the writing is excellent throughout, even in the part I thoroughly disliked, so I'm going with a cautious four star.
Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Julie Chan Is Dead was a thought provoking book about the dark side of social media, envy, and how your identity shouldn't be linked to what the world thinks. Julie Chan is a supermarket cashier who steps into the glamorous influencer life of her twin sister, Chloe, when she finds her dead. The fact that they were separated when they were young presents a challenge for Julie because she doesn't know her twin or anything about her. As Julie begins to adopt Chloe's life, she discovers that the hidden secrets and the toxic dynamics that Chloe had with her circle of friends. As Julies struggles with her sister's mysterious death she realizes that she too may be in trouble herself. This book is a must read for fans of psychological thriller and anyone who is intrigued by social media and the influencers.

From start to finish this book had twist and turns. There were so many moments I wanted to ask Julie what she was thinking. Overall I like the premise of the book and how it takes a deep dive into the lives of influencers.

Wow! This book was "weird" and at times very "gross", however, I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!

This is the story of twins, Julie and Chloe Chan. When the Chan parents passed away, Chloe got adopted by an affluent white family. Meanwhile, Julie was adopted by her mom's sister, who took advantage of her and verbally mistreated her. Chloe has become a very well known influencer, while Julie still works at the hometown grocery store where she worked as a teenager and can barely make ends meet each month. One day Julie receives a call from Chloe. Chloe sounds like she is in trouble, and can barely speak. Chloe tells Julie she is sorry, then hangs up. So, Julie goes to New York to investigate.

I have to be honest and say I did not like any of the characters in this story. None of them had any redeeming qualities. The story concentrates on themes like distant sibling relationships, manipulation, the influencer culture, and one’s identity.

Overall, I recommend this book. The story was entertaining and read at a fast pace. There was constant tension and more than a few twists.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Julie Chan and her twin sister, Chloe, were separated after their parents died in a car accident. Chloe was adopted by a rich, white family; while Julie was taken in by her aunt. Their lives became so different - Chloe lived a rich and luxurious life, growing up to be a big influencer. Julie grew up poor, with her less-than-kind aunt, and became a cashier in a place she hated. The sisters rarely connected, until Julie received an odd phone call from Chloe. Flying out to check on her, Julie discovers Chloe is dead. She calls the police for help and when they arrive, they assume she is Chloe. Seeing an opportunity she can’t pass up, Julie goes along with it, starting a trajectory of events she couldn’t imagine.

This book went from an interesting plot to a wild third act that I was not expecting at all. You really feel for Julie and the circumstances life has thrown at her. I was torn between cheering her on to succeed in her sister’s identity and cringing with hope she could somehow get out of it unharmed. There was one thing in the third act that truly made me ill!! Fair warning there. I listened to the audiobook alongside reading, and the narrator did a fantastic job. There were some parts that gave me chills that I don’t think I would have received from just reading it. I do think it enhanced my reading experience. I read this in a day, finding the quick chapters and desire to know what comes next easy to fly through. This was a great debut!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC!

Wow this was a WILD ride! I mean it was going in so many directions and I LOVED IT!

I feel like I can't say really anything without spoiling the journey. However this was totally different than I expected. A lot of influencer books are pretty surface and shallow. This book has a ton of depth.

It was refreshing and I loved it! Definitely pick this up if you want something unique.

4.5/5.0

Omg I loved this book beginning to end. It truly is about the absolute madness and horror that come along with social media and fame. Generational trauma as well.

There was a nice twist with goods and magic that came out of nowhere that I loved as well. I felt like I was going a little crazy.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Julie Chan is working a dead end job at a supermarket, while her long lost identical twin, Chloe, is living a glamorous, influencer lifestyle. That is, until Chloe ends up dead and Julie decides to slide into Chloe's life.

But when Julie meets Chloe's close influencer friends and takes a secret with them, destination unknown, Julie finds she has taken on much more than she ever expected.

Smart, witty, dark and fun. A really fun read.