In all honesty, this whole thing just reads like the bad kind of fanfiction. It's full of the worst amateurish writing mistake: the characters constantly telling us how they feel rather than us actually seeing it, no descriptions, informed character traits, instant connections... While this is certainly an addictive book, I felt unengaged in the story due to mediocre writing and overly fast POV changes. Whatever it was, I immediately realized this was not going to be a compelling story.

My main issue with the book was Eric's character. At one point, Eric muses:

“Well, assuming anyone actually listened to his music anymore... and had the mental capacity to understand a simple metaphor.”

This kind of quote seems incredibly condescending. I'd understand if this happened once, but quotes like this pop up almost every page of Eric's monologue. Some quotes even seem a tad misognystic, implying that Eric's "female fans" are crazy. At some point, I lost all interest in Eric's character.
I didn't really love the portrayal of fandom this book has to offer. Every fangirl here seemed to be portrayed as shallow, which is odd in a novel with a fangirl as its star. In fact, it seems to be implied that boyband fans don't even like their heroes' music. Granted, I've never been a fangirl of a boy band, but I have close friends who are, and I do vaguely follow some celebrities on twitter. I don't think fangirls are portrayed very accurately here. If you're a pop star and you tweeted a link to your single and then a picture of your abs, I guarantee you would not get TEN TIMES the amount of retweets on the abs. People follow pop stars for their music! Yes, there's hotness involved, but popular boybands and singers have at least some talent. I'm not a 1d follower in particular, but admit it, you jammed to What Makes You Beautiful at least once. Ed Sheeran is extremely talented; I actually love his music a ton. Even Justin Bieber doesn't have a bad voice. There's just no way to become popular without some measure of talent, and the fans you have do buy and listen to your music. After all, girl groups have mostly-girl followings without a disproportionate amount of gay/bi girls.

I also wished for a faster beginning; at 25% in, only one key plot point had occurred. For a suspense novel like this, you need to feel thrown in to the story. The interviews didn't really add suspense; in fact, they were underutilized.

I also had trouble feeling the connection between Tessa and Eric. Their DMs lacked in chemistry towards the beginning due to the one-month time jump between their first contact and our next snapshot of them. This time jump seemed almost lazy, ignoring the need for buildup. More interactions towards the beginning of the book would've helped get me invested faster.

I have to admit, I'm pretty disappointed. Definitely not recommended.

I'm sorry, WHAT?! What the heck am I supposed to do with that?!

This book was a ride I was not expecting to take. I expected some fluff with a good dose of drama, but what I got was an episode of Catfish...if Catfish was in the thriller genre.

Geiger had me second-guessing what I thought I knew throughout the book and I have absolutely no choice but to pick up the sequel, if I can survive the wait.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

I honestly REALLY enjoyed this book. I loved that it has a lot to do with mental illness and that it kept me on my toes. I normally can see the ending coming with these types of books, but this one just blew my mind.
I enjoyed how complex Tessa was as a character. I have never read about a protagonist who has agoraphobia, so that aspect was very intriguing to me. I loved being in Tessa's mind and exploring her thoughts and what it feels like to be afraid to even leave your room. I also loved her personality and felt like I saw myself in some of her quirks. The fact that she has this whole other life on social media and she talks to so many people about a mutual love (Eric Thorn), is very relatable to me with my being online in the book community and talking to others about books that I love (like this one)!
Eric's point of view was also very intriguing to me. I am obviously not famous in any way shape or form, so I loved getting to hear what it is like from him to also be followed and yelled at by his fans. I loved that how he was portrayed outwardly to the public, is not at all how he actually is in his real life.
The relationship between the two of them was something that I just ADORED! I kept finding myself wanting to go back to scenes where they were messaging back and forth because they both got to be so open and honest with each other (well besides the fact of who they were).
Now, back to the topic of the ending, OH MY GOODNESS! I was on the edge of my seat reading this and I could not stop until I got to the very end, and then BAMM, another twist! I truly cannot wait until the second book in the series comes out.

Twitter, social media, fandoms, celebrities, and murder are all part of this thrilling story told in tweets, direct messages, and some dialogue. Tessa is this story's protagonist, suffering from agoraphobia she cannot go outside. She lives secluded in the safety of her home and her phone. Opening a Twitter account she becomes one of Eric Thorn's obsessive fans. Eric, the story's celebrity, suffers highly from panic and his love for his fans has faded. He decided to troll Tessa, one of his most famous fans, by opening an alternative twitter account. Them too begin a different kind of relationship. Soon Eric finds himself falling in love and in need of meeting Tessa. However, the story takes a deadly turn and in all honesty nothing makes you expect the mysterious and thrilling ending that this book brings.

The book, in my opinion, was a bit frustrating in some aspects. However, I kept reading it out of intrigue. The last half of the book is excellently construed and by rating is given to those altering points of view and integration of police transcripts and twitter conversations. The book is made for our generation, the millennials, we understand the obsession Tessa feels as we may have been that girl once or twice. Tessa's life is in some what every girls dream turned into a nightmare. It is highly well told and relevant to today's society.

I am not sure if I liked Tessa as a character, I have no idea what occurred at the end of the book, but I root more for Eric. Tessa was too paranoid and in some ways that frustrated me. However, her problems are explained further on in the story allowing me to feel more empathy towards her and her problems. Eric makes you think about fame and the scrutiny of being a famous celebrity. The story makes you want for me desperately.

I received this book from the NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for this honest review.

--- 3 stars ---

A fun little thriller. Eric Thorn is sick of being a teenage heartthrob. His fans are crazy and after a fellow musician is stabbed, he wants to get out of the spotlight and get back to his roots as an indie artist. When his PR people push him too far, he makes a fake Twitter profile and targets his fans.

Tessa is a huge fan of Eric Thorn. Secluded in her room after trauma-induced agoraphobia, she escapes by writing fan fic about Eric. When a rude Twitter troll attacks her, she responds, changing their attitude and soon starting a private DM relationship with them. Tessa has no idea that she is talking to her real idol, who is falling in love with her.

As Eric plans to surprise Tessa, some evil outside forces are determined to have their revenge and tear the two would-be lovers apart.

Cheesy twist at the end, but an enjoyable little thriller.

This is a YA contemporary novel which also has a thriller vibe during the second half of the book. The narrative is told through a variety of mediums, from police interviews, to tweets, to multiple perspectives from the characters. In this story you follow a teenager named Tessa, who has gone through some sort of traumatic experience which has led to her suffering from anxiety and agoraphobia. She doesn't have many people to speak to in real life, however her Twitter account has recently blown up and she has over thirty thousand followers due to some fan fiction she had written about her favourite musician, Eric Thorn. You also get to see his perspective on things, how he feels trapped in his career and his every move is controlled. This leads to him making a second, secret Twitter account, which he suddenly decides to use to message Tessa secretly, as he wants revenge on her for creating a hashtag with her fan fiction. From here the story develops as they get involved in a secret friendship online, and Tessa is totally oblivious that she is chatting to her idol.

I thought this was such an exciting concept for a book, and I'd been so eager to give this one a read. This is the sort of story you can settle into and read in one sitting, which can be achieved with relative ease as this is such a quick read. It only took me about four hours to devour this book, and trying to put it down was a serious challenge.

I found that I was able to identify with parts of this story far too much. I like many other people, have a favourite band who I "stalk" on Twitter, I get notifications for all their tweets, I tweet them regularly, try to get them to follow me, and fangirl like crazy when I get a reply off one of them. This subject is discussed at length in this book in such an insightful way. At what point do you stop becoming a fangirl and start becoming something more sinister? It is definitely a fine line.

I also loved how you got the perspective of the trapped musician experience. The conflict with management, just to be able to still keep some sort of level of choice in some of the decisions that are made. The invasion of privacy, both physically and also mentally, was also something that I thought the author did a great job at portraying. I may not be famous, but I'm sure that all of this must have had some sort of level of truth to it, and it felt believable.

I loved the characters in this book, I felt so much admiration for Tessa. Although she could be frustrating at times, you could tell that there was a genuine reason for her being as scared as she was, and that she just needed help and support. Her real life support network is shocking, and I didn't really like anyone else who she knew in person. Eric, starts off as not particularly likeable, but the more I got to know him, the more I fell for him. Both main characters definitely go on a whirlwind of character development, and it's astounding to think how much they have both changed by the end of the book. By the way, that ending? I can't even grasp what that ending means, though I'm very excited to read the sequel to this the very moment it is available.

I think the real reason I loved this book so much, despite all the above, is that this just touched upon my own real life dream. I'm sure many people can attest to wishing their favourite celebrity crush was secretly talking to them on Twitter. This is the modern day equivalent of dreaming to be a princess. I can't wait to see where the story goes from here, and I can't wait to read more by this author. I really can't recommend this book highly enough.

Here is the link to my review: http://cindysloveofbooks.com/2017/06/review-follow-me-back-by-a-v/

WOW. I can't find the words to describe how that book has left me feeling. How could it end like that, didn't see it coming at all. I need the next book.

Back in my day(yes, I just said that) we had tons of boy bands that girls went gaga over. Then we had Aaron Carter. He is the only single male singer that jumps out in my mind. I never listened to him but I do know he was pretty big. We also didn't have social media back then, either. So the concept of this book was a little new to me but I have seen enough on social media over the years to understand that somehow, stalking and obsessing over a celebrity is no longer considered illegal. The amount of people who have stalker-fandom accounts is unreal and it is not entirely unrealistic for something like Follow Me Back to happen.

Plot:
The overall plot of the book is to show exactly what can happen when adoration becomes obsession becomes illegal activity. Tessa experienced something when she was off exploring the world before college. This event landed her with a very serious case of agoraphobic, the inability to go outside due to crippling fear. Because of this, Tessa's life is pretty much strictly online. She is a huge fan of this musician Eric Thorne and she changes her Twitter name to @tessaheartseric and thus begins her spiral into the world of fandoms.

Eric is living a life of fear. Someone in his industry was recently murdered by "fan" so he is trying to stay away from that crap/ But... the contract he signed and the people he works for won't allow him to stay out of the limelight that is social media. He feels trapped and disgusted by what these fangirls post about him. So, he retaliates in a way that keeps his identity hidden but he still has that outlet to get things off his chest. This is how he ends up meeting Tessa. Their relationship was cute but entirely catfished on Eric's end.

And then... the shit goes down. The book is a thriller and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. It wasn't just some weird fangirl montage with some of the fangirling going a bit too far. No, it was an actual mystery and it was so good.

The story is told through multi-media forms like text messages, tweets and police interviews.

Characters:
Tessa
Tessa's therapist
Eric
Some internet personalities
Stalker college guy
Cops/Detectives

Tessa was okay enough. I felt bad that she ended up with agoraphobia and her situation made me think a lot about mine. I have horrible, crippling panic attacks. They have no rhyme or reason, they just happen whenever and they are horrible. So I can understand how Tessa feels. I wouldn't wish this lifestyle on anyone.

I liked Eric enough too. He got to live the dream of being this super famous pop star but he wasn't happy and just wanted to live a normal life. He didn't want to tweet half naked pictures to get a bunch of girls all riled up just so the money kept rolling in for the people he was in a contact with. I do not condone what he did with the catfishing crap but then again I know Tessa wouldn't have believed him either way.

The cops played too much good cop/bad cop and they were actually very annoying in the interview portions of the book.

Stalker college guy... I'm not even sure what to say about him. This book was just FULL of mental health issues.

All these characters created this really awesome, creepy book about what can happen when social media and fame go wrong.

World Building:
The world that the author created was very informative. I would love to know if she just assumed how the life of a famous person goes or if she actually dug deeper and did her homework and if she did her homework did she talk to anyone to find out real details? The contact Eric was in for his music career had a lot of little clauses that made me question why anyone would want to be famous if that was the case. Then some of the things that went on at his concert and the terms and codes used. I think it is pretty cool to learn about a lifestyle that isn't your own.

We were also in the world of Tessa which mainly consisted of inside her bedroom and Twitter. I would have liked to have had more detail of her bedroom. All I really know is there is a bed, Eric Thorne poster on the ceiling, a beanbag chair her Therapist sat in and a desk, bookshelf, TV holder type set up. Oh, and fluffy bunny slippers. I am not sure what other details I am looking for. All I know is that I felt like I didn't get to know Tessa or her surroundings well enough.

In the end, the book ended on this cliffhanger type ending and I have all of these theories going on in my head as to whether the ending was staged or a real thing. Maybe it was a way to get him out of his contract but maybe she actually is crazy. UGH. I have to wait so long to find out! Hurry up, please.

Also, was the therapist involved in the stalker thing? Or did she just tuck-tail and run because it was her idea for Tessa to be in this situation in the first place? Hmmm.

Overall, I gave the book 4.5/5 stars.

I hate to DNF a book. I really do but I could not get into this book for the life of me. It held a lot of promise. The characters seemed likable at first. Likable enough that I read almost half of the book but they irritated the heck out of me. The past that was hanging over their heads. Not being able to move on. Being scared of "potential" stalkers on Twitter. It was too much. The writing was good and that's why I give it one star. I think others will love this but I just couldn't connect with it.

I was hooked on this book from the very first page.  How can you not become interested and invested in a book when it starts out with the transcripts of an investigation. I immediately thought, what is going on?! I need to figure out what happened.  Was Tessa going to get over her agoraphobia? Would Eric reveal the truth. I needed to know!
I honestly was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I won't lie, I chose this book mainly because of the gorgeous cover. I am always guilty about picking a book based on it's cover sadly, but it is not always my deciding factor. It just catches my attention and I have to see what it is about.
Part of the appeal of this book was the characters. They had realistic flaws that made it easier to connect and bond with their personalities.
It wasn't love at first sight either, it wasn't even a friendship at first sight. It starts out with the anonymity that comes through twitter and being hidden behind a screen.
This book touches on the topics of stalking, fangirling, and the dangers of not knowing who it really could be behind that screen.
The only thing I really wasn't a fan of, was the ending, simply because I needed to know more. That teaser at the end was not fair at all. I am beyond ready for the 2nd book

This book was equally thrilling as it was romantic. The twists and turns kept me at the edge of my seat and I can't wait for the next books of the series!

So…this book is CRAZY. As I was reading, I thought that this was a nice departure from my normal genres–I don’t read a lot of thrillers (psychological or otherwise). I honestly didn’t expect too much from the plot. I thought it would just be a very basic twist at the end. But about halfway through I started to suspect that things weren’t going to end up being the way I thought they would be. Was Eric going to end up being the stalker instead of Tessa? What about that weird Mrs. Eric Thorn from Twitter? How does she fit in? What the heck happened to Tessa last summer? Then the ending kind of came out of nowhere, but it also makes sense. At this point, however, I find myself very uncertain about the very end (was it an epilogue?). I didn’t anticipate this being more than one book and I’m very confused as to what is actually happening. Confused in a good way though. The only thing I didn’t particularly care for is the way that Tessa’s mom and boyfriend treated her mental issues. I mean, I don’t know how I would react in their shoes, but they seemed so insensitive! Also, WHAT IS UP WITH TESSA’S PSYCHIATRIST???

I think YA readers who love social media will really enjoy the format of this book. It was absolutely not for me, but I feel like the right reader would really enjoy the change in the typical novel format.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

While I liked the writing and the premise was interesting, the characters ruined it for me. Eric was a total spoiled brat and when he wasn't being sexiest and complaining about all his crazy fan girls he was a paranoid victim. Scott and Tessa's mother were also really annoying and just written in to make the reader feel sorry for Tessa. Everything was too black and white without any grey. It just wasn't for me.

To be honest there isn't a lot I will say about this book. The love triangle this book has is kinda...expected. The characters are okay. The book had its cute moments. I liked the fact that it has different media in it. The police transcripts, tweets, and messages were a good idea for this book. It doesn't go into a lot of detail or background story till closer to the end of the book. So the beginning is slow. The transition from character point of views was sloppy. Even though the main character has a mental illness this book doesn't portray that it is a serious issue. No other character in the book cares about it except the love interest. At the end of the book the mental illness magically disappears. The ending was unexpected. I will give the author that. I didn't expect it. Though the way it ends it seems as if it is setting itself up for another book to follow and I truly hope that is not the case

I read all of Follow Me Back by A.V. Geiger in one big rush, basically whenever I had a minute free. I started off a little bored, but then got absolutely sucked in. For the record, it also chewed me up and spit me back out and all those other cliches. Basically I finished this thing thinking, "WTF did I just read?"

First thing. The first 3/4 or so are so engaging. I liked the dual POV, the mixed format with DM conversations, prose, and police transcripts. I liked the suspense of not knowing who to trust and also the build up between the main characters. 

Eric Thorn is told to reach out to his fans online, despite his huge fear of all of them. When he creates an alter-ego and starts messaging Tessa, his biggest fan who's just gotten sort of internet-famous for writing fanfiction about him, he shouldn't start liking her. But he does. And then what develops between them is a sweet and also kind of scary relationship. Because he's totally lying about who he is and Tessa is more than a little fragile. But it's definitely wish fulfillment, right? Your favorite celebrity finds you and secretly falls in love with you and YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT YOU'RE JUST THAT SPECIAL. (This book started out as Adam Levine fanfiction, btw.)

As a thriller, it only sort of works. The police transcripts build up a lot of suspense about the end of the story, but the pay-off is a little disappointing. And the ending itself will make you lose your mind. Here's a full disclosure: I about lost it at the ending and had to go stalk Follow Me Back on Wattpad, where it originated and where a sequel awaits. There are differences between the Wattpad and the published version, but I couldn't let it go.

But an ambiguous, blow-your-mind ending can be a good thing. Endings don't have to be clean. Life is messy, and most of the ends to anything are, too. All I can say is it's either a brilliant ending or the worst thing I've ever read.

The issues with the ending of Follow Me Back aside, I was also more than a little uncomfortable with the handling of mental illness in this book. Tessa has extreme agoraphobia for the majority of the book, but it becomes suddenly and quite completely cured about 20 pages from the end. This doesn't feel okay. Mental illness doesn't work that way. Mental illness, in general, felt poorly handled in this book.

If you love fandom stories and celebrity romantic thrillers told from interesting perspectives, you'll probably love A.V. Geiger's Follow Me Back. If you're not into mental illness being the main source of tension in a book that ultimately may not handle these issues very well, then you might want to stay away.

I was a bit hesitant on this book from the start. I was expecting the typical "average girl and celebrity she loves fall in love" but this book had a good twist on that trope and when I thought I knew where it was going it would do a complete 180!

What the what?! Holy shit this book was not what I was expecting. Honestly, I forgot all about getting it on NetGalley, and in trying to clear my shelf, I read it today. Yes, today. One day. I could not stop reading once I began.

Music star Eric Thorn seemingly has it all. But it's not all it appears to be, nor is he. He begins a game of Catfish with an obsessed fan and it doesn't play out the way he wanted it to...

I love that this book is told through police transcripts, Twitter updates, DMs, etc. And that each time a Twitter url is used, there is a real pic to back it up, in addition to real accounts! Made it interactive and somewhat more realistic.

This book definitely took me by surprise. I'll admit I never read completely what the story was about, so I thought it was going to be a nice, sweet romance of a superstar falling in love with one of his fangirls. Never would I have thought it was a mystery/ thriller story. It was so good. The fact that the story starts in the interrogation room was perfect since you get from the beginning that idea of " wait what is happening?". The book in its entirely was great, but that ending was AMAZING. Never would I foreseen what happened, and that made the book a 100 times better. I will recommend this book to everybody!. Great job developing this storyline.