Unfollow Me is the story of Violet, a YouTube influencer with a million followers. She posts daily about her family and children. When she suddenly disappears from YouTube and deletes all of her social media profiles, her many obsessed fans are left wondering what happened to her. We watch the story unfold through the eyes of her fans, whose endless speculation soon turns too stalking. Why is Violet’s husband spotted visiting a local hospital? Why did a neighbor say she heard screaming at Violet’s house the night before the YouTuber disappeared? This is a novel about unhealthy obsessions...and the unintended consequences of bad choices. I’m not a fan of graphic sexual content, and Unfollow Me has a few of those scenes. Also—trigger warning—this book deals with the topics of abortion and pregnancy loss, so if those are difficult issues for you, it’s probably best to avoid this one. Overall, this book hooked me in the beginning with its unique premise, but lost me with the issues mentioned above.

“I’ve never met any of them – don’t even know what they look like – but they know more about this than anyone in my real life.”

Social media is a topic that is becoming more popular in crime fiction, and without physical boundaries it lends itself to some very intriguing stories. I often wonder about the potential consequences of sharing our lives so freely with random strangers, so the premise of this book instantly drew me.

Violet Young is a “mummy blogger”, a YouTube sensation whose honest (or not so honest) account of her post partum depression and the trials of motherhood have earned her thousands of followers on social media. One day she has vanished into thin air, her Instagram account has been deleted and all her former blog posts have gone. Her followers are devastated and worried – what has happened to Violet? And: how dare she do this to them?

From here, the story unfolds through three different POVs: Lily and Yvonne, who are devoted Violet fans, and Henry, who is Violet’s husband and a bit of a social media star himself. It soon becomes obvious that they are all hiding something, which for the women may be the root of their obsession with Violet, and for Henry something more sinister altogether.

Even as someone who has an Instagram account and a book blog, I found Lily’s and Yvonne’s addiction to Violet’s social media accounts fascinating in a horrified kind of way. Both women’s grief and outrage over finding Violet gone were something to behold, and were definitely on the boundary of being a mental health issue.

Even though I was drawn very quickly into the story, and found the whole premise fascinating, I didn’t end up liking the book as much as I thought I would. The story slowed significantly in the second half, and after the initial build up of intrigue I found the ending a bit lacklustre and unoriginal. I also quickly tired of Lily and Yvonne, who became more and more unlikeable and strange as the story progressed.

I did, however, like the theme of addiction to social media accounts portraying the “perfect family”, even where reality is very different. This would make for some great bookclub discussions, especially relating to the ethical minefield of using your children to become a social media “influencer”. Do your kids have a right to privacy? Will this exposure of their personal lives have lasting consequences for them in later life? I would have liked to talk about these issues with my friends.

In summary, UNFOLLOW ME had some interesting concepts and good material for discussion in a book group, even though I was ultimately a bit disappointed in the book’s conclusion. Young mums may find that they better relate to the themes of motherhood, IVF, post partum depression and the ethical issues surrounding your children’s featuring on social media. I think that this book would appeal more to a younger crowd and that my experience was partly related to the generational gap. All in all a quick entertaining read and an interesting modern day topic.

This is my first book by Charlotte Duckworth and I loved it !There are many twists and turns and several POVs.. The twists keep you guessing. A psychological thriller with some humor thrown in. It’s a fascinating look at the all engulfing and sinister nature of social media. Obsessions with following a vlogger with daily videos on YouTube and millions of subscribers..What happens when they are no longer there? Her fans want to know what happened and what they discover ? I was pulled in from the beginning ..The ending is brilliant and I would recommend this as one to read.
Thanks to the author, Charlotte Duckworth, the publisher Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this digital ARC that I enjoyed reading for my honest review.

What happened to Violet Young?

Not having read The Rival, I had absolutely no expectations from Unfollow Me, other than what I had gleaned from the very promising synopsis.

In this gripping tale that delves into the modern inclination towards social media, blogging, and celebrity influencers, Violet Young is an ex-journalist turned mummy-vlogger with a huge following throughout various social media platforms. One day, without explanation, all of her accounts appear to have been suddenly deleted. A group of her followers on the GoMamas forum ruminate on what may have happened and this is gradually revealed through three narratives; those of Yvonne, Lily and Henry.

Photographer Yvonne, 40, is married to Simon who is younger than her, and they desperately want to have children, however, they have some fertility issues. Young widow Lily is a single mother with a 3-year-old son. She is an obsessive follower of Violet and has been suffering with depression. Henry is Violet’s handsome and devoted husband. Although there is much made of the mystery of Violet’s whereabouts, the novel also delves into the lives of its narrators. As the story unfolds via the alternating chapters, the reader becomes privy to the characters' deep and dark secrets, as well as how their lives are connected.

Unfollow Me is a delightfully absorbing story. I just had to figure out what was going on, and the one-liner funnies along the way added so much levity to this thriller that made it all the richer for me. Yvonne, in particular was incredibly droll, adding comedic notes to what otherwise might have been a rather sombre read. My desire to know how things closed out was so great that I finished Unfollow Me in one sitting and I definitely fell victim to 'just one more page' syndrome!

I loved Unfollow Me so much that I have been inspired to read The Rival, and I have also discovered another author, Charlotte Duckworth, to add to my list of favourites.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

5 Stars for Unfollow Me by Charlotte Duckworth!

Violet is a mom like so many we follow. She posts on youtube, instagram, and has fans everywhere who tune in to feel better about their lives, shortcomings, and to feel like they aren't in the mommy trenches alone. When all of Violet's social media accounts get deleted, it causes a fan frenzy and no one knows what is going on with Violet and why she disappeared.

Unfollow Me takes you on a journey of 2 Violet's biggest fans and her husband. Did they have anything to do with what seems like Violet's disappearance?

Lily and Yvonne are easy to relate to and could be any one of your friends. Mysterious behavior and past circumstances will have you guessing how all of the pieces will fit together at the end. And, what about the husband and his past? You are going to swear you know these people!

Charlotte did an amazing job crafting believable and real characters and the way the book is written, you'll feel like you're catching up with Lily and Yvonne over coffee, gossiping about what has happened to Violet.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @CrookedLanebooks for the chance to read this one before everyone else. @charduck, this was excellent! So many women are going to be sucked in immediately at the characters they would swear are their friends. Happy Book Release to you!!

#unfollowme #notreally #bookreviews #5stars #socialmediabook #vloglife #mommytrenches #sendmebooks #loveabook #nerdalert #readinglikeitsmyjob #maybeoneday #crookedlanebooks #netgalley #bibliophile #readgoodbooks #trustmyreviews #suspense #stopthespreadofcorona #stayhomeandread

"But then again, maybe too much time to think is a bad thing. Too much time to think fills the space around and inside you until you eventually drown in it. Keeping busy is the key to keeping sane."

Violet Young is a momfluencer, with three children, a successful, charming and supportive husband and a million subscribers on YouTube who are very engaging and tune in every day to watch her picture-perfect life unfold. But, they all know that her life is not picture-perfect because she suffers from post-natal depression, even though it seems like it is.
One day, everyone wakes up to Violet Young's disappearance from the online world- her presence deleted overnight without any explanation. Has she finally got her senses to not squander her and her children's entire existence over social media or has something sinister happened to her?
Told through dual realities of Yvonne and Lilly, this is a story which focuses on the fan's obsession to uncovering the truth behind this mystery.

I found the narrative unrealistic in so many ways that it is a psychologist's nightmare and I am just starting as one. How can something important happen in one's life and not be on their mind? If I had any idea which could help me know the circumstances under which a person has disappeared, I will not be able to stop the thoughts which usually will consist of my memories of the circumstances. Even when one has practised living a lie, one cannot continue to when dots are connecting inside one's head.
The first half felt like a total let down. It got a bit bearable but frustratingly so, during the quarter of the second half. It had a realistic climax because unrealistic aspects came to an end and it broke my heart that a good plot like this has been executed poorly. I am not sure if it is because of the arc or if it just the story but few plotholes made me question my sanity and memory. I loved a few realistic aspects but at what cost? I even liked and sympathised the characters even though they were built unrealistically yet deserved better.
What made me go through this read is the fact that I don't DNF: when I start a book, i will finish it no matter what and this read was frustratingly engrossing. Another reason was that I can see the compelling and scintillating story-telling by the author, which helped me bear this story.

I picked this one with great anticipation but it turned out to be a disappointment. It is a letdown to a good plot, the characters who had so much more to serve to the plot, the worthful twists and turns and most importantly, the author's writing style. So, I am not going to let any chance to read more books by Charlotte pass before me. I am giving 1 star to her writing style and 1 star for keeping me engrossed in this tale over it all.

Rating: 2/5

This book captivated me from the first page and held my interest all the way through with its great writing pace and constant suspense. Loved it. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I'll admit, this book took me longer to finish in the beginning because it was set in England. I have such a hard time with the language; it pulls me out of the book and makes me not want to pick it up. I was also confusing Lilly and Yvonne for most of the book. I just couldn't keep them straight.

But once I got past the language and the confusion, I fell in love with this book. I'm so glad I didn't give it up because it's got so many twists and turns that you'll never see half of it coming. And you'll start to feel for Violet, wondering what happened to her and why these women are so crazily obsessed with her. The scary part is how realistic this could be, or even is, for many famous people.

This isn't the kind of book that you can say much about, without giving away too much info that needs to come from reading, so I'll just leave it with it's the kind of book that you will be glad you picked up and you won't be able to stop thinking about it! Especially after theblast chapter....

So realistic. It's something that could totally happen today and in this amazing book it has. I couldn't stop reading or put it down. I had to know what happened and so will you. Happy reading!

Unfollow Me by Charlotte Duckworth is a thoroughly modern tale set in the virtual world of social media. Violet Young is a hugely popular mummy vlogger/ influencer who’s sudden disappearance from all of her social media platforms causes panic among her followers. The story follows two of them, Lily & Yvonne, as they struggle with the void Violet has left in their lives and as they try to figure out what’s happened to this woman that they’ve come to care so much about.

This is a really well told, well written story with lots going on to keep the reader interested right to the end. My thanks to #Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Unreliable narrators have been all the rage in the thriller market for the last decade and Charlotte Duckworth offers us a smorgasbord of instability in her new novel Unfollow Me. A cautionary tale about the dangers of social media and how interconnectedness can put us in touch with some people we definitely don’t want in our lives, this book takes us down a dark road with some unlikely villains.

Violet, the mother of three young children, turned her battle against Postnatal Depression into a million dollar industry through a series of vlogs, workshops, Instagram posts and a YouTube channel. Her subscribers tune in daily to catch glimpses of her beautiful life, the little pieces of her family she doles out in careful, attractively scripted portions with just the right touch of humility and charm.

When all her social media accounts suddenly disappear without a trace and without any kind of explanation, her devotees become concerned. Violet has been honest about her struggles with depression, about her lack of sleep and how she can feel overwhelmed by it all. Have these issues become too much for her? Or has her stalker, a troll who criticizes her every decision, forced her to delete all her accounts in order to protect her family? Many have never liked her seemingly perfect husband Henry, the kind of guy who seems more of a lady’s man than a dad. Does he have something to do with her disappearance? As all these theories are endlessly analyzed and talked over on mummy discussion boards, Violet’s silence is deafening.

If you’re someone who doesn’t want to read about kids and the struggles of parenting, this novel isn’t for you. The author does an excellent job of immersing the reader in the world of the young mothers and want-to-be mothers of the online mummy communities. The story mostly unfolds through three viewpoints: Lily, a young mother who follows Violet’s vlog religiously; Yvonne, a wannabe mummy; and Henry, Violet’s husband. Ms. Duckworth captures perfectly, through their eyes, the struggle of modern child rearing.

When Violet Disappears.....
When Violet Young seemingly disappears huge interest as to her whereabouts is sparked - for Violet is a vlogger, a social media star, with thousands of followers who need to know what has happened to her. That need soon turns into obsession. Engaging, dark suspense with plenty of twists and turns and a fast moving storyline.

I was fascinated by the plot of this story...it was very timely. A very popular mommy vlogger/infulencer completely disappears from social media and her devoted (and sometimes stalker-ish) followers search for answers. The story was fun and had many twists and turns. I enjoyed reading about the characters...all of them were very flawed and had secrets. The twist was unexpected and done well. I was a bit disappointed by the ending, I wanted more, it felt a bit lacking. Overall this was a fun domestic thriller with despicable characters. I recommend it!

I received this book from NetGalley and Crooked Lane books to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Violet is a mommy vlogger. With 1.7m subscribers on YouTube, 800k followers on Instagram and 400k followers on Twitter she is quite popular. She lives life out loud with her family. She shares everything. Her children are in the spotlight daily. So why, without any explanation are all of her accounts cancelled? Why are her followers being greeted with “this channel doesn’t exist”, “this page isn’t available”, “this page doesn’t exist”. Absolutely nothing. What happened to Violet? With three unreliable voices and a stalker we very slowly find out what happened that night. Chapters are interspersed with online speculation with the GoMamas group, but no one knows what happened. When her oh so handsome husband, Henry is questioned, he gives nothing away. I really wanted to like this book, but it felt disjointed and tedious. The narrators were all unlikable and it took too long for the storylines to connect,. Violet is a main character, but is missing for almost the entire book. We finally find out all in the end, but with so much potential it just wasn’t as good as it could have been.

Unfollow Me is an unsettling story about two very different women who are avid “followers” of a popular YouTube influencer, Violet Young. When Violet, the seemingly perfect mother and wife, suddenly and without warning, deletes all of her social media accounts her fans are in turmoil. While rumors and speculations grow, Yvonne and Lilly, both for reasons of their own, are determined to find the real explanation for her disappearance.

This story is told from several points of view and as it progresses the women’s backgrounds take shape. This is a suspenseful book with several unexpected revelations. The characters are believable and interesting, and the story itself is well-paced.

Unfollow Me certainly casts a different light on influencers and how various social media venues could dominate a follower’s thoughts and actions.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Unfollow Me is a witty page-turner centered around Violet Young, an insanely successful mom blogger and influencer who suddenly takes down her YouTube Channel, leaving a million subscribers in the dark.

Is it a publicity stunt?
Did her husband hurt her?
Will she return?

Those are questions that are buzzing on the online mommy forums, where everyone is speculating and trying to piece together what is happening in the life of this stranger they know so well.

Among them is, Lilly, a struggling single mother who found comfort in Violet's story, and is obsessed after the radio silence on Violet is Blue.

The story is told from alternating points of view, mainly Lily as she takes it upon herself to get answers to her questions about Violet, and Yvonne, a follower of Violet's for altogether different reasons.

Unfollow Me is filled with deeply flawed, deeply human characters, and I love the way Duckworth explores the dangers of putting so much of yourself online for the public to see. This book is fast-paced and suspenseful, and with interesting and complex characters, and commentary on important issues such as postpartum depression and privacy in the age of social media it's definitely one to read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advance copy.

3.5 stars

This seems to happen to me a lot with Mystery/Thrillers, but I knew the second I read the blurb for Unfollow Me by Charlotte Duckworth that I would be reading this book. I watch a lot of youTube, and there are some youTube momma’s out there I follow. Though I originally started following most of them as beauty influencers. Anyway, I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. When popular Mommy vlogger Violet Blue disappears without a trace, her fans are up in arms. And some of them are really offended, as they feel they are entitled to know what is going on. I have to say that as a youTube glommer, this was pretty eye opening, mostly because I feel like there probably are people out there who are like that. And the lines that were crossed by this woman’s ‘fans’ was absolutely mind boggling.

For most of the book, there are two women we’re following, and they each have their own struggles. Lily is a single mother who is barely keeping it together financially, and her mental health isn’t any better. Lily is too preoccupied with Violet’s seemingly perfect life and children to pay appropriate attention to her own son, and when she finds out her job is in jeopardy, things get worse. Yvonne is a (mostly) happily married woman struggling to conceive, and she’s an avid hate-watcher of Violet, who so effortlessly has everything Yvonne’s ever wanted.

The way this story played out and everything came together was really interesting, and I swear the pace never let up. There were things I didn’t see coming and some things I did, but I was always glued to what was going on. I will say that the ‘twist’ at the end was a bit underwhelming, but the last line of the story just before the epilogue started was my favorite part. It was such a fun ending, if a bit expected. All in all, I thought Unfollow Me was an interesting, intricate story, and I love the whole ‘tangled webs we weave’ feel to it. If you’re a fan of Mystery/Thrillers, I think you’ll enjoy this. If you’re an avid youTube watcher, I think you’ll enjoy it even more!

"It's what you want, after all, isn't it? Without an audience, without people like me watching, then what are you? No one asked you to put yourself on the internet. No one asked you to leave breadcrumb trails of your life across the World Wide Web, just waiting for a hungry bird like me to gobble up. I know everything about you, Violet. But what do you know about me?"

3.5 stars

Violet Is Blue, a YouTube influencer focusing on postpartum depression and the pitfalls of marriage and motherhood, suddenly disappears...all her social media accounts deleted overnight, much to the dismay and shock of her followers.

Yvonne and Lily, two of Violet's most ardent fans, make it their mission to find out everything they can about the turn of events that's taken Violet from them. What unfolds is a light mystery involving very different characters, with very different goals. Secrets abound in this fun little story.

Unfollow Me is a riveting novel absolutely ripe with conflict and betrayal. Recommended for a fast, furious, and enjoyable read.

**Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Admittedly, I requested this book from Netgalley solely because the author’s name is Charlotte Duckworth. Duckworth is my maiden name. 😊 It was such a nice surprise that the book actually turned out to be pretty great!

I will say this: if you are interested in this book because it is called a psychological thriller, you may be disappointed. It is in no way, shape, or form a thriller. I would call it contemporary fiction or drama, maybe?

However, it really does have a great plot and a whole cast of characters you’ll love to hate. Told mostly from Lily’s, Yvonne’s, and Henry’s points of view, it is the story of obsessed YouTube fans and the YouTuber’s glamorous, but constantly criticized lives.

Yvonne’s side was the one I identified with the most (at least in the beginning), because she is the first character I’ve read about who dealt with fertility issues (been there myself). I knew all her acronyms (POAS, DPO, CM, etc) and it was nice to see all the same obsessions, heartache, and longing I felt at that point in a fictional character. SHOUT OUT TO MY SEPTEMBER ‘07 MAMAS! 😊

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be picking up The Rival (Duckworth’s other published book) to read soon!

All the lies, all the betrayals, all the secrets!! A very unique, fast paced plot ... did not see that ending coming!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my review copy!