Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this thriller! I loved the impact social media had on it. I could not figure out who was bad. I didn't want to put it down! Definitely recommend for thriller lovers.

“Do You Follow?”
J.C. Bidonde
Narrated by Marnye Young
Release date: 4 January 2022

“It's probably for the best that there is no mirror. I'm afraid who I'd see in one.”

At the core of “Do You Follow?” is Alexa and Beth Martin’s relationship as twins and their traumatic history as girls – traumatic enough to send them to the Weinstein Center, a psychiatric institution. Alexa is released early and, determined to create a life for herself, finds a job and an apartment in New York City. Their father doesn’t want her to have anything to do with Beth once she is released from the facility.

The POVs belong to Alexa, Beth and Dr Greer, the psychiatrist. Both women have strong personalities. This creates escalating tension through the book. As readers we know things are being withheld from us, we just don't know what they are. The big revelation late in the novel came as surprise to me. So, make notes of any clues and flashbacks. Bionde has written a fast-paced page turner and Marnye Young, the narrator, inhabits the thriller with flawless pacing and a compassionate tone. She was selected as a March 2022 Earphones Award for her narration of “Do You Follow?”.

Synopsis

Alexa lives a sheltered life with her widowed father. When she secures a marketing job and apartment in New York City – much to her father’s and therapist’s concern – Alexa has high hopes of finally sneaking her way into adulthood. Her newfound freedom is cut short when her estranged twin sister Beth, after a long stint in a psychiatric setting, unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep.

As the sister bond grows strained over Alexa’s relationship and career success, questions mount, and secrets unfold, revealing the twin’s shared history. What exactly happened when they were only nine that set this vile trajectory in motion?

Things get more complicated, and one treacherous act threatens everything Alexa has been working toward. It will be on her – and Beth – to claw the way out of this situation.

A huge thank you to @netgalley and @greenleafbookgr for the “Do You Follow Me?” audiobook,

Thank you Netgalley and J.C Bidonde for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm finding it difficult to assess how I feel about this book. There were elements that I liked and elements that I disliked. I liked that it was a fast paced thriller and I liked most of the story. I really liked the ending. I just didn't like the twist. I feel like that twist has been overused in both film and books. I literally finished a book right before this one that had essentially the same twist in it. I enjoyed it, I just wish it would have gone in a different direction. I'm not giving away anything else.

All in all, the audio was great and the story enjoyable. Three stars.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* woah what a ride. Bumped this up to a 4 over a 3.5 because it was good even if i knew where it was going lol pretty wild read, would recommend

3.75 ish stars

This one was a fun, quick, and easy read. Less than halfway through, I was pretty sure I knew what was going on with the protagonist (I had two or three ideas, some of which could’ve worked together). I was right, for the most part, although I hadn’t imagined the details and backstory for my theory. Although it wasn’t really a surprise (and so, in my view, not really a twist), I did enjoy the way the writer brought the story to that point. The last chunk of the book was interesting; I wasn’t expecting the details of the trial, etc. to be drawn out that way. It was an interesting choice. I largely enjoyed this story.

This book gave me “Good Sister” vibes by Sally Hepworth! I loved it! Kept me engaged the entire time and was easy to follow. 5 stars!

This sounded better as a concept than it did when applied. I'm a twin so I'm a sucker for those stories and I also love tech and futuristic stories. This one started off a bit slow and never really took off for me. It had a lot of potential but fell flat.

Unfortunately I had a difficult time getting interested in this book, my mind kept wandering off, it just couldn't keep my attention.

3.5 rounded up. This was an interesting read. While I did find the plot to be very predictable, I still enjoyed the ride.

I loved the thriller in New York setting. Really added to the story.

This is a very short book and due to it being fast paced I was able to read it in one sitting.

I already reviewed the e-book version, so this is my updated review for the audiobook version of this book.

Audiobook: The narrator, Marnye Young, has an expressive, pleasant voice which makes the story easy to listen to, understand and follow the characters and plot. Very Enjoyable!

The Story: Do You Follow is a twisty, mind-bending thriller about the troubled lives of identical twins Alexa and Beth, as Alexa tries to launch her adult life in New York and leave her damaging past behind her. Some of the twists are heavily hinted at, so they became obvious as the story progressed, but others were a complete surprise, so they kept me wanting to read until the final conclusion. The points of view change between Alexa, Beth and Alexa's therapist, Dr. Greer, so it was nice to have insight into each character's part in the story, but it would have been interesting to have chapters narrated by Curt, Alexa's new boyfriend, and see his evolving point of view as the story unfolds. I especially would have loved to read some actual entries from the journal that becomes very central to the storyline in the middle of the book. The ending wraps up lingering questions for a satisfying conclusion. Enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to any new ones by the author in the future!

this book was not a good experience for me. the alternating between the two POVs was confusing, especially in the first few chapters. i listened to the audiobook and, at some points, i couldn't figure out who was talking. the story was not what i expected (i don't mean that as a compliment) and it was hard to follow. i didn't feel any thrill while reading so i wouldn't call this a 'thriller'. there is an element of mystery, yes, but nothing thrilling happens in this 300-pages novel. furthermore, i didn't feel any connection to these characters and i blame that on the writing. these characters aren't given any justice, especially alexa. the final plot twist was not good, it made me dislike the book even more. read this if you want to start screaming about plot holes and non-existent characterization. otherwise, i suggest skipping it.

Thank you to the author, publisher, narrator and Net Galley for providing a free audio copy of this title for my review.

I'm sorry, but I hated this book. Before chapter 1 ended, I had a feeling of the twin story. Then there is the issue with the author's portrayal of mental health issues - that was offensive on a whole new level. The comments about the COVID 19 pandemic in New York City were irritating - maybe it's just too soon, but also the author gave the feeling that 'its all over, life is back to normal' when that is not true. The explanations and comments about You Tubers and influencers were just annoying as well. So, yeah, I don't think there was a single thing I liked about this book. Even the narrator's voice annoyed me. This was an overall fail to me, and I honestly can't think of one person I would recommend this book to.

I hate doing this to an ARC/ALC, but I have to be honest.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced audio copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Genuinely, I don't have much to say about this title. It was super predictable-- I predicted all of the major twists except for the one on the very last page. I think the author really thinks they did something here, but it was nothing new or special. Besides the fact that it kept mentioning the COVID pandemic being "in the past" when it most definitely isn't, it was so incredibly disrespectful regarding mental illness. The way our main characters' mental health was portrayed was so out of pocket, I found myself getting angry listening to the book and hoping that it was almost over so I could just move on to something else.

I would not recommend this title because of how mental illness was portrayed. If you want to read a book that handles mental illness much better, I would recommend Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver.

A fun thriller about sisters in NYC...kept me engaged throughout, but not sure how realistic I found it.

EXCERPT: I've always liked true crime television, but my experience today may change that. I understand they need to corral the alleged criminals, but what about those of us who are innocent? Shouldn't we get a fabric chair or something? Instead, I've been sitting in this cold, dingy interrogation room for hours. The office with the ratty blinds is starting to seem downright appealing. Hindsight and all that, I suppose.

One thing though: this room doesn't have a two-way mirror - the kind that the lead detective always stands hidden behind, with a look equal parts frustration and determination as he studies the tight-lipped criminal.

It's probably for the best that there is no mirror. I'm afraid who I'd see in one.

I pass the time by fumbling with the now empty Dixie cup, water being the only creature comfort they've given me since my arrival. Despite the mirror's absence, I know they're watching me - the cops are always watching these rooms. I don't know how I'm supposed to act. I'm not telling them I had nothing to do with what happened, because that's not true. But I didn't kill him.

She did.

ABOUT 'DO YOU FOLLOW?': Alexa lives a sheltered life with her widowed father, feeling stifled by his helicopter parenting. When she secures a marketing job and apartment in New York City—much to her father’s and therapist’s concern—Alexa has high hopes of finally sneaking her way into adulthood. But her newfound freedom is cut short when her estranged twin sister Beth, after a long stint in a psychiatric setting, unexpectedly shows up at the doorstep of her tiny apartment.

Alexa too has spent time at the Weinstein Center. But she's determined to lead a normal life now and soon begins to date a YouTuber client. According to Beth, something isn’t quite right with Curt, but Alexa shrugs her clingy sister’s warnings off. It’s Beth who’s crazy, after all . . . As the sister bond grows strained over Alexa’s relationship and career success, questions mount, and secrets unfold, revealing the wickedly dark shared history of the twin siblings. What exactly happened when the twins were only nine that set this vile trajectory in motion?

Things get more complicated, and one treacherous act threatens everything Alexa has been working toward. It will be on her—and Beth—to claw the way out of this situation.

MY THOUGHTS: I usually avoid books about social media and influencers but something made me pick up this audiobook and I'm glad I did. Do You Follow? is a well constructed psychological thriller that made me sit up and take notice.

Now, I have to admit that the first 15-20% didn't do much for me. Young woman, dead mother, over-protective father, estranged sister and some 'incident' in the background that has her in therapy. Yeah, yeah, seen it all before, right?

Wrong! Cue the 1974 song 'You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet' by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Because once Alexa moves to New York City and starts her new job, things start to get interesting.

Why does her Dad call Alexa constantly to make sure she hasn't been talking to her estranged sister Beth? And why won't Alexa tell him that not only is she talking to Beth, but Beth has moved in with her? And just what does Beth have against Curt, the You-Tuber Alexa has fallen in love with?

I really thought that I had this all figured out, but I was nowhere near right. In fact, I was so far from being right that I may as well have been on a different planet. I had no idea . . .

Do You Follow? is a cleverly written debut psychological drama that definitely packs a few punches. I definitely did not see those twists coming! I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.

One thing I did wonder about though, (and this is the business administrator coming out in me) was how Curt could possibly afford to pay a New York marketing company to promote his You Tube videos?🤷‍♀️ It just kinda kept niggling at me.

Narrator Marnye Young has a good reading pace, range of voices, emotion and tone which made this an enjoyable listening experience

⭐⭐⭐.7

#DoYouFollow #NetGalley

I: @jcbidonde @greenleafbookgr

T:@GreenleafBookGr

#contemporaryfiction #crime #familydrama #mentalhealth #psychologicaldrama

THE AUTHOR: J.C. Bidonde earned a BA in Journalism from the University of Colorado and an MBA in Marketing from San Diego State University. She is a former blogger and used to work in television at ESPN and MTV. A longtime reader and first-time author, Bidonde dreams of writing her next novel from an Italian villa in Tuscany with her husband, two dogs, and cat.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Greenleaf Book Group via Netgalley for providing an audio ARC of Do You Follow? by J.C. Bidonde for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Twists and turns that I was not expecting. I loved the narrator and I was engaged the whole way through. I want to go listen again and see if I notice those twists and turns or if they were just that well hidden.

Alexa has lived a sheltered life with her widowed father. When she is offered her first Job in NYS her father and her therapist are reluctant to let her go. Alexa is excited to have her own place and to start her new job. However, on her first day in her new place her estranged twin sister shows up at her door step shortly after being released from a psychiatric setting. Despite her father’s warnings, Alexa welcomes Beth with open arms to come stay with her as long as she needs. Alexa loves her new job and things are going great, she has a new boyfriend, her own place, and things seem to be going well with her sister as well. As the story progresses you find out more insight on the difficult childhood of Alexa and Beth and some dark secrets that they have been forced to keep hidden. When Alexa’s boyfriend discovers their secret that roots back to when they were 9, Beth has no choice but to Handel the situation before disappearing and leaving Alexa to clean up the mess!


I loved this psychological thriller with twists and turns and a surprise ending!

Slow, lackluster thriller where the twists were easily guessed and the characters forgettable. The ending was a surprise! ...but overall pretty average.

I have mixed feelings on Do You Follow? We're set up with our main character moving to NYC for her new corporate job, but her twin sister shows up and we quickly realize something is wrong. The reader is left trying to figure out what the mystery event from the past they won't talk about it, and just how much is our MC"s life going to be destroyed by her twin. While I enjoyed the overall plot, I felt very turned off by how many pop culture references fill this book. It's a big pet peeve of mine, and the book is absolutely full of them.

Psychological thrillers are one of my favorite genres. The main twist in this one was a bit predictable- I figured it out pretty quickly. However, I appreciated the author's character development and attempt to bring mental illness to light.

I was surprised by the twist at the end. I give this book 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #GreenleafBookGroup for the opportunity to read #DoYouFollow in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.