This one was okay. But it was very hard to like almost everyone. The influencers and their problems are hard to take.

I did like the multiple POVs though. I liked the idea of the book. It was just too out of touch lives for me. A small percent of the world has to deal with.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

"People to Follow" by Olivia Worley is a pulse-pounding rollercoaster that plunges readers into the treacherous world of social media fame. When a group of influencers is marooned on a mysterious island for a high-stakes social experiment, secrets are unveiled, alliances crumble, and the façade of perfection shatters dramatically.

Worley masterfully crafts a tale of suspense and betrayal, where each chapter peels back layers of deceit and ambition. The island setting is as haunting as it is beautiful, serving as a stark backdrop to the unraveling psyches of its inhabitants. The characters, driven by vanity and desperation, reveal the dark underbelly of influencer culture, making this a gripping and thought-provoking read.

Prepare to be enthralled and unnerved as "People to Follow" takes you on an emotional and dramatic journey through the perilous pursuit of virtual validation.

This book started off so strong for me. It wasn't terribly amazing, but I was having a brilliant time with it. I do have to say that I do have a weak spot for reality tv based fiction. I don't know why. I just think it's a great frame work for a novel. So of course, this book would also speak to me. That being said the reality tv show setting was probably my least favourite part of this book. I just think the author kind of forgot it was a thing at times. I can't believe a group of ten influencers would forget they are on camera 24/7 so many times throughout this book as they did. It was super odd. Especially the side plot where the documentary guy has his own camera, and is trying to expose some of these characters in his next documentary. It makes 0 sense, as any scoop he could get during this would be precendented by the reality show airing the same thing but from different angles. I don't know. It was so stupid, and it's not like his camera actually pushed the narrative forward in any way.
This was an extremely fun read though. I had such a fun time reading this book. It was an extremely compelling read, and I did not want to put this book down. I just think the combo of the mystery who is killing people, and the different mysteries around everyone's secrets was just really well done. I also think reveals were done all over the book really well to want you to keep reading. It was just such a blast.
However, when it came to the end, I just didn't like it that much. I feel like a lot of these secrets were actually really terrible stuff that they did, and (I'm trying to talk about this without spoilers) made me truly dislike most of these people. I have to say, that I didn't even feel bad about some of them dying, or was even rooting for some of them to die (obviously I'd never root for any real people to die, but it's fiction people). It was only made worse by that fact that these characters refuse to take any accountability as "at least I'm not killing people". Truly putting a murderer in the mix, made some of these characters feel like their actions weren't bad at all because at least they didn't kill anyone. It just gave me such a massive ick. It made the end quite frustrating to read, which truly is a shame because I do think most of these reveals were incredible though.

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This was a DNF book for me. There was too much happening at the beginning, and I found it hard to follow. I was not invested enough in the characters.

I really enjoyed this locked room murder mystery. The characters was fast paced and kept me guessing what would happen next. My only complaint was the chapters from multiple characters’ points of views. I often found myself forgetting who was narrating because their voices were t significantly different. Other than that, a really solid read!

I struggled to connect with this book. The characters were overall intolerable and the plot seemed similar to many others I've read recently. I loved the summery setting and the influencer angle but something about it made it uninteresting to me.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Ten teen influencers are selected to travel to a remote island to film a reality show in which they are their “real” selves, out of control of the editing and presentation, living without a filter or a buffer…and without access to their phones or their social media accounts. Most of them are canceled or cancellable in some way or another, some have unresolved issues with each other, and one ends up dead. And then a storm rolls in. A true recipe for disaster.

When no one from production arrives and bodies start to pile up, the group of teens who only ever show the world what they want them to see are about to be forced to get real, real quick.

SO! By the time I got around to reading this (ugh, I’m the worst), I had forgotten it was a YA thriller. I do set different expectations and have different ‘wants’ from YA thrillers versus adult thrillers, and I think People to Follow checked all those boxes. We do also tiptoe into horror territory with the isolation, killer on the loose in a storm, whodunit vibes which I’ve commented a lot on lately and how much I’m loving the genre-crossing without becoming outright horror.

Not a single likable character in the bunch. They were all reminders of not only what I dislike about teenagers (and what it was like to be one) but also what I absolutely loathe about the internet and social media. It was juicy and it requires a suspension of reality, but it was a damn good time.

This was Olivia’s debut and I truly think it was a success. I love love love toxic friendships and bratty teens who think they run the world getting knocked down a peg or four. As I’ve said time and time again about YA thrillers - I think they struggled for awhile there, but authors have really found a formula and a groove that has made them one of my favorite genres to visit. Had this been an attempt of adult influencers I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed as much.

I already have an ARC of Olivia’s sophomore release, The Debutantes, set to release in late October of this year and preliminary reviews are giving me a great feeling!

Wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a YA thriller. They’re not normally my favorite since they can be a little watered down compared to adult thrillers. But I still really enjoyed this. Reminiscent of Ingrid Goes West and Like Me. Thrillers in the age of social media influencing.

If the hype house was a closed-door murder mystery, it would have been this book! I loved the premise, extrapolating the drama to a faux reality show setting is so intriguing to me. I wish it had unwound the twists a bit better, it feel like the ending was a bit predictable and anti-climatic for me after a lot of build up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

A suspenseful ride, set on a remote island where ten teen influencers find themselves in a deadly reality show, creating an intense atmosphere that kept me hooked from start to finish. This book cleverly explores the dark side of social media fame.

I did not finish this book. This seemed like a great YA thriller and I am sure it is! I just couldn’t get through it.

I was ready to love this book because I'm always drawn to stories about influencers and people behaving badly. However, I'm not a huge fan of YA or locked-room thrillers and those two elements seemed to outweigh the pros for me. Overall, this was entertaining, but I was ready for it to be over.

I listened to this novel on audio and appreciated that each narrator in the story was done by a different narrator on the audio. Some of the narrators were better than others, most had really bad southern accents, and some were exceptionally grating (but they were supposed to be!). The audio definitely added an element of theatrics, for better or worse.

I really enjoyed the concept of this novel - a group of influencers shuttled out to a private island for several weeks to disconnect, but being filmed while doing so and having it go terribly (murderously) wrong. It was super entertaining, I didn't guess the killer, and it was fun how everything connected and played out.

All in all, this was a unique and interesting plot line but I probably would have enjoyed it more had it not been YA. Very entertaining and the audio was fun. Wasn't really for me, but I do recommend because I could see a lot of people really enjoying this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the copy.

Lots of fluff in my opinion, could be slow at times. But the synopsis heavily attracted me because I love reality tv. Murder and influencers is a perfect plot some would say. There are multiple POVs, one of them reminded me of Jojo Siwa.

This was such a fun, light, page-turning summer thriller! I love the conceit of influencers stuck and murdered on an island where they're meant to "reconnect with real life"—the personalities and voices jump off the page, and the whole thing was a frothy delight from start to finish.

Another “And Then There Were None”-esque young adult book to add to the list! Obviously this trope has been done over and over, to the point of over saturation, this was still a fun read that wasn’t entirely predictable. I would read another book by this author!

A reality show set on a remote Caribbean Island featuring 10 influencers - what could go wrong?
This new show focuses on 10 social media influencers from various backgrounds to live in a house together for a few weeks with their unfiltered selves and no electronics. After the influencers move in and the production crew fails to show it appears there is more at stake than their reputations. Someone is lying about who they are and why these 10 influencers are gathered together. When bodies start piling up in the midst of a storm, it's all anyone can do to stay alive.

I enjoyed this fun locked room mystery with dual perspectives. I did get a little confused on who the other characters were but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book. Despite being in my 30's and feeling ever so slightly too old to read this book, I strongly recommend!

Thank you to Olivia Worley, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Olivia Worely and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an intense, thrilling and twisty read! I didn’t know what I was getting myself into with this, and I’m so glad that I didn’t. I think it made it all the more mysterious and thrilling. I love a lock room, murder game in any form!

When ten young influencers sign up for a reality show revolving around being "unplugged" on an island for several weeks, no one expects the bodies to start piling up. Will the remaining influencers find the truth hidden amongst everyone's lies before they all end up cancelled? Pick up People to Follow and find out.

These long-con revenge plot thrillers really entice me, and I did enjoy this one quite a bit. You know that everyone is hiding something, and it's fun to follow along with the mystery. I didn't guess the culprit, which is always a plus. It's a high stakes YA murder mystery, what more can you ask for?

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

In Olivia Worley's "People to Follow," ten influencers find themselves thrust into "IRL," a gripping reality show set in a tropical paradise. Except this is a deadly game where not everyone will make it off the island alive. From fitness enthusiast Kira to documentary filmmaker Max, each influencer brings their own unique persona to the show. As they navigate the challenges of island life without their electronic devices, tensions rise and secrets begin to surface. When one of them is found dead after a night of revelry, the group is plunged into a sinister mystery where everyone is a suspect.

Set against the backdrop of a secluded Caribbean island, the story unfolds with chilling intensity, punctuated by shocking revelations that peel back the layers of each character's facade. Told from the perspectives of Kira, Max, Elody, and Logan, the narrative delves into the dark consequences of fame and the relentless pursuit of social media stardom.

While character development may be light, the plot's twists and turns keep readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly unraveling the mysteries hidden within. With themes of betrayal, deception, and the dangers of cancel culture, "People to Follow" is a chilling thriller that explores the deadly consequences of living life in the spotlight.