This had such a great premise that I thought I would love it, but turns out I did not unfortunately. It was a little drawn out and listening via audio it was hard to keep everyone straight. It took a while for me to be vested as well, but once folks started dying it became more interesting (and less people to keep track of haha). I love the locked room mystery trope and like I said this type of plot is normally right up my alley but this one just missed the mark for me.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the digital copy to review.

People to Follow takes the concept of influencers and shakes it upside down. Invited to a special IRL reality show taping on a beautiful private island, we quickly learn how each influencer has a secret to hide. Is their secret worth killing for? The body count and tensions rise as the pages turn in this unputdownable book.

Quite the homage to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None in a fresh new take. Please tell me it's being adapted for the screen!

I think this has a lot of potential. To start out I didn’t realize it was ya and it’s definitely written like one. I also think there were way to
Many character POVs and I had a hard time following some of the povs and remember whose it was. I also think that maybe influencer based books just aren’t my thing. This one gave me “We were liars” vibes so if you like that one you might enjoy this one. Great doom and gloom drama, with manipulation. I definitely didn’t see the reveal coming but it just wasnt enough for me to truly enjoy this book.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley.

When I initially started this book, I rolled my eyes. I’ve seen too many thriller books about influencers “getting what they deserve.” But I am so glad a kept going because this was such a fun ride.

A group of influencers travel to a secluded island for what they believe is a reality tv show where they go unplugged for three weeks. When they get there, they discover that there are much more insister plans for them in store. They need to keep playing by the rules as one by one, their secrets are exposed and they are found murdered.

The book starts out with 9 or 10 of them there, and it is a little hard to keep track of them at first, but the author does a pretty good job giving each of them their own personality to fit their “brand.” There were just two of the guys that I kept forgetting who they were and getting them confused. The book was told from the POV of four of the characters. It was a few too many POV’s for me, but it wasn’t too hard to tell who was who.

I liked the escape room vibe to the book. Not only is the group trapped and being picked off one by one, but they also need to figure out puzzles along the way and keep getting hints, messages and directions from “the sponsor.”

Overall, I thought it was a fun read.

This one surprised me!

I honestly wasn’t sure after the first couple of chapters, because I’m not a big fan of the whole “influencer” thing, but this story actually had me on the edge of my seat a lot wondering what would happen next!

Some characters were more likeable than others, and I could do without seeing the word “babe” for a while, but wow, a really well put together story.

Great YA thriller in my opinion, and appropriate for that age range.

Lots of twists and who-dun-it and overall I really enjoy this one!

Did this book end up being far-fetched and completely ridiculous? Yes, but I was also thoroughly entertained, which is sometimes all I really need from a book. This was a fast-paced YA thriller that was full of secrets and twists.

We start off with 10 main characters, but I was able to catch on pretty quickly to who everyone was. And since people are getting killed off one-by-one, it gets easier to keep track of everyone as the book goes on. None of the characters are very likeable, so I didn't really feel any attachment to any of them or sad about their deaths, but this book was definitely more about the plot and shocks than character development. The four characters were get POVs from are definitely more fleshed out though.

Overall, a solid debut that kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat. I'd recommend if you're looking for something fast-paced and thrilling.

A reality show on a remote Caribbean island. Ten teen influencers. One dead body.

When I read that tagline, I knew I wanted to read this book and I am so glad I did! The constant twists and turns in this YA thriller had me guessing (wrongly!) until the very end. Olivia Worley wrote some pretty heavy content besides all the death, but I felt it was done well and truthfully. There are so many layers behind influencers and what their content does to followers and I feel this book was eye opening in that regard. Definitely an enjoyable book! Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Author Olivia Worley for the ARC!

A true thriller!

Olivia Worley wove socially conscious and relevant themes of influencers culture, feminism, and financial privilege into this storyline without distracting from the thriller nature of this novel. Each character and chapter revealed more and more secrets adding layers to the mystery, keeping the reader invested and guessing! The end was sarcastically satisfying and allows the reader to grapple with their own idea of justice and fairness

“In Real Life” is a new reality show. The kings and queens of social media have been invited to spend 3 weeks completely unplugged on a deserted island. Cameras are going to be watching their every move. UNTIL the camera crew never shows up and the group is left stranded with no way to reach the mainland. Then the first body is discovered and it turns everyone into a suspect.

This novel has been done quite a few times before. It is nothing new. I did enjoy the story, even if it is a bit of a repeat. But I absolutely hated every character in this tale. This is the main reason for the 3 star rating. I just really wanted to slap each and every one. They are spoiled, self centered, little brats. This is what makes the story turn…I guess. The reader really doesn’t know who, what, when or why this is happening. Each character has some major bad qualities and so you are guessing which one is causing this whole ruckus. And believe me…all of them are capable.

Need a story with a reality tv feel….THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review

It seems the writer is fairly young, but this read a lot like an old person (such as myself) trying to write teens. The dialogue was so unbearably cringy that I couldn’t enjoy the story. I’m a sucker for people trapped and being killed off one by one kinds of stories, but I have to hope at least someone stays alive or I can’t continue.

I absolutely love YA, or at least I guess I used to love YA. But I haven’t read a solid YA thriller in a while. It’s the same issue every time - any sense of realism or feasibility is thrown out to make it twisty and fun. But if it’s implausible, it just doesn’t work me. This was actually mor plausible than most (and some of the issues were probably realistic for teens - hey, there’s a murderer but let’s have a party). But they were just so annoying that I was excited for their demise.

People to Follow is a YA thriller that focuses on ten teen influencers who sign up for a reality TV show on a remote island. Each person joins for different reasons, but none of them ever expected that they may not make it off the island alive. When one of them is found dead, a dangerous game begins with more lives in jeopardy, as the mastermind behind it all is determined to expose the dark secrets they all strive to keep hidden. No one is innocent, but which one of them is capable of murder?

I really enjoyed this book! I do enjoy the drama of reality shows, and this felt like a deadly teen version of Big Brother on an island. I loved the whodunit vibe of the book, and trying to figure out who was really behind it all. It kept me guessing throughout the novel, and I honestly did not anticipate the reveal of the true culprit. I love when I don’t guess the twist in a book! The narrative switches between several of the main characters, with one character’s voice being especially entertaining. Overall, if you enjoy YA thrillers or reality shows, I would definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for this advance copy, in exchange for my honest review.

Think social media influencers mixed with And then there were none. This was a guilty pleasure for me. There’s just something about a deserted island and murders that I enjoy.

I do like books that tell the story from different POVs. Some of these characters were so annoying that you just couldn’t wait for them to be knocked off.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

All the influencer thrillers that have come out lately are fun to read. I didn't exactly pick this up thinking it would blow my mind, but I did enjoy the twists! Definitely highlighted the dark side of the influencer world! I'd recommend it to those who like thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars

Ten teen influencers are selected for a new reality TV show called In Real Life. What was suppose to be an amazing opportunity quickly turns into a nightmare when they find themselves stranded alone on the island, with no way to contact the outside world. Things continue to take a turn as one of them is discovered dead the following morning. When an anonymous Sponsor starts sending them messages they realize that they’ve been pulled into a dangerous game.

I was sold on this book from the minute I read the synopsis. Young adult locked room, remote island thriller that gives And Then There Were None Vibes…sign me up! (To read not participate in obviously)

There are quite a few characters to keep track of but I didn’t find it too difficult. And as multiple POV is my favorite, I loved how we got 4 different perspectives. There was a good balance between getting us inside each characters head while also keeping a flow to the story….at least at first. In the beginning I couldn’t stop flipping the pages but as it neared the end, the story started feel very drawn out.

The ending/twist was a good one but parts of it were just a little too far fetched for me. Overall a solid debut and I’m excited to see what she does next!

A thriller about teenage influencers in a remote setting being murdered? Sign me up! I love locked room thrillers/whodunits, and I always devour a good plot mixed with social media. There were a lot of characters to keep up with, but the reality show vibes were immaculate. I loved how twisty this was & it was a blast to read!

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC!

This book literally hooked me in from the very first chapter and kept me glued to my seat the entire time! Couldn’t stop!

I sadly had to DNF this one. I was instantly hooked on this idea of people traveling to a remote location for a reality show. I think the characters were just not clicking for me. I found a lot of the teen influencers very unlikeable. I also felt as though the length was too long and made me end up skipping to the end.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this whodunnit in a locked room setting. It reminded me of the movie Clue if they were teenager/young adult influencers.

I did have a couple issues. One of the characters drove me off the wall the way they talked, and I really could’ve done without all the “babes.” And the other is a bit of a spoiler, but one of the murders most likely couldn’t have occurred based on the method used for killing (trying to keep this vague).

But a solid thriller that kept me guessing until the very end, and had just enough plot twists and turns to keep me invested. It was a quick, easy read that I finished in a day.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

People to Follow by Olivia Worley follows a new reality show "In Real Life," where 10 social media stars are forced to unplug on a secluded island. It turns dark when the production crew is late, a death occurs, and a mysterious Sponsor threatens to reveal their darkest secrets. As the body count rises, the social media influencers must uncover the identity of their hidden adversary before they become the next victims in this deadly game of survival.

I was intrigued by this book from the synopsis. Then, the cover sealed the deal. Who doesn’t love a pool cover??
Now I started this book and finished it within 48 hours. I simply could not put this book down. I wanted to know who the killer was and I wouldn’t stop until I knew!

What I enjoyed:
Multiple POVs. This is one of my favorite things in books, I love to see the story from multiple angles.
The concept! I love the idea of a psychological thriller with social media influencers. I feel that this book is primarily geared towards Gen Z, but I think lots of people could enjoy it!
Elody.

What I did not enjoy:
There are 10 social media influencers that you follow. As well as there are 4 different POVs. At times, it took effort to keep everyone separate. The POVs read very similarly. One character does use ‘babe’ in every sentence, so it is easy to keep her separate! As I got further in the book, I had to check the chapter title often to see whose POV I was reading.

You will enjoy this book if:
You love social media influencer drama
You enjoy Jeneva Rose's books
You enjoy multiple POVs

Content Warnings: Death, Murder, Sexual Assault, Panic Attacks

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Oh look I finally managed to get a post together! 😯😱 Life in October was non-stop but I’m really hoping that things settle down a bit before the holiday craziness! But luckily even with less posts, I’ve still managed to read some great books and here is one of them!

People To Follow is about 10 influencers that are brought to a remote island to film a reality show. But when one of them is found dead, they start to find out that everyone is hiding something and can’t be trusted.

I really love a “locked-room” thriller. I love the limited amount of suspects and trying to figure out who did it. This book was so fun for that reason. I like that the multiple POV’s were all so different and figuring out everyone’s secrets.

It’s an easy read that’s fast paced and keeps you guessing. Is it going to be a literary classic? No probably not. But I really enjoyed it!

People to follow is out now! Thank you @stmartinspress for my advanced copy!