Really enjoyed this one! I read a review that said this was YA leaning and I disagree. This was a solid 4 stars for me, I didn’t want to put the book down and it was not at all predictable. A very fresh take on the influencers get taken out trope!

A whodunnit in the vein of the iconic 'And Then There Were None' with a social media twist. Multiple first person POVs help keep the mystery alive, but at the cost of suspending our disbelief. Unreliable narrators galore, as to be expected, with mostly positive results

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

🎧Song Pairing: Kill Bill - SZN

💭What I thought would happen:

I really expected this to be a 5. Plus loved the cover and figured it had to do with influencers sooo drama out the bahama

📖What actually happens:

Several influencers are brought to a luxury island to shoot a reality show and to promote their brands as each individual has had an issue with their audience as of late.

When one of the obnoxious members ends up dead after night one…they start realizing this isn’t about promoting their instas and tik toks…they’ve been gathered to be cancelled…maybe a little too literally.

🗯Thoughts:

I got a bit of a Bodies Bodies Bodies vibe. Most because it’s Gen Zs in a lavish place then next thing you know it gets a little…bloody 😏 oh and Pete Davidson would be cast in the movie…for promotional sake (obviously)

This was very much a modern day And Then There Were None concept and I was digging it until the characters with the best drama lost their screen time. Ugh. I just grew sooo bored and over the story by the end but at least I was able to predict it down to a T…

The problem with the central group of douches was that their influence fame came from something called the Bounce House. Honestly can’t convince me otherwise that their channel isn’t for kids with that stupid name yet they’re a social media sensation?! But also after writing this i hear there is something called the Hype House…I am old and out of touch. Forgive me 👵🏻

So it seems like a regular cover but there was something about it that made me really want to read it. I’m glad I did because even though it felt like way too many characters that still somehow all seemed the same I could not stop reading it. I didn’t think it would go down the way it did but the pressure in the house about who was up next kept me glued to this one. The beginning and end was just sort of meh but I loved that middle so much it was worth it. A definite must read.

My students will greatly enjoy reading a book they can relate to in regards to social media. I was a bit concerned about the idioms and various phrases used because they’re already outdated in teenage standards. It’s constantly changing! The author seemed to have a great grasp on influencers and the added addition of mystery was great! Reminded me a lot of And Then There Were None.

I love closed door murder mysteries but this one was hard to get in to. None of the numerous characters are particularly likable and the amount of Gen Z lingo was over kill. The characters were kind of hard to tell apart and could use some more fleshing out.

WOW- this was such a clever read, it was fresh, fast and a perfect summer read. Olivia knocked it out of the park, the right kept me guessing vibes! 4 star

Twists and turns surprise you through this YA mystery novel about teen influencers, a remote island, and murders. Who will survive? Don't discount this one because it is YA. It has details and twists to keep the mystery reader in you entertained. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook to review.

Murdering social media influencers on an island had me all in from the beginning.

What a great debut from a new author. Hit all the right beats and kept me in suspense until the end.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

People to Follow is a fantastic YA thriller novel! I can not believe this is a debut! If you live closed door type thrillers with a vacation gone wrong mystery, this book is for you!

4.5 stars!

Unfortunately I think this* and then there was one* style book missed tomorrow, there were way too many characters, which sometimes will work in a book but in this book it was hard to keep track of everybody.. and basically it was just nothing new, a group of people all put on an island together and people keep getting killed off one by one, paranoia is high and no one knows who to trust, not an absolutely horrible book, just a little stale.. two out of four stars

This book definitely needs a character list. I could barely keep up which made it very difficult to stay interested. This book is not for me.

This was just eh and wasn't for me. The beginning had my interest but as it went on maybe 20% in, I was bored, and it was so predictable and just wasn't for me. The cover gives it two stars, Love all the colors! The story is nothing too new. A group of people in a secluded place, a mysterious sponsor and they are killed off one by one. A lot of suspicion and doubting each other. The setting here is a luxurious island and a group of social media influencers. I don’t exactly mind the influencer trope. I even enjoy it at times. But here, I was not really sold. Mainly because I think it would have been wiser to focus on only two different POV’s. I missed the reality tv part. I think this is a fine novel for a younger crowd, not too much for me. Too much drama entirely, too less mystery and suspense just not my cup of tea.

This book is part suspense, part satire, tearing apart our “follow me” social media culture. Most of the characters are annoying, but that fits in with the premise of a reality tv show that is meant to take ten influencers out of the spotlight. This was a fun read and laughed out loud many times. It’s labeled as young adult, but anyone would enjoy this if you like books will that tackle our current social media environment. Huge five stars for this one!

Read if you like:
🔪 YA Thrillers
🏝️ Island Setting
☠️ Murder Mysteries
📱 Social Media Influencers

This book would be a perfect read for teens or those in their early 20’s based on the topics, writing style, age of characters, and word/language choices made by the author. However, I will say to that that if you are up on slang and common terms of those in that age group you will still enjoy this one too!

I really enjoyed the beachy Caribbean setting for this book and the suspense as it kept me on the edge of my toes and flipping pages.

I also loved the aspect of pulling in social media influencers to be on a show as it felt very much like a Netflix show that I was indulgently reading.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC and I hope others enjoy this YA thriller as much as I did!

This was an easy and entertaining suspense novel to read but the story has been done before so many times. The spin on this type of story was using influencers on the island which I thought I’d enjoy but most of the characters were just annoying.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.

This was certainly interesting! Quick enough to keep my attention, although all the characters were introduced so quickly and with so many, I literally needed a flow chart to keep up with who's who- if I were the publisher, I'd definitely put a character list in the front pages of the book so people can keep everyone straight. I'll confess I didn't see the twist coming, but by the time I got there, I was already pretty checked out. You're telling me a group of early adults witness multiple murders, think someone is after them, and their first instinct is "oh well let's play spin the bottle?" or "I'm going for a swim". I know that teens/early adults can be vapid, but be real.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I had a few issues with this book which primarily revolved around the cast of characters. There were WAY too many which made it difficult to keep track of the revolving POVs especially since they didn’t have very distinct voices.

The setting, however, was really well done and felt effortlessly luxurious.

I was feeling a bit confused, but in a good way. Usually, I prefer characters who are older, so it was unusual for me to enjoy a story with younger characters. However, I couldn't help but be drawn into the thrilling plot that unfolded in this book.

The story revolves around a group of people stuck in a remote place, and one by one, they start to disappear or face danger. It reminded me of the works of Agatha Christie, who is still considered the queen of mystery. The suspenseful atmosphere and the gradual unraveling of the mystery reminded me of her iconic stories.

One of the things that stood out to me was how well the author described the isolated setting. The characters being stranded in the middle of nowhere added to the tension and made me feel on edge. The author's vivid descriptions made me feel like I was right there with the characters, experiencing their fear and uncertainty.

At first, I wasn't sure about the characters being younger, but as the story progressed, I began to appreciate this different approach. It brought a fresh energy and made the characters' vulnerability more relatable. Their youthful enthusiasm added to the suspense and made me worry about their safety.

Despite my initial reservations, I couldn't stop reading this book. The author did a fantastic job of building suspense and keeping me guessing until the very end. The unexpected twists and revelations were exciting and left me satisfied with the outcome.

In the end, while I had my doubts about the characters' age, I found myself thoroughly enjoying this book. It had the same gripping suspense as Agatha Christie's stories, and the remote setting added an extra layer of excitement. This is a must-read for fans of mysteries and anyone looking for a thrilling and fresh take on the genre.

I certainly wasn't expecting And Then There Were None...but ✨ influencers ✨ out of this book, but Olivia Worley masterfully accomplished the composition of this novel with a convoluted ensemble of strong personalities.

I had a tough time deciding if the language choices in this book were cringey, and I think it's just barely toeing the line. Definitely drove home the overuse of the word "like", but it also may have been a touch of overuse of the overuse. And Elody's choice to use "babe" to punctuate every sentence rivals only the zillennial/millennial need to use "lol" at the end of every text. But we're texting. Elody is supposed to be speaking. I cannot imagine how grating that would be.

I also had a hard time believing the ages of these characters. I would have guessed all of them to be 20-25, not in their teens. But I was truly drawn in by the concept of revealing the secrets of the characters one by one. I kept wanting to know who would be next, and what the had done. I stayed up till 2am to finish it, and that's always a good sign!

Thanks to NetGalley, Olivia Worley, and the publisher for this ARC! People to Follow, Olivia Worley's debut novel, comes out on October 31st 2023!