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.

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.

A bunch of people go to an island paid for by a mysterious rich person (presumably) and then they start getting killed. Very “and then there was none”

Personally I do love this kind of closed door mystery but this one just fell flat for me.

More of a “people to unfollow”

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

I really wanted to like it. The idea of social media influencers, reality tv, and murder seem like they’d make such a great book! I felt like the target audience really should be lowered for this book though. I enjoy young adult books but felt like this likely would do better with teens. I feel as if being someone who watches reality tv, tiktok, and works with kids that I’d enjoy it but I just felt too old and was annoyed by the way some of he characters spoke (the word babe was in here at least 100 times).

I also found it hard to keep characters straight with how many viewpoints this story was told from (4).

This was an okay thriller. I loved that it took place on a deserted island and that the characters were influencers. They all traveled to the island to film a reality TV show, but one of the influencers start killing them off one by one.

I enjoyed the multiple POV’s and felt the plot was entertaining which kept me wanting to read. There were some twists and the mystery behind the murderer was interesting. With it being a YA it was a quick read but there were a lot of characters which initially made it difficult to keep everyone straight and a lot of the characters lacked maturity. Other than that it was an ok thriller with suspense and twists.

This book is messy in that "I can't look away" kind of way. Someone has invited quite a few young influencers to an island to film a reality TV show. All the members of the popular TikTok house, The Bounce House, are there, as well as a couple of former members, a journalist that does exposes, and an up and coming Twitch streamer. They are met by the mysterious Tilly, who tells them they're on their own for the next 3 weeks and it doesn't take long for tensions to rise....and people to die.

Messy, messy, messy, in both good and bad ways. We all love a book that shows us rich and famous people behaving badly and getting their just desserts, and this book takes it to the extreme as people start dying--someone falls off a balcony, another person somehow comes into contact with peanuts, and more. I can't believe the body count this book has--and every time someone else died, I wondered how there were still people left on the island to die.
Since it is a locked room/island mystery in the vein of And Then There Were None, you know that the person behind everything *has* to be on the island, and Worley kept me guessing until the final reveal. Every time you think you have it figured out....you don't. That was really well done, but the characterization of all the characters was....not the best. They were all just stereotypes of all the different influencer types--the fitness guru, the nutrition expert, the gamer, the journalist, etc. You could easily predict how each character was going to react to everything by which archetype they were. That was predictable and honestly kind of boring. But what saved the book from being the hottest of messes was how well Worley kept the secret of who actually was behind everything and why.
Read less

I'm a sucker for the stranded thriller trope - especially one set on an island. There was no way I was not going to read this. The premise was so fun - And Then There Was None meets TikTok. It was like the writer was writing it specifically for me! LOL.

Ten influencers decide to star on the new reality show, In Real Life, which is being filmed on a private island. Each one has their own reason for deciding to star on the show and each has their own reason for wanting each other dead. Now they are trapped on an island with each other and one of them may just be a killer...

Although there are 10 main characters, we only get the perspectives of 4 of them - Kira, Logan, Elody, and Max. The characters are mostly unlikable, but despite this, I did find the book to be quite fun. My one complaint was that it was a bit hard to keep track of the characters because they did come off as very similar. I had to keep a little notepad that listed the characters out with a brief description of each one so I could remember who was who.

I recently read a book called Never Coming Home and it had a premise very similar to this one, but I will say that I think this one was executed better. Overall, I found this book to be a quick read with a fun ride. Sadly, my husband did not agree and didn't enjoy this one. Womp Womp.

I look forward to reading Olivia Worley's next novel, The Debutantes, which sounds so good!

"People to Follow" by Olivia Worley is a pulse-pounding debut novel that takes readers on a thrilling journey into the dark side of social media fame. Set against the backdrop of a remote Caribbean island, this gripping tale follows ten teen influencers who find themselves trapped in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

"In Real Life" is the latest reality show sensation, promising fame and fortune to its contestants as they unplug from social media and confront the harsh realities of life without filters. But when the production crew fails to show up and a member of their group is found dead, the influencers realize that they're not just playing a game—they're fighting for their lives.

Worley expertly crafts a diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets and vulnerabilities, adding layers of depth and complexity to the story. From Elody, the impulsive Instagram model, to Logan, the disgraced TikTok celeb with a hidden agenda, every character is fleshed out with nuance and authenticity.

As the body count rises and tensions mount, the influencers must navigate a treacherous landscape of betrayal and deception, all while being watched by an unseen audience and threatened by a mysterious Sponsor. With cameras tracking their every move and their darkest secrets at risk of being exposed, the stakes couldn't be higher.

Filled with twists, turns, and heart-pounding suspense, "People to Follow" is a riveting page-turner that will keep readers guessing until the very end. Worley's sharp writing and knack for storytelling make this novel impossible to put down, offering a chilling glimpse into the dangers of fame and the lengths people will go to protect their image. Fans of thrillers and social media culture won't want to miss this captivating read.