3.5 / 5 stars

9 years ago Liv’s stepsister Kristina was murdered and her baby was kidnapped. The prime suspect was the baby’s father, Sam, but no one has heard from him since that night. Until Liv sees a photo of Sam, now “Scott”, online. He’s engaged to Internet sensation and mega-influencer Molly Sullivan. Liv wants justice for her stepsister and to find her niece + ensure she’s not in any danger. She slowly works her way into Molly & Scott’s new life, determined to find out the truth about that night. But she’s not the only one who saw that photo, and now they’re all in danger…

This book hooked me immediately. As an influencer myself, I loved the influencer storyline and the author nailed so much of what it entails. I was surprised a couple of times, and I loved the ending. The only reason I gave it 3.5 stars instead of 4 is that I felt like the middle dragged a little.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the eARC The Followers. I absolutely loved this book. As someone who loves everything Tik Tok I really connected with this book. If you are into social media, into beauty or lifestyle influencers, you will love this book. It has suspense and some twists. More importantly this was a great story, I really enjoyed reading it.

Oh how I love a good multiple POV, hidden secrets, who is telling the truth, kind of story. Molly is a well known influencer, she loves sharing the highs and lows of her life with her followers. When she got engaged to her now husband, he was appalled by her sharing a photo of him. She’s agreed to keep him off her profile, but Liv has already seen the photo. She decides to take a temp job in their home town, and aims to befriend Molly to get close to Scott.

This one will keep you on the edge of your seat, I’d highly recommend it! This was a well rounded story that kept me hooked and I finished it in a day. I will say, my reason for withholding the 5th star is that I didn’t completely love the ending. I wasn’t convinced it was fully authentic to the characters. Regardless, it is definitely worth the read!!

Thank you to Bradeigh for gifting me an ARC copy at Bonanza, and the publisher for the gifted netgalley copy.

5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Holy Cow The Followers was FANTASTIC! I didn't want to put it down. You will LOVE the characters, unique story, quotes and soooooo much more. It will keep you wanting more on the edge of your seat. I kept finding my self yelling, "Yes, No. Don't do it, Becareful, & more. I can't wait for the Publishing date of August 29, 2023 so everyone can read it.
Thank U so much Netgallery & Bradeigh! Love your work Bradeigh!!

The hopeless romantic inside me was overshadowed by my thrill-seeking mind that pushed me to read more twisty mysteries each day. My heart broke as I reached the final pages of the book. I'm still dabbing tears, and a few sobs break out even though I'm doing my best to hold them back!

This book is a great combination of "Girl on the Train" meets "Last Thing He Told Me," questioning social media voyeurism along with its trolls, haters, and curious followers who watch an influencer's every step to forget their own problems. It's also a fascinating blend of women's fiction and twisty suspense that started off a little too predictable until it wasn't. The last twists hit so hard in the face, and I'm still recovering.

The plot revolves around two women dealing with their own struggling circumstances, including Molly Sullivan, whose funds have been vacuumed by her soon-to-be-ex-husband when she gives birth to her daughter Chloe. She turns being a single, penniless mother into a story to share with others, leading her to become a popular social media influencer, oversharing her life without borders under the name "Invincible Summer," which has a meaningful reference to Albert Camus' brilliant poem I'll share at the end of my review.

Molly turns her misfortune into a victorious story, sealing the deal with a happy ending by finding the love of her life during her trip. Scott becomes her new husband, a loner, reclusive man, and single dad raising his ten-year-old alone. Molly ties the knot and moves to Durango, Colorado, without thinking any further. She even shares a photo of Scott in one of her posts and takes it down after a big argument, which almost ends their relationship. Unfortunately, the wrong person, the one who can burn their new life to flames, recognizes Scott from the instant photo, even though she had already deleted it! And that's how we get introduced to our second narrator, Liv Barrett (actually, we met a ten-year-younger version of her at the opening of the book, on the tragic night that ended with her sister's death and her niece's kidnapping).

Liv Barrett has been living in limbo since she lost her sister. Her sister's ex, Sam, vanished into thin air, and probably, he was the one who kidnapped her baby girl niece. For years, she keeps trying to find her. She's so sure Sam changed his name to Scott and made the worst mistake of choosing an oversharing influencer to marry, helping Liv to capture his whereabouts.

Liv's plan is simple. She moves to Colorado, befriends Molly, and conducts her own investigation. When Molly realizes her husband is not the man she knows, she teams up with Liv to gather the pieces and reveal the whole tragic truth that may ruin their lives and break them apart.

Overall, the book has well-developed characterization, well-balanced pacing, an intriguing mystery, and well-played twists, which made me adore the author, who also published several romance books as Ali Brady with her co-writer Alison Hammer. She's a multitalented author who surprises her readers by creating brilliant stories in different genres perfectly.

This is one of the well-written, fast-paced, smart, and emotional readings that I absolutely recommend!

I'll end my words with the famous poem of Albert Camus that will definitely encourage and empower your inner fighter:

"My dear,

In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love.

In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile.

In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.

In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.

And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger, something better, pushing right back.

Truly yours,

Albert Camus"

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you, NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the copy of The Followers by Bradeigh Godfrey. I have a love/hate relationship with Influencers; I avoid them on social media but I’m fascinated by them and love reading books about them. When I saw this book I jumped at it right away, and the writing drew me in immediately. Even though the characters weren’t very likable, they were compelling and kept my interest. I loved Molly’s story and how she became an influencer. She was portrayed as the quintessential
Influencer, everything she posted or quote that was attributed to her seemed so typical and trite! The big reveal near the end was a bit of a letdown for me because it came out of nowhere, but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the rest of the book. If you’re looking for a beautifully written book that will keep you reading, pick up this one! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Wow! This book sure gives a new Definition of an influencer! Great book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, revenge, murder, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns that I did not see coming! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I immediately started this book within minutes of receiving it, which tells you how excited I was to read it.

Short Synopsis:
Molly is living a happy influencer life. She has a beautiful daughter. And now a new husband - Scott - and step daughter - Ella. When Molly shares a picture of her and Scott, he immediately makes her take it down. Miles away, Liv sees the picture and swears Scott is the man she knows as Sam - who brutally murdered her sister and kidnapped her niece.

My Thoughts:
This was such a bingey summer thriller! I adored it. Godfrey’s writing is just so good. This is the perfect thriller to throw in a beach bag or a carry-on this summer. It was murder-y while also being not too terribly dark.

Read if You Like:
📱 Psychological Thrillers
📱 Influencer Life
📱 Secrets. Lots of secrets.
📱 Multiple POVs
📱Thinking you know the ending and being totally wrong.

Enjoyed this book a lot. A social media influencer posts a picture of her secretive husband and all hell breaks loose. Fast paced, engaging psychological thriller which leaves a lot to think about. Two woman with a man in common, though not in the usual way find their lives interconnected

Bradeigh Godfrey's The Followers completely took me by surprise! Godfrey is a new-to-me author, so I wasn't sure what to expect from her, and books about social media influencers tend to all read the same, so I had mixed emotions going into this novel but quickly found myself compelled to keep turning the pages of this story about an influencer who knows deep down in her gut that her new husband is hiding something from her.

Molly Sullivan achieved social media fame by keeping it real about the struggles of being a new and single mom. Molly didn't plan on losing her husband before their first baby was even out the womb, but that's how things went, and now she finds herself exhausted, overwhelmed, and lonely. Desperate for some human connection, she makes a sarcastically humorous post on Instagram and quickly discovers that not only do other women relate to her struggle, they are interested in hearing more of what Molly has to say.

Before she knows it, Molly has become @InvincibleMollySullivan and has a two million plus following. Being transparent to her followers about life with her daughter Clover, Molly is a very relatable open book ... until she isn't. Molly is recently married to her new husband Scott, who does not want pictures of himself or his daughter Ella on Molly's social media. Molly disobeys his rules and casually posts a photo of Scott, which she quickly takes down, but her followers are faster. Someone who has been looking for Scott sees that photo and is about to embed themselves in Molly's picture perfect life ...

The Followers is a really fun book that takes on some serious topics. With bite-sized chapters and a clever cast of characters, Godfrey keeps readers engaged in this story which features one of the many dark sides of social media. The Followers is a suspense story for the social media age and highlights how difficult it is today to keep our secrets hidden in a world obsessed with oversharing.

Not what I expected based on the title but I really enjoyed the story and the social media aspects of the story . A few unexpected twists definitely made the story more enjoyable.

Molly’s life is pretty near perfect. Her 2.7 million followers, plus her new husband, and her baby girl all adore her. Sure, Scott got insanely mad when she posted a photo of him on her instagram and made her remove it, he is super secretive about social media, but thats normal right? Except Liv has already seen the photo and recognized him. All she wants is the answers of what happened to her older sister and niece, and Scott is the one that can answer them.

Ok so Bradeigh is half of the dynamic duo @alibradybooks AND has managed to publish her own book as well for the last two years. That is four books with her name on them in two years. I wonder if @bradeighgodfrey sleeps? Also, a book about influencers that talks about bookstagrammer like they are real influencers? Loved it! In all seriousness though, I knew Bradeigh before her name donned the cover of any books and I am so proud of the success she has had these past two years! This book was crazy. There were certain points where I was yelling at the pages “do this!” which obviously I can’t tell you what I was wanting Molly to do! I certainly did not see the twist coming which is always a plus in my book, but I loved the influencer aspect of this book! I have told several friends that have little free libraries and have their instagram listed on it to be careful what they post and when for that very reason! It was so easy for people to stalk Molly and find out exactly where she was when. If you want a quick and enjoyable thriller, look no further!

I know some people are getting sick of social media influencers as characters in books but I eat that shit up. I love seeing everything from the darker side of SM to how huge influencers run their accounts and create their content so that aspect was what first drew me to this one. I also immediately liked the cat and mouse vibes and for about the first half I thought it was going to be an enjoyable, albeit predictable read and then things shifted and I was fully invested. This was addictive and gripping with a fast pace and a mixed media approach that I really liked. Every chapter starts with either a quote or tweet or comment from Molly and then there are snippets from a Reddit snark forum that just rags on her really showing just how nasty the internet can be. I think people who enjoy a lighter style of thriller will enjoy this, perfect for a summer binge read.

This was so good that I immediately went and purchased her first book. Amazing. I genuinely cannot get enough of this story.

3.5 stars-I was a huge fan of Imposter, the author’s first novel. This one did not hit the same notes for me. The plot had promise and seemed interesting, but in the end was just ok. I did not particularly like the characters or how they acted, and (I’m sorry if I offend anyone with this comment) but who would be okay will being called girl? So many times, Megan girl….over and over. That was just barf for me. The ending was again, just ok. Overall, just meh for me. Still not giving up on the author…Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I will ready anything by Bradeigh Godfrey. Just like her book last year, I also read this one in a day. She pulls you in with her writing from the beginning. I just got done watching The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple TV after reading that book last year and this gave me the same vibes which make me so happy. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend!!!

Thank you NetGalley for eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️An unputdownable thriller about a popular social media influencer, known for sharing her life with the world, and her marriage to a recluse and private single dad who likes to live off the grid and is hiding a secret past.

You will start off thinking the story is predictable, but half way or so through you will second guess everything! I loved the pacing and how the book was told through multiple POVs. This built a great narrative and allowed for many twists. The social media part felt all too real and is definitely a growing theme with newer psychological thrillers (e.g., Dark Corner, The Personal Assistant), but Bradeigh added a unique angle to it to make the story stand out. I will say I was looking for a bit more answers at the end with one big reveal, but I loved how the other two narratives closed out! Overall, a really great summer binge and strong follow up to Imposter.

Read if you like:
-Psychological thrillers
-Social media/ IG influencers
-Multiple POVs
-Cat and mouse stories

Thank you Blackstone and Bradeigh for the ARC! Pub 8/29/23

4.5 stars

Synopsis: Molly Sullivan is a 31 year old influencer. She built her platform being a single mom who was navigating dating. Newly engaged, she shares a photo of her new fiancé, Scott, and is caught off guard by his negative reaction. To keep the peace, she removes the post and assures Scott that he and his 10 year old daughter will stay out of the media spotlight. As we know, once something is on the internet, though, it is never really gone (even if you've deleted it). Liv Barrett sees this picture during its brief appearance on Molly's page and is certain that he's the man who killed her sister and kidnapped her infant niece nine years ago. The police are skeptical, so Liv inserts herself into Molly's world, hoping to gather evidence against her fiancé. Soon Molly learns that her husband has deeply buried secrets, and someone seems to be watching her...

Thoughts: Bradeigh is extremely talented at sucking me into her thrillers. From the first page, I was hooked. Her background as a physician adds to the story, and I liked the shifting perspectives and integration of social media. At less than 300 pages, I felt that the ending seemed a bit rushed, and I wonder if an additional 50 pages would have allowed for more time and room to reach a resolution. Still, this was a totally bingy read that would make for an excellent poolside escape.

Molly is an Instagram sensation with thousands of followers. She is newly married to a man she truly doesn't know. During her engagement, she posted a pic of her and Scott, her now husband. But, what she doesn't know is that Scott is really Sam.

Liv is the sister of Kristina, whom is the mother of Gabriela (Ella), whom is the daughter of Sam. (Are you keeping up 😀?)
Kristina was murdered nine years ago butthey haven't found her killer. Sam kidnapped his daughter, ran and disappeared. But why?!!?

Liv saw the pic and knew instantly this was then who killed her sister. She went to where he now lives his life to get justice. HELLO TO DURANGO!
But life isn't what it seems. She befriends Molly to get close to Sam and Gabriela. But plans change.

Hold onto your seat as you dive into this twist. You won't regret it.

A great concept - Molly is a super influencer and has been sharing her entire life with her followers for years. But when she marries a private man and when she posts about the wedding she is shocked by his reaction. Turns out that Scott has a lot of hide as someone from his past sees the posts and begins using them to get close to the new family and to find him. A great cautionary tale about social media and stalking as well as a thriller that will keep you guessing!
#BlackstonePublishing #TheFollowers #BradeighGodfrey