Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC. I absolutely loved this book! Coming out on October 8th, it follows a momfluencer as she navigates privacy concerns, her children's roles in her online persona, and the phenomenon of "hate following." I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day. The characters are richly developed, and the writing is fantastic. The author cleverly draws from Reddit snark pages, offering spot-on commentary. This book would be perfect for book clubs and is sure to ignite meaningful discussions about parenting in the digital age. I give it 4 stars!

A fast read that shines a spotlight on social media and children’s privacy. Told in two perspectives—a mother and daughter. Whitney is a single mom of four and an extremely popular social media influencer with over a million followers. Mia is Whitney’s oldest daughter (9th grader) who gets fed up with being forced into lengthy photo shoots for her mom’s career. When kids at Mia’s school publicly humiliate her, she decides to sue her mother. She’s tired of being exploited and is ready to take a stand. Family drama, social media issues surrounding privacy and instant gratification, strong female characters, and finding your voice. Excellent read that will make you think twice before your next social media post!

The Hate Follow was an entertaining novel that kept me engaged until the very end. I definitely recommend this one.

This book wasn't what I thought it was. It's more of a warning about the dangers and challenges of social media. More specifically in this book, the mother is a big time influencer but posting her children starts to have repercussions and dangers for her oldest Mia. She then must navigate the situation to draw boundaries and respect her daughter's wishes to not post her and other intimate pictures.

The story is OK and easy but it's getting boring and predictable around 60% through.

In "Hate Follow," Erin Quinn-Kong explores the unraveling of influencer Whitney Golden's seemingly perfect life when her teenage daughter, Mia, demands her mom to remove her and her late father from her blog and socials. Whitney, a widowed mom of four with over a million followers, has built her brand and financial stability around sharing her family's life online. The situation quickly spirals into a legal battle that challenges the boundaries of online privacy and modern parenting. The story, while sparking interesting discussions about these topics, feels a bit far-fetched and struggles with character likability.

I was excited to read this book because I enjoy social satires, even when they're a bit over the top. However, I found it difficult to connect with the characters, none of whom were particularly likable or logical. The book does provide a good starting point for book clubs to discuss issues like online privacy, the impact of social media on children, and the ethics of mommy influencers. Overall, it was okay, but not quite what I had hoped for. I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.

A big thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the widget.

I really enjoyed this debut! Loved the story, and it even had me tearing up at times.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Collins, and the author for an advanced copy of this book.

I’m disappointed to be rating this so low since I was really excited to get this ARC, however this story is all over the place.

First and most importantly, how is this being advertised as a child suing their parent and they never end up going to court after building the anticipation? This story took too many liberties with its side plots which added no substance to the main theme of the story. Because of this, the reader meanders around the plot which never truly unfolds. The beginning 25% of Hate Follow created intrigue into what’s to come, but then it comes crashing down in the back 75%. Ace, the Garcia’s, Tawny, Judith, and Whitney’s family were all plot devices that didn’t provide anything meaningful.

Next, some elements of this story are pretty unbelievable. When we get to the end of this story, we find a “changed Whitney” who truly only changed because her mom and MIL apologized for things that had nothing to do with the fact that she exploited her children including indecent photos of toddlers?? She fails to realize the harmful effects of her actions but we are lead to believe she’s seen the error of her ways. Another example, the man at the thrift store who tries to ask Mia out on a date when he knows she’s a minor due to following her mom online. He then finds her on social media and reaches out to her. This could’ve been used as a standing argument for Mia’s side of the court case to show negative ramifications, however this never comes up again. There’s other little examples like how Alex got his journalism scholarship revoked after Mia outted him on social media when she didn’t show any tangible proof. I have to believe a college would need that to move forward with allegations.

The last thing I’ll mention that was a big turn off for me was the shallow writing and the hollow characters. The writing was beyond simplistic which made for an easy read, however failed to bring character to the story. Some of the dialogue was unrealistic for the minors in the story as well. This leads into the surface level characterization of basically the entire cast which makes for a lack of connection and care to what’s going on with them.

Truthfully this leans more on the side of 1 star but the beginning hooks you in enough where I don’t think it’s terrible. However, I am majorly disappointed in this since it showed a lot of promise.

Review will be on @brittany.reads.books closer to October 8th publication.

Loved, loved, loved! Bingeable in one sitting with such great character development. I am a long time lurker of snark pages on reddit and this really spoke to that. If you know you know. I think beyond the obvious appeal of the influencer world, this book touches on some deeper real life issues that have yet to be resolved on in the influencer world.

Hate Follow is as addicting as it can be to check up on that influencer you just can’t believe. This novel follows the story of an influencer mother and her daughter, who just can’t take being content anymore.

I read this during a summer weekend, and it was the perfect book for that scenario. Interesting, smart, and equally easy to read on the Kindle app and device so I barely had to put it down.

I liked that no one in the book is really awful. It’s easy to see the worst in momfluencers (for me at least), and while I never liked the one in this book, I appreciated that not every choice she made along the way was all terrible, even if most made me cringe. The action feels driven by the characters but also by the contexts in which they find themselves, which makes for a more interesting exploration of the issues.

All in all, a fun fiction book that I recommend to readers who like novels that intelligently explore a contemporary topic, like Such A Fun Age (Kiley Reid) or I Have Some Questions for You (Rebecca Makkai). Also seems like it would be excellent for book club discussions.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy.

A fascinating dive into the complex world of family focused influencing and the effects it has on children. This is one of those conflicts where you can empathize with both sides. I think having the alternating POVs really helped with that. The inclusion on the snark page was a great choice as well. I definitely think a lotttttt of people need to read this book. Although fiction, it is rooted in a lot of reality.

I was so excited to receive and ARC of “Hate Follow” coming to your bookshelf 10/8/24!

We’ve all been there, found the most relatable influencer and followed their every move, only to become disenchanted but unable to simply hit “unfollow”. As the original “mommy bloggers” kids are growing up, I can only think of how many families are in similar positions as Whitney and Mia. So pour yourself a cup of coffee and dive deep into Hate Follow, you’re definitely going to be sad when this book ends

Publication Date: October 8, 2024

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whitney Golden's life commands the attention of one million followers. Her teenage daughter, Mia, sued her for invasion of privacy.

Observing the mother-daughter relationship in this context is fascinating, showcasing their interactions and the implications of the constant public eye. The narrative presents a dual perspective from Mia, the eldest daughter, and Whitney, her mother, exploring their dynamic. Their story and bond were intriguing, leaving me wanting to find out more about their story

page turner

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow Books for ARC

"Hate Follow" by Erin Quinn-Kong is a thought-provoking novel that explores the morality of parental posting rights versus children's privacy rights online. The story follows Whitney, a mom-fluencer with a million followers, who shares her children's lives on social media. Conflict arises when Whitney's eldest daughter, Mia, challenges this exposure, leading to a legal battle. The novel delves into the question: How much is too much when it comes to sharing family life online?

Thank you to William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this AC.

📖Hate Follow
✍️ Erin Quinn-Kong
🗓️Oct 08 2024
📝William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks

Genre:
General fiction, women’s fiction

Series or standalone:
Standalone

Tropes:
📱social media
📴 family disputes
📱mother/daughter relationship
📴 what will it take?
📱 influencer life

💭 Summary 💭

After her husband passed away, Whitney decided to share her story with other moms and the world in general. She did not expect the fame that came with this. But not everyone in the family is happy to be in the limelight. Her daughter, who is 15, decided to sue her mother.


Fluency/Writing:
I think this is really a fitting novel for this time and age. We are so dependent on social media, that we forget where to draw the line. How much of our lives do we share, how about the privacy of the ones around us? In a way this was a really thought provoking story. So I was really excited for this one.

It only was the story entertaining but also very thought provoking. Especially from the point of view of the children. Do they have to participate? Where can they say no?
I personally would hate it to have my life displayed to a million of strangers. This was such an interesting point of view on social media. I absolutely loved it. It’s hard to imagine that this was her debut novel, this was written so skilfully.

⭐️:4,5/5

⭐️Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review.

Thank you Net Galley and Erin Quinn Kong for an advanced copy of this book. Loved it!

If you follow influencers and are fascinated by the lifestyle and the hate followers (meaning you often peruse GOMIblog), this book is for you.

This is the story of Whitney who found herself as a mommy blogger after her husband passed away and then parlayed that fame into being an IG influencer. As her children are raised to be social media stars, her 15 year old realizes that the fame and money have come at the cost of her privacy and sues her mother for invasion of privacy. Whitney has no college degree and is the sole breadwinner of the family, how can she support her family without putting the children on screen?

This book highlights how the children of influencers have no legal protections. Child actors have laws in place to protect the hours worked and the money made. I may be wrong, and it may be based on state laws, but I don’t believe the children of influencers (or really any children) have protections of what is put on social media. Or even laws on money made for posing in ad campaigns on social media.

This was a fascinating read from the debut author. Based on the last line of the book, I’m curious if there’s more to come from these characters.

Hate Follow by Erin Quinn-Kong was fantastic and I can't wait to recommend it to my book club.

Following momfluencer Whitnie Golden and her perfectly curated life as a widow with four children, the book seems pulled from real stories in the news as her teenage daughter, Mia, sues her for invasion of privacy and topples Whitnie's empire and their relationship.

I read this book in one day - I couldn't put it down. As a mom, I know it's hard to navigate teenage years, but I empathized with Mia so much. Life is hard enough without everyone having a front page view of everything. However, Whitnie used her online life as a coping mechanism and a way to have control over what was once uncontrollable circumstances.

This is a real issue in today's online/digital world and I thought this take was fascinating. Very thought provoking .

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, I loved this book. Out October 8th, this books needs to be on your list. It follows a momfluencer navigating privacy, her children’s role in her online presence, and what it means to “hate follow” someone. I devoured this book, read it in a day! The characters were well developed and I really enjoyed the writing. The author definitely drew some inspiration from snark pages on Reddit and her commentary was apt. This would be a fabulous book for book club, a great conversation starter on parenting in the digital world. 4.5 stars!

I absolutely loved this book! The topic was so interesting to me and it was so well written. I truly couldn't put the book down. It was more emotional than I expected and I just loved everything about it. 5 stars!!

Erin Quinn-Kong’s debut novel Hate Follow was a modern coming-of-age story between a mother and a teen daughter. For anyone who grew up along the rise of influencers, family vloggers or mommy-bloggers, the struggle between Mia and Whitney is a familiar one that you can imagine your favorite influencer family grasping with.

This book is a compelling masterpiece. It is both gripping and thought-provoking. The plot is masterfully crafted, delving deep into the complexities of relationships and privacy in the digital age. The writing is exceptional, vividly portraying the emotional turmoil and growth of the characters. Five stars for a brilliantly executed, timely narrative!