I am a huge fan of the influencer or social media trope. So, this book really got my attention. I also loved the cover, it definitely drew me in as well. The mommy influencer retreat was so interesting to me and even more interesting when she doesn’t return. Her twin sister, who has problems of her own, decides she needs to find out what happened to her sister. I thought this book was really good. I have a hard time with longer chapters because I have ADHD, but the book was really good, so I was able to get through them (that’s saying a lot). I would definitely recommend this book!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Follow Me by Elizabeth Rose Quinn is a third person multi-POV suspense novel about a group of Momfluencers. Chiara is invited to a weekend getaway to hang out with other mothers who are on social media. But when Chiara goes missing, her twin sister Adrienne is the only one who is convinced there was foul play. Adrienne fakes her way into the next getaway and will do whatever it takes to find out what happened to her sister and make whoever hurt her pay.

The biggest theme is toxic femininity and how women uphold it. The opening chapters in Chiara’s POV have a lot of dialogue that is shaming mothers for any decision that isn’t centered around traditional values and keeping a perfect body post-pregnancy. Chiara, and later Adrienne, are very disturbed by all this and call it out but more privately as it doesn’t benefit them to call this behavior out. Reading dialogue where a woman not only confessions that she had a C-section but she acts as if it’s a mark of shame is both wild and a natural conclusion to how some of these circles do operate, shaming women for anything that isn’t 100% perfect, keeping women trapped in the same cycles we’ve been trapped in for centuries but in a shiny new hat.

Of all three POVs, I think Chiara was my favorite. Chiara, Adrienne, and Bautista (a police officer who is looking into Chiara’s case) all have very different voices and experiences, but Chiara’s use of hashtags and the slightly jaded but also eager tone was engaging and fit the modern social media-obsessed generation of moms that Chiara is and isn’t part of. Chiara’s loneliness jumped off the page as did her struggle to connect to the people who only care about an algorithm or a squeaky clean appearance. Chiara has her own messy past of drug use and taking a few too many risks and I loved having a mom POV who owns her past and is trying to do her best for her kids.

The entire book is centered around social media and the Momfluencer phenomenon but doesn’t discuss the impact that this industry has on children as it’s a lot more focused on it’s impact on motherhood. The obsession with the algorithm and branding and doing everything yourself was surreal even if I know that all of that is true and have known that it’s true. It’s the MLM, borderline cultish aspects that make it veer towards absurdism or parody but anyone who has spent any time watching drama channels on YouTube knows that so much of this discourse is very real and happening right now. I was already skeptical of the concept of Momfluencers because of how it can harm children, but now I’m more deeply considering how it could affect mothers, especially those who are postpartum and struggling to accept that their lives are not the fake glossy photos that Instagram is known for. Adrienne even calls out the lack of moms of color and Queer mothers at the retreat, drawing attention to a very glaring issue in the Momfluencer community: colorism and anti-Queerness are still problems we have to deal with even when we’re focusing on crafts and setting tables for holidays.

I would recommend this to fans of books with messy female leads and readers looking for a book centered on issues plaguing the Momfluencer community

2.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas& Mercer for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Intriguing premise, but there were certain aspects of the plot, and I am trying to figure out what the big takeaway should be.

In her debut novel, Elizabeth Rose Quinn tackles the world of "mommy influencers" as a woman tries to find out what happened to her twin sister who disappeared a year ago.

I see that this book has been labelled as a mystery/thriller and while there is a mystery attached, I would say that there is also some of a social commentary with a mix of something else that I don't know quite what to name. Although there are occasionally chapters from the police detective charged with the investigation, most of the story is told from grown sisters Chiara and Adrienne's point of view.

A cast of really unlikeable characters, I must say. That alone doesn't deter me from my reading experience. I like people who have their share of problems. Adrienne, she has issues. However, what was cleverly sardonic in the beginning, soon began to wear on me as the narrative progressed. Adrienne didn't understand her sister and didn't respect that her sister was now a wife and a mother. She came across as a Holden Caulfield-esque character and for me as a reader, I was soon of the mind "Girl, I don't have much empathy for you. You're a bitch!" Then there was the big climax when all the action started, that soon became weird. Almost laughable?

Hitting bookstores in April.








#FollowMe #NetGalley.
Expected Publication 01/04/25
Goodreads Review 13/03/25

60/100 or 3.0 stars

This was a fun thriller. I liked what the author was doing with the social commentary and motherhood/parent culture.
There are some parts that as a reader you would have to suspend disbelief in a way that was a little too much for me. It was predictable, but it was still a solid thriller for readers who haven't read a lot of thrillers yet, but still want some humor/satire mixed in!

Twin sisters Chiara and Adrienne Shaw grew up as two wild party girls. They tried every drink, smoked anything that would burn, and slept with anything with two legs. As they got older, Chiara wanted something more, so she cleaned up, got married, and then had twins boys. As so many others, she made a post on Instagram, showing her 'not so ideal' life and used a 'funny' hashtag. This post went viral and soon Chiara is being offered brand deals and free products. When she learns about and then wins entry to a coMOMunity weekend retreat, she goes in hopes of finding some solutions to her depression and overwhelming days.

Adrianne is still drinking, drugging, and everything else. When Chiara goes away for her mom-influencer weekend and never returns, Adrianne is determined to find out what happened and where her sister is. She models herself after a mom-influencer image and pays her way into the weekend retreat.

Not everything is tablescapes and perfect seasonal family portraits; some mean girls will push someone else to get ahead. There are the sycophants, and there's an inner circle. No matter what Adrianne does, she's never entirely included. When she sees the cracks in the shiny veneer, she starts to find out what happened to her sister, and it's not all rainbows and sunshine.
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Books that 'spoof' or joke about influencer culture are all a little dangerous. Some try earnestly to make the careers sound perfect. The freedom of making your own money and the clothing for every family member are being cleaned and ironed. Then there are books like Follow Me. Elizabeth Rose Quinn is able to cut behind the glossy hair and shiny lips and show the debt, the plastic surgery, the drug use. It's also an excellent look at greed and ambition.

Did I think this was a "laugh riot"? No. Adrianne was kind of a bitch. But, being that bitch is what helps her dig her claws into the group and find out what she needs to know.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Adrienne's twin sister has gone missing after attending a mommy influencer style summit and she will stop at nothing to find out what happened to her.
A unique premise, filled with sharp social commentary Follow Me is a darkly funny story that feels incredibly timely.
While it took me a little while to get into the story, once I did I was fully invested.
For a more indepth, spoiler free review you can check out my youtube review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyB_9YcwfOA&t=307s

What a fun, quick read! As Adrienne searches for her twin sister, the reader is taken on a suspenseful and often hilarious ride. There were lots of “I didn’t see that coming!” moments. I can’t wait for my book club to read it! Thanks so much for the opportunity to read early!

2 stars for this read that I felt focused too heavily on satirizing the mommy influencer culture/industry and not enough on the mystery/thriller aspect of the story. Parts of the plot also dragged a bit, but I was interested enough in finding out what happened to Chiara to keep reading, only to be pulled out of the story again by the over the top, campy bloodbath at the end. Overall, this read just didn't quite work for me, despite its intriguing premise.

I had high hopes for this book, and at first, it completely drew me in. The writing was strong, the characters were compelling, and the story had an emotional depth that made it easy to connect with. I was fully invested, eager to see where it would go.

As the story progressed, it took a much heavier turn, and while I usually appreciate books that evoke strong emotions, this one left me feeling more unsettled than I expected. It was powerful and impactful, but also deeply devastating. I can see how that was likely the intention, and for many readers, that will make it all the more meaningful.

Even though it didn’t fully work for me in the end, I can’t deny the skill behind it. The story lingers long after the last page, and I think those who enjoy emotionally intense reads will find a lot to appreciate here.

Loved the concept of this, and was quite enjoying the first half of this but I djd feel that the pacing was a bit strange.
I felt it really started to drag, and I just ended up loosing interest unfortunately. Ended up DNFing at about 40%.

The premise of "Follow Me" sounds great: "Heathers" meets "The Stepford Wives". Sadly, this one was a bit of a let-down. It started great and dissolved into a bit of a ridiculous ending. I'd say this one was enjoyable enough to read once, but ultimately didn't draw me in as much as I'd hoped it would!

This book was pretty entertaining, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea. I think maybe I’m too old to really appreciate the “influencer” culture, which I still can’t believe is a real thing. I did appreciate the humorous elements, but I just couldn’t get too invested in what was happening. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chiara and Adrienne are twin sisters who have been inseparable throughout their teens. But once Chiara enters marriage and has twins herself, their rebel years are over and they drift apart.
Adrienne's world is far removed from the ordinary, until Chiara goes missing and she's forced to step up her game and find her sister.
The search leads to a retreat for social media mom-fluencers with lots of quirky characters and fun activities.
Follow Me is a fast paced modern mystery which, despite the serious topic, has a lot of humor. An entertaining story set in a dark and delicious environment.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

This one was a bit of a miss for me. While I found it entertaining, it seemed like it could never really decide what it wanted to be. Is it dragging moms or praising them? Is it a satirical thriller or a horror novel? It went over the top on mommy influencers, then would turn around and explain why they needed grace. The whole beginning with Chiara felt like it was one big info dump--we spent so much time getting an explanation for Chiara's headspace that it was jarring when it turned out Adrienne was the main character. By the end, we had hopped over a thoughtful depiction of how hard and isolating being a mother can be and jumped right into moms being outright insane. I see this has been optioned for a film, and I think it might work better that way. Played just for action, I think this story works. Being in Adrienne's head didn't do the story any favors.

This really was refreshingly dark - if that is even a thing!

I loved the entire thing from start to finish and look forward to many more from Quinn.

Thanks to NetGalley and Elizabeth Rose Quinn for this ARC

I liked the premise of this book, but something about it was really difficult to get into for me! Not sure if it was a pacing thing or if some of the main characters just weren’t written for me, but I took a long time to finish this one. First downloaded it on the 20th Oct 2024 and only finished it today because I’m a completionist who would rather not enjoy a read than not finish it. Not to say it’s a bad book, but just not for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC to review!

This wasn't a thriller to me, I guess I'm too old? To me, a Gen Z mom who care more about instagram is not relatable to me.

What a wild and captivating ride! One twins search for her missing sister after she goes missing from a mom influencer event. The story had me more hooked in the first half as I predicted some things in the second half, but nonetheless this was an entertaining story.

This debut thriller keeps you guessing with its sharp take on social media obsession and stalking. The tension builds steadily as an Instagram influencer realizes her biggest fan might be something far more sinister.

Great vacation read. I really enjoyed this novel - perhaps because it feeds into my own hatred of social media famous "celebrities"!

Adrienne and Chiara are strong characters and their background is well-written into the story to explain how they are so different. Both flawed but likeable and determined, I loved getting to know them. I would have liked to see more of Bautista but overall this is a great book.