A very good debut! I selected this for my book club and think it will provoke a very interesting discussion, as the characters are all generally unhinged. Lots of themes to explore here too -- race, class, capitalism, influencers, and some high-society crime for fun. The main character is a real anti-hero who is mostly hard to root for. I have some unresolved questions/plot holes, but the book will keep me thinking, I enjoyed the use of the plant belladonna as a metaphor for influencer culture - beautiful and toxic - and look forward to following Zhang's career.

Thank you to Atria Books for allowing me to read this!

A gorgeously spinning, twisting chaotic ride. I really loved Julie, and the mistaken identity felt real in ways I would have been skeptical about otherwise. The influencer ride was extremely compelling, and felt realistic in the way expectations, reality, micro/macroagressions, and threats worked in the influencer landscape from. well. a non-watcher.

I loved the spin off the rails. And I'm glad someone got out safely!

I enjoyed this book! I mix of thriller and dark comedy with some unexpected twists. I would highly recommend this book!

Julie and Chloe are twins who live separately after their parents death. Chloe lives a luxurious life and Julie is just getting by. When Julie gets an odd message from Chloe, she checks in on Chloe only to find that Chloe is dead. Julie takes this opportunity to step into Chloe's seemingly glamorous life. This book blended humor and thriller perfectly and was really good commentary on social media and influencing. I really loved it!

In Julie Chan is Dead, Nicolette Polek delivers a hauntingly oblique meditation on the weight of identity, the strangeness of digital immortality, and the quiet ache of disconnection. The novella dances between surrealism and stark realism, unfolding like a dream remembered in fragments.

This is a book for readers who relish ambiguity, who find poetry in the unanswered. Julie Chan is Dead doesn’t hand you meaning; it invites you to sit in the silence and find it yourself.

Fairly fun plot. Occasionally good, generally mediocre writing. The beginning is so painfully simplistic I nearly stopped reading. This book is camp, and it’s fine.

I really don’t know what to say in this review because I’m not sure of what I read. What happened to this book? I really enjoyed the first half, but the second half completely went askew and lost me. It was a bit too much.

Chloe and Julie are twins that were separated at a young age when their parents tragically passed away. Chloe was adopted by a rich family and became a mega successful influencer. Julie lived with her awful aunt and worked a miserable job at a grocery store. They couldn’t be more different. But when Julie gets a weird phone call from Chloe, it prompts her to check on her twin, only to find her dead in her apartment. So what does Julie do next? She becomes Chloe, of course. Julie Chan is Dead.

After all of this, the book gets unhinged. After reading every chapter I had to take a minute and ask myself what just happened. It becomes a bit unbelievable (I know, as if everything else that happens is believable, but trust me it gets crazier) and just completely lost it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

This book was utterly and entirely MESSED UP. Unhinged is another word I would use to describe this book. TRIGGERS: cults, cult rituals, miscarriage/self inflicted abortion(?), social media, death of a loved one. The first 40% of the book the author does have a very interesting narrative about social media, trends etc. I think a lot of people want to compare it to Yellowface for that reason… and once the influencers get to the island, you really cannot compare the two books. Then SOMEHOW by the end of the book the author pulls it out and brings it all to wrap up nicely… which somehow also unsettles me because like how did she bamboozle me like that? Anyways justice for Viktor, if you know you know. I both would and would not recommend because it was just so freaky. 2.5 out of 5 because like what even did I just read.

Didn't really like this one! The concept is really interesting but it felt like it went a bit off the rails towards the end of the book

Julie Chan Is Dead is a razor-sharp, wildly addictive debut that blends dark humor, social satire, and psychological suspense into one unforgettable thriller. Liann Zhang masterfully skewers influencer culture while keeping the tension high and the twists coming at breakneck speed.

Julie Chan is barely getting by as a supermarket cashier when she stumbles upon her estranged twin sister Chloe—dead in her luxury apartment. Instead of calling the police, Julie slips into her sister’s ultra-curated life, assuming the identity of a glamorous, beloved influencer. What begins as an escape from her own bleak reality quickly becomes a dangerous masquerade filled with secrets, lies, and a whole lot of designer skincare.

Set against a backdrop of private islands, high-stakes brand deals, and perfectly filtered lives, this story shines in its critique of the performative perfection demanded by social media. Julie’s voice is sharp, dry, and full of bite—her descent into Chloe’s world is equal parts hilarious and chilling.

But behind the filters and hashtags lies something far more sinister, and as Julie gets closer to the truth of Chloe’s death, the novel transforms into a tense survival game where the real monsters are masked by ring lights and beauty sponsorships.

Darkly funny, feminist, and full of social commentary, Julie Chan Is Dead is You meets White Lotus with a splash of Gone Girl. If you love thrillers with bite and a side of satire, don’t miss this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This thriller definitely had comedy which I really appreciated. Influencers gone bad and add in a cult like atmosphere and I was sold. I definitely guessed what the ending was going to be but it didn’t make me enjoy this one any less.

I truly do not think I can find the right words to express just how much I love this book—immediate favorite, 5 stars, no criticism. I wish I could read this again for the first time. I love weird books; it is my niche, and this delivered on a magnitude that I have not been able to find for a very long time. I will be chasing the high of this for the foreseeable future. Normally, the modern-day setting in books is off-putting for me, but Zhang executed this perfectly. The influencer culture and what social media has become over the years was so eloquently displayed and laid bare; the act of being swept up in personas designed specifically for the public, the game of numbers, and the push for content at any cost. This is something that all of us who have grown up in the age of the internet can relate to, especially those of us active in the (book) influencer community. Satirical commentary and callouts aside, this is a wild and breathtaking horror thriller. I am a sucker for a good twist, and by god did this surpass all of my expectations. I have so many hyper-specific thoughts and opinions I am dying to share, but alas, I strive to remain spoiler-free in all my reviews and thus will refrain.

I akin the feeling of reading this to exactly how I felt while reading Bunny by Mona Awad, an all-time favorite of mine, of which this book has found itself a permanent place among. I cannot recommend this book enough. Even if thrillers or horror are not your genre, I still recommend this. This is not the overarching jump scare that leaves an icky feeling, but rather the kind that wiggles into your thoughts page by page and forces you to evaluate the things around you.

One of the most unhinged, insane thrillers I have ever read. I think this was my first thriller with twins & I’m here for it.

There were certain aspects I loved about this book-the suspense & insanity. & there were things I didn’t care for-I don’t care for books about influencers & satire. This had both of those.

I’m gonna rate this one a middle of the road because I didn’t love it & I didn’t hate it.

This was such a thought-provoking read. It dives deep into the world of influencing—the good, the bad, and the ugly—especially for influencers of color. I appreciated how the book didn’t shy away from the uncomfortable stuff. It peeled back the curated layers and spotlighted issues that often get ignored or swept under the algorithmic rug. What really got me, though, was the horror element. This leaned way more into horror than thriller, which I loved. There were some moments that legit caught me off guard—in the best, creepiest way possible. It’s sharp, unsettling, and unafraid to say the quiet parts out loud.

Zhang is definitely an author I will be keeping my eye on and I can't wait to see what else is in store.
Thank you NetGalley & Atria Books for the ARC.
3 stars!

What a wild story! I really enjoyed Julie Chan is Dead because it mixed two things I love: mysteries and social media.

I did not expect for this book to go in the direction that it did and it made for a really fun (but dark) thriller.

If you’ve ever wanted an inside look into what being an influencer is like, you’ll want to check this one out. Then make sure to stay for the rest of the book to find out what is going on. And if Julie will truly get away with what she’s done.

Thank you Atria Books for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

What on earth did I just read?! I drank this book down in just a few days, but it will take me much longer than that to process it!

Julie’s estranged identical twin sister Chloe is a rich and successful social media influencer, so when Julie finds her dead, she decides to take on her identity, telling police that she is Chloe and that Julie is the one who is dead. From there, we enter the world of influencers. While it’s a bit unhinged, it’s also a really thoughtful commentary on influencer culture, social media, race, class, and more. I’m aligned with other reviewers who absolutely loved the observations and satire of the first half of the book, but thought the second half went a bit off the rails. Still, it kept me engaged all the way through and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it, so I give it credit for that!

I would shelve this as both thriller and horror, but the not scary type of horror that I can actually handle as a self-proclaimed scaredy cat. Take that with a grain of salt though, since I am not at all familiar with the horror genre! Also, heads up there is some graphic violence towards animals in the book. Thankfully a friend let me know exactly which chapter to skip in order to avoid it. If you're intrigued after everything I've said, pick this one up!

Julie Chan is nobody. She's an ordinary woman working a minimum wage job she hates. Her estranged twin sister is a famous influencer. When Julie gets a suspicious call from her sister, Chloe, Julie decides to go to Chloe's apartment and see what's going on. That's where she finds Chloe dead. Instead of setting the record straight, when authorities assume she is Chloe and Julie is the dead sister, Julie goes along with it. Chloe has always had the most fabulous life that Julie has envied. And now Julie gets to live it, as Chloe.

I really liked the majority of this book. Without giving spoilers, when the trip happens, the plot went a little sideways for me. It came back around, but there was a large section that felt very out of place. Overall I think it's worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Julie Chan is Dead.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for early access to Julie Chan Is Dead in exchange for my honest opinion. I split my reading between the ebook and the audio, which I borrowed from my library. I think I preferred the audio because I was able to listen to this one quickly - I started it on a long walk and finished it after only a few sessions because I wanted to know how it would end.
Julie is a twin, adopted by her struggling aunt, but her twin sister was adopted by a well-off family and has grown into an influencer. On the other hand, Julie works at a supermarket. Her twin makes a reunion video for them, including gifting Julie a house! But then she goes back to her world and doesn't continue to stay in touch, until she reaches out with a phone call which causes Julie to head to NYC where her twin lives to investigate.
I thought the premise was really fun and unique, but by the second half of the story it got a little to crazy for me. I kept going because I needed to see how crazy it all was and how the mystery would wrap up, but it wasn't as satisfying as I wanted it to be - maybe because it wrapped up too quickly? I'm not sure exactly what I would have wanted instead.
Have you read this one? Did you think it was bonkers too?

People often wonder how the other half lives, and Julie is about to find out. Too bad the way to do it is to impersonate her dead twin sister who is also an influencer. This novel had some high (its funny and fast paced) and low (the mice scene) points, but overall was an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this ARC. All opinions are my own in exchange for an honest review,

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang is quite a unique thriller. Thrown into the influencer culture after finding her semi-estranged twin sister dead and impersonating her, Julie Chan a very different character that I’ve seen in other books.

Liann Zhang did an excellent job crafting the first half of the book, showing the culture of influencers, the cult-likeness of the friend group.

Towards the second half is when it went downhill for me. It got just a little too weird and gross when they ate mice. I found that weird and random as well.

The twist to the ending felt like is was only 20-30 pages (maybe it was more but it felt short), and I thought we needed some more loose ends tied up

Overall, 3/5 stars due to the loose ends. I would still recommend this if you’re looking for a fast paced thriller!