A little weird , a little unhinged, a little goofy… but I couldn’t put it down. I still don’t know how exactly I feel about it .

DNF. This book isn't for me. I am not into influencer culture and have learned that I find books about it to be uninteresting.

When Julie assumes the identity of her estranged twin sister, she thinks she'll inherit all the perks of her sister's influencer livelihood. But little does she know, she's about to inherit more than she could have ever fathomed.

This was a wild ride of a book. I went into it expecting a <u>Yellowface</u> adjacent social commentary about stealing identities/plagiarizing in the name of money and fame. Instead, this story involved into a cult-thriller with horror elements. I feel like the initial message this book started to tell was definitely lost (and eventually abandoned altogether) about halfway through, but overall this was a very entertaining ride!

Julie Chan has always lived in the shadow of her twin sister Chloe. After their parents die in a car crash Chloe is adopted into a wealthy white family and Julie ends up with her aunt in much more modest circumstances. Chloe becomes a famous influencer with luxurious perks and massive followings. Julie works at a grocery store scrapes by and resents how easy Chloe’s path seems even while Chloe treats her with distant kindness at best.

Then Julie gets a frantic call from Chloe just before Chloe dies under mysterious circumstances. Julie finds herself staring at her sister’s body and instead of calling for help she slips into Chloe’s identity, stepping into her socials designer closets and image. For a while everything seems to work. Julie basks in Chloe’s fame in front of cameras and online followers until small cracks begin to show. Chloe’s life is not as glossy as it looked and the people around her have secrets that Julie could never have guessed existed.

Liann Zhang writes with sharpness about influencer culture identity race and privilege. Julie is not always likeable but she feels deeply human. Her envy guilt desperation and fear pull you in. The story rhythm is uneven at times. The shift part-way through feels jarring in tone and direction yet those odd turns also bring energy and surprise.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I can rave about this book enough. It's like a mixture of Yellowface by R F Kuang and The Compound, and I am obsessed with the social media commentary combined with the horror vibes. What makes books like this so compelling is honestly how unfortunately relatable the main character is, despite also being unlikeable in many ways. As we learn about Julie's life as the less-loved twin (by her mother as well as the wealthy parents who adopted Chloe) being raised by a cruel aunt and now as an adult working a dead-end job that barely pays her enough to live on, it's easy to sympathize with her desire to live the fabulous life her twin seems to live. We also all are well-aware of the dopamine trap that social media creates, so when Julie has the chance to step into Chloe's life and get validation (and huge checks) every time she makes a social media post, it feels understandable, even while knowing how wrong it is for her to pretend to be someone she's not. Add in the factor that Chloe once used Julie for views and never spoke to her again, it's obviously an excuse but at the same time it makes it feel justifiable that Julie get a chance to live Chloe's life.

What I think was an expected element but was still impactful was the way that the Belladonnas and other social media influencers seemed to have no real care for Chloe personally, despite claiming to be such close friends with her. Obviously, as the plot progresses and we learn more about the Belladonnas, it makes more sense why that is, but there is still the underlying element of truth that in the social media sphere there is a strong tendency to value the algorithm and branding more than actually getting to know the people behind the profile and caring about their wellbeing. The fact that Julie could so easily step into her twin's place and convey the same persona just because she has the same face goes to show how much of social media is calculated, and that if it weren't for physical appearance, anyone could step into any influencer's place. I also appreciated the addition that a small niche of people online were able to identify that Julie was a different person than Chloe, which goes to show 1) that some people are spending far too much time consuming lifestyle influencer content online and 2) we are so flooded with conspiracy theories online that when people actually caught onto something illegal, it was relatively easy for Julie/Chloe's marketing team to deflect the narrative.

The last thing I really appreciated was the inclusion of Betterhelp and the general capitalistic grossness around trying to profit off of people's mental health struggles by marketing a quack system as accessible help. I have a lot of ire toward Betterhelp as a company just from the stories I've heard from people who have attempted to use it, so I loved that the author openly criticized it through Julie. Overall, I do think this is the kind of novel where the commentary is pretty in your face and impossible to miss, but sometimes I love a good story like that and this one felt so perfect for today's society and for transititioning into spooky season. I would highly recommend this to other readers.

I don't feel like the cover or synopsis correctly conveys exactly how weird this book is. It gave vibes of cute lit fic thriller.....but it was insanely off kilter. Prepare yourself for gross body horror, weird culty things, and discussions of miscarriage/infertility/abuse. Despite feeling a little misled, I ended up enjoying this by the end. It was weird enough to recoup my attention by about 50% in.
Getting into the characters, Julie was insane. She reminded me a lot of Finlay Donovan. Kind of as a rule I get annoyed by books where the plot is hinged upon the main character making every possible worst decision. So that means I didn't enjoy this as much as I probably could have. If Julie had made smarter decisions, but the plot was just as sinister, this would have had way more impact.
Overall, I'd be interested in reading more from Liann Zhang in the future

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I found it way too out there and weird. The main character was also just not interesting or fun to follow.

I hope others love this one.

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 29 April 2025)

SYNOPSIS | Julie has always been envious of her twin sisters (Chloe) life. After their parents died, Julie grew up in the care of her abusive aunt whereas Chloe was adopted by a wealthy white couple. When Chloe becomes a famous influencer, Julie watches from afar envious of the luxury and lifestyle that she does not have. When Chloe suddenly dies, Julie takes the opportunity to step into her life, but the longer she masquerades as Chloe the more she realizes that something isn't quite right.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the twin switcheroo was a really fun concept
- biting social commentary
- wealthy people behaving badly vibes

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- one of the most unhinged books i've read in a while (& I don't mean that in a good way)
- the mouse scene. IYKYK.
- everybody is unlikeable including the MC
- the two halves of this story felt like two different books (& i much preferred the first 50% over the latter)

Absolutely thrilling. A marvel! Though this novel feels like it’s comprised of two distinct “halves”, I enjoyed both halves. The thrill of Julie taking over her influencer sister’s life in the first half, her ominous island trip in the second half. This book often gets compared to Bunny, but for my money this story is better.

Books about social media and onlince culture can be really hard to pull off but Julie Chan is Dead works so well. It was fun and dark and full of twists and snark. I loved the fish out of water set up and the well founded resentment that drives Julie's point of veiw throughout the story. This is the kind of book you can devour in a few days because you won't want to put it down. The toxic influencer culture works so well for a thriller and Zhang makes every character so easy to despise but in a way that also means you can't look away. The island retreat is a great mash up of he tried and true vaccation and locked room thriller tropes.

This is quite possibly one of the most wild books I have ever read. A famous social media influencer is dead and now her twin sister is taking over her life, navigating a group of other influencers on an annual trip. Although she's warned not to go, the temptation is too strong. What happens on the trip is nearly unbelievable as a reader. There were parts of the story that were truly disgusting but in ways that would be captivating to other readers? If you looking for a truly wild ride, this may be the book for you. Truly unsure how to rate this one because it is unlike anything I've ever read - and I'm not sure I'll ever forget it!

Wow. I absolutely loved this book! From the first page, I was hooked. It has been quite a while since I read way past my bedtime, but this one kept me up and reading! This story has influencing, the need to be included, cult-like situations, and some wild situations. I was entranced, and I loved it!

“The promise of connection and power is corrupting, can push us to do terrible things when we are lonely and desperate.”

Synopsis: Julie Chan has an estranged twin sister who is a super famous influencer. One night Julie gets a strange call, waits a few days, and then goes to check on her sister to find her dead. When Julie calls the police, the police mistaken, Julie for her sister and Julia assumes her sister’s life. Being an influencer is not all glitz, glam, and fashion…

Review: I did not know that this book had a sub categorization as horror. I am not a big fan of horror, gore is just not for me. The first 70% of this book was absolutely fantastic. I loved where it was heading. I loved the story of influencers and how things are not always what they seem. Everyone has a story - social media is just a giant highlight reel.

If this book would have kept going on the trajectory that it was going before we got to the horror side of the novel, it would have gotten five stars from me. I do not want to dock stars for stepping into a genre that I don’t like, because the writing was still very good and if you like that genre, then I think you would really love this book in its entirety. With that being said, I hated the ending. So I’m not giving this one a star rating because I can’t give it five stars because I did not love it, but I did not love it because I did not know what I was getting in to (so much for going in blind to all books).

🔥 Spice Level - PG13 - nothing explicit happens, the topics are discussed and innuendos are made. I am also still not sure if there was a girl orgy or not?? It gets trippy.
🤐 There is foul language - PG13

🎧 Audiobook
Narrator: Yu-Li Alice Shen
Length: 10 hours
Review: Yu-Li was perfect for this novel! It really felt like she was Julie. I will definitely be listening to more of her audiobooks!

Read if you enjoy:
📖 Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
🎥 A24 Movies / Midsommer
🔥 Rich people be behaving badly
👯‍♀️ Stolen identity

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this really hooked me! The insight into influencer culture made this an interesting and sometimes painful read as I struggled to face the choices Julie Chan was making throughout. That is not to say I didn't enjoy the book, but was cringing at some of the unlikability of our main character (which I happen to appreciate and enjoy)!

At no point did I know where this story was going and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. If you liked Yellowface by R.F. Kuang definitely give this a read. So unhinged and funny too!

If there’s one niche subgenre I’m always going to dive into, it’s books about influencers. I mean, I read the NYC influencer snark subreddit like it’s the morning paper—when it comes to gossip about social media, I simply can’t resist.

When I heard about JULIE CHAN IS DEAD, Liann Zhang’s debut novel about a woman who discovers her long-lost influencer twin’s dead body and assumes her identity, it was a must read.

The TL;DR: I liked a lot about this debut, although I definitely agree with tons of reviews that say it went a little too off the rails. Let’s unpack.

When down-on-her-luck Julie Chan gets a suspicious call from Chloe, her twin separated-at-birth who is now a successful influencer, she decides to head to Chloe’s NYC apartment to investigate. Once there, she finds Chloe’s dead body—and in a weak moment, decides to assume Chloe’s identity and fame. As she dives deeper into Chloe’s world—and meets her clique of fellow influencers—known as the Belladonnas, Julie realizes that influencer life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

First things first: I feel like this book was the first I’ve read in a long time that seems to actually understand influencer culture and the numbers. I read a book last month in which an influencer with 80k followers got a Netflix deal—make it make sense! Zhang clearly knows her stuff. I also thought the tone of this was so fun and struck a great satirical balance. There are a lot of secrets Chloe is keeping and I was deeply engaged in those parts.

From the first half, I was convinced this was going to be an absolute slam dunk—until we got to the influencer trip gone awry. This is where the story got VERY WEIRD in a way that didn’t quite work for me because it was so over the top. Seriously—check trigger warnings if you’re a sensitive reader.

I would definitely more from Zhang in the future, even though I’d probably only recommend this to people who like super satirical reads

What a wild ride! Really fun and weird, but most importantly, loved the underlying commentary on today’s world of social media and its affect on society.

(Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

JULIE CHAN IS DEAD is an addicting yet wild book that dives into the dark and sinister side of influencer culture beneath all the glitz and glam.

We follow Julie Chan, a drugstore cashier who literally has nothing except an aunt who’s constantly threatening her for money. Her one obsession in life? Following her identical twin sister Chloe’s glamorous lifestyle. The two were separated at a young age after their parents’ death and now live completely opposite lives.

One day, Julie gets an unexpected call from Chloe. But when she arrives at Chloe’s house, she finds her dead. Wanting the money and fame Chloe had, Julie decides to steal her sister’s identity and thrusts herself into the world of influencers.

The first half of the book was a strong start! We follow Julie and her desperate attempts to impersonate Chloe, learn about her life, and get a taste of Chloe’s picture perfect life and internet fame! It does give R.F. Kuang’s YELLOWFACE vibes and had me excited to see how Zhang would dig deeper into influencer culture, race, social media, identity, fame, privilege, and more.

HOWEVER, the second half … WTF?

While still wildly entertaining, it honestly felt like it was written by a completely different author without reading the first half. The story just goes totally off the rails, filled with so many WTF moments that I truly wondered what the writer and editor were thinking. What could’ve been a sharp, thrilling book with substance and commentary on race, privilege, internet fame, influencer culture, with a few key takeaways, turned into something that felt like it was written while high

The book had a promising start and had so much potential to but the second half ruined it for me. It’s definitely a memorable book, but mostly because it’s so ridiculously unhinged. I need to know what the author and editor were both thinking.

This was better than I expected. A ride, for sure. Made me laugh, made me roll my eyes, made me shocked from plot twists. I feel like Julie's realization could've been more gradual, feel like it was really sudden and it could've been a tad weirder and crazy.

I absolutely adored this book. I read a lot of books about women doing awful things, and because of that I can be picky, however this book was the best of that genre I've read in a long time. I loved the snarky envious-but-still-hateful critique of influencer culture. This is an amazing book, highly highly recommend!!!
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for the ARC!!