I picked up Julie Chan is Dead with high hopes. The premise—a down-on-her-luck woman stepping into the life of her glamorous, deceased twin sister—was intriguing and full of potential. I was expecting a biting commentary or a darkly satirical thriller, something in the vein of Yellowface. Unfortunately, what I got felt more like a chaotic fever dream dressed in designer clothes.

The book dives headfirst into influencer culture, and while that could have made for sharp social commentary, it veers into unbelievable territory almost immediately. Julie’s transformation into her twin, Chloe, happens with laughable ease, and the world of curated perfection never feels grounded. Instead of feeling like a smart skewering of online personas, it reads like a caricature of Instagram culture—overblown and hard to buy into.

Things only unravel further when the narrative shifts to the island retreat with Chloe’s influencer circle. What starts as a fish-out-of-water setup quickly morphs into a melodramatic, almost horror-adjacent spiral that had me questioning if I’d picked up a different book halfway through. The final act is bizarre, chaotic, and unearned. Twists come flying out of nowhere, but they don’t land because the characters never felt real to begin with.

There are glimmers of something interesting here—sibling rivalry, identity, the dark underbelly of fame—but they’re lost beneath the glossy surface and increasingly wild plot points. If you're in the mood for something unhinged, this might scratch that itch. But if you're looking for a clever, suspenseful thriller with depth, this one misses the mark.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

I really liked this book and its satirical take on influencers. The second half of the book definitely takes a turn and is filled with a bunch of moments where I found myself just thinking what is happening?! But I still enjoyed it and read it pretty quickly because I wanted to see where it was going. I would definitely read more from Liann Zhang.

This was definitely not what I was expecting it to be, but in the best way. It's giving Get Out but with female influencers on a posh island. I thought it was really well written, with good character development and a juicy plot. Couldn't put it down! Definitely one of my faves of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy.

This was unhinged, and I can't decide if it was in a good or bad way!

Julie and her twin sister Chloe were separated after their parents died in a car accident. Chloe was adopted by a wealthy white couple, and Julie was sent to live with a bitter aunt who was more interested in cashing a check than raising another kid. Julie is struggling to get by as a cashier at a grocery store while Chloe has "made it" as a big time social media influencer.

You would think the craziest thing to happen in this book would be Julie assuming her twin's identity after she suddenly dies, but you would be wrong. Julie is quickly drawn to the influencer lifestyle and believes that the grass truly always has been greener on Chloe's side. But as she tries to infiltrate Chloe's group of "friends", she realizes the true cost of fame and fortune might be more than she ever bargained for.

Creepy, weird, a lot of good social commentary in here. It never truly gripped me so I kept picking it up and reading bursts in between other reads, so for that I can only give it three stars. Definitely felt more like a horror novel than a thriller in the end too.

This one was WILD, but it definitely felt like two different books. The first half was a biting satire of influencer culture, but the second half became a slightly more lucid version of Bunny. I love an unhinged woman with dark humor, and Julie definitely delivered there. Orphaned at age 4, she is sent to live with her miserly aunt, while her twin sister Chloe is adopted by a wealthy white couple who give her every advantage in life. When Chloe becomes an influencer, she gifts her estranged twin a house, but only for the optics, and Julie resents her more than ever. After receiving a phone call from Chloe in distress, Julie travels to her NYC apartment and discovers her dead. Looking around at all her wealth, she figures it would be a shame to let it all go to waste, and seamlessly steps into Chloe's life, and her inner circle of influencers called the Belladonnas, lead by Queen Bee Bella Marie. At their yearly private island retreat, things get culty real quick and Julie finally starts to see that she may have gotten involved with something a little more sinister than influencing. I loved the tension of the first half of the story, kept on the hook to see if Julie would get caught, but things fell apart a bit for me once they got to the island, and the ending leaves you hanging with no closure, which is so frustrating for me personally. This was a quick paced debut and I'm definitely interested in reading more from the author.

I’ll be deff recommending this book to all of my friends & family, I absolutely loved it! I didn’t see any of the twists happening. I loved the authors writing. It’s a must read for anyone this read, I promise you won’t be disappointed. Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the Author for the ARC.

Overall I enjoyed this book. There were definitely so slow points in the book but then it picked up and I couldn’t put it down!

I went into this book expecting a gentle thriller but boy was I wrong!! The book starts out gently but soon spirals into something much different… a sort of trap that gets stranger and stranger by the page.

The story follows Julie, a young woman whose twin was adopted by an affluent family but is mysteriously found dead one day. Envious of her twin’s lavish influencer lifestyle, Julie assumes her identity and finds herself sucked into a circle of toxic media influencer ‘friends’.

The book offers an inside look at some of the absurdity of influencer life while also touching on the effects of mob mentality and power dynamics. Julie feels increasingly compelled to adapt and fit into this group despite the level of control of this group growing in toxicity.

The author does a great job at making you feel like you are ‘stuck’ in this situation with Julie so as the story evolved, so did my level of anxiety! Some of the incidents taking place were full-out bizarre, and some a bit horrific. Being a bit squeamish, I admit that I had to close my eyes and skip ahead a few pages on at least one occasion! But somehow, the story is written in such a way that you are drawn into this crazy universe and want to see how it turns out. It’s like being stuck on a roller coaster.

It’s not a book for the faint of heart but if you are looking for something a bit twisty that takes you on a crazy ride, this is the perfect book for you! It would also be an interesting book to debate at book club.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Julie Chan is struggling. She works at the supermarket and has a fractured relationship with her aunt that raised her. Her estranged twin sister has everything. She was adopted into a rich white family and hasn’t struggled in life. Chloe is a popular influencer that seems to have it all. Julie stumbles upon Chloe’s dead body and has the opportunity to swap lives with her.

The first half of this book is fast paced and hard to put down. It seemed like Julie is evolving right before my eyes and not in a good way. What happens when someone suddenly gets fame and money? What would they do to keep it? The ending goes off the rails a little. Overall I enjoyed this book and recommend it!

dentical twins Julie and Chloe were separated as children after their parents died. Julie was raised by their aunt and Chloe was adopted by a wealthy couple. Chloe became a successful influencer, while Julie is in a dead end job. The sisters have had little contact over the years, other than the time Chloe showed up at Julie’s workplace to gift her with a house, while coincidentally creating content to feed the masses who adore Chloe. When Chloe dies, Julie doesn’t hesitate very long before assuming Chloe’s identity and life.

This book is a sharp look at the shallow lives of influencers, and how far they are willing to go for clout and views. I might think of this book the next time I watch an unboxing video. It is also a creepy thriller involving a cult-like group of influencers. The thriller part of the book was definitely over the top, but the whole book was entertaining. I would read more by this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I received this e-book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for the copy!

Julie Chan and her twin sister, Chloe, were separated after Chloe was adopted at a young age. Chloe grew up to be a popular influencer, while Julie had to endure living with her Aunt, who did not treat her the best. While Julie is struggling to make ends meet, it looks like Chloe is living the perfect life. One of Chloe's popular videos included Julie, where she bought Julie a whole house! But when Julie receives a strange phone call from Chloe, she decides to investigate in person and her whole world is unintentionally turned upside down. As Julie pretends to be her sister Chloe, she gets entangled with a group of encouraging women influencers who continually encourage Julie.

Okay, that was a crazy ride and definitely not what I was expecting that to turn into! I devoured this book within a few days because I just wanted to know more! I thought this was going to go one way, but it went a completely different direction. If you want to go on a crazy ride to see what it might be like to be an influencer and the costs, then this is a great book. Remember though, this is fiction!

I love stories about influencers! I find them fascinating and I really enjoy seeing what direction authors choose to take.

Zhang has created a deep dive into the influencer community by taking an outsider, Julie, and dropping her straight into a what the hell is happening here situation.

There’s so much happening in this story from discussions surrounding race and identity to exploiting rich people gone batshit crazy. It’s safe to say every character is morally gray and they’re all looking out only for themselves.

Don’t be fooled by the cute cover, this book is thriller meets horror at times with some wild revelations I didn’t see coming! The pacing does slow down a bit in the middle, but it’s worth it to hang on for the ending!

This book presents the impact of social media either economically, cult like as well as the underbelly that pulls someone in and can change lives negatively. In this time of huge social media impact it is hard to tell what is good and bad, real and fake. Julie Chan works in a supermarket, social media lurker and in the shadow of her twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, who is a popular social media influencer. Julie was also on her sister's stream one time when Chloe gifted her a house for likes. When Julie goes to her Chloe's luxury apartment, she finds her twin sister dead! Julie decides to take her sister's place and assumes Chloe's identity and luxurious lifestyle what could go wrong they are twins. All said and done, however, this disturbing look at social media influencers was both laugh-out-loud funny and thought-provoking in the extreme. An odd mix, which might’ve been part of why I had so much trouble nailing it down. When you get right down to it, though, this rollercoaster ride of craziness and mayhem was nevertheless unputdownable and satisfying. Immersed in a world of curated perfection, brand deals, and the exclusive Belladonna influencer circle, Julie navigates the challenges of maintaining the façade. However, as she delves deeper, she uncovers sinister secrets lurking beneath the surface of this seemingly flawless world. This book really shows impact in a dark way and it is still best to interact wtih people live. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity.

The best way I can describe this book is to say it's compulsively unhinged. I finished it 2 weeks ago and still don't know if I liked it or not. The parts I liked were 5 enthusiastic, fist pumping 5 stars. But the parts I did not like were a visceral dislike.

What the actual hell was this? If you’re into weird cult stuff, this is for you. Real dark stuff, but also - the audio is great. The voices and the inflections of the belladonnas were making me LOL.

It was interesting in the first half, and I enjoyed it! The second half felt very scattered and thrown together. I was often confused and not sure where the plot was heading. I loved the mystery, but felt like it was often flat and one-dimensional.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. The ending was shocking and very unexpected.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC to review!

4 stars

Julie Chan is Dead was a wild, smart, and unexpectedly emotional ride. The story blends mystery, dark humor, and sharp social commentary in a way that kept me turning pages. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in, but it totally hooked me with its voice and pacing.

Julie is a complicated, messy character in the best way, and the book does a great job of exploring grief, identity, and the masks we wear—without getting too heavy. Some twists felt a little over the top, but honestly, that was part of the fun.

It’s bold, clever, and unlike anything I’ve read lately. Definitely recommend if you’re into character-driven mysteries with a bit of bite.

✨ ARC Review ✨

Eh. This was okay? It took me two weeks to read it. Here’s the thing: There was not one likable character in this book. One could argue that Isla was likable, but was she? I don’t know. I feel like you need at least one person to care about in a book. Am I wrong?

Anyway, Julie Chan is living a mundane and actually really depressing life when she gets a call from her estranged twin sister, Chloe. Chloe who was “the lucky one”, adopted by a rich, white couple after the twins’ parents were killed in a car crash. Chloe who translated her privilege into a lucrative career as a lifestyle influencer. Julie, “the unlucky one”, was taken in by their absolute shit of an aunt. Julie is a cashier in a grocery store on the verge of being fired for stealing sandwiches. They’ve only seen each other once since they were separated at four years old and that was not a great experience.

Chloe sounded distressed, so Julie takes off to NYC to find out what had Chloe reaching out. Weeeelll, she discovers Chloe’s dead body. It doesn’t take her long to decide to pretend she’s Chloe and the dead body is Julie Chan. Here we go.

I don’t want to tell you much more because if you do read this, I want you to get to the halfway mark and wonder to yourself “wtaf?!”

Not really recommended unless you care way more about the minutiae of running a lifestyle brand than I do. Or if you love reading about toxic af people.

I received this eARC via #netgalley and @atriabooks. All thoughts are mine alone.

#booksbooksbooks #contemporaryfiction #thrillerbooks #thriller #juliechanisdead #bookreview #bookstagram

Wildly entertaining & some great satire that feels very topical right now especially with the conversations going on about influencers in NYC right now. For a good chunk of this I thought we were going to see Julie completely lose herself to this world but I was pleasantly surprised by her come to god (eto) moment and the warped sense of justice she develops. Everything feels very full circle at the end with her garnering public approval, able to finally feel the validation she craves as herself and not someone else. She's not someone you would think you would root for but by the end I'm certainly not rooting AGAINST her and I think that makes for an interesting character. Some of the stuff around the mystery (?) of Chloe's death feels a bit muddled but otherwise this left me satisfied and thinking I should stay off Tik Tok.