Julie Chan and her sister Chloe Van Hussen were separated at the age of four after their parents were killed in a car accident. Chloe was adopted by a wealthy couple and Julie was raised by a poor Aunt. After Julie receives a strange phone call from Chloe, Julie travels to Manhattan where she discovers Chloe is dead. In a hastily made decision, Julie decides to assume Chloe’s life as a famous social media influencer.

The premise started out good, and in the beginning, I was enjoying the story of Julie trying to pass as Chloe and the mystery surrounding Chloe’s death. But after Julie joins fellow influencers on an island getaway, the book takes a weird turn. The plot became just too much for me. I found parts to be quite disturbing.

Despite this, the book did keep me hooked until the end. Maybe it was all the bizarre happenings that kept me reading.

I will say the book is well written. The second half was just too strange for my taste.

If you enjoy books or shows such as Nine Perfect Strangers or books about cults, you will probably like this book.

This was an absolutely insane experience. Julie Chan is Dead combines horror, thriller, and dark comedy in one beautiful recipe for success. I love a well-written unreliable narrator, and Liam Zhang penned one up perfectly.

Julie Chan is a nobody. She works a dead end supermarket job, has no friends, no family, except for the twin sister she hasn’t seen in years and an aunt and cousin who hate her. Chloe Van Huusen has everything. After their parents died, Chloe was adopted by a rich white family, and eventually went on to create a YouTube channel that rose up the ranks perfectly, giving her the funds to reunite with her long lost twin and graciously gift her a house! That was the last Julie saw of Chloe, until a mysterious call from her leads Julie to fly to New York to investigate.

Chloe’s dead body awaits in her sister’s apartment. When the paramedics mistake her for Chloe, Julie decides to go with it, and takes over Chloe’s life. Chloe’s money. Chloe’s friends. Chloe’s sponsorships. All hers. Thrust into a life of glitz and glam, Julie is thrilled to be part of the Belladonnas, the inner circle of the biggest influencer of their era.

But on the Belladonnas’ yearly trip, Julie begins to realize that something is very wrong with her new friends. Trapped and unplugged on a private island, things are starting to get culty…and her lies start to unravel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the e-arc! Julie Chan is Dead releases on April 29th and will be one book you won’t be able to put down!

This was an odd story. It started out good, Julie and Chloe are twins. At a young age their parents die. Chloe is adopted by a well to do family and Julie is adopted by her aunt, who only seems to have adopted her for financial reasons. Julie is working at a grocery store, where she has been stealing food. She's likely going to loose her job when she gets a late night call from her twin, who is a well to do influencer, where she only hears gurgling and sorry. Julie arrives at her sisters place, being mistaken for her sister, only to find her dead. She decides to go ahead and take over Chloe's identity.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up. Liann Zhangs debut “Julie Chan is Dead” is a fun take on a murder mystery while also exposing the insidiousness of social media. When Julie finds her estranged twin sister Chloe dead, she assumes her popular social media persona and pretends to be her. She discovers an elusive club that Chloe belonged to called the Belladonnas.

A fun read for folks that love a good mystery. Themes of racial disparity, social media and popularity. There were quite a few loose ends in this one that had me scratching my head but otherwise this was a fun read!

Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang is a highly recommended thriller that takes an entertaining trek into the world of influencers but, and this is a warning, later turns down a dark road.

Julie Chan and twin sister Chloe VanHuusen were separated at age 4 when their parents died in a car crash. Chloe was adopted by a wealthy couple while Julie was raised by her grumpy, pilfering aunt. Now Julie, 24, works as a supermarket cashier while her twin is a very successful influencer. a few years earlier Chloe reached out to Julie, gave her a rundown house, and filmed the whole event to boost her online engagement, which subsequently went viral. Then she ghosted her.

When Julie receives a garbled message from Chloe saying she was sorry, she tries to call back but can't get through so she decides to go to her apartment in NY. She finds Chloe dead and calls the police. When they arrive, they mistake Julie for Chloe, which inspires Julie to take on her sister's identity and influencer lifestyle. It seems to be working out well since Chloe was organized, had sponsorships in place, and a large following. The only question is how will Julie fit in at the secretive, annual “Belladonna” friends’ getaway hosted by wealthy socialite mega-influencer Bella Marie.

The first part of the novel had me totally immersed and deliciously entertained as Julie entered into the, vapid, self focused influencer culture. Sure, Julie is a grifter taking on Chloe's identity, but it soon becomes quite clear that all the big influencers are also grifters. I actually like Julie despite her obvious character flaws. It was humorous to read about the influencers claiming how hard they worked compared to those who worked in fast food, etc. It can be exhausting filming yourself telling people what to think and do while promoting products.

The second part of the book when she goes to the Belladonna friends getaway veers off into unexpected horror/cult novel territory and was disturbing. The whole novel requires setting disbelief aside, but this part of the plot requires a huge commitment to accepting the preposterous. This turn in the plot dropped my rating. I really enjoyed it until the getaway. I initially stuck with it, with some trepidation, and then said, nope, not enjoying this.

In the final analysis, the first part of the novel was definitely a five star read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The last part was maybe a two as it became increasingly absurd and horrific. Adding to my dilemma is the fact that the writing is excellent throughout, even in the part I thoroughly disliked, so I'm going with a cautious four star.
Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Julie Chan Is Dead was a thought provoking book about the dark side of social media, envy, and how your identity shouldn't be linked to what the world thinks. Julie Chan is a supermarket cashier who steps into the glamorous influencer life of her twin sister, Chloe, when she finds her dead. The fact that they were separated when they were young presents a challenge for Julie because she doesn't know her twin or anything about her. As Julie begins to adopt Chloe's life, she discovers that the hidden secrets and the toxic dynamics that Chloe had with her circle of friends. As Julies struggles with her sister's mysterious death she realizes that she too may be in trouble herself. This book is a must read for fans of psychological thriller and anyone who is intrigued by social media and the influencers.

From start to finish this book had twist and turns. There were so many moments I wanted to ask Julie what she was thinking. Overall I like the premise of the book and how it takes a deep dive into the lives of influencers.

Wow! This book was "weird" and at times very "gross", however, I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!

This is the story of twins, Julie and Chloe Chan. When the Chan parents passed away, Chloe got adopted by an affluent white family. Meanwhile, Julie was adopted by her mom's sister, who took advantage of her and verbally mistreated her. Chloe has become a very well known influencer, while Julie still works at the hometown grocery store where she worked as a teenager and can barely make ends meet each month. One day Julie receives a call from Chloe. Chloe sounds like she is in trouble, and can barely speak. Chloe tells Julie she is sorry, then hangs up. So, Julie goes to New York to investigate.

I have to be honest and say I did not like any of the characters in this story. None of them had any redeeming qualities. The story concentrates on themes like distant sibling relationships, manipulation, the influencer culture, and one’s identity.

Overall, I recommend this book. The story was entertaining and read at a fast pace. There was constant tension and more than a few twists.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Julie Chan and her twin sister, Chloe, were separated after their parents died in a car accident. Chloe was adopted by a rich, white family; while Julie was taken in by her aunt. Their lives became so different - Chloe lived a rich and luxurious life, growing up to be a big influencer. Julie grew up poor, with her less-than-kind aunt, and became a cashier in a place she hated. The sisters rarely connected, until Julie received an odd phone call from Chloe. Flying out to check on her, Julie discovers Chloe is dead. She calls the police for help and when they arrive, they assume she is Chloe. Seeing an opportunity she can’t pass up, Julie goes along with it, starting a trajectory of events she couldn’t imagine.

This book went from an interesting plot to a wild third act that I was not expecting at all. You really feel for Julie and the circumstances life has thrown at her. I was torn between cheering her on to succeed in her sister’s identity and cringing with hope she could somehow get out of it unharmed. There was one thing in the third act that truly made me ill!! Fair warning there. I listened to the audiobook alongside reading, and the narrator did a fantastic job. There were some parts that gave me chills that I don’t think I would have received from just reading it. I do think it enhanced my reading experience. I read this in a day, finding the quick chapters and desire to know what comes next easy to fly through. This was a great debut!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC!

Wow this was a WILD ride! I mean it was going in so many directions and I LOVED IT!

I feel like I can't say really anything without spoiling the journey. However this was totally different than I expected. A lot of influencer books are pretty surface and shallow. This book has a ton of depth.

It was refreshing and I loved it! Definitely pick this up if you want something unique.

4.5/5.0

Omg I loved this book beginning to end. It truly is about the absolute madness and horror that come along with social media and fame. Generational trauma as well.

There was a nice twist with goods and magic that came out of nowhere that I loved as well. I felt like I was going a little crazy.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Julie Chan is working a dead end job at a supermarket, while her long lost identical twin, Chloe, is living a glamorous, influencer lifestyle. That is, until Chloe ends up dead and Julie decides to slide into Chloe's life.

But when Julie meets Chloe's close influencer friends and takes a secret with them, destination unknown, Julie finds she has taken on much more than she ever expected.

Smart, witty, dark and fun. A really fun read.

I despise spoilers or being told what the entire book is about so I’ll just say it’s about twin sisters - where one (Julie) steps into the life of her dead influencer sister’s (Chloe) life by impersonating her.

WOW! This book is a fast paced thriller, murder mystery, and bits of humor! Julie has to fool Chloe’s friends, employees and her millions of followers into believing that she is her sister all while dealing with her conniving aunt.

Some parts of this book got really dark really fast and it was interesting to see snippets of what an influencer’s life is behind the scenes. It’s not all rainbows and unicorns and Julie gets a first class seat in experiencing it!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with this e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Julie Chan is Dead" is a triumph of darkly comedic storytelling, a novel that has firmly cemented itself as the most audaciously funny and disturbingly compelling read of my year. Its brilliance lies in its daring fusion of sharp social commentary, reminiscent of the incisive racial satire of "Yellowface," with a palpable sense of foreboding and ritualistic horror that echoes the unsettling paganism of "Midsommar." This unlikely yet seamless blend creates a narrative that is both intellectually rigorous in its examination of race and socioeconomic disparities and viscerally gripping in its unfolding mystery.

The author doesn't shy away from dissecting the complexities of identity, privilege, and the insidious ways power operates within society, often using dark humor to underscore these critical points. The Belladonnas, with their almost uncanny and consistently hilarious echoing dialogue, serve as a brilliant comedic device, adding a layer of the bizarre and unsettling that perfectly complements the novel's overall tone.

While the initial chapters adopt a more deliberate pace, strategically building character and laying the groundwork for the increasingly bizarre events to come, the shift to the island marks a dramatic acceleration. Once immersed in this isolated and increasingly sinister setting, the narrative becomes utterly captivating, a descent into a world where the unsettling parallels to real-world exploitative power dynamics, particularly the implied nature of Eto and the disturbing echoes of "Epstein's island," create a deeply unsettling undercurrent.

Furthermore, Julie's initial, albeit brief, immersion in the island's bizarre rituals and the fleeting consideration of potential sacrifices added a fascinating layer of psychological vulnerability to her character. While her rational mind consistently reasserted itself, particularly evident in her disbelief in Eto's existence, the uncanny ease with which events seemed to align for a potential "sacrifice" of the Belladonnas did create moments of unsettling doubt, a subtle crack in her skepticism. This internal conflict, between her ingrained logic and the island's pervasive influence, heightened the tension and complexity of her experience. Ultimately, Julie's climactic decision to "take control" of her narrative in the final moments of the novel can be interpreted as a compelling, and perhaps deliberately ambiguous, cliffhanger, leaving the reader to question whether her calculated manipulation might, in some way, have inadvertently opened her up to the possibility, however remote, of Eto's reality.

Adding to the novel's comedic brilliance was the character of Viktor. His utterly absurd and unwavering obsession with the Olympics provided consistent bursts of laugh-out-loud humor that served as a welcome, albeit jarring, contrast to the increasingly dark narrative.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This was unhinged and I couldn't put it down. Julie Chan's parents passed away when she was young and she was separated from her twin sister. Julie went to live with a grumpy aunt and her sister went to a wealthy family. Now her sister is a influencer and everything goes completely off the rails.

I had no idea where this was going to go but I couldn't look away. Rich people behaving badly, cults, influencer culture all the things.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Atria Books & Netgalley.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Julie Chan has never reached her full potential. She tells herself this as she works another shift at her local grocery store as a cashier, she whispers it to herself as she swipes another packet of gum from work, she promises she'll do better as she goes home to a crumbling and moldy home gifted to her. And how, you may ask, does this young woman know she's destined for more? Well, you only have to look at her twin sister.

Separated after a car accident killed their parents, Julie was taken in by an abusive and manipulative family member, while Chloe was adopted into the illustrious Van Huusen family. While Julie had her money and childhood stolen, Chloe lived in the lap of luxury-- a brownstone in New York to call home, summers in the Hamptons to work on a base tan, and, not the mention, the fame of being a successful influencer.

Shoved to the side and destined to live in squalor, Julie is unable to resist the opportunity to take over her sister's life. Soon she's thrust into the bizarre and shimmering world of the elite, and her new life as Chloe Van Huusen begins.

If I tried to describe this book it would be this: the aesthetics of White Lotus, the social commentary of Knives Out, with the twists of Midsommar. The first half of this book was intriguing, a more approachable version of Yellowface interwoven with an interesting mystery to unravel with Julie/Chloe. Who was her sister? What were the secrets she was keeping? How long could Julie pretend to be Chloe, and how alone was the woman with over a million subscribers?

The second part of this book had me reeling, slightly confused, but ultimately hooked. There's a good message at its core: a criticism of influencers and the society that has allowed their formation, but oh boy did Zhang take it to a whole new, and weird, level.

I think readers will have to think about the two parts of this book separately, and there will probably be one part you like more than the other. However, as an overall experience, JULIE CHAN IS DEAD is unforgettable.

Yes, Julie is dead….well, her unremarkable past life as the struggling separated twin who went to the mean, blackmailing aunt (after their parents died) instead of the rich white New Yorkers looking for a second chance adoption after a PR disaster that branded them as anti-Asian (but only wanted one kid) is dead. That Julie is gone. And so is her identical twin, Chloe Van Huusen, because Julie found her estranged influencer sister in her high end apartment dead. And since the doorman, the paramedics, and Chloe’s shallow friends don’t realize they are talking to Julie, Julie pretty quickly slips into her sister’s life without much regret. At least at first.

When Julie slowly suspects that maybe Chloe didn’t intentionally overdose and realizes that there are also a lot of threatening DMs among all the adoring Insta and TikTok Chloe Crew posts….maybe she’s in over her head. But Julie isn’t going to confess anything until she gets to go to mega-influencer Bella Marie’s annual secretive “Belladonna” friends’ getaway and tries to figure out why Chloe’s supposedly supportive parents are AWOL as well.

Author Zhang writes the Julie character so well that it’s hard to totally dislike her. There’s constant talk about algorithms, engagement, sponsorships, branding, follower counts, and click-throughs. The second half of the book, when Julie is trying to keep up her impersonation with the elite influencer Belladonnas, is a bit bonkers. What exactly would you do as a “show of devotion”? (Don’t ask). “Midsommar for influencers” would be an apt description of this book. Anyway, after a little? a lot? of wariness (warning: ethical boundaries are pushed), I decided to love this very weird novel, although it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s definitely a guilty pleasure. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES The famous healing-thru-baking influencer has hazel-green eyes as does reporter Jessica Peters.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO We do get reminded that white chrysanthemums and lilies are traditional Chinese funeral flowers.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

>>>>> for some fun illustrations, check out my blog :) <<<<<<

i was hooked right away - the plot grabbed me from page 1.
initially the story felt farfetched… but halfway through? it clicked. (well done liann)

i thought i had one of the twists figured out but it turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg.

smart and layered structure. the reveals are timed perfectly to keep tension sharp without overwhelming.

sharp and timely commentary on social media and the chaos it breeds.

i loved how it explored identity and online performance without being heavy handed.

the characters felt fresh and relevant and messy in a real and deliberate way.

the story definitely gives white lotus vibes - layered and dark and a little absurd in the best way. the story really dives in to exploring the dark parts of social media and influencer culture. i think this would make a great limited series.

the ending landed with a clean wrap up with no loose threads. it felt satisfying in a weird way.

thank you netgalley for the ARC! i loved it.

Engaging story. Was pulled in from the beginning. Relatable characters. Would definitely pick up other works by this author!

Julie Chan is a supermarket cashier who encounters her twin sister separated at a young age, the popular influencer Chloe Van Huusen. When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body, she sees the chance to live the life she’s always envied and 'steals' her life.

Julie's life is upended from making ends meet to adopting a glamorous lifestyle - this book makes a witty commentary on race, identity, privilege and social media, the first half reminiscent of 'Yellowface' from R.F. Kuang. The mystery surrounding Chloe's relationships delves into the theme of mental health and, even deeper, the rotten world of influencers highlighted by the absurdity and obsession, which is captured realistically while it follows a more weird, wilder and a bit over-the-top path in the second half of the book.

With straightforward narrative, the plot feels addictive that I flew through in one sitting. The dark humor adds dynamism to the story populated by unhinged characters. The author does a great job at emphasizing the allure/danger of power and toxicity of performance, yet the second half, that can feel like a fresh spell, might not work for everyone while suitable for the narrative.

I would recommend JULIE CHAN IS DEAD for those seeking an entertaining and propulsive mystery thriller with sharp commentary. Regardless of my complaints, I am eager to see what Zhang writes next.