Julie Chan and her twin sister were separated at birth, but sister Chloe VanHussen ( a very Gossip Girl name) drew the lucky straw. Chloe is beautiful and a successful influencer. Julie's life is mundane and riddled with money worries, in comparison. She has a contentious relationship with her sister Chloe but is still shocked when she finds her dead.

What follows as Julie disposes of her sister's body and assumes her identity is crazy madness which I enjoyed reading, even if I didn't totally get onboard. I enjoyed the zaniness of Julie's difficulty trying to fill her uber-cool twin's shoes, but once the story veered to Influencer Island it kind of lost the plot for me. I don't think I'm the demographic this book is geared toward, so that may be some of the reason for the disconnect. In any case, I had to admire the author's inventiveness and sharp writing. I liked it enough that I would be interested to see what author Zhang comes up with next.

This was a 3.4 read for me. I enjoyed it, but rushed through the last third of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Liann Zhang, and publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

the last 25% was a fun ride but unfortunately everything leading up to it was just kind of mid

julie was incredibly unlikable and never really got any better, i could only read like 30 pages at a time before i had to put it down to take a break from her. i think the influencer aspect didn't help because i am not an influencer and aside from booktube i don't watch them so i just didn't care for any of that.

but that being said i didn't hate the book, it was intriguing enough that i wanted to keep reading, even if everything happening was super obvious. i enjoyed the writing style and i hope liann zhang writes a horror one day because there were some scenes that made my skin crawl.

all in all it was a fun cult thriller and i will definitely be checking out more from this author in the future

This book is cray cray in the best way possible!! It's fun, entertaining, and at the same time very easy to read. From the moment Julie enters Chloe's life, it's fun to read how she tries to be an influencer, to the moment they get to the retreat and wild things start happening. I loved Julie's voice and while she wasn't exactly a likable character, I could understand that need for validation she needed. You do have to suspend disbelief a bit, so i think some people (like me) will love it, and others might not find it their cup of tea. Nevertheless, I really really enjoyed this!

Julie Chan has had a rough life. She and her twin Chloe lost their parents at a young age. While Chloe is adopted by a wealthy family, Julie is left to her Aunt who treats her with disdain, and holds her back in life. The twins grow apart until they become adults, a series of events finds Julie discovering her twin dead. She makes a desicion then to trade out her boring run of the mill life for her sister's life as a famous influencer. However she finds her sister's life is not what she thought at all.
I adored this book. I actually wished I had read it sooner. It was very quick paced and had several twists I did not see coming.
I loved the author's style of writing. It made me feel like these were actual influences going about their lives.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves face paced mysteries with humor.
Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and the publisher for providing a digital ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Julie Chan is Dead starts off interesting - the life of an influencer, stolen lives, culture etc, but then went totally another direction I was in no way expecting. It was so jarring that I could barely get through it and ended up wondering what I had just read and how a story can be so disconnected between two halves. I am not sure where I was expecting it to go but this didnt end up anywhere I could have thought of.

REVIEW: Juli Chan is Dead

Juli Chan is Dead was quite the book. Although it was exciting, some parts felt too over-the-top for me.

Julie finds her social media-famous twin sister, Chloe, dead. Julie is struggling with her own life, so she decides impulsively to step into Chloe’s world as an escape. The first half of the book focuses on Julie learning how to be Chloe and gradually uncovering secrets. It exposes a significant part of the dark side of social media and the lengths people will go to for popularity.

Juli Chan is Dead takes a sudden turn in the second half. Julie, pretending to be Chloe, gets invited to an exotic island with other influencers. This is where the story becomes too exaggerated and fails to resonate with me. The dark humor was great, but the storyline itself felt unconvincing.

Juli Chan is Dead explores the dark side of influencers and social media. The story’s adventure felt quite wild to me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for providing me with a free advanced copy for my honest review.

I think I'm too old to get most of the book. It's very satirical about a lifestyle I don't live, and I had a really hard time investing in the story as a result.

Julie Chan is estranged from her identical twin Chloe, am influencer. When Julie discovers Chloe dead in her apartment, the choices of Julie are life-changing. Julie transforms into Chloe and is thrust into a cult-like situation and soon feels her life is on danger. This was a decent read and the truth of Chloe's life is unexpected.

This is a tough one to review because I was really enjoying the first 40% and would have given it 4 stars, but then by 60-70% it went off the rails and completely lost me. Even in the beginning there is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief required, which I was fully willing to give it; the premise is fun and the issues the book starts to explore as far as the toxicity of social media influencers and the hold they have over us, was all really interesting. Then they all go to a retreat on a private island and things took a turn in a way where I barely understood what was going on. I pushed through to the end but was left completely disoriented and disinterested by the resolution.

This book seemed to receive a lot of hype prior to publication but sadly for me, it did not live up to it whatsoever. I have seen this being compared to books like Bunny by Mona Awad and even Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, and while I can see the similarities in tone and message, I don’t think this book compares to either in terms of writing and storytelling.

Julie Chan is a broke grocery store employee who lives her life in her sister Chloe’s shadow. Chloe and Julie, separated at birth, live very different lives. Chloe, adopted by an affluent white family, is a famous influencer with money and fame and seemingly a picture perfect life. Julie, forced to live with her aunt and contribute to their family’s measly income, can barely pay her bills and has zero social life or presence. When Julie receives an alarming and mysterious call from Chloe, she goes to New York to check in and see if Chloe is ok. When she quickly realizes Chloe is in fact not ok, she's dead, she makes a split second decision to change the trajectory of her life and switch identities with her dead twin. In hopes to convince the world that she is indeed Chloe, she must maintain Chloe’s social media presence which she quickly realizes is far less enticing as she once thought. Julie ends up on an influencer trip from hell with Chloe’s closest circle of friends. Trapped on an isolated private island, Julie must survive the influence of these women, and a deadly unhinged friendship pact.

I love that this book tackles the dark side of influencing and the cult-like culture behind it. I also appreciated the calling out of problematic racial microaggressions by the two non-white women in this story, Julie being one of them. Past that, this book was weird…and not in a poignantly satirical way, more in a shock value kind of way. None of the characters were likable which, I do believe was the point, and was successfully accomplished in the character development. What lost me was the rituals that took place, and the unhinged storyline behind them. I think this book had a lot of promise and with better editing could have easily landed itself in the same category as Bunny and Yellowface but sadly, for me, it fell flat in execution.

Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for my copy; all opinions are my own.

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang is an absolutely bonkers ride—in the best, most unhinged way. Every time you think you’ve found the narrative lane, it veers off a cliff with a grin. It’s chaotic, clever, and mostly a blast, though by the end, I felt like I needed a nap and maybe a flowchart.

This was one of those books that after you're done reading, you'll kind of just get hooked on certain parts and play it on repeat because Liann Zhang knows what they're doing. While I could put the book down, I didn't want to. Really enjoyed the twists and turns of the book and would definitely pick up another book by Liann in the future.

This was so fun. It reminded me of a few other titles while at the same time feeling very fresh and original. There was a slight Yellowface by Kuang mixed with A Special Place for Women by Hankin vibe, though I enjoyed it much more than the later. The feeling of darkness that fills this glittery world is very well developed throughout the book. There is so much dread and tension built it makes the reading experience quite propulsive. I found certain aspects of the book super funny in places and the author really balances the dark with the humor. The social commentary is sometimes a bit on the nose, but it makes it a very satisfying read. Definitely a fun take on the world of influencers and the things we value.

This book is great for the ideal of "the grass is always greener on the other side". Julie thinks her long lost estranged twin Chloe has everything; money, fame, the easy life. But as she acclimates into her sister's influencer lifestyle, she begins to find out everything is not as it seems.

I really liked this book. Julie who is down on her luck falls into her sister’s life and all that it entails. With twists and turns like you wouldn’t believe. I couldn’t put this book down and didn’t want to.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 320
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Release Date: April 29, 2025

Separated after their parents died in a car crash, twin sisters Julie and Chloe were adopted separately. Julie went to live with an abusive aunt and Chloe went to an affluent family. Julie went on to struggle to stay afloat working as a supermarket cashier, while Chloe became a famous social media influencer. Fast forward to Chloe dying and Julie switching identities so she now lives the lucrative influencer lifestyle. This new world plunges her into a situation so bizarre, so insane, each page is crazier than the next.

Wow, so much going on in this book: social media satire, racial issues, witchcraft, cults! This one was a page-turner with surprises you’ll never see coming.

Thank you, @TheLiannZ and @AtriaBooks for my advanced copy. #AtriaPartner

Julie Chan is Dead is maybe one of the most bizarre books that I have ever read, but I think I kind of liked it? Julie is a down-on-her-luck girl who is struggling to get by every day. She was adopted as a child after her parents died, splitting her and her twin sister, Chloe, apart. Chloe was adopted by rich white people and is now an instagram influencer who has the life that Julie could only dream of. When Julie received a mysterious phone call from Chloe prompting her to go and look for her in NYC, she was shocked to find Chloe dead in her apartment. What is the natural next thing to do? Julie decides it is to step into Chloe’s life acting as though she is her. From there, things REALLY get weird. I don’t want to give too much away, but just know that it really hits the fan, and begins to get a bit cultish.

I thought this book was an incredibly interesting examination of influencer culture. I was hooked from the beginning of the story, and the end was different than what I thought it would be when I first started the book. While it did feel like two completely separate books from the first half and the second half, I honestly had a great time reading and I really enjoyed the “cultish” portion of the book. I could easily believe that some influencers in today’s society have done such things that are outlined on the island, and it really got me thinking. I loved it, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished the book. Highly recommend this book if you enjoy stories about influencers behaving badly and cult vibes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria for an advanced reading copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This was just an ok read for me. I honestly didn't want to finish it, but I did. There were some good moments, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me.

This is truly a unique book. It is dark and twisted, and I couldn't look away. It is off the walls absurd, making it great summer reading! Will have you guessing and cringing til the end.

This one started out really strong for me! I loved it and the concept. I was flying through it and overall enjoyed it. I will say that the second half kind of went a bit wild for me. It just seemed a bit crazy. Would have enjoyed it more if it had stayed more on track.