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!

Julie Chan has a twin sister, or rather, she had a twin sister who is no longer in the land of the living. She works in a,supermarket. Her twin's life as an influencer features all the trappings of success, which are very alluring to Julie. They didn't grow up together, so it shouldn't be hard to step into Chloe's life.
Chloe's comfortable life has a dark side and young people aren't supposed to die young, are they? Julie , liking the money and nice place to live, has no idea of the pressure facing her twin. Everybody has problems, right?
Now Julie is mingling with her dead sister's circle at a private retreat. How is she at impersonating her sister? Will it cost her her life?
Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it all.
The story unfolds at a good pace with lots of humor .
Is this really what an influencer's life is about? Is the fame and fortune worth it? Julie is dying to find out. Everyone has their own agenda, right?
A surprising , interesting, humorous read that had me flying through the pages. I liked it.
Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me a copy of the ARC. In exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This started out strong for me, and then kind of went off the rails. It was a little far fetched for me and got repetitive with the groups of influencers. Also just gagged at the mouse incident.

A thriller mixed with dark comedy is right up my alley, and this influencer mystery did not disappoint. I loved the depth of the main character and how the story intertwined the stories of the twins who were separated at a young age. This book was a stark reminder that influencers aren't all they seem to be online, and there are more depths to people than we realize.

This fast-paced book with an absurdly wild and funny plot will be a go to for recommendations in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC!

Julie is a supermarket clerk and unhappy in her life while her twin sister Chloe is living the high life as an influencer and running around the world with all kinds of friends. One evening Julie gets a call from Chloe but it sounds wrong and she doesnt know what is going on. Julie decides to go find her sister and discovers her sister dead in her high rise apartment. Not sure what happened to Chloe, Julie decides to stage it as Julie being the dead one and she slips into Chloes life. Quickly she realizes how much work that is and starts to make small mistakes. Then the blackmail starts and an exlusive trip to an island with a group of girls happens. Things start getting weird and Julie realizes maybe her sisters life isnt really that perfect.

I really liked this book and it was really funny at times. I thought it hit into the influencer lifestyle and the disconnect from reality. There were moments where the people were obnoxious but I was able to handle it. The ending though was rough. The whole island portion of the book was downright sickening and creepy. I had to take a break because there was few parts that got a little too graphic. But the thing about it was that there are probably things like this happening. All around I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend.

Julie Chan Is Dead is such a fun, fast read. It starts off wild—Julie, who works at a grocery store, finds out her influencer twin Chloe is dead. But the police think she’s Chloe, so she just… goes with it. Suddenly she’s living this glamorous life, pretending to be her sister, and things get weird fast.

This book is super entertaining. It’s got mystery, creepy cult vibes, influencer drama, and lots of twists. The writing is sharp but easy to follow, and the story pulls you in right away. If you like thrillers that are a little dark but also kind of funny, you’ll love this one. I couldn’t put it down.

🤳 𝕋𝕌𝔼𝕊𝔻𝔸𝕐 𝕋ℍℝ𝕀𝕃𝕃𝕊 🔪

"𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒚, 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅."

👉🏼 swipe for synopsis ➡️

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This one was SOOOOO good on audio!

Special thanks to @atriabooks for the #gifted physical copy & @simon.audio for the #gifted ALC.

This was one of my MANY most anticipated this year, and it didn't disappoint. The added tension throughout along with the influencer & cult vibes made for an amazing thriller.

This is one you dont wanna miss!

𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:
April 29, 2025

ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️What's your last audiobook?
Don't listen? What's your current read?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #simonaudiopartner #atriapartner #atriabooks #atriathrillers #simonaudio #juliechanisdead #liannzhang
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Unfortunately I did not love this. But I didn’t hate it either.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC (advanced reader copy) in exchange for an honest review.

Some things I loved:

The premise hooked me immediately! Estranged twins, one of which was adopted by a wealthy family and is a huge influencer? Then one twin steals the other’s identity? Sign. Me. Up.

Love the short chapters! The descriptions were so good, I really felt like I was there. The way she wrote the influencers was so good - the privilege was privilege-ing! And the toxicity of the group was wild.

Some things I didn’t love:

There were some mysteries of Chloe’s life that I felt like were set up to be revealed later on. That didn’t really happen. I felt like there were things we were missing.

About 3/4 of the way through this book started to take some turns I did not expect. And not necessarily in a good way. Things got really weird. Also, I did not like the way the book ended. Unfortunately I can’t get into more details on any of that without spoilers and I don’t like to write reviews with spoilers.

Overall it was an interesting read and a wild ride. So if you’re looking for something different then I would recommend it for that but overall not my fave.

Julie Chan is Dead is a dark, witty psychological thriller that balances biting satire with intriguing mystery. Julie Chan grew up with nothing while her twin was raised with every privilege. Now, Julie works as a cashier in a local grocery store. Her twin, Chloe, is a mega successful influencer. To Julie, life is simply not fair. Then, in an unexpected twist, Julie discovers Chloe's lifeless body. Instead of reporting Chloe's death, Julie reports her own - smoothly stepping into Chloe's influencer life. While the life of a social media star is more challenging than Julie anticipated, she soon not just adapts but actually excels. When Julie is invited to an exclusive and top-secret weekend with the most successful of influencers, she believes she has made it. However, Julie soon realizes that rather than paradise, this private island is Hell. Chloe's death was clearly not accidental and one of these women knows exactly what happened. Furthermore - Chloe won't be the last death.

Julie Chan is Dead is dark, funny, and intriguing. Liann Zhang does an excellent job of spotlighting both the highs and lows of social media fame. Julie is a complex character, and I enjoyed following her journey - even if it wasn't the typical character redemption arc. The social commentary is on point without it being too "in-your-face". The book is well-paced with plenty of twists. I will admit that the ending is a bit over-the-top, slightly taking away from the rest of the book. With that said, I still thoroughly enjoyed Julie Chan is Dead and will definitely be recommending it.

this was very entertaining! for the first 45%, i wasn’t feeling it but the story took a turn that right up my alley. however, i didn’t enjoy the writing style. overall quick and fun read.

I really wanted to love Julie Chan Is Dead, a debut novel by Liann Zhang. It had all the ingredients for a fabulous read: an identical twin who assumes the identity of her deceased sister—a glamorous social media influencer with secrets to spare.

The premise was gripping, and I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning and middle sections. Zhang’s writing had a sharp edge, and the tension built nicely as the story progressed. However, the ending left me feeling conflicted. It veered into territory that felt a bit unhinged and, at times, just plain bizarre. While bold narrative choices can work, here they felt more confusing than compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ebook copy of Julie Chan Is Dead.

This started off pretty solid; slow, but promising. The first 40% half was all about messy identity stuff, influencer culture, internet fame. It was believable and cringy in a “rich people are the worst” kind of way.
And then they got to the island. OOOOOFTA. The second half spiraled hard. I’m talking animal sacrifices, miscarriage trauma, full-blown cult horror. It felt like a completely different book. The tone shift was wild, and not in a good way. It just didn’t land for me. Also, that cute little cover? Lies.
From other reviews, I probably just don’t get it - so check out what others have to say before you decide not to pick it up!

3.75. This was not particularly great, but slightly better than OK.

I have always been interested in the twin trope, but I’ve also always been wary of trying it out knowing that it has a potential to be quite far-fetched and/or even ridiculous. In this case things certainly veered off into the far-fetched department but it was also bizarrely interesting & unique, the direction Zhang chose to go with this was a surprise, & I actually enjoy being surprised, especially considering that the thriller genre in particular has a tendency of being derivative & it’s not often that an author can figure out a way of doing a popular trope in any half way unique way..

I didn’t find our MC to be particularly likable, but she wasn’t the worst either. She was devoid of personality except for what felt a very typical insecure/jealous type qualities, but those things at least are very relatable.

Thank you for the advanced copy of Julie Chan is Dead. Unfortunately, I had to DNF at around 75%. The story got a little too unhinged for my taste. I did enjoy the premise and the first half of the book.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy.

I really enjoyed this book. Julie Chan is a struggling grocery store worker who is shocked to find her identical, twin sister dead. Chloe is a wealthy, social media influencer. Julie assumes Chloe's identity (and income) and is swept into the world of online social media.

Readers should not go into this book expecting a popcorn thriller. It's more literary fiction which speaks about social media, competition amongst women in the influencer world and body image.

The mid-point of the book goes a bit off the rails and readers will need to abandon a bit of skepticism and just roll with it. The ending was fast paced and propelling. The ending had elements of horror with on-page violence. It was satisfying.

How much time on social media is too much? How high should society hold the opinions of online influencers. How honest are their reviews? Overall, this landed at 4.25 stars for me.

I’m a sucker for a good social media influencer novel and so I was excited for Julie Chan is Dead. Influencer dies mysteriously and her twin sister takes over her life?! Yes, please!

However, this one got a little weird. The mystery and influencer aspect were on point and I was totally invested. But suddenly I was getting cult vibes and I didn’t want or need the shift. It complicated a perfectly great storyline and took it from a little far fetched to straight up out there.

I also thought the change of direction took away from the strong cultural points the first part of the novel raised. The twins were separated at a very young age - one raised in a privileged white household and the other raised by a family member in a more impoverished and neglectful situation. I loved the racial and class inequities that were addressed and how that impacted the women and their futures.

Overall this was entertaining but fell a little more flat than I expected.

Thank you to Atria books for the copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of Julie Chan Is Dead in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded to up 3.

I was hooked by the premise right away—a down-on-her-luck woman finds her influencer twin sister dead and decides to steal her life. (The Yellowface comparisons kind of make sense… to a point.)

The writing was easy to get into, and I enjoyed the satirical mystery about influencer culture. But about halfway through, the book takes a HARD left turn. It honestly felt like two different books mashed together, and the pacing never really recovered. The second half is absurd, and that’s where it lost me.

The characters are intentionally grating, which I understand, but the group of influencers Julie falls in with all blur together. I had trouble keeping track of who was who, so I stopped trying. I wanted more depth from both the plot and the people in it.

I stuck with it just to see how it ended, but I can’t say I really enjoyed it or felt satisfied by the payoff.

3.75 Stars
Wow. While I expected this novel to have some darkness after reading the description, I was totally unprepared for the places it went. Julie, an identical twin, receives a bizarre call from her estranged sister Chloe. She decides to visit her sister to find out more about this call, only to arrive at Chloe’s apartment and find her dead on the kitchen floor. In a moment of weakness, Julie assumes Chloe’s identity and takes on her sister’s life to try and find out what occurred. Chloe was a well-known influencer, Julie was a grocery store clerk, so this takes a bit of maneuvering both on social media and in person. It is when Julie (as Chloe) meets her sister’s influencer friends that things begin to take a dark turn. Oh what a twisted little path we are led down. I ended up reading as fast as I could, caught in the sticky fibers of the macabre little web Liann Zhang wove. I will go no further in description so as not to spoil it for anyone else, but recommend that you pick this up if you are into social media and thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley for the Advance Copy.

what a debut!!! i devoured this—it pulled me in right away and was such a quick, enjoyable read.

🎧 highly recommend the audiobook! the narrator was great and it was super easy to follow.

this one is getting early buzz and it’s definitely worth the hype! it has a ton of interesting pieces—it was giving YELLOWFACE meets SUCH A BAD INFLUENCE?! but yet very unique and like so many books / none at all? i was digging it!

the premise is so interesting: a girl’s identical twin (who is a famous influencer) is found dead. no one knows she’s dead yet. can she take over her famous sister’s glamourous life and leave her own behind?

i will say the first half the book felt v different than the second half which isn’t necessarily bad but i was not expecting it to go there. it almost turned kind of… cultish? the ending left me with some question marks, but overall this was just really fun.

also if you like books that poke fun at influencer culture, you will definitely like this book 🤣 i’d actually love to see a famous influencer read this and review it lol!

i have a feeling this one will get some 🎬 news too. it’s so timely to today’s culture and eerily realistic!

if you’re in a reading slump or looking for a fun, unique read to grab you right away, this will do the trick!

thanks to Atria for the gifted copy and Libro FM for the ALC :)

Julie Chan is Dead is brilliantly bizarre dark comedy-thriller that blends camp and satire to sharply critique influencer culture.

Liann Zhang has crafted a cast of delightfully zany characters and wildly imaginative plots.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for letting me read this ARC.