First I would like to thank Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this novel.

I definitely understand the comparisons to Yellowface after reading the novel. It definitely had the same vibes.

I really loved the first half of this book. I loved the influencer aspect and how it was so over the top with the money and the sponsorship. It really shone a light on the whole industry.

But I will say the second half of the novel kind of went off the rails for me. When they went on the trip and the cult aspects of the novel came into play it kind of lost me a little. I just went so overboard I had a hard time really getting into the second half.

I did love this authors writing and even with all the crazy events in the second half of the story she did keep me interested in seeing how the story would play out.

3.25/5 stars

I’m obsessed with this book! It was the definition of a page turner, with short addictive chapters that kept me up way too late because I had to know what happened next. Every time I thought I had it figured out, Liann Zhang hit me with another twist. The writing is sharp, and the exploration of influencer culture felt super relevant. I loved the author's voice, and had so much fun reading this. It's definitely one of my top reads of the year! If you're online way too much (like me), you'll fly through this. Definitely recommend going in blind, but if you liked the tone of Yellowface, I think you’ll like this one too.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for an ARC of Julie Chan Is Dead!

While the premise of this book seems enticing, it's giving Yellowface, it's giving The Other Black Girl...this book falls pretty flat for me. The issue here is the writing style, you can tell the author is trying to weave in thrilling aspects to keep the reader spooked, but the mix of pop culture references and the fact that Julie really just sucks doesn't work. Bringing in supernatural forces also just doesn't work...they're literally just influencers. Maybe that's the point, that someone could crave the attention and popularity so much that they would be willing to bend the rules of natural for it, but idk it's pretty unbelievable to me.

There's not much more to say other than that.

I say this with love - what in the everloving universe was this book, holy heck.

Absolutely unhinged, this book delves into the inequality within the influencer space, privilege, and the addictive nature of social media, external validation, and "love."

After her parents die in a car accident, and her twin sister is adopted by a rich, White family, Julie is shafted by the system and ends up being raised by an abusive Aunt and useless cousin. When she gets the chance to see the world from the other side, she takes it, stepping into Chloe's life after she dies.

Julie, from the start, is like a wild animal - a bit erratic and unpredictable, but when she steps into Chloe's life, that hunger for something more turns into the addictive need to be loved by Chloe's friends, and adored by Chloe's fans. Even as a reader, I got totally sucked into Julie's story, falling deeper into the rabbit hole with her as she navigated this elite world with the eyes of someone who's experienced poverty and abuse.

The commentary around influencer culture - the racial aspects, the privilege of many influencers, and the addictive nature of wanting more and more - felt so real and relevant. Although the story took an absolutely bonkers turn, it still felt grounded in that hunger for more followers, more clout, more money, more everything. I understood that deep seated instinct to fight for it.

I absolutely ate up this book - the Belladonnas were giving Bebe vibes (a Kim Possible reference, for the zillenials), and as everything unfolded, there was no way I could stop. It felt voyeuristic to watch it all go down, in the same way viewers obsess over their faves and watch their lives online. Addictive and toxic, I was glued to this book.

As a whole, I applaud Liann Zhang for creating something so absolutely unhinged. Every twist was just bonkers and it kept getting wilder and wilder.

TW: emotional abuse, bullying, toxic relationship, disordered eating, grief, death of an animal (not dog), drug abuse, alcohol abuse, miscarriage, blood, pregnancy; mentions death of parents, racism, sexual content, car accident, suicide, murder, death

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

ARC gifted by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review.

This novel follows the titular character, Julie Chan, as she takes on the life of her influencer twin sister, from whom she was separated at a young age. However, as she takes on this life, she realizes all is not as it seemed on social media and there are many mysteries to unravel surrounding her sister's life. This was a fun read that moved at a good pace, though some of the mysteries are never fully solved and some aspects of the plot and setup were a bit too extreme to be believed.

⭐️2.5 stars⭐️

Where do I start.. quick recap is that the main girl Julie Chan and her twin sister Chloe were separated when they were very young. Chloe is adopted into a rich NY family and becomes a famous influencer. Julie was raised by her vindictive aunt, and works as a cashier at a grocery store. The girls have nothing to do with one another until Chloe is killed and Julie finds her body. From there, she decides to take over Chloe’s life *cue chaos*.

First things first, I hated Julie Chan. Her character went from martyr-ey victim to dim-witted opportunist to Anna Delvey vibes at the end. I didn’t find it believable that she’d take over her twin's life just to become an influencer. She never thought to investigate the murder or contemplate that taking the place of her murdered sister may put her in danger.

Halfway through the book, there’s a girl's trip with Chloe’s influencer crew. I found that part intriguing at first but like the rest of the book, dragged on way too long.

I’m not even going to go into the ending but it felt like 3 incoherent stories that just didn’t come together for me. Not to mention all the stereotypical cliques scattered throughout the book.

I was hooked on this book from the first chapter. This book was so unique and I couldn’t put it down even when it increased my anxiety lol. I was shaking in my boots for Isla at the retreat when she was speaking the truth. I agree with the editor that this author is going to go far and I’m sure this book is going to break the internet with its unique take of the influencer world.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

How far will you go to gain money and fame?

Julie lives an average life - she works at a grocery store, lives paycheck to paycheck, and has an influencer twin, Chloe, who reconnected with her only to use her for a video where her twin sister buys her a house. Just the average human experience!
One night, Chloe calls her in distress. All Julie can hear is the word “mistake” over and over again. The call begins to haunt her over the following day, leading her to Chloe’s New York apartment. When Chloe ends up dead on the floor of her luxurious abode of an apparent drug overdose, Julie gets an idea. She begins to situate herself as her sister. But, the beautiful and charming life Julie imagines that awaits her in Chloe’s life, may not be what she gets. Chloe’s life is riddled with secrets she didn’t expect her to have and having money wasn’t as glamorous as Julie had imagined it would be. Especially when someone Julie knows finds out her secret. Things begin to change when Julie finds herself in the middle of an influencer group that Chloe was a part of, which isn’t exactly as it appears.

For the most part, I enjoyed the twisty turns of this book. I wasn’t sure where exactly it was going to take me, but I was along for the ride. Towards the end, I kind of found it fizzling out a little bit but the meat and bones of it were pretty good. I couldn’t put it down so that has to count for something, right?

Thank you to Liann Zhang, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the e-book ARC.

3.5 ⭐️

<i>Julie Chan Is Dead</i> is a thriller meets weird-girl novel in which Zhang clearly had a lot of fun pushing the girl-takes-twin's-place narrative to its limits.

Humorous social media satire hooks you from the beginning of this story and continues throughout. And, although the story's setup in middle section lulls a bit, things start to get <i>really</i> weird (in a great way) making the novel is absolutely unputdownable from the 3/4 mark to an ending with a payoff that is totally worth it.

3.5 fun stars for this one

✨️twin swap
✨️murder mystery
✨️influencer lifestyle

This was such a fun read. Julie Chen gets the opportunity to step into her dead twins influencer lifestyle. She thought it would be nothing but a glamorous time but she realizes she was wrong. Her sister Cloe had secrets.

This book was filled with satire and was funny. I feltlike the first half and second were rather different but not in a bad way but the transition was just weird. If you're looking for a quick humorous but yet almost sinister influencer type of read then this is for you.


A big thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Release date April 29, 2025

Read if you like:
- Unhinged FMC
- Identity Swaps
- Influencer Culture
- Strained Family Relationships
- Cult Vibes

Julie Chan is Dead is a fever dream of envy, money, and unhinged ambition to have it all!

Julie, stuck in a dead-end life with her crappy job and family that sucks… and forever overshadowed by her social media famous twin sister Chloe, who was adopted after their parents death by a rich white family while Julie was stuck being raised by her resentful aunt.

Julie finally sees a crack in her twin’s picture perfect life when Chloe turns up dead—and instead of grieving, she steps through it and in a rash moment claims Chloe’s privileged life as her own… but the question lingers and looms over the story, what happened to Chloe and lead to her death?!?!

There’s something deeply unsettling about how easily Julie slips into Chloe’s skin—literally and figuratively—but that’s exactly the point… what would you do for all the riches and fame and attention from a large social media following?

And then the trip with the inner circle that is reminiscent of the exclusive social media brand trips with limited attendees, cult like devotion, promise of success tied to the group, and looming feeling that something just isn’t right as locked room thriller vibes take hold. There is no way out but through and deep into the clutches of the cult like group grounded in social media fame, loyal followers, freebies until your eyes bleed, and money beyond all that you can imagine.

This story truly brings to life the grotesque nature of social media relationships, overconsumption, need for more when you have enough and then some, and the parasocial relationships followers feel they have with those they follow online.

It's not a book that asks to be loved—it dares you to keep reading and digging deeper into the horrifying underground of the life as a social media influencer and begs the question—what would you do for….? You will keep reading along, because Julie and Chloe’s story is absolutely addictive, messy, and a chillingly smart take on social media influencing culture at its darkest.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Audio for my gifted finished audiobook copy and Atria for my ARC!

2.5 stars - Well that was unexpected. Love it or hate it, influencer culture is part of our society. The first half of this book was entertaining - I always love an unhinged character and was waiting for the moment Julie would be caught pretending to be her dead twin sister, a popular social media influencer. However, I felt like I was reading a completely different book in the second half. The story felt disjointed. I’m usually interested in a cult trope but I felt like this took a wild turn. And there was also animal cruelty that had me literally gagging toward the end - it felt unnecessary. While it started promising and unique, this ultimately wasn’t for me. Pub date: April 29, 2025.

Thank you Atria Books for providing an eARC through NetGalley.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. This was a super fun read. Drama, social media, influencers, everyone behaving badly, a little bit gross and outlandish, and a private island? This book got more and more far fetched towards the end but I didn't care at all, and I ate it up. Finished it in one day.

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reading copy of Julie Can is Dead written by Liann Zhang, with a publishing date of April 25th, 2025.

The novel follows Julie Chan, who has had an unfortunate life coupled with a harboured resentment towards her identical twin who she was separated from after the death of their parents and was adopted by affluent parents and lives as a social media influencer.

Julie receives a concerning call from her estranged sister and becomes her after finding her dead in her NYC apartment. As her influenced twin, Julie unravels the dark and cult-like secrets of the influencer world that her sister became involved in.

The first have of the book, did not do it for me if I’m being completely honest. I found the social media jargon and the use of brands fitness clothing brand Gymfish (🙄) to be really corny and the writing to be very elementary.

Once the influencer retreat started and the suspense began, though, I knew I was locking in to finish the book. I thought it was interesting and enjoyed the commentary on Internet fame and the influencer space, but I think the writing style just wasn’t for me. I did find the ending of the book to be really rushed but, overall a light, easy read.
2.75 stars

Thank you for the ARC !
This book got me hooked from the beginning . Loved following Julie’s story. Definitely recommend. 5 stars !

This was a 2.5 for me rounded down. I thought the premise was good but it went down way too crazy of a path. I couldn’t tell if the book was funny / tongue in cheek or just really that insane? I wanted more on the BellaDonnas and less on the annoying aunt. A fast read but not very satisfying.

4 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC! I was invited to read this and share my thoughts after seeing the book on being promoted during the Library Journal Day of Dialog virtual conference. A fantastic day of learning, listening, and networking with fellow librarians.

Julie Chan is dead, to the world, at least. After finding her estranged twin, Chloe, dead in her luxury apartment, Julie takes her identity and dives into the extravagant world of social media influencing. Counting the views and followers in the millions, Julie begins to lose herself as Chloe and it doesn't take long for the pressure to get to her.

I really enjoyed this novel, and it's knocked down a point only because I feel like the plot jumps around a little too much. It needed just a little bit more editing to really tighten it up.

If this is her debut, I can't wait to see what Zhang has coming up!

When your sister dies, you grieve. When she’s famous—and your twin—you have a choice: mourn or become her. Julie chose both.


📚 Reasons to Read Julie Chan is Dead
Twin Swap Gone Wrong – Julie steps into her dead twin's influencer life thinking it’ll be glamorous… but it quickly becomes dangerous.


Dark Side of Influencer Culture – Behind the filters and PR-perfect friendships is a world full of secrets, lies, and people willing to kill to stay relevant.


Murder Mystery with a Luxury Aesthetic – There’s a body, a designer wardrobe, and a creepy island retreat full of suspects.


Social Commentary with Thrills – It explores fame, identity, and grief while keeping you glued to the page with every juicy twist.


This book was highly intriguing to me because it wasn’t just the murder mystery aspect, but also one twin taking another one’s place. It was quite a fun read, especially because you kept wondering how Julie never gets found out by anyone for awhile. However, this book isn’t as much a murder mystery as it is the commentary of being sucked into an influencer world and what people will do to stay there. It’s hard to say that I wished the characters had more depth when the whole point is that they are kinda shallow anyway. But it was fun to read and the ending was a little unsettling.

What a wild ride! The insights on influencer culture & the court of popular opinion via social media are biting while also satirical and darkly humorous. With shades of Yellowface, Blink Twice, Ready or Not, and even Bunny - this book really feels like a nod to old school media you grow up with where we're asked to suspend disbelief as a twin takes her sisters place - while also really cranking the messaging of agency, complicitness, manipulation, the dangers of power, and deep familial wounds until it sizzles with page turning intensity. Loved it so much. What a great novel, eager for anything Liann Zhang will be writing from here on out!

4.5/5
Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Julie and Chloe are identical twins, orphaned at a young age. While Chloe gets adopted by rich white parents, and goes on to become a social media influencer with millions of followers, Julie is raised by her aunt in poverty. Eventually they lose touch with one another, with Julie bitterly acknowledging her twin’s success online. When Chloe dies mysteriously, Julie sort of grabs the opportunity to step in and live Chloe’s life. What ensues is a dark tale exposing the seedy underbelly of fast fame and the influencer life. Julie also takes up the task of investigating her sister’s death, which leads her to some bizarre encounters.

The writing is full of tongue-in cheek satire, often delivering golden monologues and dealing with the themes of race, privilege and power. 

The first half of this book made me want to go on a digital detox. It throws a light on the consumerist, exploitative nature of online life, and the quick hits of dopamine these likes and comments offer people. The second half was a different book in itself. It was eerie, absurd, and at one point, even disgusting? To call it sinister would be an understatement. 
It’s a commentary on how people are becoming more and more dehumanized, losing their individual identity and obsessing over the most materialistic things in the pursuit of ‘vibe’ and ‘aesthetics’.

This book was unputdownable for me, and I finished it within 2 days!