Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang
Advanced readers copy provided by NetGalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
OH, Julie, Julie, Julie !
This book kicks off with our main character Julie, who has a calm life, working in a supermarket. One night, after work, her twin sister Chloe, who she’s only seen once since they were separated at four years old, calls her saying cryptic things, making Julie worried, so worried, she decides to go to New York, where her sister lives to see what’s going on. Thus kicking off our plot.
When Julie gets to Chloe’s apartment, she find her *SHOCK*, dead. When a reasonable person would just tell the police everything as it is, Julie decides to swap with her sister and simply steal her life, because she won’t need it anymore, right? Quickly, Julie settles into Chloe’s life, being sucked into the influencer lifestyle and getting addicted to views and peoples opinions of her.
Julie finds out she’s part of a group called the Belladonnas, run by the most famous influencer, Bella Marie. Julie is a fan of Bella Marie, and is keen to assure she likes her, now that she’s stepped into her sisters shoes. She is pleased when she’s invited to the Belladonnas annual trip to a private island.
Once on the island, Julie quickly realises things are not as they seem.
I have to say, this book really grabs you at the 40% mark. The beginning is slower, settling the reader into a false sense of comprehension. It really picks up it’s pace when the girlies are on their island trip.
This book really wasn’t what I thought it would be. The beginning was very reminiscent of Yellowface by R.F Kuang. But again, at the 40% mark, things took a dark turn that I really was not expecting. The pace picked up and we were brought into a world that felt very cultish, it felt like I was in a dreamlike state while reading.
You want to empathise with Julie, but dang, does she make it hard! Our main character is very unhinged and truly believes she’s doing the right thing by stealing her sisters life. At every turn, when she doubts herself for making the right choice, something happens that makes her believe that she did. She believes she’s a better Chloe, than Cloe herself. She soon finds out that she knows nothing about her sister, her life and her surroundings. That really made me feel a sense of unease through the whole reading experience, I never knew what to expect from someone so unpredictable. Although she made me nervous, I literally could not look away.
I think the thing I liked the least about this book was the ending. I felt like I needed more. More gore, something more visceral. I wanted one more final twist that would have had me shaking the house down boots.
Overall, I liked this read! It felt like a fresh take on the steal your life trope. I just wanted more from the ending.

Ohhhh this was all kinds of nuts, and I loved it! It definitely caught me by surprise. It hooked me immediately and I just couldn’t put it down. The last half was unhinged, and lost me a little, but overall a super fun ride. Liann Zhang is now on my radar, for sure. 💕

Influence, Perfect Little Monsters
Avail: April 29
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
Genre: Thriller
Violence: 🪓🪓🪓
Spice: 🚫
TR: Death of parents, overdose/drug use, indoctrination

Premise: Separated at age 4, Julie was raised by a neglectful aunt & is barely making ends meet while her twin Chloe was adopted by a wealthy couple & became a successful influencer. When Chloe dies & Julie steps into her life, she discovers dark secrets behind the glittering social media facade.

Thoughts: Julie’s twin dies in a clearly suspicious way. She steals her sister’s identity & wealth. She’s sucked into the influencer lifestyle & becomes addicted to the constant positive reinforcement. Add in that she’s one of only 2 POC in a clique of oblivious white women, and you know the author’s building to a Get Out kinda reckoning. Even with that set up, I did not anticipate the third act’s dark turn. Be prepared for a slide toward horror. The story arc & plot twists keep this a page-turner. But a deeper message creeps through, at times reading like a cautionary tale. While the forces at work among Julie’s influencer besties are fictional, the book’s exploration of influencer culture & toxicity is all too real. The speed with which Julie devolves from a critic of the influencer lifestyle to an addict of her online world is chilling in its plausibility. Prepare to read through slitted fingers. And maybe don’t read while eating. But the ending of this book? Brilliant.

Thanks to Atria & NetGalley for the gifted book in exchange for an honest review.

Received an ARC via NetGalley.

This was wild. I’ve had Yellowface on my list for a while but now I’ll have to bump it up.

This is the kind of story that sucks you in from the beginning and is impossible to put down. There was one scene in particular I did wish to put it down, bc it was pretty gruesome. But it’s definitely a wild ride while also being a critique on influencer culture and social media. While also being full of tension, it also was very funny.

Highly recommend.

I’m so disappointed bc I was sooo into this story for the first half as we follow Julie taking over Chloe’s life and then it unexpectedly completely shifts into a cult trope which is just so overdone recently and i literally groaned when i figured out that was the direction the story was going in. I’m so tired of ‘surprise’ cult stories and this was a missed opportunity for me!

Thank you Atria books for my gifted copy!

“I know I’m fucked up, but these people are a whole new level of fucked.”

Julie Chan is Dead is unhinged. I was sucked in from the start and this book truly went off the rails - in the best way - toward the end. I had nightmares about it last night. In it, I was in a daze, faces of my longtime friends looming and chanting over me. 🤐 I’ll say no more. The quote sums it up enough.

Liann Zhang is brilliant. This book was hilarious. It’s hard to find my type of humor in media, unless it’s a ridiculous meme, so it was refreshing to laugh along with the dark absurdity that is social media.

We get this wonderful glimpse of the dark underbelly of what it means to be an influencer. I can safely say I never thought it would be an easy thing. Can you imagine being on ALL DAY? Forcing a painful fake smile for brand deals? Cultivating perfection at every turn? Engaging constantly? The burnout must be brutal.

We see such flash and glimmer on our side of the screens, but I don’t think many of us really sit and think about how much work goes into being an online personality. And the internet is full of mean and horrible people. I truly could not make it.

But Julie Chan is Dead takes this darkness to another level. It makes the rumors of the Illuminati and fame seem real lol.

I really cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you’re looking for a rollercoaster to steadily take you to the top and then plummet you so hard your stomach pops into your throat.

The lesson learned … never steal your twins identity??
I’m thankful for lethally and the publishers at Simon & Shuesters Atria for this ARC copy. HOWEVER, my honest review is WHAT DID I JUST READ? The reviews are not wrong it does give Yellow Face by R.F Kuang but almost too similar , minus the whole I’m going on a cult killing spree of influencers!
The intrigue for me is I am a twin and was like how cool I’ll read this book as a co read and we can chat about … I’m not sure the whole twin aspect really stuck for me as much as identity theft, woe is me influencer ranting and just generally writing flaming brain mush the last 60% whatever was thought of made it on the page I guess.
I really wanted to like this book truly it just took toooooo far if a turn for me to appreciate it any more than 2 stars.

This was an interesting one! I was so into it and thought it was such a fun read. Julie's experience entering the influencer world, her commentary on the euphoria she felt getting paid and feeling loved after having the complete opposite childhood was interesting and I wish we stayed in that territory. HOWEVER, it does take a pretty stark turn halfway through the book and while I didn't dislike it, there were other themes and dynamics that I would have enjoyed better if they were explored instead. But God forbid a girl take a risk and put herself out there creatively!! The plot was kind of mix of Blink Twice and Ingrid Goes West so if you're into those wacky stories you'll really like this!

Rating this a 3.5 bumped up to a 4 because while the ending felt rushed and not super satisfying and I kind of hated Julie by the end, it was wild and fun and weird and felt super ~of the times~ in its snarky but accurate social commentary, which I liked. And also she's Canadian :)

Wow, this was amazing and so well done. I was hooked from the beginning and but the end on was on the edge of my seat. Twin stories can be so hit or miss for me but this was fantastic and the cult vibes added SO MUCH to the story

3.75 rounded up

thank you to netgalley for this ARC!! it was so exciting to read a vancouver author <3

this was a ride and a half and i had a great time lmfao i was hooked from the beginning and then it took a wild almost 'ready or not' left turn that excited me!!! was a little jarring at times how recent and modern this was though and wonder if you need a certain level of internet brain rot (as i do) to fully engage with it because not gonna lie reading 'unalived' in a book was not on my bingo card (though appreciate the author acknowledging how crazy it is that the character said it lmfao)

anyways this will be a great movie or hbo limited series one day

I was completely invested and had this at a 4.5 to 5 star book for the first 50% of this novel… It went a bit off the rails at the end and now I’m putting it at maybe 3.75 stars? The writing was so engaging and the premise was so good but I really can’t get on board with the ending. The short chapters kept me turning pages well past my bedtime, and I will continue to look for future books by Liann Zhang!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Chan works as a supermarket cashier and can barely afford food. She is miserable. Her bright spots of excitement involve stealing gum or sandwiches from her store.

Julie Chan is also a twin. Her sister, Chloe VanHuusen, is a popular influencer. They were separated at age 4 when their parents tragically died and Chloe was adopted into a wealthy white family, and Julie was sent to live with an aunt.

Julie resents Chloe and her shiny, beautiful life so much that she blocks her on social media until one day after work, when Chloe calls. She's hard to hear, and it sounds like she's struggling. Julie frantically calls her back repeatedly, and when she doesn't get a response, she books a bus ticket to New York.

Arriving at Chloe's apartment, Julie is horrified to see Chloe dead on the kitchen floor. Very quickly, she changes her life and starts living as Chloe. They are twins, after all. When she is invited on an exclusive trip by a leading influencer, Julie is excited to see if she can get to know these women better, but what she finds is much darker than the shiny veneer they all portray online.
-----
This book is WILD. Many books have been written about the world of influencers, but none have captured the absolute insanity quite like this story.

This is a deeply funny and dark book, and I loved every word.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I started out thinking this was going to be kind of unique and then it got weird and a bit dark. The characters were kind of zany. Maybe just not for me. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

The first half of this book was a page-turner and really enjoyable. Then the second half was a mess. Also, this book should be listed as Horror - if you know, you know and THAT was not a great part of the story.

I totally get the reasoning for the political themes and references but it became too many and eye-rolling. As I say in fictional books with political jabs or themes - the preaching has become cliche. Trashing the country is all the rage in a lot of 2025 fiction and it's unnecessary and boring.

I recently DNF'd an influencer-set mystery and that one was impossible to read with all the hashtags, jargons and wording that amounted to a different language for those of us over the age of 30. So, bravo to this story! I at least made it through this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an e-copy of JULIE CHAN IS DEAD to review.

I rate JULIE CHAN IS DEAD three out of five stars.

Julie Chan is Dead is a propulsive thriller that I could not put down. Although the basic premise is unbelievable, it is plausible as the superficial connections of the social media/influencer world become clear.

Julie Chan and her twin sister Chloe Van Huusen were separated as toddlers when their parents died. Julie stayed with a crotchety aunt and Chloe was adopted by a rich family. To say they led different lives is an understatement. They did not grow up together and don't really know each other. Their most recent connection was a YouTube stunt that the very popular social media star Chloe aired on her channel. But that was years ago, so Julie is surprised to get a cryptic phone call from Chloe. Impulsively, she sets off to figure out what is going on, but when she arrives, finds Chloe dead. When Julie is mistaken for Chloe, she just rolls with it and states that the dead woman is Julie Chan and she is Chloe Van Huusen.

Initially, she loves living the high life, rubbing elbows with social media stars and having money and nice things for the first time in her life. When the newness wears off, she realizes that the friends that she now has may not be friends at all.

I enjoyed the novel until the last ridiculous plot element and the fact that Julie never once worried or concerned herself with how Julie died. Definitely a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

So, you want to be an influencer? All you have to do it's find your twin dead and switch places with her. That's what Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier, did when her estranged twin sister Chloe VanHuusen died. This novel touches on social media influencers, a wild island getaway rife with rituals, and what some people will do to fit in and be successful. It is hard to describe this book except for compelling. Would I recommend it? Absolutely.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Publishing for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

It was definitely a fresh an intriguing premise for a thriller. It was fun and humorous at times but overall just a bit too weird and over the top. I didn’t care for any of the characters to be honest. It was ok but just wasn’t my cup of tea.

What in the world did I just read??

I didn’t know much about this book starting out, but it certainly grabbed me from the beginning. The first half is a fascinating dive into the social media influencer world. It seemed to be both truth telling and mockery at the same time. A bit of a poking fun at tell-all.

Then the location changed and the whole vibe of the book shifted. Without giving away too many details, an oppressive darkness settled down on the story. I truly didn’t know what to expect. But I stayed along for the ride.

When I read the last sentence, I was left scratching my head. Not because I didn’t understand what happened, but because I truly didn’t know how I felt about it. I still don’t.

There were many things in this book I didn’t enjoy. The language, how she spoke of God and more that I can’t share because they would be spoilers.

The writing and the train wreck that I just couldn’t avert my eyes from, however, kept me hanging on to the end.

Do I recommend this book? I do, but beware it’s definitely not christian fiction. If you read it, please let me know because I would love to process it with somebody.

Thank you go @netgalley and @atriabooks for my electronic advanced readers copy!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own

What did I just read? 🤣 This debut thriller about influencers, a young woman stepping into her dead twin's life, and the dark secrets waiting to be revealed was unsettling. It's also one of those books that readers will either love or hate. Personally, the narrative had me turning the pages for the majority of the book. I could feel that atmosphere that the shoe was going to drop, and soon Julie's masquerade as Chloe would be unveiled. But those last twenty chapters- wild, eyebrow-raising, and " do I want to continue reading?' occurred.

I will go with a 3-star because it did have me turning the pages( fair warning, you have to go along with the narrative even if you're in disbelief). But oh my goodness, that ending was ________.( I don't even know what word I would use. 😂



Expected Publication Date 29/04/25
Goodreads Review 08/04/25

this was...bizarre. the way this started as a murder mystery of a famous influencer, to the terrible decisions of a social climber, and ended with a cult? i felt as if i read three different books lol. the main character was horrible. actually, all the characters in this were awful. i didn't find anything redeemable about any of them, but they were such complex characters. i hated them, but they interested me. i truly couldn't look away from the horrifying train wreck of their actions.

the writing was dense at times but for me lacked the depth it was trying to convey. the characters made this somewhat bearable since the plot was all over the place. this book was attempting to be several different things but didn't successfully land on anything solid to make it impactful for me.
overall this was dark, entertaining and weird.