This was an interesting book. Had some funny parts and some deep introspective parts. I enjoyed and will recommend this.

The first half of this book was good, intriguing. Julie Chan is a twenty-something person who is in the literal trenches. She and her twin were separated after a tragic car accident took their parents. But where Chloe, her twin, got adopted by two wealthy white people, Julie was stick with an abusive aunt. Naturally, Chloe found immense success as an influencer and Julie was left to watch all this through a phone screen paid with her meager salary as a cashier. Things take a drastic turn when Chloe calls one night in a daze and Julie hurries to visit her sister only to find her dead.

The premise is good and I like that Julie is slightly terrible. We need more unlikeable protagonists, especially women who take the selfish, self-serving route. The funny moments also delivered:

<blockquote>”I start wondering if cardio classes are the elite’s answer to self-harm.”</blockquote>

<blockquote>”Grief is not easy to deal with alone. If you or a loved one is suffering from a loss like I am, please seek counseling for support. This video is sponsored by <i>BetterTherapy.</i>.”</blockquote>

<b>Issue #1: Julie is Kinda Dense Lmao</b>

I didn’t realize till the midpoint that I was waiting for Julie to start questioning the circumstances of her twin’s death. Understandably, Julie held onto a lot of resentment because Chloe exploited her low-income status to make a video and get tons of social media clout before promptly icing out further communication. Chloe is not infallible, and we learn about a ton of her flaws as the story progresses. But I find is strange that Julie so readily accepted that Chloe died of an overdose. Sure, that evidence that her sister drank a lot, but there were obviously suspect conditions that I would think to be common sense for investigation (ie. Chloe wanting to tell a reporter a huge story before she died, the signs of muting all the Belladonnas, etc.)

It can be said that Julie was caught in the whirlwind of stealing someone’s life and she was so deprived of love that she embraced whatever she found, even if it was sketchy. But as a regular person entering into the glitz of social media life, I expected Julie to have more skepticism instead of meek allegiance. I think the author also hinted at a tense home life for Chloe that never got explored (ie. Chloe was adopted by her white parents following some racist comments they made about Chinese people. She was meant to be proof they weren’t racist. It was also teased a couple times that she was nervous around her parents, such as a cut off video clip where she hurriedly stopped recording when her dad entered the room. None of this was ever built upon).

Julie herself says, “I’ve developed a jaded view of social media influencers, viewing them as a toxic cesspool of self-aggrandizing narcissists who feed us images of their deceptively attainable wealth through LED screens connected to our palms.”

OKAY, but where was that energy at any other point in the book?? Julie so quickly drank the Kool-Aid, from March (when she stole Chloe’s identity) to June, she gets a whole mentality shift about these people. It was even stranger because one of the people she welcomed into her circle was previously canceled for having racist tweets. So I’m sitting here like, where is your sense of questioning now? Why are you so starry eyed about these people in only THREE MONTHS??

<b>Issue #2: Julie is Actually Very Dense</b>

In taking on their mantel of Chloe’s life, Julie finds that her sister was inducted into an elite social media group headed by influencer Bella Marie. Those in the circle are considered Belladonnas and their membership always results in explosive social media success.

I know the author had a brief stint as a skincare influencer, but the way she characterized how these women talked……..

<blockquote>”I am not sad. IU am happy. I am so happy that I cried.”

“She’s so happy she cried!” Emmeline exclaims.

“We are so happy you are happy,” says Kelly.

Angelique bursts into a smile and throws the blanket around her shoulder. “I am so happy,” she says as she skips, the blanket a cape. We dance again, carried by our bountiful joy.”</blockquote>

I get that the author is poking fun at the valley girl trope of airhead influencers. But like. Some of the dialogue was so juvenile lol. Maybe this is my bias because I’m not in contact with a lot of social media influencers, but it sometimes felt like these adult women were children.

But that’s not my biggest complaint about them. Basically, the Belladonnas have an annual trip to Bella Marie’s private island and Julie learns her new circle of friends are involved in worshipping a deity known as Eto. They are convinced sacrificing to Eto ensures social media success.

I feel like we lost the plot here. We went from looking into the superficial mechanisms of social media influencing to abrupt cult horror??? There was literally NO build up this this, no mention of Eto beforehand, even the slightest hint of the Belladonnas being involved in this stuff. There was so much nonsense mentioned about auras and eating mice, <b>“my aura was warm, golden, euphoric, but hers was cold and blue”</b> WTFFF???

I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but it just came so out of left field, I feel like it killed the storyline because everything became so illogical after. Julie decides the Belladonnas are evil and must die. She drugs them and sets them on fire. Bella Marie reveals she killed Julie because?? And then she ends up in jail and the ending is just circling back to the start of the story in the most unsatisfying way.

<b>Conclusion</b>

As a debut, I commend their author for such a bold story. Julie Chan is not Dead is a fun romp, but be prepared for nothing to make sense in the end lol.

Well this story took a much different turn than where I thought it was going. The first half starts out by laying out who Julie and Chloe are and paving the way for how we get to the second half. There is so much that happens in the second half. It’s a completely different tone and energy than the first half. I can’t say much because it would give away spoilers and I don’t like to do that. I will say if you like crazy, disturbing and bizarre things then you will enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!!!

Thank you Atria for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book. It was well written and easy to read. There was a good level of suspense that kept me interested in reading. I look forward to seeing what else this author comes up with.

This book took me some time to get into - in the beginning I was caught off guard with more of a YA writing style that I wasn't expecting - but once we get past the setup and move into the second half of the novel I was much more intrigued. This story starts to feel a little campy too and employs a writing technique to pull you into a hallucinogenic experience that the main character is experiencing which I thought was great. The social commentary on influencers, privilege, and race felt a bit surface level to my tastes, but overall I had an enjoyable experience with this book for the story it was.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

Likely a good for you, not for me scenario here. I've had it up to my chin with hearing about wellness influencers and their toxic bullshit so that really hampered my enjoyment here. The story tends young, and 25 year old me surely would have liked this if social media was a thing when I was 25. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher for this advanced copy! I flew through this book. The pacing was excellent and no sections of the book felt like they dragged at all. Chronically online readers will appreciate the anonymized nods to real life social media scandals and characters. The relationship--or lack thereof--between Julie and Chloe was handled well, leaving Julie as a morally dubious protagonist and Chloe haunting the narrative. Readers will be sucked into this story as they try to navigate the Twilight Zone-esque lives of Chloe and the Belladonnas, while trying to not give away her own scheme.

Darkly funny and a sharp commentary, I would recommend this book to all of my mystery-thriller readers who appreciate a unique take on the "it's a secret cult trope."

The perfect light and cozy mystery! Loved reading about the sister dynamic and the influencer aspect was interesting as well.

Even though I feel that the target audience of this novel is more my daughter's generation - the 20 something Gen Zer w a better understanding of the social world and influencers in general - I was enthralled by this tale. My view of an influencer's job changed and can see it as a highly cut-throat profession that doesn't let you live a minute off the clock if you let it. Yeah the story got a bit silly with the whole Eto the God thing, but, in truth, I was smitten and highly recommend this book!

I enjoyed this book. It kept me on the edge my seat. Hope to read more books by her. I would definitely recommend it to people that want a easy/ comfortable read with a few parts that make you laugh out loud. I would give this 4⭐out of 5.

Really enjoyed this book up until the last third of the book. The island getaway was where I just lost interest in the book. I enjoyed the lighthearted beginning and the suspense of Julie getting caught. The ending just was too heavy for how lighthearted that most of the book was. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. I had so much fun reading this book. It was a combined thriller and horror along with some funny moments. I think it’s best to go in with as little information as possible. I didn’t know about some aspects of the book and it definitely surprised me. The story follows Julie Chan, a grocery store cashier, as she discovers the body of her estranged influencer twin Chloe VanHuusen. Julie’s decides to switch places with twin, but the life of an influencer is much more complicated than Julie thought. It definitely earned 4.5 stars.

QUICK GLANCE-
My format: Ebook ARC
Other formats:🎧Audio (10 hours) and 📖Physical (320 pages)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Language: 🤐 🤐 moderate
Publication date: April 29, 2025

MY THOUGHTS-
What in the world did I just read?! This book had me hooked from the first page, and I couldn’t tear myself away! It offers a captivating behind-the-scenes look at the influencer world, which was utterly fascinating. But then—wow—it spirals into madness, turning dark and intense in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. I’ll be honest, rating this one was a real challenge because it stirred up such conflicting emotions. One thing is certain: I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. If you’re drawn to stories featuring influencers, cults, twins, and murder, this book is absolutely worth picking up.

Yellowface, White Ivy, and Nine Perfect Strangers vibes

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 ⭐️
This book hooked me from the very beginning, and I couldn’t put it down (even when it started to get....weird).

Julie and her twin sister, Chloe, were separated as kids after their parents died in a car accident; Chloe was adopted by an affluent family while Julie was taken in by a perfunctory aunt. Chloe goes on to become a successful influencer, and Julie, for lack of a better term, is pretty much a dead beat. One day, Julie receives an unexpected phone call from Chloe, who ends up dead. What does Julie do? She assumes Chloe’s identity, of course. Thus taking us on a darkly satirical journey through Julie’s experience embracing her influencer status and how addicting external validation can be.

This was honestly very similar to “Yellowface” with emphasis on a different social topic. I enjoyed the commentary on influencer culture, and I thought Zhang really nailed it with the subtext of how influencers are viewed today. The storyline kept me interested, and I particularly enjoyed the first half. Once they set off on the retreat, the mystery/thriller genre ends up leaning thriller/horror which I was not expecting. Nonetheless, I found myself in one of those “can’t look away” situations because I still needed to know what happened- even if it did get a *touch* absurd towards the end.

Horror is not my preferred genre which I think ultimately took away from some of my enjoyment- however, if you’re looking for a thought-provoking, captivating thriller, I’d consider picking this one up.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Okay, this one got real weird. I enjoyed it, but I was not expecting the turn it took! Wow! I did like all the fun ridiculousness surrounding the influencer culture, and the ending was perfect. It matched the tone of the book perfectly. Overall, I enjoyed this one!

Twins Julie Chan and Chloe VanHuusen were separated at a young following the death of their parents. They had very different upbringings. Julie is a supermarket cashier while Chloe is a social media influencer. After a mysterious phone call from her estranged sister, Chloe, Julie travels to NY only to discover Chloe’s dead body. Julie decides to become Chloe and claims the dead body is Julie Chan. Julie was always envious of Chloe’s lifestyle as an influencer but soon realized it is not as glamorous as she thought it would be. The book takes a turn when Julie travels with a group of influencers known as the Belladonnas to the private island of Bella, queen bee of social influencers.
This book has it all: plot twist, cult behavior, jealousy and the power of social media. I very much enjoyed the first part of the book but was surprised by the turn it took at the end. In my opinion, Liann Zhang’s still of writing is engaging and she brings her characters to life.
3.75 rounded to 4 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the Advanced Reader Copy.

I love new to me POC writers who can deliver snarky, interesting stories that transcend subgenres. Julie Chan Is Dead clutches your interest from the first pages and Liann Zhang crafts such delicious prose and dialogue.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for the ARC. This was a really fun, fast paced, and thrilling read. I was constantly worried about whether Julie would be able to get away with what she was doing. I liked the first half more than the second half, the first half gave a really interesting look into the life of an influencer, but the second half, was interesting, but had the potential to do more. But overall, this is a really fun read.

3.5

This book is a wild ride ride, the story line was so unique and crazy, I loved every minute of it. The dislike and anger you feel at the characters as the book goes on is such an intense and interesting way to keep readers engaged! Can’t wait to recommend this book to my friends!

This is literally Yellowface meets Bunny, and I ate it up. 👏🏻

This is beyond unhinged. Julie is living a lousy life, working as a cashier at a supermarket and constantly being mistaken for her successful, famous influencer twin sister, Chloe. The two were separated as children when their parents died and were adopted into different families—Chloe by a wealthy couple who only wanted one child, and Julie by their nasty, low-life aunt. Julie got the rough end of the stick and missed Chloe desperately, but she never got the chance to rekindle their relationship as she had hoped.

One day, she gets a freaky call from Chloe, which is bizarre since they have no contact. When Julie goes to check on her, she finds Chloe dead in her apartment. And just like that, she finally sees her chance to get everything she ever deserved—by taking over Chloe’s identity.

This has all the cringe and discomfort of Yellowface, with its sharp critique of racism and the way society treats women of color versus white women (especially in influencer culture), blended with a heavy infusion of Bunny-style magic (iykyk), only with Belladonnas instead of Bunnies.

Dark, twisted, and completely bingeable, this book is sure to get mixed reviews—but it was a wild ride, and I am looking forward to seeing what this author writes!

Thank you NetGalley & Atria for this gifted ARC!