The premise of this sounded so interesting and the first little bit had me pretty hooked, but then it took a trip to crazy town and just wasn't the sort of weird that works for me. Sadly this is a "great premise, faulty execution" situation.

I'm sure it's the exact right kind of "weird fic" for some other horror/thriller girlies though.

What a wild ride this story was! With separated twins, identity fraud, cult-like groups, and a mysterious private island, this book pulls the reader into a dark, twisted journey. One of the things I appreciated most was how Zhang exposes the darker side of social media. How addicting it can be, how corrupt it has become, and how the pursuit of influencer fame can warp identity and reality.

I loved how the author weaves real life news elements into fiction, giving us a story that feels disturbingly possible. Zhang explores the price of fame in today’s world, where power is measured in followers and approval comes in likes and comments. Julie’s descent into this influencer culture is both fascinating and unsettling.

There are also some really interesting, subtle parallels between the fictional cult like group and real life conspiracy theories about celebrity elites and secret islands. Bella Marie’s island, for instance, eerily mirrors Epstein’s, and I found this comparison both bold and clever. While some readers found these elements far fetched, I think that’s exactly the point. It blurs the line between fiction and the hidden truths of our world.

If I had one critique, it’s that I wish the plot had focused more on Julie investigating Chloe’s disappearance from the start, leaning more into the mystery. The island section also felt a bit off track, almost like a separate storyline.

Still, this book is a captivating, fictional reflection of our society's obsession with fame, the dark allure of the rich and powerful, and the cost of chasing a life that isn’t your own. It leaves you wondering…. What would you do if you had the chance to take over the life of someone rich and famous?

*Thank you to Liann Zhang, Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Julie Chan Is Dead was one of those thrillers that I ate up from the very beginning. The overall discussion of how social media brainwashes people and what people will do to become internet famous was on point.

Julie is not a perfect character. She makes not so good decisions, like stealing her twin sister's identity and continuing on her sister's social media fame. She soon finds herself in the whirlwind of social media fame and fake friends. Seeing Julie go through the gigs of thinking social media influencers have it easy to thinking she deserved her sister's fame because of how hard Julie works to keep everything going was so interesting. It felt real because so many people lost their authenticity when money is involved, and how so many people who are authentic who have money aren't trusted because of their richness.

Zhang's writing about social injustices, racism, fame, money, and social commentary in this book was done so well. I think people could get a lot out of this book while still having a good time reading. There's a lot of satire, plus the right amount of outrageousness you hear about rich people do to keep their fame alive.

Great debut. Zhang is an incredibly talented writer and it shows in this dark comedic thriller. The first half was perfectly crafted, whip-smart.. one twin dies and the other assumes the identity of her famous social influencer sister. And with it are friends, sponsors, money, and a social life she never had before.
The last 1/4 of the book did get confusing, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it - definitely felt chaotic, perverse, dark and twisted, and it’s meant to come across that way. In this purely fictional story, the author uses hilarity in exposing the dark side of a social influencers world. The absurdity of it all. And to the extreme. Although that last half didn’t work for me, I feel it would have been interpreted much clearer by a younger audience. Am looking forward to what she writes next. 3 stars — Pub. 4/29/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to read this book because it felt like it could be like another Yellowface, which I highly enjoyed. The writing was engaging and sharp and I appreciated the commentary on influencer lifestyle, wealth and the idea of the twins being separated and having such different lives highly intrigued me.

Unfortunately, I read a spoiler (and I'm glad I did) and as soon as I did I knew I wouldn't be able to continue the book.

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

Thank you to Atria & NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Is Julie likeable? Not really. But this is in the vein of Yellowface meets Bunny and it is a WICKEDLY fun ride. Pick this up, you'll love it.

Bunny by Mona Awad meets Yellowface by RF Kuang. I truly couldn’t put this book down. I loved the pacing and the writing style Liann Zhang utilized, it kept me on my toes and wanting more at the end of each chapter. The cult like group, “The Belladonnas” were eerie and unsettling while also being a great reflection of all the negative aspects of social media influencing. The social commentary on social media and the harm that comes from monetizing your life is displayed in such an entertaining and fun way to read. The book leaves you thinking about all of the secrets and lies that might be lurking on our For You Pages! So good!

I was hooked from the start. I love a book that has two clear halves where one little turn makes you think, wait a minute is this the same book?! Is Julie lovable? Honestly no, but her story is a good one worth reading.

t’s so interesting how there are so many documentaries and thriller books about influencers now 😅 and if you’re like me who watches almost every influencer documentary out there, you would definitely want to add this one to the list!!

Comes out next Tuesday!!

Okay. Here’s the plot.
Julie and Chloe are twins. They got separated after their parent’s deaths. Chloe ended up getting adopted by a very wealthy couple, she then becomes a very successful influencer. Julie and Chloe are estranged until one night Julie receives a weird phone call from her twin. Julie decides to go to Chloe’s apartment - where she then finds her twin dead. On a whim, she decides to make her life better by telling the police that Chloe was Julie. So now Julie is “dead” with the real Julie ending up pretending to be her influencer twin sister.

I know!! Some freaky Friday stuff 😂

This really was a very interesting read. You’d fly through the whole half of the book. The audiobook narrator was also amazing and she did such a good job making all the characters come alive!!

Then you get to the girls’ trip part and things definitely got wilder.😂 I knew it was going to have some cultish vibes but it was definitely interesting to see how it got there 😅

Overall, this was a fun one. Definitely a thriller about the influencer lifestyle! If you’d be reading this, please DM me. I’d love to talk about this book with you 😂

Thank you @atriabooks for the free book and thank you @simon.audio for the free audiobook!!!

💭 Have you guys watched the Bad Influence documentary on Netflix about kidfluencing?
☕️ We just binged it the other night and I can’t believe the main featured account is still active!

Liann Zhang’s debut thriller takes us behind the scenes of an influencer and had me on the edge of my seat! Even though the idea of Julie taking over her dead sister’s life had me wanting to turn away at times, I just couldn’t do it. The whole time I was reading about the influencers’ weeklong retreat I couldn’t put my finger on what story this reminded me of. Then it dawned on me, Nine Perfect Strangers vibes all the way! I’m still a little weirded out over how unhinged this story was but I also really enjoyed it. If you’re looking for something different to shake things up, then this could be your next read!

Thank you to Atria & NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

This book is bananas in the best ways possible. I'm seeing people compare it to Yellowface, but somewhere around halfway through the book, it takes on a real Bunny vibe. I loved it.

The delightful and disconcerting strangeness of Julie's experiences as Chloe is precisely what's needed in a story focused on influencer culture--not just the influencers, but those consuming their content. Julie Chan ends up on both sides of that divide, first as consumer of content her sister and her influencer friends put out, and later as a content generator. Because we witness her on both sides of that divide, we're able to see what each party gets out of the exchange. Money for the influencers, yes, but also an addictive sense of validation. And then there's the complicating element of race: Chloe was raised by white parents and is largely surrounded by white friends, and her invitation into certain circles seems predicated on her race and her ability to minimize her racial identity. There's a fantastic scene about 2/3 of the way into the book in which a mid-level influencer is giving real talk about influencer culture that brings all these themes together. And by the end of the book, you might be reevaluating your relationship with those you follow on social media and questioning what they have to do to remain ascendant.

And what happens on Julie ("Chloe") and the influencers' island vacation may seem like a departure from the first half of the novel--after all, there's not a screen in sight--but it actually parallels much of what happens through Insta, TikTok, YouTube, etc. It prompts you to consider who has influence, who is shaped by that influence, and how that power is leveraged to create a sort of servitude to ones with influence.

This is such a strong debut. It's strange and fun and horrifying and incisive. Definitely check it out!

Thank you NetGalley, Liann Zhang, and Atria for this book. This was such a dark and hilarious book, and I loved every minute of it.

Right from the dedication I knew that would love this book. This thriller is dark and twisty and absolutely unputdownable. Julie Chan is an absolute hilarious and relatable character. Her witty inner monologue had me laughing the whole time. She is also so relatable. How many of us have felt like our lives were going nowhere and wished to trade places with someone who has more than us? Julie’s journey into the world of a New York socialite and the whole influencer culture was so interesting. While Liann took a comedic approach to shining a light the impact social media has on our culture, I thought her take on it was very insightful. It shows the fickleness of fans, the struggle to stay relevant, and need to constantly be generating new and relevant content.

The book is faced paced and honestly the story had me on the edge of my seat. The second half is absolutely wild and my jaw was on the floor for like the last 50 pages. Liann Zhang wrote a fantastic debut novel that tackles issues of race, culture, jealousy, acceptance, backstabbing, the list goes on, and she does it all with a comedic flair. This was such a fantastic book and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to read and review it. Thank you again NetGalley & the publishers for the opportunity.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster | Atria Books for gifting me a digital and physical ARC of this debut novel by Liana Zhang. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Julie and her twin sister, Chloe, were separated when they were very young after their parents’ deaths. Chloe went to a stable couple while Julie was raised by a resentful aunt. Now, Julie works at a grocery store and barely gets by while Chloe is a powerful influencer. Even though they are estranged, when Julie gets a strange voicemail from Chloe, she drops everything to go to NYC to see if Chloe is okay. Instead, she finds Chloe dead. From there, it’s a slippery slope to just becoming Chloe. She’s soon in with Chloe’s friend group, led by the infamous Bella and whisked off to her private island, where things get really crazy.

Wow – what a wild debut so better buckle up for this one! I loved the premise, with identical twins changing places. Interesting how good someone else’s world can look from the outside. This book incorporates a satirical look at the evils of social media with a nod to cults and horror, all with the dark humor I love. I’m still thinking about one scene that will cause me nightmares forever! But it was addictive, and I couldn’t put this one down. Fabulous debut!

When Julie Chan was 4 years old, her parents died in a car accident. A rich white family adopted her twin sister, but Julie ended up with her mean aunt and cousin. Julie is an adult when she gets a mysterious call from her sister, who is now a famous influencer. What follows is Julie taking on her sister's life and a weird look into the lives of a group of influencers. This wasn't the book for me, but older teens and women in their 20s who are dazzled by influencers might like it.

Julie Chan is Dead is just the wild thriller / dark comedy / satire that will be perfect for summer. Sitting by the beach or pool this will keep you enthralled the entire time, and you won't see what's coming. Julie Chan is struggling. She works a dead end job as a grocery store cashier and over all is pretty miserable. When under strange circumstances she ends up finding the dead body of her long estranged identical twin sister Chloe (who is now a full fledged internet influencer) she has no reason not to step into her glamorous life. Julie quickly finds out that Chloe's life wasn't as perfect as it seemed from the outside. When she steps into the inner circle of influencer friends, things really begin to get strange and Julie begins to question everything she thought she knew about Chloe. Slightly unhinged and over-the-top, especially in the later half, Julie Chan is Dead will still be an immersive reading experience for most.

3.5 ⭐️, rounding up

Julie and Chloe are twins separated at the age of 4. Chloe, adopted into a wealthy, white family, ends up becoming a successful influencer, while Julie, taken in by her abusive and resentful aunt, scrapes by as a supermarket cashier. Julie holds a major grudge with her sister and her own life circumstances, before finding her twin’s dead body and taking over Chloe’s identity.

The first half of the book seemed very similar to Yellowface: young, beautiful, successful, maybe not-as-perfect-as-she-seems, Asian American woman dies unexpectedly, a jealous counterpart takes over her identity, and the suspense of keeping up the lie ensues. But around the halfway point, this one gets a little unhinged lol

This book was easy to read and entertaining. It was campy and over the top, especially towards the end. Murder, cult behavior, drugs, some animal cruelty (not terribly graphic, but still…TW!), this book kind of goes all over the place. There were very few likable characters and at about 70% I could not put it down! If read through a camp lens and not taken too seriously, I think this was a pretty good debut novel.

Thanks #Netgalley for the ARC!

I loved how the book got more intense as Julie delved more into becoming Chloe, especially a she learned more about Chloe and the danger that surrounds her.

You know that moment in a book when you think you know where it’s going—and then it just swerves off a cliff? Julie Chan Is Dead is that kind of ride.

Liann Zhang’s debut thriller kicks off with a sharp, compelling setup: Julie Chan is scraping by as a supermarket cashier, completely overshadowed by her identical twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen—a glamorous influencer living the life of curated perfection. After Chloe’s sudden (and suspicious) death, Julie, fueled by envy, grief, and a gnawing desire to finally belong, slips into her sister’s glittering shoes... and finds out they come with landmines.

The first half of the novel reminds me a bit of Yellowface—that same unease about identity, acceptance, and the lengths people will go to for validation. It explores jealousy, backstabbing, secrets, and the brutal social currency of popularity with laser precision. But then halfway through, the story detonates into something much wilder. The twists stretch the edges of believability, but I was too busy turning pages to care. It's the kind of fast, head-spinning drama that makes you gasp out loud.

Julie’s journey is both messy and heartbreaking. There’s a real ache underneath the glamour—the desperate need to be seen, to matter, even if it means stepping into someone else’s skin. The influencer world is painted as equal parts intoxicating and terrifying, with its beautiful rot just barely hidden beneath the surface.

It’s not a perfect book—some late-stage revelations veer into "wait, seriously?" territory—but it's so entertaining that I genuinely didn’t mind. Zhang keeps the tension ratcheted high, and her writing has a sly, confident energy that makes even the most outrageous moments somehow work.

Fast, fun, and just weird enough to stick in your brain after you close the cover. It’s an enjoyable read. Recommended.

Thanks to Atria Books for providing me with an advance copy for review.

"But if I'm going to murder, I might as well murder right."

Since twins Julie and Chloe were separated at age 4, Julie's life has been hard and Chloe's life has been luxurious. At least, that's how it looks to Julie. So if her wealthy, successful, influencer twin is dead anyway, why let that luxury go to waste, right? Taking over Chloe's life is a no brainer. But what if Chloe's life isn't what it seemed? What if Chloe's death wasn't either?

Tropes and story components:
-Not as it seems!
-isolated locale
-toxic friendships
-cults

content warnings:
-This is a thriller. As such, there is murder, violence, death, etc.
-Miscarriage (graphic, on page)
-Idk how else to describe That Scene, but it needs a CW. Animal cruelty?

When I tell you this book was a WIIIIIILD ride....
I've never read a book like this. It was a smidgen unhinged, but damn if it wasn't a gripping story.

What I liked:
The writing is on the simpler side, so easy to read and understand and doesn't require tons of brain power. Still, though, the writing changes emphasis and approach so smoothly in a way that keeps you RIGHT with the main character. When she is drunk, the things noted on page were noted as a drunk person would notice them, etc. It was honestly a little disorienting, but in a good, compelling way.
Otherwise the story was a super unique experience overall, and I didn't know what would happen when-- full of surprises.

What I didn't like:
The sudden shift the book takes towards the end might trip some readers up-- it was somethin' else.
Otherwise, the main character was wildly unlikeable, but I don't mind that so much in a thriller.
THAT scene (If you REALLY want to know, then I'm sure other reviewers will have described it) was honestly upsetting. Made me gag.


Thank you to netgalley for an arc copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

4.5⭐️ This book was wiiiiiiiild and I ate it up.

From the very first line, I was drawn into this story. Julie is kind of a sad character, and though her actions are pretty out there, I felt bad for her and was also kinda rooting for her (which seemed crazier to think the more I read, but so be it). As far-fetched as the plot was, it also felt believable in its own way, and I could almost see Julie’s reasoning behind her actions.

This book takes the “influencer” idea and turns it on its head (think horror & thriller-esque), and I absolutely loved it. There is a very slow but persistent creeping sense of unease, and the more Julie got enmeshed in this new world and her group of friends, the higher the stakes felt.

There were a couple mysterious threads throughout the book, and they kept me guessing what was really going on, and made it hard to trust anyone. The last 1/3 of the book felt particularly unhinged, which I was 100% here for.

You know a book is good when you think about it while you aren’t reading, and this book did that to me.