Okay, this is a hard one to review because it felt like two totally different stories wrapped up into one book.

For the first half, we follow Julie Chan - a damaged, struggling young woman who just so happens to land in a situation that allows her to take over the life of her famous influencer twin sister. Wild enough, but somehow author Liann Zhang makes it feel somewhat believable. And following Julie as she attempts to pass herself off as Chloe VanHuusen in the glitzy world of influencing was super entertaining, as well as a bit anxiety inducing - at any point, Julie can be found out!

About halfway through, the book takes a truly bizarre turn and starts leaning into some cult/supernatural/horror aspects that felt maybe a little out of place…but still really entertaining? It kind of felt like the taking-over-the-life-of-dead-influencing-twin was the Trojan horse to get to the actual story of influencers being…extremely deranged!

So my dilemma is I don’t know exactly how I felt about this. The two storylines feel so vastly different that it was jarring. The ending required so much suppressing of disbelief.

And yet, I had a blast reading this from start to finish? So I hope it finds its people because I think people are either going to love it or hate it, with few in-between.

I recommend this to people who like weird examinations of current culture, and are open to having a bit of an outlandish storyline.

For fans of Yellowface by R F Kuang and Bunny by Mona Awad.

I could not put down Julie Chan is Dead and I need more.

Following the death of their parents, twins, Julie and Chloe are separated for many years (with opposite lifestyles) and their reunion after many years (a meetup filmed for Chloe's Youtube #itwasafail) continues to keep the two at a distance. Julie receives a call from Chloe one night and finds Chloe dead and thinks.. Hmmm... my only option is to takeover the identity of my influencer twin.

Similar to Yellowface, Julie Chan is Dead provided insights on social commentary such a extreme wealth, race and dealing with loss. I think the marketing for this book should have leaned a bit more into the sinister / cult vibes as that was the area of the book that kept me the most engaged.

Thank you Simon & Schuster CA and Atria for the ARC!

3.5⭐️

This was definitely an interesting read. It kept my attention, and the chapters were short which is always a plus. The only thing I didnt like is how the characters kept repeating what another said quite frequently but I guess thats how their portrayed.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Julie Chan is Dead is a deeply emotional novel that explores identity, grief, and relationships through the mysterious death of Julie Chan.

While the book’s fragmented narrative and slow pacing might challenge some readers, its exploration of cultural identity and the psychological effects of loss adds depth. The novel’s ambiguity, especially around Julie’s death, may leave some unsatisfied but will captivate readers who enjoy character-driven stories.

I think I’m gonna love anything Liann Zhang writes from now on. Her debut was so much fun and kept me wanting to know more. There’s a lot happening in this book, but you never feel overwhelmed and it doesn’t let up as the book goes on. This book is definitely going to be a great summer book. I had a lot of fun reading this book over a weekend. Thank you NetGalley, Liann Zhang and Atria Books for this fun digital arc.

A huge thank you to Atria Books, NetGalley, and Goodreads for early access to Liann Zhang’s “Julie Chan is Dead”! WOW! This book was a thrill ride the whole way through. So visceral, you can feel, see, and almost smell everything. If you need a reminder that you never really know what is going on in people’s lives when the camera stops, this is the one for you. I felt wildly anxious while reading it, wondering what kind of wild would happen next chapter… hell, next page. Chilling imagery matched with viscous decisions, this book marks early that fame comes with a price. And through the entire read you are thinking, “how much is Julie willing to pay?”

Title: Julie Chan is Dead
Author: Liann Zhang (Debut Author)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Atria
Pub Date: April 29, 2025
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages: 336

Julie Chan is a supermarket cashier, her twin sister of a famous influencer Chloe VanHuusen. They were separated when they were four as their parents were killed in a car accident. The state took them and Chloe was adopted by the VanHuusen family but they only wanted one child. Julie went sent to an aunt who was a penny-pincher foul-mouthed woman (As I read on I found out that Julie took on also being foul-mouthed.)
As Chloe was gaining popularity she decided to put out a search for her twin. When Julie realized Chloe was her twin she didn’t want anything to do with her. However, since she was broke decided she would travel to NYC to meet her identical twin. Only finds her dead. Julia sees the opportunity to step into Chloe's life of fame and privilege.

Julie’ does transition into Chloe’s lifestyle. Although close friends notice a change in the person they believe is Chloe.
Things take a turn for Julie when she attends an exclusive social media retreat which has a cult-like and satanic theme.
Hmm I had been looking forward to this story but have to admit I was a bit disappointed
The ended wasn’t what I expected.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria for this this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 29, 2025.

I loved Yellowface and was hoping this one would give me the same feels. Alas, it wasn't what I was expecting. Not necessarily in a good way. The first half and second half of this book were DRASTICALLY different. Almost felt like two completely different books that could have stood alone. I liked it, but didn't really do it for me. With this being a debut from this author, I will give them another try in the future, but this just wasn't really it for me. Writing was wonderful, but that's about it. The story just didn't flow as well as it could have despite the very interesting plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Well that took a turn. Honestly not the biggest fan of the ending, but an interesting concept. I would generally recommend this read, it was not an intense thriller, mystery, or horror.

I’m surprised this book isn’t broken up into parts as I think it would benefit from that. The first 40% or so are really fresh and interesting and I could feel myself becoming invested in the story. Unfortunately, the island portion really takes a nosedive for me. It’s overdone, too long, and the writing suffers tremendously from the groupthink/cult behaviors. Making that section shorter and expanding the ending, which felt too rushed, would’ve been much more compelling a narrative.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Chan is dead, but is she really?
Turns out she is not, but her twin sister is and Julie has now easily assumed Chloe's identity as Influencer extraordinaire. Chloe has/had everything Julie could ever imagine; fame, thousands of followers, and money. However, Julie never dreamed life as an influencer could be so exhausting, hard-working, and possibly deadly. With a whole new life and apart of an elite influencer squad called the Belladonnas, will Julie easily be the twin she always wish she knew or will the pressure of influencing thousands, poison everything she's ever wanted.
I don't really think this book was meant for me, and honestly I was hoping I'd enjoy it more than I did. The concept of the vapid, out of touch content creator was realistic, and seemingly very close to what we've come across on social media. But after some interesting ideas and numbers shown for how things run behind each post, it just seemed to become too outlandish and unbelievable.
I never really got into the whole influencer and content creator thing that spanned all of social media. I just recently started a Bookstagram and if it starts becoming analytical like these characters spoke about, then it’s not fun nor for me anymore. I do agree that people of color are and have been underrepresented in social media, and the way in which Liann Zhang writes about it is an interesting approach.
Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this opportunity to read Julie Chan is Dead and give my honest review.

Julie Chan is Dead
By: Liann Zhang
Atria Books
Pub Date: 04/29/25

What the heck was this book even about?

I strive to read books from burgeoning Asian-American authors so I had to pick this up once I saw the premise: Julie Chan is separated from her twin sister Chloe after their parents die in a car crash. Chloe moves in with a very rich family and becomes a social media influencer (I should have known better as I have nothing in common with these virtual people).
Julie receives a mysterious phone call from Chloe but ends up finding her dead in her apartment. From here Chloe takes over as Julie, living the life of a successful well to do influencer.
Chloe ends up getting way more than she bargained for, with the natural twists and turns of what it takes to be an influencer (apparently a lot, but mentally, meh), and a whodunnit of the general mystery/thriller tropes.

I'm giving this 3.75 stars!

Julie Chan takes the place of her late influencer twin sister after she finds her dead in her sister’s apartment. They were separated when they were young when their parents died. Chile was adopted by the Van Huusen while Julie was adopted by their Aunt. Julie struggles with the knowledge she doesn’t know about her sister’s life as a belladonna.

The concept for this book was really intriguing! About 70% of the way though it was hard to tell if it was another one of Julie’s nightmares or her current reality. It gave that something was off feeling which was later affirmed by Isla.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a fun one after coming off a slump. Writing was well done and the plot was definitely fitting for the times.

2.5/5

Julie Chan is Dead offers an intriguing exploration of influencer culture, highlighting the stark contrasts between Julie’s modest upbringing and Chloe’s opulent lifestyle. The initial chapters effectively portray Julie’s fascination and trepidation as she navigates this new identity, shedding light on the superficiality and pressures inherent in the digital age.

However, as the narrative progresses, it takes several abrupt turns that disrupt the story’s cohesion. The introduction of a sinister family cult subplot, coupled with themes of abuse and blackmail, feels disconnected from the initial storyline. This shift not only dilutes the central theme but also leaves several plot points underdeveloped, resulting in a disjointed reading experience.

Moreover, the transition to an island setting later in the book feels rushed and lacks sufficient buildup, further contributing to the fragmented narrative. While each subplot holds potential, their convergence appears forced, diminishing the overall impact of the story.

Despite these shortcomings, Zhang’s writing style is engaging, and her commentary on the darker aspects of social media is both relevant and thought-provoking. With more focused plotting and character development, future works could fully realize the potential glimpsed in this debut.

Thank you Atria Books for the ARC.

This book is way different than I was expecting - it takes you on a wild ride.

Julie Chan was separated from her twin sister after their parents died in a car crash. Julie feels slighted when her sister Chloe gets adopted by a rich white family and becomes a very popular social influencer. Julie gets a mysterious phone call from her twin that leads her to discovering Chloe dead in her apartment.

On a whim she lies and says she is Chloe - taking her place and “killing” her previous life as Julie. She then is thrust into the wild world of being an influencer.

Getting a background look into influencers was entertaining. You felt both jealousy and disdain towards their lifestyle. Seemingly feeling like they get so much for doing so little, when they also have to always be On to continuously make content.

THEN this book takes a wild culty turn. It was more twisted than I was expecting. It was quick paced and found myself wanting to keep reading to see how it would all pan out. While pretty unrealistic, if it did happen - it would make a damn good true crime doc, and that makes it a thrilling read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Read this very quickly! Usually mistaken identity books give me second hand anxiety to read but this was well executed and I really enjoyed the overall influencer critique

I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for my honest review. This book was entertaining and fast paced. I like the new trope of influencers being messy in the creepiest possible way. I just could not connect with the main character. She read as very immature to me. Overall, I would recommend if you like a quick “popcorn” style thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for review!

I really enjoyed this book. It's the perfect amount of weird without being overly weird. This book was super easy to read (which is always a plus!) & I would definitely recommend this for fans of "Bunny".

Absolutely floored that this is a debut!
Definitely thought this was a murder mystery solving type of book then it developed into a weird girl cult book like Mona Awads Bunny(which is a top fave of mine).

So obsessed with this and can wait to see what’s next for this author.

Thanks to Atria for the eARC so I can provide my honest opinion