4.5 stars..this book had my attention from the very beginning. It was hilarious in my opinion and the belladonnas were something else lol. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

Julie Chan in Dead by Liann Zhang

Julie Chan is an average nobody who works at a convenience store but she also happens to have a famous influencer twin sister named Chloe VanHuusen. One day out of the blue Julie gets a call from Chloe and her whole life changes when she finds that Chloe has died. It is only natural for Julie to become Chloe and continue her empire, right? Like does Julie know just how deep into the influencer she would get and how many dark secrets she would uncover.

This book is witty and a fun thrill ride as the reader follows Julie take on the world of influencers. There are a lot of twists and turns too much to detail without major spoilers. Julie is a sarcastic narrator who looking at this new life with a critical eye but also fully embraces the benefits.

I highly recommend this one for those who like a novel with twists and turns but also isn’t as heavy as a read. It deep dives into the world of everything social media in an entertaining more modern horror story type of way.

After their parents died when they were just toddlers, twins Julie and Chloe were separated - one adopted by a wealthy white family, the other taken in by a resentful aunt. Chloe grew up surrounded by privilege and wealth, eventually becoming a powerful social media influencer while Julie watches from afar, working in a supermarket and becoming more and more resentful, especially after her twin popped up out of nowhere to gift her a house all for social media likes. When Chloe unexpectedly reaches out, seemingly in distress, Julie tracks her down, only to find that her twin is dead. But when she is mistaken for her twin, Julie decides to take over Chloe's life, assuming her identity and online career. Soon she is making new content, getting new sponsors, and capitalizing on what everyone thinks is her #grief. However, the deeper she gets, the more Julie starts to wonder just what her sister had gotten into before her death... and whether that death was really what it seemed to be.

Julie - and Chloe - are pretty unlikeable characters. The Belladonnas, a group of high-level influencers that Chloe was friends with before her death, are an equally unlikeable and shallow-seeming bunch of women Julie has to convince of her identity, lest all her lies come to light. However, things take a strange turn once Julie joins the rest of the Belladonnas in their annual June mystery trip to an island owned by the family of Belladonna leader, Bella Marie. Liann Zhang takes aim at the curated lives of social media influencers and highlights the ways in which social media can consume our lives and attention through parasocial relationships with creators who may not be what - or who - they claim to be. The ramping up of the weird once the group is on Bella Marie's island pushes the narrative into a new direction and amplifies the tension into a satirical thriller. While it took awhile for me to get into the story because of Julie's unlikeability, this one pays off in the long run.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Julie Chan is Dead early in exchange for a review.

The majority of Julie Chan Is Dead felt like it was building toward something really promising, but at a certain point, the story veered off the rails and became a bit unhinged. It’s possible this might have landed better for me if I hadn’t read a book with very similar vibes just a few weeks ago — by the time the chaos kicked in, I was already a little over it. I did enjoy the morally gray main character, who kept things interesting even when the plot started to lose me. That said, after reading several books lately that center around influencer culture, I’m realizing it’s just not a trope I connect with, which definitely affected my overall enjoyment.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, this was an interesting one. The first part of this book was so funny and captivating as you follow Julie who takes over her twin sister's identity and get immersed in the social media influencing lifestyle. Can she pull it off pretending to be her twin? Will her influencer "friends" catch on that she's a fraud? You want to keep reading to find answers to those questions and then this funny story turns into something more deep and very dark. I am still trying to figure out if the second part of this story had some kind of hidden meaning. I am going to be thinking about this one for a while.

I can totally see this become a popular summer read.

Thank you Atria Books and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story had an interesting premise featuring twins - one a successful influencer (Chloe), one a supermarket clerk, who barely performs her simple job (Julie).
When Julie discovers the death of her sister, she does what every normal person would do . . . she assumes the life of her dead sister. Uhhhh . . . . yeah.

So, is life better on the other side? On the surface, sure. Money is no longer an issue. She has an assistant who makes sure she always looks perfect. And who can forget all the free stuff influencers get.
For a while, Julie gets wrapped up in the madness of it all - suddenly people "care" about her and what she has to say. But how much of it is real?

Tnen there is Bella Marie and her posse of top list influencers. When Julie is invited to join a select few on a retreat, she is overjoyed. However, things really go sideways once they arrive. This is where the story becomes pure fiction, as Bella Marie takes on cult like behavior, to the extreme. This FINALLY seems to wake up Julie and reminds her that at one time, she was worried about Chloe. Looks like there was a good reason for that.

While I didn't care for any of the characters in this story, I don't think the author intended me to. There is some enjoyment in watching the mighty fall. And boy, do they fall big time.

Does Julie ever redeem herself? Maybe, but I'm not sure the experience made her a better person. Just better than some of the others in that influencer space.

I’d like to thank Atria Books and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

Julie Chan is Dead is a twisty, dark debut about two twins separated at a young age, living vastly different lives, and what happens when their worlds collide. This is such a unique book - I can’t think of a single other thriller quite like it!

I loved how this book unfolded - and even though the last few chapters threw me for a loop with their unexpected twists, I cannot deny the entertainment factor of this story. It also dives into the darker side of social media and influencing, which I found so refreshing just based on how our world is so obsessed with influencer culture.

This book also discusses privilege and there are many times in the book where discussions on race/white privilege are a catalyst for motives of characters and the actions they take. I think these conversations are extremely important and the way the book discusses race is very well done. I wasn’t expecting some of these conversations and the way they unfold in the story is important for both the characters and the plot but also for the audience to read as well.

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for an eARC ❤️

Julie Chan is invisible—a ghost in her own life. A supermarket cashier drowning in unpaid bills and the quiet despair of existing paycheck to paycheck, she’s trapped under the thumb of a corporation that would rather accuse her of theft than pay her a living wage. 😔
Meanwhile, her identical twin, Chloe, is everywhere—flashing across billboards, glowing on phone screens, a golden girl draped in designer clothes and adoration.
They haven’t seen each other since they were four, when a car crash orphaned them and split their lives in two. 💔
Julie was left with a bitter aunt who saw her as a burden; Chloe was adopted by wealthy socialites who turned her into a brand. Now, Chloe is dead—found face-down in a penthouse bathtub, wrists slit, a half-empty champagne bottle floating beside her. The internet mourns. The world moves on.
But Julie? Julie sees an opportunity. 🫣
With a press of Chloe’s thumb (still warm when she lifted the phone from her corpse), the Face ID unlocks. Suddenly, Julie has access to everything—bank accounts, DMs, a calendar full of parties and sponsorships. All she has to do is become the sister she never knew.
At first, it’s terrifying. Then… intoxicating.
She studies Chloe’s old videos, mimicking her laugh, her mannerisms, the way she tilts her head when she lies. She replies to messages with carefully crafted vagueness. She accepts invites to exclusive events, wearing Chloe’s clothes, Chloe’s face, Chloe’s life.
But the deeper she sinks into the illusion, the more she realizes: Chloe’s world was a gilded cage.
Her followers don’t love her—they consume her.
Her friends don’t know her—they know the persona.
And her death? Maybe it wasn’t a suicide after all.
As Julie digs, she uncovers the rot beneath the glamour—the handlers who controlled Chloe’s every move, the sponsors who traded her like a stock, the fans who turned obsession into something far darker.
Now, they’re watching her, too
And if she’s not careful, she’ll end up just like her sister—another beautiful corpse, another trending hashtag, another life reduced to content 💔

Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.

Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.

Transforming into Chloe is easier than expected. Julie effortlessly adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life, complete with designer clothes, a meticulous skincare routine, and millions of adoring followers. However, Julie soon realizes that Chloe’s seemingly picture-perfect life was anything but.

Haunted by Chloe’s untimely death and struggling to fit into the privileged influencer circle, Julie faces mounting challenges during a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s exclusive group of influencer friends. As events spiral out of control, Julie uncovers the sinister forces that may have led to her sister’s demise and realizes she might be the next target.
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I really enjoyed this debut novel from Liann Zhang, but I am having trouble putting into words the reasons I did. It's described as a thriller, but it's not one of those twisty, turny psychological thrillers that you want to race to get to the end of. This book is quite a ride, however, and the plot includes some timely commentary about the electronic world we are living in and the focus we all place on our status in it. It was darkly funny, bent reality almost to the breaking point, and made me uncomfortable in a good way. It was a great way to spend a rainy Saturday off.

Julie Chan is dead is one of the hyped thriller debuts of the spring with echoes of Yellowface. Julie Chan is living a mediocre life-she works a dead end job at a food store, has is orphaned and has a strained relationship with her aunt who raised her. Julie has a twin-Chloe, who was raised separately from her when their parents died and is now a famous influencer. The twins don’t speak but Julie gets a cryptic call from Chloe one night with a garbled message that says I’m sorry and it was a mistake. Unsure of what it means and unable to reach her, Julie travels to New York to find Chloe dead and accidentally assumes her glamorous life, killing off Julie. Julie finds that life is a Chloe is not what it appears online and that there is a much darker and more dangerous side to influencing than what she sees on the screen.

A fun, twisted, fast-paced romp through the world of influencing and identity. I enjoyed this read and liked the tone-twisted with humor throughout, While makes less than desirable choices, she is a sympathetic character and one the reader can’t help but want to win. The plot spirals into unexpected territory that will keep the pages turning.
A perfect read for the upcoming beach and pool reading season!

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with no friends, is floundering in life. Her identical twin sister Chloe Van Huusen, on the other hand, is a famous influencer, thriving in every aspect of it. When the twins lost their parents as young children to a car accident, they were divided during the adoption process- Chloe to the wealthy white Van Huusen family and Julie to her Chinese Aunt. While Chloe grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth, Julie was forced to succumb to the every whim of her Aunt, cooking and cleaning their house as a trade for having a roof over her head.

Julie and Chloe eventually connect as adults, but their connection isn’t what Julie expected when she realizes her sister is just using her as bait to gain more followers. When Julie unexpectedly receives a call out of the blue from Chloe, she rushes to her side in NYC, only to find her dead in her apartment under mysterious circumstances. With her conflicting emotions roiling, Julie decides to view her sister’s death as the opportunity to leave her life behind and seize the moment, stepping into Chloe’s glamorous world. As she quickly falls deep into the influencer universe, the picture perfect online life that Chloe was leading is not what it seems and, ultimately, may lead to Julie’s actual demise.

💎I thought this was a unique, fast paced debut that kept me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. The author did a great job of making you really feel all the emotions that Julie struggled with.

💎I was all in on the first 60% of this book. The next 30% jumped the shark for me a bit and almost lost me but then it came back around for a solid finish.

💎This book gave me Yellowface vibes with a dash of Nine Perfect Strangers (both of which I really enjoyed!) I’ve also seen a lot of comparisons to Bunny (which I haven’t read yet).

Sensitive readers should check trigger warnings before reading this book.

After their parents died, Julie's twin sister Chloe was adopted by a wealthy white family. Julie went to live with her aunt, who never let Julie forget she was an unwanted burden. Years later, Chloe has exploded on the scene as lifestyle influencer. Julie is a grocery store clerk estranged from her prominent sister.

But then Julie gets an unexpected call from Chloe. And she doesn't sound great. Julie travels to Chloe's apartment in NYC, only to find that Chloe has apparently overdosed. When the police mistake Julie for Chloe she... decides to go with it. Why let Chloe's influencer empire go to waste?

But as Julie settles into her new identity, she discovers that Chloe has gone to extreme lengths to build her brand, and Julie has to decide whether she'll do the same.

At the outset, it felt like this book has a lot in common with Yellowface -- but here both main characters are Chinese-American, so there's not the tinge of racial appropriation. But both are dark satires about assuming someone's identity and fame, and while both take bizarre turns, Julie Chan's veers so hard that it goes completely off the rails.

The first half of the book proceeded as expected, with Julie working to cover her tracks and following some clues about the darker aspects of Chloe's life. But then Julie goes on a remote getaway with the cult-like Belladonna influencers and the tone and pacing shift dramatically. The change to the narrative voice is meant to reflect the influence that the group is having on Julie, but it didn't work for me. The uneven pacing of the final third of the book was also too jarring for me to enjoy.

For a debut novel, this is a great and promising start. Zhang created compelling characters amidst her dark humor, but the off-putting tone and pace of this book is holding me back from loving it.

I would watch the mini series on Netflix. This kept my attention from the first to last page. Some of it was silly but overall great read. My only complaint is the end, I would have loved to know how it all ended up with the courts and Julie’s Aunt and her and Viktor. I think that would’ve been a better ending, a little more info. I would read more from Liann. Thanks for the early copy!

Julie is a supermarket cashier who looks at her estranged twin, Chloe's, fabulous life with envy. After their parents died when the twins were young, Chloe got adopted by a wealthy family and Julie was raised by her cruel aunt. One day Julie receives an unexpected and mysterious phone call from Chloe, now a famous influencer, and runs to NY to see if she is ok - she is very much not and very much dead. Julie sees an escape hatch from her life and steps into the role of Chloe thinking she would enjoy a fabulous and easy life. However, it turns out that Chloe's life may have looked amazing on the outside, but there were sinister forces making Chloe very unhappy. A week on an island with Chloe's influencer friends leads to Julie unearthing what was really going on in Chloe's life and how she ended up dead.

I have been calling this the Yellowface for social influencers - one person stepping into another person's life after they find them dead (and someone they envied for years). This started out interesting and intriguing but sort of went off the rails for me and just got a bit too bizarre and unrealistic for my taste (take the bachelorette party scene from Crazy Rich Asians and amp it up multiple times). I liked the writing but I really did not enjoy the story after it went bananas. I did think the narrator was great and had the right tone, but it didn't help for me.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC to review

Know that this starts out as a light (sort of) satiric look at influencers but that it turns dark, very dark. Julie and her twin Chloe were separated when their parents died and now, years later, Julie's working at a grocery store and Chloe is an influencer. So when Julie finds Chloe dead, why not take over her life? It's all ok for a while, even though Julie's aunt is blackmailing her, and then there's the week away at Bella's private island. Bella is the queen bee of the Belladonnas, a group of female influencers who seem to have it all. And how did they get it? No spoilers from me. Isla, a new addition to the group, isn't interested in playing along with all of the, ahem, stuff but Julie finds herself pulled in. This shouldn't be compared to Yellowface as it stands on its own thanks especially to the horror elements. Julie is interesting and the other women are sharply drawn (fans of social media will no doubt recognize them). Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. It amps up to become a real page turner.

This was an entertaining thriller with one of the most farfetched plot twists I’ve ever read.

Julie Chan was separated from her identical twin at a very young age after their parents were killed in a tragic accident. Their lives have diverged since then - Chloe is a beloved, successful social media influencer while Julie is working a menial retail job. One day, after discovering her sister’s dead body, Julie decides to assume Chloe’s personality.

At first, the very YA writing style was a little off-putting to me, but it became more palatable as the story progressed. It’s difficult to know how to properly rate this story. The first 50% was both very entertaining and also kept me interested. While the latter half was also entertaining, the storyline took a turn that felt too ludicrous. I know there are definitely people who particularly enjoy thrillers with ridiculous plot points, but I’m not one of them. If you’re a fan of Julia Bartz, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

I enjoyed the commentary about social media, influencing, and overconsumption but the discussion felt a little superficial (ironically), and I would’ve liked to see more.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was AMAZING. Loved the premise. Became totally unhinged. And the end. Get out of my face! This was dark. It was funny. It was bizarre. It totally fed into the weird vibe I like in books. READ IT.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was interesting but pretty dark, in my opinion. If you want to read about an evil group of influencers, convinced they are guided by a higher power - this will be for you! I didn't particularly enjoy it but it has some interesting scenes. Give it a try.

Julie Chan Is Dead comes out next week on April 29, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

One thing needs to be made clear: I did not kill my twin sister.

I was excited about this one and am so disappointed I didn’t like it. It started out interesting. Then got weird, but interesting. By the end it was just weird.

A woman assumes the identity of her estranged social media influencer twin after her unexpected death. She gets wrapped up in her twin’s life and tried to fit in with her friends. Oh and she’s being blackmailed by her aunt. Then all of a sudden it was like she was in a cult and on drug trip.

It was supposed to be a thriller but it just felt off. The plot felt disjointed and random. I think the characters were supposed to be a comment on vapid people posting meaningless content and out of control materialism/consumerism but it did not work for me.

3 stars - thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy. Pub date 4/29/25.

Liann Zhang is a new author for me. This is her debut novel and I picked it up because the description intrigued me and because it was described as a razor-sharp thriller. I do love thrillers.


Description:

Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.

Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.

Transforming into Chloe is easier than expected. Julie effortlessly adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life, complete with designer clothes, a meticulous skincare routine, and millions of adoring followers. However, Julie soon realizes that Chloe’s seemingly picture-perfect life was anything but.

Haunted by Chloe’s untimely death and struggling to fit into the privileged influencer circle, Julie faces mounting challenges during a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s exclusive group of influencer friends. As events spiral out of control, Julie uncovers the sinister forces that may have led to her sister’s demise and realizes she might be the next target.

My Thoughts:
Julie and Chloe, twin sisters, were separated when they were very young. Their parents had died and Julie was raised by an aunt who didn't love her, and Chloe was adopted by a wealthy couple. The girls had no contact with each other until grown and both on their own. Julie was barely getting by as a supermarket worker and Julie was a rich and famous influencer. When they met fleetingly, Chloe used Julie to promote her brand and make her Chloe look good. After Chloe once again has nothing to do with Julie. That had to really hurt. Julie wanted nothing more than to build a relationship with her sister. When Julie gets an out of the blue call from Chloe where she makes some strange sounds, but says nothing, Julie gets a bad feeling and goes to New York to check on Chloe. Finding her sister dead she sees an opportunity: become Chloe and make it look like Julie is the one who died. With this move Julie could step into Chloe's rich life and turn her life around. Only Chloe's life is not what Julie imagined. The story turns dark as she is blackmailed and is drawn into an exclusive group with some very dangerous practices. I kept flipping the pages as I devoured the story. That's some scary group of girls! This is a great debut novel and I will be interested to see what Zhang writes in the future.

Thanks to Atria Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.