Twins separated at birth. One becomes famous, one is left struggling. Then one dies, the other steps in. Why not?

This was a super darkly fun and fast read with A LOT of crazy characters. Things quickly spiral into a whole lot of WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED HERE?! IS SHE REALLY GOING TO DO THAT?! I would definitely recommend for your next beach read. Liann Zhang, I am a fan!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Atria Books for the ARC!
Pub Date: April 29, 2025.

Julie Chan lives a bleak, overlooked life—until her glamorous twin sister, Chloe, a famous influencer, is found dead. When a twist of fate lets Julie slip into Chloe’s world, she finds herself basking in fame, fortune... and deception. But an invite to an exclusive influencer retreat quickly turns sinister. As eerie events unfold and Julie starts questioning what’s real, one thing becomes chillingly clear: she might be next.
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Now this was a debut that took me on a ride! With a title like Julie Chan Is Dead, I was already intrigued—and what unfolds is a story that starts off as a sharp, edgy thriller poking at the influencer world... then spirals into something completely unhinged.

I had seen reviews warning about the whiplash in the second half, but honestly? Nothing could have prepped me for how wild, dark, and borderline surreal it got. What started as commentary on influencer culture suddenly nosedives into something way darker—bordering on horror, maybe even supernatural? 👀

The vibe reminded me of Julia Bartz’s The Writing Retreat—that slow, sinister unraveling where you keep questioning what’s real and what’s not.
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It's a 4/5 ⭐ read for me.

This isn’t your average social media takedown story—it’s juicy, disturbing, and unapologetically over-the-top. Sure, it may lean into influencer stereotypes, but it also opens up real conversations about digital identity, obsession, and performance.

A bold pick for book clubs that like to dissect twists and debate WTF just happened. 😂

If you’re into genre-blending thrillers with an unpredictable second half that will leave your jaw on the floor—add this to your TBR.

Following the death of her twin sister / popular influencer, Julie transforms and takes on the life she’s always envied as she impersonates Chloe. Things aren’t as picture perfect as they seem and Julie finds herself in a dark, questionable spiral.

Umm, what?? I feel like Liann unlocked a dimension I wasn’t ready for (but also probably not that far from the truth 👀). From the start, the premise is wild (#EMOTIONAL). Death and identity fraud isn’t the best combo but props to Julie for milking the system. With Julie descending into the addicting world of likes and views, things around her deteriorate as she realizes that fame and money come with their own baggage.

Things further spiral into a whole new level of influencer culture and unhinged-ness because WHAT THE HECK??? The second half of the book felt like a weird fever dream that requires an NDA to experience. That one scene also had my insides crawling and I’m still trying to erase it from my memory 🐁 (iykyk 😭).

I’m not sure what Liann fed this book but I found myself speeding through the pages (with a slight hint of terror) and was thoroughly engrossed. This felt like both an ode to beloved creators from the past and a big satirical jab at the crazy influencer space today -- with a mix of Yellowface and Bunny. Overall, this was hilarious, unhinged, concerning, and EXTREMELY messy (aka a great debut)!

Thanks Simon Schuster, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the arc!

A fabulous look at what winds up being a not-so-fabulous life. Not just a look at the cost of fame and what it does to the soul, it's a rollicking ride that hooks you from the first sentence.

oh what a ride this was! i support women’s rights and woman’s wrongs 🙂‍↕️ apparently i have a love for unhinged women now and im not complaining ! i loved the commentary on influencers and internet fame and how all of that can becoming so intoxicating you’d do anything to keep it. and i mean anything. i loved the culty, ritualistic, unhinged behavior that was going on between our mc, chloe, and the rest of the characters. i expected the big reveal but i was hooked as to how it was all going to wrap up. this was an amazing debut and i can’t wait to see what liann zhang writes next

What a story! This book was so wild, twisty and turny - it was so hard to put down. This story took a crazy turn about 50% of the way through that I’m still wrapping my head around. This was a unique story I definitely won’t forget!

Twisty, fast-paced, and relevant for today's social media influencer world. I can definitely see why this one is getting so much hype! It didn't quite hit for me personally, but I was still invested enough that I had to finish it.

Wow. I am trying to wrap my head around what I just read. What I thought initially was a thriller, perhaps murder mystery, morphed into something I never expected. It is absolutely an indictment of social media and the influencer culture. How we have become a society measuring worth based on numbers of followers, views and likes. How people are willing to do anything and everything to “make it” in the influencer world. Yes, what happens in the book is extreme but the terrifying part about it is that it’s doesn’t seem that far off.

The book is very well written, the plot takes you in completely unexpected directions and it has a deeply important underlying message. My issue with it is that I did not like any of the characters. Not even Julie Chan. I am that reader that has to be able to connect with a character on some level to be truly tied to a book or story. So while I enjoyed this book and appreciate what it achieves, the depth of my connection to it was stifled by the extreme unlikeability of all the characters. I will definitely read this author’s next one!

Thank you to Netgalley, Luann Zhang and Atria for the ARC!

A darkly satirical debut novel that explores the perils of influencer culture and identity. Julia Chan is a struggling cashier who discovers her estranged twin, a successful influencer, dead in her apartment. Instead of reporting the death, Julie assumes her sister's identity and many hijinks ensue!

Julie Chan is Dead is a fantastic book that kept me fully engaged from the first page until the very end. This book should put Liann Zhang on the map, because this is the perfect debut book; it left me wanting to read more of her work.

Julie Chan has a twin sister, Chloe, who is a popular influencer and lives a glamourous life. All the while she's struggling to make it as a supermarket cashier. They were separated at a very young age only for Chloe to come back and use Julie in a video that made her look like a hero. This is why when Julie finds Chole dead, she takes a chance and decides to take over her life, despite the sketchy circumstances of her sister's death.

At first Julie loves living the influencer life and relishes all the perks. However, she soon finds out that it's not all it appears. She's struggling to fit in properly and is finding it hard to keep it together on a weeklong island retreat with an extremely exclusive bunch of influencer friends. Things soon get extreme and it doesn't take long to come to the conclusion that something bad is going on and it might be connected to Chloe's death. Now she's against the clock, because she fears she might be next.

I must admit that no matter how wrong Julie was, there was a small part of me that was rooting for her. She had it rough and her sister wasn't not a good person, so it was hard to feel sorry for Chloe. The first 3/4 of the book was awesome, but when Julie went on the trip, things took an INSANE turn. I was not expecting what happened and it got a bit over the top for me. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it.

📌About the Book:
Julie is broke, working at a grocery store and barely making ends meet. But then she decides to go visit her long lost influencer twin, Chloe, in NYC, but finds her dead in her apartment. When a video goes viral of Julie crying in the hallway, everyone assumes she’s Chloe! At first Julie tries to tell the truth but then she begins to slide into Chloe’s life and be friends with Chloe’s friends, and Julie gains the affirmation and acceptance she’s craved her whole life.

But then Julie aka Chloe is invited on a trip with a bunch of other influencers and she begins to wonder if being accepted into this group is worth it…especially when one of the influencers disappears on the island.

💭My Thoughts:
This was a fun book to read! It was silly and funny, and intense, but definitely makes you wonder how much truth there is to this whole influencer thing…when all the influencers look and act the same…it makes you wonder how authentic what we see online is.

This is the end of unhinged thriller I am always looking for.

Julie Chan grew up completely different from her identical twin sister Chloe. Chloe seems to have it all. Loving parents, a brownstone in New York and has become a lucrative influencer. The complete opposite of Julie who grew up with a horrible aunt and struggles to make ends meet. One day Julie gets a call from Chloe that sounds very weird so she goes to her house and finds Chloe dead so naturally… she steps in.

This did not go where I thought it would in the best way. The dark side of influencer groups! I definitely recommend it and recommend watching the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives soon before or after lol what a fun combo.

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC

I really enjoyed the first half of this book, and getting a little look at influencers-with their sponsorships, negotiations, etc. But as many of the reviews here stated, then it started getting super unhinged. I don’t think this is a spoiler, but it got as crazy as the women were eating mice crazy.

However, it did put in a lot of other factors with social media that’s interesting to discuss, like making thousands from sharing tragedies to desperately trying to hold onto fickle followers. The ending was a bit abrupt as well…

Unbelievable debut for Ziann Zhang. I was entranced by the twins dynamic and it felt very much in the theme of Bunny once Julie gets into the other influencers clutches. I think it was a great commentary as well into the parasocial relationships it creates when we have the lines blur together for those who seem to have it all, and those who would go to great lengths to keep their stance in this type of society. There was a part in the book that made me so unsettled and god it was iconic to a T.

A fun entry in the growing genre of thrillers about influencers. Some aspects strained credulity, but I was hooked from the beginning.

This book was such an odd surprise! I loved the way it started and continued but the ending felt a bit weird and off putting considering how great the story started!

Julie Chan is Dead started off strong, drawing me in with a premise that felt fresh and oddly timely. I happened to be watching The Secret Loves of Mormon Wives while reading, and the parallels between the two—wealthy housewives, social media content creators, exclusive events, and performative friendships—made for a compelling beginning.

Unfortunately, the momentum didn’t last. The story soon took a darker, more bizarre turn that reminded me of the movie Blink Twice with Channing Tatum—stylized and surreal, but ultimately not in a way that resonated with me. What began as a sharp, glitzy exploration of influencer culture unraveled into something murky and unsatisfying.

While the premise had potential, the execution left me feeling underwhelmed. The plot’s shift into stranger territory made it hard to stay engaged, and I found myself reluctant to pick the book back up, dragging my reading experience out for nearly two weeks. By the end, it felt lackluster—an interesting concept that couldn’t quite deliver on its promise.

Loved loved the first half of setting the scene and building up the mystery of what happened. The second half on the island lost me a little bit. It just seemed off/like a different person wrote the second half of the book almost? Still a great read!

I picked this up because it looked like an interesting thriller, and I kept reading because I couldn't figure out how the author would write her way out of the situation that Julie Chan was in! I enjoyed the book - I believed the journey of the main character, and found myself rooting for her even through the climax of the book. The situations were luxurious and creepy and scary, and the descriptions of the people and places really made the story come alive. And the ending! She landed it even though I wasn't sure how that would happen.

This story was addicting from the beginning! We all live in the day and age of influencers and social media so to have a thriller like this surrounding these two twins was so fun.

I think the characters were relatable and likeable and then also unlikable, there were so many layers to each of them and that made the story deeper and more interesting.

I was trying to figure out the mystery the whole time and was surprised by the players each chapter, from Chloe's parents to Julie's aunt it was all a fun mystery to unravel.

Well done!