Thanks to NetGalley, I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

* What did I just read? Well, I’ll tell you. A very haunting story of twins who sadly had to be separated after the death of their parents, after many years of being separated mixed with a few catch ups that weren’t what they looked like on the outside, to end with a dead twin… Why is this haunting? Because it’s something that could actually happen and I find those books to be the most haunting.

* Chloe and Julie couldn’t be more different, even though they’re identical. Julie, taken in by her aunt and lived a life that was below middle class, Chloe adopted by a wealthy family who only wanted one girl, lived a life of luxury. Separated by states and funds, the girls lives went in two very different directions until Julie received a call .. she rushed to Chloe’s aid in New York and things just aren’t what they seemed. Pushed into the limelight, Julie does something that drastically changes her life. She dies.

* The story is an easy read, and I really want to like the twins, I really do, but when one of them says things like “Burn her.” & “I cry, not for her death, I cry for my loss.” And The writing is easy and it flows great. The pace, is good and it’s easy getting lost inside the instagram, TikTok, sponsorships and pr unboxing live videos that earn $$$ because being an influencer is extremely popular these days. The familiarity is there for sure.

* The second half of the book took quite a turn. Midsommer meets law & order, either way, this was a good read. Great variety of characters with a good twist. 4 stars for me.

I was shocked at how much this book fits into its plot! I never wanted to put it down because I just needed to know what happened next! I cannot wait to have the physical copy for my shelves.

Tw for death of all kinds, verbal/financial abuse from relatives, on page bloody/live meat eating, and more

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for an ARC!! 🙏🏽🙏🏽

THIS BOOK. I read it in 24 hours and my mind is 🤯🤯. Like most other reviews, I will agree that this book is so WEIRD, and if you liked Yellowface, Bunny, etc, you’ll love it!!

Story follows Julie Chan, as she assumes the identity of her recently dead & super famous influencer twin, Chloe Van Huusen. What follows is thrilling, weird and so accurate about the current influencer culture.

This book is so fast paced, and really unputdownable! Pre order this of you haven’t already! Oh, and it’s always amazing to read Canadian authors!

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you for giving me this as an arc copy!

3.5 stars rounded up. :)

I read this all in one day, which I can't say for that many books. So if you are looking for a book that you can't put down until the end, I cannot recommend a book that fits better than this.

The premise of an evil twin switching places with their other twin is such a cliche thriller twist. Reading it from the perspective of the evil twin was a lot of fun.

<spoiler>They did lose me in the second half though, not gonna lie. It goes down a Mona Awad route, which I don't think fits the story's plot. I would have preferred an ending where evil twin Julie gets her comeuppance as the story seemed to be laying out for itself in the beginning. </spoiler>

Julie Chan’s life is a mess. She scrapes by working at a supermarket, stuck in a cycle of financial struggle and workplace mistreatment. Her employers practically force her into desperate choices, then threaten her for them. Life has never been kind to her. She had a twin once, Chloe, but they were separated at four years old after their parents died in a car crash. Julie ended up with an awful, greedy aunt, while Chloe was adopted by an affluent white family who treated her more like an accessory than a daughter.

Despite her questionable upbringing, Chloe thrived. She became an internet sensation, a rich and glamorous influencer, living a life Julie could only dream about. But then Chloe dies. And Julie, who is lonely, broke, and desperate, sees an opportunity. She takes Chloe’s phone, slips into her life (turns out Face ID isn’t so secure after all), and starts impersonating her online. At first, it’s simple: study Chloe’s posts, mirror her language, respond to DMs. But soon, the lines blur. How long can she keep this up? And more importantly, who was Chloe behind all of the filters and carefully curated content?

This novel pulls no punches in its critique of influencer culture, drawing unsettling parallels between internet fame and cult-like devotion. It forces readers to confront how we all craft versions of ourselves for public consumption in the same way that Julie does when she steps into Chloe’s digital shoes. The second half of the book takes a sharp, dark turn, revealing the truth behind Chloe’s death and the grim realities of her life off-screen.

If you enjoy thrillers that explore the sinister side of social media and the lengths people will go for wealth and relevance, this one will keep you hooked. It’s unsettling, thought-provoking, and disturbingly believable.

Thank you Atria for my copy. Wow, I flew through this book! It was so hard to put down. Reading about Julie and Chloe’s complicated dynamic completely captivated me. All of the characters were so intricately flawed and it was engrossing to read their stories. If you’re looking for a thrilling book with a commentary on social media culture- this is it!

This book was wild. There were times I wanted to give up and dnf, but I finished it because I wanted to see how things turned out. The ending was completely out of left field, and I think it is very original.
The reason I can't really give it a great rating is the main character, Julie. I found it very difficult to cheer her on. I'm sure she had challenges in her life, as have we all. I just found her very abrasive, and I do not appreciate the mocking and derisive way that she speaks about numerous groups of people. I also did not find her convincing as American. I think the author is Canadian, and you can tell in Julie's manner of speaking.
Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

2.75/5

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The concept of this book was really interesting but I just couldn’t get into it. The ending was so far fetched and convoluted for my taste, and Julie as a main was just incredibly frustrating to read. There was definitely commentary made about influencers, social media, and race, but none of it felt actually in depth or particularly interesting to me.

This book feels like two stories smashed together. The first half is more of a mystery, where we follow our flawed main character. We get a peek behind the shiny facade of influencer culture, and though she goes through loneliness, grief and guilt, she doesn't shy away from taking everything this new life offers her.

The second half goes off the rails into darker thriller (or even horror-ish) territory with huge "Bunny" vibes. If you enjoy unhinged "wtf, how did we get here?" type of books - this one is for you.

The core mystery isn't exactly mind-blowing, but the story moves fast and keeps you hooked with its take on influencers and how outsiders see them.

And the ending? It felt very on point. We live in a world where con artists become famous and land Netflix deals, and sometimes it seems they get more then they lose at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-ARC of this book.

I 👏🏻 Love 👏🏻 Influencer 👏🏻 Tropes

This debut was so fun! A combination of thriller and horror - you’ve got cults, you got influencers, you’ve got murder, you’ve got a twin who took the place of her dead twin… wait what?

This book has it all and I could not put it down. Getting a behind the scenes look at influencer culture was so entertaining, but boy did it take a dark turn! I think this book is going to be the talk of the summer, so mark your calendars!

🙍🏻‍♀️↔️🙍🏻‍♀️ Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
Genre: Thriller
Length: 320 pages
Expected Pub Date: April 29, 2025
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-ARC of this book. The opinions stated here are solely my own.

Synopsis:
Julie Chan is living a very underwhelming and miserable life as a cashier with her horrible aunt, who adopted her around age 3 after her parents tragically died in an accident. Her identical twin sister, Chloe Van Huusen, was adopted by a very wealthy white family and she lives a lavish life as a social media influencer.
The twins were not in each other's lives until one day when Julie recieved a strange call from Chloe saying, 'I'm sorry'. Julie rushes to Chloe's fancy apartment only to find her dead, possibly of an overdose. The police arrive and in the scuffle, Julie decides to take over her twin's fabulous life.
Now, within millions of followers and the life Julie could have only dreamed of, she navigates a new path for herself. Her fellow social media 'sisters' take her (as a grieving Chloe) under their wing. When Bella Marie, the head of their influencer friend group, invites Julie and the other girls to her own private island for the week to 'unplug', Julie starts to wonder just what really happened to Chloe and whether or not she her secret are truly safe...

Opinion:
Whoa... this book was quite disturbing in many ways. It takes you into the world of influencers and how obsessive it can be. Also, there was so much gaslighting and controlling going on here. I started to really feel for Julie and by the end of the book, I wondered who really was the guilty party (you do find out) and just how far people are willing to go to find fame through their social media platforms. I think I'll stick to my book posts and stay out of the rest of that - thank you very much! Give this book a read if you are looking for some creepy cult vibes and a very shocking look behind the scenes of Internet fame! 😳 Also, I love a good twin switch trope!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Julie Chan is Dead and it was fast paced!
I did feel as though it lacked a bit of emotional depth and I never felt connected to any of the characters. I wanted to care more about the main character Julie, but I simply didn’t.

Overall, I did have a fun time reading this book and I’m glad I picked it up, I did not have a connection like I typically like to have with the characters of the book I am reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an extremely unique story that kept me engaged throughout. Julie Chan has a twin sister, Chloe, who is a famous social media influencer. They live completely different lives except they are identical and in a bizarre twist, Julie assumes her identity in the social media world. Julie falls into the "cool" crowd of "Belladonnas" and everything may not be as wonderful as it seems.

I loved the complex characters and mix of the social media influencers with horror and cults. There were several “gasp-inducing” moments that had me jaw-dropped and covering my mouth in utter horror. I chuckled at the absurdity at times and was disgusted by other moments. I found this novel so relevant to our world on social media.

I’m not one to pick up a horror novel on the regular but I enjoyed this one. I can’t believe this is Liana Zhang’s first novel. So impressive!

One of the best debuts ever! It hooks you early with multiple unexpected twists and turns. I’m so happy she wrote this “secret project”.

Thank you Atria for granting me an ARC!

What a crazy read. I felt sure I knew where it was going and then, well, it was a crazy read.

Julie Chan is poor and lonely, but when she receives a cryptic call from her social media famous estranged identical twin she goes to New York to check on her, only to find her dead of an apparent overdose in her apartment. When the emt’s and other emergency personnel think she’s her twin, she doesn’t correct them because here is her escape. She, Julie, can die so that her twin, Chloe, can live. And so into the crazy world of social media and influencers she goes, and she finds that this world is way more than what she bargained for.

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I liked this book. I think the story and exploration of the influencer era that took away and warped her reality was interesting and helped to really flesh out the character. It was an interesting and complex relationship with her sister that as a reader you got to explore and overall I think it was a well pace and developed story.

When twin sisters Julie and Chloe were separated at a young age because of a tragic car accident. There lives turn out nothing alike One sister finds herself in a dead end job with not really much going on in her life the other has become a high profile influencer with a lot going on.

But when Julie finds her high profile sister dead she does the unthinkable and takes on her life.
The first half of the story was full of Julie acting like she was her dead sister Chloe and playing the role of her life she enjoyed all the glamour and all the free stuff that came with that life.
Then things go from good to bad at first it was a little confusing at times I felt things were added just because and really could have been felt out.
But all in all it was a fun different read. I really thought the plot was a great idea for a book
Thanks netgalley

This is a book that easily could (and should) have been chopped in half. The story is too repetitive and meandering to warrant a 300 page count. I really enjoyed the first 100 pages but slowly lost interest. The plot veered into ridiculous territory but didn't seem intentional. The ending left me with more questions than answers and I don't believe that was an intentional choice.

Big TW for anyone with sensitive to content harming animals. Came out of nowhere and I almost dropped the book after that

Julie and Chloe are twins who lost their parents at the age of four. Julie was taken in by an aunt, while Chloe was
adopted by a wealthy couple. Julie is stuck in a dead end job and Chloe is a high profile influencer. When
Julie discovers Chloe dead in her apartment, Julie decides to assume Chloe's identity. Things seem to be going.
well until she attends a getaway with other influencers. Events take on a darker tone as secrets are revealed.
The story depicts the lenghth people will go to keep their positions as high profile influencers in society.
The change in Julie is interesting to follow.
#JulieChanisDead #AtriaBooks #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!
⭐⭐⭐ (3.5/5)

Brief Summary
Julie Chan is a down on her luck grocery cashier who just happens to have an identical twin sister who is a fabulous influencer. Separated after a devastating car crash, these two have lived almost completely separate lives. That is, until Julie stumbles upon her dead sister's body and decides to seize the opportunity to explore the life that could have been hers.

What I Liked
- the first half of the book had me hooked! It was fun, imaginative, and I loved hearing Julie's inner monologue about the shallow world of influencing
- the glitz! the glamour! all the PR hauls!

What I Didn’t Like
- the second half of the book felt complete disparate from the first
- without spoiling too much, the second half turns into a campy horror book that did not mesh with the first half
- the twists and turns in the book left me feeling less shocked and more confused at how we ended up with such a drastic turn of events. The pacing in the second half felt at times too rushed (like please explain why Julie had to make such drastic decisions IYKYK) and at other times way too long (I do not need to spend pages reading about what outfits you are packing)

Final Thoughts
Overall, 3.5 stars because I enjoyed the first half of the book, and the second half was still WTF enough to keep me entertained. I absolutely breezed through this book, and thought it was a fun read. My biggest negative complaint was that what started out as a fun, glamorous case of mistaken identity quickly devolved into a campy horror novel that at times felt far too rushed.