This book was so fast paced - it had me turning pages rapidly as soon as I started it. The set up was done cleanly and had me instantly hooked. I almost didn’t want to like Julie, but in some instances I did… was a fantastic read that had me wanting to cleanse my Instagram of random people I followed. 😊

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to review.

Julie Chan is working a tedious job at a supermarket and is quite unhappy with the life she’s living. From afar, she watches her estranged twin, Chloe, live the glamorous life of an influencer. Separated at a young age after losing their parents, Chloe has only made one appearance in Julie’s life—and that was just to use her in a video to make Chloe look like an angel and Julie look like a charity case.

But, soon after Julie gets a cryptic phone call from Chloe that she just can’t shake, she finds Chloe dead in her upscale condo. Spying an opportunity to turn her life around, Julie assumes Chloe’s identity and transforms herself into the popular influencer by studying old journals, social media posts, and group chats.

As Julie begins to question the perfect facade of Chloe’s life, she’s invited to attend an annual week-long island retreat with Chloe’s circle of wealthy influencer friends. As the week unfolds, strange events and bizarre rituals have Julie questioning everything—including the real cause of her twin’s death.

I can’t say this was an enjoyable book to read. All of the characters are unlikeable and say and do so many cringy things. What kept me reading was the mystery of what was going on at the island retreat, but I felt disappointed by the reveal. It’s hard to describe without spoiling anything, but I wish the author had spent more time building out the beliefs and motivations of the influencer group.

Many reviews I’ve seen say the book feels like two completely different books sandwiched together. That actually didn’t bother me and I thought it was an interesting turn of events. Julie had no idea what her sister’s life was like, so we were along for the ride with her as she got to know the women in Chloe’s orbit and experienced the island retreat for the first time, pretending to be her twin.

The mystery kept me reading, but the commentary on influencers wasn’t as powerful as it could have been, and the reveal and ending missed the mark for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC of Julie Chan us dead.

This review contains spoilers!

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.

I liked the premise of this book when i read the blurb. Julie's twin Chloe is a social media influencer. When she finds Chloé dead, Julie assumes her life, for better or worse. This was a quick read. I found the last quarter of the book to be a little over the top once the cult like trip takes place. The Belladonnas seem zombie like in their speech. The entire sacrifices to Eto thing is disturbing. It was a little too far-fetched for me. The ending was jokingly unrealistic in my opinion. 2.5 out of 5 ⭐️

Gifted ARC copy provided by Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley.

This book was like a well written TV drama that I couldn’t look away from. The hits just kept on coming and I loved every second of it. We got to peel back what it’s like to be an influencer in the best and worst ways. This book is one part thriller one part mystery.

I didn’t know if I loved or hated Julie, her morals were questionable at best. I didn’t know if I wanted to root for her or root against her. And that to me is an example of great writing.

This book takes a more sinister tone at around halfway through. I would check the trigger warnings for this one, but honestly, this book had so many good WTF moments.

I feel like ending of this will have people talking, do you agree with what happened to the character? Did she get off easy? Get what she deserved?

A Canadian debut author, Julie Chan is Dead releases April 29, 2025.

** spoiler alert ** Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for the ARC copy of this novel!

When Julie Chan's sister Chloe dies she has a choice: go back to her minimum wage job and terrible family or become Chloe, a popular influencer with a seemingly perfect life.

This tense thriller, in the same vein as Yellowface follows a character who ends up taking another lively hood because of a convenient death. Where Yellowface stays grounded in reality, the second half of Julie Chan is Dead goes off on so many twists it seems almost unbelievable (in a way that could almost be believable).

There are many important themes in the novel, such as guilt, unresolved childhood trauma, jealousy, and the nuances of social media. While going to the extremes of what life is like as an influencer, Zhang models how this so-called perfect life can have detrimental effects on a person and community. The Belladonna group reminds me of the old days of YouTube when there would be the groups of YouTubers that post similar content and live in similar areas, all supporting each other and posting collabs.

The second half of this novel, which I won't go too much into because it is best to go in unknown, takes the narrative to a whole new level. Full of twists, the dark side of the internet gets a whole lot darker.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book! It follows Chloe and Julie, twins who were separated after their parents died in an accident. Chloe is adopted by a wealthy family, while Julie is sent to live with her aunt. The two end up living very different lives. Chloe becomes a famous influencer and enjoys a life of luxury, while Julie leads a much simpler life. Chloe eventually decides to reconnect with Julie for some content, and things take a dark turn when Chloe dies. Julie then steals her sister’s life, but the real question is: how long can she keep up the deception?

Overall, I found the book enjoyable, though I did feel that the second part dragged a bit, especially with all the details surrounding the cult, which didn’t really hold my interest. It also became somewhat predictable after a point, and I could easily see where things were heading. While it’s an easy, entertaining read at times, it doesn’t offer anything truly groundbreaking. Still, it was a fun read if you’re looking for something light.

I am willing to bet that when you start reading this book, you will NEVER be able to guess where the story goes… it is such a wild ride.

Julie Chan and Chloe Van Huusen are twin sisters, but they were not raised together. Their parents died when they were very young and Chloe was adopted by a very wealthy couple while Julie was taken in by her (horrible) aunt. Fast forward 20 years and Julie is working at a supermarket, going nowhere fast. Chloe, however, is a very famous influencer. Julie is extremely jealous of Chloe’s life and resentful of her success, so when Chloe suddenly dies, Julie decides to just… take over her life. Suddenly she is thrust into the spotlight as Chloe, and let’s just say she has absolutely no idea what that will bring.

While some parts of this book venture into the entirely unbelievable, the meat of the story is really an incredibly timely and realistic look into the world of influencers and our social media obsessed culture. It also takes a very dark look at the price of fame, and the toll it takes when someone chases it at all costs.

This book was so addicting, I did not want it to end. If you love a fast paced read that will keep you guessing I highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out on April 29. Thank you so much @simonschusterca for the early access to this book via @netgalley.

A fun, unputdownable, and compelling story! I enjoyed reading this book and though the direction change towards the end of the story took me by surprise (and was little disappointing) I still enjoyed the story.
The influencer confrontation by IZ was extremely well-written! I'm definitely going to read whatever this author writes next!
Also, I read this book through Edelweiss as the new NetGalley update has made it impossible for me to read this book on my Kobo.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!

Where to begin.. this book had me absolutely hooked! Missing hours of sleep kind of hooked, and honestly thank god because I was dealing with anxiety and this book distracted me sooo hard I forgot to be anxious 😂😂

“Razor sharp” is definitely an accurate description, the main plot of the book follows the every day life of social media influencers but I promise it isn’t shallow, there’s lots of deeper subtext and relevant / truthful subject matter in here, And it’s also just a lot of fun to read!

The ending had me nervous, I wanted to have faith in Julie and Eto because I’m rooting for her to succeed but it is left to the interpretation of the reader and I’m
Just going to leave it with positive vibes and wishful thinking 😂

Thank you to Atria Books, Simon & Schuster Canada and Liann Zhang for the EARC! I’ll definitely look forward to more from this author

Publish date : April 29th 2025

ARC Review

Julie Chan is dead
By Liann zhang
Publish Date: April 29, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @simonschusterca for sending me a copy to review.

This is Liann Debut thriller novel. I enjoyed every minute of this book. From stolen identity to a cult nightmare. I was hooked from the first page.

I absolutely loved how unhinged the characters were throughout this book. I enjoyed the unreliable narrator, I found myself questioning reality throughout.

The twist and turns left me with so many questions. This really shows how far people will go for fame and popularity.

I highly recommend this book if you like dark horror/mystery.

Based on the cover, I imagined this book would be a fun romp based on the premise of a down-on-her-luck woman seamlessly taking over her twin sisters life. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised when this took a twist on the darker side. Julie must navigate the world of social media influencers, taking over her sisters accounts, sponsorships and friendships. But can anyone really transition to a new life without consequences? I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author!