"Fates collide after a tarot influencer disappears from a decaying Hollywood mansion in this unnerving gothic mystery and "incisive social satire" (Town and Country) from the acclaimed author of Self Care.

After her boyfriend dumps her in a Reddit post, unemployed thirty-nine-year-old Dayna accepts an unusual opportunity from a man she stopped speaking to twenty years ago: If Dayna can help Craig transform his crumbling mansion into a successful hype house of influencers, he can restore his birthright to its former glory, and she can bring her career back from the dead.

But missing from the mansion is Becca, an enigmatic tarot card reader who built a rabid fandom with her cryptic, soul-touching videos...and then vanished. With nineteen-year-old Olivia, the newest member of the hype house (and one of Becca's biggest fans), Dayna begins to build a social media campaign around Becca's disappearance that will catapult the creators to new heights of success. Too bad Craig forbids Dayna from pursuing the mystery at its heart.

As Olivia searches for traces of Becca in a labyrinthine house that seems intent on hiding its secrets, and Dayna becomes entangled with both Craig and Jake, the resident heartthrob and the last person to see Becca, the two women make a shocking discovery that will upend everything.

The internet: You may think you're inhabiting it, but is it really inhabiting you?"

Three things I love, tarot, crumbling mansions, and old Hollywood!

hits vape—this was my first impression of ms. leigh stein, and honestly it was a good one. the book is well written and the premise hooked me instantly. i really enjoyed the beginning... it had a lot of momentum!

that said, the rest of the book dragged a bit for me. the chapters are long, but the book kept me curious enough to finish. a fun mystery overall! this isn't a dark or scary read. if your looking for something more chilling and horror oriented, this isn't it. i was hoping for a more gothic, horror driven plot, so that part of me is left a little disappointed. if you like your mysteries on the lighter side... this one might be for you!

thank you netgalley!

I liked the style and writing of this a lot but I despise everything about influencers so ultimately it wasn’t for me. I’d absolutely read another book by the author, though.

A crumbling, gothic mansion being used as an influencer hype house. A TikTok tarot card reader who mysteriously vanishes. A pet bunny named Owen Wilson. This book has countless intriguing elements that could have merged into something great, but settled for ok. I wanted this to get MUCH weirder! Even though it fell short in some ways, it’s still a fun, unforgettable read with sharp commentary on the age of social media. Out 08/26 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!!

Honestly, I loved this. It was so ridiculous and goofy and an amazing commentary about TikTok and the current state of social media influencing.

Dayna was so deeply unlikable, like actually the most selfish and shady main character, but I ATE HER UPPP!! Her dynamic with Jake and Craig was so wild.

I got a bit lost in the sauce towards the end, the direction of the ending was a little murky. But I like that this leaves room for a sequel!

I loved this book and its satirical take on hype houses, fated videos, and silly goofiness.

Never did I ever expect to read a gothic novel about a hype house, but here we are. A razor-sharp satire about the influencer economy and what it means to be perceived in a public way.

Whew, what a wild ride by Leigh Stein! I will caveat this review by saying if I was on TikTok (I know, I know), I think I would have enjoyed this book more. Which is to say, if you are a TikToker, you're gonna love this one. Stein mentions at the end of the book that she ingrained herself into the platform in order to write this book accurately, and it shows. Based on a TikTok "hype house" I was dying to see the videos these influencers made and posted in the derelict and run-down Hollywood mansion. It's such a fun book.

Beginning with flailing Hollywood media reporter Dayna being dumped unceremoniously by her boyfriend via an AITA Reddit post as she's literally driving all her stuff to move in with him, she pivots to an old flame who has invited her to be a part of his hype house mansion to help produce influencers' TikTok videos to bring in money and renovate the mansion. The novel takes an abrupt turn into gothic "Rebecca" territory, which was unexpected and delightful. As we learn more about the 20-something influencers through the eyes of 40 year old Dayna, we see the gap in generations form and, as to expected, an indictment on social media and parasocial relationships begins to form.

Veering on satire, this book is smart, funny, and even a little bit creepy. I love Stein's writing and I know I would have liked the book more if I got all of the TikTok references. Because of that, I felt a bit lost at times (whew, I'm old like Dayna!) and I felt the ending was rushed and a bit flat, but otherwise a really sold read.

This novel is an examination of the intersection of art and content, and the harms that might come from life lived online. We have characters who are caught up in the thrill of chasing likes and gathering fans, all at the expense of real life relationships. The characters are desperately seeking validation and, ultimately, love.

So they gather at a TikTok hype house. Do not worry if you do not know what a hype house is! In this case, it's an old Hollywood mansion in disrepair where the owners are sponsoring young people to come make viral videos that can make them all rich. It's a little company town and if the content creators can't generate enough views, they're out. One of the creators is a tarot card reader and when she disappears, her audience is obsessed with all the conspiracy theories that emerge. And a consultant comes in and wants to leverage the attention to benefit the house. Her previous ties to the house and her own thwarted ambitions add another level of tension.

This is a satire, a heightened vibration meant to serve as a critique of the attention economy. Along the way, however, the author is able to make us care about the characters. They're all working through their pasts and figuring out how to become authentic as artists and friends. My takeaway is that the author has a genuine affection for them and their struggles, which makes this more than social commentary.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had really high hopes for this, but ultimately felt a bit disappointed. The TikTok of it all really started to wear thin for me pretty early on. It was an interesting idea but I’m not sure there was enough for a full length novel.

If you’re seeing this, it’s meant for you! The title definitely got my attention - and maybe this book WAS meant for me?
This was such an unusual book and definitely not the type of book I normally gravitate to. It was recommended to me by Emma Thomasch at Ballantine and I am really glad I decided to read it!
This is both a modern gothic mystery and a scathing (IMO) commentary on TikTok culture and Gen Z. In a way it reminded me of “Yellowface” by RF Kuang- in that it’s a dark satire about something in our current culture. It really highlights the nonsensical-ness of our obsession with likes, clicks and going viral.
Though I don’t even have TikTok and feel, as an elder millennial, that I do not relate (or care to relate) to GenZ at all, this was so entertaining! I enjoyed the beginning half more as I felt the novel sped up in the latter half ended too quickly - and I definitely wanted more!
Thank you to Emily, Ballantine & NetGalley for the advanced copy! If You’re Seeing This It’s Meant For You is out August 26th.

If You’re Seeing This It’s Meant For You is eerie, satirical, and compulsively readable. Leigh Stein manages to take the influencer economy, LA gothic decay, and internet obsession and blend them into a mystery that feels both totally surreal and uncomfortably real. The mansion is creepy, the social dynamics are toxic, and the mystery of Becca’s disappearance unfolds with a slow-burn tension that’s hard to look away from.

Dayna is a fascinating narrator—messy, sharp, and painfully self-aware. Olivia’s chapters add a younger, more earnest counterpoint that deepens the story rather than splitting it. Stein nails the tone: biting but not cruel, disorienting without losing clarity. It’s rare to read a novel that skewers internet culture while still participating in it so knowingly.

This book is for readers who want their social commentary wrapped in mystery, their haunted houses algorithm-fed, and their horror existential. It lingers in the brain long after the last page.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

If you’re looking for something original and current, but also feels timeless in that pent-up energy of gothic dramas way, but also walks a tightrope of satire, then look no further than this book. It’s also funny. As a Gen Xer who dabbles on social media, I learned a lot about influencer culture, but this story is about our deeper psychology as a society as well. I thought it was smart to include characters from different generations to examine how each interacts with social media and finds meaning through being seen in disparate ways. I found myself snickering at times at absurd moments. AND there’s a loose mystery: What happened to Becca, the enigmatic tarot reader with millions of followers? While there’s poignant commentary about the strange places we point our attention, this novel also explores themes of generational trauma, class, relationships, self-worth, and art. I see influences from du Maurier’s Rebecca and Bronte’s Jane Eyre, but also from Awad’s Bunny and Hutson’s One’s Company. I highly recommend If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You if you’re looking for something truly unique.

If you’re seeing this review, this book is meant for you.

After getting dumped in an r/AITA post, 39-year-old Dayna agrees to help a former friend turn his crumbling LA mansion into an influencer hype house. But when Becca, a beloved tarot-reading TikTok creator vanishes, Dayna and teen influencer Olivia launch a viral campaign—uncovering secrets the house, and its residents, would rather keep hidden. Ooooooooooo (ghost noises)

If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You is eerie, fast-paced, and full of twists that keep you guessing. It blends ghostly suspense with influencer chaos in a way that feels fresh and enthralling.

If you’ve ever asked the universe for a sign, this book is it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC for review.

Okay, Leigh Stein. I see you.
If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant For You is a deliciously gothic mystery that takes a close look at modernity, social media, replication, and the most dangerous drug of all- attention. And I’m absolutely obsessed with it. This book has had me in such a chokehold since finishing it, with no end in sight. This may be the only book that I’ve ever read and immediately considered rereading.

If You’re Seeing This follows Dayna, a heartbroken millennial, as she moves into a dilapidated neo-Mayan mansion to take on the job of helping an old friend turn it into a hype house for young content creators. We also follow Olivia, an aspiring young actress who moves into the hype house with the secret intention of investigating the disappearance of the mansion’s former shining star, a social media tarot reader. However, nothing is as it seems- the owners of the mansion have a mysterious past, and the house seems to have a strange effect on those who visit, stirring up rumors and fears among online communities.

Leigh Stein packed so many layers into about 320 pages, I fear I won’t be able to scratch the surface. However, I found this book absolutely impossible to put down. She successfully turns the internet and the media into a haunting, and the rush we receive from online validation into a possession. While this may not be for readers who want every single question answered and fully explained in the end, it’s perfect for those of us who like to feel fully consumed by a story for days after finishing.

It’s atmospheric, it’s sexy, it’s satirical, it’s uncomfortably relatable. Oh, and the main character has a pet rabbit named Owen Wilson. Need I say more?

Unfortunately Leigh Stein has lost me as a reader. I do not believe she understands what satire is, and this book fell very flat. Satire is nuanced. She is just making fun of people, in a very surfacey way. She has the knowledge, intelligence, and potential to go deeper, and she is going with a shtick that is getting old.

Okay, I literally don't know what this was. It was a pretty quick DNF for me.
I am still really thankful to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me at all. The hook took way too long to get to and once we did reach the “thrill” section of this thriller, it was so fast paced and so neatly wrapped up so as to make the first 79% of the book a moot point.

negative stars actually. this author took every drug and wrote down whatever she thought of. everything she thought of. and it was awful. you owe me therapy

Every once and awhile, I read a book that seems like it was specifically written for me.

Internet lore? Check.
Pop culture references? Check.
Razor-sharp wit and voice? Check, check.

Leigh Stein's satire is a hilarious look at influencer culture and the impact on modern society, and we could all benefit from reading this one. A hype house full of outrageous characters, all with their own secrets, are trying to figure out what happened to one of their own. But when the house itself seems to have an agenda of it's own, they're left with a mystery that could break the internet.

I'm feeling pretty conflicted about this book. There were elements I genuinely enjoyed, especially the satirical take on internet culture and the social media frenzy, which offered some sharp observations about the way these forces shape our lives. That said, it sometimes felt like the author didn’t fully develop those themes; they were touched on briefly and then left hanging, which made the overall commentary feel a bit incomplete.

I also found myself wondering whether my ARC copy had gone through minimal editing. On several occasions, the narrative would abruptly shift to a new scene with little to no transition, creating a disjointed reading experience. I hesitate to critique the book too harshly on that front, as it could be specific to the ARC, but it did impact my engagement.

Despite those issues, I thought the book offered a decent exploration of social media and content creation. The commentary in those areas was thoughtful and timely. I will say that I would not categorize this as a mystery or thriller novel - it definitely leans more toward satire or speculative fiction in my view.