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.

This was such a page-turning, darkly funny, thought-provoking exploration of influencer culture, media and public spotlights, and aging today—I tore through it and am still thinking about it. Another excellent and provocative commentary from Stein.

Thanks to NetGalley for the loan of this book. I think I’m being generous giving it three stars. It was disappointing in many ways. Great plot line, first one I’ve run across using social media, only problem the content providers the author chose were bad, a couple, a hunk, an orphan but the psychic reader was OK but these are not who I follow and the purpose is to create a large enough following to secure monetary endorsements from companies with a portion going to renovate the Hollywood mansion that they’re all residing in. The mystery portion is locating the psychic reader, who has a huge following and who has mysteriously disappeared. The author couldn’t decide which guy to choose for the love interest, the owner if the mansion or the hunk, not much sizzle from either. Won’t tell you what happened to the house except to say it was dumb. Can’t believe I read the whole book. The ending was What? How can a 40 year old woman be so stupid.

There’s a certain delicious absurdity in Leigh Stein’s "If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You:" a crumbling Hollywood mansion-turned-hype house, a tarot influencer gone missing, and a woman nearly forty trying to salvage her dignity—and her bank account—after her boyfriend publicly dumps her on Reddit. The premise crackles with possibility, blending social satire with gothic overtones, and Stein writes with a sharp, wry touch that’s genuinely engaging.

Dayna, unemployed and humiliated, takes up an offer from Craig, a man she hasn’t seen in two decades, to help transform his decaying family home into influencer central. But the house holds more than ring lights and brand deals: Becca, a charismatic tarot reader whose cryptic videos amassed legions of fans, has mysteriously vanished. Together with nineteen-year-old Olivia, one of Becca’s biggest devotees, Dayna crafts a social media campaign to keep the house afloat—and maybe solve Becca’s disappearance—despite Craig’s insistence that they avoid scandal.

For all its potential, though, the novel sometimes feels like a haunted house without any true shadows. The setting—a labyrinthine mansion—should drip with menace or mystery, but it rarely conjures the eerie vibe it promises. I kept waiting to feel a chill down my spine or a creeping sense of dread, but the atmosphere never quite thickens past surface-level intrigue.

The same can be said for the characters. Dayna is the novel’s most compelling figure, caught between her skepticism of internet culture and her growing entanglement in its machinery. Yet even she remains somewhat opaque, her motivations shifting without always feeling earned. The rest of the cast, from the brooding Craig to influencer heartthrob Jake, often feel more like concepts than flesh-and-blood people. Olivia is sympathetic, but even she can’t quite shoulder the emotional weight the story needs.

The mystery of Becca’s disappearance is the novel’s central hook, but it unravels almost passively. Clues fall into place with little real investigation or tension, and the conclusion barrels in so quickly that I found myself flipping back pages to be sure I hadn’t missed something vital. For a novel promising gothic secrets and influencer drama, the resolution feels oddly muted.

Still, Stein’s writing is crisp, clever, and observant, especially when dissecting the contradictions of influencer culture: how personal tragedy becomes content, how brand deals are dressed up as authenticity, and how internet fame can both empower and erase identities. The book offers astute commentary on the transactional nature of online connection and the blurred lines between performance and truth.

"If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You" is a fun, sometimes uneven blend of social critique and modern mystery. It’s worth reading for Stein’s voice and the sly humor woven through the pages, even if it doesn’t fully deliver on its gothic or emotional promises. A solid, intriguing read—just not quite the immersive thriller or atmospheric gothic tale it initially sets out to be.

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

This book was so interesting! I absolutely loved the commentary on the effects of social media. It was incredibly smart and witty! I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

Since the advent of social media, young people have performed versions of themselves online for consumption and validation. Years later, they - and our main character - grapple with the impending indifference and disregard the world inflicts on those whose performances it no longer ascribes any value to.

Faced with that and a life that is a far cry from the dreams of their youth, the once-exploited may find themselves in a role reversal. Maybe it’s just the effect the once glorious and now dilapidated gothic mansion has on the women who inhabit it. Or maybe it’s just showbiz, baby.

A story about an influencer hype house in LA may provoke an (appropriate!) eye roll or two, but this book was SO easy to get into. There’s a bit of mystery, a healthy dose of cringe, a salacious moment or two, a dash of redemption, classic pandemic-era TikTok tropes, and a slew of mental health problems.

If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You was well-paced, well-written and hard for me to put down, but the last 15% or so felt a bit rushed, which left the redemption arc to fall a bit flat.

This book will especially resonate with readers in their 20s and 30s who have lived much of their lives being moderately to chronically online, but I’d recommend it even if those qualifiers do not apply to you.

Thanks to Ballantine & NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for my review.

4.25 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was fascinating. At first I was like ugh, influencers, I don't want to read about a hype house, and I was even a tad meh for the first half of the story. But when the mystery began to unfurl and the gothic elements came through, it made the read worth it. It was atmospheric and secretive and really made me want to visit LA for some reason.

A quote I'll be thinking about for awhile: "As if the fact that someone wanted to watch you live your life was proof that you had a life worth living."

Smart, addictive, and wildly original. I loved SELF CARE, but Leigh Stein’s latest novel is on another level. Set in a former Old Hollywood movie set turned influencer hype house, this book delivers a delicious mix of satire, suspense, and sharp social commentary. The characters and their backstories are so compelling, I felt like I was right there with them—and when I wasn’t reading, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Stein’s talent is undeniable, and the research and nuance she brings to the influencer world make this as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

Wow! I couldn’t put this one down. Leigh Stein has done it again!

The remarkable thing about internet culture and social media is that it moves SO DAMN FAST…and as a result this feels a little dated already. Hype houses in 2025 aren’t nearly as much of a thing as they were just a few years ago. That being said, this book was still a highly enjoyable read and works on a number of different levels.

The gothic novel form worked beautifully here. The Deckler house was a great setting, and our characters were excellent, complex anchors who had me hooked on the story. I appreciated how Dayna was so morally gray—for so long I was a bit shocked by how far she was willing to go to still feel relevant. One criticism I have is that Dayna’s shift at the end feels pretty abrupt. The exploitative nature of it all seems to click out of nowhere and she feels sick at how she’s participated in it all. And things had to get pretty extreme before she felt that way! I also felt like the Olivia POV was just kind of dropped without much of a conclusion for her. Jake gets kinda dropped/lost too.

So many aspects of this novel felt on point: the tarot reader influencer, the Nepo baby, the older guy inviting a young girl to his mansion because he loves her art, the Reddit am I the asshole post, etc. Some of the characters, like Piper and Sean, weren’t as well fleshed out, but I feel like it balances out with how much complexity with get with Dayna.

I’ll never get over the story of how Olivia’s parents died or that imagery of her grinding and sweatily dancing as she reveals her trauma in a TikTok.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Not what I was expecting at all. So fun and way funnier than I anticipated. I loved the social media aspect, the again the dark humor was a great touch. Loved the writing style and I’m definitely excited to see more by this author.

A fever-dream of a book. I finished it within a night because of how engrossed I was. Highly recommend it!!

Rounded up from 2.5 stars:

From the cover and blurb, and like others, I kind of expected a campy thriller, and that’s NOT what this book is at all. This is a book about a group of largely unlikable twenty-somethings existing in a dilapidated mansion while wondering (vaguely, because they’re mostly just self-absorbed content creators, who are generally annoying to begin with) what happened to a previous roommate, Becca. The “adults” include Dayna, a 39-year old unemployed tabloid reporter whose boyfriend recently broke up with her via Reddit, and Craig, the weird 50-something owner of said mansion who had groomed Dayna when she was a teenager (while he was engaged, no less), then years later invites her to manage his household of vapid nobodies. I went into this thinking most content creators are vapid nobodies, and therefore was excited for this validation, to be clear. And we do get glimpses of character depth for some of them (Jake, Piper) but they’re mostly one-dimensional side characters that we don’t get a ton of context for.

There’s a lot of random craziness that’s mildly entertaining, and I think Olivia’s backstory is compelling but otherwise this seemed disjointed and incomplete. The entire “climax” of learning Becca’s fate was rushed and nonsensical, and the ending seemed like a cliffhanger but is there more to come from these characters? I don’t really think I would bother to find out.

I will say, the writing is very good and I did appreciate the author’s commentary on online fame overall.