Book review: Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang
Genre: Suspense
Release date: April 29, 2025
Goodreads rating: 3.65
My rating: 3.5
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I went into Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang expecting a gentle thriller but boy was I wrong!! The book starts out gently but soon spirals into something much different… a sort of trap that gets stranger and stranger by the page.
The story follows Julie, a young woman whose twin was adopted by an affluent family but is mysteriously found dead one day. Envious of her twin’s lavish influencer lifestyle, Julie assumes her identity and finds herself sucked into a circle of toxic media influencer ‘friends’.
The book offers an inside look at some of the absurdity of influencer life while also touching on the effects of mob mentality and power dynamics. Julie feels increasingly compelled to adapt and fit into this group despite the level of control of this group growing in toxicity.
The author does a great job at making you feel like you are ‘stuck’ in this situation with Julie so as the story evolved, so did my level of anxiety! Some of the incidents taking place were full-out bizarre, and some a bit horrific. Being a bit squeamish, I admit that I had to close my eyes and skip ahead a few pages on at least one occasion! But somehow, the story is written in such a way that you are drawn into this crazy universe and want to see how it turns out. It’s like being stuck on a roller coaster.
It’s not a book for the faint of heart but if you are looking for something a bit twisty that takes you on a crazy ride, this is the perfect book for you! It would also be an interesting book to debate at book club.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Other books you may enjoy:
The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker
The House of Light and Shadows by Lauren Westwood