I found it really tough to get into - it wasn't bad, it just wasn't quite for me. I don't plan on leaving a longer review at the moment - Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC.

This book says a whole lot about what it means to live your life online. Basically, it’s like the Kardashians crossed with The Truman Show, served alongside a dollop of wit and soul-searching.

Followers takes place in two timeslines. In the first, we meet Marlow. She’s living in 2051, in a gated community whose every move is followed by cameras. Everything she does is broadcast live to the nation, and now her husband wants her to have a baby for ratings. So far, so dystopian.

In 2015, Orla is a journalist trying to make it big in the Big Apple- until she gets roped into her flatmate Floss’s schemes to become Insta-famous. Needless to say, Orla’s, Floss’s and Marlow’s stories are all connected- but it’s watching how Orla and Floss’s schemes become reality that’s most interesting, and it’s where Angelo has the most to say about the flaws in our approach to social media. How much of ourselves should we put online- and at what point does our online personality become more important than our real-life one? It’s thought-provoking stuff, and disturbing.

There are flaws, too. The plot drags, and the way we get from 2015-2051 is honestly a bit eye-rolling. But the way Angelo examines the cult of celebrity- and more importantly, asks questions about it- make this one an absorbing read.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley. 

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. 
Natalie.

This is really current and fascinating look at the dangers and positive aspects of technology. Intelligently written and full of twists that keep you engaged completely.

At first I really didn’t get on with Followers (in fact, I very nearly DNF) as I didn’t connect with any of the characters – to the extent that I was immediately forgetting who was who and how they all related to each other.  However, I got more into it as the book went on. I think the concept is very interesting and obviously quite extensively thought out, but I found the characters unlikeable and didn’t find myself rooting/caring for any of them. The ending was also a bit jarring; some characters settled for circumstances in an out-of-character way. It ended up being quite distinctly average for me, and I was almost glad when I finally finished it.

I sadly don't think this one was for me which I'm pretty gutted about!

I think the issue for me was that I simply lost interest, the book was overly long when it just wasn't needed. I just didn't like any of the characters, I think with me when it comes to enjoying books, I need to either like the characters or strongly dislike them but with a good cause if that makes sense and I just didn't really feel anything towards them.

The premise was really interesting and the author did a good job. I liked the characters and the plot. If only it was a bit shorter, or edited better. It dragged a bit. 
But overall a good, fun read. 

Thanks a lot, NG and the publisher for this copy.

I was approved for review then it was instantly removed from netgalley- so I didnt get chance to even send it to my kindle

We all dabble in social media, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, but what if you took that dabbling to the extreme? What would your life look like? For Marlow her life in Constellation is a life lived in front of a camera, the bathroom the only escape from ever watchful cameras, her every move and life event written by a team of writers.

Angelo made it all feel so ordinary, yet at the same time you were horrified, as you caught a glimpse into a dark future.

You wanted to know how she ended up in Constellation and Angelo's dual timeline transported the reader skillfully between the past and the present.

She introduced us to Orla, prolific blogger whose flatmate Floss had a huge desire to be famous. Using Orla's PR and social media skills her wish soon became true and you felt like you were trapped in a nightmare. Angelo made you question everything you thought about self promotion, life in the spotlight and the lengths some will go to to achieve their aim.

Floss was every bit the Instagram, YouTube, reality TV personality we see on our screens. She was utterly selfish and self obsessed, always on the look out for the next big thing that would garner followers. She used, manipulated and disrespected those around her, as Angelo perfectly curated a character you will love to hate.

Was Orla any different or was she too along for the ride, for the fame and the riches it brought with it? Orla was one of those wonderful contradictions, a character you wanted to dislike, but who you knew deep down wasn't anything like Floss, who was somehow lost, and you wanted the real Orla to fight her way out.

As their story unfolded, so Angelo slowly revealed Marlow's, a story that sickened and horrified me, as I knew that somewhere in the world it could be a real persons story.

And that was what was so brilliant about this novel. Yes, it was set in the future, yes Angelo was asking us to suspend belief, but was she really? Are we today laying the foundations for a future where privacy is non existent, our data used to manipulate society for the benefit of others. Is this a future that we really want or should we be doing something about it now before it goes too far and a return to the norm would be impossible.

I came to the conclusion that there is a place for both in society, that it's our decision how far we use social media and the opposing sides should respect our choices.

What ever your thoughts I recommend that you pick up The Followers and immerse yourself in Angelo's fabulous narrative. It was a narrative that immersed you in such wonderful storytelling, from the very first page to the last.

It would make the most wonderful Netflix series and I for one would be hooked.

I was in two minds whether to request this book as it isn't the type I usually read. I don't know much about influencers and social media. Having said that it certainly made me think about those things and realise it was maybe aimed more at my granddaughters.
Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy of this book

Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Angelo's 'Followers' is a pitch-perfect study of a dystopian world where the zeitgeist of an all-pervasive social media is followed to its logical conclusion. In this imaginatively-constructed novel we are plunged into a futuristic world where fame is the ultimate currency and privacy is a quaint, anachronistic relic of the past. Whether the future of Angelo's vision has already arrived will depend on your relationship to social media. Undoubtedly, for many, the time-lapse narrative will feel like the inevitable endpoint of a world where our virtual selves are virtually (pun-intended) indistinguishable from our 'real' selves. If Angelo's intent is to elucidate the unconscious, nefarious consequences of  letting technology into our lives without for one moment considering it’s potential implications in the real world, then this novel hits its mark.. This is not the opening for an existential debate which I am somewhat unequipped for, but a very real point about the ways in which our virtual lives straddle, and sometimes merge with our real lives - a form of cross-contamination if you like. A good novel about the zeitgeist of social media will always exploit the gossamer-like thread between existences. - tenuously plural In this respect - between virtual life and real life. Megan Angelo does this and does this well.  She has undoubtedly excelled herself in her searingly authentic, tautly-constructed narrative which puts the darker side of social media firmly in the spotlight.

I first heard about Followers on Anne Bogel's One Great Book bonus podcast and was completely sold on the premise. The book has a split timeline alternating between the exploits of two fame-hungry women in New York in the (more or less) present day and a young woman in 2051. In the futuristic timeline we soon find out that, following an initially mysterious event known as 'The Spill', the internet is run by the US government and some people live in a closed community known as 'Constellation' where they are watched by online followers almost 24/7. The 'Followers' in this book are, first and foremost, those on social media but there are lots of others to consider too, from dealing with issues around stalking to inheritance and ancestry. 

I loved the imagination that went into this novel: the descriptions of the dystopian world of Constellation and The Spill were particularly fascinating and I would have loved to have spent more time there (perhaps at the expense of the present-day storyline). A lot is packed into this book and there are some really memorable moments for those who enjoy plot-driven stories.  

This would be a great book club choice since it raises all kinds of issues for discussion around our modern approach to fame, privacy and social media. It certainly made me think again about some of my own online use!

Thank you very much to HQ and NetGalley for an advance review copy of Followers in exchange for an honest review.

The premise for this was super interesting and that is what made me interested in it in the first place. Whilst I did like the main character, Marlow, and thought that she was an interesting and compelling figure, i just felt like overall the book dragged for me and it could have had a fraction of it's pages removed or edited down.

I was so excited to read this book after reading the description. I really enjoy a dystopian and with Followers being set around the phenomenon that is social media and the effects of the digital world in 2051 I couldn’t wait to get started.

The start of the book had me completely hooked and I couldn’t wait to discover how each of the main characters narratives evolved. Told in 2 parts, the book switches from Orla (2016) to Marlow (2051) who are connected by Marlow’s mother Floss. A self made celebrity who becomes one of the first families to embark on the purpose built town of Constellation. Where celebrities are now controlled by a network that will decide when you will be married, have children etc. The only place to hide is in the bathroom. But how did this happen? Orla’s chapters provide us with the information and the chilling notion that this dystopian may not be so far away...

Unfortunately around 65% I began to lose a little interest and had to force myself to get to the end. The plot seemed to feel rushed in parts and sometimes a little too much over explaining. 

The book had so much promise but I just felt there was something missing along the way.

Firstly I would like to say thank you NetGalley and HQ Publishers for allowing me to read a copy of this eARC. 

Ahhh I wanted to love this one; i'd seen a lot of positive reviews and thought the whole plot line of social media being a danger was definitely interesting, especially given the world we live in currently but it just didn't quite work out for me.

I think my main issue with this book is the length and the pacing. The book is far far too long, so long that it just starts to drag and stopped being interesting. I found myself just convincing myself to slog on through pages of uninteresting info-dumping and world building. The pace is also slightly off as we jump between Marlow (future) and Orla (in the past) and the pacing was just off for me. The ultimate twist is about what The Spill is - but the reveal doesn't come until virtually the end of the book and wasn't a surprise for me at all. In a book that is focusing on social media esentially being the devil, of course the spill was going to be related to the internet "spilling" their secrets out. 

I really didn't like any of the characters. I know Olga and Floss aren't built to be likeable characters but you've got to give them some redeeming features to allow the audience to connect with them and I was just missing that from this book. They just came across as selfish and narcissistic fame hunters who felt they were entitled to the world.  Marlow was just boring; she had no personality of her own and just went along with what everyone else fed her.

The formatting really didn't help my enjoyment of this book; the chapter changes aren't clear and there's weird spacing between words and paragraphs that threw it off for me. 

This just didn't work for me and felt like we were being beaten over the head about why we shouldn't rely on technology so much. Not one for me sadly.

The idea is bold, the premise exciting. Followers is an all-encompassing tale of technology, social media, privacy, pride and everything else in-between. It bridges time, the downfall of society, the small and large changes that shape people’s lives…reality television, insta-famous, exiled societies, flying drones, it’s all here. Unfortunately events are not handled in a fluid manner. A story like this is a huge undertaking, but it felt a little jumbled. Jumping through time is fine, and the imagery and settings were serenely described, but 2051 felt more like 2151. 

The technological jumps that occur from 2016-2051 are immense, and although the years fit the story, it felt like I was reading Back to the Future’s idea of 2015 in 1989. The other problem was I guessed the twists before they happened. I felt like characters were telling each other things they already knew for the benefit of the reader. The book had so much potential and it parts was fantastic, but it descended into confusion towards the end. I’m glad I read it, but was hoping for so much more. Reviewed a pre-release copy through Netgalley.

Followers was a beautifully written multi character drama, set in a world where fame is a currency, a human disaster has changed the way we use technology and the before, what lead us there.

Over two timelines Megan Angelo weaves an atmospheric and insightful tale around one particular set of darkly intriguing characters- it's hard to quantify exactly how it gets to you - it simply does.

In the present Marlow is a star, watched from her safe haven 24 hours a day by the outside world. In a haze every decision is taken for her- from who to marry and when she has children, the producers throwing "plot twists" endlessly into their reality tv show. But Marlow is discontented..

Meanwhile in the past we see her mother's rise to fame, the author intertwines the two threads perfectly as past and present collide to show Marlow the truth of her roots...

I loved this for the literary style of the prose, for the engaging, intuitive characters and for what it says about our addiction to screen time. It is thought provoking and entertaining, intelligent and totally absorbing. 

Recommended.

I liked the characters and the technological exploration within this book. I felt that perhaps it wasn't as fast-paced as I would have liked and that the ending felt a bit rushed, but overall I liked the themes explored and the way the characters were written.

If you like Black Mirror, you’ll love Megan Angelo’s debut Followers!

In a world obsessed with fame and following, are there any boundaries to achieving celebrity status?

Lady-ish blogger Orla Cadden finds her job in jeopardy when local celebrity Sage Sterling drops dead at 27, leaving her void of any celebrity content worth writing. Strapped for cash and unable to meet her rent, Orla advertises her spare room on Craigslist and meets Florence Natuzzi, an A-lister wannabe desperate to seek celebrity status. 

Destiny? Fate? Whatever you want to call it, these girls must work together for mutual success.

Orla and Florence rebrand Florence as the electrifying Floss, a Kardashian-style influencer who fakes it until she makes it. This newfound confidence and access to social media, along with a little abusing of Orla’s blogging powers, position Floss as the greatest celebrity of 2015, and the nation follow her every move via their reality show. The world is consumed with the internet, social media and influencers until “The Spill”.

“The Spill” is the climax of emotional terrorism in December 2015 whereby hackers infiltrate the power grid and shut down the Internet. Time ceases to exist, and the world goes dark. Phones, computers and TVs are all disabled without warning. Within a few days, the predicament gets worse as digital footprints and private files are torn apart and shared with the world causing husband to turn on wife, brother against sister and friend upon friend. There are mass suicides connecting to this abuse of data breaching and the online connectivity is feared.

Fast forward to the year 2051 and we meet Marlow, a woman famous for being famous. She lives in Constellation, which is an entirely artificial ‘fishbowl’ world established for voyeuristic entertainment. Born during “The Spill”, Marlow has no recollection of the terrible consequences of social media and lives ignorantly unaware of the dark side of social media. There is little to no freewill to ‘protect’ the residents, and the show's producers closely monitor the actions of all residents to prevent them from excessively drinking, making crass decisions or worst of all, attempting to flee the programme. Every action is taken to maximise follower count. 
This dystopian era combines the haunting realities of the Stepford Wives and The Truman Show as Marlow is sponsored by a suppressant medication which dulls her version of reality, making her more passive and ultimately, more easily influenced and controlled. That is, for as long as she takes it. 

The dual narratives of Orla and Floss in 2015 and Marlow in 2051 are entwined and act as a sinister warning of not only the dangers of social media, but also the ease of forgetting size a seismic event.

Angelo’s harrowing imagining of a civilisation that loses its way is far too believable, and incredibly impressive for a debut. 

Suspenseful, thrilling and emotionally-charged, this colourful debut stays with the reader long after the final pages are closed. 

Thank you to the team at HarperCollins/HQ Stories for providing me with this manuscript, and I wish you all the best with the publication of this book. This honest review has been supplied at the request of the publisher but all the opinions given are my own

There were some very interesting aspects to this narrative, but ultimately it felt a little repetitive and the ending was very anti-climactic. It tells the story, in dual timelines, of Orla, a 30-something blogger living in New York in 2016, and Marlow, a woman of similar age living in the Truman Show-esque town of Constellation, where the inhabitants are constantly watched and the number of their 'followers' fluctuates with the tides.

The Positives: There was some really interesting commentary about the nature of social media and what it means to be internet famous, which I enjoyed. I found Marlow's story particularly intriguing, as it provided a glimpse into a future that felt very prescient and therefore, pretty disturbing. Floss, Orla, Aston and really, everyone in the 2016 timeline were pretty unpleasant, which I thought the author did really well.

The Negatives: The pacing of the narrative was uneven, which meant that large portions felt quite slow and then the ending all happened in a big rush. There were times when this book felt very long, and I think some of this stems from a feeling of repetitive plotting. Although Angelo is clearly making some very lucid arguments about the nature of celebrity culture, the actual plot was a bit dull. 

Overall, this was an interesting book, but there are other books that do both the internet and the dystopia better, for me.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.