A fast paced lighthearted yet cautionary tale showing the danger of social media and believing everything that you see. Dramatic view into how your thoughts can be skewed one way to the exclusion of others.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A quick read with enough drama and tension to keep you reading. Would be great as a teen movie as has all the suspense needed! Whilst lacking substance in areas, it was entertaining enough to make me read on and an easy book to take in!

This was a nice quick read, a scary and believable tale of spending too much time online and the dangers of telling someone you don't know things about yourself. TW for sexual assault, stalking, bad parental relationships.

Dnfed--unfortunately the book was archived before I was able to read it. However, I will be back with a review if I am able to read the book in the future!

This book was eye opening.
A great teen thriller based around the dark side of social media.
It honestly freaked me out at times but I really enjoyed reading it. Fast paced and guaranteed to keep you guessing.

An interesting yet cautionary tale, FOLLOW ME LIKE ME by Charlotte Seager is a gripping and thought-provoking tale of the effect of social media in teenagers' lives. Having said that, I feel young people should truly read this book to help them recognise the dangers of living their lives so completely online. They need to understand - really understand - that you never truly know who you are talking to online. That, and the fact that the internet is forever. It is something we never dealt with when we were their age but we, as adults, can see its dangers even if young people today don't.

The story follows two girls who go to the same school and are in the same year but are from two totally different social circles. Chloe is vivacious and popular whereas Amber is invisible and a loner. These girls live on social media but in two completely different ways.

Chloe has just broken up with her boyfriend Tom and in her devastation thinking "two can play that game" attempts to make him jealous by chatting with one of her most ardent followers, a guy named Sven. The conversations then lead to WhatsApp where the two chat more privately. Sven seems sweet and fun to start with as the two chat on the phone till 2am one morning.

Then one night she attends a party at her ex's place and makes a bit of a show of herself, in another attempt to make Tom jealous, and ends up being drunkenly escorted home by some boy whose name begins with J...she can't remember. The boy makes advances on her and Chloe fights him off, but not before groping her breasts and pressing her up against the wall to prevent escape. But escape, she does. She is so shaken by the incident, she doesn't know who to confide in. Her best friend Louise was busy with Jerome. Tom didn't want to know her. And then she remembered Sven.

But when she tells him all about the party and the incident afterwards, she is shocked by his reaction - "Well, what did you expect?" He then begins slut shaming her, commenting on every single one of her Instagram posts and sending about fifty messages to her in one morning. The constant buzzing of her phone is driving her mad and in the end she blocks him.

Then her best friend Louise starts ghosting her and after being called to the head teacher's office, she is suspended from school for sending indecent photos of Louise in her underwear to everyone. But she didn't; she wouldn't. Louise is her best friend and she would NEVER betray her like that. So who would do this to her? And why?

Meanwhile, invisible Amber has a crush on trainee personal trainer Ren. She becomes obsessed when she learns that he has been fired and she tries to find out why and what he is supposed to have done? Of course it doesn't occur to her that it is none of her business, but after she learns that he has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple women she is so sure that Ren is innocent that she endeavours to clear his name by stalking his social media accounts to find out the truth. Refreshing his Facebook and Instagram near constantly, she also adds him to Snapchat so she can SnapMap him and follow him in real life. Although her obsession comes from an innocent place, it still feels a little too creepy.

The two girls couldn't be more different and while Amber's behaviour borders on creepy, I can relate to her more than I can to Chloe. When I was their age (many moons ago), I was Amber - a loner, invisible who didn't make friends easily. I could relate to her crush on Ren as I often had crushes on unattainable boys (or even those a little older) and, although there was no social media in my day, would often find a way just to be near where ever they were just so I could watch them. Looking back now, it is pretty creepy. lol But as a lonely and invisible teen, such a thing seems to unattainable, it's what they do. It's certainly what Amber did...and had she not, things could have turned out a whole lot different for both her and Chloe.

When I requested FOLLOW ME LIKE ME I didn't know it was a YA read, as I was just drawn in by the premise. I was impressed by the subject matter and thought that it was a topic that really needed highlighting, in a world where just about everyone, particularly teenagers, live their lives through social media. I was eager to discover how it would be tackled as it is so important to have something like this that reminds young people of the dangers. This book highlights the fact that you cannot trust an online persona 100% and how easily online activity can creep into real life.

The twist may have been predictable which I saw coming almost from the start, but in the real world, it is not something we would be able to identify as quickly. Its purpose is to highlight the dangers and just how easy it is to fall into its trap.

I do agree with some other reviewers with the ending - well, Amber's ending. Without giving anything away, I felt it should have been handled a little differently, particularly in a book that could prove to be helpful to young people in the lesson of online safety. Amber's ending was just a little too neat and left the reader somewhat unsatisfied.

A fast paced easy read, FOLLOW ME LIKE ME has short snappy chapters (my favourite kind) in the alternating narratives of Chloe and Amber respectively. It is written in a way that young adults can understand yet without all the confusing text speak they so often use (thankfully). Despite it's subject matter, it was a relatively quick read that took me about 4 hours in total to complete.

An addictive read for young adults, FOLLOW ME LIKE ME is an appropriate read for teens that highlights a social awareness for their personal safety online. The internet is forever and it is full of predatory types that young people may think they are immune to...and are not. The dangers that lurk on the internet are indeed very real.

Well done Charlotte Seager for highlighting awareness on the dangers of the world wide web...and that the image people portray on social media might not be who they really are.

I would like to thank #CharlotteSeager, #NetGalley and #MacmillanKidsUK for an ARC of #FollowMeLikeMe in exchange for an honest review.

It’s hard to tell what Follow Me, Like Me is trying to say. Telling the story of two girls called Amber and Chloe, it’s a warning against social media and the way that whatever you post can be seen by anyone… But I’m not quite sure who it is warning.

Chloe and her boyfriend Tom have just broken up, so she starts talking to a boy on Instagram called Sven. He seems sweet to start with, but after she tells him about an incident at a party he begins slut shaming her. She blocks him, but then ends up getting suspended from school for spreading photographs of her friend Louise in her underwear – which Chloe didn’t, and would NEVER, do. She’s sure that Sven must have something to do with it, but how and why? It’s not like she even knows him, not really.

Meanwhile Amber has a crush on Ren, a guy who works in the school gym. When he gets fired she pretends to be his sister to investigate, and after learning that he’s been accused of sexually assaulting multiple women Amber decides to become a detective and prove Ren’s innocence. She stalks him on all of his social media platforms, refreshing his Facebook and Instagram near constantly, and adding him on Snapchat so she can see his Snap Map and follow him in real life.

Chloe arranges a meeting with Sven, so that she can find out who he is and why he’s ruining her life. Meanwhile, Amber is following Ren and – yep, you guessed it – she follows him straight to his meeting with Chloe, because he IS Sven! A huge surprise, definitely not hinted at by the rhyming names or anything…

Sven/Ren tries to attack Chloe, but Amber swoops in and saves the day. To thank her, Chloe tells everyone at school that Amber saved her and they strike up an unlikely friendship – the hottest girl in school, and the invisible quite one who everyone forgets about.

So does this mean it’s fine to stalk someone on social media as long as you’re a girl? Because that’s all I really got from this. If Amber hadn’t been utterly obsessed with Ren, she wouldn’t have been able to save Chloe from him, and she wouldn’t have found the acceptance at school which she had always been craving.

Yes, it’s a warning about not talking to strangers on the internet, about being careful about who you send intimate pictures to, about not thinking someone is innocent of sexual assault just because they’re hot and were nice to you once… But Amber is majorly obsessed with Ren – so much so that her family are worried about her – and she doesn’t experience any kind of ramifications. Is it saying that girls are less dangerous than men on the internet? Amber physically follows Ren on multiple occasions and that seems quite dangerous to me!

I don’t know, it’s hard to get my thoughts together on this one. I think I know what Charlotte Seager was aiming to say but it feels like it missed the mark quite dramatically. That being said, until you get to the conflicting ending, the story is quite gripping. I figured out the Ren/Sven connection very early and I just hoped I was wrong, because a lot of the plot does hinge on that being a surprise, but the tension and fear which Chloe feels is palpable. Similarly, the compulsion Amber feels to prove Ren’s innocence is a good driving force: her chapters fly past because she’s so desperate to discover the truth. Unfortunately it just doesn’t make too much sense when you look at it closely.

What a fantastic cautionary tale Follow Me, Like Me is. It is the story of how our obsession with social media can actually be very insidious. What Charlotte Seager has done exceptionally well is that she has presented it from various different angles. We have Chloe who is obsessed with the buzz and thrill of how people liking her on social media makes her feel. It is almost drug like but she forgoes her own safety to get that feeling.

We see obsession from Amber’s side as she becomes fixated with an individual and begins to stalk her prey. Although we feel that her obsession comes from an innocent place we cannot help feel a bit creeped out by her lack of social awareness.

Then we see it from the perspective of the faceless stranger who at first seems lovely but becomes more and more sinister as the story develops.

Follow Me, Like Me is a brilliant story that deserves to be put in the hands of every teen who thinks that they are techno-savvy (and even the ones that don’t) to make sure that they realise the real dangers that lurk in the darkness of the interweb.

Follow Me, Like Me by Charlotte Seager is available now.

For more information regarding Charlotte Seager (@CharlotteSeager) please visit www.charlotteseager.com.

For more information regarding Macmillan Children’s Books (@MacmillanKidsUK) please visit www.panmacmillan.com.

Teaching vulnerable teenagers who are glued to their phones, I think that this is a must read for all young adults! It highlights the increasingly common issues that teenagers, who post their whole life on social media, are facing.
I had mixed feelings about the main characters. I sympathised with Chloe and found her treatment by her peers and online fan completely out of order but sadly this is reality for a lot of teenagers. Amber however did not gain any sympathy - I just didn’t want to her and I found her ‘obsession’ seriously worrying.
This book tries to unpick the issues surrounding social media. It is seen as a glossy arena where everyone and everything is perfect. It is becoming increasingly difficult for teenagers to see the dangers and sadly a lot of them refuse to acknowledge that the plot of this story could become reality for them.
Most of us are addicted to social media whether we like it or not - how many of you are constantly scrolling through Instagram, thinking about what to post next? Just look at my ‘social’ folder after 30mins of inactivity. It provides some life lessons for teenagers when they are at their most vulnerable whilst still being relatable and relevant.

If you enjoy YA, then I would definitely recommend but be warned that you might end up shouting at some of the characters and their seemingly ‘idiotic’ decisions.

A great teen thriller based around the dark side of social media.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I actually found this book quite scary. As soon as I finished I felt like I should go into all my personal social media sites and check my privacy settings. I didn’t realise how easy it was for someone to find out everything about you online or even impersonate you! Absolutely crazy but I think this book is so important as it shows teenagers the need to be careful. I did find the book a tad predictable as I had guessed how Amber and Chloe’s lives will eventually interact quite early on but that didn’t impact on my overall enjoyment of the book. It is definitely worth a read!

Thank you Macmillan and Netgalley for the review copy!

A gripping, thought-provoking and fascinating tale of the effect of social media in teenager's lives.

The pace is ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE, and the treatment of social media stalking and the differences between offline and online lives is very well rendered. The main characters are fleshed-out and tri-dimensional, but I had a bit of a hard time believing how neither the school nor Chloe's family and friends would believe her. Nowadays, I believe online stalking and impersonating methods are more well-known, so it strikes me as a bit odd that nobody in her circle apart from Tom would believe her.

I read this in one sitting. I wasn't sure if it would be my kind of book but it ticked many boxes.
Told in the first person from the point of view of 2 main characters who initially seem to be connected only by their school this book delves into the world of Social Media and explores how things are not always what they seem online.

Amber is a bit of a loner, and is becoming increasingly obsessed with Ren who works at the gym attached to school. When he is sacked, she is determined to prove that the smiling personal trainer couldn't be guilty of the things he is accused of.

Chloe is one of the popular girls with a large group of friends and a strong social media following. Following a break up, she is contacted by Sven online and quickly hits it off with him, spending hours talking to him.

As we read the story through the eyes of the two teens, we learn how the 2 girls are more closely connected than they first appear.

This was quite a fast paced book and a quick read with short chapters (I got through it in about 3 hours)
It would be an appropriate read for teens, particularly when encouraging them to be aware of their personal safety online, and how the image people portray on social media might not be who they really are.

I received an eARC of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an important cautionary tale about the ills of social media for teens. From the off it keeps you reading as it has the pacing and structure of a mystery. Trigger warnings for sexual assault and cyber-stalking.

It's hard to focus a novel around social media as it changes so rapidly, but Follow Me, Like Me does a good job of depicting social media as it is right now. It touches on crucial messages about the dangers of the digital world, such as identity fraud and cyber-stalkers. It also covers feminist issues like slut-shaming and male entitlement, which I think are handled really well.

In places it did read a little detached from how teens think and feel. In that sense it felt like I was definitely reading a YA book and no an insight into the inner-workings of the teenage mind. I think this is down to a lack of back-story for each character. It feels like we start half-way through the story before we've got all the facts. I wasn't clear on why Amber felt so connected to Ren from the beginning, and I was a little confused as to why she was so convinced he was innocent. There was a big focus on Ren being wrongly accused and I felt like I spent the whole book waiting to find out who actually did and, and what the "J" person had to do with anything.

This wasn’t really for me sadly, the lead characters irritated me, they aren’t empathetic, I am sure plenty of others will enjoy this but it just wasn’t my book

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Firstly I cant believe the mixed and low ratings for this book, I thought it was very cleverly thought out, researched and a must read for any teen girls to read and be made aware of the dangers of the internet.
This was a suspenseful, thriller read and grabbed my attention straight away.
This book shows that social media isn't always as glossy and great as we think and has many dangers and can impact peoples lives severely. It covers victim blaming, stalking, ghost apps, victim shaming, abusive behaviours and warning signs.
The two girls in this book were polar opposites and the book gives POV's from each girl.
This was a fantastic read and I really urge all girls and parents to give this book a read!

Spoilers.

I loved this book so much. I felt like most young people should read this book as it contains many different life lessons which people should understand. It also states that its not always guys that do strange things but it can be girls as well especially when reading Ambers view within the book. I loved Chloe and her character and the importance of not just messagings random people online and meeting them alone as you never know what is going to happen.

I feel like this book should be appreciated by all young people as it shows the dangers of social media and how much harm it can do to the mental health of young people.

It was a very insightful novel, with a strong cast of characters. I enjoyed the story line very much and would definitely recommend this book.

I didn't really like this. The two female lead characters were a bit unrealistic and i got annoyed by how they were behaving as it just did not seem plausible that the two girls would react that way. I wanted to like this as the writing was good and i liked how it had been written but i could not deal with the characters and how they were.