Definitely in my top 5 thrillers of the year.

This novel is based on a very popular “mum influencer”. The novel takes turns from presenting her perspective, her husbands and ultimately the person that changes their lives.

Mamabare is a carefully constructed page with planned mishaps to show how relatable she is as a mother. It’s nothing like her reality as her husband tells us. Unfortunately there is a price to pay for being so public.

A real thriller that keeps pace until the very end.

Oh my goodness, but this was a good book.

#NoSpoilers : The story sucks you in like quick sand, fear rising the deeper you go.

The characters are complex and credible. The situations and cultural observations are relateable, even if the social media world is not one a reader might frequent.

A cracking good read.

Highly recommend.

This story was dizzying, in the best way. I was so caught up in the mummy blogger life and hypocrisies of Emmy and loved the overarching idea that your careless actions can have dramatic repercussions for you, especially in an age where what you post can be shared, seen and made more of than intended. I liked how well written the couple were and how we’re not at any point supposed to root for them, I hate-loved them. Really fun to read.

WOW I was completely hooked from the first to the final page and nothing could drag me away from this book!!

I’m not a fan of Instagram and have never paid influencers much notice, but this book opened my eyes to the horrors of social media.

Emmeline Jackson an instamum has many followers, she is married to Dan and has 2 children, Coco who is 4 and baby Bear. Dan is not keen on his children’s pictures being online but knows his wife’s career is important to her. But someone is out there in the background watching and planning revenge!!

The story gave me goosebumps, I loved how it is told in alternate chapters, you know something bad is going to happen but it’s told in bite size pieces that slowly builds the tension up to boiling point!!

If you are a fan of psychological thrillers then you will love this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review

People Like Her is a modern day cautionary tale woven around the rise of the Instagram influencer. Emmy, a former fashion editor is the woman behind the successful and influential Mamabare , amassing a huge following with her realistic take on motherhood. Married to Dan, an author struggling to write his second novel, Emmy earns her living by sharing her private life with her husband and children Coco and Bear online, making her a much loved figure amongst other mothers. However, as we all know this kind of publicity comes at a price so this is a storyline that comes with a warning label attached. Just as Emmy has built up a legion of adoring fans so too has she attracted the attention of those keen to shoot her down in flames. The more negative aspects of this kind of lifestyle are examined in People Like Her, bringing the perils and pitfalls of sharing details of your life with millions of strangers to the fore. Trolling unfortunately goes with the territory when you’re as famous as Emmy which this compelling storyline recognises, focusing on what can happen when one stalker in particular takes a step too far, invading Emmy and Dan’s family life and threatening to destroy it. Ultimately this is a storyline about one person’s desire for revenge or justice (depending on your perspective!) and whether Emmy and Dan will take heed of the warning signs or not. I absolutely loved it.

With this tale narrated alternately by Emmy and Dan, the reader is treated to both their perspectives of the reality of insta parenting. Interspersed with their thoughts is an mystery voice, a voice that leaves the reader in no doubt that Emmy’s every move is being watched. This person seemingly has a valid reason to hate Emmy and everything she stands for, yet it will take the reader almost the entire novel to work out why.

What fascinated me from the start was the disparity between this couple’s opinions and thoughts surrounding the ‘birth’ of the Mamabare brand and the impact creating this persona has on the whole family. To begin with I recognised Dan’s own cynicism in myself, finding the whole sharing your private life on social media shallow, distasteful and more importantly incredibly fake. Through his eyes, you quickly realise Emmy is simply a magician creating an illusion and a successful salesperson to boot. There is an art to achieving her kind of popularity which until reading this novel had passed me by. Having only a basic grasp of the power this kind of platform can generate, the author enlightened me in terms of the sheer extent of pretence and hard work that goes into formulating, honing and marketing a certain way of life. Keen to be in tune with the majority of her followers, empathising and understanding the daily struggles of breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, and all the myriad of problems parenting entails, Emmy as Mamabare has cast herself as some kind of parenting guru. I found myself shocked at how these women hung onto her every word, believing her to be the font of all knowledge parenting wise. She has a responsibility to her followers that to my mind puts Emmy in a very dangerous position. Watch this space!

Never for one minute did I warm to Emmy. She’s a highly organised, ambitious and calculating woman who has a ruthless approach to achieving her goals. She’s single minded, focused only on maintaining her pole position as numero uno instamum who fails to realise the amount of power and influence she wields through her Mamabare brand until it’s nearly too late. She’s the complete opposite to the mother she’s pretending to be and I felt quite angry that Coco and Bear were part of this marketing train that gathers momentum until events transpire to derail it. Having set off down this particular path, there seems to be no escape route when the going gets tough, without losing face (and their income!)To admit defeat just isn’t in her vocabulary. As for Dan, I had mixed feelings regarding his character. He’s like a hanger on supporting the Mamabare brand, despite his misgivings and I almost felt sorry for his lack of control over his wife’s chosen lifestyle. However any sympathy I felt was short lived as thanks to Emmy he could afford to luxuriate in doing nothing to contribute to the family’s finances, accepting all the freebies that come their way. However, underestimate this character at your peril. He may just surprise you!

Despite my abhorrence of the way in which Emmy chooses to live her life, I fell hook line and sinker for this storyline. It’s well written and thought provoking as well as suspenseful. All throughout this thriller I wanted to know who was patiently waiting in wings, watching Emmy’s every move, preparing for the perfect opportunity to pounce and trap their prey. Equally I wanted to understand the reasons behind this stalker’s behaviour, whose voice is menacing and chilling. At no point did I have a clue as to the identity of Emmy’s stalker which added the requisite tension, building up to a most unexpected climax. The final pages will have you reeling in shock and are jaw droppingly good. This debut took me by surprise and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to fellow readers. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

This is a gripping thriller about the danger of social media. It is told from the perspective of the husband, the influencer and the stalker. None of the characters are particularly likeable and it would be hard to feel any sympathy for them at all were it not for the children. It got very dark towards the end and was not the ending I expected.

Wow. Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this in advance of publication.

This is a gripping thriller about the dangers of social media, and easily one of my top reads of the year.

The life of an influencer isn’t as easy as it looks. Every moment of Emmy’s life is carefully curated to appeal to her followers and the brands who pay her to promote their products. This isn’t all no make-up make-up and filtered moments of perfection though. Emmy’s market is the world of Insta motherhood, so it’s styled to look natural with messy floors, baby sick and sleepless nights. The fact that Emmy’s kids both sleep really well and she has a cleaner twice a week doesn’t quite make the cut for ‘life on the grid’. Husband Dan is grudging of his wife’s use of their children and family life, but as he’s trapped in second novel hell he’s realistic that they need the income her online activities bring.

Of her million followers Emmy’s used to the hate amongst the love, but she doesn’t suspect that one of those followers isn’t just a keyboard warrior. They have a very personal hate for Emmy and have sinister plans for her future.

This is a fantastically well written book. Normally I’m put off by books written by two people (Ellery Lloyd is a pseudonym for husband and wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos). But, here it works really well. The story is told in first person perspective from Emmy, Dan and the stalker and each voice feels very authentic. I really enjoyed reading a sympathetic male character (Dan) as it feels the men have been all been one-dimensional villains who treat the women in their lives despicably.

I finished this within 24 hours and it absolutely would have been a one sitting read if work and sleep hadn’t been necessary. A brilliant read and I heartily recommend it.

I'm not on Instagram. I already spend far too much time on Facebook and this year I discovered Twitter, mainly as an observer. What a seething, revolting cesspit that turned out to be. But I'm fascinated by social media and how people represent themselves on it so I had to read this book.

Emma is a social influencer with over a million followers. She presents herself as a positive, slightly chaotic mama of two, carefully staging her life online. She replies to every single message she receives, giving bland, inoffensive 'advice'. Her husband Dan is a novelist with only one successful book. He seems to be rather spoilt and lazy, never having had to work for a living and surviving on a trust fund left to him by his father. So, Emma is the breadwinner for their little family. These are two self obsessed people who would seem to deserve everything they've got coming to them.. And we know there's something coming because interspersed with their viewpoints is that of a deranged woman who blames Emma for ruining her life.

I raced through this book. It is very readable. And although the two main characters are not at all likeable the authors do manage to give them some redeeming features. Emma is doing it all for her family even if it's not how we would choose to earn a living and Dan clearly adores his children. And neither of them have themselves had the best upbringing. which may have been materially rich but was emotionally poor. I would have loved to have seen more of Polly, Emma's only real friend whom she betrays in the most narcissistic way possible. I also wasn't sure about the end. That device has been used before and is being increasingly used in this genre and although it gives you an unpleasant frisson the first or even second time you see it, it ends up being a bit meh. But that apart, a rollicking read ideal for a plane journey (remember them?) or the beach. Having said that, it's by no means a frivolous read and has some very serious things to say about social media and how we are living our lives now. A very solid 4 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I personally don’t like mummy bloggers, a world of perfection that is unattainable making regular mums feel bad about themselves and this book confirms why I feel that way. It’s not a thriller and it’s not entertaining enough for chick lit. ,I won’t be reading any more of the authors books as I know there won’t be anything I would be missing. Don’t waste your time.

Thanks to Harper and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

‘People Like Her’, a double-punner title by husband/wife writing team Ellery Lloyd, is a chilling look at the world of influencers and Instagramming. Nowadays, there’s so much discussion on social media and its impact on metal health that readers might, at first, imagine that there’s nothing new to be gained from reading about this potentially toxic world.
Nevertheless, through conjuring up the lives of self-obsessed Emmy and her lazy husband Dan, and their unfolding nightmare, Ellery Lloyd shows us just how powerful, far-reaching and damaging the celebrity voice can be. Part of the success of ‘People Like Her’ is the writers’ decision to allow Emmy and Dan just a little moral leeway. Yes, she is ghastly in so many ways but she has the pressure of being solely responsible for the family’s income. Granted, he is idle and complacent but he is loyal and cares deeply for his children. So, when things turn very dark, most readers will not be hoping the absolute worst for this couple. Nevertheless, in the final pages we appreciate just what these two are prepared to do to enjoy popularity - it's not pretty!
The writers are accomplished in creating authentic-sounding individual narrative voices and scattering red herrings as the narrative develops. We always know that someone is out for revenge but we only learn gradually who and why. The reasons also seem plausible even if the deed is difficult to read about. Whilst ‘People Like Her’ is in no way derivative, if you enjoy smart psychological thrillers in the style of ‘Gone Girl’ and ‘Notes on a Scandal’, this will be one for you.
My thanks to NetGalley and Mantle, Pan Macmillan for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

This book is a crime/thriller for 2020, the social media generation. If you didn't know what a social media influencer was before then you will now, and probably you won't like them much. An interesting story with plenty of red herrings to keep you hooked throughout.

The first three quarters of this book read like the ever more popular fiction novels about the (more lighthearted) perils of being an influencer.
The final quarter really took a turn to the dark side!
Really enjoyable and easy to see why so many people are talking about this one.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Emmy who is a social influencer who goes under the name the mama_bare. Her husband Dan is not 100% happy with her career choice but it brings the money in and allows him to try and write another best selling novel. Somebody is following everything the family does and planning revenge.

I thought that this was a real insight into high profile social media stars. I really didn’t like our two main characters. Emmy is self absorbed and the way she treats her best friend is unforgivable. Dan her husband is lazy and quite happy to let Emmy do all the work including looking after their son and daughter so he can play at being a writer. It was hard to feel any sympathy for the characters and if it wasn’t for the children in this story I really would not have cared too much about what happens. I really did enjoy the ending.

I was intrigued straight away by the idea of a thriller about an influencer, and this book did not disappoint! It was fast-paced and very readable, featuring lots of smart twists that I didn’t see coming. It kept me guessing throughout which made for an exciting read. The narrative is from three different perspectives, Emmy, her husband Dan, and an anonymous follower, which shows how different their perceptions of events are. I liked how background details about the couple were revealed at the beginning, so you go into the story with a better understanding of who they are.
The mystery around who the obsessed follower is and what they are planning to do is the part of the story that kept me hooked. When it comes to creating a sense of fear in a thriller novel, a lot of books can fall flat, but this one evokes the feeling because the events are so scarily believable. This was emphasised by the involvement of the young children in the story, who don’t understand the attention surrounding them.
I loved reading about Emmy’s character and her self-made career as “mamabare”. Parts of the book played out as a behind-the-scenes look at the life of an influencer. As expected, the way she presented herself online differed from reality, and her relatable mum role was meticulously planned out. The book exposes the reality of the darker side of the internet and highlights that, for some, morals can take a back step in the need for success.
People Like Her was an original thriller that didn’t feel like any others I’ve read before. It was very well-written and I thought the ending was perfect. I love discovering new authors and will definitely be looking out for any of their future work!

Emmeline Jackson is ‘mambare’, an Instamum and a huge ‘brand’ with many followers. She is married to Dan, a writer and they have a daughter Coco who is four and a baby boy named Bear who are used in the brand. Their story is told in alternating points of view, interspersed with an as yet unknown person on a revengeful course of destruction.

The story hooks you in immediately, you know something awful is happening and it then backtracks and unfolds well. The alternating perspectives is absolutely fascinating as their perception of events is almost polar opposite. My sympathy for much of the book lies with Dan until the end when I realise that these two deserve everything they get. Have they no boundaries? Emmy’s life is a bilious inducing micromanaged, manipulated one and so forced and fake it confirms everything I’ve always thought about ‘Insta stars’. Yeah, yeah, I know, paint me green and call me The Grinch 😂. Then she starts to get somewhat tired and jaded with it all - well, boo, hoo! There’s one unforgivable thing she does to her oldest friend Polly that shocks to the core as it’s cynical and a vile betrayal. There are some really good moments of creepiness, there’s alarm, panic and tension as the obsessive revenge seeker ups the ante and how. There are several really good twists as you reach the finale and well played Ellery Lloyd as you sure fool me!!! It’s clever and leaves you wondering and pondering just when ..........

Overall, it’s a well written novel with a good premise and plot. It’s a compelling, easy to read psychological thriller which I recommend to fans of the genre.

4-5 stars.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pan McMillan/ Mantle for the arc for an honest review.

Wow this is an amazing book, about all the pros and cons of an influencer on Instagram and how just a few words can change someone’s life or even death. New mums or even becoming a mum can be stressful and time consuming but what this main character has done is turn that into a commodity, I found myself not really liking her and also not really liking her partner either though at times I felt he had my sympathy a bit more than she did. I feel that is the point of the book it shows how we judge females a lot harder than we do men. I absolutely found this engrossing and compelling and I can definitely say that this will be a big hit next year. Loved it.

I loved this book. I was unsure what to expect from the cover and first page, however was quickly absorbed into it.
The plot is original, engaging and fast paced.
I couldn’t put it down once I started reading it and finished it in one sitting.

'the kind of human being into which I seem to be turning has genuinely terrified me.'
This is a chilling tale of 6 unforgettable weeks of parenting influencer mama bear Emmy, her husband Dan and kids Coco & Bear. Told through 3 perspectives Emmy, Dan and a follower who has unhealthy intentions and obsessions.
We get an insight into the world of social media influencer Emmy with million plus followers who is at the top of her game. But is life really as good as it seems, what price is being paid for all this glamour and freebies. We see the highs but also the realities the hate, the demands, competitive nature and sacrifices when life becomes public knowledge, especially on family and friends.
I enjoyed the multiple points of view, especially Dan's questioning the life. The unnerving shopping centre visit will stay with me. The unravelling of the obsessed follower step by step also kept me on edge. However, I would have liked more of pollys and winters story in the last part of the book.
The story was fast paced, the layout of the paragraphs moved the story along quickly and kept me hooked. I enjoyed the twists and the conclusion left me wanting more.
Good read, recommend to all influencers and social media accounts holders alike.
Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this book.

I very much enjoyed 'People Like Her' as a light thriller. With social media so prevalent in our lives, a book based around sharing on social media is very relatable - even if we're not all instamums we most likely follow them, so this book feels like a very real possibility. For me, the names of the two children should have been different as they're the same as a real life mum on Instagram, and so this painted an image of Emmy in my mind that was very difficult to change! All in all, an enjoyable and easy read.

I was really surprised when I got an email saying I’d been accepted for an ARC of this, as I don’t remember requesting it and it didn’t sound like my thing at all.

Turned out i LOVED IT.

I started reading this on a Friday night and read solidly for 2 hours, then finished it on Saturday afternoon. I could not put it down.

I occasionally read thrillers and then remember I don’t like thrillers. I usually find the writing cliche and the plot disappointing or non sensical.

This was neither of those things.

I’m sure this will be compared with Gone Girl, as all thrillers are, but the the first chapter, from
Dan’s perspective, describing Emmy’s perfectly crafted instagram life, reminds me so much of Nick Dunne talking about Amy’s head.

It’s a perfect blend of dark and cynical and satirical, as well as being an absolutely gripping read. It’s also incredibly well-written. I honestly loved the world it was describing so much I also didn’t need the “thriller” element.

I know loads of people who have struggled to read during lockdown - this is the perfect book to hook you back into reading.