When a tragic accident kills their parents, twin sisters Chloe and Julie are separated – Julie sent to live with their poor aunt whilst Chloe is adopted. Years later, Julie stumbles across her twin’s social media channel and is stunned to see her own face staring back at her.

Chloe is now a successful and wealthy influencer. Julie, struggling, is fascinated – and jealous. Then she receives a cryptic voicemail. She heads to Chloe’s swanky NYC apartment, only to find her twin dead. When the police arrive, they assume the body is Julie’s. Realising the opportunity at hand, Julie is no rush to correct them. Taking over Chloe’s identity seems like the perfect escape.

What follows is a sharp, cynical and dark satire of influencer culture. Julie rationalises her deception and new-found career by stating: “𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘱𝘵𝘰-𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘛𝘪𝘬𝘛𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘻.” And it's absolutely awful that all of these things have happened. Truth is stranger than fiction, right?

Soon, “Chloe” is swept into the elite world of the Belladonnas, a select group of female influencers led by queen bee Bella Marie. But a clandestine luxury getaway reveals darker and weirder undercurrents behind the curated perfection.

Although the book begins with a body and ends with secrets, this isn’t your standard crime novel. There’s no central mystery that Julie is trying to solve – just a biting, brilliant commentary on internet fame, identity and the strange culture of the influencer era.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC.

Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything. Except a pulse.

This book blindsided me a little. I went in expecting a cutesy look at social media with a slightly tainted edge (death is in the title), but I got so much more.

From the middle of this book we take an unexpected dark turn which I ate up. It was a hard one to put down which is always a good sign. I also definitely gasped out loud!

Get ready for a wild ride!

Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC. This book was published in the UK on 01/05/2025

This was a different, interesting read! Almost one of a kind i'd say.
At times i didnt want to put it down as I was so into it!
Great for a debut!
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book!
It had such a good balance of humour and darkness, whilst leaving you with a lot to think about.
The character of Julie was believable, complex and I found myself rooting for her even when she was doing wrong. There were so many times when I wondered what I would do in her situation.
The part of the book set on the island was fantastic, darkly funny with an excellent sinister undertone.
I can’t wait to read more from this author.

What a fun little thriller that was! Fast paced, nice short little chapters leaving you wanting more and a nice mixture of dark comedy and satire. Second half of the book became totally unhinged and that’s my kind of book!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Chan works as a supermarket cashier and lives with her aunt. Her twin sister, Chloe Van Huusen, is a famous influencer, adopted by white family following the death their parents.
When Julie got weird phone call from Chloe, she decided to visit Chloe in her apartment only to find Chloe's lifeless body.
Tempted to live the glamorous life Chloe had, she transformed herself into her twin. Julie doesn't realise what she got herself into - her lie put her into a spiralling nightmare.
Beware that the story will get much darker and more disturbing. There's one scene that literally holly yuck 🤢
This story brought up about influencers' life, how their day to day is about how many followers and how many likes they can reach. It really gives insight about social media culture.

So, the story follows a young woman who inherits her sister Chloe’s life after finding her dead in her apartment. Initially, she’s mistaken for her identical twin sister, but she doesn’t correct it. After an initial breakdown, she realises that being a social influencer can be surprisingly easy, especially since she and Chloe look exactly alike. However, she soon discovers the constant demands of the job, including taking pictures, videos, and linking brands and other people into them.

The situation becomes even more challenging when she meets Fiona, Chloe’s assistant, who obviously knows everything about her. Despite this, Fiona can’t tell the difference between them, suggesting that she doesn’t know Julie very well.

The book has been well written and Julie is very perceptive in her views of what it takes to be family and the meaning of the word. The book is also quite humorous in places but also very raw and meaningful. But the book primarily explores the world of social media and influencers, and what people choose to see about others. It delves into the constant need to share your life, the intrusion of strangers wanting more from you, and how it’s become more than just a job. Julie finds out that it’s a 24/7 job that demands everything from what you eat and wear to who you socialise with and have disagreements with. It’s about your family and friends, and anything else you can think of. Social media follows you everywhere you go, documenting every aspect of your life and posting it on streaming sites, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and even in iMessage and WhatsApp groups.

Personally, I couldn’t do it, but there are others who live their lives on their phones and tablets and would find it easy. The social influencer’s life is interesting and quite lucrative, with the potential to earn hundreds of thousands of pounds or dollars. It’s understandable why people do it, especially with the free gifts that come with it also.

However, we have to wonder if Julie can manage to pull it off for any great length of time. After all, she’s already been discovered by one person. It’s a fake world out there, so can anyone else see through her lies, especially since she’s an identical twin?

Imagine waking up one day and deciding, “You know what? I’m just gonna become my dead twin sister.” That’s exactly what Julie does, and it launches her into a world of followers, filters, and flat-out madness. What starts off as a jaw-dropping decision quickly unravels into a dark, twisty tale of stolen identity, buried secrets, and influencer insanity.

This book is part satire, part thriller, part what-the-hell-did-I-just-read—and it works. Think Yellowface but with a dash of culty weirdness and a heavy side of social commentary. The writing is fast, sharp, and often hilarious. Julie isn’t always likable, but she’s fascinating—and watching her navigate (or spiral through) her sister’s life is endlessly entertaining.

If you're into books that are unhinged in the best way possible, then this one's for you.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is not one that I could typically read, but I was intrigued by the concept.

Julie Chan, an orphan, is struggling to get by in life. Following her parents' death and her separation from Chloe, her twin sister, Julie is forced to watch as her twin sister finds fame being a social media influencer. When a concerning call comes from her sister, Julie travels to New York to find Chloe dead, and very quickly steals her identity in order to assume Chloe's life.

I really enjoyed the first part of the book, with the concept of identity theft being a new trope for me, combined with a harsh look into the day-to-day lives of social media influencers.

However, the book very quickly took a funny then when Julie travelled to a secret island getaway with her sister's friends to detox from social media. The plot very quickly turned sinister, involving substance abuse, physical abuse, animal abuse and murder.

The ending of the book left much to be desired, choosing to focus on the social media trope of the book, rather than whether or not Julie was found guilty of her crimes.

Julie Chan has always felt like she drew the short straw in life. Her parents died when she was young. Her twin sister, Chloe, was adopted by a rich white couple while Julie had to live with her resentful aunt. While she lives barely scraping by, her twin sister has become a successful social media influencer.

When she finds her twin’s dead body, she makes a twisted and fateful decision to take over Chloe’s life, pretend to be her and pretend that Julie has died instead. Everything is more fabulous than she could have imagined and she joins in with the Belladonna's - a group of influencers who seemingly support each other's success.

But as Julie gets deeper involved, she realises that there are a lot of secrets, and that taking her sister’s identity wasn't the most morally corrupt decision she'll be forced to make.

This book gripped me from the beginning and I couldn't put it down. It was entertaining, twisted and addictive. It's so fun to read a book through the eyes of someone who makes such immoral and self-centered decisions. The twists and turns and craziness made for a read that I would recommend to anyone looking for some crazy escapism, with a sobering warning about the dangers of chasing social media clout.

Thanks to the publisher for sharing the advanced copy of this book

The author is a true wordsmith. As a reader, it was like this person had access to my inner consciousness and knew exactly what I was thinking, and they were able to somehow translate it to the pages of this book. I read the synopsis and I was hooked. But what I didn't know, was just how many unexpected turns there would be in this story. It's hard for me to be much more specific without giving any spoilers, but let's just say that I wasn't expecting any of it, and I'm glad I wasn't. If you like plot twists and turns, unexpected layers, and stories that really get you thinking, then you should definitely check out this book.

4⭐️

I don’t even know where to begin with this book 🤯

Julie Chan lives a struggled life, when out of nowhere she is reunited with her long lost twin sister: Influencer Chloe Van Huusen. When Julie stumbles upon Chloe’s dead body, she assumes Chloe’s identity and attempts to infiltrate her career and her social circle - a group of influencers known as the “Belladonna’s”. Then SH*T. GETS. WEIRD.

This had me completely hooked from chapter 1. First it’s the mystery of what’s going on with her sister, then whether Julie will successfully fool the world into thinking she’s Chloe, then…. Things get creepy. This is a dark comedy/thriller which explores “the age of the influencer” in a really interesting way. Very “Yellowface” meets cult.

A Rollercoaster..
Julie Chan has stolen her identical twin, influencer sister’s life. She really didn’t mean to - or did she? Either way, all she has to do from now on in is to act the part. Surely that’s easy - or is it? A rollercoaster of a tale, dark and edgy and spiked with underlying realism with a wry and sharp edged look at contemporary society, peeling back the glamorous layers of influencer culture and exposing the nasty dark debris beneath. Immersive and compelling.

4.5 stars of pure madness! And oh how I enjoyed the ride!

R.F. Kuang's Yellowface meets Mona Awad's Bunny in this crazy, wicked, fantastic, witty, evocative tale of stolen identity.

Julie has nothing. Her twin sister Chloe has everything - except a pulse. After discovering Chloe's dead body, Julie acts on imPULSE (get it?) and takes over her sister's life. This chance encounter with her estranged twin's corpse barrels her into a life of glamour and glory - the life of an influencer. However, Julie soon realizes that her sister's life was not as perfect as she thought (obviously!) and that the world of influencing is much less glamorous than it appears (again, OBVIOUSLY!). As Julie unveils the skeletons in her twin's designer-filled walk-in closet, she is faced with the many triumphs, trials and tribulations that come with stealing the identity of your famous influencer twin... Enter twisted lifestyles, internet addictions, outrageous displays of wealth, blackmail, repressed childhood trauma, and.... *squints at notes* a cult? Yeah, it's wild out there. And trust me, you WANT in on this wildness.

For a debut this is nothing less than brilliant. Liann Zhang expertly wove social media culture, media politics, contemporary racism, t̶o̶x̶i̶c ABUSIVE family dynamics, and capitalist critique into the story of a deeply flawed, deeply troubled, potentially unlikeable young Asian woman. Filled with sardonic humor and a fast pace, this is one book that will leaving you hanging from the pages, eager and DESPERATE for more.

I've rounded this one up to 3.5 stars.
An intriguing premise, Julie Chan Is Dead is full of mystery, ambition, and some incredibly vain and ruthless social media influencers.
I liked the beginning of the book, getting to know Julie, and seeing how the plot would develop. But then, as the book went on, I found it took a completely different turn than I was expecting.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book via Netgalley

Julie Chan is working as a cashier and has nothing so doesn’t think twice about taking on her twin sister Chloe’s identity when Julie finds her body under mysterious circumstances. Chloe is a popular influencer and a Julie finds herself in a life of luxury but soon realises Chloe’s life wasn’t as great as she first assumed.

This sounded like a really interesting storyline so I was keen to read and it ended up being a fun, entertaining read. I enjoyed that there was some dark humour within the story and the themes of dysfunctional families and the influencer world. The characters were intriguing, although I found I didn’t really connect to them. I also found the story a bit of a slow burn and maybe in the realms of the young adult genre. However, this was a promising debut overall and an enjoyable concept. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

The bright cover of this book caught my eye, the blurb intrigued me and I thought I would give it a try. Publishing on 1st May, thanks to Bloomsbury Publishers and NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for a review.

Julie is a twin, but she couldn’t have had a more different life from her sister. When they were 4 years old, their parents were killed. Chloe was adopted by an affluent NY couple and Julie is raised by her cruel aunt. Chloe has made a name for herself as a successful influencer, and when Julie finds her twin dead, it’s all too easy to steal her identity and the lifestyle.

‘She’s writing the end of Julie Chan’s story and the start of mine.’

This is the author’s debut novel and initially I was enjoying the story. There’s some humour, albeit dark, and I was curious to find out what would happen. The book felt quite slow paced and I was amazed that no one seemed to notice the twin swap. The second half of the book felt totally disjointed and weird, almost separate from the first half. It was a bit too unbelievable and ridiculous for me and let the story down.

I wanted to find out more about Chloe’s life, what had her parents done? There were hints at abuse and that Chloe was unhappy but I felt it wasn’t really explored. I was also confused as to where the incriminating tape came from that the auntie had, maybe I missed it.
Some parts could be triggering, there are brief mentions of eating disorders and baby loss.

The book does make you think about influencers, their often shallow, superficial friendships with other influencers and the fake personas on social media. In a way it can also seem cult like and I wonder if that’s what the author was trying to portray in the second half of the book.

Overall I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I’d hoped. The pacing was too slow and the second half too ludicrous and sometimes disgusting. Unfortunately not a book I would recommend.

2.5 stars rounded to 2.

4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fun! Very much a morally grey main character but I was so entertained!

The book is dark and twisted and led me to having a lot of wtf moments. Definitely a good book to pick up if you’re looking for something addictive and to pull you out of a reading slump. Defo will be reading more from this author!

Liann Zhang’s debut Julie Chan Is Dead is one of the most twisted, whip-smart thrillers I’ve read all year. Set against a backdrop of influencer glitz and filtered lies, this book dives deep into the darkness behind the ring lights. When Julie takes on her twin’s identity, what she discovers isn’t fame—but fear.

The writing is razor-sharp and the pacing doesn't let up. It’s a psychological mystery that explores grief, sisterhood, and the perilous line between performance and reality.

For fans of The Other Black Girl, Bridge, or You—this is one social media feed you won’t forget.

This was a bit of a rough read. It started off strongly enough, and I was immediately hooked & eager to see where the story led. I think the premise itself was good, and I was hoping it would be a psychology thriller.

However, it took a really weird turn once Julie travelled to the island with the Belladonnas. It felt like the author tried to take the story in multiple different directions, but none of them were fleshed out enough to work. I would have loved to have seen more of the focus on one specific storyline; I think the overall book would have been stronger if Zhang had done this.