LOVED IT!! So good - I'm a sucker for the parasocial thriller subgenre and this nailed it! Right off the bat, you know you're likely dealing with someone unhinged, but I was surprised at how I grew to sympathize with and understand Chloe.

What is interesting about Chloe is that she was so desperate to be seen and recognized but yet in her eating habits, she actually made herself smaller and more invisible. She really did create a faux universe in which she thrived as an influencer but in her method of doing so, actually hurt those around her that she was so determined to be liked and friends with such as Birdie. She really was a voyeur who viewed the world through binoculars. However, her true talent was photography where in her artistic way, captured people as what they truly were rather than who they wanted others to see. Her obsession with Instagram and her followers consumed the entirety of her life and defined her self-worth. She thought nothing of exposing others such as a woman's sexuality that only created vitriol towards her. In doing all of this, it is no wonder that Daniel left. He tried to show her who she could be but was pushed away in doing so. She was only going to fight. In her evolution, she no longer wanted to be loved. Her love became aligned with Instagram and how she could create a fantasy world in Paris. The ending was important as Chloe saw through fresh eyes that her life could be so much better. It was time for her to live outside of creating how she wanted people to think she did.

Okay, it's November so I can say this: Out of touch is one of the BEST books that I've read this year!!!!!!!!!

This is a must for everyone that also enjoyed “Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang,

Thank you so so so much for Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book. I loved every single page of this.

I don’t have a lot to talk about, because everything is just pure perfection. I adored the characters and how every single one of them is far from being good people, especially Chloé; she’s just so messed up, but also with thoughts and feelings that are so human that at the same time that you are mad with her and her actions, you can also cheer for her - because if you were in the same situation as her, you’d very much likely do the same thing.

I truly hope that this book will be translated and sold in my country in the future, so I can give a copy to all of my friends.

Thanks once again for allowing me the opportunity to read it before its release.

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for this ARC, coming December 2nd.

If you read just one review today, make it this one — because Out of Touch absolutely slaps you across the face with its messy, spiralling humanity.

Chloe is an aspiring photographer living in Paris when a famous influencer moves in across from her. After a less-than-pleasant first encounter with Birdie, Chloe’s fixation begins. What starts as irritation morphs into obsession, and that obsession becomes poison. Chloe creates a fake Instagram account to “expose” Birdie - her bad habits, her drug use, the curated fakeness of her feed. But the deeper Chloe dives, the more she destroys.

This book is a razor-sharp commentary on influencer culture, parasocial relationships, and the way social media warps our sense of worth. Chloe’s descent is slow, unsettling, and incredibly believable. I kept hoping she’d hit rock bottom and claw her way back to the girl who loved photography… but the further we go, the more unhinged she becomes. It’s tragic, uncomfortable, and exactly the point.

A story worth reading - one that forces you to sit with the discomfort and reminds us just how toxic the online world can be when validation becomes oxygen.

Wow… all of the characters in this book are seriously messed up and I LOVED IT. The drama… the twists that kept on coming. Didn’t expect to also feel a bit of sympathy for our main character. So much better than expected!

What a wild ride. I didn't think I would like this book solely based on the influencer premise, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book covers all the toxicity social media holds. It can be hard to care about a flawed narrator, but Chloe is so reckless that you can't help but follow her unhinged obsession.

I absolutely adored this book! It was packed with so many twists and turns that keep you completely captivated, always wanting to read more.

The story follows Chloe and her relationship with a famous social media star who moves across the street. Her fascination with Birdie Bay's world slowly turns into something darker as Chloe begins to watch, stalk, and slowly insert herself into the life of her new neighbour.

This book is filled with characters you believe you can trust, until you absolutely can't; every time you assume something about a character, your beliefs will be flipped and twisted, allowing for ultimate shock factor.

What surprised me most about reading this book was how much I found myself rooting for a character who is so clearly in the wrong. Chloe's twisted logic and morally blurred decisions should make her unlikeable, but somehow you end up completely invested in her anyway. The basis of her warped logic makes her decisions understandable enough for you to feel some degree of sympathy, whilst also completely opposing what she is doing throughout the book. I found this balance a real strength in Grand's writing, and it made for an extremely interesting read!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me this ARC - I had the most amazing time and could not stop reading :)




Link to my goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8112957069

“Out of Touch “ turned out to be such an unexpected gem. The cover alone had me hooked, but the story inside is even more gripping … sharp, unsettling, and deeply relevant.

Elle Grand delivers a timely exploration of influencer culture and the way social media can warp admiration into something far darker. Chloé is one of the most compelling anti-heroes I’ve read in a while… messy, flawed, unpredictable, and absolutely impossible to look away from. I found myself tense the entire time, waiting for her obsession with Birdie to spiral, and the realism of it all felt uncomfortably close to the world we live in today.

The story has “Gossip Girl energy “in the best (and worst) ways. Chloé, hiding behind her IG handle FauxEver, is always watching Birdie …waiting for the smallest slip so she can post it for clout.

What makes it even more unsettling is how she pretends to be Birdie’s friend. It’s an addiction, and Chloé keeps going back for another fix.

I also appreciate how the book sheds light on the pressures influencers face, the toxicity of online hate, and the reminder that behind every screen is a real human…vulnerable, imperfect, and trying to survive the glare.

As disgusted as I was with Chloé’s choices, I loved how the author gave space to her backstory, especially her fraught relationship with her mother. Those moments hit hard.

“Not mother and daughter, not anymore. Not strangers, either.
Just two people staring at a ghost from their past lives.”

Heartbreaking.

Elle Grand’s writing is razor-sharp, the emotions land exactly where they should, and the commentary lingers long after the final page. If you’re looking for a page-turner with a gripping anti-hero and a chilling look at social media’s darker side, this is one you shouldn’t miss.

Add this to your TBR! You’ll thank me later.🌷

Huge thanks to Victory Editing NetGalley Coop for the ARC. This is my honest and heartfelt review.