eahmathews's review against another edition
5.0
Compelling. Light enough for an easy read but with enough breadcrumbs and misdirects to keep the mystery interesting. Accurate feeling/voice of the social media component that is almost like a living character in the novel. Would recommend.
sprinklesofspooky's review against another edition
4.0
Plus-sized characters and a Fear Street-esque YA thriller? I’m so in.
“Instagram-famous triplets Cecily, Amber, and Rudy—the children of home renovation superstars—are ready for a perfect summer. They’ve just moved into the site of their parents’ latest renovation project when they begin to receive chilling messages from someone called The Follower. It soon becomes clear that this anonymous threat is more than a simple Internet troll, and he can’t wait to shatter the Cole family’s perfect veneer and take back what’s his. The Follower examines the implications of what it is to be watched in the era of social media fame—as well as the lies we tell and the lengths we’ll go to uphold a perfect image, when our lives depend on it.”
This was so much fun to read, and should be a must purchase for library YA collections, and is a great book for adults and teens.
A four star read that I definitely recommend to fellow fans of thrills and chills!
*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Kate Doughty, and Amulet Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.*
“Instagram-famous triplets Cecily, Amber, and Rudy—the children of home renovation superstars—are ready for a perfect summer. They’ve just moved into the site of their parents’ latest renovation project when they begin to receive chilling messages from someone called The Follower. It soon becomes clear that this anonymous threat is more than a simple Internet troll, and he can’t wait to shatter the Cole family’s perfect veneer and take back what’s his. The Follower examines the implications of what it is to be watched in the era of social media fame—as well as the lies we tell and the lengths we’ll go to uphold a perfect image, when our lives depend on it.”
This was so much fun to read, and should be a must purchase for library YA collections, and is a great book for adults and teens.
A four star read that I definitely recommend to fellow fans of thrills and chills!
*Thank you so much to NetGalley, Kate Doughty, and Amulet Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.*
cassidyflattery's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Stalking, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
ohhellokelli's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookswithonno's review against another edition
3.0
I flew through this book! There were a lot of creepy parts that kept me on the edge of my seat, keeping me hooked on the story. Further, I really liked the triplets! The characters were well written and I liked getting to know the real triplets in comparison to how they depicted themselves on Instagram. I connected with them and cared for them throughout the story. However, I wasn't a fan of everything in this story, hence the 3 stars. The main issue I had with this book, was its portrayal of mental health. Mental health issues are presented to show that the villain in this story is dangerous, which adds to the stigma around mental health. Next to this, I detected some predictable tropes which are seen often in thrillers. Even though they made this read a bit more predictable at times, I didn't mind much because they didn't give away the main reveal: "who is the follower?". I did have a problem with one of the tropes but this is a personal problem (skip the next part to avoid a spoiler). When Cecily's pet got introduced, I already predicted that it was going to die and I was right. This death didn't sit well with me because I absolutely love animals and just can't bear to read about them dying in books. All in all, this was an addictive thriller that kept me hooked but which did contain a few issues.
Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for providing me with an e-arc. This did not affect the honesty of my review in any way.
Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for providing me with an e-arc. This did not affect the honesty of my review in any way.
melbsreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Trigger warnings: online harassment, animal death, death, allergy, violence, body horror, body shaming, mental health, bullying, addiction, body shaming.
Okay so this is essentially a social media take on The Watcher, and while I was kind of here for it, I also kind of wasn't. Like...they're famous because their parents flip houses. But the parents seem to have no social media of their own. They don't post videos on Youtube. They don't have a TV show. They just...let their teenage children - who have a joint Instagram account - be influencers and that's how they make money??? Like, it never feels like they're making money because of the house flipping. It's all because of the kids. So why make the house flipping part of the story?
Also it weirded me out that the story was from the perspective of the kids - albeit third person - and yet their parents were referred to as Mr and Mrs Cole any time they were on the page. Like...........there is no way these teenagers refer to their own parents as Mr Cole and Mrs Cole. So why do it on the page??
Anyway. The mystery was pretty compelling and there were definitely some truly horrifying moments that I didn't see coming. But ultimately the little things about this bugged me so much that I couldn't just sit back and enjoy the ride. Sigh.
Okay so this is essentially a social media take on The Watcher, and while I was kind of here for it, I also kind of wasn't. Like...they're famous because their parents flip houses. But the parents seem to have no social media of their own. They don't post videos on Youtube. They don't have a TV show. They just...let their teenage children - who have a joint Instagram account - be influencers and that's how they make money??? Like, it never feels like they're making money because of the house flipping. It's all because of the kids. So why make the house flipping part of the story?
Also it weirded me out that the story was from the perspective of the kids - albeit third person - and yet their parents were referred to as Mr and Mrs Cole any time they were on the page. Like...........there is no way these teenagers refer to their own parents as Mr Cole and Mrs Cole. So why do it on the page??
Anyway. The mystery was pretty compelling and there were definitely some truly horrifying moments that I didn't see coming. But ultimately the little things about this bugged me so much that I couldn't just sit back and enjoy the ride. Sigh.
madds939's review against another edition
4.0
The ending was genuinely terrifying. Like the last quarter of the book my stomach hurt because I was terrified. I was highly entertained for most of the book, but it was a bit slow at times. Overall, 4 stars!
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
What if you're an "influencer" whose feed supports your family? Now what if you're one of three siblings sharing a feed? The family business is house flipping, but Amber, Cecily and Rudy want to focus on their own thing... and moving every few months after a renovation doesn't help. Then the family takes on an 1800s house in a town in upstate New York, a house that--according to local legend--is haunted. Or is it? The problem is that the creep factor is intermixed with a potential lesbian relationship, body positivity and normal teen angst. And then there's the reveal. Usually readers can then go back through the book and see where they missed clues, but here? There were no clues. There is nothing that leads to the "AHA! I suspected [name]" moment, when it could easily have been added in.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
oddly's review against another edition
2.0
Though I used to cut YA books more slack when it comes to good writing and plotting, I have now read so many excellent ones that now I feel the bar deserves to be set much higher. Though this is an engaging book that kept me turning the pages, I found the characters to be lacking and the plot to be a bit convoluted. A compulsive read—albeit with issues—that is fairly forgettable.
I thought it might be fun to read a book about Instagram influencers in a haunted house, but honestly, the social media aspect just kept taking me out of the book, especially since there were some blatant and confusing errors when it came to how social media platforms actually work. In addition, each of the issues that the three siblings are dealing with felt tacked on, and I wish that their development could have been a more integral part of the story rather than a side effect.
My main issue with the book is really a spoiler:
I received my review copy from the publisher.
I thought it might be fun to read a book about Instagram influencers in a haunted house, but honestly, the social media aspect just kept taking me out of the book, especially since there were some blatant and confusing errors when it came to how social media platforms actually work. In addition, each of the issues that the three siblings are dealing with felt tacked on, and I wish that their development could have been a more integral part of the story rather than a side effect.
My main issue with the book is really a spoiler:
Spoiler
it is unfortunate that authors still feel the need to demonize mental illness when creating villains. This is a trope that I wish we could kill by pushing it out of a window.I received my review copy from the publisher.
riverlasol's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
This thriller comes out this week and if you like thrillers or horror novels you should be adding this one to your tbr right now!! I was hooked from the first chapter, but as it went on it got harder and harder to put it down. Unfortunately I didn’t heed the warning at the beginning and definitely read it right before bed….yes I actually had a scary dream that night haha. I deem it was worth it, though, to get to the epic climax.
I was easily invested in this story at first, because of the in-depth characters. Each of the triplets in this novel felt locked into their role as a social media influencer, but in different ways. I think the author did a great job exploring the impact of social media on different types of people. The follower character was soooo creepy the whole way through and I really thought that I had figured out who it was by the time the climax came, but then the plot twist came through and I was caught completely off guard. I don’t think there was a single thing that would’ve pointed me towards who it really was, whereas almost every other character felt suspicious. Once it was revealed, though, it made total sense.
I also really loved the character development in this book and I thought that the ending was wrapped up nicely, with no loose threads. My only complaint overall is that I never really had a good picture in my head of what was happening or what the characters looked like. I’m not sure if I just missed some of these descriptive details, but either way I would've liked some more descriptors. Unless that’s your pet peeve, though, I would highly recommend this. If you do read it, please properly heed the warning: Don’t read this at night!!
This thriller comes out this week and if you like thrillers or horror novels you should be adding this one to your tbr right now!! I was hooked from the first chapter, but as it went on it got harder and harder to put it down. Unfortunately I didn’t heed the warning at the beginning and definitely read it right before bed….yes I actually had a scary dream that night haha. I deem it was worth it, though, to get to the epic climax.
I was easily invested in this story at first, because of the in-depth characters. Each of the triplets in this novel felt locked into their role as a social media influencer, but in different ways. I think the author did a great job exploring the impact of social media on different types of people. The follower character was soooo creepy the whole way through and I really thought that I had figured out who it was by the time the climax came, but then the plot twist came through and I was caught completely off guard. I don’t think there was a single thing that would’ve pointed me towards who it really was, whereas almost every other character felt suspicious. Once it was revealed, though, it made total sense.
I also really loved the character development in this book and I thought that the ending was wrapped up nicely, with no loose threads. My only complaint overall is that I never really had a good picture in my head of what was happening or what the characters looked like. I’m not sure if I just missed some of these descriptive details, but either way I would've liked some more descriptors. Unless that’s your pet peeve, though, I would highly recommend this. If you do read it, please properly heed the warning: Don’t read this at night!!