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chazley's review against another edition
5.0
I have never read anything quite like this (...is my favorite thing to say in a book review). This novel is a ride, and every guess you make as the plot progresses is delightfully wrong. If you like books about complex relationships, about the potential best and worst that technology can become, stories with vision of a very different future, or stories that are just plain fascinating, this is the book for you.
cerebellum's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion and Fire/Fire injury
shadypinesma's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
First half had 5-star potential but the superfluous characters and recurrent suicide subplots creakily strewn in to deepen the stakes ruined the book for me.
susz's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cathd80's review against another edition
4.0
In 2015 two young women desperate for fame and followers help break the internet. Orla wants to be an author, but in order to survive in NYC she works at a TMZ-like site writing clickbait about celebrities. Her roommate is Floss, a pretty girl with a beautiful voice, but getting into the music business takes too much work so she’s going the social media route. In 2051 a portion of California is the home to a government run community, Constellation, where ‘celebrities’ are filmed every minute of every day for the rest of America to watch. Marlow has lived there for as long as she can remember, but starts to realize she wants out. This is the eerily realistic dystopia of Megan Angelo’s Followers.
Life in 2051 is an uber-heightened version of life in 2020. In 2016 the internet was hacked globally, causing The Spill, laying bare every byte of information loaded on loaded on personal or corporate servers and especially social media. The havoc wreaked was so devastating that the government stepped in, promising connectivity with security. The device was born. A small chip affixed to the wrist that removed the need for electronic equipment. Everything in life is handled by simply thinking it—no phones, iPads, no screens. What is not made clear is that every thought is a piece of data and now, rather than corporations, the government is mining it. Feeling depressed? You’ll soon see an ad suggesting you take Hysteryl, an anti-depressant that Marlow has been on since she was a teenager. Because, of course, corporations are tied into this—the government needs ad revenue to keep the project going. Even better, Marlow’s husband is a Hysteryl executive and the more the drug sells the bigger the perks. It’s only when Marlow learns that her next life event is to get pregnant that she begins to think about leaving. Except it’s not allowed.
The rest of this review is available at The Gilmore Guide to Books: https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2020/01/followers-a-novel/
Life in 2051 is an uber-heightened version of life in 2020. In 2016 the internet was hacked globally, causing The Spill, laying bare every byte of information loaded on loaded on personal or corporate servers and especially social media. The havoc wreaked was so devastating that the government stepped in, promising connectivity with security. The device was born. A small chip affixed to the wrist that removed the need for electronic equipment. Everything in life is handled by simply thinking it—no phones, iPads, no screens. What is not made clear is that every thought is a piece of data and now, rather than corporations, the government is mining it. Feeling depressed? You’ll soon see an ad suggesting you take Hysteryl, an anti-depressant that Marlow has been on since she was a teenager. Because, of course, corporations are tied into this—the government needs ad revenue to keep the project going. Even better, Marlow’s husband is a Hysteryl executive and the more the drug sells the bigger the perks. It’s only when Marlow learns that her next life event is to get pregnant that she begins to think about leaving. Except it’s not allowed.
The rest of this review is available at The Gilmore Guide to Books: https://gilmoreguidetobooks.com/2020/01/followers-a-novel/
literarylawgirl's review against another edition
5.0
"People don't like the idea of the government running the Internet? They don't like the government watching them? Let me tell you something: nobody ever had privacy. Privacy was an illusion. Believing that we had it is what left us open to attack. On this version of the web, we will be watching you - so that we can watch out for you."
The Followers is a debut futuristic sci-fi novel that eerily is not so far-fetched to imagine, and more importantly, this is a cautionary tale on the dangers of needing to always be in the limelight, the obsession with increasing followers, and the backlash from sharing boundless amounts of information on social media. The book goes back and forth between two time periods that are connected by a massive cybersecurity event (the Spill) that alters everyone's way of life forever.
The year is 2051. The government controls the Internet. Instagram is now Amerigram, and everyone is tuned in and obsessed with what is happening in Constellation - a closed community where the government-selected residents’ lives are televised 24x7 and every decision for the course of your life is determined by your followers. One such resident is Marlowe who lives in Constellation with her mom, Floss. Disenchanted with being in the spotlight and having her fate controlled by followers and the network, Marlowe discovers a secret about her past that gives her the courage to attempt an escape, but leaving her tightly manicured world is not as easy as it seems.
The Followers is a debut futuristic sci-fi novel that eerily is not so far-fetched to imagine, and more importantly, this is a cautionary tale on the dangers of needing to always be in the limelight, the obsession with increasing followers, and the backlash from sharing boundless amounts of information on social media. The book goes back and forth between two time periods that are connected by a massive cybersecurity event (the Spill) that alters everyone's way of life forever.
The year is 2051. The government controls the Internet. Instagram is now Amerigram, and everyone is tuned in and obsessed with what is happening in Constellation - a closed community where the government-selected residents’ lives are televised 24x7 and every decision for the course of your life is determined by your followers. One such resident is Marlowe who lives in Constellation with her mom, Floss. Disenchanted with being in the spotlight and having her fate controlled by followers and the network, Marlowe discovers a secret about her past that gives her the courage to attempt an escape, but leaving her tightly manicured world is not as easy as it seems.
greenikat89's review against another edition
2.0
The most interesting part of this book to me was the cover between the juxtaposition between the really bright and feminine cover and then the black and white skull label on the spine listing it as a dystopian novel.
I get that this book is a social commentary about how bad social media is and technology and iphones and so on. It's...you know, it's not a new thing. I get it. The storyline was sort of compelling in the beginning between the future and the present but I found none of the characters engaging or had any redeeming qualities that made me like them. I ended up hating all of them and their shallow petty ways, even the character we're supposed to be rooting for, and the ending was complete nonsense after everything that happened and wasn't remotely realistic.
I think this would have worked better as a novella.
I get that this book is a social commentary about how bad social media is and technology and iphones and so on. It's...you know, it's not a new thing. I get it. The storyline was sort of compelling in the beginning between the future and the present but I found none of the characters engaging or had any redeeming qualities that made me like them. I ended up hating all of them and their shallow petty ways, even the character we're supposed to be rooting for, and the ending was complete nonsense after everything that happened and wasn't remotely realistic.
I think this would have worked better as a novella.
sleightoffeet's review against another edition
3.0
To me, this book was The Truman Show meets The Circle (the book/movie, not the TV show). I loved the premise and I loved how it jumped back and forth between the characters. It dragged a bit in the middle, but it really picked up again at the end.
This is the story of Orla, Floss and Marlow, and how their lives became entangled. Marlow's whole life has been online for everyone to see and comment on, not by her choice but her parents. Floss was a social media star before the spill, and found a new way to gain followers and to continue her fame by using Marlow. Orla wanted to be a writer, but instead, her writing is what made Floss a star in the first place.
I really liked this book, though I'm still processing about how I feel about the end. The ending left me a bit unsatisfied.
This is the story of Orla, Floss and Marlow, and how their lives became entangled. Marlow's whole life has been online for everyone to see and comment on, not by her choice but her parents. Floss was a social media star before the spill, and found a new way to gain followers and to continue her fame by using Marlow. Orla wanted to be a writer, but instead, her writing is what made Floss a star in the first place.
I really liked this book, though I'm still processing about how I feel about the end. The ending left me a bit unsatisfied.