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bookb1itch's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i loved the premise of this book, billed as Agatha Christie meets TikTok. It felt like it was paying homage to "and then there were none". What didn't work so well was the narration by 10 different people who all had basically the same voice. (I had to keep returning to the start of the chapter to see who was telling this part of the story). The ending was very satisfying though, after keeping me guessing throughout. If this is a debut, look out for more from Olivia Worley!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Gun violence and Gaslighting
helena_chris's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A solid 4-star book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Stalking
dblue236's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you're looking for depth, you won't find it here. This book reads like the cheesy as hell '90s teen slasher flicks I used to love, with an updated feel thanks to the fact that all the characters are obnoxious influencers. I can honestly say I didn't REALLY like any of the characters, but that made the book even more fun to read. There weren't a lot of huge surprises or twists I didn't see coming, but the ride was well worth sticking with it and this was the most fun I've had reading a book in a while.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
styxx's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Death of parent
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
As a group of influencers are stuck on a private island for a supposed reality show and cut off from the outside world, their secrets begin to be released and are "canceled" one by one. But why and how are they all connected?
This was a surprisingly good thriller! I had expected it to be more predictable, as most YA thrillers are, especially the first book written by an author. I kind of saw who was doing it but not why, and I mostly didn't trust them, I didn't know they were behind it all. This book had a lot of twists and turns.
An overall excellent thriller, but the MCs weren't very likable.
Extra ratings: Fluff - 0/5 Heartfelt- 3/5 Helpful -NA Horror -1/5 Inspiration -NA Love aka Romance- 2/5 Mystery - 4/5 Predictability -1.5/5 Spice - 1/5 Suspense - 4/5 Tear- 1.5/5 Thrill - 4.5/5 Humor-0.5/5
This was a surprisingly good thriller! I had expected it to be more predictable, as most YA thrillers are, especially the first book written by an author. I kind of saw who was doing it but not why, and I mostly didn't trust them, I didn't know they were behind it all. This book had a lot of twists and turns.
An overall excellent thriller, but the MCs weren't very likable.
Extra ratings: Fluff - 0/5 Heartfelt- 3/5 Helpful -NA Horror -1/5 Inspiration -NA Love aka Romance- 2/5 Mystery - 4/5 Predictability -1.5/5 Spice - 1/5 Suspense - 4/5 Tear- 1.5/5 Thrill - 4.5/5 Humor-0.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use
caseythereader's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thanks to Macmillan for the free copy of this book.
- If you are looking for a juicy, escapist read, put PEOPLE TO FOLLOW on your list. I couldn't read it fast enough: every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, keeping you turning the pages and trying to guess what was coming next.
- This book both sympathizes with and expertly skewers the phenomenon of young influencers. The author seems to understand how lonely and unreal the life of a full time influencer can be, while also hitting on everything that makes the industry absurd.
- If you are looking for a juicy, escapist read, put PEOPLE TO FOLLOW on your list. I couldn't read it fast enough: every chapter ends on a cliffhanger, keeping you turning the pages and trying to guess what was coming next.
- This book both sympathizes with and expertly skewers the phenomenon of young influencers. The author seems to understand how lonely and unreal the life of a full time influencer can be, while also hitting on everything that makes the industry absurd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
jasmineslibraryy's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
this book was pure chaos. messy teenagers, dead bodies piling up, and a ton of alcohol. what couldn’t go wrong?
the characters are awful, but i couldn’t stop reading about them. few of them were awful but in likeable ways. the plot was easy to follow, but it all unravels pretty fast in the end. the POV always switched at the perfect time.
if you read influence by sara shepherd & lilia buckingham and/or the new girl by jesse q sutanto and liked it/them, this book is definitely for you. the vibes are there!
thank you wednesday books & goodreads for the ARC :)
the characters are awful, but i couldn’t stop reading about them. few of them were awful but in likeable ways. the plot was easy to follow, but it all unravels pretty fast in the end. the POV always switched at the perfect time.
if you read influence by sara shepherd & lilia buckingham and/or the new girl by jesse q sutanto and liked it/them, this book is definitely for you. the vibes are there!
thank you wednesday books & goodreads for the ARC :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Vomit, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
it speaks a lot about how young girls are treated online and in the entertainment industry. be advisedmissrosymaplemoth's review
4.75
Thrilling and captivating with so many twists and turns that I didn’t want to stop reading! I enjoyed how the story slowly unfolded. There was never a lull in this book where something wasn’t gripping me with suspense or interest. I liked the premise of the book regarding “influencers” and the takes on what it means to be “canceled,” because most of these kids would not have faced harsh consequences in their real lives, which is mentioned. Some heavy topics are brought up, and handled decently. The ending truly surprised me.
Gripes: I wish there weren’t so many POVs because it got confusing at times. If you aren’t a fan of internet lingo or pop culture references, this is not the book for you.
I would recommend this book to upper YA and NA readers. Thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC.
Gripes: I wish there weren’t so many POVs because it got confusing at times. If you aren’t a fan of internet lingo or pop culture references, this is not the book for you.
I would recommend this book to upper YA and NA readers. Thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
beckyremillard's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
10 influencers are going to be spending three weeks on a private island to unplug - and film a new reality show called IRL. When a body is found the first morning, everyone is suspicious of everyone and secrets start to be revealed.
This book was hard to start. I was interested in the concept because I love the closed door mystery troupe but getting 10 characters right off the bat was hard to keep track of. I went back and forth so many times at first I ended up making a note to keep them straight. This was also exasperated by multiple POVs that sounded the same.
It held my attention and some things I predicted, some things I did not. I honestly think there would have been more mystery and less confusion with less POVs.
Overall, it was a nice quick read. If you’re looking for a Gen Z thriller that discusses relevant issues with influencers, you should give this book a chance.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a chance to read and review this eARC.
This book was hard to start. I was interested in the concept because I love the closed door mystery troupe but getting 10 characters right off the bat was hard to keep track of. I went back and forth so many times at first I ended up making a note to keep them straight. This was also exasperated by multiple POVs that sounded the same.
It held my attention and some things I predicted, some things I did not.
Overall, it was a nice quick read. If you’re looking for a Gen Z thriller that discusses relevant issues with influencers, you should give this book a chance.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a chance to read and review this eARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Eating disorder
cmmreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Wow, twist after twist! A really well done debut novel. People To Follow is a YA mystery and the language and slang used in the book are definitely targeted towards that demographic. The references to different social media trends is very current which I fear could date this book pretty quickly.
The story follows 10 influencers disconnecting from social media on a reality show. In the beginning, it is hard to keep track of all 10 influencers and what makes them unique/different from each other. We get POV’s from 4 of these characters but honestly the voices sound so similar that after a few pages, it was easy to confuse whose POV you were in.
Once you get deeper into the story and start to learn more about the characters, it does become easier to keep them straight and the story kept me guessing! There were lots of puzzle pieces to put together but the writing kept me intrigued. I really enjoyed Worley’s writing and would definitely look for books by her in the future. I think teens and young adults who are really into social media (especially TikTok) would enjoy this twisty thriller!
(Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital copy of this book!)
(Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital copy of this book!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
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