Thank you Net Gallery for the book. It was very enjoyable, very entertaining, lots of twists and turns. I loved the characters. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it kept me reading way past midnight, I couldn't put it down! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy 💕

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book- the write up said this was like yellow face meets bunny. Having loved both those books, I had pretty high expectations, but boy this delivered. It was such a wild ride and honestly I really didn’t expect it to go in the direction it did!! I won’t say much about it, because this is one of those books that is best to just go into and enjoy the ride. The story is fast paced and gripping, at no point did I feel any lulls in the narrative- it’s 100% one of those books you can just sit down and read in a sitting because you HAVE to know what happens next. It’s just so enthralling to see what Julie is going to do next- it’s crazy because even though she is literally the worst, I found myself hoping things would work out for her at times. Either way if you are a fan of thriller I am pleasing with you to give this one a try!

Woah!! This is one of the best books I’ve read. It really is not what you’ll expect. If you like tense, page turning reads this is for you. It’s a brilliant debut. You’ll love the characters (or love to hate!) and you’ll want more books from this talent!

DNF. I don't think this is particularly well written. I don't know if it's the break-neck pace that's deeply involved in its main character, so much so that we only get a surface level experience of the rest of the world, I found the needless melodrama about Julie's life and the stereotypical archetype of the 'rich influencer' to be lazy writing choices and ultimately, I had no desire to continue on with the book and keep forcing myself to read once I hit the quarter mark. Considering the success of 'Yellowface' it was really only a matter of time before we started seeing books in a similar vein, but of varying quality and I was hoping that 'Julie Chan Is Dead' would give more than it ultimately did.

Thank you NetGalley for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the concept for this book sounded super interesting and unique, the beginning was really good and I was really invested in the story, but as the book went on with the Belladonna’s just felt a little messy and it just ended up not what I was expecting

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and boy it did not disappoint.

I loved this book. First 5 star of 2025. It felt like you went through 3 different stories in 1. So different and interesting. Definitely a must read for fans of yellow-face. Kept me gripped from the very first page to the last

I was really excited to read Liann Zhang’s debut novel Julie Chan is Dead.

Julie and Chloe Chan, identical twins, were separated as young children after the death of their parents. Julie is raised by her aunt and Chloe is adopted by a wealthy family. They grow up in different worlds with almost no contact - Chloe becomes a social media phenomenon and Julie works as a cashier.

Fast forward - Julie really meant to call the police when she discovers Chloe’s dead body. Instead Julie accidentally steals Chloe’s life and social media following.

What ensues is a whirlwind fun read. It pokes fun at the world of influencers and the current state of social media - warts and all. Also there’s the initial fear of Julie’s secret being discovered.

I can’t wait to read future books by Liann Zhang.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bloomsbury Publishing, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was lucky enough to receive this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book follows Julie whose influencer sister dies and she assumes her identity. I was really interested in the story at the start and up until the 50% I thought it was going to be a 4/5 start but everything after the halfway point made no sense. I felt like it didn’t add to the story or seem like a natural progression of where it should have went. The first half and second half felt like they were written by two different people. Overall I was disappointed with how it ended

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang is a gripping and thought-provoking thriller that delves into the shadowy side of social media, identity, and obsession. This razor-sharp debut follows Julie Chan, a young supermarket cashier, who steps into the glamorous life of her deceased twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer with millions of adoring followers. What starts as a desperate escape from her mundane life soon becomes a sinister and dangerous game, as Julie discovers that her sister’s picture-perfect online persona is hiding dark, disturbing secrets.

The novel is both a psychological thriller and a sharp commentary on the cult-like mentality that social media can foster. As Julie adopts Chloe’s identity, she’s forced to confront the shallow, curated nature of online fame and the dangers of living in a world where people believe they know you, yet understand nothing about your true self. Julie's journey through the influencer world is both intoxicating and chilling, as she uncovers the hidden layers of her sister’s life, which were far from as glamorous as they appeared.

Zhang expertly weaves tension into every page, as Julie, initially captivated by the luxurious lifestyle she’s always envied, soon finds herself entangled in a web of deceit and danger. The retreat with Chloe’s influencer friends becomes a ticking time bomb, and Julie is forced to unravel the mystery of Chloe’s death while fearing that she might be next.

At its core, Julie Chan is Dead is a meditation on the way we all present ourselves online, and how, in doing so, we can lose touch with our true identities. The book encourages readers to think critically about the personas we create and how social media distorts reality. It’s a compelling and unsettling exploration of how far one might go to escape their life – and what happens when one takes on someone else’s. This book will have you questioning the nature of fame, identity, and the pressures of living in a world where everything is curated for the public eye.

A must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and anyone interested in the dark side of influencer culture, Julie Chan is Dead is a thought-provoking, twist-filled debut that is sure to leave readers captivated and questioning the authenticity of their online selves.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I was really eager to read this once i read the description and it did not disappoint, it actually made me smile in places even though its not that genre of book. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I'm grateful I was given the opportunity. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends 5**

This book makes compelling reading. What a world we live in, when influencers are adored and followed by a susceptible audience. It is positively frightening how much power and influence these individuals can have. Julie appears, at first meeting, to be a more worthy person than her influencer twin sister, Chloe. However, it is frighteningly easy for her to be swept up into a world where fame and fortune are valued more than integrity. To me, the first three quarters of the novel were powerful and convincing, but the final quarter seemed rather too far fetched. However, cults do exist, and followers are frequently brainwashed into accepting the unacceptable. I certainly couldn’t put the book down, and devoured every word until the powerful ending. Definitely worth reading, though you might never view influencer content again.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

The first half of this book is very witty, it made me laugh out loud at several points. The second half sees the story take a darker turn which I also enjoyed.

This story is fast paced throughout which makes it very moreish to read-I flew through this book!

Overall I found this a fun, quick read and I look forward to more from this author.
Overl

Bonkers but I loved it. The term influencer has a new meaning with the Belladonna’s on the scene. Will Julie Chan use her powers for good or evil. Only time will tell. This book makes me want to hide from social media forever - even though I can’t stop watching the clips on Facebook of amazing household tips and tricks (not sure what Facebook thinks of me! Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting although something I've read being done in a few other books. The influencer slant made this interesting.
It felt like two different books. The first half was part mystery, part contemporary. The second half when the Belladonnas go on holiday became more horror and a lot more interesting to me.

This book is an entertaining, fast-paced read that's perfect for getting out of a reading slump. I devoured most of it on a sleepless red-eye flight, and its lighthearted, humorous take on influencer culture kept me engaged.

However, despite its enjoyable tone, the book fell short in terms of emotional depth. I struggled to connect with the main character, Julie, and found it challenging to become invested in her story. As a result, the book felt somewhat forgettable.

Overall, while I appreciated the book's fun, breezy vibe, its lack of character depth and emotional resonance prevented me from fully connecting with the story.

A sharp cocktail of danger, power and excitement, JCID is a compulsive journey into the dizzying, addictive allure of fame, power and status.

Before she “dies” Julie Chan is stressed out. Sick of working in a supermarket and being mistaken for her successful sister, used as content and sympathy clicks. She was flawed and disillusioned, honestly just done but I couldn’t help but like her and her no-nonsense storytelling style.

With quick chapters and a jump right into the action, the story is fast-paced and chaotic, larger than life with the absurd situation Julie/Chloe finds herself in and a deliciously uncomfortably tension building from the moment the lie is told. Spiralling deeper into the cult-like world of influences, deals and shady power plays, we get up close and personal with the almost delusional ego and fantasy that can come with fame and its horrifying in its own way, with the later pages feeling like something pulled right from an actual horror movie which I’ll admit at first felt entirely strange and stylistically mismatched …. But I ate it up.

2.5 stars. The book started strong, and felt as though there was an element of dark comedy about it, whilst also highlighting the insidious side to influencers and social media. Sadly the book seemed to swerve and become something that the first half wasn’t, and came across as absurd. The ending itself, particularly the last chapter, felt unfinished. It seemed as though the author was trying to make a suspense/cliff hanger/mystery ending to create a dramatic atmosphere, but I just didn’t feel it worked. It felt as though this book had great promise, but just lost its way part way through, and due to this reason I couldn’t recommend

I liked a lot about this book:

•The contrast between the twins, their separation and the difference in opportunities
•Julie's journey from outsider, to social media Influencer, to the realisation she was in effect selling her soul for likes and in with the wrong crowd
•The perils of social media, creating content, addiction to apps and phones
•I appreciated darker elements - Bella Marie's family's sacrifices to Eto, the mouse scene (grim but powerful), Victor treated as a commodity - I felt these made the story grittier

All in all it kept me reading and I enjoyed the social commentary, the humour and the almost-horror. Pacey and satisfying.

I think this book really hit me in two waves!
For the first maybe 60% of the book, I was really enjoying what seemed to be a fairly tame, sort of thrillery read. We see Julie assume her estranged twin Chloe's identity after her death, taking on her role as an influencer, attending parties and events, accepting PR and generally living the dream, until it all starts to take a sort of sinister turn.
For the last portion of the book, things get a bit freaky-deeky. The Belladonnas - an influencer group that Chloe had been a part of in life - go on their yearly trip to a private island, where Julie starts to see the scary side of these seemingly perfect girls. I still enjoyed the freaky-deeky section, but man was I thrown off!

I did really enjoy the read and would recommend, but the last part of the book did start to strike me as a bit odd - particular when a bunch of gorgeously perfect influencers start swallowing live mice? Super weird. It started to take a turn towards horror, which I'm honestly not opposed to, but I certainly couldn't have predicted the book taking that turn. The identity-theft to murder pipeline was wild...! I love to read about cults, and this was definitely a culty, creepy vibe.

This book offered some really interesting commentary on celebrity and influencers, as well as commenting on race and privilege, which made for an engaging and thought-provoking read, whilst also being super entertaining. It just kept getting more and more out of pocket and I was honestly vibing.

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang is a compelling, thought-provoking debut novel that captivates with its mystery and depth—at least for the first three-quarters of the book. The initial sections of the story draw readers in with a gripping narrative, interesting characters, and an exploration of complex themes that keep you hooked. I found myself completely immersed in the early stages, offering the book four stars across the board. The writing was engaging, and the unfolding mystery around Julie Chan’s death was intricate and layered, offering a refreshing perspective on grief, identity, and the hidden intricacies of life and social media fame.

However, as the plot progresses, it takes a sharp, jarring turn that left me somewhat bewildered. By the time I reached the final quarter, the book seemed to veer into the absurd, losing the momentum and depth that initially made it so compelling. What started as a gripping exploration of mystery and personal reflection felt increasingly far-fetched and, frankly, silly. The plot twists and decisions made by the characters became harder to follow, and I found myself disconnected from the story.

Despite this shift in tone, it’s clear that Julie Chan is Dead showcases Zhang’s talent and potential as a writer. For a debut novel, it’s impressive how Zhang managed to craft such a captivating opening and set a strong foundation. Though the latter part of the book may not have resonated with me, it doesn't take away from the fact that Zhang is a skilled writer with a lot of promise.

Ultimately, I would say that Julie Chan is Dead is a book of two halves: a brilliant beginning that draws you in and a conclusion that might leave you scratching your head. I think this book is worth reading, especially for those who enjoy mysteries that don't always follow the expected paths. I look forward to seeing what Zhang writes next, as there's certainly a lot of potential in her voice.