[Review] Julie Chan Is Dead - Liann Zhang

Summary: Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.

Transforming into Chloe is easier than expected. Julie effortlessly adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life, complete with designer clothes, a meticulous skincare routine, and millions of adoring followers. However, Julie soon realizes that Chloe’s seemingly picture-perfect life was anything but.

Haunted by Chloe’s untimely death and struggling to fit into the privileged influencer circle, Julie faces mounting challenges during a weeklong island retreat with Chloe’s exclusive group of influencer friends. As events spiral out of control, Julie uncovers the sinister forces that may have led to her sister’s demise and realizes she might be the next target. (Pub Date: Apr 29 2025)

This book seems to have two phases. The first, it's just another book about the world of the influencers from the within, when Julie takes her twin's place after finding out she died. I was sure we'd go the typical thriller route, as we get to meet the group the twin was involved in, and as in every thriller, someone has to have been the murderer. I liked this part. It was another in a million, but it was fun and mysterious. I looked forward to knowing if Julie would be unmasked, how her sister's followers would react finding out they got the wrong twin, etc.

Enters the second part. It's like a completely different thriller started, reminding me a lot of Blink Twice. I'll risk spoiling the book, but my impression is that from a common story we embark in a very weird plot that only escalates. The feeling of not knowing where the author is going is great, but the after taste wasn't so good. It's just weird. And more, a feel things that seemed important in the first part are suddenly irrelevant, giving me also a sense of loss for how they could have been resolved.

If you like crazy, this could be the book for you. I preferred it when it was just fun.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Rating: 3 out of 5.