Julie Chan Is Dead: A Novel
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One of NPR’s Books We Love for 2025
For fans of Bunny and Yellowface, this razor-sharp debut thriller blends biting satire with chilling suspense, as a young woman steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life—only to discover dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.
Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything—except a pulse.
Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier barely scraping by, 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 body, she doesn’t call the police. Instead, she slips into her dead sister’s meticulously curated life: luxury fashion, high-end skincare, and a devoted online following who never noticed they weren’t quite the same.
At first, the transformation is seamless. Julie relishes the perks of influencer fame, but quickly learns that behind Chloe’s flawless feed lay secrets far darker than she imagined. Her sister’s final days were shadowed by paranoia, manipulation, and something far more sinister.
Now, trapped on a private island retreat with Chloe’s inner circle—an elite clique of influencers obsessed with status and secrecy—Julie is forced to keep up the act while being haunted by her sister’s untimely death. 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.
Darkly funny, fiercely paced, and full of sharp commentary on identity, fame, and the cost of visibility, Julie Chan Is Dead is a twisted thrill ride where fitting in could be fatal—and the people behind the posts are the real danger.
One of NPR’s Books We Love for 2025
For fans of Bunny and Yellowface, this razor-sharp debut thriller blends biting satire with chilling suspense, as a young woman steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life—only to discover dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.
Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything—except a pulse.
Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier barely scraping by, 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 body, she doesn’t call the police. Instead, she slips into her dead sister’s meticulously curated life: luxury fashion, high-end skincare, and a devoted online following who never noticed they weren’t quite the same.
At first, the transformation is seamless. Julie relishes the perks of influencer fame, but quickly learns that behind Chloe’s flawless feed lay secrets far darker than she imagined. Her sister’s final days were shadowed by paranoia, manipulation, and something far more sinister.
Now, trapped on a private island retreat with Chloe’s inner circle—an elite clique of influencers obsessed with status and secrecy—Julie is forced to keep up the act while being haunted by her sister’s untimely death. 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.
Darkly funny, fiercely paced, and full of sharp commentary on identity, fame, and the cost of visibility, Julie Chan Is Dead is a twisted thrill ride where fitting in could be fatal—and the people behind the posts are the real danger.
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Community Reviews
3.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded up)
"Julie Chen is Dead" by Liann Zhang delivers a biting, satirical jab at influencer culture with a twist so sharp it might just leave a mark. The story kicks off with Julie, a regular grocery store clerk, discovering her ultra-famous influencer twin, Chloe, dead. In a moment of envy and impulse, Julie decides to assume Chloe’s identity, letting the world believe that *she's* the one pushing daisies.
The first half of the novel offers a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes chaos of influencer life—where tragedy and trauma are just content fodder for likes and sponsorships. Zhang masterfully peels back the glossy filter to reveal the messy reality, and it’s hard to look away. Like many readers, I was reminded of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, though this book leans even harder into the absurd.
Then—BAM—the plot takes a hard swerve into cult-horror territory. The sudden shift cranks up the pace, making it nearly impossible to put down, but it also feels like two wildly different books mashed into one. Both halves had the potential to shine on their own, but the drastic tonal pivot left me scratching my head and struggling to connect with Julie. As an anti-hero, she’s less "lovably flawed" and more "what even are you doing, girl?"
The novel dabbles with racial commentary in the influencer world, which was fascinating but felt underexplored. Instead, the cult-horror plotline takes center stage, delivering jaw-dropping moments (looking at you, mouse scene—IYKYK). While the shock factor is high, it sometimes feels like it hijacks a deeper conversation for sheer drama.
Julie Chan is Dead is a wild ride you can devour like a popcorn bucket at the movies. If you loved Yellowface, dig cult-horror, or just want something unputdownable, buckle up and dive in.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for a honest review. Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang is scheduled to be released on April 29, 2025.
"Julie Chen is Dead" by Liann Zhang delivers a biting, satirical jab at influencer culture with a twist so sharp it might just leave a mark. The story kicks off with Julie, a regular grocery store clerk, discovering her ultra-famous influencer twin, Chloe, dead. In a moment of envy and impulse, Julie decides to assume Chloe’s identity, letting the world believe that *she's* the one pushing daisies.
The first half of the novel offers a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes chaos of influencer life—where tragedy and trauma are just content fodder for likes and sponsorships. Zhang masterfully peels back the glossy filter to reveal the messy reality, and it’s hard to look away. Like many readers, I was reminded of Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, though this book leans even harder into the absurd.
Then—BAM—the plot takes a hard swerve into cult-horror territory. The sudden shift cranks up the pace, making it nearly impossible to put down, but it also feels like two wildly different books mashed into one. Both halves had the potential to shine on their own, but the drastic tonal pivot left me scratching my head and struggling to connect with Julie. As an anti-hero, she’s less "lovably flawed" and more "what even are you doing, girl?"
The novel dabbles with racial commentary in the influencer world, which was fascinating but felt underexplored. Instead, the cult-horror plotline takes center stage, delivering jaw-dropping moments (looking at you, mouse scene—IYKYK). While the shock factor is high, it sometimes feels like it hijacks a deeper conversation for sheer drama.
Julie Chan is Dead is a wild ride you can devour like a popcorn bucket at the movies. If you loved Yellowface, dig cult-horror, or just want something unputdownable, buckle up and dive in.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for a honest review. Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang is scheduled to be released on April 29, 2025.
Readers who enjoy morally grey protagonists that have a bite to them will like Julie Chan. And for those who like slow-paced thrillers, Julie Chan is Dead delivers.
The story does bring up and work in themes of micro-aggressions and racism but they shadow the theme of identity. Identity on and off camera, ethnic, cultural identity and the definition of self. I'm not trying to spoil the story here but it was wild how the author ties in trends, mimicking and your "worth" in an algorithm.
I know influencers can make money with brands and stuff. But honestly, I found the creepiness of the social media influencer click to be the darkest element of the story. At the same time, I questioned if Chloe's life was what Julie thought it was and if Chloe's feelings for her were ever as strong or real as the memories Julie had of their childhood.
I didn't feel like I got an answer to the later but there was an answer for the former. And there was something compelling about Julie and her actions that just compelled me to think she was nuts but also want to see her make it through the charade okay? 🤷🏾♀️
Because at her core, Julie wanted to be accepted, liked, wanted and loved. She didn't remember having that as a kid. She didn't have it growing up with her aunt and Chloe, her twin, didn't think twice about her.
But posting on social media as an influencer fills all those buckets and then some. Questionable if the Belladonnas "trip away" had a lasting impact on her life in the end. Yet it was still an interesting read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing company for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely devoured this book oh my goodness gracious. I love all the pop culture references, the subtle digs at certain influencers and cancel culture, and how Zhang had the ability to dive into the supernatural but chose not to. The writing style is what brought this book from a 4 star read to a 5 star, as the use of punctuation, contractions, and tonal shifts. (view spoiler)
Liann Zhang is a genius when it comes to using literature to alter the way we interact with stories and using small details to make an entire plot change
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