Julie Chan Is Dead

A Novel

De: Liann Zhang

Narrado por: Yu-Li Alice Shen

INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
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.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Narrator Yu-Li Alice Shen delivers a wild, bingeable listening experience in this fast-paced debut. Identical twins Julie and Chloe, who lost their parents at age 4, grew up worlds apart. Julie, who was raised by their miserable, greedy aunt, works a dead-end job, while Chloe, who was adopted by a wealthy family, lives a life of luxury and is a popular influencer. One day, Julie receives a strange call from Chloe and goes to her apartment—only to find her dead. Julie quickly assumes Chloe’s identity and lifestyle. Shen masterfully captures the dark humor in Zhang’s sharp critique of influencer culture. While the story’s latter half takes an unexpected turn into cult-like territory, Shen’s dynamic performance keeps listeners entertained."

Be prepared for what you wish for

This book felt as split as the twins at the center of it. First this was a novel about one twin taking over the life of her more successful influencer twin after she dies. I enjoyed the confusion and fear that Julie/Chloe feels trying to navigate that world. However in almost no time she masters it.

Then the second part of the book starts where the group of influencers goes on a secret vacation to a private island. What starts out as weirdness and fear of being caught in a lie, turns into an off the wall plot twist of cults, sacrifices, and murder.

The best part of the audio book is the narrator. Yu-Li Alice Shen, who I know, was great! She gave all the different characters voices and accents and really acted the story- not just read it.

However, the second half felt like such a bizarre and unnecessary twist. Yes, I assumed Chloe had been murdered so I was expecting a mystery delving into that with some social commentary on influencers and the internet. However that is not what this novel is so be prepared.

Addictive!

If you like psychological thrillers that make you go “wtf” but don’t give you nightmares this book is for you. This book is also for you if you find social media a bit culty. I really liked the performance of this audiobook - I feel like the narration style added a lot to the story. Loved it!

Twists and turns

Social commentary. Narrator’s ability to make many distinct voices. Income inequality. What we’ll do not to be lonely.

Evil Influencers with a Twist

I love books about the evil side of influencers, and this one took things to a new level as this dark comedy morphs into a strange and unhinged thriller, leaving me asking, “What was that?”

Julie Chan is living a miserable life. After her parents died in a car crash, her twin Chloe is adopted by a wealthy couple and Julie goes to live with her miserable aunt. And when Julie goes to see Chloe, now a successful influencer, she finds her dead and decides to take on her identity.

Things get really crazy when Julie (now Chloe) goes to a secluded island for an influencer retreat where they are all driven, almost hyonotically, by the queen of all influencers to do some unspeakable things.

The slow burn of this story culminates in Julie’s attempt to get away from the craziness, and asks the question, “How far are you willing to go to get what you want?”

If you like bad influencers, bizarre rituals, and a little bit of rich people gone bad this book may be for you.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Hooked from the beginning

The narration was great and it had me hooked from the beginning. The main character is not likeable in anyway as well as the other characters but all in all, it was an interesting story that had me coming back!