Julie Chan Is Dead

A Novel

De: Liann Zhang

Narrado por: Yu-Li Alice Shen

In this debut thriller perfect for fans of Bunny and Yellowface, 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 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.

©2025 Liann Zhang (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

Interesting premise, complicated main character

Initially, I wasn’t sure how to rate this book, but the story has stuck with me. There were a few parts that were difficult to get through, but it paid off in the end. I identified with the main character’s background so I went into the book on a personal level, when I probably should’ve looked at it more as an alternate reality.

The narrator was not my favorite; the voice they used for male characters in particular was grating and off-putting, but there weren’t too many male characters so it wasn’t bad.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the narrative on social media. It is definitely worth a listen.

Not for the over 35-year-old age group

I ‘get’ the social media references but could not be persuaded to find the social media backdrop appealing. I doubt anyone over the age of 35 will think differently. Without accepting the hyperbolic social media theme, the story failed me miserably. But I felt that there were many other flaws. For example, I’ve never read a book that didn’t give the reader a single likable character, while simultaneously portraying all the dislikable characters as stereotypical. I was hoping the ending might redeem the book, but the attempt to shock and horrify the reader at the end only bored me. I doubt I will read another of this authors work.

Could Not Finish

This book sounded interesting but I was disappointed. The story drug along and then it just got weird. Very, very weird. I tried to power through but eventually gave up. Could not finish.