Julie Chan is Dead Book Review: A Thriller by Liann Zhang
If you’re looking for a crazy thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, look no further. Seriously. This book shocked me in so many ways. I thought it was going to be one thing but then I got to the second half of the book and it went in a direction that I completely did not expect. Have I enticed you yet? Make sure you keep reading for my full Julie Chan is Dead book review.
And if you enjoyed today’s book review, you can find more thriller reviews here.
What is Julie Chan is Dead About?
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. (from Amazon.com)
My First Thoughts
I enjoy a good satire. And I also find reading about social media and influencers very interesting. So reading about an average grocery store employee who trades lives with her dead influencer sister sounded very intriguing to me. But let me just say… I had no idea what a wild ride this book would turn out to be.
My first thought was that the story started out kind of slow. And I didn’t love Julie’s personality. So my initial thought was that this was going to be a hard book to get through. But it wasn’t. Because after I got through the first couple of chapters and got to really know Julie, I was obsessed. As Julie broke into Chloe’s apartment and stared down at Chloe’s lifeless body, I knew that something bad was going to happen.
And it did.
Julie and Chloe Were Born Together, But Come From Completely Different Worlds
Liann Zhang’s Julie Chan and Chloe Van Huusen were about as different as twins could possibly be!
I really have to applaud the author’s creativity in plotting this book. When we first meet Julie, she’s a struggling grocery store worker with a lot of emotional baggage, thanks to how she grew up. When she and her twin sister Chloe were kids, their parents died in a car accident. Chloe was immediately adopted by a wealthy white couple who desired a child.
And Chloe was taken in by their biological aunt, who didn’t always treat her the best. This is a sad situation because the girls grew up barely even knowing each other. While Julie grew up working at the grocery store and dealing with her abusive aunt, Chloe grew up in the world of the rich.
While Julie was working after school at her part time job, Chloe was participating in hobbies like becoming a content creator. While Julie’s savings were stolen by her aunt, Chloe was making millions by sharing designer clothes and curating a meticulous skincare routine.
It’s not surprising that Julie covets her sisters life. But when she takes it too far, that’s what makes this psychological thriller become incredibly interesting.
You Kind of Need To Suspend Your Disbelief To Enjoy This Story
After reading half of this book, I just couldn’t help myself. I had to talk about how crazy the mysterious circumstances of Chloe’s death were. So I started telling my boyfriend about it when he got home from work. And he was in disbelief! Lol.
“Why did they Van Huusen’s only adopt one twin?” He asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
And maybe it doesn’t! Lol. There’s a lot of crazy stuff that happens later on in the book that is unbelievable as well. But you just have to roll with it because sometimes the best books don’t always make a ton of sense. And I’m okay with that.
This Book Takes on Influencer Culture in a Unique Way
As I mentioned earlier, I find social media stars very interesting to read about. So I obviously loved reading about Chloe’s luxurious influencer life. It must be so nice to be your own boss and get to create your own work schedule. But as you’ll learn in this book, the influencer world is not all it’s cracked up to be.
The Second Half of This Book is Bananas
I know, I know. I said that already. But I’m serious. In the second half of the book Julie (as Chloe) leaves New York City to go on a weeklong island retreat with her influencer friends. I had a feeling that something was off from the first minute they were on the private jet. There were a whole bunch of red flags.
I love the way the author wrote about Chloe exclusive group of friends, as well as their leader: famous influencer Bella Marie. It was so funny and crazy and cult-like. If you enjoy reading about social media as well as cults, then this book is for you.
In Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my full Julie Chan is Dead book review. Julia is a diabolical main character who was so fun to read about. As she slowly weaved her way into her sister’s privileged influencer circle, I had no idea what was going to happen. I felt like I was sitting on the edge of my seat as I read on.
This book was so dark and funny. I had a really fun time reading it and I hope you do too.
