Julie Chan is Dead

Liann Zhang’s Julie Chan is Dead is the kind of thriller that gets under your skin. It’s dark, unsettling, and weirdly funny, with a razor-sharp take on influencer culture and internet fame. But what really got me was how effortlessly it pulls you into Julie’s head – the tension, the moral dilemmas, the sheer absurdity of the world she finds herself in.

Julie is a supermarket cashier, living an unremarkable life, while her twin sister, Chloe Van Huusen, is an ultra-glamorous influencer with millions of followers. They were separated as kids, and when Chloe suddenly wants to reconnect – for content, obviously – it’s clear she sees Julie as nothing more than a prop. But when Julie discovers Chloe dead under suspicious circumstances, she makes a split-second decision: she’ll become Chloe and let the world think Julie Chan is the one who died.

What I loved (and found deeply unsettling) is how easy it was for Julie to slip into her sister’s life. Designer clothes, skincare routines, lavish events – everything is curated to be consumed. But underneath the luxury is something much darker. When Julie joins Chloe’s influencer circle at an exclusive island retreat, the cracks start to show. There are secrets, dangerous ones, and the more she digs, the more she realises Chloe’s death wasn’t an accident. And if Julie doesn’t figure out the truth fast, she might be next.

This book is such a ride – sharp, addictive, and disturbingly relevant. It made me side-eye every influencer on my feed and think about how much of what we see online is just smoke and mirrors. If you love thrillers that blend social satire with jaw-dropping twists, Julie Chan is Dead is a must-read. Just don’t start it at night – unless you’re ready to lose sleep.