3.5 (2 ratings)
Julie Chan Is Dead
A Novel
INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
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.
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.
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781668067895
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3.5
2 ratings
Matt D.
Feb 20, 2026
Julie Chan has always dreamed of a great family. At a young age, she was separated from her twin sister, Chloe. Chloe grew up with everything Julie ever wanted: wealth, privilege, and power. Years later, she goes to find her twin sister, but instead finds her lifeless body in her apartment. Acting quickly, Julie steps into Chloe’s charmed life. As she navigates the high stakes world that Chloe lived in, Julie soon gets tangled into more than she bargained for.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but it took a turn by the second half that I struggled to connect with. The twists were good, but very outlandish.
Definitely a solid read and it makes you ponder the perils of living your life totally online.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but it took a turn by the second half that I struggled to connect with. The twists were good, but very outlandish.
Definitely a solid read and it makes you ponder the perils of living your life totally online.
Carla B.
Feb 8, 2026
After finding Chloe’s body under suspicious circumstances, Julie steps into her glamorous influencer life without much effort. Same face, better wardrobe, and millions of followers ready to adore her. But it does not take long for Julie to realize Chloe’s world of picture-perfect posts and brand deals was way more twisted than it looked.
NOTE: Content warnings are listed at the end of this review. They reveal key elements of the story, so skip them if you want to go in blind. However, I want to give an extra heads-up. There are two topics that I personally cannot handle in books: child abuse and animal cruelty. This story includes scenes of animal cruelty starting in Chapter 50, and it is referenced again later.
Now onto the review.
Julie Chan is Dead is a clever and darkly funny exploration of our obsession with validation, curated identities, and the illusion of success. I loved the concept right from the start. The way Liann Zhang built the world of Julie's new "perfect" town gave me serious cult and Stepford Wives vibes. It was eerie and captivating.
The book tackles tough subjects like racism, nepotism, and privilege, and it highlights how addictive external praise can become. I especially loved how it showed the dependency we have on our phones. There is a line that stuck with me: "How can I tell what's real without a record?" It was a haunting commentary on how technology warps our perception of reality.
The witty humor added a punch to some very real and uncomfortable truths, especially around toxic positivity and how fake smiles can hide so much pain. I appreciated how the author called out the shiny, influencer lifestyle without making it cartoonish.
That said, a few things held me back from loving this book as much as I hoped. The first half was slow to build. It took a while for the tension and mystery to really sink in, though the second half definitely delivered more twists and urgency. I also felt that while topics like racism were introduced, they were not explored as deeply as they could have been.
And I cannot ignore the animal cruelty scenes. Personally, I felt like they were unnecessary and could have been replaced with another plot device. It pulled me out of the story and left a bitter taste that overshadowed a lot of the book's important messages. I tried to separate my feelings from that part while writing this review because the overall satire and ideas were strong.
If you like dark humor, dystopian cult vibes, and books that shine a light on modern society's flaws with a wicked grin, Julie Chan is Dead is worth checking out. Just be sure to read the content warnings first.
The Vibes It Brings:
NOTE: Content warnings are listed at the end of this review. They reveal key elements of the story, so skip them if you want to go in blind. However, I want to give an extra heads-up. There are two topics that I personally cannot handle in books: child abuse and animal cruelty. This story includes scenes of animal cruelty starting in Chapter 50, and it is referenced again later.
Now onto the review.
Julie Chan is Dead is a clever and darkly funny exploration of our obsession with validation, curated identities, and the illusion of success. I loved the concept right from the start. The way Liann Zhang built the world of Julie's new "perfect" town gave me serious cult and Stepford Wives vibes. It was eerie and captivating.
The book tackles tough subjects like racism, nepotism, and privilege, and it highlights how addictive external praise can become. I especially loved how it showed the dependency we have on our phones. There is a line that stuck with me: "How can I tell what's real without a record?" It was a haunting commentary on how technology warps our perception of reality.
The witty humor added a punch to some very real and uncomfortable truths, especially around toxic positivity and how fake smiles can hide so much pain. I appreciated how the author called out the shiny, influencer lifestyle without making it cartoonish.
That said, a few things held me back from loving this book as much as I hoped. The first half was slow to build. It took a while for the tension and mystery to really sink in, though the second half definitely delivered more twists and urgency. I also felt that while topics like racism were introduced, they were not explored as deeply as they could have been.
And I cannot ignore the animal cruelty scenes. Personally, I felt like they were unnecessary and could have been replaced with another plot device. It pulled me out of the story and left a bitter taste that overshadowed a lot of the book's important messages. I tried to separate my feelings from that part while writing this review because the overall satire and ideas were strong.
If you like dark humor, dystopian cult vibes, and books that shine a light on modern society's flaws with a wicked grin, Julie Chan is Dead is worth checking out. Just be sure to read the content warnings first.
The Vibes It Brings: