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Follow Me
Heathers meets The Stepford Wives in this creepy and frighteningly funny dark thriller about a woman who will do anything to find her missing sister. Even pretend to be one of them.
After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.
It’s been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It’s time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara’s last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to an Instamommy.
The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming—in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles—and a lot of dead eyes.
Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory—that Chiara came here and never left—Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really a threat to be eliminated.
After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.
It’s been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It’s time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara’s last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to an Instamommy.
The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming—in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles—and a lot of dead eyes.
Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory—that Chiara came here and never left—Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really a threat to be eliminated.
311 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2025
2212 people are currently reading
7328 people want to read
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March 18, 2025
જ⁀➴ 1.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Follow Me will be officially published on April 1st, 2025, or available to read right now through Amazon First Reads for Amazon Prime members!
ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚
I've had a lot of mid-tier books this month, but I swear I like reading! I swear I'm not a hater (at least not all the time)! However, I genuinely think I lost brain cells reading Follow Me. I’ve never cringed or felt this angry towards a book until I read this one. I know this is a debut author and I tend to give debut authors more grace because they're still attempting to hone their craft and writing style, but I’ve never read a book where I genuinely can’t tell if this was supposed to be satire or dead serious because of how big of a joke the entire plot felt. The worst part of it all? It didn't feel like a thriller to me. More on that later.
Chiara, a thirty-something-year-old mom to two young twin boys, needs a break. After a video of her sons in the bathtub goes massively viral, she's thrust into the world of Momstagram, mommy bloggers, and family influencers. She gets sponsorships, brand deals, and everything else in between, but declines them all. One day, she spontaneously enters a contest to win tickets to a mom-fluencer weekend that's run and hosted by 5 of the top mommy bloggers on Instagram on an expansive ranch in the country. She wins the tickets and goes to the retreat only to never return home. Her twin sister, Adrienne, decides to take matters into her own hands after Chiara's still missing a year later and infiltrates the mom-fluencer weekend to get answers on what happened to her sister.
I can kind of see where they were going with the description of Heathers meets The Stepford Wives, but I think there's also a bit of Midsommar in there as well. The way the attendees of the retreat all seem very robotic and cult-like lines up with the cult we see in Midsommar. (There's also a scene where everyone is ferally screaming in unison, but that's all I'll say about that.)
To get the good things out of the way at first, I felt the writing was strong and pulled you into the story very easily. I found myself 75% of the way through the book before I stopped and realized how close I was to finishing. It also helps that the book is less than 300 pages so it makes for a quick and easy read! I think the topic of family bloggers and mommy influencers has gotten a lot more scrutiny and attention lately, especially with the Hulu documentary of Ruby Franke and 8Passengers that came out recently and the whole "trad wife" trend that's been going on with Nara Smith and the like, so I thought a book about that topic would be interesting to read. I never understood the appeal of showcasing your family to everyone on the internet and documenting it for everyone to see and thus, stripping you and your family of privacy and peace.
The five hosts of the retreat--Thea, the ringleader, followed by McKenna, Ashleigh, Opal, and Tamarind--all emulate a different stereotype of mom-fluencer that people tend to make fun of a lot. McKenna is an arts and crafts mom who likes to DIY everything and anything under the sun, Ashleigh is a trad wife who lives off the land, Opal is a former businesswoman turned stay-at-home-mom, and Tamarind is a fitness mom who's into green smoothies and intense workouts to stay fit. Thea is sort of a combination of all of them. I'm not sure if the book was written primarily to satirize different types of mommy influencers and how out of touch with reality they can be at times with the lengths they go to make money and become popular on social media, but I don't think the book necessarily did that well. The "Mom Squad," as they call themselves, I feel were there for comedic effect. They were shallow, vapid, superficial, and so out of touch with reality that it was laughable. There was no depth to them beyond how much they wanted a curated image of them and their family to portray the "perfect" family.
I don't even know where to start. There's so many things I physically cringed at. Like, this HAS to be satire, right? (Prepare for the try not to cringe challenge ahead. You've been warned.)
ᨒ There are 70 uses of a hashtag throughout the 271 pages of this book. No, I'm not joking. SEVENTY. Think #InstaWorthy, #HealthyGirlies, #CuteAF. The one they were missing? #no❤️, because that's how I felt reading this disastrous, cringy book.
ᨒ The characters' names. Holy crap, every single one of these names belongs in r/Tragedeigh. Here are some of the names:
ᨒ The dialogue. There's one particular scene in the book where this happens, and it's uh...a choice, to say the least, given the current climate of the US with what's going on regarding immigration. Obviously, I'm not sure if this is in the final copy of the book so take this as you will.
ᨒ The activities: There's this one personality quiz activity all the attendees do on the first day where they get to find out their "Mom Sign." Think zodiac signs but instead of any normal zodiac, it's based on Opal, Tamarind, Thea, Ashleigh, and McKenna. It's based on their "mommy blogger aesthetics" and what they can do to improve their accounts. When Adrienne takes the quiz, her results are a "Tamarind sign with a McKenna rising." Yes, you read that right. Someone really sat here and thought of this and said, "Yup, this is absolutely fantastic and imma put that in a book." I'm laughing out of disbelief as I'm typing this review.
ᨒ Adrienne: Adrienne was a massive hater the entire time. I get it, she's out of her element considering she's not a mom herself and doesn't want a family. However, she was rude, abrasive, mean, and judgemental towards everything and anyone the entire book. I don't get her attitude considering SHE was the one who VOLUNTARILY went out of her way to spend THOUSANDS of dollars on a ticket to this mom-fluencer retreat and that doesn't even count the money spent on gas, new clothes to fit in, a new hairstyle, makeup, etc. On top of all of that, she studied and stalked multiple mommy influencer accounts for MONTHS to prepare for this event to fit in. She, again, VOLUNTARILY did all of this to find out what happened to Chiara and then becomes the embodiment of the shocked Pikachu face meme when she doesn't have a good time and she doesn't even try that hard to fit in to make her less suspicious.
She was supposed to be the self-proclaimed detective during the story trying to put the pieces together to find out what happened to Chiara, yet it felt like she did nothing but hate on everything the entire time. The only person more useless than Adrienne was Chiara's husband who did nothing but cry and be a wimp the entire time. Buddy didn't even go out to look for her or notice his own wife was missing until he didn't hear back from her for TWO DAYS. You would also think that being at the same mommy influencer retreat as Chiara would be a chance for Adrienne to spend a couple days in Chiara's shoes and realize how important her role was as a mother to her family. It's a big point of contention between Chiara and Adrienne and their tension, yet Adrienne just continued on hating. It was so annoying.
ᨒ The ending: The "plot twist" that usually comes in a thriller was NOT present in this book. It was barely even a plot TURN. I'm not going to go into this further to avoid spoilers, but it was so anticlimatic I rolled my eyes. It's a combination of me being able to see what happened from a mile away and the reasoning behind the plot twist was so stupid that I feel like the book shouldn't even be considered a thriller. It's probably one of the top 3 dumbest things I've read...ever. The final pages of the book were also so random and didn't fit the overall vibe of the story. It just didn't make sense for it to be the way it was in the context of everything else although I will admit it was mildly satisfying to read.
Overall, I feel like calling this a thriller is a disservice, because this book felt like social commentary about mommy bloggers and influencers disguised as a poorly set-up thriller. I don't disagree with the takes they have on mommy bloggers, but I probably would've enjoyed the book more if it was supposed to be a satirical take on that side of social media. The fact that it has "a thriller" on the front cover of the book didn't do it any favors considering everything I already said. I cringed more than I ever have reading a book, and while the writing was good enough to pull you into the story, this wasn't the book for me.
ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚
⋆˙⟡Content/trigger warnings: blood, gore, violence, drug use, alcohol consumption/alcoholism, blackmail, death of a loved one, murder
⋆˙⟡𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹: This will be eARC #3 for me this month as I attempt to do mARCh Madness and read as many of my ARCs as possible! I requested this on a whim because it lowkey gives me Midsommar meets Taken vibes with the retreat and how everything seems a little too cult-like, too perfect, and the way that everyone's eyes are described as "dead” with a plot of a mission to get a loved one back from danger. This seems like another fast read so we'll see what happens!🤞🏼
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Follow Me will be officially published on April 1st, 2025, or available to read right now through Amazon First Reads for Amazon Prime members!
ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚
I've had a lot of mid-tier books this month, but I swear I like reading! I swear I'm not a hater (at least not all the time)! However, I genuinely think I lost brain cells reading Follow Me. I’ve never cringed or felt this angry towards a book until I read this one. I know this is a debut author and I tend to give debut authors more grace because they're still attempting to hone their craft and writing style, but I’ve never read a book where I genuinely can’t tell if this was supposed to be satire or dead serious because of how big of a joke the entire plot felt. The worst part of it all? It didn't feel like a thriller to me. More on that later.
Chiara, a thirty-something-year-old mom to two young twin boys, needs a break. After a video of her sons in the bathtub goes massively viral, she's thrust into the world of Momstagram, mommy bloggers, and family influencers. She gets sponsorships, brand deals, and everything else in between, but declines them all. One day, she spontaneously enters a contest to win tickets to a mom-fluencer weekend that's run and hosted by 5 of the top mommy bloggers on Instagram on an expansive ranch in the country. She wins the tickets and goes to the retreat only to never return home. Her twin sister, Adrienne, decides to take matters into her own hands after Chiara's still missing a year later and infiltrates the mom-fluencer weekend to get answers on what happened to her sister.
I can kind of see where they were going with the description of Heathers meets The Stepford Wives, but I think there's also a bit of Midsommar in there as well. The way the attendees of the retreat all seem very robotic and cult-like lines up with the cult we see in Midsommar. (There's also a scene where everyone is ferally screaming in unison, but that's all I'll say about that.)
To get the good things out of the way at first, I felt the writing was strong and pulled you into the story very easily. I found myself 75% of the way through the book before I stopped and realized how close I was to finishing. It also helps that the book is less than 300 pages so it makes for a quick and easy read! I think the topic of family bloggers and mommy influencers has gotten a lot more scrutiny and attention lately, especially with the Hulu documentary of Ruby Franke and 8Passengers that came out recently and the whole "trad wife" trend that's been going on with Nara Smith and the like, so I thought a book about that topic would be interesting to read. I never understood the appeal of showcasing your family to everyone on the internet and documenting it for everyone to see and thus, stripping you and your family of privacy and peace.
The five hosts of the retreat--Thea, the ringleader, followed by McKenna, Ashleigh, Opal, and Tamarind--all emulate a different stereotype of mom-fluencer that people tend to make fun of a lot. McKenna is an arts and crafts mom who likes to DIY everything and anything under the sun, Ashleigh is a trad wife who lives off the land, Opal is a former businesswoman turned stay-at-home-mom, and Tamarind is a fitness mom who's into green smoothies and intense workouts to stay fit. Thea is sort of a combination of all of them. I'm not sure if the book was written primarily to satirize different types of mommy influencers and how out of touch with reality they can be at times with the lengths they go to make money and become popular on social media, but I don't think the book necessarily did that well. The "Mom Squad," as they call themselves, I feel were there for comedic effect. They were shallow, vapid, superficial, and so out of touch with reality that it was laughable. There was no depth to them beyond how much they wanted a curated image of them and their family to portray the "perfect" family.
I don't even know where to start. There's so many things I physically cringed at. Like, this HAS to be satire, right? (Prepare for the try not to cringe challenge ahead. You've been warned.)
ᨒ There are 70 uses of a hashtag throughout the 271 pages of this book. No, I'm not joking. SEVENTY. Think #InstaWorthy, #HealthyGirlies, #CuteAF. The one they were missing? #no❤️, because that's how I felt reading this disastrous, cringy book.
ᨒ The characters' names. Holy crap, every single one of these names belongs in r/Tragedeigh. Here are some of the names:
Tod (yes. Todd, but with one "d." No, this wasn't a typo. That's actually his name.)Honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised if there was a character in the book named Tragedeigh.
Azure
Cyan
Navy
Tamarind
ᨒ The dialogue. There's one particular scene in the book where this happens, and it's uh...a choice, to say the least, given the current climate of the US with what's going on regarding immigration. Obviously, I'm not sure if this is in the final copy of the book so take this as you will.
Opal moved onto her next target. “Ashleigh has like eight nannies she never shows."Like...if I had a nickel for every time I came across a book that mentioned something about that particular subject so far this March--this book and Sparrow and Vine (that Sophie Lark rightfully got canceled for)--I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot, but it's weird (and insane) that it's happened twice.
Mckenna added, “And four homeschool teachers.”
Then Tamarind added, “And migrant workers who tend to her orchard.”
ᨒ The activities: There's this one personality quiz activity all the attendees do on the first day where they get to find out their "Mom Sign." Think zodiac signs but instead of any normal zodiac, it's based on Opal, Tamarind, Thea, Ashleigh, and McKenna. It's based on their "mommy blogger aesthetics" and what they can do to improve their accounts. When Adrienne takes the quiz, her results are a "Tamarind sign with a McKenna rising." Yes, you read that right. Someone really sat here and thought of this and said, "Yup, this is absolutely fantastic and imma put that in a book." I'm laughing out of disbelief as I'm typing this review.
ᨒ Adrienne: Adrienne was a massive hater the entire time. I get it, she's out of her element considering she's not a mom herself and doesn't want a family. However, she was rude, abrasive, mean, and judgemental towards everything and anyone the entire book. I don't get her attitude considering SHE was the one who VOLUNTARILY went out of her way to spend THOUSANDS of dollars on a ticket to this mom-fluencer retreat and that doesn't even count the money spent on gas, new clothes to fit in, a new hairstyle, makeup, etc. On top of all of that, she studied and stalked multiple mommy influencer accounts for MONTHS to prepare for this event to fit in. She, again, VOLUNTARILY did all of this to find out what happened to Chiara and then becomes the embodiment of the shocked Pikachu face meme when she doesn't have a good time and she doesn't even try that hard to fit in to make her less suspicious.
She was supposed to be the self-proclaimed detective during the story trying to put the pieces together to find out what happened to Chiara, yet it felt like she did nothing but hate on everything the entire time. The only person more useless than Adrienne was Chiara's husband who did nothing but cry and be a wimp the entire time. Buddy didn't even go out to look for her or notice his own wife was missing until he didn't hear back from her for TWO DAYS. You would also think that being at the same mommy influencer retreat as Chiara would be a chance for Adrienne to spend a couple days in Chiara's shoes and realize how important her role was as a mother to her family. It's a big point of contention between Chiara and Adrienne and their tension, yet Adrienne just continued on hating. It was so annoying.
ᨒ The ending: The "plot twist" that usually comes in a thriller was NOT present in this book. It was barely even a plot TURN. I'm not going to go into this further to avoid spoilers, but it was so anticlimatic I rolled my eyes. It's a combination of me being able to see what happened from a mile away and the reasoning behind the plot twist was so stupid that I feel like the book shouldn't even be considered a thriller. It's probably one of the top 3 dumbest things I've read...ever. The final pages of the book were also so random and didn't fit the overall vibe of the story. It just didn't make sense for it to be the way it was in the context of everything else although I will admit it was mildly satisfying to read.
Overall, I feel like calling this a thriller is a disservice, because this book felt like social commentary about mommy bloggers and influencers disguised as a poorly set-up thriller. I don't disagree with the takes they have on mommy bloggers, but I probably would've enjoyed the book more if it was supposed to be a satirical take on that side of social media. The fact that it has "a thriller" on the front cover of the book didn't do it any favors considering everything I already said. I cringed more than I ever have reading a book, and while the writing was good enough to pull you into the story, this wasn't the book for me.
ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚ᨒ↟ 𖠰𖥧˚
⋆˙⟡Content/trigger warnings: blood, gore, violence, drug use, alcohol consumption/alcoholism, blackmail, death of a loved one, murder
⋆˙⟡𝒫𝓇𝑒-𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹: This will be eARC #3 for me this month as I attempt to do mARCh Madness and read as many of my ARCs as possible! I requested this on a whim because it lowkey gives me Midsommar meets Taken vibes with the retreat and how everything seems a little too cult-like, too perfect, and the way that everyone's eyes are described as "dead” with a plot of a mission to get a loved one back from danger. This seems like another fast read so we'll see what happens!🤞🏼
June 3, 2025
A dark comedy intermixed with a slasher vibe, Follow Me had me both laughing out loud and cringing with glee. You see, this satirical novel shined a light on Instagram mommy-fluencers in all of their…uhh…glory? Tying that into a missing persons trope read, the unwinding story was beyond fun—it was utterly wild. From the twin sister protagonist and her dynamite character arc to the over-the-top multiple POVs who were deliciously unhinged, I was blown away by each of them in turn. But it was the take-no-prisoners game of cat-and-mouse towards the end that got me but good. Fast-paced and propulsive, the height of the action had me holding on tight as a life-and-death battle took center stage.
All said and done, while the unlikeable characters were hard to root for and the social commentary overrode the mystery for the bulk of the novel, I nevertheless got pulled into the drama. After all, even the slap-sticky feel to the climax won me over hook, line, and sinker. Don’t get me wrong, you’re going to have to suspend all disbelief when you dive into this debut, but, once you have, you’ll be gifted with mommies gone mad every step of the way. You see, while I don’t personally have kids, I can imagine how some of the events touch on very real feelings. A cross between Bad Moms and The Stepford Wives, it’s the perfect thriller to get your laugh on with some unforgettable characters. Rating of 4 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.
It’s been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It’s time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara’s last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to be: an Instamommy.
The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming—in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles—and a lot of dead eyes.
Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory—that Chiara came here and never left—Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really is: a threat to be eliminated.
Thank you to Elizabeth Rose Quinn, Amazon Publishing, and MBC Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: April 1, 2025
Content warning: drug and alcohol abuse, alcoholism, depression, knife violence, violence, murder, mention of: postpartum anxiety
All said and done, while the unlikeable characters were hard to root for and the social commentary overrode the mystery for the bulk of the novel, I nevertheless got pulled into the drama. After all, even the slap-sticky feel to the climax won me over hook, line, and sinker. Don’t get me wrong, you’re going to have to suspend all disbelief when you dive into this debut, but, once you have, you’ll be gifted with mommies gone mad every step of the way. You see, while I don’t personally have kids, I can imagine how some of the events touch on very real feelings. A cross between Bad Moms and The Stepford Wives, it’s the perfect thriller to get your laugh on with some unforgettable characters. Rating of 4 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.
It’s been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It’s time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara’s last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to be: an Instamommy.
The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming—in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles—and a lot of dead eyes.
Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory—that Chiara came here and never left—Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really is: a threat to be eliminated.
Thank you to Elizabeth Rose Quinn, Amazon Publishing, and MBC Books for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: April 1, 2025
Content warning: drug and alcohol abuse, alcoholism, depression, knife violence, violence, murder, mention of: postpartum anxiety
March 13, 2025
2.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas& Mercer for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Intriguing premise, but there were certain aspects of the plot, and I am trying to figure out what the big takeaway should be.
In her debut novel, Elizabeth Rose Quinn tackles the world of "mommy influencers" as a woman tries to find out what happened to her twin sister who disappeared a year ago.
I see that this book has been labelled as a mystery/thriller and while there is a mystery attached, I would say that there is also some of a social commentary with a mix of something else that I don't know quite what to name. Although there are occasionally chapters from the police detective charged with the investigation, most of the story is told from grown sisters Chiara and Adrienne's point of view.
A cast of really unlikeable characters, I must say. That alone doesn't deter me from my reading experience. I like people who have their share of problems. Adrienne, she has issues. However, what was cleverly sardonic in the beginning, soon began to wear on me as the narrative progressed. Adrienne didn't understand her sister and didn't respect that her sister was now a wife and a mother. She came across as a Holden Caulfield-esque character and for me as a reader, I was soon of the mind "Girl, I don't have much empathy for you. You're a bitch!" Then there was the big climax when all the action started, that soon became weird. Almost laughable?
Hitting bookstores in April.
#FollowMe #NetGalley.
Expected Publication 01/04/25
Goodreads Review 13/03/25
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas& Mercer for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Intriguing premise, but there were certain aspects of the plot, and I am trying to figure out what the big takeaway should be.
In her debut novel, Elizabeth Rose Quinn tackles the world of "mommy influencers" as a woman tries to find out what happened to her twin sister who disappeared a year ago.
I see that this book has been labelled as a mystery/thriller and while there is a mystery attached, I would say that there is also some of a social commentary with a mix of something else that I don't know quite what to name. Although there are occasionally chapters from the police detective charged with the investigation, most of the story is told from grown sisters Chiara and Adrienne's point of view.
A cast of really unlikeable characters, I must say. That alone doesn't deter me from my reading experience. I like people who have their share of problems. Adrienne, she has issues. However, what was cleverly sardonic in the beginning, soon began to wear on me as the narrative progressed. Adrienne didn't understand her sister and didn't respect that her sister was now a wife and a mother. She came across as a Holden Caulfield-esque character and for me as a reader, I was soon of the mind "Girl, I don't have much empathy for you. You're a bitch!" Then there was the big climax when all the action started, that soon became weird. Almost laughable?
Hitting bookstores in April.
#FollowMe #NetGalley.
Expected Publication 01/04/25
Goodreads Review 13/03/25
February 19, 2025
Chiara and Adrienne are twin sisters who have been inseparable throughout their teens. But once Chiara enters marriage and has twins herself, their rebel years are over and they drift apart.
Adrienne's world is far removed from the ordinary, until Chiara goes missing and she's forced to step up her game and find her sister.
The search leads to a retreat for social media mom-fluencers with lots of quirky characters and fun activities.
Follow Me is a fast paced modern mystery which, despite the serious topic, has a lot of humor. An entertaining story set in a dark and delicious environment.
Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.
Adrienne's world is far removed from the ordinary, until Chiara goes missing and she's forced to step up her game and find her sister.
The search leads to a retreat for social media mom-fluencers with lots of quirky characters and fun activities.
Follow Me is a fast paced modern mystery which, despite the serious topic, has a lot of humor. An entertaining story set in a dark and delicious environment.
Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.
October 27, 2025
I kind of hated the first bit of this book. I’m not a fan of influencers be they book, health or mommies pushing crap on people so they can stay relevant and wealthy. So this book is about them and I wasn’t finding it dark or comical or anything but snoozy and I was about to throw in the towel when it finally took a turn away from the annoying mommies and their ridiculous perfection fetishes and became interesting instead of aggravating.
It’s all ridiculous but in the end it’s not the worst book I’ve tried to read this month.
It’s all ridiculous but in the end it’s not the worst book I’ve tried to read this month.
March 4, 2025
Excuse me, what did I just read?! This one was wild y’all and I don’t even know if I liked it or not, I’m hoping writing this review will help me figure it out. I was into the premise, I’m a sucker for a crazy mom influencer and there were a zillion here so entertainment for days. The author really leaned into the satire of mommy culture online and it was funny and irreverent. The mystery aspect had me too, I really wanted to know what happened to Chiara but it took a long ass time to get there. Parts felt too drawn out and repetitive as her sister, Adrienne was looking for answers and I kept getting pulled out of the story instead deeper into it. The ending was super campy and way over the top, lots of gore and it kind of felt misplaced compared to the rest of the book. Overall a bit of a miss for me, just a strange little read that wasn’t my cup of tea.
March 10, 2025
(1.5 stars, rounded up because I'm not just a hater and did finish the thing)
Where to begin with this book. I wasn't sold from the very beginning, and it went downhill from there.
There are a lot of things you can critique about mom influencers on social media, especially right now in the rise of conservatism where things like trad wives are a huge deal. Regardless, there's so many people (primarily women) who exploit and shame their children for views with no regard for lasting consequences. And this book did critique those things. But it just felt like a misogynistic take down of misogyny. Instead of orienting around real issues, it sort of read more as "wow, look at how annoying and stupid these other women are!" Mom influencers don't exist in an evil vacuum.
I think this is best shown through the main group of moms known as the Mom Squad. There are four (plus one) women who are basic caricatures of various types of women influencers. And yes, one of them is a trad wife. These characters play a huge role in the story, but they are entirely one dimensional. They exist to be made fun of. There are valid points to be found in the writing of these characters, but it's entirely surface level. I can't tell if the book wanted to be reflective and nuanced or not, because a lot of Adrienne's (already very weak) character development hinged on her learning to understand the struggles of motherhood, yet the book was also seemingly mocking these nuances.
Honestly, was this book meant to be satire? I can't tell. Unfortunately, if it was, it misses the mark. It fell somewhere between satire and real life that just feels weird. People don't act like this.
The plot itself didn't make much sense regardless. After finishing the book, I'm still confused about why any of this happened in the first place. Nothing that happens to Chiara is justified within the narrative, and the explanations they try to give are completely ridiculous. It was theatrics for the sake of creating a thriller book.
This becomes abundantly clear when you realize that Adrienne — the main character in the self-imposed investigator role — does exactly nothing. She was so mean and judgmental of everyone that she met, and I struggled to find any redeeming characteristics for her. It was also very confusing because the idea to go investigate this influencer retreat was her idea. She decided to spend thousands of dollars to go infiltrate this highly-specific microculture, and then she spends the whole time whining about being there. She has no plan outside of being rude and clueless. For a thriller main character, she's way too passive. Especially since she choses to take on an investigative role.
And the ending was bizarre. I do not want spoil it, but ... oh my God. The style and tone has a time and a place (consider something like the Scream movies), but it felt wildly out of place in this book. Ultimately, all it did was undercut any intended messages in the first part of the book and highlight all the poor writing choices made throughout. If you want to be a satirical thriller focusing on out-of-touch influencers and their parasocial fans, great! Or if you want to genuinely explore the cult-like mentalities involved in influencer-fan relationships, especially those preying on emotionally-vulnerable populations, also great! But this book wanted to be a mix of both, and it just didn't work for me.
Apparently everyone else loves this book (it's being made into a movie??), so maybe I just didn't get it. I thought it was a lazy and under-developed story that took too much inspiration from media it fails to fully understand.
Where to begin with this book. I wasn't sold from the very beginning, and it went downhill from there.
There are a lot of things you can critique about mom influencers on social media, especially right now in the rise of conservatism where things like trad wives are a huge deal. Regardless, there's so many people (primarily women) who exploit and shame their children for views with no regard for lasting consequences. And this book did critique those things. But it just felt like a misogynistic take down of misogyny. Instead of orienting around real issues, it sort of read more as "wow, look at how annoying and stupid these other women are!" Mom influencers don't exist in an evil vacuum.
I think this is best shown through the main group of moms known as the Mom Squad. There are four (plus one) women who are basic caricatures of various types of women influencers. And yes, one of them is a trad wife. These characters play a huge role in the story, but they are entirely one dimensional. They exist to be made fun of. There are valid points to be found in the writing of these characters, but it's entirely surface level. I can't tell if the book wanted to be reflective and nuanced or not, because a lot of Adrienne's (already very weak) character development hinged on her learning to understand the struggles of motherhood, yet the book was also seemingly mocking these nuances.
Honestly, was this book meant to be satire? I can't tell. Unfortunately, if it was, it misses the mark. It fell somewhere between satire and real life that just feels weird. People don't act like this.
The plot itself didn't make much sense regardless. After finishing the book, I'm still confused about why any of this happened in the first place. Nothing that happens to Chiara is justified within the narrative, and the explanations they try to give are completely ridiculous. It was theatrics for the sake of creating a thriller book.
This becomes abundantly clear when you realize that Adrienne — the main character in the self-imposed investigator role — does exactly nothing. She was so mean and judgmental of everyone that she met, and I struggled to find any redeeming characteristics for her. It was also very confusing because the idea to go investigate this influencer retreat was her idea. She decided to spend thousands of dollars to go infiltrate this highly-specific microculture, and then she spends the whole time whining about being there. She has no plan outside of being rude and clueless. For a thriller main character, she's way too passive. Especially since she choses to take on an investigative role.
And the ending was bizarre. I do not want spoil it, but ... oh my God. The style and tone has a time and a place (consider something like the Scream movies), but it felt wildly out of place in this book. Ultimately, all it did was undercut any intended messages in the first part of the book and highlight all the poor writing choices made throughout. If you want to be a satirical thriller focusing on out-of-touch influencers and their parasocial fans, great! Or if you want to genuinely explore the cult-like mentalities involved in influencer-fan relationships, especially those preying on emotionally-vulnerable populations, also great! But this book wanted to be a mix of both, and it just didn't work for me.
Apparently everyone else loves this book (it's being made into a movie??), so maybe I just didn't get it. I thought it was a lazy and under-developed story that took too much inspiration from media it fails to fully understand.
April 25, 2025
Heathers meets The Stepford Wives—that tagline hooked me. A missing sister, culty influencer vibes, and a woman diving headfirst into the chaos? Sign me up. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t live up to the promise.
Reading this felt like being trapped at an over-the-top influencer retreat, surrounded by overly perky Instamommies who speak only in toxic positivity. There’s something seductive about finally finding a place where you fit, but the fakey-nice culture and smile-through-the-weirdness energy grated on me fast—and honestly, some of the moms were just straight-up rude beneath those filtered facades.
The pacing dragged, and I kept waiting for a twist or adrenaline rush that never really came.
Chiara, the missing sister, was one of the more compelling characters. Through her social media, she didn’t try to be the “perfect” mom—she kept things a little more grounded, a little more real. Adrienne, our lead, had flashes of messy, sharp-edged grit I usually love, but even her snark couldn’t carry the weight of a drawn-out, unsure plot.
Genre-wise, it felt like the book didn’t really know what it wanted to be. The thriller elements came in way too late—like a last-ditch attempt to add tension. And I’ve seen it called dark, funny, witty, etc.—but for the most part, was it satire? Honestly… was it? Because half the time it felt like the whole thing was trying to be one big joke, and not in a way that landed for me. I get that motherhood is deeply personal and different for everyone—no two experiences are the same—but even with that in mind, the tone just felt off. Like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a commentary, a thriller, or just pure chaos.
And the hashtags? So. Many. Hashtags. I get the social media critique, but it came off more cringe than clever.
I audiobooked this one, which honestly saved it from being a DNF. I’ve heard it’s a debut, and there’s a film adaptation on the way—this might actually work better on screen. There’s promise here, and I’m curious to see what the author does next.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘴 & 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.💐
Reading this felt like being trapped at an over-the-top influencer retreat, surrounded by overly perky Instamommies who speak only in toxic positivity. There’s something seductive about finally finding a place where you fit, but the fakey-nice culture and smile-through-the-weirdness energy grated on me fast—and honestly, some of the moms were just straight-up rude beneath those filtered facades.
The pacing dragged, and I kept waiting for a twist or adrenaline rush that never really came.
Chiara, the missing sister, was one of the more compelling characters. Through her social media, she didn’t try to be the “perfect” mom—she kept things a little more grounded, a little more real. Adrienne, our lead, had flashes of messy, sharp-edged grit I usually love, but even her snark couldn’t carry the weight of a drawn-out, unsure plot.
Genre-wise, it felt like the book didn’t really know what it wanted to be. The thriller elements came in way too late—like a last-ditch attempt to add tension. And I’ve seen it called dark, funny, witty, etc.—but for the most part, was it satire? Honestly… was it? Because half the time it felt like the whole thing was trying to be one big joke, and not in a way that landed for me. I get that motherhood is deeply personal and different for everyone—no two experiences are the same—but even with that in mind, the tone just felt off. Like it couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a commentary, a thriller, or just pure chaos.
And the hashtags? So. Many. Hashtags. I get the social media critique, but it came off more cringe than clever.
I audiobooked this one, which honestly saved it from being a DNF. I’ve heard it’s a debut, and there’s a film adaptation on the way—this might actually work better on screen. There’s promise here, and I’m curious to see what the author does next.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘴 & 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.💐
March 28, 2025
#ad many thanks for my advance copy @elizabethrosequinnauthor + @amazonpublishing + @mbc_books #partner
🅵🅾🅻🅻🅾🆆 🅼🅴
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴀᴘʀɪʟ 𝟣, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧
A debut that is sure to put Quinn on the map as an author to follow - literally, follow her! ♥️ I’m completely obsessed now! 𝐹𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑀𝑒 by Elizabeth Rose Quinn is unputdownable - a fascinating thriller centered in the world of mominfluencers and missing sisters.
Twins Chiara and Adrienne couldn’t be more different, but no matter how much they fight or go without speaking, their sisterly bond is unbreakable. When Chiara attends a mominfluencer retreat and disappears, Ade will stop at nothing to find her.
Going undercover as a mom influencer - despite not being a mom herself - Ade mimics the role flawlessly and infiltrates the next retreat. She’s determined to uncover what happened to her sister, one way or another.
This book was such a FUN and WILD read, I never wanted it to end! Quinn’s writing is engaging, humorous, and impossible to put down. It’s the kind of book that makes you stop and think, 𝘏𝘖𝘓𝘠 𝘚𝘏@𝘛!? 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯? Absolutely fantastic! Seriously, all the praise!
The retreat scenes were thrilling and binge-worthy. It felt like reading a version of 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒 on MTV - so fun! But then there’s the mystery of what happened to Chiara??? While us readers get a glimpse of what happened to her, we don’t know fully. We’re right there with Ade, piecing together what happened at last year’s retreat.
I’ve already told the author, but I’ll say it again: PLEASE don’t stop writing more books like this one! One of the most memorable debuts I’ve ever read. It left me feeling the same way I did after reading 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠. A top read for 2025! OBSESSED! GIVE ME MORE!
I can’t wait to see what’s next. You’ve got fans now, girl! A must-read for thriller lovers. And YEP, I just added this book to your TBR - you’re welcome 💁🏼♀️ I think this is a debut?? lol
#followme #debutbook
🅵🅾🅻🅻🅾🆆 🅼🅴
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴀᴘʀɪʟ 𝟣, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧
A debut that is sure to put Quinn on the map as an author to follow - literally, follow her! ♥️ I’m completely obsessed now! 𝐹𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑀𝑒 by Elizabeth Rose Quinn is unputdownable - a fascinating thriller centered in the world of mominfluencers and missing sisters.
Twins Chiara and Adrienne couldn’t be more different, but no matter how much they fight or go without speaking, their sisterly bond is unbreakable. When Chiara attends a mominfluencer retreat and disappears, Ade will stop at nothing to find her.
Going undercover as a mom influencer - despite not being a mom herself - Ade mimics the role flawlessly and infiltrates the next retreat. She’s determined to uncover what happened to her sister, one way or another.
This book was such a FUN and WILD read, I never wanted it to end! Quinn’s writing is engaging, humorous, and impossible to put down. It’s the kind of book that makes you stop and think, 𝘏𝘖𝘓𝘠 𝘚𝘏@𝘛!? 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯? Absolutely fantastic! Seriously, all the praise!
The retreat scenes were thrilling and binge-worthy. It felt like reading a version of 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑒 on MTV - so fun! But then there’s the mystery of what happened to Chiara??? While us readers get a glimpse of what happened to her, we don’t know fully. We’re right there with Ade, piecing together what happened at last year’s retreat.
I’ve already told the author, but I’ll say it again: PLEASE don’t stop writing more books like this one! One of the most memorable debuts I’ve ever read. It left me feeling the same way I did after reading 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑠. A top read for 2025! OBSESSED! GIVE ME MORE!
I can’t wait to see what’s next. You’ve got fans now, girl! A must-read for thriller lovers. And YEP, I just added this book to your TBR - you’re welcome 💁🏼♀️ I think this is a debut?? lol
#followme #debutbook
April 8, 2025
I loved this!
For starters it’s a fast paced, dramatic pop corn thriller that’s quick, easy and entertaining to read.
Secondly the main character is extremely likeable and relatable, a recent mother of twins who is floundering to survive motherhood and accidentally goes viral on social media thrusting her into the world of “influencers” and ends up on a retreat for an army of “mommies” who you just know are going to be cliquey and unhinged 😂
I won’t give any more away but I’d recommend reading!
Thank you for the gifted copy 🙏🏻🙏🏻
For starters it’s a fast paced, dramatic pop corn thriller that’s quick, easy and entertaining to read.
Secondly the main character is extremely likeable and relatable, a recent mother of twins who is floundering to survive motherhood and accidentally goes viral on social media thrusting her into the world of “influencers” and ends up on a retreat for an army of “mommies” who you just know are going to be cliquey and unhinged 😂
I won’t give any more away but I’d recommend reading!
Thank you for the gifted copy 🙏🏻🙏🏻
April 23, 2025
Book Review 📱🧨
Thank you partner @mbc_books @amazonpublishing for the gifted copy!
Follow Me
by Elizabeth Rose Quinn
About the book 👇🏽
After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.
It's been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It's time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara's last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to be: an Instamommy.
The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming--in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles--and a lot of dead eyes.
Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory--that Chiara came here and never left--Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really is: a threat to be eliminated.
🧨 My thoughts:
Five whole stars! There’s something about the influencer, culty, mom tropes that just do it for me. It’s always the perfect mashup and Follow Me did NOT disappoint. This was eerily relatable and infuriatingly addicting. I could not put it down once I started it. I am in shock that I haven’t seen this one all over the internet… it fits the bill for a hit. That firework scene was absolutely diabolical and I loved it! If you love culty reads that have flawed characters, unhinged shenanigans, and sister bonds… you need to read this one! I can’t recommend this one enough. Follow Me is out NOW!
Happy reading 📖🧨📱
Thank you partner @mbc_books @amazonpublishing for the gifted copy!
Follow Me
by Elizabeth Rose Quinn
About the book 👇🏽
After her twin sister, Chiara, goes missing at a mom-fluencer weekend, Adrienne Shaw will find her no matter what it takes. They may have been on the outs, but no one comes for her sister and gets away with it.
It's been a year, the authorities have no answers, and her brother-in-law is useless in the matter. It's time for Adrienne to take the case into her own hands. Following in Chiara's last footsteps, Adrienne goes undercover, infiltrating the same influencer retreat as the last thing she wants to be: an Instamommy.
The remote ranch in Northern California is certainly welcoming--in a cult-adjacent kind of way. A charismatic leader, communal crafts, fixed smiles--and a lot of dead eyes.
Going on gut instinct and chasing a wild theory--that Chiara came here and never left--Adrienne is determined to uncover the truth before the too-perfect-to-believe women figure out who Adrienne really is: a threat to be eliminated.
🧨 My thoughts:
Five whole stars! There’s something about the influencer, culty, mom tropes that just do it for me. It’s always the perfect mashup and Follow Me did NOT disappoint. This was eerily relatable and infuriatingly addicting. I could not put it down once I started it. I am in shock that I haven’t seen this one all over the internet… it fits the bill for a hit. That firework scene was absolutely diabolical and I loved it! If you love culty reads that have flawed characters, unhinged shenanigans, and sister bonds… you need to read this one! I can’t recommend this one enough. Follow Me is out NOW!
Happy reading 📖🧨📱
July 29, 2025
This book was… a trip. I have a lot of thoughts on this book, which I know no one will read because I’m putting a spoiler tag on and because no one reads long reviews on books they don’t read… but I need the catharsis that comes from writing a long review for a poor book… anyway buckle up! Or as this author would say, #buckleup!!
This book had SO much potential. The idea was there. I could see it, even touch it sometimes, and then the execution would fall flat, and I could feel the potential slipping away from my grasp.
The book begins with Chiara going to an Instagram mommy retreat. Ok, I think to myself, I can totally see this happening, in fact, I’ve heard of this happening! She’s just trying to build her brand. I was a little confused though when she went viral for one post with a caption that said #thankgodImicrodosedtoday or something stupid like that. The real confusing part is that her one single viral post brought down the engagement of mommy instagrammers everywhere. That is not possible. I repeat, not possible with one single post of a girl with a 100 followers(?) (I think she has a 100 from what her sister Adrienne said, but Adrienne is unreliable, and it sounds like Chiara had more.) Yes, maybe she did get some brand deals or ad offers, but to make the claim that the engagement of hundreds of mom instagrammers went down because of one post?! I can understand if she actually made multiple posts/reels, and tried to become famous. But she didn’t even do that!! It just felt weird to me.
Like you could tell the author knew what she was talking about because of the terms she used (trad wife, algorithm, etc), but then the connections she made with those terms felt off! I just couldn’t buy the whole premise for Chiara’s murder because it felt so fictional that her single selfie made everyone else lose engagement. (Did they murder her because of her “drug threat” to their children or because she stole engagement?? I’m honestly still confused. It would have made more sense if the death was accidental, but it was very intentionally planned.) It also would make more sense if like she already was somewhat famous and in a niche of moms and THEN siphoned off followers. (For example, I kept thinking of the famous mom tokkers - with Taylor Frankie Paul being the most famous, but then the rest of them trying to do more outlandish things to get their own follower count up. Use that for a plot instead!!)
So at the beginning I’m suspending my disbelief a little, but I try to excuse it - this is a thriller after all, and you sometimes have to suspend your disbelief for those. (Although I would not classify this as a thriller, more suspense or mystery to me. But it should be classified as a parody tbh.) I even think, wow this Amazon first prime reads book isn’t that bad!! (I always have to set my expectations low for prime reads.)
Chiara’s inner monologue was relatable as a mom, a little too relatable, and I honestly considered dnfing at that point. Not because the writing was poor, but because I’m a little sensitive to thriller plots revolving around moms and kids.
But then Chiara was murdered, and her pov is gone. And we have to follow her sister Adrienne’s pov, and sometimes the cop. The cop’s pov was not necessary in my opinion, but at least it gave me a break from Adrienne, who was honestly kind of dumb. Maybe if the cop’s chapters were fleshed out more and the book focused more on her investigation, I would have thought them more necessary idk.
So about halfway through I’m thinking ok, Adrienne’s pov kind of sucks and she’s kind of stupid. She needed to flesh out her Instagram cover story A LOT more before going to this retreat. And then she changes her mind when telling Bernice her story and says she’s a blogger?? Girl pick a cover story!! She had NO plan, and she was a bi***!!
But I’m not giving up hope yet. Maybe the mystery investigation will redeem the book. But I was disappointed. The mommy instagrammers (or as they said multiple times, the comMOMunity, which is so difficult to pronounce lol) slowly got more and more unhinged. I kept thinking to myself, yes, influencers are wack, but no one would actually act like this. I had to tell myself it was a parody of mom influencers because the way they were acting was just so… zombie like. I guess that was the whole point? But it made me suspend my disbelief once again, and there’s only so many times you can ask a reader to do that before they get taken out of the story.
Still, I’m holding out hope at this point for a 3.5 star rating. Yes, Adrienne is annoying. Yes, the mom influencers are zombies. And yes, the author isn’t connecting Instagram terms well enough for me. But the story is entertaining, and I’m willing to read.
But then. The ending. Wow. What the hell was that ending. All of a sudden I’m in a slasher film?! (I was in my son’s audio appt reading the ending, and I had to literally tell myself to stop making faces so the doctor wouldn’t think I was crazy.)
Bernice (Adrienne’s double agent ally) and Thea’s mom squad are all MURDERED. Adrienne literally kills or stabs to death Ashleigh, Opal, Tamarind, Mckenna, and Thea. And somehow gets away with it all because of “self-defense.” I’m sorry, but it’s hard to claim self defense when she literally stabs one of them in both eyeballs, the chest, stomach, etc. Then the rest of them are quickly killed off too. One girl is shot to death from arrows. Adrienne carves up one of them so that blood spurts out like a spigot. Thea falls on a tractor and her body is literally dismembered while blood shoots out everywhere. And the writing was just so bad by the end. I swear the author literally lost the plot. I felt like I was reading a middle schooler’s writing assignment that went off the rails (just like Thea when she fell off the tractor). It just felt SO different from the rest of the book.
The ending literally brings this down to 2 stars. It was unrealistic to begin with, and then I’m reading about a druggie who is fine stabbing to death multiple people.
A few nitpicky things (as if I haven’t been harsh already lol) - Bernice said she was from south Utah, but then her sticker on her car says North Utah, and she references Salt Lake?!
I swear the author took inspo from Utah mom influencers because Utah was the only referenced state. And Ashleigh was a trad wife with a farm, but her husband’s family owned a basketball team and airline (Ballerina Farm reference??).
Also too many hashtags thrown in random paragraphs. It was fine at first, but then it just felt #random, out of place, and difficult to read.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about this book at the beginning. I felt like influencers were being mocked, and I felt strangely defensive of them for some reason? I don’t even follow a lot of influencers tbh. I can count on one hand the influencers I follow, and only one of them focuses on her life being a mom. So I’m not like in that scene on Instagram really. But I still felt like the author was being really weird towards influencers. So I decided to read it as a parody, which worked. Until it turned into a weird blood fest lol.
This book needed to be labeled as a parody rather than a thriller, and honestly that would have set up expectations better!
I also saw this book is possibly being made into a movie?! Which maybe it’ll work better as a movie idk?
The sad thing is that in five years this book will be severely outdated. Think about how much Instagram has changed since it was created 15ish years ago! Reels didn’t even exist a few years ago, but think about how the references to them in this book will be outdated. This book will not last the test of time because of how focused it is on the influencer lifestyle of today.
Anyway, if you’ve read this far, lmk what you think!! #followme!!!!
This book had SO much potential. The idea was there. I could see it, even touch it sometimes, and then the execution would fall flat, and I could feel the potential slipping away from my grasp.
The book begins with Chiara going to an Instagram mommy retreat. Ok, I think to myself, I can totally see this happening, in fact, I’ve heard of this happening! She’s just trying to build her brand. I was a little confused though when she went viral for one post with a caption that said #thankgodImicrodosedtoday or something stupid like that. The real confusing part is that her one single viral post brought down the engagement of mommy instagrammers everywhere. That is not possible. I repeat, not possible with one single post of a girl with a 100 followers(?) (I think she has a 100 from what her sister Adrienne said, but Adrienne is unreliable, and it sounds like Chiara had more.) Yes, maybe she did get some brand deals or ad offers, but to make the claim that the engagement of hundreds of mom instagrammers went down because of one post?! I can understand if she actually made multiple posts/reels, and tried to become famous. But she didn’t even do that!! It just felt weird to me.
Like you could tell the author knew what she was talking about because of the terms she used (trad wife, algorithm, etc), but then the connections she made with those terms felt off! I just couldn’t buy the whole premise for Chiara’s murder because it felt so fictional that her single selfie made everyone else lose engagement. (Did they murder her because of her “drug threat” to their children or because she stole engagement?? I’m honestly still confused. It would have made more sense if the death was accidental, but it was very intentionally planned.) It also would make more sense if like she already was somewhat famous and in a niche of moms and THEN siphoned off followers. (For example, I kept thinking of the famous mom tokkers - with Taylor Frankie Paul being the most famous, but then the rest of them trying to do more outlandish things to get their own follower count up. Use that for a plot instead!!)
So at the beginning I’m suspending my disbelief a little, but I try to excuse it - this is a thriller after all, and you sometimes have to suspend your disbelief for those. (Although I would not classify this as a thriller, more suspense or mystery to me. But it should be classified as a parody tbh.) I even think, wow this Amazon first prime reads book isn’t that bad!! (I always have to set my expectations low for prime reads.)
Chiara’s inner monologue was relatable as a mom, a little too relatable, and I honestly considered dnfing at that point. Not because the writing was poor, but because I’m a little sensitive to thriller plots revolving around moms and kids.
But then Chiara was murdered, and her pov is gone. And we have to follow her sister Adrienne’s pov, and sometimes the cop. The cop’s pov was not necessary in my opinion, but at least it gave me a break from Adrienne, who was honestly kind of dumb. Maybe if the cop’s chapters were fleshed out more and the book focused more on her investigation, I would have thought them more necessary idk.
So about halfway through I’m thinking ok, Adrienne’s pov kind of sucks and she’s kind of stupid. She needed to flesh out her Instagram cover story A LOT more before going to this retreat. And then she changes her mind when telling Bernice her story and says she’s a blogger?? Girl pick a cover story!! She had NO plan, and she was a bi***!!
But I’m not giving up hope yet. Maybe the mystery investigation will redeem the book. But I was disappointed. The mommy instagrammers (or as they said multiple times, the comMOMunity, which is so difficult to pronounce lol) slowly got more and more unhinged. I kept thinking to myself, yes, influencers are wack, but no one would actually act like this. I had to tell myself it was a parody of mom influencers because the way they were acting was just so… zombie like. I guess that was the whole point? But it made me suspend my disbelief once again, and there’s only so many times you can ask a reader to do that before they get taken out of the story.
Still, I’m holding out hope at this point for a 3.5 star rating. Yes, Adrienne is annoying. Yes, the mom influencers are zombies. And yes, the author isn’t connecting Instagram terms well enough for me. But the story is entertaining, and I’m willing to read.
But then. The ending. Wow. What the hell was that ending. All of a sudden I’m in a slasher film?! (I was in my son’s audio appt reading the ending, and I had to literally tell myself to stop making faces so the doctor wouldn’t think I was crazy.)
Bernice (Adrienne’s double agent ally) and Thea’s mom squad are all MURDERED. Adrienne literally kills or stabs to death Ashleigh, Opal, Tamarind, Mckenna, and Thea. And somehow gets away with it all because of “self-defense.” I’m sorry, but it’s hard to claim self defense when she literally stabs one of them in both eyeballs, the chest, stomach, etc. Then the rest of them are quickly killed off too. One girl is shot to death from arrows. Adrienne carves up one of them so that blood spurts out like a spigot. Thea falls on a tractor and her body is literally dismembered while blood shoots out everywhere. And the writing was just so bad by the end. I swear the author literally lost the plot. I felt like I was reading a middle schooler’s writing assignment that went off the rails (just like Thea when she fell off the tractor). It just felt SO different from the rest of the book.
The ending literally brings this down to 2 stars. It was unrealistic to begin with, and then I’m reading about a druggie who is fine stabbing to death multiple people.
A few nitpicky things (as if I haven’t been harsh already lol) - Bernice said she was from south Utah, but then her sticker on her car says North Utah, and she references Salt Lake?!
I swear the author took inspo from Utah mom influencers because Utah was the only referenced state. And Ashleigh was a trad wife with a farm, but her husband’s family owned a basketball team and airline (Ballerina Farm reference??).
Also too many hashtags thrown in random paragraphs. It was fine at first, but then it just felt #random, out of place, and difficult to read.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about this book at the beginning. I felt like influencers were being mocked, and I felt strangely defensive of them for some reason? I don’t even follow a lot of influencers tbh. I can count on one hand the influencers I follow, and only one of them focuses on her life being a mom. So I’m not like in that scene on Instagram really. But I still felt like the author was being really weird towards influencers. So I decided to read it as a parody, which worked. Until it turned into a weird blood fest lol.
This book needed to be labeled as a parody rather than a thriller, and honestly that would have set up expectations better!
I also saw this book is possibly being made into a movie?! Which maybe it’ll work better as a movie idk?
The sad thing is that in five years this book will be severely outdated. Think about how much Instagram has changed since it was created 15ish years ago! Reels didn’t even exist a few years ago, but think about how the references to them in this book will be outdated. This book will not last the test of time because of how focused it is on the influencer lifestyle of today.
Anyway, if you’ve read this far, lmk what you think!! #followme!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
dnf
July 29, 2025DNF @ 34%
Not interested enough at this point to continue. On to better things!
Not interested enough at this point to continue. On to better things!
January 19, 2026
Okay, this was really bloody funny.
As is so often the case with me, I came across this title as I was just scrolling through one of my Kindles (I really need to work on getting each book assigned to the appropriate collection, so they're easier to find when they're needed...such a boring chore, but I know it'll pay off once I've done it) feeling in the mood to read, but not really knowing what it was that I wanted to read. When I came across this book, the cover caught my eye and so I just decided "Why the heck not?"
As the first chapter started up, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I didn't even come on here to check the blurb beforehand. And our narrator revealed herself to be a young mother to twin baby boys, who also posts a lot about it on Instagram.
So...absolutely nothing of any interest to me.
Once again I found myself wondering why I'd bought this book in the first place (knowing full well it was just me and my Kindle wandering into the store section and going wild, hitting the little 'Buy Now' button - it's just way too easy to buy eBooks from Amazon - so it didn't take me long to realise this was just one more result of my being unable to resist adding yet another eBook to my library). I've never cared to read about people having babies or raising their children in current era, because I find it boring. If I was into that sort of thing, I'd have pushed out a couple of crotch-goblins myself. But I haven't. So why had I bought this book?
I figured I'd push on a bit and a sort of sub-plot soon started to emerge involving the main character's sister, who I immediately liked, much more than the protagonist - mostly because she was feisty, chaotic, fearless, funny and loved to party; kind of a little bit like myself, back in the day. But the two sisters had fallen out over the main character wanting to step away from the lifestyle that she'd once shared with her sister, in order to embrace being a wife, mother and homemaker. And I'm not for one moment saying that to do so isn't good, because it's awesome and it's those wives/mothers/women doing that who go on on to raise their children in the best possible way. It's the way so many of the women in my family have gone about raising their children and shaping their lives. I take my hat off to them, because every generation needs to have wives/mothers/women like that who do everything in their power to raise well behaved, well adjusted children, who go on to be smart and sensible and reliable adults. I may well have chosen a different path for my life, but I had the best start with amazing parents, a wonderful extended family and a home in a beautiful little town in one of the safest, prettiest places on earth.
But there's nothing really interesting about having lived a charmed life or raising babies in a middle-class family (not to me anyways). I was starting to think that this might have been the result of me hitting the 'Buy Now' button with a little too much wild abandon, causing me to end up with lord only knows how many books that I neither know about or possibly even like. And that's far worse than mass accumulating books that I've at least liked the sound of before I hit the 'Buy Now' button. *Sigh*
However, just as I was starting to lose the will to live, reading about the main character attending a 3 day weekend retreat with load of other 'Instamoms' and 'Mommy Bloggers' (the hashtags used to explain the current trends, the must-have gimmicks that every mom totally needs, or the references to promotional products that a lot of the mothers were being sponsored by, were getting a bit much) the story took a much more interesting left turn, and before I knew it I was slap-bang in the middle of a hunt for a missing person and/or any crime that caused their sudden disappearance. Yay! Now we're back in familiar territory, folks!
And it's at this point that the book not only started to make sense - inasmuch as I could see both the ways in which the story was likely to play out, and why I would have been drawn to it in the first place. What had first seemed like weirdly unnecessary constant refences to brands or hashtags, actually start to be the eyebrow raising examples of what is at the heart of the "comMOMmunity" and how it becomes an endless cycle of posting, reposting, upvoting, self-promotion and the kind of toxic faux-positivity that always makes me want to get into a physical altercation with those who engage in it. Which wouldn't be remotely out of character - either for me or the characters in this book, who are perfectly summed up in the opening line of the blurb here on Goodreads:
"Heathers meets The Stepford Wives in this creepy and frighteningly funny dark thriller about a woman who will do anything to find her missing sister."
'Follow Me' definitely has elements of both those films to it, winding up to an absolutely hilarious denouement, which has just the right amount of kitsch and kicking-ass in the kitchen, in equal measures. Some of the dialogue in one scene that starts to get a bit rowdy, had me properly laughing out loud, as one of the 'momfluencers' got more upset at seeing a perfectly placed, vintage chair getting handled so carelessly, than she was about the prospect of having a piece of actual furniture lobbed at her head:
"Watch it! Those are discontinued mid-century modern!"
It doesn't sound anywhere near as funny here in isolation, as it does when read as part of an escalating plot that really starts to ratchet up towards the grand finale, but trust me, the entire back & forth is hilarious! So much of this book is a sarcastic side-eye towards the entire influencer landscape and those inanely perfect-appearing 'momfluencers' especially. As someone who only has an Instagram as a means of being able to view the few accounts of family, friends & a few online peeps I follow/want to DM, the world of the influencer has always made me cringe, but the mom stuff isn't something that I've really been exposed to because I don't have kids and have no reason to go check that stuff out. So if that sounds like you too and you pick this book up, don't be put off by the first chapter where we're introduced to Chiara and learn about her winning a free trip to a 'momfluencer' convention with the rest of the 'comMOMunity' created by the amazing "dear leader" Thea. Yes, the theme of this realm of the internet does continue throughout, but once we get into the head of the other sister Adrienne, things get much more interesting, amusing and completely bonkers in the best possible way.
Adrienne is chaos personified and comes with a smart mouth and fast fists to back it up. So of course I liked her. I kinda used to be a bit like her. But whereas Adrienne's lifestyle is a problematic inability to live without a dependency on various substances, I just spent the best part of my life from 18-25 having fun, partying and working crazy hours at demanding jobs that allowed me to then have wild 72-hour long benders every other weekend. (I mean sure, there were plenty of nights out drinking and dancing on the days when I had to be up for the work the next morning, but when you're young you can get away with punishing your body on a school-night.) These days I rarely drink, don't smoke and the only drugs I take are a largely uninteresting prescription full of medications to stop me from seizing up, deal with chronic pain and get me to go to sleep before I end up wired to the moon after 50+ hours of insomnia. (Which is kind of funny now, considering how I used to stay up for days on end, blitzed on uppers, but never had any issues getting to sleep if and when I wanted/needed to. Maybe this is nature's way of getting some kind of revenge on me in my boring old-age?)
I would've preferred it if Adrienne's character's party-girl lifestyle hadn't had to be made into a whole situation that required her to go through detox in order to get her own shit together sufficiently enough to go find her missing sister, but I can see why the author wrote it that way. I just think it's almost as twee as the 'momfluencers' and their taupe & ivory coloured EVERYTHING, to have someone who likes to go out and get wasted, have to be a "problem" when in reality, most of the people I hung out with back in the day, just did a bit of everything because it was fun, before giving it all up when it was time to put childish things away.
In a way I could relate to Adrienne having to knock everything on the head in order to pass as "one of them" because when I got to the point in my own life where I figured I needed to calm down and started to work in finance, I felt like a total alien in comparison to most of the people I was working with. They'd all been behaving like actual adults pretty much since they turned 18, so we didn't exactly have the same "life experiences" or "memories" to compare over coffee. Adrienne finds herself in a world so far removed from her own life, she's having to second-guess her decisions with every passing moment, not wanting to blow her cover and have the shiny-eyed, rictus-grinning, perfect mothers see her for the interloper she actually is. I'm not the same crazy, wild-child I was back in my early 20s but if I had to spend time with the kind of characters we meet in the 'comMOMunity' right now, I can't say for sure that I wouldn't be tempted to try to knock one of them out myself.
In a less well executed way, this OTT storyline would have remained entirely unbelievable and too silly to get on board with. But it was just the right mixture of sardonic sarcasm being wielded (if only internally a lot of the time) by Adrienne, which made the 'Stepford Basic Beige Mafia' entirely bearable. It's a bit odd that I think there is only one male character who plays a part at all in this story. All of 'momfluencers' are of course going to be female, but all of the cops who were working on the missing person's case were also female. Outside of Chiara's husband, we get a brief glimpse at some drug-dealer who Adrienne has to meet up with, but even that arrangement is conducted via his younger, female, partner-in-crime. We hear about some ex-boyfriends who were all awful (why this doesn't say more about the person having so many terrible exes than the men themselves I don't know, but whatever) but we don't see them. I'm not sure why that was the choice made by the author, but if anything, that all-consuming, all-female, cast of characters just made the whole story feel even creepier and more claustrophobic to me.
Hell is being secluded somewhere with nothing but other women for company.
No, that isn't a tagline for the story, it's my own personal mantra, but it definitely fits the narrative of 'Follow Me'.)
This book was only published last year and I'm guessing the author had been working on it and waiting to get it brought to publication for a couple of years or so? I only make note of this because I think we're coming to a place with social media where a lot of people have sort of become burned out by the constant urge & urging to always be online and uploading parts of their lives, with this year's 'Return To Analogue' trend seeing a push towards trying to choose more physical media over digital downloads or streams. The recent AI explosion has seen just about anybody with a smartphone (and I'm way ahead of the old-tech girlie-pops, because I got a "downgrade" when I needed to replace my phone, opting for a Nokia which doesn't have ANY access to the internet and I absolutely LOVE that!) become able to create the kind of deepfake pics that we would previously have assumed only possible by hi-tech experts creating false photographic evidence to use as some kind of blackmail or as a way to scupper a fair trial for somebody. Chatbots and LLM's are becoming increasingly more sophisticated to the point where it's getting harder to spot their input when used judiciously, and we're already hearing about the truly mentally deranged outliers who are marrying/thinking they're in relationships with their chatbot, or even necking themselves because their ChatGPT "friend" didn't talk them out of it. So it makes perfect sense that we'd now be seeing the attempt to "reject modernity; return to monke" kind of vibe that seems really appealing to those who want to try to put the digital genie at least temporarily - or partially - back in the bottle.
And that makes me wonder if this book would be written - or rather another book in a similar vein - say, 5 years from now? Or maybe 10 years in the future? I'm not sure. I don't know if we'll still be seeing as many people be so utterly entranced by the kind of aspirational influencer content that has managed to bewitched so many during the 10 years prior to today. The shine definitely seems to have rubbed off of that which many had looked upon with such reverence, that a book like 'Follow Me' was able to be written and published, just before the tide was beginning to turn, and we could still see within it, the very real aspects of a life lived online, despite the wild storyline and schlocky 80s vibe that we get in the grand finale. Like a lot of digital success stories, I think Elizabeth Rose Quinn managed to time her writing/publishing of this book, just right. Any earlier and it might have seemed to be too sneeringly critical - however earnest the author had meant it to be - but any later and it likely would be shrugged off as a somewhat passé attempt at humour, surrounding a phenomenon which had already been rejected, thoroughly deconstructed by every Guardianista with a MacBook Pro, and joked about by whoever is doing one of those current affairs/news related comedy shows (where the only real punchline is the mere existence anyone who dared to consider voting for a politician who didn't use Israel or Palestine as their most important talking points).
I guess that's my very long-winded, twatwaffling way of saying that 'Follow Me' feels like a very timely book and because of that I think anyone who is interested in seeing an blistering critique of our current online lives, hilariously wrapped up in a story where you won't at all feel as though you're being patronised or lectured to...you need to read this book now. If you've ever logged onto Instagram and wondered whether the only reason some people seem to go on holiday anywhere is so that they can take photographs and videos to show the rest of the world...this book is for you. If you've ever found yourself feeling like the only person at work who hadn't had their personality put into a blender with everyone else's, and as such don't know whether to kill your entire team or just hand in your notice...this book is for you. And if you just want a book that doesn't take itself too seriously, contains some hilarious fight-scenes which brilliantly juxtaposes the banality of modernity alongside some creative violence, and which you can just have a bit of a giggle at...this book is for you.
Read it. Read it now, before the skewering of such a time in our lives becomes done to death and no longer as amusing as you ought to find it. Read it in a day, then maybe take heed and (as soon as you've come on here to give it a rating of course) log off from your own digital universe and maybe think twice before you share any more of your own life, on the internet, where any old crazy person could find it and decide that they might just want to 'Follow You' a little more closely than you'd like.
Because spying on you is the government's job and you don't need to be going and making it easy on them, do you?
⭐⭐⭐⭐
As is so often the case with me, I came across this title as I was just scrolling through one of my Kindles (I really need to work on getting each book assigned to the appropriate collection, so they're easier to find when they're needed...such a boring chore, but I know it'll pay off once I've done it) feeling in the mood to read, but not really knowing what it was that I wanted to read. When I came across this book, the cover caught my eye and so I just decided "Why the heck not?"
As the first chapter started up, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I didn't even come on here to check the blurb beforehand. And our narrator revealed herself to be a young mother to twin baby boys, who also posts a lot about it on Instagram.
So...absolutely nothing of any interest to me.
Once again I found myself wondering why I'd bought this book in the first place (knowing full well it was just me and my Kindle wandering into the store section and going wild, hitting the little 'Buy Now' button - it's just way too easy to buy eBooks from Amazon - so it didn't take me long to realise this was just one more result of my being unable to resist adding yet another eBook to my library). I've never cared to read about people having babies or raising their children in current era, because I find it boring. If I was into that sort of thing, I'd have pushed out a couple of crotch-goblins myself. But I haven't. So why had I bought this book?
I figured I'd push on a bit and a sort of sub-plot soon started to emerge involving the main character's sister, who I immediately liked, much more than the protagonist - mostly because she was feisty, chaotic, fearless, funny and loved to party; kind of a little bit like myself, back in the day. But the two sisters had fallen out over the main character wanting to step away from the lifestyle that she'd once shared with her sister, in order to embrace being a wife, mother and homemaker. And I'm not for one moment saying that to do so isn't good, because it's awesome and it's those wives/mothers/women doing that who go on on to raise their children in the best possible way. It's the way so many of the women in my family have gone about raising their children and shaping their lives. I take my hat off to them, because every generation needs to have wives/mothers/women like that who do everything in their power to raise well behaved, well adjusted children, who go on to be smart and sensible and reliable adults. I may well have chosen a different path for my life, but I had the best start with amazing parents, a wonderful extended family and a home in a beautiful little town in one of the safest, prettiest places on earth.
But there's nothing really interesting about having lived a charmed life or raising babies in a middle-class family (not to me anyways). I was starting to think that this might have been the result of me hitting the 'Buy Now' button with a little too much wild abandon, causing me to end up with lord only knows how many books that I neither know about or possibly even like. And that's far worse than mass accumulating books that I've at least liked the sound of before I hit the 'Buy Now' button. *Sigh*
However, just as I was starting to lose the will to live, reading about the main character attending a 3 day weekend retreat with load of other 'Instamoms' and 'Mommy Bloggers' (the hashtags used to explain the current trends, the must-have gimmicks that every mom totally needs, or the references to promotional products that a lot of the mothers were being sponsored by, were getting a bit much) the story took a much more interesting left turn, and before I knew it I was slap-bang in the middle of a hunt for a missing person and/or any crime that caused their sudden disappearance. Yay! Now we're back in familiar territory, folks!
And it's at this point that the book not only started to make sense - inasmuch as I could see both the ways in which the story was likely to play out, and why I would have been drawn to it in the first place. What had first seemed like weirdly unnecessary constant refences to brands or hashtags, actually start to be the eyebrow raising examples of what is at the heart of the "comMOMmunity" and how it becomes an endless cycle of posting, reposting, upvoting, self-promotion and the kind of toxic faux-positivity that always makes me want to get into a physical altercation with those who engage in it. Which wouldn't be remotely out of character - either for me or the characters in this book, who are perfectly summed up in the opening line of the blurb here on Goodreads:
"Heathers meets The Stepford Wives in this creepy and frighteningly funny dark thriller about a woman who will do anything to find her missing sister."
'Follow Me' definitely has elements of both those films to it, winding up to an absolutely hilarious denouement, which has just the right amount of kitsch and kicking-ass in the kitchen, in equal measures. Some of the dialogue in one scene that starts to get a bit rowdy, had me properly laughing out loud, as one of the 'momfluencers' got more upset at seeing a perfectly placed, vintage chair getting handled so carelessly, than she was about the prospect of having a piece of actual furniture lobbed at her head:
"Watch it! Those are discontinued mid-century modern!"
It doesn't sound anywhere near as funny here in isolation, as it does when read as part of an escalating plot that really starts to ratchet up towards the grand finale, but trust me, the entire back & forth is hilarious! So much of this book is a sarcastic side-eye towards the entire influencer landscape and those inanely perfect-appearing 'momfluencers' especially. As someone who only has an Instagram as a means of being able to view the few accounts of family, friends & a few online peeps I follow/want to DM, the world of the influencer has always made me cringe, but the mom stuff isn't something that I've really been exposed to because I don't have kids and have no reason to go check that stuff out. So if that sounds like you too and you pick this book up, don't be put off by the first chapter where we're introduced to Chiara and learn about her winning a free trip to a 'momfluencer' convention with the rest of the 'comMOMunity' created by the amazing "dear leader" Thea. Yes, the theme of this realm of the internet does continue throughout, but once we get into the head of the other sister Adrienne, things get much more interesting, amusing and completely bonkers in the best possible way.
Adrienne is chaos personified and comes with a smart mouth and fast fists to back it up. So of course I liked her. I kinda used to be a bit like her. But whereas Adrienne's lifestyle is a problematic inability to live without a dependency on various substances, I just spent the best part of my life from 18-25 having fun, partying and working crazy hours at demanding jobs that allowed me to then have wild 72-hour long benders every other weekend. (I mean sure, there were plenty of nights out drinking and dancing on the days when I had to be up for the work the next morning, but when you're young you can get away with punishing your body on a school-night.) These days I rarely drink, don't smoke and the only drugs I take are a largely uninteresting prescription full of medications to stop me from seizing up, deal with chronic pain and get me to go to sleep before I end up wired to the moon after 50+ hours of insomnia. (Which is kind of funny now, considering how I used to stay up for days on end, blitzed on uppers, but never had any issues getting to sleep if and when I wanted/needed to. Maybe this is nature's way of getting some kind of revenge on me in my boring old-age?)
I would've preferred it if Adrienne's character's party-girl lifestyle hadn't had to be made into a whole situation that required her to go through detox in order to get her own shit together sufficiently enough to go find her missing sister, but I can see why the author wrote it that way. I just think it's almost as twee as the 'momfluencers' and their taupe & ivory coloured EVERYTHING, to have someone who likes to go out and get wasted, have to be a "problem" when in reality, most of the people I hung out with back in the day, just did a bit of everything because it was fun, before giving it all up when it was time to put childish things away.
In a way I could relate to Adrienne having to knock everything on the head in order to pass as "one of them" because when I got to the point in my own life where I figured I needed to calm down and started to work in finance, I felt like a total alien in comparison to most of the people I was working with. They'd all been behaving like actual adults pretty much since they turned 18, so we didn't exactly have the same "life experiences" or "memories" to compare over coffee. Adrienne finds herself in a world so far removed from her own life, she's having to second-guess her decisions with every passing moment, not wanting to blow her cover and have the shiny-eyed, rictus-grinning, perfect mothers see her for the interloper she actually is. I'm not the same crazy, wild-child I was back in my early 20s but if I had to spend time with the kind of characters we meet in the 'comMOMunity' right now, I can't say for sure that I wouldn't be tempted to try to knock one of them out myself.
In a less well executed way, this OTT storyline would have remained entirely unbelievable and too silly to get on board with. But it was just the right mixture of sardonic sarcasm being wielded (if only internally a lot of the time) by Adrienne, which made the 'Stepford Basic Beige Mafia' entirely bearable. It's a bit odd that I think there is only one male character who plays a part at all in this story. All of 'momfluencers' are of course going to be female, but all of the cops who were working on the missing person's case were also female. Outside of Chiara's husband, we get a brief glimpse at some drug-dealer who Adrienne has to meet up with, but even that arrangement is conducted via his younger, female, partner-in-crime. We hear about some ex-boyfriends who were all awful (why this doesn't say more about the person having so many terrible exes than the men themselves I don't know, but whatever) but we don't see them. I'm not sure why that was the choice made by the author, but if anything, that all-consuming, all-female, cast of characters just made the whole story feel even creepier and more claustrophobic to me.
Hell is being secluded somewhere with nothing but other women for company.
No, that isn't a tagline for the story, it's my own personal mantra, but it definitely fits the narrative of 'Follow Me'.)
This book was only published last year and I'm guessing the author had been working on it and waiting to get it brought to publication for a couple of years or so? I only make note of this because I think we're coming to a place with social media where a lot of people have sort of become burned out by the constant urge & urging to always be online and uploading parts of their lives, with this year's 'Return To Analogue' trend seeing a push towards trying to choose more physical media over digital downloads or streams. The recent AI explosion has seen just about anybody with a smartphone (and I'm way ahead of the old-tech girlie-pops, because I got a "downgrade" when I needed to replace my phone, opting for a Nokia which doesn't have ANY access to the internet and I absolutely LOVE that!) become able to create the kind of deepfake pics that we would previously have assumed only possible by hi-tech experts creating false photographic evidence to use as some kind of blackmail or as a way to scupper a fair trial for somebody. Chatbots and LLM's are becoming increasingly more sophisticated to the point where it's getting harder to spot their input when used judiciously, and we're already hearing about the truly mentally deranged outliers who are marrying/thinking they're in relationships with their chatbot, or even necking themselves because their ChatGPT "friend" didn't talk them out of it. So it makes perfect sense that we'd now be seeing the attempt to "reject modernity; return to monke" kind of vibe that seems really appealing to those who want to try to put the digital genie at least temporarily - or partially - back in the bottle.
And that makes me wonder if this book would be written - or rather another book in a similar vein - say, 5 years from now? Or maybe 10 years in the future? I'm not sure. I don't know if we'll still be seeing as many people be so utterly entranced by the kind of aspirational influencer content that has managed to bewitched so many during the 10 years prior to today. The shine definitely seems to have rubbed off of that which many had looked upon with such reverence, that a book like 'Follow Me' was able to be written and published, just before the tide was beginning to turn, and we could still see within it, the very real aspects of a life lived online, despite the wild storyline and schlocky 80s vibe that we get in the grand finale. Like a lot of digital success stories, I think Elizabeth Rose Quinn managed to time her writing/publishing of this book, just right. Any earlier and it might have seemed to be too sneeringly critical - however earnest the author had meant it to be - but any later and it likely would be shrugged off as a somewhat passé attempt at humour, surrounding a phenomenon which had already been rejected, thoroughly deconstructed by every Guardianista with a MacBook Pro, and joked about by whoever is doing one of those current affairs/news related comedy shows (where the only real punchline is the mere existence anyone who dared to consider voting for a politician who didn't use Israel or Palestine as their most important talking points).
I guess that's my very long-winded, twatwaffling way of saying that 'Follow Me' feels like a very timely book and because of that I think anyone who is interested in seeing an blistering critique of our current online lives, hilariously wrapped up in a story where you won't at all feel as though you're being patronised or lectured to...you need to read this book now. If you've ever logged onto Instagram and wondered whether the only reason some people seem to go on holiday anywhere is so that they can take photographs and videos to show the rest of the world...this book is for you. If you've ever found yourself feeling like the only person at work who hadn't had their personality put into a blender with everyone else's, and as such don't know whether to kill your entire team or just hand in your notice...this book is for you. And if you just want a book that doesn't take itself too seriously, contains some hilarious fight-scenes which brilliantly juxtaposes the banality of modernity alongside some creative violence, and which you can just have a bit of a giggle at...this book is for you.
Read it. Read it now, before the skewering of such a time in our lives becomes done to death and no longer as amusing as you ought to find it. Read it in a day, then maybe take heed and (as soon as you've come on here to give it a rating of course) log off from your own digital universe and maybe think twice before you share any more of your own life, on the internet, where any old crazy person could find it and decide that they might just want to 'Follow You' a little more closely than you'd like.
Because spying on you is the government's job and you don't need to be going and making it easy on them, do you?
⭐⭐⭐⭐
June 23, 2025
Good story
This was ba fun read and the story had originality that was truly enjoyable. I have to say that the dialogue at the end was not convincing but overall this isvworthbyour time.
This was ba fun read and the story had originality that was truly enjoyable. I have to say that the dialogue at the end was not convincing but overall this isvworthbyour time.
March 3, 2025
2 stars for this read that I felt focused too heavily on satirizing the mommy influencer culture/industry and not enough on the mystery/thriller aspect of the story. Parts of the plot also dragged a bit, but I was interested enough in finding out what happened to Chiara to keep reading, only to be pulled out of the story again by the over the top, campy bloodbath at the end. Overall, this read just didn't quite work for me, despite its intriguing premise.
Digital arc received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Digital arc received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 22, 2024
I loved this book as it has so many things i like:: sketchy people, detectives, secrets, lies, and a secluded location! Chiara is excited to be going to a "mommy-influencer" retreat that will help new moms to rejuvenate and appreciate the role they are meant to assume. But the other women there are a little too "gung-ho" and willing to shout out the responses the leaders ask for. She doesn't "connect" with any of them and wonders why she even came. But when she doesn't return home, her husband worries; after a year he asks her sister, Adrienne to help. Once a drug user, Adrienne has cleaned up her act, but he's not convinced and hopes she can help. But what they discover is not like anything they imagined and may turn you away from anything you aren't sure is real!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
March 29, 2025
this book is so corny, but i really tried to finish it. calling it dark humor is really generous. and the synopsis comparing it to heathers is the funniest part about the whole thing. i'm so glad i read it for free. anyway. #mommyjuice /:
March 23, 2025
Werk. I loved this book. It’s so funny, kooky, I very much identified with both twins for different reasons. I loved the crazy influencers. I loved the whole thing, couldn’t put it down. It was a true romp. The ending descended into chaos and camp and I ate it up with a spoon (#GesturaSpoon #NotSponsored 🤪)
In response to some of the bad reviews calling it cringe- guys, you’re missing the whole fucking point of the book. It IS satire, it IS poking fun at Mommy and Influencer culture, it’s SUPPOSED to make you die a little inside. This book is the sly wink you give to your best friend when all the yummy mummys at yoga are comparing their Lululemon ‘fits and are engaged in the hideous art of the humble brag and who say, “This yoga class is the only time I get to myself” as if they don’t have any choices in life. And I do not want any mom’s telling me anything. I’ve been around helicopter moms, I’ve been around normal moms and I’ve been around neglectful moms. You do not have to live inside your child’s colon, I promise. They will do better if you reside outside of their colon and have your own personality separate from their existence. YOU will do better and all of your relationships will be better.
In response to some of the bad reviews calling it cringe- guys, you’re missing the whole fucking point of the book. It IS satire, it IS poking fun at Mommy and Influencer culture, it’s SUPPOSED to make you die a little inside. This book is the sly wink you give to your best friend when all the yummy mummys at yoga are comparing their Lululemon ‘fits and are engaged in the hideous art of the humble brag and who say, “This yoga class is the only time I get to myself” as if they don’t have any choices in life. And I do not want any mom’s telling me anything. I’ve been around helicopter moms, I’ve been around normal moms and I’ve been around neglectful moms. You do not have to live inside your child’s colon, I promise. They will do better if you reside outside of their colon and have your own personality separate from their existence. YOU will do better and all of your relationships will be better.
March 31, 2025
This was a fun and entertaining read. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about a book set at a mom influencer retreat, but I really enjoyed this one! I really liked the mystery of what happened to the main character’s sister. It was interesting to follow along with the MC as she explored this crazy world of mom influencers. Some of the story was predictable, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. The ending was bonkers and it kind of felt like a different book. It went from feeling like a mystery/thriller to a horror/slasher. I did enjoy the ending, but it was wild!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley for review.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC via NetGalley for review.
October 27, 2024
Initially uncertain about "Follow Me" due to its unique nature, I found myself captivated and unable to set it aside. Adrienne's character and her journey was great, evoking laughter and empathy throughout. While some parts were predictable, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
October 9, 2025
Thank you to MB Communications and Amazon Publishing #partner for the gifted copy to review.
OK, so I listened to this one via audio (Brittany Pressley was amazing, per usual), loosely followed along with the physical book, and it started off okay, and then Chapter 3 was so out there, I had to rewind to make sure I heard correctly, and then we skip ahead far in the timeline like nothing, and I was like, wait, what?! But I kept going, and wouldn’t you know, for me, this little Stepford Wife of a book turned into one that I could not stop listening to until I was done. This was a roller coaster of a ride that had me rooting for Adrienne in the end and laughing during some of the banter between the gals. And while yes, you had to suspend belief, it was a highly entertaining satire on momfluencers, and I enjoyed that slasher ending like none other.
OK, so I listened to this one via audio (Brittany Pressley was amazing, per usual), loosely followed along with the physical book, and it started off okay, and then Chapter 3 was so out there, I had to rewind to make sure I heard correctly, and then we skip ahead far in the timeline like nothing, and I was like, wait, what?! But I kept going, and wouldn’t you know, for me, this little Stepford Wife of a book turned into one that I could not stop listening to until I was done. This was a roller coaster of a ride that had me rooting for Adrienne in the end and laughing during some of the banter between the gals. And while yes, you had to suspend belief, it was a highly entertaining satire on momfluencers, and I enjoyed that slasher ending like none other.
March 28, 2025
3.5⭐️
This depicted a dark side of social media and momming that was so cringey but also felt very real. There is this standard that social media perpetuates and is not realistic at all. So I enjoyed seeing it dissected.
The thriller aspect of it was pretty mediocre and I was left wanting, but it was a fun spring break read overall.
Pub Date: May 6th
Thank you firefly distributors for the copy!
This depicted a dark side of social media and momming that was so cringey but also felt very real. There is this standard that social media perpetuates and is not realistic at all. So I enjoyed seeing it dissected.
The thriller aspect of it was pretty mediocre and I was left wanting, but it was a fun spring break read overall.
Pub Date: May 6th
Thank you firefly distributors for the copy!
May 20, 2025
I thought this was fun. It kept my interest all the way through
December 29, 2025
If it’s about mom influencers, I’m probably gonna read it. This story was a bit crazy and far fetched but entertaining enough. The narrator did a great job! Making this a 3 star
May 5, 2025
2.5 stars. Do not recommend. This book tried to be a thriller but ended up feeling more like an overdone Instagram caption. Way too many hashtags, shallow characters, and cringey inner monologues. The main characters were immature, oblivious, and honestly exhausting to follow. I never connected with any of the characters to actually care what happened. For a story about digital obsession and danger, it lacked real depth or suspense. It read more like a teenager’s drama than a chilling psychological thriller. By the time things started happening, I had already lost interest. If you’re looking for a dark, smart thriller—keep scrolling.
March 12, 2025
What a book! I wasn't sure how I was going to get on with this one as the chapters are quite long, but once I got past that and got to know the main characters, I really tarted to enjoy it, it's witty and sharp at times and then gruesome, but a great read.
I really enjoyed this from the concept to the execution. The more I read the more I enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed this from the concept to the execution. The more I read the more I enjoyed it.
September 7, 2025
the last 40 pages??!!??
May 6, 2025
After giving birth to twins, Chiara find herself feeling empty, and needing an identity outside of her status as that of “just a mom.” After an Instagram post of hers goes viral, she see an ad for a social media-themed weekend getaway, aimed at creating a community of moms and helping relieve the stress of motherhood. That weekend is the last time she is ever seen alive. Her twin, Adrienne, has felt lost in the year since her sister disappeared. With no leads, left to follow, Adrienne decides to follow in Chiara’s footsteps to the isolated ranch in Northern California, where the getaway took place and search for the truth. And what she finds is stranger than she ever expected.
This book was a fun trip into a world of obsessive and the type of crafty Instagram mommies that I definitely am not (being childfree and all), so I enjoyed getting to see that, especially since the author purposely dials everything up to 11, to give it that suspenseful edge. And from the very beginning, everything has just a tight and suspenseful atmosphere hanging over it. You know that something is going to happen to Chiara; and when Adrienne goes the next year, we know that something definitely happened so we’re just waiting to see what she finds out. It’s an amazing set up.
And trust me when I say that we meet characters who are just amazing because they are so out of their minds and entertaining. I loved the cast of this book because you just never knew what was going on with them. I don’t wanna give any spoilers, but they definitely displayed all of the emotions and all of the behaviors. It was wild.
The only reason I gave it four instead of five stars was because I felt like the “solution” to the mystery was a little weak. I felt like there was a ton of buildup and everything was leading to this big reveal and then when it came, I wasn’t super excited about it. I wish there had been something bigger.
But it was what it was, and I don’t regret reading this at all, in fact, I recommend this book Hiley because I definitely enjoyed it.
I’ll be looking forward to more from this author.
This book was a fun trip into a world of obsessive and the type of crafty Instagram mommies that I definitely am not (being childfree and all), so I enjoyed getting to see that, especially since the author purposely dials everything up to 11, to give it that suspenseful edge. And from the very beginning, everything has just a tight and suspenseful atmosphere hanging over it. You know that something is going to happen to Chiara; and when Adrienne goes the next year, we know that something definitely happened so we’re just waiting to see what she finds out. It’s an amazing set up.
And trust me when I say that we meet characters who are just amazing because they are so out of their minds and entertaining. I loved the cast of this book because you just never knew what was going on with them. I don’t wanna give any spoilers, but they definitely displayed all of the emotions and all of the behaviors. It was wild.
The only reason I gave it four instead of five stars was because I felt like the “solution” to the mystery was a little weak. I felt like there was a ton of buildup and everything was leading to this big reveal and then when it came, I wasn’t super excited about it. I wish there had been something bigger.
But it was what it was, and I don’t regret reading this at all, in fact, I recommend this book Hiley because I definitely enjoyed it.
I’ll be looking forward to more from this author.
April 16, 2025
Are you a lonely, exhausted mom looking for support? Searching for a pat on the bag, a way to lighten the load? Look no further, for the mommy bloggers have it! ComMOMunity.
When mother of two Chiara disappears after attending a mom influencer’s yearly retreat, her twin Adrienne knows she has to take matters into her own hands. Chiara’s husband is useless. The police have given up. She knows her sister would never run off, so what happened? Determined to find answers, she infiltrates the next event.
What she finds is creepier than she could ever imagine. Herds of women straight out of the Stepford Wives, mindlessly competing for Thea and the other big influencer’s attention. Backstabbing and betrayal left and right. No one seems willing to help her, and as she gets closer and closer to her answers, someone else is closing in on Adrienne.
This was cheesy, left my heart racing, and is a fantastic love letter to the Final Girl subgenre! Adrienne’s development is extremely well done, her selfishness giving way to selflessness.
Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-arc! I apologize for writing this review so late, i got the publishing date wrong! Follow Me is available wherever books are sold!
When mother of two Chiara disappears after attending a mom influencer’s yearly retreat, her twin Adrienne knows she has to take matters into her own hands. Chiara’s husband is useless. The police have given up. She knows her sister would never run off, so what happened? Determined to find answers, she infiltrates the next event.
What she finds is creepier than she could ever imagine. Herds of women straight out of the Stepford Wives, mindlessly competing for Thea and the other big influencer’s attention. Backstabbing and betrayal left and right. No one seems willing to help her, and as she gets closer and closer to her answers, someone else is closing in on Adrienne.
This was cheesy, left my heart racing, and is a fantastic love letter to the Final Girl subgenre! Adrienne’s development is extremely well done, her selfishness giving way to selflessness.
Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-arc! I apologize for writing this review so late, i got the publishing date wrong! Follow Me is available wherever books are sold!
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