Skip to main content

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang Book Review

 

Title: Julie Chan Is Dead

Author: Liann Zhang

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Published: 04/29/25 by Atria Books

I received a copy for review from the Atria Books through NetGalley.

 

Julie Chan has been raised in a poor family and her twin Chloe has grown up in a rich family. When Julie finds Chloe dead she decides to take over her life as a famous influencer. She seamlessly enters the world of social media and opulence. That is until things get beyond what Julie finds out there is a lot of darkness hiding behind her twins life of luxury. 

This novel takes on dark and heavy topics like grief, complex family dynamics, poverty, widening wealth disparity, lack of representation for people of color in influencers, and what people are willing to do for the almighty dollar. What seemed like a mistaken identity thriller turns into a very dark horror story that somehow manages to keep the fun. I would recommend checking content warnings if there is anything you are not willing to read, but I do highly recommend Julie Chan Is Dead to Horror and Thriller fans.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs by Rebecca Gransden Book Review

  Title: Happy Bunny and Other Mischiefs Author: Rebecca Gransden Genre: Weird Fiction/ Horror Published: 10/30/24 by the author I received a copy for review from the author.  This collection of 14 short stories that are full of imaginative scenarios. The ideas are truly unique which helps to draw you in.  Imagine taking a friend's pigeon to the vet leads to an underground cult. Imagine a sentient turducken escaping its packaging to explore the world. These are just of a couple of the outrageously weird concepts explored in this collection. A couple of the stories are written a very fever dream kind of way that makes following the plot difficult. I don't fault the experimental writing, but I personally do not enjoy the confusion they left me feeling. The rest of the stories I enjoyed. The standout stories for me were SparrowEyes, with its creepy setting and creature, and Happy Bunny, with a person in a bunny costume getting teleported to various television and movie s...
Post a Comment
Read more

One Dark Night by Hannah Richell Book Review

  Title: One Dark Night Author: Hannah Richell Genre: Mystery/Thriller Published: 08/19/25 by Atria Books Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy for review.     Tragedy strikes at a Halloween party in the woods, steeped in local lore, by a small English town when a teenage girl dies. Rachel, a local school guidance counselor, deals with the fallout of the tragedy.  Meanwhile her ex-husband, a local police officer, works to find a murderer in this small community before anyone else gets hurt.  This is a great book for thriller fans that want the perfect read for spooky season. It is a well crafted twisty murder mystery with wonderful atmosphere. A thriller with a Halloween party gone wrong, spooky woods, a local legend, and very strange happenings. I highly recommend this read for fall for thriller fans that don't want to read horror for Halloween. My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars 
Post a Comment
Read more

Requiem by John Palisano Book Review

  Title: Requiem Author: John Palisano Genre: Science Fiction Horror Published: 05/27/25 by Flame Tree Press Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy for review.    Ava is part of a small crew stationed on Eden a moon-sized cemetery in space. If they are to keep their sanity or even their lives Ava will need to take on a cosmic entity who has taken hold in Eden. A satellite with hundreds of dead people in space has to be the perfect  setting for a horror novel. Add in a cosmic entity messing with  minds of the dead and living, and you have the greatest premise I have heard in quite some time. The characters are diverse and interesting. I thought the psychological attacks went on a bit too long before answers are given, but overall I really enjoyed this book. If you like very psychological science fiction horror stories than this one might be for you.  My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars 
Post a Comment
Read more