Skip to main content

Book Review: People to Follow by Olivia Worley

 Title: "People to Follow" 

Author: Olivia Worley

Genre: Thriller

Publication Date: October 31, 2023

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)


In her debut novel, "People to Follow," Olivia Worley dives into the treacherous world of social media influencers. With a high-stakes plot and a cast of interesting characters, Worley takes readers on a well-written journey filled with suspense, danger, and unexpected twists.

The story revolves around ten young adult influencers who, enticed by the promise of continued or renewed fame and fortune, find themselves isolated on a private island for a reality show. What initially seems like an escape quickly transforms into a nightmare when they discover the true purpose of their trip: to pay for their past transgressions. As the body count rises, those who survive must navigate a treacherous game of trust and betrayal, desperately trying to unmask the person, or people, behind their impending cancellation.

Worley's portrayal of the social media landscape is on the nose. With a sharp eye for detail, she captures the alluring façade of influencers' lives, contrasting it with the darker underbelly of social media. Through her exploration of the modern-day practice of sharing our lives online for the world to see, she raises important questions about the consequences of our actions and the power dynamics that shape our virtual world.

The strength of "People to Follow" lies in its well-developed characters. Each influencer whose voice is used throughout the book possesses a distinct personality and backstory, making them feel authentic and relatable, sometimes annoyingly so. As their secrets unravel, Worley adeptly portrays the psychological toll of constantly living in the spotlight, and how much those living in the spotlight can sometimes get away with.

The pacing of the novel is quick, with tension building steadily from the moment the group arrives on the island. The alternating perspectives offer a multifaceted view of events that, while hard to keep up with in the early chapters, levels out and enhances the suspense of not knowing what will happen next. 

There are moments when the narrative becomes slightly predictable, relying on familiar tropes of the genre. Additionally, some plot developments require a suspension of disbelief, stretching the boundaries of plausibility. EIther way, Worley's talent shines through, and these minor issues do not detract significantly from the overall story. "People to Follow" firmly establishes Worley as a promising new voice in the genre. Prepare to be riveted, shocked, and left questioning the influence of social media long after you turn the final page.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 20th Victim by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

  The 20th Victim  is the twentieth entry in James Patterson's Women's Murder Club series. Like any series with this many books to its name, the storylines are never as good 15 or 20 books in as they were at the beginning, but this one felt closer to those earlier entries than other recent titles have. This time around Lindsay and Cindy are caught up in trying to solve a cross country killing spree aimed at taking down drug dealers. Cindy has been contacted by the killer, or one of the killers, directly and in her drive for the scoop she and Lindsay get into a disagreement over sharing details of the crimes sooner rather than later. Yuki is also dealing with a drug related crime and wondering whether its right to charge a teenager wheelman for the crimes committed by his passenger. Claire is dealing with some scary health issues, and is not an active participant in solving crimes as she was in past storylines. As with many of the stories in the Women's Murder Club series, t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

  Dear Justyce  by Nic Stone is a follow up to her 2017 debut Dear Martin . Justice is back as a secondary character to Quan, the young man at the center of this story. If you haven't read  Dear Martin , you should. If you like audiobooks, it's one of the best I've ever listened to. How can two boys from the same neighborhood end up on such divergent paths? How much does your upbringing affect your choices? How does being a young African-American boy growing up in a country whose legal system is against you from the start fare compared to a young white boy who also gets in to trouble with the law?  Nic Stone gives readers a window in to these questions, and many more, with this incredible story. Quan is locked up again, this time facing a murder charge, when he begins exchanging letters with Justyce, who is now in his freshman year at Yale University. Quan considers the differences in where their lives have led them based on the choices they both made, and on the fac...
Post a Comment
Read more

Forward Collection (Books 1 - 3): Ark by Veronica Roth, Summer Frost by Blake Crouch, Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin

I came across this short story collection while looking at books by Blake Crouch. These 6 short stories were written by some of the best SciFi authors, and perhaps authors in general, currently writing. Each is a standalone story, but they share a common future theme. I am reviewing the first three books in the collection in this review, and will review 4 through 6 separately.  Book 1: Ark  by Veronica Roth The first story in the collection is (so far) the one that felt like a beginning chapter to a much longer tale. It opens two weeks before the Earth is impacted by a huge asteroid. The asteroid impact is something the world has been aware of for a very long time before its impact, and people have been preparing in various ways. Most of the population has already left to head to another planet, but some scientists have stayed behind until the last possible moment to continue collecting and cataloging specimens before Earth is destroyed. Samantha is cataloging plant specimens ...
Post a Comment
Read more