INSTANT INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
For fans of Bunny and Yellowface, this razor-sharp debut thriller blends biting satire with chilling suspense, as a young woman steps into her deceased twin’s influencer life—only to discover dark secrets hidden behind her social media façade.
Julie Chan has nothing. Her twin sister has everything—except a pulse.
Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier barely scraping by, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL).
When Julie discovers Chloe’s body, she doesn’t call the police. Instead, she slips into her dead sister’s meticulously curated life: luxury fashion, high-end skincare, and a devoted online following who never noticed they weren’t quite the same.
At first, the transformation is seamless. Julie relishes the perks of influencer fame, but quickly learns that behind Chloe’s flawless feed lay secrets far darker than she imagined. Her sister’s final days were shadowed by paranoia, manipulation, and something far more sinister.
Now, trapped on a private island retreat with Chloe’s inner circle—an elite clique of influencers obsessed with status and secrecy—Julie is forced to keep up the act while being haunted by her sister’s untimely death. As events spiral out of control, Julie uncovers the sinister forces that may have led to her sister’s demise and realizes she might be the next target.
Darkly funny, fiercely paced, and full of sharp commentary on identity, fame, and the cost of visibility, Julie Chan Is Dead is a twisted thrill ride where fitting in could be fatal—and the people behind the posts are the real danger.
"All is not as it seems in Zhang’s twisty debut thriller. This fun, fast-paced read reveals the lengths people will go to in order to stay on top." —Booklist
"Author Liann Zhang clearly has her pulse on the absurdity of modern social media and is able to make her points while delivering a story that is truly one of a kind. You won't be able to stop talking about that ending" —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour
"Zhang debuts with a witty and insightful thriller about the pitfalls of influencer culture. Zhang offsets the novel’s fast and entertaining first two acts with a gonzo final third, displaying impressive audacity for a newbie. It’s a marvel." —Publishers Weekly
"An imposing influencer winds up dead — and her twin jumps on the opportunity to get the life she’s always wanted. Sharp, taut and intoxicating, you’ll want to read this one in a single sitting." —Barnes and Noble
“A darkly funny rollercoaster of a read, layered with biting satire and sharp cultural observations. The moment I finished this remarkable debut, I wanted to call my best friends and unpack my feelings about characters who felt unsettlingly real--whose situations seemed both impossibly farfetched and just strange enough to be true. This novel walks a tightrope between satirical fun and unsettling tension, and I couldn’t put it down. Perfect for fans of Yellowface, and the cure for any reading slump!” —Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Bottles
"Outrageously fun. Julie Chan is Dead is both a propulsive, heart-pounding ride and a layered examination of social media, status, and obsession." —Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief
