Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang on May 1, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Horror, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
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If you’re looking for a fast, unputdownable thriller with a sharp edge and a twisted sense of humor, Julie Chan Is Dead needs to be on your radar. Julie Chan Is Dead is Zhang’s debut thriller, and wow—what a debut It’s witty, dark, and fast-paced, giving readers a backseat view into the wild world of influencer culture.
ulie Chan is a supermarket cashier stuck in a boring, unsatisfying life. Her identical twin, Chloe VanHuusen, lives a completely different existence as a glamorous, successful influencer. The two were separated at a young age after their parents died in a tragic accident. Their aunt—a ruthless and uncaring woman—could only take one child and chose Julie. Chloe was adopted by a wealthy white couple, mostly for optics, as they wanted to appear non-racist by adopting a Chinese child.
The twins met only once, during a cringey “Buying My Long-Lost Twin a House” video Chloe made for views. But then Julie gets a strange, cryptic call from Chloe. When she notices her sister has gone completely silent on social media, she gets a weird feeling and decides to check on her. She finds Chloe’s body—and what follows is a wild ride that ends with Julie stepping into her sister’s life.
You’d think impersonating your identical twin wouldn’t be that hard, but Julie has to research Chloe’s mannerisms, speech, and even her social circles to pull it off. The people closest to Chloe (and Julie) are the biggest threat—they know her too well.
Then Julie gets an invite from Bella, one of Chloe’s influencer friends, for a girls’ trip. She’s equal parts excited and anxious—she has no idea what kind of relationships Chloe had with these people. And even stranger, no one seems too concerned about Chloe’s absence, not even her adoptive parents. What secrets was Chloe hiding?
And then the trip happens. This section of the book takes a wild, dark turn. I won’t spoil it, but once I figured out what was going on, I was hooked. It was unexpected, intense, and totally entertaining. There were even moments that made me laugh—though I do have a pretty dark sense of humor.
Overall, this book was a fast, entertaining read. It’s the perfect quick summer thriller (though honestly, it would also be great for spooky season). I still can’t believe this is a debut. Zhang offers a fresh, sharp take on influencer culture, and I absolutely devoured this book. The characters worked, the plot kept me flipping pages, and the second half—especially the island setting—was totally unhinged in the best way. This debut takes influencer culture, identity swaps, and sisterhood to a whole new level of wild.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me a chance to read this fresh and wild eARC.