Julie Chan Is Dead: A Novel by Liann Zhang

Despite being identical twins, Julie Chan and Chloe VanHuusen have not been close since their parents died in a car crash when they were five. Now, they're in their 20s and their lives are vastly different.

Julie was raised by her and Chloe's harsh aunt whereas Chloe was adopted by an immensely wealthy white couple who only wanted one baby. Julie now steals sandwiches from the grocery store she works at and Chloe is a famous influencer who rubs elbows with real celebrities. Julie tries not to think much about Chloe after Chloe used her for a viral video and then dropped contact again.

But when Julie gets a disturbing phone call from a gasping and moaning Chloe, Julie decides someone has to check on her. She manages, by the fact that she looks almost exactly like Chloe, is able to get into Chloe's apartment. She's not exactly sure what she expected to find there, but it certainly wasn't Chloe's decomposing corpse.

In shock, Julie trips into taking over Chloe's life and, once the fog has cleared, decides to double down on this plan. However, Julie fears being exposed at every turn--even by her annoyingly shrewd aunt. As Julie continues down the Chloe rabbit hole though, she finds more darkness than she anticipated. Whether or how she'll survive is uncertain at every turn.

I started out loving Julie Chan is Dead. Yes, Julie had a bitter outlook on the world, but she'd come by it honestly. I appreciated the commentary on influencer culture and, in general, the extent to which the ultra wealthy are out of touch.

However, as the story progressed, some things didn't quite hit the beats I wanted or expected. One of those broad strokes is the depth of many of the influencer characters--especially Chloe. I also felt that some questions were not answered, but more in a way that they had been dropped than they had been artfully used as red herrings. Finally, without giving too much away, I will say that Julie Chan is Dead felt as though it perhaps began to skirt into another genre as it reached its climax and conclusion.

Those critiques aside, I was engaged throughout, enjoyed a fair few of the twists, and remain excited about author Liann Zhang.

Julie Chan Is Dead: A Novel by Liann Zhang, Atria Books