People to Follow by Olivia Worley and The Search for Us by Susan Azim Boyer #BookReviews #thrillerbooks #contemporaryfiction
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Tessa Anne
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In Olivia Worley’s pitch-perfect debut, People to Follow, ten teen influencers come to a remote island to star in a reality show, but when one of them winds up dead, they realize that this time, the price of getting “cancelled” could be their lives.
A reality show on a remote Caribbean island. Ten teen influencers. One dead body.
Welcome to “In Real Life,” the hot new reality show that forces social media’s reigning kings and queens to unplug for three weeks and “go live” without any filters. IRL is supposed to be the opportunity of a lifetime, watched closely by legions of loyal followers. But for these rising stars–including Elody, an Instagram model with an impulsive streak; Kira, a child star turned fitness influencer; Logan, a disgraced TikTok celeb with a secret; and Max, a YouTuber famous for exposés on his fellow creators–it’s about to turn into a nightmare.
When the production crew fails to show up and one of their own meets a violent end, these social media moguls find themselves stranded with a dead body and no way to reach the outside world. When they start receiving messages from a mysterious Sponsor threatening to expose their darkest secrets, they realize that they’ve been lured into a deadly game…and one of them might be pulling the strings.
With the body count rising and cameras tracking their every move, the creators must figure out who is trying to get them canceled–like, literally–before their #1 follower strikes again.
One-word review: entertaining
Emojis: 😎☠️🤫
Rating: 4 🌟s
My thoughts:
Ten teen influencers agree to a reality show and end up stranded on a private island. But when rivalries turn deadly, how many will make it off the island alive?
This story was just pure entertainment. I’ve been enjoying stories with influencers lately because it is so now, and there is so much there to work with. Influencers are creating an illusion, but everyone believes that everything on their feed is real – that difference in expectations creates situations fraught with potential, as is seen in this story.
There are some plot holes, but really, I was okay with that because the payoff was worth it. This story is entirely fast-paced and full of shocks, twists, and loads of tension that kept me on the edge of my seat. I also loved the reality show angle on top of a cast of influencers – it makes it much more fun.
The characters, particularly the main ones, are really complex as they fight with the ramifications of being an influencer. I loved how deep the development goes and how authentic their struggles are while also being over-the-top for entertainment purposes. The narration is in the first person but alternates between five influencers. Sometimes, that could get confusing, but overall, I enjoyed this fun YA thriller.
Two half-siblings who have never met embark on a search together for the Iranian immigrant and U.S. Army veteran father they never knew.
Samira Murphy will do anything to keep her fractured family from falling apart, including caring for her widowed grandmother and getting her older brother into recovery for alcohol addiction. With attendance at her dream college on the line, she takes a long shot DNA test to find the support she so desperately needs from a father she hasn’t seen since she was a baby.
Henry Owen is torn between his well-meaning but unreliable bio-mom and his overly strict aunt and uncle, who stepped in to raise him but don’t seem to see him for who he is. Looking to forge a stronger connection to his own identity, he takes a DNA test to find the one person who might love him for exactly who he is―the biological father he never knew.
Instead of a DNA match with their father, Samira and Henry are matched with each other. They begin to search for their father together and slowly unravel the difficult truth of their shared past, forming a connection that only siblings can have and recovering precious parts of their past that have been lost. Brimming with emotional resonance, Susan Azim Boyer’s The Search for Us beautifully renders what it means to find your place in the world through the deep and abiding power of family.
One-word review: Moving
Emojis: 🥹😬🫠
Rating: 4.25 🌟s
My thoughts:
Oh, wow! What an incredible story. It frustrated, worried, and saddened me, but it also had its bright points – rays of hope that shone down and warmed my heart. It covers challenging issues, like alcoholism, and I thought it did an excellent job portraying it authentically, especially the costs to loved ones.
The characters are developed well, especially for the age group. I don’t know that I liked the main character, Samira, but I could empathize with her, which became much more critical for the story. I could also say the same thing for Henry, who shares the principal character designation. He isn’t particularly likable either, but his story did elicit my sympathy.
The story touched my heart and even brought a tear or two to my eyes. It’s especially relevant with the DNA testing angle, as many people today utilize these tests to learn more about their families. I liked that aspect of it and where it led. I found that part of the story incredibly compelling.
It’s a wonderful and contemporary found family story. I loved the use of DNA testing from a site like Ancestry. My husband’s mom is adopted and she has always refused to find out more about her birth family. But my husband has always been curious, so I got one for him and now we know so much about his mother’s birth family and even met one of his cousins, who gave us loads of photos.
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7 responses to “People to Follow by Olivia Worley and The Search for Us by Susan Azim Boyer #BookReviews #thrillerbooks #contemporaryfiction”
Great reviews. The second one looks especially appealing to me because I love “found family” stories.
It’s a wonderful and contemporary found family story. I loved the use of DNA testing from a site like Ancestry. My husband’s mom is adopted and she has always refused to find out more about her birth family. But my husband has always been curious, so I got one for him and now we know so much about his mother’s birth family and even met one of his cousins, who gave us loads of photos.
Okay, I’m almost there with People to Follow….still pondering but you’re pushing hard, Tessa💜
It’s pure entertainment.
Glad you enjoyed Search for Us! It was cool to see the whole DNA test done in a book for a plot.
And I like that the author didn’t make it that simple – that they still had to do research to figure it out.
Both books sound interesting especially that influencers one even though I rarely read thrillers these days. Amazing reviews!