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hrutledge75's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
alongreader's review
4.0
Cecily, Amber and Rudy are the triplet children of mildly famous house flippers. They run an Instagram that was taking in mild amounts of money; when the house flipping business got into trouble, their mother seized on the Instagram, and now it's the major source of income for the family, with everything held to a rigid schedule. The triplets aren't really enjoying it as much any more; Rudy is tired of having to always be 'on' for the viewers, though he loves interacting in the comments; Cecily can't talk about the things she's really passionate about, because it's not 'worthy'; Amber is barely on screen any more, because she's a size eighteen and her mother thinks the viewers won't be interested.
Their newest house is already a difficult flip, very badly run down and with a short timetable. When unexplained things start happening, the triplets and their parents brush it aside. Accidents keep happening, though, and the triplets know they have to solve the mystery before the Follower reaches their end game.
There's a lot going on in this story. Social Media bullying, body shame and positivity, a lesbian relationship, horror, long term illness and recovery - which, when you list it all out, makes it sound like a very heavy, packed novel! Kate has a light touch, though, and everything moves along quickly. Parts of it are genuinely creepy.
BE AWARE that there is a section with some medical grade grossness - I'm desperately trying not to spoil anything, but if you have difficulty with non fatal gore, be very careful. There is also some animal violence.
Kate managed to keep me guessing; the villain is someone I suspected at one point, but since I suspected almost everyone that's not saying much! It did all make sense when it came together, except for the sequel hook, which I can't reconcile with anything else we learned during the novel. I hope there's a sequel to explain it!
This is a great, fast paced novel that will really creep you out.
Their newest house is already a difficult flip, very badly run down and with a short timetable. When unexplained things start happening, the triplets and their parents brush it aside. Accidents keep happening, though, and the triplets know they have to solve the mystery before the Follower reaches their end game.
There's a lot going on in this story. Social Media bullying, body shame and positivity, a lesbian relationship, horror, long term illness and recovery - which, when you list it all out, makes it sound like a very heavy, packed novel! Kate has a light touch, though, and everything moves along quickly. Parts of it are genuinely creepy.
BE AWARE that there is a section with some medical grade grossness - I'm desperately trying not to spoil anything, but if you have difficulty with non fatal gore, be very careful. There is also some animal violence.
Kate managed to keep me guessing; the villain is someone I suspected at one point, but since I suspected almost everyone that's not saying much! It did all make sense when it came together, except for the sequel hook, which I can't reconcile with anything else we learned during the novel. I hope there's a sequel to explain it!
This is a great, fast paced novel that will really creep you out.
hitbooksnotgirlz's review
3.0
While I loved the concept of a completely modernized retelling of a classic trope, unfortunately it just didn’t do it for me. It was just okay.
snowsavior's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
eahmathews's review
5.0
Compelling. Light enough for an easy read but with enough breadcrumbs and misdirects to keep the mystery interesting. Accurate feeling/voice of the social media component that is almost like a living character in the novel. Would recommend.
cassidyflattery's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Stalking, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
ohhellokelli's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookswithonno's review
3.0
I flew through this book! There were a lot of creepy parts that kept me on the edge of my seat, keeping me hooked on the story. Further, I really liked the triplets! The characters were well written and I liked getting to know the real triplets in comparison to how they depicted themselves on Instagram. I connected with them and cared for them throughout the story. However, I wasn't a fan of everything in this story, hence the 3 stars. The main issue I had with this book, was its portrayal of mental health. Mental health issues are presented to show that the villain in this story is dangerous, which adds to the stigma around mental health. Next to this, I detected some predictable tropes which are seen often in thrillers. Even though they made this read a bit more predictable at times, I didn't mind much because they didn't give away the main reveal: "who is the follower?". I did have a problem with one of the tropes but this is a personal problem (skip the next part to avoid a spoiler). When Cecily's pet got introduced, I already predicted that it was going to die and I was right. This death didn't sit well with me because I absolutely love animals and just can't bear to read about them dying in books. All in all, this was an addictive thriller that kept me hooked but which did contain a few issues.
Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for providing me with an e-arc. This did not affect the honesty of my review in any way.
Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for providing me with an e-arc. This did not affect the honesty of my review in any way.
melbsreads's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Trigger warnings: online harassment, animal death, death, allergy, violence, body horror, body shaming, mental health, bullying, addiction, body shaming.
Okay so this is essentially a social media take on The Watcher, and while I was kind of here for it, I also kind of wasn't. Like...they're famous because their parents flip houses. But the parents seem to have no social media of their own. They don't post videos on Youtube. They don't have a TV show. They just...let their teenage children - who have a joint Instagram account - be influencers and that's how they make money??? Like, it never feels like they're making money because of the house flipping. It's all because of the kids. So why make the house flipping part of the story?
Also it weirded me out that the story was from the perspective of the kids - albeit third person - and yet their parents were referred to as Mr and Mrs Cole any time they were on the page. Like...........there is no way these teenagers refer to their own parents as Mr Cole and Mrs Cole. So why do it on the page??
Anyway. The mystery was pretty compelling and there were definitely some truly horrifying moments that I didn't see coming. But ultimately the little things about this bugged me so much that I couldn't just sit back and enjoy the ride. Sigh.
Okay so this is essentially a social media take on The Watcher, and while I was kind of here for it, I also kind of wasn't. Like...they're famous because their parents flip houses. But the parents seem to have no social media of their own. They don't post videos on Youtube. They don't have a TV show. They just...let their teenage children - who have a joint Instagram account - be influencers and that's how they make money??? Like, it never feels like they're making money because of the house flipping. It's all because of the kids. So why make the house flipping part of the story?
Also it weirded me out that the story was from the perspective of the kids - albeit third person - and yet their parents were referred to as Mr and Mrs Cole any time they were on the page. Like...........there is no way these teenagers refer to their own parents as Mr Cole and Mrs Cole. So why do it on the page??
Anyway. The mystery was pretty compelling and there were definitely some truly horrifying moments that I didn't see coming. But ultimately the little things about this bugged me so much that I couldn't just sit back and enjoy the ride. Sigh.
madds939's review
4.0
The ending was genuinely terrifying. Like the last quarter of the book my stomach hurt because I was terrified. I was highly entertained for most of the book, but it was a bit slow at times. Overall, 4 stars!