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lazygal's review
3.0
What if you're an "influencer" whose feed supports your family? Now what if you're one of three siblings sharing a feed? The family business is house flipping, but Amber, Cecily and Rudy want to focus on their own thing... and moving every few months after a renovation doesn't help. Then the family takes on an 1800s house in a town in upstate New York, a house that--according to local legend--is haunted. Or is it? The problem is that the creep factor is intermixed with a potential lesbian relationship, body positivity and normal teen angst. And then there's the reveal. Usually readers can then go back through the book and see where they missed clues, but here? There were no clues. There is nothing that leads to the "AHA! I suspected [name]" moment, when it could easily have been added in.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
riverlasol's review
5.0
4.5/5
This thriller comes out this week and if you like thrillers or horror novels you should be adding this one to your tbr right now!! I was hooked from the first chapter, but as it went on it got harder and harder to put it down. Unfortunately I didn’t heed the warning at the beginning and definitely read it right before bed….yes I actually had a scary dream that night haha. I deem it was worth it, though, to get to the epic climax.
I was easily invested in this story at first, because of the in-depth characters. Each of the triplets in this novel felt locked into their role as a social media influencer, but in different ways. I think the author did a great job exploring the impact of social media on different types of people. The follower character was soooo creepy the whole way through and I really thought that I had figured out who it was by the time the climax came, but then the plot twist came through and I was caught completely off guard. I don’t think there was a single thing that would’ve pointed me towards who it really was, whereas almost every other character felt suspicious. Once it was revealed, though, it made total sense.
I also really loved the character development in this book and I thought that the ending was wrapped up nicely, with no loose threads. My only complaint overall is that I never really had a good picture in my head of what was happening or what the characters looked like. I’m not sure if I just missed some of these descriptive details, but either way I would've liked some more descriptors. Unless that’s your pet peeve, though, I would highly recommend this. If you do read it, please properly heed the warning: Don’t read this at night!!
This thriller comes out this week and if you like thrillers or horror novels you should be adding this one to your tbr right now!! I was hooked from the first chapter, but as it went on it got harder and harder to put it down. Unfortunately I didn’t heed the warning at the beginning and definitely read it right before bed….yes I actually had a scary dream that night haha. I deem it was worth it, though, to get to the epic climax.
I was easily invested in this story at first, because of the in-depth characters. Each of the triplets in this novel felt locked into their role as a social media influencer, but in different ways. I think the author did a great job exploring the impact of social media on different types of people. The follower character was soooo creepy the whole way through and I really thought that I had figured out who it was by the time the climax came, but then the plot twist came through and I was caught completely off guard. I don’t think there was a single thing that would’ve pointed me towards who it really was, whereas almost every other character felt suspicious. Once it was revealed, though, it made total sense.
I also really loved the character development in this book and I thought that the ending was wrapped up nicely, with no loose threads. My only complaint overall is that I never really had a good picture in my head of what was happening or what the characters looked like. I’m not sure if I just missed some of these descriptive details, but either way I would've liked some more descriptors. Unless that’s your pet peeve, though, I would highly recommend this. If you do read it, please properly heed the warning: Don’t read this at night!!
thisisadebut's review
3.0
The Follower, Kate Doughty. 3/5
Rudy, Cecily and Amber are insta famous triplets whose sponsored posts help keep their family afloat. Whilst their Mom and Dad flip houses they also keep a firm grip on their kids shared social media handle. The most recent house they are flipping, Tremont House, is unlike any other.... this one has a dark past and something is lurking, something doesn’t want the house to be changed or the Cole triplets there and they’ll do anything to get them out.
A YA thriller that just tingles with the implications of what it is like to grow up in a generation where everything you do is being filmed and watched. This captures the general feeling and attitude of a life lived online perfectly, the comments, accusations and demands are spot on. Much like YOU this also manages to bring in social media to give a clever twist on an old genre. With YOU that was stalking/thriller, here there is the vibe of a haunted house.
A fun, clever, quick little thriller that will still have you questioning at the end.
Rudy, Cecily and Amber are insta famous triplets whose sponsored posts help keep their family afloat. Whilst their Mom and Dad flip houses they also keep a firm grip on their kids shared social media handle. The most recent house they are flipping, Tremont House, is unlike any other.... this one has a dark past and something is lurking, something doesn’t want the house to be changed or the Cole triplets there and they’ll do anything to get them out.
A YA thriller that just tingles with the implications of what it is like to grow up in a generation where everything you do is being filmed and watched. This captures the general feeling and attitude of a life lived online perfectly, the comments, accusations and demands are spot on. Much like YOU this also manages to bring in social media to give a clever twist on an old genre. With YOU that was stalking/thriller, here there is the vibe of a haunted house.
A fun, clever, quick little thriller that will still have you questioning at the end.
whimsicalyme's review
3.0
I am always picking up books about influencers and the Follower was no different. triplets, Cecily, Rudy, and Amber are the children of home renovation stars that recently moved into their parents latest renovation projects when they start to get it chilling messages from someone calling themselves the follower. It becomes clear that this is more than just a simple troll and actually someone looking to destroy the Cole family’s reputation,
I felt like this novel was going for the haunted house trope adding the aspect of triplets as influencers with an online stalker. it seemed like a plot line with a lot of potential however, it just did not work for me. The ending I was able to guess fairly early on and it just wasn’t satisfying. In all fairness others may love this one especially if the haunted house trope is one you enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Harry N. Abrams for my digital copy of the book to review.
I felt like this novel was going for the haunted house trope adding the aspect of triplets as influencers with an online stalker. it seemed like a plot line with a lot of potential however, it just did not work for me. The ending I was able to guess fairly early on and it just wasn’t satisfying. In all fairness others may love this one especially if the haunted house trope is one you enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Harry N. Abrams for my digital copy of the book to review.
shereadytoread's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
2.5
(2.5 stars) This is a book that I would have rated higher, but for all of it's representation of queerness and body positivity, it leaned heavily on villainizing mental illness. Although we do have 3 POVs from each triplet, I would argue that Amber is our main character and has much more of an arc than the other siblings so they fell a little flat although there was clear intention to explore each of their personalities individually
Pros:
- representation of queerness is well done and consistent throughout without the need for explanation
- body positivity arc that is explored well
- they actually explore how the differences between the triplets affect their relationship in ways that I didn't expect
- pretty creepy moments that played out well
Cons:
- a few too many red herrings that overcomplicate the plot. I feel like if it was more straightforward, it could have been explored well but it had to quickly move to wrap up the red herrings
- villianizing mental illness - really. we're still doing this?
- the parents were beyond terrible in a way that didn't seem to make too much sense
Pros:
- representation of queerness is well done and consistent throughout without the need for explanation
- body positivity arc that is explored well
- they actually explore how the differences between the triplets affect their relationship in ways that I didn't expect
- pretty creepy moments that played out well
Cons:
- a few too many red herrings that overcomplicate the plot. I feel like if it was more straightforward, it could have been explored well but it had to quickly move to wrap up the red herrings
- villianizing mental illness - really. we're still doing this?
- the parents were beyond terrible in a way that didn't seem to make too much sense
chloeandherbooks's review
3.0
Author: Kate Doughty
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: E-Book Advanced Reader Copy
Published: 23rd March 2021
Pages: 777 (Just to note this is what netgalley had as the page count while I was reading however every time I started reading a new page it jumped forward 3 numbers so I assume this was a formatting error and it will not be 700+ pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Goodreads Synopsis
A spine-tingling YA thriller, based on a still-unfolding true story
Instagram-famous triplets Cecily, Amber, and Rudy—the children of home renovation superstars—are ready for a perfect summer. They’ve just moved into the site of their parents’ latest renovation project when they begin to receive chilling messages from someone called The Follower. It soon becomes clear that this anonymous threat is more than a simple Internet troll, and he can’t wait to shatter the Cole family’s perfect veneer and take back what’s his. The Follower examines the implications of what it is to be watched in the era of social media fame—as well as the lies we tell and the lengths we’ll go to uphold a perfect image, when our lives depend on it.
CAWPILE
Characters – 6
Atmosphere – 7
Writing Style – 5
Plot – 6
Intrigue – 7
Logic – 6
Enjoyment – 6
Overall: 6.1
Review
Trigger Warnings: Suicide, Gambling Addiction, Blood, Murder, Death, Animal Death, Loss of a friend, and Grief.
This review contains spoilers.
I love mystery/thriller so when I saw this up for request on Netgalley I decided to request it. As soon as I read the first chapter I was immediately curious about what was going on as it honestly gave me the chills. One aspect of this novel that I think was really well done was that it captured the creepy atmosphere perfectly, there were multiple moments where I was on the edge of my seat and had goose bumps. Another aspect of this novel that I really enjoyed was the look at influencer culture, it was interesting to see what was going on behind the scenes and the fact that the triplets weren’t posting the content that they wanted to but instead what their mother wanted them to. Also, I was so frustrated with how their mother was behaving and how she treated them. Now, let’s talk a bit about the characters, I will say I wasn’t overly attached to any of them but I did thoroughly enjoy Amber’s character and in my opinion, her POVs were the most interesting. Cecily was an interesting character and I felt so bad for her after her attack. I really wish Rudy had more development throughout the novel as all I really know is that he likes to make music so I would’ve liked to have seen more of his backstory and personality. While the final plot twist shocked me, I can’t say that I was a huge fan of it. Another issue I had was that I felt that at times the pacing was a little off. However, I did really like that this novel had an ambiguous ending.
Overall this was a decent mystery/thriller with a creepy atmosphere that examines influencer culture, however, I found it to be a little slow-moving in places and the characters were a little under-developed.
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Age Range: Young Adult
Format: E-Book Advanced Reader Copy
Published: 23rd March 2021
Pages: 777 (Just to note this is what netgalley had as the page count while I was reading however every time I started reading a new page it jumped forward 3 numbers so I assume this was a formatting error and it will not be 700+ pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Goodreads Synopsis
A spine-tingling YA thriller, based on a still-unfolding true story
Instagram-famous triplets Cecily, Amber, and Rudy—the children of home renovation superstars—are ready for a perfect summer. They’ve just moved into the site of their parents’ latest renovation project when they begin to receive chilling messages from someone called The Follower. It soon becomes clear that this anonymous threat is more than a simple Internet troll, and he can’t wait to shatter the Cole family’s perfect veneer and take back what’s his. The Follower examines the implications of what it is to be watched in the era of social media fame—as well as the lies we tell and the lengths we’ll go to uphold a perfect image, when our lives depend on it.
CAWPILE
Characters – 6
Atmosphere – 7
Writing Style – 5
Plot – 6
Intrigue – 7
Logic – 6
Enjoyment – 6
Overall: 6.1
Review
Trigger Warnings: Suicide, Gambling Addiction, Blood, Murder, Death, Animal Death, Loss of a friend, and Grief.
This review contains spoilers.
I love mystery/thriller so when I saw this up for request on Netgalley I decided to request it. As soon as I read the first chapter I was immediately curious about what was going on as it honestly gave me the chills. One aspect of this novel that I think was really well done was that it captured the creepy atmosphere perfectly, there were multiple moments where I was on the edge of my seat and had goose bumps. Another aspect of this novel that I really enjoyed was the look at influencer culture, it was interesting to see what was going on behind the scenes and the fact that the triplets weren’t posting the content that they wanted to but instead what their mother wanted them to. Also, I was so frustrated with how their mother was behaving and how she treated them. Now, let’s talk a bit about the characters, I will say I wasn’t overly attached to any of them but I did thoroughly enjoy Amber’s character and in my opinion, her POVs were the most interesting. Cecily was an interesting character and I felt so bad for her after her attack. I really wish Rudy had more development throughout the novel as all I really know is that he likes to make music so I would’ve liked to have seen more of his backstory and personality. While the final plot twist shocked me, I can’t say that I was a huge fan of it. Another issue I had was that I felt that at times the pacing was a little off. However, I did really like that this novel had an ambiguous ending.
Overall this was a decent mystery/thriller with a creepy atmosphere that examines influencer culture, however, I found it to be a little slow-moving in places and the characters were a little under-developed.
misslisag's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
raphaelreads's review
3.0
The Follower by Kate Doughty is a ya thriller about an influencer family who starts to get online threats when they move into a new house. Soon the threats turn into something more sinister.
The book has an interesting concept that is executed pretty well. The triplets are actually quite likeable and have a nice and realistic relationship which is refreshing, they sometimes argue but they deeply care for one another.
I also liked that there was some nice lgbtq+ and body diversity representation.
Small details but the instagram comments at the end of each chapters were a really nice touch
However, one thing that really bothered me was that when one of the kids got seriously injured, the parents decided to stay until the open house because they couldn’t afford to stay at a motel. While I do understand that money was tight, would any parents risk the lives of their children for a week or two of motel money?
The mom was also very annoying with the social media stuff and it made her really unlikable.
I saw the plot twist coming but I never would’ve guessed who the follower was so I was still pretty surprised by it.
All in all, it wasn’t a perfect book but I still enjoyed it.
Thanks Abram Kids and Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
The book has an interesting concept that is executed pretty well. The triplets are actually quite likeable and have a nice and realistic relationship which is refreshing, they sometimes argue but they deeply care for one another.
I also liked that there was some nice lgbtq+ and body diversity representation.
Small details but the instagram comments at the end of each chapters were a really nice touch
However, one thing that really bothered me was that when one of the kids got seriously injured, the parents decided to stay until the open house because they couldn’t afford to stay at a motel. While I do understand that money was tight, would any parents risk the lives of their children for a week or two of motel money?
The mom was also very annoying with the social media stuff and it made her really unlikable.
I saw the plot twist coming but I never would’ve guessed who the follower was so I was still pretty surprised by it.
All in all, it wasn’t a perfect book but I still enjoyed it.
Thanks Abram Kids and Netgalley for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
prescriptionbooks's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Sexism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Gore