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readnqu33n 's review for:

Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
3.5
adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 Julie Chan who is an identical twin that was separated after the death of her parents when Chloe was adopted by a rich couple and she was stuck with her conniving Aunt. When Julie runs away from her problems, she finds her influencer sister dead in her apartment. Julie’s confusion and fear sets up the events for the rest of this story.

There wasn’t a decent human being in the whole cast of characters. Julie started out as an alright person but psych, too much interaction with that influencer group made her just like them. The writing was excellent as it evoked major emotions from me. The mice part made me gag in the middle of my morning walk. The miscarriage scene was very vivid. The interaction on that island was scary, dark and threatening in a sweet and saccharine way.

The various plot lines were unexpected and sinister. Shady activity was throughout this novel. The aunt storyline, the adopted parents in the expensive facility, the captive mother on the island, the whole plane and island interactions were not what I expected. There were no real holes in the plot but I have questions. Like why Chloe kept her parents home after the accident? Exactly how that accident happened? Why or how those island people became slaves and what they did the other eleven months of the year?  Did they just leave Izzy tied up in that bungalow? I was also intrigued as to how the whole influencer/cult ran their business. 

I’m glad I picked up this debut novel and look forward to her next novel.

Social media is inherently unequal. I mean, even if we disregard race entirely, there are so many barriers to accessibility. Who can afford a phone? Who has access to stable internet? Who has time to scroll and learn about trends instead of clocking in to a double shift to feed their families? Even what country you’re born in affects it. There’s nothing equal about social media. Sure, once in a blue moon it uplifts creators from underserved backgrounds, but that’s like finding a unicorn amid a stable of horses.

I’ll never be applauded for mediocrity because I’m not a stereotypically beautiful white girl.

What in the actual ya-ya-sisterhood living fuck is this?


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