Julie Chan Is Dead

Liann Zhang

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller

Julie Chan is a supermarket cashier, while her identical twin sister, Chloe, is a social media influencer and sensation. The two sisters were separated at a young age following the death of their parents. So the sisters were never close. One video of Chloe’s reunion with her sister goes viral, and Julie Chan comes into the picture and her sister’s life. But she discovers that all the kindness that her sister shows her is just a way to get more views!

One day Julie Chan finds her sister dead at her place, so the idea comes to her to become Chloe and claim that Julie Chan is dead instead. The glamorous lifestyle that Chloe lived encourages Julie to do that, unaware of the dark secrets that her sister had.

I’m a big fan of stories that involve twins, so this checked one big box for me. For a debut novel, the book was very entertaining. It is nicely written, and the story has constant tension and twists. The more secrets came out, the more the protagonist realized that her decision was a very foolish one.

The story concentrates on themes like distant sibling relationships, manipulation, the influencer culture, and one’s identity. The pace is fast and steady. However, there are no likable characters in this book. Both the twins were not decent human beings. They both were selfish and manipulative.

If you read this book and enjoy it, try to watch Bette Davis’ Dead Ringer (1963). I love that movie, and it has a very similar theme to this book, where the poor sister kills her rich twin sister and impersonates her. Like this book, that film has lots of tension and stressful events.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.