A group of social media stars on an isolated island are forced to reckon with their pasts in this unnerving, tense YA thriller that exposes the dark side of influencer culture.
Ten influencers--including 18-year-olds Kira, a fitness influencer; Max, a YouTube documentarian; Logan, a fallen TikTok star; and Elody, a "hot girl" whose viral photos launched her into stardom--are invited to a remote private island to participate in a reality TV show called IRL. For three weeks, the social media stars will give up their phones to see what happens when they disconnect from their digital lives. When one of the content creators is found dead, it ignites suspicion among the rest. Meanwhile, their mysterious "Sponsor" is threatening to "cancel" them if they don't reveal their secrets. After a second creator is murdered, the influencers must figure out who's trying to expose them before another one of them is cut down.
In People to Follow, debut author Olivia Worley cleverly exposes the dark side of being an influencer, including the pressure content creators are under to be "living, breathing brands," and how it can lead to "feeling like a product instead of a person." These revelations and the influencers' secrets surface at a fast clip through the unreliable perspectives of four of the creators, building tension that's reinforced by an isolated setting--"the kind of place where you say and do wild things"--and ominous weather. A provocative take on privilege, accountability, and the power of influence. --Lana Barnes, freelance reviewer and proofreader