This dark, pitch-perfect novel about our dependence on technology for validation and human connection is as addictive as social media itself.” –People A TIME AND NPR BEST BOOK OF 2020 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY PEOPLE MAGAZINE · THESKIMM · KATIE COURIC’S “WAKE UP CALL” · ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY · VOGUE.COM · MARIE CLAIRE · PARADE.COM · BITCH MEDIA · HELLO GIGGLES · BUSTLE · BOOKLIST An … GIGGLES · BUSTLE · BOOKLIST
An electrifying story of two ambitious friends and the dark choices they make to become internet famous.
Orla Cadden is a budding novelist stuck in a dead-end job, writing clickbait about movie-star hookups and influencer yoga moves. Then Orla meets Floss–a striving, wannabe A-lister–who comes up with a plan for launching them both into the high-profile lives they dream about. So what if Orla and Floss’s methods are a little shady–and sometimes people get hurt? Their legions of followers can’t be wrong.
Thirty-five years later, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow discovers a shattering secret about her past. Despite her massive popularity–twelve million loyal followers–Marlow dreams of fleeing the corporate sponsors who would do anything to keep her on-screen. When she learns that her whole family history is based on a lie, Marlow finally summons the courage to run in search of the truth, no matter the risks.
Followers traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection.
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I found Followers fascinating to read. Mainly because I can 100% picture what happened in the book happening in real life. I did wonder how Marlow, Orla, and Floss were all tied together. But I wasn’t expecting what was revealed. It shocked me. I did find parts of the book to be a little hard to believe (the whole scene with Marlow being tied up in the car was a big one) but over all, it was an interesting read. Scary but interesting.
Followers is a book unlike any I normally read and I loved it!!! Set in dual timelines, 2016 with Orla and Floss and in 2051 with Marlow. At first it is a tad confusing keeping the storylines straight, but quickly you understand what is going on in both timelines. The characters are amazing. They are flawed but real. I loved the sci-fi part of the book and it makes you wonder are we as a culture over sharing our lives? I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
Eh, man. I really wanted to love this one. The cover and premise of this book had me so excited to receive an early copy of this book. Then it all fell a bit flat for me.
I agree with a lot of the middle of the fence reviews on this one. The book is wordy. So many words that don’t need to be there and really lose focus of the story. So many paragraphs reread just to remind my brain who and what I was reading about in certain chapters.
Also, that ending. What was that? What was the purpose? It was like I picked up a completely different book to finish this one. I’m just not sure where the author was going with it.
The writing for the most part is really good and I can see why so many did love this book and why so many will. The characters were pretty great, even those with small roles and the premise was fascinating and almost frightening when you think about the world we live in right now.
I think many will really love this one and many will be on the fence like I am but in the end I think the premise is interesting enough to encourage readers to pick this one up themselves and make their own conclusion.