Followers (First Time Trade)

by Megan Angelo

'An eerie masterpiece' Christina Dalcher 'Think Black Mirror with a comic twist' OK!

When everyone is watching you can run, but you can't hide...

2051. Marlow and her mother, Floss, have been handpicked to live their lives on camera, in the closed community of Constellation.

Unlike her mother, who adores the spotlight, Marlow hates having her every move judged by a national audience.

But she isn't brave enough to escape until she discovers a shattering secret about her birth.

Now she must unravel the truth around her own history in a terrifying race against time...

An explosive and unsettling novel set in the near-future, perfect for fans of Station Eleven, Black Mirror, The Circle and Friend Request.

Everyone is talking about Followers

'A first-rate dystopian tale' The I

'A compelling look at the power of technology and social networks. You won't be able to put it down' Vogue.com

'Megan Angelo's debut novel will have you hooked...think Black Mirror with a comic twist' OK!

'Suspenseful, thought-provoking and terrifying' Daily Mail

'One of 2020's most anticipated books. Looking for a razor-sharp take on the future of humanity and social media? Meet Followers' Entertainment Weekly

• ISBN10: 1525809962
• ISBN13: 9781525809965
• Publish Date: 10 November 2020 (first published 9 January 2020)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Harlequin Sales Corp
• Edition: First Time Trade ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

I read Followers as part of a book club, the themes present in the book were interesting to discuss as a group - around social media, influencers, followers, going viral, cancel culture, but I found I didn't actually enjoy reading the story.

My main issue with Followers was that I just didn't like any of the characters. Orla had no drive and was obsessed with an old high school crush. Floss was extravagant, tacky, and would do anything to remain relevant and famous. And Marlow was on another level having lived most of her life being filmed, so was quite unrelatable.

The story itself follows Orla and Marlow, switching between two POV's, the whole time you're trying to figure out why these two? Who are they? While you follow them along in what seems to be the most important time in their lives and in their followings. As you're reading, there's the suspense of trying to figure out what on earth happened to the world in the time between. Marlow seems to live in a completely different world compared to Orla.

The story doesn't do a very good job of explaining the world around these characters, it constantly mentions something called ‘the spill’ but at no time does it explain what that means. Not until the end at least. Which is when you realise that it was meant to be a suspense thing, however it really felt like the author had forgotten to explain something to the readers. It was confusing.

While the themes of this book were interesting, I just didn't enjoy the story or the writing style. Had I not been reading it for a book club, I would have DNF'ed it. Well actually, I wouldn't have picked it up to begin with.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Followers is such a character driven and thought-provoking book that seems extra relevant in our current era of social media. I quite enjoyed it, and am going to tell you why (and yeah, the one thing that's holding me back from five stars)!

What I Loved:

• • The world-building kept me guessing throughout. Funny, but in this book the world kind of is the mystery/plot. How did we get to the point where the book takes place? The slow build of secrets made me want to keep reading, as I was excited for the next tidbit to unfurl.



• • The character development is constant and fabulous. Because they don't just change in terms of betterment and growth. No, there's plenty of backsliding, which totally feels authentic (because don't we all go through such periods?). They're beyond flawed, and at times you may flat out not like some of them (or all of them). But then they'll do something to showcase their humanity, and it all fits into place.



• • The relationships ebb and flow as well, and they play such a huge role in the characters' stories. The characters' connections to one another also come into focus as the story moves along. Though you know they're connected, you don't figure out how and why until much later. But everyone indeed has something to contribute, a reason for their story being told.



• • It's definitely thought provoking. Basically, if you had to choose all-or-nothing with social media/internet, which would you choose? Could you have your life dictated by it? Could you live completely without that connection? Does it have to be so absolute? So many questions arise about how and why we connect with each other, and some glaring problems with today's interactions.

What I Didn't:

• • It starts off kind of slow. If you're the kind of person who is hoping to dive into some action, hope again. It's a very character driven book overall, which I generally love, but it starts off a bit too slow. I think the major thing was, it took me some time to invest in the characters. When I did, I was all in, and loved reading. So if you are iffy, give it time, because it was wholly worth it by the end.

Bottom Line: Fabulous character development in a very timely plot and setting makes the slower start and pace completely worth it.

[moraa]

I did not like the writing style. I felt that it shifted too much back and forth and failed to stay consistent. I struggled to enjoy this book and I think I would have liked it much better if the writing, in the beginning, had been a bit stronger; hooked the reader more. I genuinely feel like this is a good idea, the premise is strong, the writing just needs to improve a little. The characters were alright. I struggled to care about them, to sympathise with them, but they were alright in the sense that I could tell effort had been put into writing them. I just couldn't find a way to connect with them. That for me was really sad. I can read a book with a horrible plot and moderate world-building provided there are great characters. I just CANNOT read a book with characters I struggle to connect with.

[chymerra]

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 overall, it was an interesting read. Scary but interesting.