She has an easy life - but makes a living from pretending otherwise.
She has a husband who hates the spotlight - but can't step away.
She has a million followers who adore her - but one who wants her to suffer.
She hasn't realised her family is in danger yet - but she will.
A smart and thrilling debut that delves into the darkest aspects of influencer culture, Ellery Lloyd's People Like Her is about what you risk losing when you don't know who's watching...
People like Emmy Jackson. They always have. Especially online, where she is Instagram sensation Mamabare, famous for always telling the unvarnished truth about modern parenthood.
But Emmy isn't as honest as she'd like the fans to believe. She may think she has her followers fooled, but someone out there knows the truth and plans to make her pay. Because people like her have no idea what pain careless words can cause. Because people like her need to learn what it feels like to lose everything . . .
Ellery Lloyd's first thriller, People Like Her, is a dark and twisted being. One entirely focused on the lives of the Instagram-famous.
Emmy Jackson is very good at having different perspectives in her life. To her adoring Instagram fans, she's a mum struggling – just like all of them. To her husband, she's a woman who frequently stretches the truth. To others? She's the woman who has it all, and doesn't care who she hurt in order to get it.
Naturally, that means that Emmy has managed to make a few enemies along the way. Yet sometimes it is more difficult than one might imagine to see the real risks lying right under your nose. A fact Emmy is about to learn the hard way.
“I should probably make one thing clear. I am not calling my wife a liar.”
I can tell you with complete honesty that I've never read a novel quite like People Like Her. The unique combination of domestic suspense and social media fame is something else, that's for sure. This novel takes the time to show the dangerous side of fandoms and obsessions. The darker side of the internet, so to speak.
What is more interesting is how Lloyd was able to create a character so impossible to like – and yet one still worth rooting for. It's proof that there's a series of complex emotions in this tale, and there's really no such thing as a clear cut answer.
In case it wasn't clear, I didn't like Emmy. I'm not sure I was supposed to, either. She's not the only perspective in this book though, she's one of three. Though ironically enough, I didn't really like the other two much either.
All three characters and their opinions were written in such a way where it was easy to understand them and their plights. Even if one didn't exactly agree with their actions or decisions. That's impressive, if you ask me.
While I was impressed with those elements, overall I found myself underwhelmed with People Like Her. It's a plot that had a lot of potential, most of which I feel like was underutilized towards the end.
In short, People Like Her was a quick and interesting read, but realistically it's not one I'm going to remember in the long term. As far as debuts go, it was decent, and the creative elements are enough to have me looking forward to whatever Ellery Lloyd comes up with next. So that's a plus.
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