... a sharply written and tightly plotted thriller about a mommy blogger whose ambitious rise to fame comes with unexpected --- or perhaps all-too-expected --- consequences ... Beyond being a brilliant skewering of social media and influencer culture, People Like Her is, quite simply, a damn good thriller. Lloyd’s careful use of Dan’s narrative to hack away at Emmy’s spin on the truth will keep you on the edge of your seat, and though she goes unnamed and unexplained for several chapters, the stalker’s perspective adds a chilling edge that makes the book absolutely unputdownable. Though I found her motive to be a bit of a stretch in the end, it certainly speaks to the ways that we idolize influencers and highlights the stark reality of inviting strangers into your personal life. With three unreliable narrators, the novel reads like Gone Girl on steroids in all the best ways, and is sure to keep you distracted from Instagram for a good long while.Timely, perceptive and downright chilling, People Like Her will make you strongly reconsider your next Instagram post --- and hopefully help you see influencers with a clear eye, like it or not.
The first half of the novel is a delicious guilty pleasure: hyperbolic descriptions of the glamorous superficiality that we all suspect lies at the heart of most Instagram lives and experiences. But the second half takes us to a darker place as Lloyd explores the pitfalls of living a life on the internet, especially when that life involves kids. How can we ever assume privacy and safety? And when does the line between persona and person no longer exist? Despite a rather melodramatic climax and rushed conclusion, this one will get under your skin. Silence your notifications and lock the doors, then indulge in this delightfully distasteful, cozily creepy thriller.
Some of the multilayered plot’s more nefarious twists strain credulity, but clever red herrings, sharply drawn characters, and steadily mounting dread largely compensate. Lloyd dramatically highlights the artificiality of influencer culture and the toxicity of society’s social media obsession.
