Review

Follow Me

Goodreads score: 3.73

Amazon score: 4.4

 

Stalkers are a tried-and-true antagonist for a good mystery novel. The best ones are more than creepy—they’re unhinged. They’re conniving, too, always finding new ways to get dangerously close to the object of their affection.

Follow Me is a modern take on the stalker story, exploring an uncomfortable reality: social media has made it way too easy to keep tabs on that “special” person, whether they know it or not. Audrey is mega influencer on Instagram with more than one million followers. She could easily go pro and convert those followers into cash through sponsored posts, but she’s intent on not selling out. For her, Instagram is more like a sport. And it’s always on her brain, whether she’s snapping pics of her new apartment or trivia night with friends. Audrey is so adept at Instagram, in fact, that she lands a coveted job running the social media account at a Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C.

Enter “him.” One look at Audrey’s profile pic and he’s hooked. He’s spent years pining over her, slowly convincing himself that they are destined to be together. When she moves to D.C. for her new gig, he finally gets his chance to track her down in person.

And then there’s the friend, an awkward lawyer whose questionable social skills are in direct contrast with Audrey’s. Though she provides a soft landing for Audrey in D.C., she might be a little too into her bestie . . . she has been ever since their days in college as sorority sisters.

We spend the story shifting among these three very different perspectives. Along the way, a cast of male characters—love interests, coworkers, bartenders, neighbors—are offered up as the potential stalker at large. Everyone is a suspect, and it’s up to the reader to guess when Audrey is in danger and who can offer safety. This book has the feeling of watching a horror movie as we find ourselves practically screaming at Audrey not to follow that mysterious figure, not to turn down that alley, and for the love of all that is holy, to stop posting everything about her life on social media for all the world to see.

The bottom line: Follow Me is almost as much social commentary about oversharing as it is an interesting read with reveals that keep coming all the way through to the last pages.

Related Articles