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I'll Follow You
“Reading this made me want to text my best friend. And then block her. And then text her again. It was a wild ride!” —Mindy Kaling
For two best friends desperate to escape their dead-end town, a viral online persona becomes a dangerous game of control in a twisting psychological thriller about class, power, and identity.
Faith and her charismatic best friend, Kayla, always vowed to escape their trailer park together. After their social media persona, Hannah Primrose, goes viral, their fates seem more entwined than ever. But when Faith is accepted into prestigious Harkness College, she must decide whether to keep her promise to Kayla or learn to tell her own story.
By the time Faith arrives on campus, Kayla is no longer speaking with her. Struggling to fit in with her wealthy classmates, Faith reinvents herself, drawing the attention of her enigmatic art history professor. Then Kayla shows up outside her dormitory one night. I need to stay with you.
Having Kayla on campus is thrilling—and dangerous. Posing as a student, Kayla charms everyone she encounters, and soon enough they’re posting together again. Hannah Primrose, after all, is perfect for a place like Harkness. But as Faith risks her future for the persona she helped create, she begins to realize that Kayla is playing a deadly game…and it may be too late to regain control of the narrative.
For two best friends desperate to escape their dead-end town, a viral online persona becomes a dangerous game of control in a twisting psychological thriller about class, power, and identity.
Faith and her charismatic best friend, Kayla, always vowed to escape their trailer park together. After their social media persona, Hannah Primrose, goes viral, their fates seem more entwined than ever. But when Faith is accepted into prestigious Harkness College, she must decide whether to keep her promise to Kayla or learn to tell her own story.
By the time Faith arrives on campus, Kayla is no longer speaking with her. Struggling to fit in with her wealthy classmates, Faith reinvents herself, drawing the attention of her enigmatic art history professor. Then Kayla shows up outside her dormitory one night. I need to stay with you.
Having Kayla on campus is thrilling—and dangerous. Posing as a student, Kayla charms everyone she encounters, and soon enough they’re posting together again. Hannah Primrose, after all, is perfect for a place like Harkness. But as Faith risks her future for the persona she helped create, she begins to realize that Kayla is playing a deadly game…and it may be too late to regain control of the narrative.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews
September 13, 2025
Trying to figure out how this has so many high ratings bc I was struggling with this one. I almost added it to my DNF a few times. First of all - this is NOT a thriller as it was advertised on KU - first strike. But overall it just seemed so drawn out and boring. I already forget about half of what happened if I’m being honest.
August 31, 2025
Charlene Wang's I'll Follow You is a dissection of female relationships told from the perspective of a young girl who is struggling to survive and adapt to the social complexities of girl-hood in the modern day and age. Sometimes I feel like Faith -- painfully aware of my difference from others and playing the character of "college girl" and over-analyzing/mimicking the behaviors of others. And sometimes I feel like I'm Kayla -- desperate to stand out but scared to put too much of myself out there. These characters both come with their fair set of flaws. Faith is an insecure girl which is mostly explored through the telling of her narrative…She describes things slightly sardonically and is constantly ruminating to herself. Her insecurity is what draws her to someone like Kayla in the first place. Kayla on the other hand can be shallow and manipulative. She views most other people as pawns to her goals, and sometimes you don't even know if you (faith) are also a pawn to her greater scheme. You can never tell what her true motives are, but that just adds to her charm, and you can't help but be enraptured by her like everyone else, man or women.
Now, I want to give my analysis of these characters. I will be diving into MAJOR SPOILERS, so if you haven't read this yet, PLEASE STOP READING!!!! Just take my word, if you like books with a mix of slice-of-life college vibes, twists and turns to keep you engaged, and a cool and unique writing style to go with it, then add this book to your reading shelf (it also has an aesthetically pleasing cover).
---------------------SPOILERS INCLUDED (this is your last warning)------------------
When Faith gets into the elite Ivy League, Harkness, she finally has something to call her "own" (which btw, she had to be pushed to do so by her English teacher). But even at Harkness, she's still a wall-flower. As a cashier, she's still watching from the sidelines, the other girls living their college lives. When Whyman, a professor at Harkness that picks her out from the crowd and makes her feel special, she immediately starts falling in love (🙄oh please, Faith! Unfortunately, we've all been there before…don't lie to me and tell me you haven't)-- but you can tell she's bright and insightful, and so you'd think that she could see her romance with her 50+ year old professor for what it is, right? Well -- no. The delusions of a girl's first love conquer even the brightest of minds. But this had me screaming at her, "Come on Faith, did you actually think you're the only one?" Thankfully, my queen Kayla calls her out on this.
And although Kayla was never supposed to be the brains of the two, she shows her intelligence by seeing through the barriers that Faith puts up to guard her insecurities. An interesting point of discussion that was brought up in the novel, was when Kayla pointed out that it was her image, her face, that she was putting on the line into the online persona of Hannah Primrose. And not just her image, but her WHOLE LIFE, and means of survival, she was putting into Hannah Primrose. Since we were seeing things through Faith's perspective, you get absorbed and focused on "being used" in Kayla's blackmail plot, you overlook Kayla's own issues. She doesn't have a Harkness, or even family, to use as a back-up. Hannah Primrose was her means of survival, and if that was what your entire life was, wouldn't you also do what you can to survive? But maybe this is just me justifying her because I can't help but like Kayla myself. And this isn't the only time that Faith gets called out on that. Avery even makes that same criticism that Faith is "so absorbed in her own suffering, she doesn't see the suffering of others, even when it's right in her face."
And to those that think that Kayla only saw Faith as a pawn, I would actually question that. I believe Kayla actually did love Faith, but sometimes she didn't do it appropriately. Maybe she was never even taught how to, given her family situation. She wanted to be with Faith. Always insisting that they were a "package". She may have lashed out in a negative manner but deep down she just didn't want Faith to leave her. She pushed Faith to have sex with her professor, because she wanted Faith to step out of her comfort zone and go for the things she wants, not fall in love with him. So yeah sorry I am a Kayla apologist! You can manipulate me! But I also understand where Faith comes from, and I see a lot of my own qualities in Faith. I was happy though, that in the end, Faith was able to choose for herself and become more selfish. If Faith did NOT tell the truth, I would be so mad because NO WAY are you gonna do my girl Kayla like that. But thankfully she did. I'm curious if other readers resonated with or viewed these characters the same as I did, or if why it resonated with me so closesly because I'm a Gen-Z. Would be interesting to hear your takes!
Now, I want to give my analysis of these characters. I will be diving into MAJOR SPOILERS, so if you haven't read this yet, PLEASE STOP READING!!!! Just take my word, if you like books with a mix of slice-of-life college vibes, twists and turns to keep you engaged, and a cool and unique writing style to go with it, then add this book to your reading shelf (it also has an aesthetically pleasing cover).
---------------------SPOILERS INCLUDED (this is your last warning)------------------
When Faith gets into the elite Ivy League, Harkness, she finally has something to call her "own" (which btw, she had to be pushed to do so by her English teacher). But even at Harkness, she's still a wall-flower. As a cashier, she's still watching from the sidelines, the other girls living their college lives. When Whyman, a professor at Harkness that picks her out from the crowd and makes her feel special, she immediately starts falling in love (🙄oh please, Faith! Unfortunately, we've all been there before…don't lie to me and tell me you haven't)-- but you can tell she's bright and insightful, and so you'd think that she could see her romance with her 50+ year old professor for what it is, right? Well -- no. The delusions of a girl's first love conquer even the brightest of minds. But this had me screaming at her, "Come on Faith, did you actually think you're the only one?" Thankfully, my queen Kayla calls her out on this.
And although Kayla was never supposed to be the brains of the two, she shows her intelligence by seeing through the barriers that Faith puts up to guard her insecurities. An interesting point of discussion that was brought up in the novel, was when Kayla pointed out that it was her image, her face, that she was putting on the line into the online persona of Hannah Primrose. And not just her image, but her WHOLE LIFE, and means of survival, she was putting into Hannah Primrose. Since we were seeing things through Faith's perspective, you get absorbed and focused on "being used" in Kayla's blackmail plot, you overlook Kayla's own issues. She doesn't have a Harkness, or even family, to use as a back-up. Hannah Primrose was her means of survival, and if that was what your entire life was, wouldn't you also do what you can to survive? But maybe this is just me justifying her because I can't help but like Kayla myself. And this isn't the only time that Faith gets called out on that. Avery even makes that same criticism that Faith is "so absorbed in her own suffering, she doesn't see the suffering of others, even when it's right in her face."
And to those that think that Kayla only saw Faith as a pawn, I would actually question that. I believe Kayla actually did love Faith, but sometimes she didn't do it appropriately. Maybe she was never even taught how to, given her family situation. She wanted to be with Faith. Always insisting that they were a "package". She may have lashed out in a negative manner but deep down she just didn't want Faith to leave her. She pushed Faith to have sex with her professor, because she wanted Faith to step out of her comfort zone and go for the things she wants, not fall in love with him. So yeah sorry I am a Kayla apologist! You can manipulate me! But I also understand where Faith comes from, and I see a lot of my own qualities in Faith. I was happy though, that in the end, Faith was able to choose for herself and become more selfish. If Faith did NOT tell the truth, I would be so mad because NO WAY are you gonna do my girl Kayla like that. But thankfully she did. I'm curious if other readers resonated with or viewed these characters the same as I did, or if why it resonated with me so closesly because I'm a Gen-Z. Would be interesting to hear your takes!
October 21, 2025
WOW. An incredibly well written, twisty, dark academia novel. I could not put this one down. This was unlike anything I’ve read before. The characters in this were so toxic and yet parts of their friendship were so relatable. Female friendship can be all consuming and can cause incredibly bizarre power dynamics, and this book highlighted that perfectly. Couldn’t recommend this one more!
September 15, 2025
This was my Amazon First Reads selection for September.
Don't be fooled by Goodreads & Amazon's classification of this book. It is NOT a thriller, except for maybe 10 pages towards the end. It's a New Adult drama or dark academia. I hate when publishers misrepresent books.
This is the story of Faith and Kayla, two trailer park girls (go 'round the outside, 'round the outside) who meet as tweens and become best friends/co-dependent narcissists. Kayla dreams of being a famous influencer and is well on her way in high school, using her beautiful face on Instagram and Faith's ghostwriting skills to create the gorgeous & mysterious character of Hannah Primrose. The girls have a falling out when Faith earns a scholarship to fictional Ivy League university Harkness. But then one day months later, Kayla comes back into Faith's life. She moves into the dorm with Faith and lives under the guise of a Harkness student. Somehow, all the supposedly smart Harkness students and faculty don't catch on. It's baffling. I went to a dumbass university that could clock me having an off campus friend crash in my room within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Faith (an economics major) meets a professor while on the clock for her work-study gig in a dining hall and becomes obsessed with art history and preservation. She begins an affair with the 50+ year old Wyman, a staggeringly rich art professor with his fingers in all sorts of art-y pies (no pun intended). Eventually, Kayla and Faith turn the Hannah Primrose Instagram into a dark academia account and Faith writes about her affair with Wyman as if Hannah's the one having the affair. Eventually, the cagey Kayla convinces Faith that Wyman is cheating on her and convinces her to blackmail him. When Faith learns Kayla's lying and confronts her, the result is deadly.
But oops! Kayla was RIGHT! Faith eventually learns that Wyman was cheating on her...he was having affairs with 4 other Harkness students. Faith manages to leverage this into a pretty cushy life as she leverages this 'hurt' into a career as...you guesssed it...AN INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER!
I hated Faith. She was MIND-NUMBINGLY STUPID. She couldn't make a good, healthy decision if her life depended on it. But then in the last 20% of the book, she becomes a MASTERMIND OF MANIPULATION. The prose veers into pretentious way too much for a free book on Amazon.
Don't be fooled by Goodreads & Amazon's classification of this book. It is NOT a thriller, except for maybe 10 pages towards the end. It's a New Adult drama or dark academia. I hate when publishers misrepresent books.
This is the story of Faith and Kayla, two trailer park girls (go 'round the outside, 'round the outside) who meet as tweens and become best friends/co-dependent narcissists. Kayla dreams of being a famous influencer and is well on her way in high school, using her beautiful face on Instagram and Faith's ghostwriting skills to create the gorgeous & mysterious character of Hannah Primrose. The girls have a falling out when Faith earns a scholarship to fictional Ivy League university Harkness. But then one day months later, Kayla comes back into Faith's life. She moves into the dorm with Faith and lives under the guise of a Harkness student. Somehow, all the supposedly smart Harkness students and faculty don't catch on. It's baffling. I went to a dumbass university that could clock me having an off campus friend crash in my room within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, Faith (an economics major) meets a professor while on the clock for her work-study gig in a dining hall and becomes obsessed with art history and preservation. She begins an affair with the 50+ year old Wyman, a staggeringly rich art professor with his fingers in all sorts of art-y pies (no pun intended). Eventually, Kayla and Faith turn the Hannah Primrose Instagram into a dark academia account and Faith writes about her affair with Wyman as if Hannah's the one having the affair. Eventually, the cagey Kayla convinces Faith that Wyman is cheating on her and convinces her to blackmail him. When Faith learns Kayla's lying and confronts her, the result is deadly.
But oops! Kayla was RIGHT! Faith eventually learns that Wyman was cheating on her...he was having affairs with 4 other Harkness students. Faith manages to leverage this into a pretty cushy life as she leverages this 'hurt' into a career as...you guesssed it...AN INSTAGRAM INFLUENCER!
I hated Faith. She was MIND-NUMBINGLY STUPID. She couldn't make a good, healthy decision if her life depended on it. But then in the last 20% of the book, she becomes a MASTERMIND OF MANIPULATION. The prose veers into pretentious way too much for a free book on Amazon.
September 9, 2025
This is probably up there as a favorite book now. I was able to get a copy with Amazon Prime “First Reads” and I’m glad I chose this one. I felt all the emotions with every part of the story and it was very well written. There were a lot of surprising moments, a lot of sad moments, but also a lot of triumphant moments. I was hooked all the way through! Will definitely be talking about this book for a while!!
April 8, 2026
I might be a bit disappointed in this Becuase this book wasn’t what I expected at all. This is not a thriller the way it was advertised - and not fast paced at all. If anything the plot
Only get interesting in the last 20%.
The constant art jargon between the main character and the professor was unnecessary and repetitive. Also the social media aspect of this could have been so exciting and fun but it wasn’t even really the forefront of the story. The first 100
Pages literally didn’t have any action, and there was very little to keep you flipping the pages. The ending was somewhat redemptive but just too boring and slow
Paced to hang on until that point.
Only get interesting in the last 20%.
The constant art jargon between the main character and the professor was unnecessary and repetitive. Also the social media aspect of this could have been so exciting and fun but it wasn’t even really the forefront of the story. The first 100
Pages literally didn’t have any action, and there was very little to keep you flipping the pages. The ending was somewhat redemptive but just too boring and slow
Paced to hang on until that point.
October 6, 2025
"And it was hard to believe that I could be loved. Loved not in the way Kayla loved me, entwined in a sinewy dark knot. But love as a choice. As more than a means to survive." - Faith
Oh man. I greatly enjoyed the writing style, the pacing, and especially the art references sprinkled throughout the novel. This felt fresh and distinct from other thrillers I've read. On that note, it didn't read like a thriller; it leaned more toward drama or a coming-of-age story.
Charlene explores several deeper themes, such as the effects of growing up poor and moving to a place where no one feels relatable, the disastrous effects of toxic friendships, and modern-day problems that primarily the youth face in the form of social media addiction and consumerism. It may seem obvious to some, but I had not truly grasped how heavily modern influencers shape societal norms and consumer behavior until reading this novel.
However, I found several flaws in the story, such as the lack of likable characters, except for Avery. Even Avery, although initially appealing, became unlikable by the end. Faith is clearly a good kid and was negatively influenced by Kayla throughout their entire friendship. I was cheering for Faith to leave Kayla behind the whole time, but I knew she wouldn't. Instead, she does a complete 180 within a couple of weeks. How the story is going to end is honestly predictable from the moment that Faith meets Wyman, but the twist was good.
The whole ending is botched though. If Wyman is sleeping with 4+ women in a single semester, he has clearly done this multiple times before and likely since the first time that he admitted to sleeping with a student. Following the timeline of the story, the #MeToo movement had already occurred (they even joked about it), so where were the other countless women that Wyman had also taken advantage of? The author tries to paint Faith's crusade against him as a redemptive act, for her, for other students, and against the patriarchy as a whole. But the economic framing, the mention of economics, and the supposed "exchange of value" felt completely incoherent. This made zero sense. It seems that Charlene is trying to paint Wyman as a downright terrible person. In that case, we cannot ignore that he provided life-changing opportunities, such as valuable internships, paying for housing, gallery access, and more, in return for consensual sex. Faith and Avery mention reparations and doing the 'right thing,' but overlook the positives that Wyman has already done for them, which they clearly relished. Faith used Wyman, Wyman used Faith. Avery used Wyman. And so on. That's a clear value exchange.
Also worth mentioning: Wyman is an accomplished professor at a prestigious university, runs galleries, and does extensive research, among other activities. Would he realistically have the time and energy to maintain all of this deception? Lastly, it was also a little out of touch with the mention of Henry at the end. Rape is not confined to followers of any political view; it stems from an obvious lack of morality, not political ideology.
The social justice themes at the end felt excessive and, at times, hypocritical. I was hoping for a deeper story, one more concerned with the fragility of friendship in the face of transitioning to adulthood and societal pressures, rather than a cliché narrative of a professor sleeping with his students. Granted, the way that it played out was different from what I expected and felt fresh in some ways. Overall, a decent novel.
Oh man. I greatly enjoyed the writing style, the pacing, and especially the art references sprinkled throughout the novel. This felt fresh and distinct from other thrillers I've read. On that note, it didn't read like a thriller; it leaned more toward drama or a coming-of-age story.
Charlene explores several deeper themes, such as the effects of growing up poor and moving to a place where no one feels relatable, the disastrous effects of toxic friendships, and modern-day problems that primarily the youth face in the form of social media addiction and consumerism. It may seem obvious to some, but I had not truly grasped how heavily modern influencers shape societal norms and consumer behavior until reading this novel.
However, I found several flaws in the story, such as the lack of likable characters, except for Avery. Even Avery, although initially appealing, became unlikable by the end. Faith is clearly a good kid and was negatively influenced by Kayla throughout their entire friendship. I was cheering for Faith to leave Kayla behind the whole time, but I knew she wouldn't. Instead, she does a complete 180 within a couple of weeks. How the story is going to end is honestly predictable from the moment that Faith meets Wyman, but the twist was good.
The whole ending is botched though. If Wyman is sleeping with 4+ women in a single semester, he has clearly done this multiple times before and likely since the first time that he admitted to sleeping with a student. Following the timeline of the story, the #MeToo movement had already occurred (they even joked about it), so where were the other countless women that Wyman had also taken advantage of? The author tries to paint Faith's crusade against him as a redemptive act, for her, for other students, and against the patriarchy as a whole. But the economic framing, the mention of economics, and the supposed "exchange of value" felt completely incoherent. This made zero sense. It seems that Charlene is trying to paint Wyman as a downright terrible person. In that case, we cannot ignore that he provided life-changing opportunities, such as valuable internships, paying for housing, gallery access, and more, in return for consensual sex. Faith and Avery mention reparations and doing the 'right thing,' but overlook the positives that Wyman has already done for them, which they clearly relished. Faith used Wyman, Wyman used Faith. Avery used Wyman. And so on. That's a clear value exchange.
Also worth mentioning: Wyman is an accomplished professor at a prestigious university, runs galleries, and does extensive research, among other activities. Would he realistically have the time and energy to maintain all of this deception? Lastly, it was also a little out of touch with the mention of Henry at the end. Rape is not confined to followers of any political view; it stems from an obvious lack of morality, not political ideology.
The social justice themes at the end felt excessive and, at times, hypocritical. I was hoping for a deeper story, one more concerned with the fragility of friendship in the face of transitioning to adulthood and societal pressures, rather than a cliché narrative of a professor sleeping with his students. Granted, the way that it played out was different from what I expected and felt fresh in some ways. Overall, a decent novel.
September 2, 2025
Good story
Got it through Amazon free read for the month and am glad I chose this one. It was really well written and the story had me hooked.
Got it through Amazon free read for the month and am glad I chose this one. It was really well written and the story had me hooked.
September 4, 2025
This was an Amazon First Reads book for Sept. and is being released on 10/1. I enjoyed this one but would consider it more of a coming-of-age/dark academia fiction rather than a psychological thriller (how Amazon categorized it).
May 14, 2026
1.25 ⭐
don't piss me off. complete waste of paper. i'm shocked and offended my library spent tax payer money on a copy of this.
What the fuck was the point of writing this. Why does this book exist. It's not for enjoyment (was not entertaining) it's not for art (writing is facile and convoluted) it's not to send a message (it says nothing because it has nothing to say) it's not to make a limited series on HBO Max (because shailene woodley and amy adams are both too old to pass for college freshman) so WHAT was the point of allllll of this?
The first and most foundational mistake made here was making Faith racially ambiguous. I have no idea why the author was so against just stating plainly if Faith was white or not, but it was such a glaring omission that I almost couldn't focus on what was happening. The concept of the book 100% lends itself to the themes of white beauty standards, minorities in the American South, girls of color in wealthy Ivy league schools and in sororities, but the author left all that on the table. so that I might simply imagine a better book than the one i spent four days reading. how kind.
Another complaint I have is so nitpicky but I looked at Wang's author profile, which states that she quit her job as a litigator to become a full time author, even though her background in law caused her to struggle with :being too attuned to the facts," and it pissed me the fuck off. Because my complaint is the author does not know when this book is set.
Early on, there are vibes and pop culture references that make it seem set in the mid 00's (parkour, bandage dresses). But in the middle of that, suddenly the girls are using Instagram (est. 2010), using the term "influencer" (popularized in the mid 10s), so it must be set in the early-mid 2010s. Then Faith mentions her SAT score was 2260, which means definitively she must have taken the SAT before Spring 2016, which the scoring system reverted to 1600, meaning she was a junior prior to 2016. Okay great! NOT GREAT! She graduates high school and is accepted into her university's "graduating class of 2022" which means she would have started her junior year in the Fall of 2016, after the SAT scores reverted to 1600. WHEN YOU MAKE ME WORK THIS HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YEAR IT IS ON YOUR DUMB BOOK.... YOU BETTER BE PRETTY SURE WHAT YEAR IT IS IN YOUR DUMB FUCKING BOOK! Not to mention that Faith and Kayla met when they were 12, so they knew each other for 5 years before graduating, so the earliest they would be hanging out would be 2013. We were not going viral for doing fucking parkour memes in 2013. Bandage dresses were going out of style by 2013. Was 2013 a figment of my imagination? Was 2013 a failed social experiment on specifically me, n=1, to study the long term effects of repeated exposure to what does the fox say? Is the Dominoes App ft. Hatsune Miku a fucking joke to you people???
And to top it all off, the writing was dog water. It's like no one told the author that books are actually comprised of sentences, and the quality of the sentences directly correlate to the quality of the book. We have some all stars such as, "Without quite knowing it, Kayla had sensed a change in me, like females do of all species at a molecular level." Utter nonsense. And who could forget this killer combo:
"Like yellowing varnish exposed to light, my insecurities, my fear of the unknown were-- I could see so clearly-- distortions, ripples in the plane of my reality that prevented me from seeing the brilliant colors underneath. It seemed so obvious, so gobsmacked and mundane. Like grocery shopping on an empty stomach, or calling an ex while drunk. Of course it was right at the moment I'd decided standing on that balcony--that I wanted a different life, a life that wasn't just a pale echo of Kayla's, that I'd succumbed to the wolves, that pack of swirling voices on Instagram that told me, over and over, that this wouldn't end well."
Never before seen stuff here. Published author who doesn't know what 'gobsmacked' means. I read that last sentence several, more than several, times trying to understand what the author was even trying to say. I tried reading it aloud and I don't even know how I'm supposed to go about that.
Let's take a moment and notice the em dashes in the above passage. Hmm, yes. Interesting. The entire book is written like this. In every place an em dash is used, it would have been better to use a comma, or a semi-colon, or a full stop period. Almost none of the em dashes serve any tonal or narrative purpose. I'm not going to accuse anyone of using AI to write this book, because I genuinely don't believe this book was written by AI. But I have been considering the idea that these poorly written em dash infested debuts could be the result of people getting a little too comfortable with AI writing. If you're seeing em dashes in every message from chatgeepeet or clause or gemeli or tootsi or fart or whatever fucking chatbot, you're going to be influenced by that. This goes for authors, editors, copy editors, beta readers, publishers, etc., all the people who have to work together to get a book published, because it was an army of people who let this book come out into the world filled with more em dashes than literary devices.
---SPOILERS---
and i dont even know what to say about the ending. the books message lowkey ended up being "be true to yourself, otherwise bad influences will lead you down the path of wrongdoing!" which is such an unempathetic, bootstraps view of the world that completely contradicts the fact that Faith gets out of the mess completely unscathed while kayla fucking dies.
faith, an "innocent" weakling who is internally cruel and judgemental, gets to have the life kayla desperately wanted, not through her own merits of working hard at school and getting a good job, but by sliding into kayla's life after she dies and leaving the wreckage of their relationship behind her as an interesting backdrop for selfies. kayla, who probably had some sort of personality disorder, whose one friend didn't care enough about her to set boundaries or care about her as a person, gets to drown in an icy bayou.
BUTTT it's okay cause she was a slut and a manipulator :). To save her own skin, Faith lets the whole world paint kayla as a psychotic, sex/money/fame obsessed slut. And that injustice isn't even enough to prompt Faith to leave the nasty adult man who groomed her. Only after she realizes kayla was right and he actually was cheating on her crazy style, that's when she goes full girlboss and drops his ass cold turkey, exposes him, and it's actually totally easy peasy.
man fuck this book lmao. I should just never take it back to the library so that no one else reads it.
don't piss me off. complete waste of paper. i'm shocked and offended my library spent tax payer money on a copy of this.
What the fuck was the point of writing this. Why does this book exist. It's not for enjoyment (was not entertaining) it's not for art (writing is facile and convoluted) it's not to send a message (it says nothing because it has nothing to say) it's not to make a limited series on HBO Max (because shailene woodley and amy adams are both too old to pass for college freshman) so WHAT was the point of allllll of this?
The first and most foundational mistake made here was making Faith racially ambiguous. I have no idea why the author was so against just stating plainly if Faith was white or not, but it was such a glaring omission that I almost couldn't focus on what was happening. The concept of the book 100% lends itself to the themes of white beauty standards, minorities in the American South, girls of color in wealthy Ivy league schools and in sororities, but the author left all that on the table. so that I might simply imagine a better book than the one i spent four days reading. how kind.
Another complaint I have is so nitpicky but I looked at Wang's author profile, which states that she quit her job as a litigator to become a full time author, even though her background in law caused her to struggle with :being too attuned to the facts," and it pissed me the fuck off. Because my complaint is the author does not know when this book is set.
Early on, there are vibes and pop culture references that make it seem set in the mid 00's (parkour, bandage dresses). But in the middle of that, suddenly the girls are using Instagram (est. 2010), using the term "influencer" (popularized in the mid 10s), so it must be set in the early-mid 2010s. Then Faith mentions her SAT score was 2260, which means definitively she must have taken the SAT before Spring 2016, which the scoring system reverted to 1600, meaning she was a junior prior to 2016. Okay great! NOT GREAT! She graduates high school and is accepted into her university's "graduating class of 2022" which means she would have started her junior year in the Fall of 2016, after the SAT scores reverted to 1600. WHEN YOU MAKE ME WORK THIS HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YEAR IT IS ON YOUR DUMB BOOK.... YOU BETTER BE PRETTY SURE WHAT YEAR IT IS IN YOUR DUMB FUCKING BOOK! Not to mention that Faith and Kayla met when they were 12, so they knew each other for 5 years before graduating, so the earliest they would be hanging out would be 2013. We were not going viral for doing fucking parkour memes in 2013. Bandage dresses were going out of style by 2013. Was 2013 a figment of my imagination? Was 2013 a failed social experiment on specifically me, n=1, to study the long term effects of repeated exposure to what does the fox say? Is the Dominoes App ft. Hatsune Miku a fucking joke to you people???
And to top it all off, the writing was dog water. It's like no one told the author that books are actually comprised of sentences, and the quality of the sentences directly correlate to the quality of the book. We have some all stars such as, "Without quite knowing it, Kayla had sensed a change in me, like females do of all species at a molecular level." Utter nonsense. And who could forget this killer combo:
"Like yellowing varnish exposed to light, my insecurities, my fear of the unknown were-- I could see so clearly-- distortions, ripples in the plane of my reality that prevented me from seeing the brilliant colors underneath. It seemed so obvious, so gobsmacked and mundane. Like grocery shopping on an empty stomach, or calling an ex while drunk. Of course it was right at the moment I'd decided standing on that balcony--that I wanted a different life, a life that wasn't just a pale echo of Kayla's, that I'd succumbed to the wolves, that pack of swirling voices on Instagram that told me, over and over, that this wouldn't end well."
Never before seen stuff here. Published author who doesn't know what 'gobsmacked' means. I read that last sentence several, more than several, times trying to understand what the author was even trying to say. I tried reading it aloud and I don't even know how I'm supposed to go about that.
Let's take a moment and notice the em dashes in the above passage. Hmm, yes. Interesting. The entire book is written like this. In every place an em dash is used, it would have been better to use a comma, or a semi-colon, or a full stop period. Almost none of the em dashes serve any tonal or narrative purpose. I'm not going to accuse anyone of using AI to write this book, because I genuinely don't believe this book was written by AI. But I have been considering the idea that these poorly written em dash infested debuts could be the result of people getting a little too comfortable with AI writing. If you're seeing em dashes in every message from chatgeepeet or clause or gemeli or tootsi or fart or whatever fucking chatbot, you're going to be influenced by that. This goes for authors, editors, copy editors, beta readers, publishers, etc., all the people who have to work together to get a book published, because it was an army of people who let this book come out into the world filled with more em dashes than literary devices.
---SPOILERS---
and i dont even know what to say about the ending. the books message lowkey ended up being "be true to yourself, otherwise bad influences will lead you down the path of wrongdoing!" which is such an unempathetic, bootstraps view of the world that completely contradicts the fact that Faith gets out of the mess completely unscathed while kayla fucking dies.
faith, an "innocent" weakling who is internally cruel and judgemental, gets to have the life kayla desperately wanted, not through her own merits of working hard at school and getting a good job, but by sliding into kayla's life after she dies and leaving the wreckage of their relationship behind her as an interesting backdrop for selfies. kayla, who probably had some sort of personality disorder, whose one friend didn't care enough about her to set boundaries or care about her as a person, gets to drown in an icy bayou.
BUTTT it's okay cause she was a slut and a manipulator :). To save her own skin, Faith lets the whole world paint kayla as a psychotic, sex/money/fame obsessed slut. And that injustice isn't even enough to prompt Faith to leave the nasty adult man who groomed her. Only after she realizes kayla was right and he actually was cheating on her crazy style, that's when she goes full girlboss and drops his ass cold turkey, exposes him, and it's actually totally easy peasy.
man fuck this book lmao. I should just never take it back to the library so that no one else reads it.
September 23, 2025
I absolutely do not understand the relatively low rating on this gem of a book. I won’t reinvent the wheel and write a succinct synopsis—there are many who have already done that (brilliantly). What I will say is that I devoured this in a day, captivated by the author’s detailed development of each character she included. I was absolutely fascinated with the character arc of the protagonist (Faith) as she stepped from grubby sweatshirts to Italian silk, a process fraught with the pain of delayed introspection made hazy by profound betrayal. It is through Faith and a plethora of other relatable characters that author Charlene Wang delves into the intricacies of female relationships and the lengths to which we all will go for self-preservation. There are no heroes here waving red capes of integrity. Instead there are at the heart of the novel two deeply flawed women who stirred in me buried guilt and regret for my own “coming of age” missteps. I was left with mixed emotions and, for reasons I still cannot explain, a few tears.
One of the criticisms I’ve seen in other reviews is that the story was perhaps too long, the pacing too slow. I cannot disagree with either. It was, at times, a slow burn. When it caught, however, it was a fiery conflagration that kept the pages turning. 4.5/5 stars.
One of the criticisms I’ve seen in other reviews is that the story was perhaps too long, the pacing too slow. I cannot disagree with either. It was, at times, a slow burn. When it caught, however, it was a fiery conflagration that kept the pages turning. 4.5/5 stars.
September 14, 2025
Two words…cringe and cliche. Without spoilers, this had every stereotype out there. I couldn’t have cared less about any of the characters. They were all hollow and shadows. So much so that I forgot who was who outside of the two main characters, Faith and Kayla. I would have been a DNF but I had nothing else to read.
September 10, 2025
4.5 almost a 5
Wowww is all I can say. This is quite possibly the best dark academia book I have read in a long time. And I have read a lot of them:
1. Donna Tarte: “The Secret History”
2. “If we were Villains”
3. The Likeness
Even similar vibes to “Tell me Lies” with the college professor themes.
But this book is set apart from the rest, and I am truly shocked this is a Kindle First Reads. I highly recommend to all of my friends. 😬. Not predictable. I will read any of her future work.
Wowww is all I can say. This is quite possibly the best dark academia book I have read in a long time. And I have read a lot of them:
1. Donna Tarte: “The Secret History”
2. “If we were Villains”
3. The Likeness
Even similar vibes to “Tell me Lies” with the college professor themes.
But this book is set apart from the rest, and I am truly shocked this is a Kindle First Reads. I highly recommend to all of my friends. 😬. Not predictable. I will read any of her future work.
August 28, 2025
What a fun and captivating read. I could not put this book down. The story follows two childhood best friends who create an instagram account and are willing to do whatever it takes to become an influencer. The dynamic between the two main characters feel so real and Charlene Wang does a wonderful job exploring the relationship between them. And I didn’t expect the ending at all! I highly recommend this book!
September 14, 2025
Chose this for my Amazon first reads and I thought it started out pretty good but then I just could not get into it. Forced myself to finish.
September 15, 2025
Whoever told me this book was good lied!!!! This was horrendous. I had to skimmed through it towards the end of the book just so I could finish it
October 13, 2025
#ad much love for my advance copy @mbc_books #partner (umm I think?)
ILL FOLLOW YOU
Available as a read & listen now via KU
Check the triggers. There’s lots.
“Sometimes in friendships, there is nothing kinder than silence,” (p. 12).
Best friends. Instagram fame. Betrayal. Moving on. Murder. A vendetta. Clout chasing. And secret societies. Buckle up.
Kayla and Faith, best friends since childhood, build a social media following going by Hannah Primrose on Instagram. Kayla is the face while Faith writes the captions. Kayla is the bad girl, while Faith is a good girl - always going along with Kayla. Until Faith decides it’s time to move on without Kayla. That. Wasn’t. Their. Plan. So of course, Kayla eventually shows up. But the things that happen neither could have predicted.
Growing up in a trailer park in a shitty town - I so related to Kayla and Faith as they grew up. This book reminded me of the movie Thirteen, • from 2003 • (only in a different setting) Pretty Little Liars, and Euphoria. A must-read, a fun read.
Memorable
“Why is it that a man in this country can sexually assault a woman and then offer her $$$ in exchange for her contractual silence and that transaction is legally binding and enforceable in a court of law? But if the victim offers her silence to her abuser in exchange for $$$ that is blackmail, a felony punishable up to 25 years in prison? A transaction is 'economically efficient' if there's an equal exchange of value. Each side needs to give up something. What's more valuable than a woman giving up her right to tell her story? Aren't these two transactions identical to each other except if it's initiated by a man it's law but if it's initiated by a woman it's a crime? Isn't the law of blackmail just an institution of misogyny?,” (p. 310).
This was a wild ride and it didn’t end up going the way I thought it would. Solid read. Loved the art angle.
ILL FOLLOW YOU
Available as a read & listen now via KU
Check the triggers. There’s lots.
“Sometimes in friendships, there is nothing kinder than silence,” (p. 12).
Best friends. Instagram fame. Betrayal. Moving on. Murder. A vendetta. Clout chasing. And secret societies. Buckle up.
Kayla and Faith, best friends since childhood, build a social media following going by Hannah Primrose on Instagram. Kayla is the face while Faith writes the captions. Kayla is the bad girl, while Faith is a good girl - always going along with Kayla. Until Faith decides it’s time to move on without Kayla. That. Wasn’t. Their. Plan. So of course, Kayla eventually shows up. But the things that happen neither could have predicted.
Growing up in a trailer park in a shitty town - I so related to Kayla and Faith as they grew up. This book reminded me of the movie Thirteen, • from 2003 • (only in a different setting) Pretty Little Liars, and Euphoria. A must-read, a fun read.
Memorable
“Why is it that a man in this country can sexually assault a woman and then offer her $$$ in exchange for her contractual silence and that transaction is legally binding and enforceable in a court of law? But if the victim offers her silence to her abuser in exchange for $$$ that is blackmail, a felony punishable up to 25 years in prison? A transaction is 'economically efficient' if there's an equal exchange of value. Each side needs to give up something. What's more valuable than a woman giving up her right to tell her story? Aren't these two transactions identical to each other except if it's initiated by a man it's law but if it's initiated by a woman it's a crime? Isn't the law of blackmail just an institution of misogyny?,” (p. 310).
This was a wild ride and it didn’t end up going the way I thought it would. Solid read. Loved the art angle.
September 11, 2025
4⭐️ This felt a lot longer than it actually was, but not necessarily in a bad way. There were a few spots that dragged, but even with those, I was in it enough to stay up till 3am last night to see how everything resolved. Also, I like a book where none of the main characters are particularly likable or worthy of sympathy.
October 7, 2025
This book wasn't my cup of tea, but I encourage you to give it a shot and decide for yourself whether you enjoy it.
In a psychological thriller, two best friends, Faith and Kayla, from a trailer park create a viral social media persona named Hannah Primrose, hoping to escape their small-town life. Faith gets accepted into prestigious Harkness College, leading her to choose between her friendship with Kayla and pursuing her own identity. Once on campus, Kayla appears unexpectedly, posing as a student and rekindling their partnership, which complicates Faith's life and future. As Faith navigates her new environment and the attention of an art history professor, she realizes Kayla is engaging in a dangerous game that threatens to spiral out of control.
The two main characters, Faith and Kayla, appear immature and difficult to connect with. They had a clear goal and pursued it, but like many things, their friendship eventually fizzled out. Instead of growing apart and maturing into responsible young women, they reunite only to wreak havoc in others' lives—what's the point of that? There’s a fine line between friends and bad influences, and sometimes it's necessary to let go of people who bring nothing but trouble.
I found it hard to like these characters, and the book felt overly long and drawn out. It lacked the upbeat energy I was hoping for and read more like fiction than a gripping mystery thriller. Honesty, I felt tempted to skip a few sections since they dragged on endlessly.
Although this book isn’t categorized as YA, the characters lacked the maturity, responsibility, and understanding of right and wrong that I expected. There was a lot of back-and-forth, which made it difficult to trust any of them. I hope it resonates with others more than it did with me, and I’m considering the audiobook format instead—perhaps a great narrator could breathe life into the story. If the written word doesn't quite hit home for you, that's always an option.
If you enjoy reading about childhood best friends navigating secrets, lies, and deceit, this book might just catch your interest. Like I mentioned earlier, it didn't work for me, but perhaps you'll appreciate this writing style. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you, Mindy's Book Studio, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In a psychological thriller, two best friends, Faith and Kayla, from a trailer park create a viral social media persona named Hannah Primrose, hoping to escape their small-town life. Faith gets accepted into prestigious Harkness College, leading her to choose between her friendship with Kayla and pursuing her own identity. Once on campus, Kayla appears unexpectedly, posing as a student and rekindling their partnership, which complicates Faith's life and future. As Faith navigates her new environment and the attention of an art history professor, she realizes Kayla is engaging in a dangerous game that threatens to spiral out of control.
The two main characters, Faith and Kayla, appear immature and difficult to connect with. They had a clear goal and pursued it, but like many things, their friendship eventually fizzled out. Instead of growing apart and maturing into responsible young women, they reunite only to wreak havoc in others' lives—what's the point of that? There’s a fine line between friends and bad influences, and sometimes it's necessary to let go of people who bring nothing but trouble.
I found it hard to like these characters, and the book felt overly long and drawn out. It lacked the upbeat energy I was hoping for and read more like fiction than a gripping mystery thriller. Honesty, I felt tempted to skip a few sections since they dragged on endlessly.
Although this book isn’t categorized as YA, the characters lacked the maturity, responsibility, and understanding of right and wrong that I expected. There was a lot of back-and-forth, which made it difficult to trust any of them. I hope it resonates with others more than it did with me, and I’m considering the audiobook format instead—perhaps a great narrator could breathe life into the story. If the written word doesn't quite hit home for you, that's always an option.
If you enjoy reading about childhood best friends navigating secrets, lies, and deceit, this book might just catch your interest. Like I mentioned earlier, it didn't work for me, but perhaps you'll appreciate this writing style. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Thank you, Mindy's Book Studio, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 27, 2025
I'll Follow You is a slow burning drama and coming of age story. I don't think this book is properly labeled, it is definitely not a psychological thriller. If you go in with those expectations it'll definitely up your enjoyment. The writing was definitely gripping, the story was intriguing and the characters all had distinct personalities. There are many things explored in this novel such as toxic friendships, addiction, grooming, overconsumption of social media, I think it was very relevant and relatable to our modern day society.
The characters are pretty hard to love though, they all have vile intentions and make some very bad decisions. The pacing was also a little wonky at times, but it didn't prevent me from finishing it in one sitting. The closer we get to the ending the more things feel unrealistic. In terms of Faith doing a complete personality 180. The part at the end with the grooming and the fact Faith exposes the teacher, that it's supposed to be a redemption act. It just lacked coherence in the execution.
Overall, this was just an okay read for me. It was lackluster, missing the thrills, a lot of stereotypes and cliches, the book as a whole left me feeling very underwhelmed.
✨ ️Thank you to @fireflybookdistributionlines & Charlene Wang for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The characters are pretty hard to love though, they all have vile intentions and make some very bad decisions. The pacing was also a little wonky at times, but it didn't prevent me from finishing it in one sitting. The closer we get to the ending the more things feel unrealistic. In terms of Faith doing a complete personality 180. The part at the end with the grooming and the fact Faith exposes the teacher, that it's supposed to be a redemption act. It just lacked coherence in the execution.
Overall, this was just an okay read for me. It was lackluster, missing the thrills, a lot of stereotypes and cliches, the book as a whole left me feeling very underwhelmed.
✨ ️Thank you to @fireflybookdistributionlines & Charlene Wang for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 24, 2025
I grabbed this as a free Amazon First Reads book at the start of the month. While the story felt a bit slow at first, it soon picked up and I could not wait to read every chance I got from then on. This book is a very twisty tale involving lies, manipulation, and betrayal, and is a perfect popcorn thriller to read in my opinion. Definitely give this one a read if it catches your attention!
October 20, 2025
These young women were very unpleasant and I did not enjoy this book.
To be fair, the men (older and younger) were also unpleasant - criminally so - except for Randy who is barely in the book.
I kept reading because I wanted bad things to happen to all of our odious characters, including our main character. This does not reflect nicely on me but, I really don't care. I didn't enjoy them.
When a bad thing happens (finally) it's a very dull and unsatisfying bad thing and so totally wasn't worth finishing this book.
Feel free to DNF. I wish I had.
To be fair, the men (older and younger) were also unpleasant - criminally so - except for Randy who is barely in the book.
I kept reading because I wanted bad things to happen to all of our odious characters, including our main character. This does not reflect nicely on me but, I really don't care. I didn't enjoy them.
When a bad thing happens (finally) it's a very dull and unsatisfying bad thing and so totally wasn't worth finishing this book.
Feel free to DNF. I wish I had.
September 16, 2025
Outstanding and deliciously dark in all the right ways.
December 24, 2025
the most thrilling part was when i finally reached the end
November 3, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for my audio ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is available now and it’s a Mindy (Kaling) Book Studio selection.
We meet Faith and Kayla, two best friends living in a trail park who desperately want to escape their small town. They create an online persona Hannah Primrose in an attempt to become social influencers.
The beginning of the book took me back to high school, the haves and the have nots, the lies, the drama. So I was excited when Faith, who usually followed in Kayla’s footsteps as the content ghostwriter, made the big decision to abandon her BFF and attend an Ivy League college.
Fast forward and Kayla mysteriously shows up. She wants to live in Faith’s dorm room. She’s pretending to be a student. There are lies upon lies. And then there’s the very rich art professor.
This psychological thriller gets very suspenseful in the last third when all the pieces start coming together, or should I say falling apart? No spoilers here but if you can get beyond the obvious unethical relationship that evolves, it’s a fun read!
We meet Faith and Kayla, two best friends living in a trail park who desperately want to escape their small town. They create an online persona Hannah Primrose in an attempt to become social influencers.
The beginning of the book took me back to high school, the haves and the have nots, the lies, the drama. So I was excited when Faith, who usually followed in Kayla’s footsteps as the content ghostwriter, made the big decision to abandon her BFF and attend an Ivy League college.
Fast forward and Kayla mysteriously shows up. She wants to live in Faith’s dorm room. She’s pretending to be a student. There are lies upon lies. And then there’s the very rich art professor.
This psychological thriller gets very suspenseful in the last third when all the pieces start coming together, or should I say falling apart? No spoilers here but if you can get beyond the obvious unethical relationship that evolves, it’s a fun read!
September 15, 2025
Ready for a movie adaptation, stat!!!!
May 13, 2026
This book is full of very complex themes on several different levels.
I think I really went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars because I loved that difficult subjects were tackled, but I think it was almost trying to add too much. Like a good painting that could have been great, but the artist had too many good ideas and wanted to use all of them at the same time. I think there are many great ideas in one book.
So it’s maybe an editor problem too? Idk. At the end of it all, I learned something after listening to it, and for me I can’t count that as a loss.
I think I really went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars because I loved that difficult subjects were tackled, but I think it was almost trying to add too much. Like a good painting that could have been great, but the artist had too many good ideas and wanted to use all of them at the same time. I think there are many great ideas in one book.
So it’s maybe an editor problem too? Idk. At the end of it all, I learned something after listening to it, and for me I can’t count that as a loss.
May 5, 2026
“Psychological thriller” my butt. I can’t say there was anything truly thrilling about this book. I should have set it down after the second or third reference to my least favorite book “The Secret History” because the author was clearly inspired by Donna Tartt’s love of dark academia and supremely unlikeable characters.
If you’re looking for a literary novel with dark academia vibes, this one is for you. It was, unfortunately, just not for me.
I’ll give it 2 stars because the last 50 pages were actually somewhat interesting.
If you’re looking for a literary novel with dark academia vibes, this one is for you. It was, unfortunately, just not for me.
I’ll give it 2 stars because the last 50 pages were actually somewhat interesting.
September 10, 2025
3.5 rounded down
wild ride, the two main characters were relatable and unlikeable all at once, and you root for them.
wild ride, the two main characters were relatable and unlikeable all at once, and you root for them.
September 17, 2025
Interesting
As an older female, I think this is geared more to the younger generations. Still, it was a great read with lots of twists. Just when you think you have it figured out, you don't. I even learned things about painting that I didn't know, due to the author's attention to detail. It's worth the time to read, for sure.
As an older female, I think this is geared more to the younger generations. Still, it was a great read with lots of twists. Just when you think you have it figured out, you don't. I even learned things about painting that I didn't know, due to the author's attention to detail. It's worth the time to read, for sure.
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