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Someone Just Followed You
Not yet published
Expected 10 Sep 26An addictive psychological thriller about a kidfluencer and their mom manager brand new for 2026 with an unpredictable twist!
- GenresPsychological Thriller
396 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 10, 2026
About the author
Liane Child
2 books50 followersLiane Child is a pen name of Sarah Clarke.
Her thriller The Tradwife's Secret was inspired by influencers who believe in traditional gender roles in marriage. When she isn’t scrolling Instagram or TikTok, you can find her reading, walking her dog, or attempting to bake banana bread after not perfecting it in lockdown. She has travelled extensively and now lives in London.
Her thriller The Tradwife's Secret was inspired by influencers who believe in traditional gender roles in marriage. When she isn’t scrolling Instagram or TikTok, you can find her reading, walking her dog, or attempting to bake banana bread after not perfecting it in lockdown. She has travelled extensively and now lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and HQ Digital for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
“Someone Just Followed You” by Liane Child is the kind of thriller that makes you want to throw your phone across the room, delete every social media app you own, and then immediately keep reading because you absolutely need to know what happens next. It's tense, twisty, unsettlingly relevant, and somehow manages to turn follower counts and sponsorship deals into genuine nightmare fuel.
The story opens with a bang: fourteen-year-old influencer Maple Clark has been kidnapped. From there, the narrative rewinds to show how she got there, and honestly, watching the pieces fall into place is almost as stressful as the kidnapping itself.
Maple has spent her entire life online thanks to her mother, Kirsten, who has built a family brand around her children. And when I say built a brand, I mean completely bulldozed every possible boundary in the process. Kirsten is one of those characters who is so frustratingly awful that every chapter from her perspective had me muttering "Are you serious right now?" under my breath. She doesn't care about privacy, education, or what her kids actually want. She cares about views, sponsorships, engagement, and keeping the money flowing. If there were Olympic medals for terrible influencer parents, Kirsten would be standing on the podium.
Poor Maple, meanwhile, just wants to be a normal teenager for five minutes.
As the story unfolds, Maple starts trying to take control of her own life by launching a channel investigating the disappearance of another teen influencer. Naturally, this goes viral because apparently the internet loves nothing more than watching teenagers investigate mysteries. But the deeper Maple digs, the more dangerous things become. Suddenly she's attracting all kinds of attention, and not the good kind.
One thing I really liked was the way the book uses multiple points of view. We get Maple's perspective as she's swept up in internet fame, Kirsten's perspective as she makes one terrible parenting decision after another, and even occasional chapters from a mysterious adult man known only as "Him." Those chapters are deeply uncomfortable, which is exactly the point. They highlight one of the book's biggest strengths: its willingness to explore the very real dangers that come with putting children online for millions of strangers to watch.
And honestly? That's where the book shines. This isn't just a kidnapping thriller. It's a story about visibility, exploitation, privacy, and what happens when a child's entire life becomes content. The themes surrounding influencer culture, online predators, AI-generated images, deepfakes, and digital surveillance feel incredibly timely. At times the messaging is a little heavy-handed, but it's also hard to argue with the point the book is making.
The pacing is fantastic. The chapters are short, the perspectives keep rotating, and the social media posts sprinkled throughout the story add an extra layer of realism. I flew through the book because every chapter ended with me needing just one more chapter.
The mystery itself kept me guessing. Once Maple disappears, almost everyone becomes a suspect. Is it the creepy stalker? Someone connected to Maple's investigation? An obsessed follower? One of the countless strangers watching her online? The book does a great job creating paranoia because, realistically, Maple's audience includes nearly two million people. That's a lot of potential suspects.
Not every aspect worked perfectly for me. Some of Maple's dialogue occasionally felt older than her age, and a few plot points stretched believability. There were also moments when the social commentary became a bit preachy. But honestly, I was having too much fun racing through the story to care very much.
What really surprised me were the twists. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, another revelation would come along and send me in a completely different direction. Several of the late-game twists genuinely caught me off guard, especially as it became clear there wasn't just one danger lurking around Maple's online life.
By the end, I was completely invested in Maple's journey. Watching her fight to reclaim her identity from the internet, her audience, and even her own family was incredibly satisfying. I only wish certain characters—looking directly at you, Kirsten—had faced a little more fallout for their actions. Though this does show that some people will do anything to become famous, no matter the consequences.
Overall, “Someone Just Followed You” is a fast-paced, addictive thriller that takes modern fears about social media and turns them into a genuinely gripping mystery. It's equal parts cautionary tale and page-turner, packed with suspense, twists, and enough internet horror to make you rethink every family vlog you've ever seen. If you enjoy contemporary thrillers that feel ripped from today's headlines, this one is definitely worth adding to your feed.
“Someone Just Followed You” by Liane Child is the kind of thriller that makes you want to throw your phone across the room, delete every social media app you own, and then immediately keep reading because you absolutely need to know what happens next. It's tense, twisty, unsettlingly relevant, and somehow manages to turn follower counts and sponsorship deals into genuine nightmare fuel.
The story opens with a bang: fourteen-year-old influencer Maple Clark has been kidnapped. From there, the narrative rewinds to show how she got there, and honestly, watching the pieces fall into place is almost as stressful as the kidnapping itself.
Maple has spent her entire life online thanks to her mother, Kirsten, who has built a family brand around her children. And when I say built a brand, I mean completely bulldozed every possible boundary in the process. Kirsten is one of those characters who is so frustratingly awful that every chapter from her perspective had me muttering "Are you serious right now?" under my breath. She doesn't care about privacy, education, or what her kids actually want. She cares about views, sponsorships, engagement, and keeping the money flowing. If there were Olympic medals for terrible influencer parents, Kirsten would be standing on the podium.
Poor Maple, meanwhile, just wants to be a normal teenager for five minutes.
As the story unfolds, Maple starts trying to take control of her own life by launching a channel investigating the disappearance of another teen influencer. Naturally, this goes viral because apparently the internet loves nothing more than watching teenagers investigate mysteries. But the deeper Maple digs, the more dangerous things become. Suddenly she's attracting all kinds of attention, and not the good kind.
One thing I really liked was the way the book uses multiple points of view. We get Maple's perspective as she's swept up in internet fame, Kirsten's perspective as she makes one terrible parenting decision after another, and even occasional chapters from a mysterious adult man known only as "Him." Those chapters are deeply uncomfortable, which is exactly the point. They highlight one of the book's biggest strengths: its willingness to explore the very real dangers that come with putting children online for millions of strangers to watch.
And honestly? That's where the book shines. This isn't just a kidnapping thriller. It's a story about visibility, exploitation, privacy, and what happens when a child's entire life becomes content. The themes surrounding influencer culture, online predators, AI-generated images, deepfakes, and digital surveillance feel incredibly timely. At times the messaging is a little heavy-handed, but it's also hard to argue with the point the book is making.
The pacing is fantastic. The chapters are short, the perspectives keep rotating, and the social media posts sprinkled throughout the story add an extra layer of realism. I flew through the book because every chapter ended with me needing just one more chapter.
The mystery itself kept me guessing. Once Maple disappears, almost everyone becomes a suspect. Is it the creepy stalker? Someone connected to Maple's investigation? An obsessed follower? One of the countless strangers watching her online? The book does a great job creating paranoia because, realistically, Maple's audience includes nearly two million people. That's a lot of potential suspects.
Not every aspect worked perfectly for me. Some of Maple's dialogue occasionally felt older than her age, and a few plot points stretched believability. There were also moments when the social commentary became a bit preachy. But honestly, I was having too much fun racing through the story to care very much.
What really surprised me were the twists. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, another revelation would come along and send me in a completely different direction. Several of the late-game twists genuinely caught me off guard, especially as it became clear there wasn't just one danger lurking around Maple's online life.
By the end, I was completely invested in Maple's journey. Watching her fight to reclaim her identity from the internet, her audience, and even her own family was incredibly satisfying. I only wish certain characters—looking directly at you, Kirsten—had faced a little more fallout for their actions. Though this does show that some people will do anything to become famous, no matter the consequences.
Overall, “Someone Just Followed You” is a fast-paced, addictive thriller that takes modern fears about social media and turns them into a genuinely gripping mystery. It's equal parts cautionary tale and page-turner, packed with suspense, twists, and enough internet horror to make you rethink every family vlog you've ever seen. If you enjoy contemporary thrillers that feel ripped from today's headlines, this one is definitely worth adding to your feed.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Synopsis
Fourteen-year-old Maple has spent her life online as a kidfluencer, with her content (and income) carefully managed by her Mum.
Longing for a life beyond the camera, Maple becomes obsessed with the disappearance of another young influencer. But what begins as a search for answers soon uncovers the darker side of social media, exposing the dangers of online predators, AI and deepfakes.
Then, Maple disappears too...
My Review
What an addictive, brilliant, jaw-dropping read! As a parent of young children, I found myself connecting even more with the themes explored throughout the story, particularly as the pressure to have phones and engage with social media seems ever-present.
The short chapters and multiple points of view kept the pacing moving quickly, and I was instantly drawn into Maple's world and the complexities of her influencer lifestyle. I also loved how the dialogue between the children while filming content was woven into the narrative. It felt authentic, broke up the text nicely and really brought the story to life.
What makes this book stand out is that it's far more than a simple disappearance story. It explores online culture, children's vulnerability, privacy, exploitation, and the dangers of AI and deepfakes. The way these issues are examined through the lens of social media and young influencers felt both realistic and unsettling.
I genuinely didn't see the twists coming and had some "OMG, what the?!" moments along the way. Tense, gripping and thought-provoking, this is a book I would recommend widely. Given the current conversations around children's online safety and social media use, it feels especially relevant and timely.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to @netgallley @hqstories and @lianechild for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed here are my own.
Publication date: 10 September 2026
Fourteen-year-old Maple has spent her life online as a kidfluencer, with her content (and income) carefully managed by her Mum.
Longing for a life beyond the camera, Maple becomes obsessed with the disappearance of another young influencer. But what begins as a search for answers soon uncovers the darker side of social media, exposing the dangers of online predators, AI and deepfakes.
Then, Maple disappears too...
My Review
What an addictive, brilliant, jaw-dropping read! As a parent of young children, I found myself connecting even more with the themes explored throughout the story, particularly as the pressure to have phones and engage with social media seems ever-present.
The short chapters and multiple points of view kept the pacing moving quickly, and I was instantly drawn into Maple's world and the complexities of her influencer lifestyle. I also loved how the dialogue between the children while filming content was woven into the narrative. It felt authentic, broke up the text nicely and really brought the story to life.
What makes this book stand out is that it's far more than a simple disappearance story. It explores online culture, children's vulnerability, privacy, exploitation, and the dangers of AI and deepfakes. The way these issues are examined through the lens of social media and young influencers felt both realistic and unsettling.
I genuinely didn't see the twists coming and had some "OMG, what the?!" moments along the way. Tense, gripping and thought-provoking, this is a book I would recommend widely. Given the current conversations around children's online safety and social media use, it feels especially relevant and timely.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to @netgallley @hqstories and @lianechild for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed here are my own.
Publication date: 10 September 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Someone Just Followed You is a razor‑sharp, compulsively readable dive into the glossy, hyper‑curated world of kidfluencers — and the shadows lurking just outside the ring light. I flew through this book, completely absorbed by Maple Clark’s life of filters, followers, and the relentless pressure to stay relevant. Liane Child captures that unsettling blend of innocence and exploitation with unnerving accuracy, making Maple’s disappearance feel both shocking and disturbingly plausible.
What really hooked me was the way the story balances its slick, modern thriller pace with a deeper, more uncomfortable truth about the culture we’ve built online. Maple is vulnerable, ambitious, lonely, adored — and watched by millions. The tension builds beautifully as the narrative peels back layers of obsession, entitlement, and the parasocial relationships that blur the line between fan and threat. Every twist lands with precision, and the cast is a delicious mix of flawed, fascinating, and impossible to trust.
Dark, clever, and frighteningly current, this is a binge‑worthy thriller that lingers long after the final page. A smart, twisty exploration of fame, family, and the dangers of being visible to the world. I couldn’t look away.
With thanks to Liane Child, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
What really hooked me was the way the story balances its slick, modern thriller pace with a deeper, more uncomfortable truth about the culture we’ve built online. Maple is vulnerable, ambitious, lonely, adored — and watched by millions. The tension builds beautifully as the narrative peels back layers of obsession, entitlement, and the parasocial relationships that blur the line between fan and threat. Every twist lands with precision, and the cast is a delicious mix of flawed, fascinating, and impossible to trust.
Dark, clever, and frighteningly current, this is a binge‑worthy thriller that lingers long after the final page. A smart, twisty exploration of fame, family, and the dangers of being visible to the world. I couldn’t look away.
With thanks to Liane Child, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I flew through Someone Just Followed You. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, Liane Child managed to surprise me. The suspense builds steadily, and the story feels especially relevant because it explores how much of our lives now play out online. Rather than relying on over-the-top drama, it taps into situations that feel believable, which made it all the more unsettling.
One thing that really stood out to me was how much it made me think. My children grew up before social media became such a huge part of everyday life, and I found myself feeling thankful for that. At the same time, I couldn't help but think about my grandchildren and the online world they'll inherit. Between influencers, AI, and the increasing difficulty of knowing what's real, the issues raised in this book feel like they're becoming more relevant every day.
I enjoyed that this wasn't just a thriller with unexpected twists—it also leaves you thinking long after you've finished the last chapter. If you enjoy suspense that feels current, believable, and just a little too close to reality, I'd definitely recommend picking this one up.
Thank you to @netgalley and HQ Stories @HQStories for providing me with an advance reader copy of Someone Just Followed You, publishing September 10, 2026, in exchange for an honest review.
One thing that really stood out to me was how much it made me think. My children grew up before social media became such a huge part of everyday life, and I found myself feeling thankful for that. At the same time, I couldn't help but think about my grandchildren and the online world they'll inherit. Between influencers, AI, and the increasing difficulty of knowing what's real, the issues raised in this book feel like they're becoming more relevant every day.
I enjoyed that this wasn't just a thriller with unexpected twists—it also leaves you thinking long after you've finished the last chapter. If you enjoy suspense that feels current, believable, and just a little too close to reality, I'd definitely recommend picking this one up.
Thank you to @netgalley and HQ Stories @HQStories for providing me with an advance reader copy of Someone Just Followed You, publishing September 10, 2026, in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Review of an advance copy provided by NetGalley.
After loving The Tradwife’s Secret, I had high hopes for Someone Just Followed You, and I’m happy to say it completely lived up to my expectations.
The story explores the world of a teen influencer, an overbearing and thoroughly unlikeable mother, and the darker side of social media and AI. It felt unsettling and frighteningly relevant, making for a gripping and thought-provoking read.
Told through multiple points of view, with short chapters that kept the pace moving, I found myself flying through this book. Just when I thought I had things figured out, a twist came along that completely shocked me and left me reeling.
This was a tense, addictive thriller that kept me hooked from beginning to end, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Release Date: 10th September 2026
Review of an advance copy provided by NetGalley.
After loving The Tradwife’s Secret, I had high hopes for Someone Just Followed You, and I’m happy to say it completely lived up to my expectations.
The story explores the world of a teen influencer, an overbearing and thoroughly unlikeable mother, and the darker side of social media and AI. It felt unsettling and frighteningly relevant, making for a gripping and thought-provoking read.
Told through multiple points of view, with short chapters that kept the pace moving, I found myself flying through this book. Just when I thought I had things figured out, a twist came along that completely shocked me and left me reeling.
This was a tense, addictive thriller that kept me hooked from beginning to end, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Release Date: 10th September 2026
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Definitely recommend this book.
It was different than a lot of thriller books out there now days and touches on the social media influence on kids nowadays and how going viral and becoming an influencer isn’t always what it cracks up to be.
In this book it touches on how a daughter’s everyday life is becoming overwhelming with her mom running a YouTube channel for her.
Then the disappearance of another YouTube star turns into a mystery of what has happened to her and goes into a story of predators online. It’s very interesting and kept me reading.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
It was different than a lot of thriller books out there now days and touches on the social media influence on kids nowadays and how going viral and becoming an influencer isn’t always what it cracks up to be.
In this book it touches on how a daughter’s everyday life is becoming overwhelming with her mom running a YouTube channel for her.
Then the disappearance of another YouTube star turns into a mystery of what has happened to her and goes into a story of predators online. It’s very interesting and kept me reading.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Summary: Influencer Maple has only ever known the Influencer world, every day a schedule of needing to take videos. But slowly shes moving away from this, wanting to do things other teenagers do. But her mother is not wanting this to happen. Whilst all this goes on, someone online is watching, and waiting for the perfect opportunity...
Review: This was absolutely brilliant, and honestly a terrifying look at the modern world, influencing, and the power of AI. I was gripped from the start, the tension building up before the dramatic conclusion and that ending! Speechless.
This publishes on the 10th September, trust me you want to pre-order this ASAP!
Review: This was absolutely brilliant, and honestly a terrifying look at the modern world, influencing, and the power of AI. I was gripped from the start, the tension building up before the dramatic conclusion and that ending! Speechless.
This publishes on the 10th September, trust me you want to pre-order this ASAP!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
If you ever had any doubts about whether kid influencing was psychologically damaging this book will set you straight. Maple has been online her whole life thanks to her mom’s dogged pushing. But maybe a 14 year old girl wants more than making curated content every day? As Maple tries to become her own person you will equal parts scream at and root for her as she makes decisions with serious consequences. As for her parents, let’s just say that they’re both to blame for what unfolds.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews