After Care: A piercing debut exposing the toxicities of reality TV and influencer culture

by Divya Maniar

Grace is no longer famous. She sits alone in her New York apartment, endlessly watching reruns of herself on the reality TV show Speed Daters. Then, one evening, a man breaks in through her window. A rare, still-obsessed fan or raging incel – Grace is unsure. Before she can find out, he disappears.

That same night, the world is rocked by the news that Anoushka, Grace's onscreen rival, has taken her own life. Suddenly thrust back into the public eye, Grace is thrilled to be relevant again. Driven by a familiar desperation for love and attention, she clings to the dregs of her old her followers; her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Cal; and her unstable influencer income.

But fame is fickle, and Grace's image is fragile. When the fans begin to turn on her, Grace escapes with Cal to his isolated cabin. In the woods with nothing but each other, can they mend what's broken without destroying what little is left?

A piercing debut exposing the toxicities of reality TV and influencer culture, After Care is a disconcertingly recognisable portrait of reckless consumerism, spectatorship and the attention economy. Perfect for fans of Boy Parts by Eliza Clark, Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter and My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh.

This novel contains discussions of suicide and graphic depictions of sexual assault.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 8, 2026

Reviews

[RudenottoRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGally for the ARC. Much appreciated it :)
3.5 ⭐️ for me
You know that sadness that lingers, but it doesn’t properly hit you? You wanna cry of it, but you’re not sad enough. That’s how I felt reading this book. I couldn’t stop feeling like a spectator waiting for something to click and the sadness to destroy me.
“After care” is bringing an insight of the toxicity of reality TV and the thirst of being a successful influencer. The story follows Grace and her stages “in and out” of the public eye world. The toxic need of attention and the insincere nature (most of the times) of being on everyone’s lips.
Grace, for me, was always on the verge of reality and imagination. The reality of accepting everything that’s hard to digest and the imagination of giving up. She’s paying prices that can’t afford, only to get that shiny moment of attention (therapy would have been cheaper, if you ask me).

My triggers
* Is the humanity slowly turning everything into a competition?
* In majority of cases, parents want the best for their kids. Or they want their kids to be, whatever they couldn’t.
* Trust is a fine, delicate lady and she can easily be harmed. If she’s not working close with honesty, there’s no recovery (from my own experience).
* Insecurities are, majority of time, the cause of jealousy. The beliefs of not being enough that slowly creep into your mind and fuel the unhealthy habit of comparing yourself with others.
* Internet can be a dangerous place, if you don’t have the brains to filter the right information or get consumed by it and forget about your identity.
* Losing someone to suicide is the hardest feeling you can fight against. The uncertainty of not knowing if you could have done more to help them. The guilt that turns you into a victim of their actions.
* If only people will take part in elections, the same way they vote on reality tv shows 🫠
* Is the need of attention more important than a healthy mind, than people close to you, than what you represent as soul, than what you can still be, but not being surveilled by strangers?

[Sophieeeee Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of Netgalley Arc ⭐

3.5 stars - An interesting perspective on the voyeurism of reality TV. Honestly this book ticks most of the boxes of weird literary fiction, especially on the unlikeable protagonist and narrative whiplash front. I was questioning my own memory by the end!
I don’t know if i’ve just become desensitised to this genre of fiction, but this wasn’t as weird as I thought it would be!? (if you’re gonna use ‘Boy Parts’ by Eliza Clarke as a comp, i’m expecting it to be really disturbing). I also felt that Grace was more of a caricature than a real breathing human, which was probably intentional but honestly just took me out of the narrative a little bit. I really enjoyed reading this one, and think it’s well crafted for a debut with some nice prose, and is one I’d recommend!

[Maya]

Thank you to NetGalley and VERVE Books for providing me with the ARC.
Pub Date 22 Oct 2026
I always will be drawn to a reality TV trope in a novel, but this one was not it for me. I dnf-ed past my given 20%, I went to the 45% and still couldn’t put myself through the boring relationship of these characters. The book started so strong, it floored me, but then we were more inside Grace’s and Cal’s relationship and I was put off. There was basically no plot, both main characters are super one dimensional and the social media influencing side of the story was explored superficially. It may get better after the half point, but so far, I’m finding this unoriginal. It’s not poorly written, it’s just the writing style not giving me any pleasure in reading this.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advanced reader copy received through netgalley.
After Care is a wonderful debut novel that tackles emotional contemporary themes. We follow Grace as she navigates life after being a contestant on a reality TV show, struggling to balance her true identity with the version assigned to her by the public. The novel explores the fear of being truly seen versus the curated image actively projected.
It also examines how social media encourages people to follow societal formulae rather than forming meaningful connections and how consuming the need for attention can be, regardless of how it is acquired, through pity or love, whichever you can get most readily.
At the beginning, Grace embodies the desperation of chasing validation from a man who does not deserve her attention, simply because he is the one on her mind. In reality, we find they are replaceable by the next person to come along, yet we, along with Grace, constantly search for signs that the feelings are reciprocated, despite knowing that they are not.

We witness what happens when Grace starts to acknowledge her reality and starts to crumble after holding strong for so long only for this vulnerability to be seen as pathetic. As she attempts to rebuild her image, whether for the genuine reasons or purely survival, the novel highlights how little control she has over her own perception.

At times, the writing felt very literary with heavy use of metaphors. Occasionally, instead of building up the description, i was focused more on the language being used. Overall this did not detract from the novel.
I found After Care relatable and I was surprised by how accurately it captures the impact of social media and the reality TV genre on our generation.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to VERVE and NetGalley for providing the ARC

3.5 - I wish Goodreads had half stars!

After Care follows Grace and Cal, the ex-boyfriend she met on the reality show "Speed Dating", as they navigate the fickle nature of social media fame. This novel is a brutal and incisive depiction of the artifice of reality and truth in the social media age. Its subject matter is very relevant in the years following the suicide of multiple Love Island contestants and the subsequent questions about the ethics of reality shows.

Overall, I would recommend this book. Despite not being overly active on social media, I found it easy to relate to Grace's curation of her online presence. She is obsessed with her perception and unable to define herself without the input of others. Maniar does a stellar job of demonstrating the slipperiness of truth when people aren't living or behaving authentically.

There are a couple of reasons that I haven't given this a higher rating. While I really liked the writing style, there was a portion of the middle that started to lose me. It started to 'tell' more than 'show' and I started to get a bit bored of the passages explaining Grace's feelings rather than seeing how they play out. This feeling didn't last and by the second half I couldn't stop reading.

Additionally, without giving too much away, I find the underlying message of the novel somewhat concerning. While much of the novel shows male and female characters as complex beings who live in the grey, it ultimately appears to demonstrate how easily lies can destroy a man's life.

[Gabs · Rating 4 out of 5]

after care is a biting satire about voyeurism, the attention economy, social media, and gender and race dynamics.

the premise of this book is what initially intrigued me, but the prose is what kept me hooked. grace, a former reality star, literally derives both her sense of value and income from how much attention she gets - which has long dried up.

when tragedy strikes and places grace back in the spotlight, she eagerly chases and clings to the attention that has already proved itself to be incredibly fickle. and while she’s very much an anti-hero and unreliable narrator, grace still makes astute observations and commentary that never feel unnatural or forced for her character.

the only reason why this is not a five star read was the pacing, which noticeably slowed down around the 40 to 60% mark, though soon picked up again after that point.

i literally had no idea where this book would go (though i had my theories) until the end. i would recommend this book if you liked my year of rest and relaxation, yesteryear and yellowface. i’m excited to see what this author will do next (which may be early to say as this book isn’t even out yet).

thank you verve books and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Arya Bhomick · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the things I liked most about AFTER CARE was the way Grace's sense of agency is handled. She feels powerless, trapped by other people's expectations and perceptions of her, but at the same time she actively, willingly takes part in creating the circumstances she finds herself in. Maniar never lets her off the hook, but neither does she reduce her to a villain. That tension is sustained throughout the novel.

The novel is sharp about reality television and social media without ever feeling as though it's making obvious points. Grace has a habit of viewing herself through other people's eyes. Even when she's alone, she's often imagining how she's being perceived by some third party, whether aesthetically or in how they might interpret her actions. I'm sure many of us have been taken out of a moment or feeling by the thought of how some imaginary audience might view us in it. It's an uncomfortable and surprisingly relatable way of moving through the world, and the book captures it brilliantly.

The prose is intelligent and precise throughout, and there were plenty of passages I found myself rereading. It is a thoughtful, unsettling debut that has a lot to say about attention, performance, and the peculiar spectator sport of living one's life.

[Jo Moone · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC, thank you VERVE and NetGalley.
Four stars.

An enjoyable read with a strong literary feel. I appreciated how it looked deep into the fear of being important on social media, whether for good or bad, and the fear of being truly seen over the curated image being put out. I liked the balance of the main character both experiencing the hate before and then how the feelings switched with the new show — but equally how it affected her mindset and health.

Maniar cleverly brings across how obsessive and compulsive social media can be. Especially for Grace who is trying to get through life as an ex-contestant on a reality show. While I personally didn’t like Grace (and suspect I wasn’t meant to), I thought what she valued came across well, even if the real Grace didn’t - which added to the entire novel for me.

I did want this to go weirder, which I think is more of a me thing than the novel itself. The writing style was strong and one I like, and I enjoyed the use of bits of script throughout it too - and the nods to the production of the show and how it all comes together in the edits.

Four stars out of five.
I’m excited to see more from this author.

[Matthew Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Care is a powerful and piercing inquisition into the mind of the people whose lives we often desire. It asks a crucial question, one that we should ask ourselves in light of changing social norms and aggressive media consumption. A question of what it means to be perceived and what it means to be when you externalise so much of yourself, shift so much of the validation you need outside yourself, and leave a shell which can only ever be partially filled. The main characters are a personification of this and allow for a space where the readers can insert themselves. In doing so I found myself comparing the actions and inactions of my own life with that of Grace and Cal and questioning "How did I and how did they get here?".

The prose is masterfully written, at points so immersive I was not able to breathe and wanted to shy away yet was unable to put the book down. As we each come to terms with living or simply existing in the digital age, Maniar's debut is both evocative and severe and I cannot wait for it to grace every household.

[Sarah Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Story looks at the life of Grace a young woman who has been part of a TV reality show speed daters which she has won . We first meet her depressed and alone after this television series has finished and her relationship has.fallen to pieces. She’s approached by the producer he wants to do another virtual reality program with her and her ex partner Living together in a remote log cabin.
Great, first chapter really grabbed my attention and held it
Perhaps it’s because I’m an old fart but I did find quite a lot of difficulty liking these characters perhaps are deliberately unlikable
The novel looks at the effect of social media and reality TV programs on the young people who are both watching on participating in them
It’s kind of horrific in its way as you watch what is obviously about to happen happen
You can’t help thinking that this reality show has made a monster of both the participants
This is a very tense cerebral novel
The books says something about the difference between truth and reality
You begin to think that she has imagined the stranger that broke into her flat and hugged her in reality
The author has a clear flowing easily Read writing style the book is an enjoyable Read
I read a copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for an honest review. The book is published in the UK on the 22nd of October 2026 by verve books.
This review will appear on Net Gully UK, Goodreads, StoryGraph, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com. After publication will also appear on Amazon and Waterstones

[Sebastian Bielski · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Care is a brilliant and unsettling look at identity in the age of digital lust. Maniar writes with deep precision about performance as we curate ourselves and what that costs us over time. It captures the chaos of modern emotional life where intimacy, ambition, attention, and desire collide.

I went in expecting a novel about influencer culture, but it left me thinking more about the cost of living for an audience (myself included). At points it felt uncomfortably familiar as I both empathised with and recoiled from what felt like a projection of my own instincts, shaped by my life in New York and the constant pressure of social media being young and in a big city.

Raw, provocative, and needed on your shelf.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maniar’s AFTER CARE is a brilliant novel about reality tv, internet celebrity, and love affairs that are equal parts obsession and projection. But is also about the price of being seen: by yourself, by the algorithmic spectator, by the ones you are supposed to love. In a literary climate where the digital is invoked as a “backdrop” and rarely taken seriously as the affective terrain where so much of our lives play out, Maniar’s book is a necessary corrective. It is scathing, funny, and tender in equal measure. A must read.

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

We see girls like Grace on social media everyday & I love that she comes across as a kind of anti-hero.

We consume these girls with fervour then shit them a week after the series finale.

It’s an uncomfortable look at the desperation, loneliness & voyeurism of social media.

Absolutely stunning prose.