Esther is now following you

by Tanya Sweeney

Esther first sees Ted walking in a park in London. They lock eyes and for a fraction of a second, she feels something special. She starts by reading up about his life in Canada and his work as an actor. Then she watches every interview with him online. It isn't long before she's joined Ted's fan site online where her and the 'Tedettes' stalk his every move.

320 pages, Paperback

Published August 23, 2026

About the author

For the last fifteen years, Tanya has been a columnist in a number of Irish newspapers and magazines, among them the Dubliner, STELLAR, U, Irish Tatler, and the Irish Times Magazine.

She is currently a journalist and Weekend magazine columnist at the Irish Independent and is a regular contributor on Irish radio & TV. Her work in the music, film & TV industries helped inspire her debut novel, Esther is Now Following You, a funny, fresh and deeply affecting story about celebrity fandom and what happens when it all becomes a bit too real.

Reviews

[toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟
Some of yall on stan twt be like this..

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A highly frustrating character who just hurt people blindly with no compassion or thought - and the theory behind it was several different traumas. But tbh there was no excuse really and I wonder if people like this exist in the world.

I did make it to the end though, although it felt a bit anticlimactic? But maybe that was the point.

[Tarrin Lenard · Rating 1 out of 5]

It wanted to be good, but as I read the last page, I felt like I’d eaten a scone without the jam and cream.

[Lucy · Rating 1.75 out of 5]

Unfortunately it dragged and I missed a couple of chapters out. I had a tear at the end though

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very honest, sometimes humourous, tale of one woman's spiral into depression whilst desperately pretending their fine and their actions aren't completely bonkers. Parts of this were difficult to read, as the reader sees the mania and I wanted to reach in and hold her in the tightest hug until she realised what she was doing was madness. Amazingly, I did snigger at some of the brilliantly Irish phrasing, despite the difficult topic.
I did have a moment of confusion, because at one point she says Naomi is a teacher, then later says she's a paediatrician then goes back to teaching, but never explains if there was a change in profession, maybe the author cocked up.
All in all, a good story, with some heartbreaking and totally relatable details. Probably give it 3.5 stars but rounded it up to 4.

[Demi · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

I dismissed the trigger warnings as silly but this is quite a depressing book.
It’s tragic in a self inflicted way that made you not sure whether you should feel sorry for Esther or think she deserved what she got. She was clearly not well at all but the people in her life didn’t seem to notice or care. A very depressing read and I would not have read it now if I had realised as I was after a more fun book.
If your looking for a depressing read with little likability in the characters this will be fine

[Chantal · Rating 1.5 out of 5]

Ok so as a Canadian living in Ireland I knew I had to pick up this book.
I did not expect this book to feature grief so heavily which shocked me.
The reason I rated this book so low is due to how many inaccuracies there are in this book. I know the author isn’t from Canada, but no Canadian says “sophomore” or “college” or “upstate”. Canada has provinces and territories, not states.

Honestly the inaccuracies in this book took me out of the immersion and made it so much less enjoyable.

[Bill Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman who is in an unhappy relationship and job falls apart when having a miscarriage and becomes obsessed with a rising star on screen, she joins a fan forrum and plans to find him in another continent, she even befriends his close friends, in this journey to rediscover her true self

Sad but with humour, a great read

[Teresa Wemyss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanya Sweeney's latest novel is a real page-turner. Dealing with the topics of miscarriage, mental illness and stalking, she invites us inside the twisted mindset of the main character, while keeping us simultaneously horrified and sympathetic towards her. A real feat!

[Kaysie White · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s terrifying how grief can unravel a person, how it can turn the sanest mind into something unrecognisable. Esther Is Following You is a haunting reminder of just how fragile the line between sanity and madness really is.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one!