Follow Me, Like Me

by Charlotte Seager

When sixteen-year-old Chloe replies to a DM from a gorgeous stranger, she has no idea what she's inviting into her life. As her online fan becomes increasingly obsessive, her real life starts to come apart at the seams and Chloe realizes she needs to find a way to stop him before things spiral out of control.

Misfit Amber's online obsession with her personal trainer begins to creep into the real world. But when she hears a terrible rumor about him, she drops everything to try and prove his innocence – even if it means compromising her own.

In Follow Me, Like Me by Charlotte Seager, Amber and Chloe might find that the truth is much harder to swallow than the lies.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Crime, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[StinaStaffymum · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting yet cautionary tale, FOLLOW ME LIKE ME by Charlotte Seager is a gripping and thought-provoking tale of the effect of social media in teenagers' lives. Having said that, I feel young people should truly read this book to help them recognise the dangers of living their lives so completely online. They need to understand - really understand - that you never truly know who you are talking to online. That, and the fact that the internet is forever. It is something we never dealt with when we were their age but we, as adults, can see its dangers even if young people today don't.

The story follows two girls who go to the same school and are in the same year but are from two totally different social circles. Chloe is vivacious and popular whereas Amber is invisible and a loner. These girls live on social media but in two completely different ways.

Chloe has just broken up with her boyfriend Tom and in her devastation thinking "two can play that game" attempts to make him jealous by chatting with one of her most ardent followers, a guy named Sven. The conversations then lead to WhatsApp where the two chat more privately. Sven seems sweet and fun to start with as the two chat on the phone till 2am one morning.

Then one night she attends a party at her ex's place and makes a bit of a show of herself, in another attempt to make Tom jealous, and ends up being drunkenly escorted home by some boy whose name begins with J...she can't remember. The boy makes advances on her and Chloe fights him off, but not before groping her breasts and pressing her up against the wall to prevent escape. But escape, she does. She is so shaken by the incident, she doesn't know who to confide in. Her best friend Louise was busy with Jerome. Tom didn't want to know her. And then she remembered Sven.

But when she tells him all about the party and the incident afterwards, she is shocked by his reaction - "Well, what did you expect?" He then begins slut shaming her, commenting on every single one of her Instagram posts and sending about fifty messages to her in one morning. The constant buzzing of her phone is driving her mad and in the end she blocks him.

Then her best friend Louise starts ghosting her and after being called to the head teacher's office, she is suspended from school for sending indecent photos of Louise in her underwear to everyone. But she didn't; she wouldn't. Louise is her best friend and she would NEVER betray her like that. So who would do this to her? And why?

Meanwhile, invisible Amber has a crush on trainee personal trainer Ren. She becomes obsessed when she learns that he has been fired and she tries to find out why and what he is supposed to have done? Of course it doesn't occur to her that it is none of her business, but after she learns that he has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple women she is so sure that Ren is innocent that she endeavours to clear his name by stalking his social media accounts to find out the truth. Refreshing his Facebook and Instagram near constantly, she also adds him to Snapchat so she can SnapMap him and follow him in real life. Although her obsession comes from an innocent place, it still feels a little too creepy.

The two girls couldn't be more different and while Amber's behaviour borders on creepy, I can relate to her more than I can to Chloe. When I was their age (many moons ago), I was Amber - a loner, invisible who didn't make friends easily. I could relate to her crush on Ren as I often had crushes on unattainable boys (or even those a little older) and, although there was no social media in my day, would often find a way just to be near where ever they were just so I could watch them. Looking back now, it is pretty creepy. lol But as a lonely and invisible teen, such a thing seems to unattainable, it's what they do. It's certainly what Amber did...and had she not, things could have turned out a whole lot different for both her and Chloe.

When I requested FOLLOW ME LIKE ME I didn't know it was a YA read, as I was just drawn in by the premise. I was impressed by the subject matter and thought that it was a topic that really needed highlighting, in a world where just about everyone, particularly teenagers, live their lives through social media. I was eager to discover how it would be tackled as it is so important to have something like this that reminds young people of the dangers. This book highlights the fact that you cannot trust an online persona 100% and how easily online activity can creep into real life.

The twist may have been predictable which I saw coming almost from the start, but in the real world, it is not something we would be able to identify as quickly. Its purpose is to highlight the dangers and just how easy it is to fall into its trap.

I do agree with some other reviewers with the ending - well, Amber's ending. Without giving anything away, I felt it should have been handled a little differently, particularly in a book that could prove to be helpful to young people in the lesson of online safety. Amber's ending was just a little too neat and left the reader somewhat unsatisfied.

A fast paced easy read, FOLLOW ME LIKE ME has short snappy chapters (my favourite kind) in the alternating narratives of Chloe and Amber respectively. It is written in a way that young adults can understand yet without all the confusing text speak they so often use (thankfully). Despite it's subject matter, it was a relatively quick read that took me about 4 hours in total to complete.

An addictive read for young adults, FOLLOW ME LIKE ME is an appropriate read for teens that highlights a social awareness for their personal safety online. The internet is forever and it is full of predatory types that young people may think they are immune to...and are not. The dangers that lurk on the internet are indeed very real.

Well done Charlotte Seager for highlighting awareness on the dangers of the world wide web...and that the image people portray on social media might not be who they really are.

I would like to thank #CharlotteSeager, #NetGalley and #MacmillanKidsUK for an ARC of #FollowMeLikeMe in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

[eshaal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won't call this book dreadful. All I can say is that it just wasn't my kind of book at all- I'm sure there's lots of people out there who would love this book, and for that reason alone I do not condemn it but certainly I would not reccomend it if you're looking to enhance your vocabulary or go for something particularly literary (there were also a few grammatical errors which rather irked me). Plotwise, it really depends on what sort of thing you like- if you enjoy text focused around social media, then you'll enjoy this much more than I did, but personally I think we get a lot of social media in our everyday lives and I'd rather read to get away from that rather than just dive deeper into it; however the blame does sort of go to me for picking a book I know doesn't attract me.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tyle razy zasnęłam na tej książce, że to jest niepojęte. Bardzo chciałam ją polubić, bo porusza ważny temat cyberstalkingu, ale kurde. Wynudziła mnie okropnie i tak naprawdę tylko te ostatnie 20% miały moja uwagę (co śmieszne to wystarczyło, żeby wiedzieć co się działo przez całą książkę).

Plus za temat o staranie, ale wykonanie niestety na nie. Szkoda, bo książki o takich tematykach powinny zapadać w pamięć!

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Firstly I cant believe the mixed and low ratings for this book, I thought it was very cleverly thought out, researched and a must read for any teen girls to read and be made aware of the dangers of the internet.
This was a suspenseful, thriller read and grabbed my attention straight away.
This book shows that social media isn't always as glossy and great as we think and has many dangers and can impact peoples lives severely. It covers victim blaming, stalking, ghost apps, victim shaming, abusive behaviours and warning signs.
The two girls in this book were polar opposites and the book gives POV's from each girl.
This was a fantastic read and I really urge all girls and parents to give this book a read!

[Karen Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

A timely reminder that what we do online has consequences in the real world, and a rather terrifying warning to watch what you post and who you ‘friend’ as an online profile might not tell you the full story.
Our story focuses on two perspectives. First, there’s popular teen, Chloe, who accepts a message from someone online and then finds herself with a ‘friend’ she’s never met whose behaviour causes a lot of discomfort. Second, there’s social misfit Amber who yearns for popularity and whose obsession with a personal trainer at her gym soon gets her into a situation that she wasn’t expecting.
The story is quite straightforward, and both girls are involved (to some degree) with the same character.
If I’m being honest, I felt the attitude of the friends, school and police were not wholly accurately presented. Given the concerns about this topic, the attitudes felt a little behind the times.
The story itself was quite obvious, but it did offer some opportunity to get under the skin of some characters you may or may not empathise with.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my review.

[Bookundermybed · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5 stars)

Yes people, I have successfully read two books with the words ‘Follow Me” in the title one after the other. 🤣🤣

No one sees Amber. She easily disappears, so when a guy at the gym notices her, she does everything to make sure he knows she’s still there.
Chloe replied to a DM from a stranger. He seems nice at first but then her life starts spiralling out of control.

Yes, this book had a great message, and yes, it wasn’t the worst thing that I’ve ever read but much like the other ‘Follow Me’ book (Follow Me Back)there was nothing special about it.

I didn’t like Amber and Chloe. Amber was a bit obsessive and the fact that she lied that she was Ren’s sister was pretty awful, actually. She also keeps mentioning how she lacks confidence but she doesn’t do anything to boost it.
Chloe actually seems pretty okay, but as I read on I liked her less and less. Maybe, that’s just me, but I didn’t like her at all. What happened to her was not okay but she didn’t ask for help or talk to anyone about it.

The plot was a bit obvious and in your face which was kind of annoying because I really hoped there would be some sort of mystery elements but there weren’t.

The backing characters were pretty cool (excluding the bad ones obviously), they were all kind of one dimensional.

I managed to finish this in a couple of hours. The book was short and to the point which was nice but I struggled to root for any of the characters. I just wish this book was a bit more interesting because it had a lot of potential. It lacked personality and the wow factor. There was nothing fun or scenes that made me want to jump into the pages and go live in that world.

I guess I don’t really like books like this…maybe it isn’t my thing and I really wish I liked it more but I didn’t like this one much. 💕

[Neformatas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neįprastas romanas. Skirtas YA, bet visai tinka ir vyresnei auditorijai. Apie interneto platybes ir tai, kuo jame gali virsti išoriškai nuostabūs žmonės.
✔ Intriguojantis siužetas.
✔ Lengvi, sklandūs sakiniai, tikroviški veikėjų portretai.
✔ Puiki kūrinio nešama žinutė ir moralas.
✖ ištempta pabaiga.

Gaila, kad taip mažai pastebėtas kūrinys. Rekomenduoju.

[Hâf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Follow Me Like Me by Charlotte Seager! I fully support novels for teens about the power and dangers of social media. It's our responsibility as the older generation who use and understand (to some degree!) social media to prepare teenagers for the downsides of it.
It can be very difficult to keep a novel that focuses so intently on social media modern and up to date due to quickly advancing technology and new apps. I though this the author managed to keep a steady balance between the plot and the use of various apps in the storyline.
I definitely preferred Chloe's POV in the beginning, only because her slightly more mature personality appealed to me more. I found Amber to be a bit harder to understand as the novel started when she was already knee deep into her obsession with a guy she was stalking online, I might have accepted her more if we'd followed her journey from when she first met Ren.
Things definitely became more tense towards the ending of this novel, it read much more like a thriller from halfway onwards as all the secrets and lies started to build up. I must admit I did not see the ending coming at all, I was convinced our two main characters were on completely separate paths.
This is a brilliantly suspenseful novel that is perfect for raising awareness about the perils of social media, how an innocent message between strangers can escalate quickly to something a lot more sinister. I would recommend this to all teenagers.

[Miss R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Contemporary novels with social media as a core plot device are almost de rigueur to the 21st century kindle generation of readers, which, let’s face it, we are almost all a part of now. Technology and its implication for human relations has numerous possibilities for a writer of skill and talent, but all too often it is used as a sop to sell books - the eponymous ‘high concept’ novel. So, I was more than surprised to find that “Follow Me, Like Me”, is a story of style as well as substance. It is also an important book about the unconscious ways in which we let technology into our lives without for one moment considering it’s potential implications in the real world. This is not the opening for an existential debate which I am somewhat unequipped for, but a very real point about the ways in which our virtual lives straddle, and sometimes merge with our real lives - a form of cross-contamination if you like. A good novel about the zeitgeist of social media will always exploit the gossamer like thread between existences. - tenuously plural In this respect - between virtual life and real life. This is a very real technologically constructed umbilical cord that opens portals to worlds where individuals are bullied, abused, take their own lives or the lives of others. In this respect, Charlotte Seager has excelled herself in her searingly authentic, tautly constructed narrative which puts the darker side of social media firmly in the spotlight. “Follow Me, Like Me” is an unmissable, cautionary tale for the Facebook generation.

[Alex Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it showed the dangers of social media and how people aren't always what they seem online. I liked the themes presented in this book and the way the author developed the characters to be likeable/unlikeable. All in all I enjoyed reading this immensley.

[Ha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book gave me the feeling of watching a teenage movie, with lots of drama and enough suspense to keep my attention. I liked the concept of this story and definitely had an entertaining time reading it.

[Vytea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book

[Oliwia oliwka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fajnie sie ja czytalo ale czasami chcialam ja wyrzucic przez okno, konirc nawet okej.

[marisiam · Rating 2 out of 5]

nudziła mnie ale dobrnełam do końca

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cheesy YA easy read

[Szaarotka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pomysł – spoko.
Wykonanie – tragiczne.
2,75 ⭐️

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

pentingnya untuk tidak mengidolakan atau menyukai seseorang berlebihan karena kita pun blm tentu benar-benar mengenalnya seperti branding yg diperlihatkan

bacaan yang ringan, page-turner, setiap chapter juga pendek-pendek jadi betah bacanyaa🤓

[Jess B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't understand this books low rating! This book is a staple for any school library in my opinion. It takes the overwhelmingly popular mystery/thriller genre and uses us as a platform to discuss topical issues such as sexual assault, victim blaming, self-esteem, cyberstalking, family issues and isolation. It was gripping, raw and at times uncomfortable but also heartwarming. The characters grow and change, yet maintain individuality. Amber and Chloe's ideas of happiness are polar opposites but both are treated as equally valid, which I appreciate as a lot of YA uses a cookie cutter approach to happiness (popular, pretty and in love). A minor criticism continuity wise though, the story appears to be set in winter and summer (Chloe on the field says there's a summer warmth, but Amber is always huddled in jumpers in the rain) but otherwise I think this was a pretty perfect YA. Was it unpredictable no, but as someone who works with teens day to day I am sure they would relate to and enjoy this book.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read. All up it took me about 2 hours to read it, which isn't a great thing if I'm honest. This book could be amazing if it spent more time fleshing out the characters and getting to know them and their situations before hand. Also the characters all felt so 2 dimensional, they didn't feel like real people at all just stereotypes which made it a little harder to care about them. But the concept and message of the book are pretty important, learning to protect yourself online as well as remembering that not everything online is as clear cut as you might think are valuable lessons for teenagers these days to learn. It just felt a bit empty considering how short it was. The tension could have really been built up if we spent more time with the characters and more time wondering what was going on. The mystery aspect is really all that kept me reading, I just wanted to know what the hell was going on.

[knygugriauzike_gabriele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amberė - naujokė savo mokykloje ir tokia, kuriai sunku susirasti naujų draugų, užmegzti ryšį. Tačiau tai nesutrukdo jai susižavėti treneriu - praktikantu Renu. Kai mokykloje pasklinda gandas, kad Renas neva yra priekabiautojas, Amberė pasiryžta įrodyti, jog tai - bjaurus melas. Kloja - visiška Amberės priešingybė. Šiai merginai netrūksta drąsos, ekstravagantiškumo ir, žinoma, draugų. Norėdama sukelti pavydą savo vaikinui Tomui, Kloja užmezga internetinę pažintį su nepažįstamuoju Svenu. Tačiau, pabendravus daugiau, mergina supranta, kad vaikinas nėra pats maloniausias pašnekovas. Pamažu šių dviejų merginų keliai susijungia į vieną bendrą istoriją.

„Follow me like me“ - paaugliška istorija apie socialinius tinklus ir juose tykančius pavojus. Dvi visiškai skirtingos (tiek išvaizda, tiek charakteriu) merginos, dvi, rodos, visiškai skirtingos istorijos, tačiau, bėgant laikui, pasimato, kad skirtumai traukia tarsi magnetai ir jiems lemta susipinti į vieną visumą.

Iš pradžių man patiko ta autorės idėja, jog reikia sukurti dvi skirtingas pagrindinių herojų asmenybes. Tačiau jos buvo tokios banalios ir niekuo neišsiskiriančios nuo kitų, dažnai pasitaikančių knygose, kas, aišku, galiausiai nuvylė. Viena - gražuolė, kuri gauna ką tik panorėjusi, o kita - pilka pelytė. Na, tikrai trūksta originalumo.

Kas labiausiai sužavėjo knygoje? Žinoma, kad jos nešama mintis apie socialinių tinklų erdvę, kurioje reikia labai atsargiai rinktis su kuo bendrauti, o su kuo - ne. Niekada negali žinoti, kas sėdi pasislėpęs už ekrano, kol nepamatai to žmogaus realiai. Taip nutiko ir Klojai - Renas jai pasirodė nuostabus bei šiltas asmuo, tačiau, pabendravus ir pamačius tikrąją žmogaus asmenybę, mergina suprato, kaip skaudžiai klydo.

Dar viena mintis, už kurią noriu pagirti, yra tai, kad kartais mes nuvertiname žmogų, nenorime palaikyti ryšio su juo, nes laikome jį nevertu mūsų dėmesio, tačiau dažnai nutinka taip, kad būtent tas žmogus gali atsirasti tada, kai mums labiausiai reikia pagalbos.

Mano nuomone, tai tikrai neblogas skaitinys paaugliams, kuris turėtų šiai amžiaus grupei patikti bei smagiai susiskaityti, todėl būtent jiems ir rekomenduoju! Žinoma, gali paskaityti ir vyresnieji, nes juk smagu kartais pažiūrėti, ką skaito jaunimas, tiesa?

3/5⭐

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

TW: Sexual Abuse

Social media can be a dark place and give so much away to those who don’t know you.

I liked that the book was about things that can happen for teens in today’s society. It’s important to create a conversation about these things. I didn’t however think there was enough talk about consequences.

The writing style felt very early 2000s book for teens which I didn’t care for. I also didn’t feel a connection for anyone at all. We aren’t really given any back story or anything that would create sympathy for the girls.

I think having names too similar also made things very confusing. Sven ren seb. Maybe that’s just me.

I do think this is a good for teens just not for me.

[janine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I got 40% into this book and had to give up.

The premise really interested me, especially in this day and age of everyone's obsession with social media but sadly I was finding too many faults that just distracted my attention and I grew bored!

I'm rating 1.5* because I believe that this actually storyline could give so much more, just not this time.

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillans Books for the ARC.

[Sharon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this read, as it's such a good premise for a storyline. However, I'm afraid, for me, it just didn't deliver.
The main character starts the book by behaving in the same way as the stalker and I found the writing disjointed and difficult to engage with. Overall, it could have been so much better.

1* - I didn't like it.

Thanks though to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to preview.

[Beth Younge · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like this. The two female lead characters were a bit unrealistic and i got annoyed by how they were behaving as it just did not seem plausible that the two girls would react that way. I wanted to like this as the writing was good and i liked how it had been written but i could not deal with the characters and how they were.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Vitalija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visiškai paaugliška knyga apie šių dienų populiarumo reikalus, norą būti pripažintiems ir socialinių medijų pasaulį. Talentingas ir įtampos nestokojantis romanas, greit besirutuliojantis siužetas, tobulai atskleidžiantis socialinėse medijose slypinčius pavojus – kaip nekaltas dviejų nepažįstamųjų susirašinėjimas labai greitai gali pavirsti į kai ką kur kas grėsmingesnio. Nors ir paaugliška knyga, bet vertinga ir pamokanti šių dienų pasauliui. Rekomenduoju visiems paaugliams.

[Medina · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting story with good potential, but it felt too rushed and the writing fell a little short. It wasn't all bad, it really wasn't. Just wasn't great either. 2,5 stars!

[anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought it was impossible for me to cringe at almost every damn word, but this book proved me wrong.

[molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

about a decade too old to pick up books from the teen section at the library, but it’s a guilty pleasure

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF on page 80.
I think some younger readers (12 or 13) would like this better.
This book was slow and nothing has really happened at this point. The writing was simple and easy to read.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5