BOOK REVIEW – Unfollow Me by Charlotte Duckworth
#AD – Advance Review copy via Netgalley. This post contains affiliate links
This was an advance review copy of Unfollow Me by Charlotte Duckworth / Querus via NetGalley.
I LOVED this Unfollow Me. As a blogger myself (albeit on a MUCH smaller scale than Influencer Violet Young), I often worry about how much I share about myself online; being careful to reveal too much about my identity and private family life.
Violet Young however is a huge online YouTube vlogger and influencer with over 1 million subscribers on her channels. She lives the picture perfect life with her husband Henry and three children, with many women logging in for her weekly vlogs and following closely her motherhood trials and tribulations from sleep deprivation to tantrums. One morning her fans logon to see her social channels have just disappeared. There’s no explanatory blog post, no instagram grid picture, NOTHING. She’s gone; and her husband Henry is carrying on as normal -smiling over sponsored cereal posts and failing to reassure her fans that she’s safe and well.
The GoMama message boards are going crazy with speculation. has he hurt her? Remember that bruise she once had? What if she’s dead? Why aren’t the press wondering where she’s gone?
In Unfollow Me we are introduced to two of Violet’s most committed followers – Lily and Yvonne, both of whom are big fans of her channels. They are completely invested in her life – Lily a single Mum with a 3 year old son, and Yvonne, a married woman struggling with infertility but desperate to conceive again after losing a child in her twenties.
It isn’t too hard to use the information Violet has shared about her life to try and find out the truth. Remember the school uniform shot she shared? The photo of her front door? The time she forgot to blur out her address on a parcel?? But is this obsession with Violet healthy. Are they really just super fans? Or is there a more sinister reason for their interest?
As the narrative swaps between Lily, Yvonne and Henry (Violet’s husband), the back stories of the characters is slowly revealed, with lots of twists, turns and unexpected detail;s emerging. I loved the ending (other reviewers haven’t).
Overall, if you’re familiar with the online world, forums, mum bloggers and such the like I think you’ll really enjoy this. Its not your traditional thriller, but I found it a really gripping read and would definitely recommend.
*trigger warning – this book does cover details of baby loss which some readers may find upsetting*
