I received a complimentary eARC copy of FOLLOW ME by Kathleen Barber. Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the chance to read and review.
Rating: 4 / 5
I have been part of the team hosting a buddy read for FOLLOW ME by Kathleen Barber over the second half of April. This book has had me intrigued since I first heard the premise, so I was excited to read it. When I got approved for the eARC shortly before the buddy read began, it was perfect timing! I also had the audiobook from Scribd, so read it in both ebook and audio formats.
FOLLOW ME follows social media darling Audrey Miller, a woman used to framing her life in Instagram worthy shots for her multitude of adoring followers. When Audrey gets a dream job at the Smithsonian and has to relocate to DC on short notice, she takes a basement apartment sight unseen. She immediately begins to regret this when the landlord’s creepy grandson and her new neighbor teaches her how insecure she can feel living alone for the first time.
Audrey is not entirely alone in DC. Her former sorority sister Cat is nearby offering support and she has a guy in town with whom she’s had a very on again, off again relationship that she can’t seem to tear herself away from. Audrey’s ability to make herself noticed isn’t all good, however. There is an unknown “him” who has been watching Audrey for a long time and he’s getting more bold now that she’s moved to his home town.
I really enjoyed this one and it kept me guessing throughout! The characters aren’t entirely lovable, so if you’re the type to be bothered by that this might not be for you. That can be a bit hit or miss for me, but in this case the unlovable characters were very well done and I enjoyed reading them and their faults. We’re getting three different POVs, Audrey’s, Cat’s and “Him” and it isn’t always clear who is and isn’t reliable, but I found myself enjoying all of the different viewpoints on Audrey’s life.
The overall tone of the book is written in a way that has you questioning everyone in Audrey’s life, much more than Audrey ever considers questioning her situation. Though she begins to realize something is wrong, there were many times when I wanted to yell at her to make better choices!
If you enjoy a good thriller and getting inside a dark mind, this is one you definitely want to check out! It made for a fantastic discussion book pick as well as we had many theories to speculate on for our discussions and twists to unpack! I will absolutely be reading more from Kathleen Barber!
DG Reads 