I genuinely don't know how I feel about this book. It's two different time periods, one that feels like Ben Elton-style satire and one that feels like Black Mirror/Truman Show soft horror, and then it merges at the end into melancholy sadness.

I don't know if I love or hate the ending. I'm going to give it four stars because I'm thinking about it. ( )

I listened to the first 3/4 of this on audio but then wasn't reading reading a book and wanted to keep reading this so I finished it on e, and I think the audio was actually really well done and I think I liked this more because of the audio. The narrator just did Floss SO DARN WELL so every time I read Floss I was disappointed.

This was lots of fun! Really enjoyed. Wish the dystopic elements had been more fleshed out though, but it was already erring towards being a bit lengthy for all the actual plot it has. ( )

*Received via NetGalley for review*

A fun, semi-light read that seems cognizant about where society is heading. Once hackers have revealed everyone's deeply personal and shameful secrets to the world, those who could handle the shock manage to move forward.

Marlow's story, about a young girl growing up constantly watched directed and followed and judged (by choice, technically) is tragic and frighteningly plausible. Even today I can think of people who would sign up for that in a heartbeat, simply for the allure of fame and followers.

The interconnecting storylines are well-done and equally important and engaging. ( )

Followers started off very strong with great writing about loneliness, wanting to be accepted, to have friends, to be followed, to be someone. It explores two women in New York as they struggle with their fledging careers. If it had stayed in this vein, I would have given it five stars.

Yet it veered of course, with interesting additional plots about hackers taking down the internet and revealing people's deepest secrets, about a community where everyone lives on camera, and a community where information technology has been banned. Each of these could have made good plots, but to interweave all of this with what had started off as a promising novel, together with sections that felt like they were written with middle aged female tabloid readers really weakened the novel.

Still, it is worth the read. Read the first part, and if, it keeps your interest, continue on to the end. ( )

*I was provided an advance copy of the book by NetGalley. All opinions are my own*

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and after reading it, I'm not sure where to categorize it - it's a well-crafted mix of dystopian and satire. The book follows two linked storylines - one roughly present day (2015), one set in a near-future (2051), after the arrival of "The Spill", a world-changing event that...well, you'll need to read it to figure out what it actually was, as this was one element that took a while to reveal itself.

The story alternates between Marlow and Orla, and eventually, connections are made between the two characters. The main characters Orla and Floss (from the present-day storyline) are mostly unlikeable, which would usually make me set aside a book, but the author has given them fleeting moments of vulnerability that make me want to stick with them to see where the path leads. They are influencers, with every planned move and carefully curated photo made with the intention of fame. Floss offers a hard look at the lengths people will go when driven by a combination of ambition and fame.

I felt more empathy for Marlow, living her life on camera (akin to The Truman Show, only she is well aware of it, forced into the situation by her parents, and with every aspect of her life overseen by the corporation that runs their community), and forced into repping a mood-altering psych med after she acts out violently in anger - albeit, perhaps justifiably, given the situation.

Orla's path somewhat parallels Marlow's situation in that, at least initially, she is pushed into a role. However, she is a more willing participant whereas Marlow's situation is a bit less voluntary. Her life is driven by externally influenced storylines.

The character development, like them or not, is well done. The tension, the dialogue, the near-plausibility of the dystopic event all combine to form a riveting commentary on our societal addiction to our cell phones as well as social media. This is a clever and well-imagined story.

For me, the disaster that befalls society was a bit underwhelming when finally revealed, even though the far-reaching implications of it were believable. I was expecting a connection between the event and "the fog", an Alzheimer's-like disease that besets some of the older members of society in the future. The pace began to slow near the end - right about the time that my tolerance for Floss runs out.

This is a story that looks deeply into how social media (and technology as a larger whole) influences how we see and experience the world. ( )