A review by minimicropup
You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Listened to this in one day, it went so fast. This is one of those books where I was always relieved to find there were pages left to read 😀
 
Energy: Exacting. Devious. All-consuming.  
 
🐩 Tail Wags: Pacing of twists and turns. Catching myself rooting for the Big Bad. Insufferable characters (in the fun way). Exploration of influencer culture. Getting the tea, behind closed doors. Narrative style. Intrigue. 
 
Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in Los Angeles, California
Perspectives (2): A beauty influencer who took an aspiring social media star under her wing and together they turned into Momfluencers. The aspiring social media star after making it big with 5 million followers as a Momfluencer.
Timeline: Current (2020s), linear.
🔥 Fuel: Unhinged narrators. Twists and turns. Atmospheric tension. Both narrators seem to believe what they’re telling us, but is it all true? 
📖 Cred: Over-the-top true crime realism
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Roast chicken. Burnt brussel sprouts. Diaper bags. TikTok. DMs. Toddlers. Filters. iPad. Calendars. Hectic home life. 
  • Narratives that have you feeling complicit in the characters’ secrets and bad behaviours
  • Written like the characters are speaking to us sometimes, addressing what reader probably thinking
  • Straightforward, slightly melodramatic, gritty writing style
  • Plot driven twists and turns, elevating tension and intrigue
  • Betrayal and revenge
  • Manipulative, unhinged characters
  • Shattered social media illusions 
  • Momfluencers behaving badly 
  • Psychological thriller
  • Supporting women’s wrongs
 
Content Heads-Up: Relationship breakdown (marriage). Breast feeding, milk, nipples (descriptive, brief). Personality disorder/psychopathy. Infidelity. Online harassment, trolling. Loss of parent (as child). False accusation. Internalized racism (negative stereotypes and attitudes). Fatphobia. Domestic abuse. Toxic friendship, toxic relationship. Obsession, stalking. Resentment. Theft, trespassing.
 
Rep: Asian ancestry. American. Peach, cream, and ambiguous skin tones. Cisgender. Hetero.
 
📚 Format: Libro.fm
 
🤩 Potential Fav of 2024!
 
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