Author: Megan Angelo
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy, Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Graydon House
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
Book Description: Orla Cadden is a budding novelist stuck in a dead-end job, writing clickbait about movie-star hookups and influencer yoga moves. Then Orla meets Floss—a striving, wannabe A-lister—who comes up with a plan for launching them both into the high-profile lives they dream about. So what if Orla and Floss’s methods are a little shady—and sometimes people get hurt? Their legions of followers can’t be wrong.
Thirty-five years later, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow discovers a shattering secret about her past. Despite her massive popularity—twelve million loyal followers—Marlow dreams of fleeing the corporate sponsors who would do anything to keep her on-screen. When she learns that her whole family history is based on a lie, Marlow finally summons the courage to run in search of the truth, no matter the risks.
Followers traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection.
Rating: 3 Stars
Review: I am really on the fence on this book. This was my second attempt at reading Followers, and well I am glad that I did give it a second chance, I am not sure it deserves all the hype it is getting.
This story involves a multi-timeline narrative. We have Orla narrating the 2015 timeline, and you have Marlow who narrates the 2051 timeline. Orla meets Floss who is striving to be an influencer and she decides to do everything she can to help her. Floss quickly gains status with the help of Orla and she now becomes the star of her own reality show. Marlow is the center of a media empire. If this is the future of Reality TV, then I guess I will be getting rid of that device. It is 24/7 Marlow and her circle of friends.
Though these stories feel disparate, they will converge on each other. Getting to that point, felt like it took forever, but I have to admit once you got there, the story did improve.
This felt a lot like The Circle in a lot of way. I really loved that book so much, this one fell flat to me. If you love the world of reality TV and influencers, than I do think you will enjoy this one a lot. However, that is not my cup of tea so much.
Thank you NetGalley and Graydon Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Obsessed Bookaholic 