People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd

People Like Her was not what I expected, it was better. That’s what I get for going into it without reading much about the book. This suspense thriller explores the dangers that can happen on the internet. The novel, which was released in January 2021, follows a fictional character, Emmy Jackson, who is a mommy influencer with a huge following on InstaGram. The husband, a novelist working on his next book while struggling a bit, knows how creative his wife can be when it comes to sharing the “truths” about their life and their kids. However, Emmy’s influencer gig is what brings in the money to the home, and she seems to quite enjoy her role as she dishes out parenting advice while sharing her own “struggles.”

The story simultaneously follows Emmy and an obsessive fan with a vengeance for revenge on Emily. What is that revenge all about? You don’t find out until the end of the novel when it all comes together, however you’ll be guessing all the way through. This crazed fan comes close to Emmy and her family a few times throughout the story, and leaves the reader in suspense about how much danger could Emmy really be in? How much do we ourselves realize about our surroundings in our day-to-day lives?

Emmy’s marriage struggles at times throughout the story due to her compulsive InstaGram posting and sharing the ins and outs of her family. Emmy at times doesn’t make the best decisions, especially when it comes to her best friend and their relationship. Many times you’ll notice the struggle Emmy faces when dealing with real life and what is “InstaGram-worthy.”

“People Like Her” is a psychological thriller that will leave you gasping and also wanting to scream at the characters to “watch out” or “be careful.” This story makes you stop and think about just how much is ok with sharing on the internet, and how much trouble and danger could influencers and celebrities find themselves in with crazed fans. Sharing information on the internet can sometimes make too much of yourself and your personal life and living situations easily accessible to anyone.

We are now living in an era never experienced before. We are the first generation to live with technology at our hands 24 hours a day and with social media taking a big role in that. People Like Her explores those dangers, as well as how far some people would go to be liked by virtual strangers. How safe are we on the internet? How much are you willing to share? Would you even know if you’re putting your family’s life in danger?

“People Like Her” has been described as “Gone Girl” with an Instagram account. Trust us, you won’t regret this one if thrillers are your usual book choices. I enjoyed this book as an audio book and loved it.