The Follower

by Kate Doughty, Sara Sheckells (Read by)

Overview

Kate Doughty's The Follower is a spine-tingling YA thriller based on a true story.

Instagram-famous triplets Cecily, Amber, and Rudy—the children of home renovation superstars—are ready for a perfect summer. They've just moved onto the site of their parents' latest renovation project when they begin to receive spine-tingling messages from someone called The Follower. It soon becomes clear that this anonymous threat is more than a simple Internet troll, and they can't wait to shatter the Cole family's perfect veneer and take back what's theirs.

The Follower examines the implications of what it is to be watched in the era of social-media fame—as well as the lies we tell and the lengths we'll go to uphold a perfect image, when our lives depend on it.

"Teens love a mystery, and this one is definitely a page-turner." —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798874858568
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	07/16/2024
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kate Doughty graduated from the University of Virginia in May 2018 with a dual major in English and psychology. She lives and works in Washington, DC. The Follower is her first novel.

Telling stories as a radio host, then as a costumed tour guide, Sara Sheckells followed a career path into academia before her love of the literary pulled her back to the mic. Sara's narration style has been described as sophisticated, smooth, and smart. Her knowledge of higher education, adolescence, and career development informs her narrations in multiple genres, including literary fiction, memoirs, self-development, and women's fiction. A New England native, Sara lives north of Boston with her family, including a supportive spouse, two brilliantly brained kiddos, and a boisterous boxer dog.

Editorial Reviews

"Hits all the marks for readers who love this subgenre."

Booklist

"Hits all the marks for readers who love this subgenre."—Booklist

"Teens love a mystery, and this one is definitely a page-turner." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

02/01/2021

Gr 8 Up—The Cole triplets seem to have the perfect life. They run the popular social media channel ColeTripsHouseFlips, on which their parents buy giant houses and make them over to sell them for top prices. Cecily and Rudy work in front of the camera, while Amber is the digital genius who edits photos and manages their livestreams. But there are cracks in the Coles' public facade: Dad's gambling addiction has left the family strapped for cash. Mom has taken out a big loan to buy a Range Rover to maintain their public image. The triplets are no longer doing the social media gig out of love, but to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Amber is feeling left out; Mom has determined a plus-size lesbian isn't what the public wants to see, despite posts from followers indicating they want more of Amber. Then Dad selects their next project: a small-town haunted house—the site of multiple murder/suicides. The writing style is compelling, including livestream feed comments throughout. The Cole family is white, and the cast includes an Asian police officer, a Latinx contractor, and Amber's love interest, Jada, who has brown skin. VERDICT Teens love a mystery, and this one is definitely a page-turner.—Leah Krippner, Harlem H.S., Machesney Park, IL

School Library Journal

2020-12-22
It’s a home-renovation–turned–haunted-house nightmare for triplet social media stars and their family.

Seventeen-year-old Cole triplets Cecily, Amber, and Rudy are bona fide influencers. With sponsors, hashtags, and their online fan base the Cole Patrol, they pull in enough money to keep their parents’ high-end property business afloat. Their latest house-flip project comes with a deadly past and earns them a suspicious new Instagram follower, one who seems determined to threaten and even harm them. Doughty’s warnings about social media are obvious, touching on the ways in which people strive for curated perfection, the addiction of online feedback, and even the swift cruelty of cancel culture. The story uses plenty of spooky tropes, familiar to fans of The Haunting of Hill House and complete with a creepy doll. The central mystery of who is tormenting the Cole family keeps the plot moving even if the social media cautionary tale is heavy-handed and at times slows the pace. Untangling the whodunit takes some effort (and the forgiving of some plot holes), and the book ends with potential for a sequel. Amber is a gorgeous, size 18 lesbian who is confident in herself, no weight loss necessary. All major characters are cued as White; there is some diversity in secondary characters.

Checks all the teen thriller boxes. (Thriller. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews