Book Review: You Will Never Be Me | Jesse Q Sutanto

This is a spoiler-free book review of You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q Sutanto. If you are looking to find out how the book ends and what to make of that big twist, head over to my spoiler review where I unpack it all.

This is Jesse Q Sutanto’s second psychological thriller (she already has plenty of other popular genre she’s tackled), and I think it’s safe to say that she has crafted herself as the reigning queen of toxic friendships! If you missed I’m Not Done With You Yet, I can’t recommend it enough. What a twisted little story that was! In You Will Never Be Me, two best friends have a falling out when one of them takes off as an influencer. But that is only the beginning…

What is You Will Never Be Me about?

Meredith Lee and Aspen Palmer were both influencers and best friends, until success tore them apart. Meredith was more successful at the influencing game… at first. After helping Aspen learn the ins-and-outs, co-posting with her, and even giving her the name “Aspen” (soooo much better than her old name), Aspen finally took off. But it isn’t long before Aspen far surpasses Meredith in popularity. A lot of this can be contributed to her early fans responding well to her relationship, which turned into a marriage, which turned into three kids.

Now a momfluencer with millions of followers, Aspen doesn’t have a need for Meredith anymore. After a blow up fight, the two haven’t spoken for months. But when Meredith discovers Aspen’s daughter’s iPad and instant access to her life (and calendar), she realizes she has a way to get to Aspen. Some light stalking and a few changed calendar appointments later, Aspen’s life is falling apart. But she didn’t get where she was by being naïve—Aspen has plenty of tricks up her sleeve as well. Which one of these frenemies will win?

What did I think?

This is a twisted little number from Jesse Q Sutanto! Several times everything I thought was turned around as I learned new information. Twists galore and one absolutely toxic friendship at the center of it all. Sutanto actually opens a book dedicating it to a friend saying that they have the type of friendship that Aspen and Meredith pretended to have (I loved this, it made me laugh).

Chapters from both Meredith and Aspen paint a troubled and fraught friendship between the two influencers, but it wasn’t always like that. Through flashbacks, we’re shown that there was a great friendship there at one point. I was left wondering if there was any way that friendship could return? And at one point, it seems possible. Meredith gets over her anger and Aspen seeks out a connection in the midst of the unraveling of her entire life. Does it work? I can’t divulge that here (but check out the spoilers over here). Let’s just say these two have ups and downs in store for you until the very last page.

The peek behind the curtains on influencer culture was one of my favorite parts. This isn’t one of those frivolous influencer depictions, Sutanto gets into the seedy underbelly that influencers don’t let you see. She shows the grind it takes to keep up with the competition, and the pressure to constantly grow your account. She shows the fake side (Aspen) and the authentic but demoralizing side (Meredith). One of the funniest things was Aspen’s husband reacting to her burying carrots in the garden so she can film herself digging them up and pretend she grew them. This tickled me! She also shows how underestimated influencers can be. Aspen and Meredith aren’t the only influencers in this book, and there is plenty to show when it comes to the world of brand deals and sponsorships. No one’s life is as perfect as it seems on social media, I’ll say that much.

A twisty thriller that packs a punch from start to finish. Obsession, friendship, and jealousy swirl around and you won’t know who will end up on top when it all stops!

About the Author

Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Jakarta and Singapore and sees both cities as her homes. She has a Masters degree from Oxford University, though she has yet to figure out a way of saying that without sounding obnoxious. She is currently living back in Jakarta on the same street as her parents and about seven hundred meddlesome aunties. When she’s not tearing out her hair over her latest WIP, she spends her time baking and playing FPS games. Oh, and also being a mom to her two kids.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.