BOOK REVIEW | Follow Me Back by A.V. Geiger

Title: Follow Me Back
Author:  A.V. Geiger
Series? Yes, duology
Publication Date: June 6, 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: I received and e-galley of Follow Me Back via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Sourcebooks Fire!

Tessa Hart’s world feels very small. Confined to her bedroom with agoraphobia, her one escape is the online fandom for pop sensation Eric Thorn. When he tweets to his fans, it’s like his speaking directly to her…

Eric Thorn is frightened by his obsessive fans. They take their devotion way too far. It doesn’t help that his PR team keeps posting to encourage their fantasies.

When a fellow pop star is murdered at the hands of a fan, Eric knows he has to do something to shatter his online image fast—like take down one of his top Twitter followers. But Eric’s plan to troll @TessaHeartsEric unexpectedly evolves into an online relationship deeper than either could have imagined. And when the two arrange to meet IRL, what should have made for the world’s best episode of Catfish takes a deadly turn…

Told through tweets, direct messages, and police transcripts.

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I don't really have favorite publishers, but if I did, Sourcebooks Fire would be one of them. Not because they approve me on Netgalley (though it doesn't hurt) but the content they publish never disappoints. I've had my fair share of books that I haven't enjoyed, and yet every book published by Sourcebooks that I've read has been a blast to read. Follow Me Back was no exception to this!

If I'm honest, Follow Me Back sounds a bit silly. I was explaining the plot to some of my friends, and they actually chuckled at the premise. But what seems like a cheesy romance in the synopsis is actually a great young adult thriller. 

I'm not one for thrillers. It's not because I don't like them, but I just gravitate to other genres instead. Though I lack exposure to this genre, I can still say wholeheartedly that this is a great thriller. I nonstop read this book; when I wasn't reading about it I was thinking about it. 

Both Tessa and Eric, the two main characters, are so well developed. They're not your stereotypical manic fangirl and blase celebrity. I loved how Geiger took her characters beyond their labels. Tessa has agoraphobia (the fear of going outside), which was triggered by an incident last summer. Eric has anxiety and fear of his fans after a death of a celebrity. They weren't the generic characters that are (unfortunately) sometimes found in books nowadays. Instead of the romance being super lovey-dovey, it was realistic. Their problems weren't the usual "we come from different worlds!" or "you'll never understand the celebrity life!" but had more depth. I loved how their friendship progressed into more, and it was at the perfect pace. The romance wasn't insta-love by any means, but it wasn't so slow going that I began to get exasperated. 

Now let's talk about the thriller aspect of this book. Throughout the book, there's this underlying tone of uneasiness, and it was what really pushed me to continue reading and figure out what happened. Between chapters are police transcripts, and I liked how it added some intruige. The polic transcripts are further in the timeline, so as a reader you know something seriosuly wrong happens, and you're just watching everything unfurl. I appreciated these chapter breaks because they were a constant reminder that something seriusly wrong was going to happen. 

As for the ending, I though it was spectacular. Before reading this book I looked at the goodreads reviews, and almost all of them mentioned how well the ending was done. The last fifteen percent of the book had me at the edge of my seat knowing what would happen next. While I had fun with the story beforehand, I was completely invested in the end. Also, the enidng wasn't what I expected and completely threw me for a loop. That doesn't happen much anymore, so it was greatly appreciated!!

At the end of the day, I am a newbie when it comes to thrillers. Maybe this means that I can't give too much of a critical review, but the reader I am today loved this book. I haven't seen a review of this lower than three stars, so if you're on the edge about reading this I'd say there's a good chance you'll enjoy this as well. The main characters were well developed, the thriller was...thrilling (I couldn't help myself), the romance wasn't cliche, and the ending left me needing the second book.

   

With that, I give this book 

4.5 out of 5 Stars!

 

Have you read Follow Me Back? Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post. :)

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!