I first came across this book on BOTM, but bypassed it in favor of The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. The latter was supposed to be akin to a modern day retelling of Jane Eyre. Well, it ended up being a huge disappointment (and a total waste of a credit!). Clearly I’m not in the majority here, because the book received rave reviews. But, hey, not every book is for everybody.
Since I’m being honest, I didn’t have high hopes for People Like her. Admittedly, I’m not a fan of books with a mom at the forefront because I find them unrelatable. I Googled the authors and learned that one self-published a couple books that didn’t seem very favorable on Amazon. Then I read the word “fortnight” a handful of times in the first few pages and all I could do was roll my eyes. It was almost like the authors made a bet to see how many times they could use the word. But I gave it a chance and it got better. And so, all of this to say that you’re getting the review I never thought I’d write.
Title: People Like Her
Author: Ellery Lloyd
Rating: A Surprising Turnaround
Genre: Thriller
Page Count: 275
Published: 2021
The story revolves around Emmy Jackson, who makes a shit-ton of money as an Instamum (a mother who is Instagram famous) and her husband, Dan, a washed up author with barely a dime of his own money. The chapters are divided between Emmy, Dan, and and unknown person who’s presumably a stalker who wishes harm on the Jackson Family. We learn how Emmy documents every aspect of her life on Insta, but instead of glitz and glam, her brand is a kind of “real mama” who showcases the struggles of motherhood. All of her pre-planned and carefully curated posts have gotten her a million followers, a seven-figure salary, and many free gifts and sponsorships. Of course the fame comes with a heaping side of invasion of privacy too. That last part comes through during Dan’s side of the story. The reader learns how unhappy he is with his failed writing career and fake Instafamous life. Then from the stalker we gather that Emmy has done something terrible, although it takes a while to understand what that is. SPOILER ALERT: This was kind of a let down. So was the resolution at the end.
People Like Her was written by husband and wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos, known by their pseudonym Ellery Lloyd. It wasn’t the best thriller I’ve ever read (by far). It was entertaining at times, but I felt it lacking in several areas – like the climax. The first half of the book was a bit of a drag, but then the last 50 or so pages were rapid fire events. There was also a lot going on, which was probably an effort to divert the reader from uncovering the stalker’s true identity, but it just came across as unintentionally messy. But, if I had to pick, I’d still choose this over The Wife Upstairs.
TL;DR
An entertaining book – just give it a chance. I wouldn’t say it’s a favorite, but good thrillers are hard to come by these days. A good mix of themes – marriage, motherhood, admiration, and revenge. A nice book to take on vacation.
If you liked this book, you might enjoy: Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy.
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