Julie Chan Is Dead

Julie Chan is Dead is the first novel by Chinese Canadian author Liann Zhang. It was published in 2025 and can be classified as social satire with elements of suspense and horror. Zhang focuses on the world of social media influencers to explore themes of The Pernicious Effects of Unearned Privilege, The Commodification of Personal Tragedy, and The Need for Love and Belonging.

The guide references the 2025 Simon & Schuster edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of illness, death, pregnancy loss, animal cruelty, sexual content, suicide, racism, and substance use.

Plot Summary

When the novel begins, Julie Chan is a young Chinese American woman who feels frustrated by her life. When Julie was a young child, her parents were killed in a car accident and both she and her identical twin sister, Chloe, needed new guardians. Chloe was adopted by a wealthy white couple, whereas Julie was adopted by a cruel aunt. Because of the privilege associated with her new family, Chloe was able to launch a successful career as a social media influencer and become very wealthy and famous. Julie misses Chloe but also feels jealous and resentful, especially after Chloe exploits Julie to film an emotional “reunion video,” publicly gifting her a house and then abandoning her again.

Out of the blue, Julie gets a cryptic phone call from Chloe, who seems to be in distress. After the call gets cut off and Julie finds herself unable to contact her sister, she goes to Chloe’s apartment, where she finds Chloe’s dead body. In the chaos after Julie calls for help, first responders mistake her for Chloe and presume that the dead woman is Julie. Julie takes advantage of the opportunity to assume her twin’s identity. She begins living a glamorous lifestyle as a wealthy and fashionable influencer, but she is secretly haunted by guilt and fear that she will be exposed. She is particularly worried because her aunt immediately figures out that Julie is impersonating her sister and extorts more than $1 million from Julie in exchange for her silence.

As part of assuming Chloe’s identity and career, Julie begins spending time with an influencer named Bella Marie, whom Julie has idolized since childhood. Bella Marie is the leader of a group known as the Belladonnas—female influencers whom she has mentored. Although Julie is sometimes irritated by these women and their lack of self-awareness, she also strongly craves their approval and acceptance. After a few months of impersonating Chloe, Julie is invited to attend a secret retreat that Bella Marie hosts every year on a private island owned by her family. Julie is torn between appreciating the lavish and beautiful setting and feeling trapped by the isolation and lack of communication with the wider world.

During her time on the island, Julie learns that the Belladonnas resemble a cult: They engage in disturbing rituals and swear fealty to a divine being known as Eto. The Belladonnas believe that if they make sacrifices to Eto, they will be rewarded with fame and success as influencers. She also learns that they have known all along that she is not actually Chloe. Julie is increasingly disturbed, especially after the Belladonnas ostracize one of their new members, Isla, for criticizing their privilege and the industry of influencing. Julie becomes convinced she needs to free Isla (who is being held against her will) and escape from the island, but she suspects that the Belladonnas will not tolerate her escaping now that she knows so many of their secrets.

Julie drugs the Belladonnas and then liberates Isla, who helps her to set fire to the compound. As the fire begins, Bella Marie confronts Julie: Bella reveals that prior to her death, Chloe had turned against the group and was preparing to go public with a story revealing the secrets of the Belladonnas. To prevent this from happening, Bella killed Chloe by secretly dosing her with drugs that would interact with the prescriptions Chloe was taking. Enraged, Julie attacks Bella and kills her with an axe. Then, she sets the building alight, killing the other seven Belladonnas trapped inside.

After setting the fire, Julie collapses. Isla calls for emergency assistance and informs police that Julie has been impersonating her sister. Julie is arrested and charged with the murders of Bella Marie, the Belladonnas, and Chloe. She is determined to prove that she did not kill Chloe and to make a case for acting in self-defense in regard to the other deaths. Julie’s story attracts significant public attention, and she revels in the power she feels she now has. As she awaits her trial, Julie decides to use social media to tell her version of the story.