THE FOLLOWER

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.