3.5 stars

Follow Me Back has left me very, very conflicted. I am struggling to find what I want to say about it. On one hand, I genuinely found this story incredibly engaging. I could not put it down; to the point where I even got a little snappy at my mum for trying to talk to me while I was reading it. I was just so immersed, so worried and emotionally invested in the characters, that I did not want to stop. However, the plotline was definitely the best part of the story. I was often frustrated by the characters, and I struggled with Geiger’s negative portrayal of fame and fandom.

Like I said, the plotline was absolutely addictive. Eric’s fear for his safety was palpable and bleed onto the pages. I was flipping the pages in a flurry to see how the story would end. I wanted answers and could barely take a breath in my anticipation to get to them. I love that Geiger was able to perfectly capture that sense of urgency, especially because that is something a lot of mystery stories have been lacking for me recently. I also loved that the plot focused on online friendships and catfishing… well, kind of. I think Geiger did an absolutely, utterly brilliant job at showing how everything can be twisted when it is done through a screen, even if it was originally meant to be innocent. Eric’s entire POV was fascinating because of this. I loved seeing how his relationship with Tessa bloomed from that initial interaction and the unfolding twists and reactions on both sides which resulted from the moment. I do not know what to say too much for fear of spoiling it but I think this is the first time I have ever read such an honest, realistic online relationship. I have read a billion “falling in love with an online friend even though you do not ‘really’ know them” stories before but this put a twist on that which I truly enjoyed seeing playing out. The plot was definitely the most enjoyable aspect of this story. It kept me engaged throughout the entire story and I cannot wait to see how the sequel will develop this storyline.

Tessa was a pleasant protagonist. While I did not connect with her on a major level, I did think her agoraphobia was pretty well-done. I would love to read a review from someone with agoraphobia though, so if you know of one, link me up, please! What I loved about Tessa’s mental illness was that it was never shied away from. It was actively present in all of her scenes, which is realistic. It is a massive part of her life. I liked we got to see her in therapy and attempting different therapeutic techniques, like desensitisation and journalling. I also think this is honestly the first book I have read where the protagonist did not have a healthy support system to help them through their issues. While that was hard to read about at times, I loved that Geiger did not shy away from it. Not everyone is lucky enough to have people in their life that understand; some people’s parents and partners are incredibly unsupportive or even triggering, so it was good to see something different being portrayed.

My major problem with this book was its portrayal of fame and fandom. Tessa was meant to be a major of Eric (who is a famous musician), but I did not think that her passion, her true fangirl, shone through much at all. I know that it is difficult to tackle this subject in a YA book because the majority of us readers belong to at least one fandom, we are fan(girl)s ourselves. The release of books like Geekerella - that have shown us that fandom life can accurately and positively be written into a story - has set the standard high. I understand that but I was still disappointed. Eric’s POVs were a little hard to read because they seemed to perpetuate the myth that fangirls are rabid, obsessive and neurotic. I absolutely despised how he looked down on his fans. He stated multiple times that he’d be surprised if any of his fans even listened to his music; he assumed that they were only fans because of his good looks and Instagram filled with shirtless selfies. He goes on about this throughout the entire book and it is reiterated by his Twitter feed… but I personally call bullshit. I am a pretty avid Tumblr user and fangirl - yes, even of a music group - so I have a lot of interactions with other fans. I have never, ever meet a single fan who has was as involved in a fandom to the extent Eric’s fans were because of the person’s looks alone. No way! I know that a lot of fans are drawn to a person by their looks originally - I’ll even admit to that - but they stay and continue to contribute to the community so extensively because of their passion for their music/movies/books. All of Eric’s fans are portrayed as shallow, almost childish and simple, and have (seemingly) no interest in his music. I did not appreciate this and found it really hard to see past it. I understood Eric’s position. I feared for his safety and understood his apprehension but it went too far and I think it did a disservice to fans everywhere.

Overall?

Follow Me Back was such a thrilling read. I enjoyed the mystery. It had such a sense of urgency that I could not put it down. The writing and the characters were pleasant enough, and I was impressed by Geiger’s portrayal of Tessa’s mental illness. The only thing that let it down for me was how they portrayed fame and fandom life. I think it was quite inaccurate and kind of insulting.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.