Is she in danger, or is she the danger? read A Twist Of Fate by Sae-Ah Jang(translated by S.L. Park) to find out | ARC review

 Title: A Twist Of Fate 

Author: Sae-Ah Jang

Number of Pages: 352

Publishing Date: 29 July 2025

Available formats: hardcover kindle

Genre: Suspense, Crime Thriller, Murder Mystery, Asian Literature, Translated Literature

Synopsis:

Two women meet on a train. Each is running from a deadly secret. When one disappears, the other decides to take her place—for better, or for worse.

Jae-young has just left everything she’s ever known, not that it was much. Her thankless job, her infested apartment, her abusive boyfriend—who happens to be dead on the kitchen floor. Murder was never the way she envisioned leaving, but it was desperate times. Now, escaping her transgressions on a train to the bustling city of Seoul, Jae-young is just hoping to become invisible—safe.

On the train she meets a chatty mother with her infant son who seem to be running from a similarly harsh life with her unfaithful husband, hoping to find refuge with the in-laws she’s never met. To avoid further conversation, Jae-young excuses herself for a moment. When she returns, the woman is nowhere to be found, but her crying child remains with a note, pleading with Jae-young to take him to his grandparents in a remote province far from Seoul.

It’s not an ideal pitstop, but for the sake of the child she can’t ignore the request. When Jae-young arrives, the house takes her by surprise. It's a gated manor oozing with opulence and the finest luxuries. Having never met their grandchild or daughter-in-law before, the family assumes Jae-young is the boy’s mother and ushers her in. Then Jae-young There’s nothing more invisible than becoming someone else.

But both women have ghosts in their pasts. Jae-young may have no idea what lies rotten under the shiny veneer of her new life, but there's nothing she won't do to make sure she never goes back.

Review:

Disclaimer: This book holds the power to not only bring you back to your murder mystery/crime thriller obsession if you've strayed away from it(lie me...) but also to start your murder mystery/crime thriller obsession if you aren't already obsessed with them.

Imagine boarding a train to escape your past, only to accidentally step into someone else's life… and decide not to leave. A Twist of Fate by Sae-ah Jang is a slow-burning, chilling thriller that wraps you in silk and paranoia at the same time—and let me tell you, it does not let go.

If you love books where every character is a potential liar and every luxury setting feels like a trap—this book is gonna mess with your head in the best way.

Sae-ah Jang slays with atmosphere. The writing is elegant but sharp, like drinking your favorite warm tea but laced with poison. The manor is almost a character itself—haunting, cold, and full of things unsaid. And Jae-young? She’s a fascinating mess. Not quite a hero, not quite a villain, but deeply human. You’ll judge her. You’ll root for her. You’ll side-eye her every move. Same can be said for the young mother from the train. Both women show and represent many topics that have been deemed a taboo discussion topic, by our global society. 

The characters of the dead boyfriend and the rich fake brother-in-law are also well written and were even more dark, sick, and twisted than the women. I think that these two are the characters that Collen Hover was trying to achieve while writing/coming up with Ryle in It Ends With Us. When i say that every single character here is trying to bury down some secrets of their own... I ain't exaggerating anything. The multiple layers of this book and all of it's characters(the main and the side characters) will have you second guessing your own second, third, fourth guess(and many others that you'll keep making until the very end for sure).

The slow pacing may not work for everyone, but if you’re here for that creeping sense of dread—the kind that builds in your stomach like thunder before a storm—this is it. Even with the slow pacing the book is written in such a epic , smooth, and intriguing way, that once you are hooked you won't even realize it and you'll already find yourself reading the very last chapters. Last but not the least, a shout-out to S.L. Park for the translation; the prose flows naturally, but never loses that eerie, K-thriller tone.

 Themes to Look Out For:

Identity & performance

Domestic suspense + found family gone wrong

Class divide (poor woman faking her way into the 1%)

Grief, motherhood, and the lies we cling to

The classic “is she dangerous or in danger?” tension

Content Warnings:

Domestic abuse (past)

Death of a partner (off-page)

Psychological trauma

Child neglect (minor subplot)

Final Verdict:

If Parasite and Rebecca had a psychological baby and dressed her in luxury Korean fashion—this would be her. A Twist of Fate is suspenseful, morally grey, and dripping in slow-burn tension. It’s not loud. It doesn’t shout. It whispers. And that whisper will live rent-free in your brain for days after the final page. For the fans of Verity by Colleen Hoover (but make it classier and add a well written Ryle), My Lovely Wife, The Housekeeper, or K-drama thrillers like Mine, The Glory, Parasite and Little Women (the 2022 one, not the March sisters).

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely—but don’t go in expecting twists on every page. This is a psychological unravelling, not a plot rollercoaster. It’s for patient readers who love watching someone slowly lose their grip on reality… while sipping tea in a designer robe

What happened after the last post? The Haunting Side of Internet Influencers: Q/A with Liann Zhang, debut author of Julie Chan Is Dead

Title: Julie Chan Is Dead

Author: Liann Zhang

Number of Pages: 320

Publishing Date:  29 April 2025

Available Format: hardcover paperback kindle

Genre: Asian Representation, Young-Adult, Murder mystery, Thriller

Review:

In a world obsessed with curated perfection, Liann Zhang dares to ask: what’s really hiding behind the feed?

Liann Zhang is the mind behind Julie Chan Is Dead, a debut thriller that’s as razor-sharp as it is unsettling. With a background steeped in storytelling that blends psychological tension and cultural insight, Zhang brings a fresh, bold voice to the genre. Her work pulls you in with the glittering lure of social media glamour — and then rips the façade away to expose the dark secrets lurking underneath. With biting wit and nerve-shredding tension, Zhang crafts a story about a young woman who slips into her twin’s glittering, influencer-perfect life — only to find herself tangled in something far more dangerous than she ever imagined.

In Julie Chan Is Dead, we meet Julie, a supermarket cashier who steps into the life of her late twin sister Chloe — a famous influencer whose perfect online persona hides more than anyone ever realized. What begins as a daring reinvention quickly spirals into a deadly game of deception, secrets, and survival. Set against the glossy, high-stakes world of influencer culture, Zhang's novel is a chilling exploration of identity, envy, and the dangers hidden behind the filters.

In today’s Q&A, Liann Zhang opens up about crafting this twisted tale, how she tackled writing about influencer culture, her inspirations, her love of messy, complicated characters, and why Julie Chan Is Dead feels terrifyingly real in an era when image is everything, how this is much more than just a thriller — it’s a story about the masks we wear, online and off.

Q. This book is your debut—congratulations! What has surprised you the most about the publishing process?

A. Thank you! Honestly, I don't think a lot has surprised me, and it's only because I've read so many articles and forum posts about what surprised other authors, that anything that should have surprised me, I already know about. If that makes sense. But I'm incredibly grateful for all the fellow debut authors who I've been able to connect to during this exciting time, and the resounding support of readers everywhere!

Q. What inspired you to write Julie Chan Is Dead, and how did you come up with such a thrilling and unique premise?

A. I think a lot of JULIE CHAN had been brewing in my brain for a long while. I just wasn't sure how to put it all together! These crazy hijinks from influencers are based off many things I've seen during my years of being chronically online, and I'm sure other people who have spent a lot of time scrolling would recognize them too. Some parts from the latter half of the novel, was directly inspired by a brand trip I saw a lot of influencers go on near the tail-end of COVID. It was crazy to see so many people suffering from the pandemic, then going online to see a bunch of rich, famous, beautiful and already privileged influencers go on a private island retreat. When I watched those videos, I always thought about how we only get to see a small sliver of what they do on these influencer getaways... what happens during the hours they don't film?

Q. The book dives deep into the influencer world. What kind of research did you do to capture the glitz, glam, and underlying darkness of this lifestyle?

A. I honestly didn't have to do much research. All of the glitz and glamour are things I've seen with my own eyes through vlogs. It was a pretty simple process to put what I've watched into words--mostly, because I've just seen so much of it! So many influencers out there openly showing their luxurious life. Parts of some dynamics and scenes were also influenced by my own experience during my short time as a content creator on Instagram. I had the pleasure of attending a few events then. 

Q. Julie and Chloe are such distinct yet intertwined characters. What was the most challenging part of writing their dynamic?

A. I think the most challenging part was finding a way to show Chloe's POV in the book. It's hard since, you know, she's dead! I had to get clever with how I showed her thoughts through the novel. Especially the side of Chloe she didn't share on the internet.

Q. The island retreat and the people there feel like a whole another story in itself. How did you craft such an atmospheric and tense setting all while adding some of the least discussed & controversial topics?

I think putting all the characters on a isolated island inherently creates tension in the setting itself. The reader knows they are stuck there, without escape. (Uh oh!) The characters become incredibly insulated, which would lead to more drama and tension, and things to pop off. In a way, the island retreat could mirror anonymous group chats, where the girls are able to speak their mind, and do silly things, without the rest of the world watching on. It's curious to see what people might say, think, or do when they know other people aren't watching, and when they are surrounded by yes-(wo)men. The worst parts of them might come alive, y'know? Then those controversial topics just come out naturally.

Q. The story touches on themes of identity, envy, and privilege. Was there a particular message you wanted readers to take away?

A. At the end of the day, all societal structure is rooted in privilege, which goes hand-in-hand with race, class, etc. You can't change what type of environment you're born into, but you can certainly acknowledge it in a fair way. And I think as consumers of media, we need to be more critical of what we are supporting/consuming. We need to really think about who these people are, what are their true intentions, and just really critically analyze Why and What and WHO we are listening to.

Q. What was your favorite scene to write, and which scene kept you awake at night, thinking, ‘How am I going to pull this off?

There's a particular scene in the second half that I was super excited to write. The scene is mostly intact from the original, and while I wasn't kept awake from thinking how I would pull it off, I was more concerned about the reception. I know some people might not gel with what's shown, but I also sincerely believe that the girls that get it, get it, and those are the people I'm writing for!! I am so grateful to the people who are receptive to that scene. Our brains work in similar ways!!

Q. Julie’s journey is filled with morally gray decisions. How do you, as the creator, feel about her choices?

A. I think Julie, is in part, wish fulfilment. I mean, don't we all want to be a vapid, rich, privileged influencer some days? I think she's sometimes a mirror version of myself, if I existed with less empathy and zero concern of consequences ahaha. But sometimes, her shamelessness also makes her admirable. 

Q. Are there any authors, books, or media that influenced your writing style or inspired this novel?

A. Yellowface by RF Kuang came out while I was writing the book. The positive way it was received really empowered me to believe in Julie, and to write a character that might be disliked and controversial. I was also influenced by Bunny by Mona Awad, and the girl-cult. Similarly, movies like Midsommar, Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, and Yellow Jackets are totally my speed and helped inspire some elements of the book. In terms of writing style/voice, a lot of it is my own, in the way that a lot of the way I speak is directly influenced by online/Tik Tok lingo. So, I should probably also acknowledge that. A lot of my sense of humor is directly absorbed from my time online. It's built my personality!

Q. Without giving too much away, do you have plans for more stories in this world, or are you working on something new? Can you give us a hint?

A. I don't plan to continue Julie's story. But I am working on a new horror novel! It's a modern day re-telling of a famous Chinese horror story. :) I'm also brainstorming a new novel that's tangentially related to the influencer world, but not influencers perse. I've had enough of them!