Follow Her

by Anna Stothard

Some call her a cult leader. Others, their salvation. I used to call her my best friend…

Ten years ago, seventeen-year-olds Katie and Frida spent a heatwave summer together on a tidal island and they haven’t spoken since. Katie has tried hard to forget about what happened, all while watching Frida rise to fame as a spiritual influencer with millions of devoted followers.

But then a photograph a group of girls bathed in summer light, white t-shirts glowing against marsh water. One figure is the celebrated Frida Rae. One is Katie. The others are girls whose dead bodies recently washed up near the island.

As a determined journalist starts asking questions, Katie’s carefully constructed life as a doctor’s wife and a mother begins to crack. Forced to recall her time with Frida, she is drawn back into a world of obsession, toxic first love and deadly secrets. Frida has many victim, friend, spiritual leader. But how far will both women go to protect their image—and whose story will the world believe?

Genres: Fiction

297 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 1, 2026

About the author

Anna Stothard was born in London and studied English Literature at Oxford University before completing a Screenwriting MFA at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. She is the author of five acclaimed novels, which have been translated into multiple languages and published around the world. Her writing often explores themes of identity, belonging, and obsession. Anna now lives and writes by the sea on the west coast of Guernsey.

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different read!

A young woman, trying to escape some personal problems, meets up with a very young ‘psychic’. She only plans to stay with her for a very short time, but that doesn’t quite happen… and soon, a lot of time has gone by…
And her life has completely and totally changed!

‘Zoe’ is not happy in her current predicament. Her Mom has moved on and is with another man. Zoe works in technology. She’s very good with computers. But she’s concerned that she’ll have to move out if her Mom keeps this up… and can she really afford to be on her own?

Then she meets Frida. And Frida is very free-spirited. She lives a totally different life… basically living off the land… and the small amount of proceeds she makes doing her psychic routine.
She’s not really concerned though, as her grandfather is elderly and very sick… and, he’s leaving her the mansion she is currently living in…

So when Zoe meets up with Frida and her entourage… well, she’s not that impressed. But, she sees a freeness, a lightness… something she herself doesn’t have, and she likes it…

And soon she is helping her to promote her business….and so much more.

She becomes an integral part of the fabric of Zoe’s life…

But, is this actually a good thing, or a bad thing?

It was so nice to see Zoe grow and finally have a bit of confidence in herself… just a bit sad that she had to rely on others to get there…

This is told from Zoe’s POV and in the form of an interview… and the twists that come up towards the end? Well you kind of feel like you knew something was coming… but then again, you also feel a bit blindsided…

I enjoyed this one!
4 bold, beautiful, psychotic (as opposed to psychic) stars for me! ⭐️🌟⭐️🌟

#FollowHer by @AnnaStothard and narrated nicely by @BillieFulfordBrown.

It has NOT BEEN RELEASED YET! But, it’s coming out soon… on 2/1/26! So, look 👀 for it then!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, #BrilliancePublishing and #BrillianceAudio for an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!!

You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

[Amber McGregor · Rating 2 out of 5]

omg this just dragged on and on and on. Im still wondering what the storyline was really about. Nearly DNFd it several times. Very slow and boring

[Luci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel a bit frustrated by this book. The premise is good and would make a good tv series, but the ending is a bit of a nothing ending for me.

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Id rather join a cult than finish this. I did get to 65%... again cult.

I would say the pace was slow but that would give it too much credit. Mind you, cult books that are done right, can have a slow build.

I enjoy a book that builds. It is like going up the first hill of a roller coaster.

But this isn't it.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A restrained, psychologically attuned novel that resists urgency in favor of atmosphere, inviting the reader to sit inside uncertainty rather than sprint toward revelation. What begins behind the perceived safety of computer screens, slowly draws the narrator toward a remote island and its carefully contained social circle, one that orbits around the curiously radiant Freida. Revered for her insight, her intuition, her near-mystic attentiveness to others, this mysterious young woman is offering promises that contain multitudes. Told across dual timelines, a chance encounter fractures into something more insular and unsettling: a world where devotion operates as currency, and reverence shades almost imperceptibly into control. Stothard is uninterested in spectacle; her focus is the slow mechanics of belief— how it is cultivated, how belonging seduces, and how curiosity, left unchecked, can calcify into obedience.

Anna Stothard’s prose is quietly exacting, attentive to the smallest human tells— a specific cadence, a laugh, a fingers-only wave that reveals more than confession ever could. Her characters are rendered with an intimate emotional precision, as if each feeling has been handled, weighed, and placed deliberately on the page.

This is very much a slow burn, layered with withheld information and quiet manipulations that demand patience. The novel unspools through omission as much as disclosure, inviting the reader to piece together its many secrets gradually, sometimes uncomfortably so. That deliberate pacing may frustrate readers looking for swift answers, but for those willing to surrender to its rhythm it offers a chilling study of power, intimacy, and the subtle violence of being chosen. So, relax. Breathe in.
Have a Twix.

[Stacey Reads It All · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follow Her by Anna Stothard was a tense, fast-moving listen that kept me pretty interested. The premise was compelling and the atmosphere stayed consistently uneasy, which worked well for the story. While some plot developments felt a bit familiar and a few character choices stretched believability, the pacing kept things moving and made it hard to stop listening.

The audiobook narration was a definite strength. Billie Fulford-Brown did a great job, delivering an emotionally grounded performance that added depth and urgency to the story. Her narration helped smooth over some of the weaker moments and kept me invested through to the end.

Overall, this was an enjoyable thriller that didn’t completely wow me but was solid, engaging, and worth the time—especially in audio format. 3.5 stars.
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for providing the ARC.

[Hannah Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recieved a free copy via Amazon First Reads Scheme.

This book was a tense, edge of your seat story about friendship, religion and faith.
I started and finished this novel in a day and couldn't put it down! The characters are fully fleshed out and feel real, although the story felt slow to build, it quickly gained momentum and captured my interest throughout.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literally nothing happened? It dragged on and there was definitely some story somewhere but I flew through it and can’t really say I read anything.

[Isabelle Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kindle book

2026 New Year’s resolution is to finish all books I start. This nearly broke that. This was very boring.

[Nooks Full Of Books]

Thank you to NetGalley and Anna for this advance copy 🙏

📃 Summary: Teenagers Katie and Frida meet on the Tube on an early December morning. They do not know it then, but their lives are about to change forever: one will become a famous health and spiritual guru, with millions of followers; the other will change her name and hide in a small coastal town in Yorkshire.

When, out of the archives, a photo of four girls emerges - two of whom have been missing for over a decade - the foundations of Frida and Katie's carefully designed worlds begin to shift. Credentials and marriages are suddenly on the line and threaten to burst the invisible protective bubbles, which they have been building since that fateful encounter.

Can they succeed in keeping their secrets tucked away, or is a nosey journalist about to unearth that which should have always stayed buried?

👌 What I enjoyed: If you have read any of Anna's previous novels, you will concur that she is a master of a slow-paced story. The build up in 'Follow Her' will keep you turning the pages, questioning whether what you are given an objective representation of events, or whether our protagonist simply offers an interpretation. Sometimes, you will side with her, trustin her side of the story, and at times, you will doubt the validity of her statements. Often but not always will you will symphathise with her. You will sense something is off - a sinking island, an abandoned cottage, a curt nurse - but for a while all will be shrouded in mystery.

'Follow Her' is written in a dual timeline; this is a writing tool, which has historically worked for me, and my experience with this book's own is no exception. One minute we follow seventeen-year old Frida and Katie and the next it is present day. Both timeframes maintain tension and momentum, with their respective set of dubious characters and undercurrents of danger and suspense. Unfortunately, I find that some writers do not write convincingly in multiple temporal dimensions. Generally, one comes on top. I would say they are on par here.

Lastly, the writing style of 'Follow Her' is, for the most part, a joy. It's elusive and fluid, simple but engaging. There's a good mix of dialogue and description, and the incorporation of other media is a stylistic choice I can get on board with.

👎 What I would have liked done differently / better / not at all: Even though I'm somebody, who likes both open and rather 'closed' endings, for this book specifically, I wish better closure were given to the reader, a few more loose ends tied. But this is my personal preference. If you don't care about neat conclusions or require to have all the questions answered, I reckon you'll love it.

[Katie.the.reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

"But everyone you love leaves parts of themselves in you. The way they wave with just their fingers, or bite their lip when they concentrate. There's no escape from these little ghosts left inside us, how we sigh, or come, or lick our fingers. Our bodies remember."

Oh man I loved this creepy lil audiobook. Our FMC is an anxious lil high school drop out called Katie (UM HELLO????????) After her anxiety has left her lonely and addicted to pills, she has a fateful encounter with a manic pixie dream girl on the tube. Except she smells like a swamp. After going against her better judgement, Katie (under the fake name 'Zo' gets more involved with Freaky Frida and her rag tag band of runaways on an isolated island that's cut off from the rest of the world whenever the tide comes in. Katie becomes more obsessed with Frida, building her social media empire to share her message to the wider world, but before she knows it, she's neck deep in the cult of Frida.

This book is so haunting. The way it's written had me peeking over my shoulder along with Katie, wondering who could be watching. The origin of Frida and her 'powers' are written with just enough fact and just enough vagueness that she is genuinely an enigmatic and mythical figure. I was drawn to her story, I wanted to know more about her and learn more about her - just like the sycophants in the story. The author has a real gift for depicting seemingly normal spaces/scenes in just a *slightly* off-kilter way, so it feels eerie and unsettling even if you can't pinpoint why.

Also, huge credit to the audiobook narrator with this one, her characterisation of Katie and Frida really elevated this story.

[Jas Stock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Anna Stothard for the ALC of Follow Her by Anna Stothard.

The story is a dual timeline first person POV following protagonist Katie (known as Zoe) who gets embroiled in a cult run by Frida a new age "psychic" who Katie stumbles across online when she is down on her luck. The timelines follow her meeting Frida and unknowingly joining the cult and the present where someone is trying to investigate the deaths of two girls.

The characters and plot are well developed. Though I did get lost a little at times with the audio, it was mostly easy to follow the story along. The intermittent sound bites by Frida really illustrate how much she is in Katie's head throughout the book showing the power of her and I loved this narrative tool in particular. The unravelling of the plot came at a good pace and you can see how slowly Katie fell into the web of lies. We do not discover how she escaped until well into the book which adds intrigue nor do we discover what happened to the girls until well into the story and this is a great as some thrillers reveal it all a bit too soon! The story was believable and suitably dark.

Be aware there are themes of coercive control and miscarriage amongst some other dark themes.

The narration was well done. As with all female narrators, the males sounded at times a little silly but otherwise very good job. Frida's interjections in particular were so well done!

Overall great book, I was very gripped throughout. One to read if you're a fan of authors like John Marrs and Freida McFadden

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Follow Her” is not my first Anna Stothard read, and in no way will it be my last. When I heard she had something new coming out, I got quite excited, having loved my time with “The Pink Hotel” last year.

This book is nothing like what I might have expected from the author… in a very good way. Having grown up in a religious home and being extremely aware of cults as a child because of that, there has always been that extra bit of interest in them for me. Interest in them, not in joining one per se, but in the structure, attraction and mindset. Without trying to give away anything, how Anna Stothard puts some modernity into this storyline felt realistic and believable.

Her character development remains rich and balanced. The way she uses previous life events in a way that isn’t clunky or confusing is remarkable.

I did get the advanced audio version of this and this may be the first book I have taken in with this narrator. Billie Fulford-Brown did a spectacular job with this. There was one specific point in the book of a really emotional-filled dialogue between characters and Billie Fulford-Brown had me tearing up during it. I’m so glad I got to experience this solid read in that way and format.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seventeen-year-old Frida toes the line between wellness guru and cult leader, with our FMC, Zoe, somewhere between worship and disbelief. I like the inclusion of social media to gain attention and followers. Very influnecy. Influencers do have cult followings. I really enjoyed the setting, on an island, with a causeway that leaves you trapped for half the day. I am a sucker for flower crowns and animal masks. Nothing too crazy happens, but you are left wondering if you can chalk everything up to coincidence. I think it’d be fairly easy to be pulled into this type of commune/cult community.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author, Anna Stothard, for the eARC! I really enjoyed it! Pub date Feb 1, 2026

[Mrs J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling

When a hard-working mother of two is approached by a shifty character, intrigue is born. He brings with him photos and memories of a past she has tried to forget. As she worries about the threat to her current life, she can’t help but wonder about the people she left behind.
There is tension and intrigue as the author skilfully draws us into the main character’s past. There is a sense of joy and support, yet hints of manipulation and possibly danger. There is something of a twist yet the end doesn’t quite live up to the buildup and feels a little too neat.
A fascinating take on the susceptibility to cults, particularly when magnified by the use of social media.

[Kayleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of Follow Her from Netgalley in exchange for my review. Follow Her will be published 02/01/2026.

I really struggled with the storyline and it was so disappointing because I do usually really love cult based books. I think they can occasionally be done really well with a slow lead-in but Follow Her didn’t seem to ever really build up. Perhaps the withheld information was intentional but it felt really frustrating as a reader.
The topic of a social media cult has a lot of promise and I would encourage the author to write more into that. Unfortunately, the characters weren’t captivating and the story felt a bit all over the place.

[Dori Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written story and an excellent narrator. A slow burn about a lost teenage girl and the enigmatic fortune teller teen she meets, who people flock to. With an island at their disposal and the MC’s social media savvy, we see how a cult can form around the right type of leader — and what can happen to teenagers with no stability and support network.

I think I would have gotten more out of this book — and gotten into it more easily — by not doing the audio, though that’s not the narrators fault at all as she was excellent.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for an audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Angela Maher · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Copy received via Amazon First Reads)

This was an absorbing read. The story jumps between two time frames, building and revealing a mystery through what happened in the past and its current influence. Each time the truth seems to be revealed, a shift sends you down an alternate path.
Great writing and engaging characters make it easy to read in big blocks. The use of social media and recent history anchor it firmly in the now in an unforced way, but also serve to support the timeline of the overall story.

[Lucy Peck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got from Amazon first reads before release.

The concept was incredibly interesting. The writing was descriptive and engaging in parts however at times it made it clunky and hard to follow. Some parts seemed like repetition.

Some parts of the plot could have been delved into a little bit more and other parts were completely over-done. I thought the theme of cults and power was explored really well without sensationalising it too much. Some interesting ideas left ambiguous which was a realistic approach to the secretive topic of cults etc.

Overall I would say, give it a read

[Katie Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Follow Her - Anna Stothard
⭐️⭐️
2/5

I dunno if it’s the book or me, but this was just long and boring and put me into a right reading slump. The actual storyline had such good potential and something kept drawing me back but then nothing actually happened so was a bit disappointing for me.

Katie finds herself drawn to a girl called Frida who claims to be a psychic. They spend a summer together on an island ten years ago but haven’t spoken since.
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#bookstagram #booktok #books #reading #bookreview

[Ellie Wade · Rating 2 out of 5]

pros
I loved the cult element, which was interesting, and I didn't mind the ending either, I know some didn't like it.
cons
It dragged! I don't DNF books, but I could've with this one!
I also started skimming pages!
But the most annoying thing was that I couldn't understand the timeline?
Was it set in the future?
Her son was 10 years old, but she had him in covid?
10 years ago they were posting on tik tok?
Apparently teenage girls also had phones with fingerprint technology 10 years ago and this was common, but I don't think these phones came out till 2016-2018.
Inconsistencies annoy me

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Amazon for my free January "Kindle First Reads". A difficult one, this. I'm not sure "enjoyed" is the right word. The content was not pleasant at times but for me it felt very real. Viral internet growth, the power that comes with that, alongside some very interesting insights into cult following - how the desires of people can develop and manifest into absolute belief. A huge implication around manipulation throughout, alongside desire, sadness, abuse and cruelty.

[Emily Bagg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's more of a 3.5, I felt like it really ramped up towards the end and the idea is SO intriguing, I can't stop thinking about how I would react or deal with this situation.

The two bits that didn't sit quite right for me were the UK location and the suspended belief, maybe because I don't think something like this would happen in Essex!? If the location felt a bit more remote I think I could have let that go...

[Mrs Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded Follow Her. Another fantastic book by Anna Stothard. From the moment I picked it up, I struggled to put it down. The descriptions are incredible, I can picture every scene. This is a fabulous cult story with a difference! It covers the origins of a cult and the fine line between love and worship. It’s funny, dark and human! Can’t recommend highly enough.

[EJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uff-da. That was not a bang-up start to the year! Narrator is a great fit for vibe of the story, and is perhaps the highlight of the entire title; however, the overall book is…not great. The plot is a lot of nothing, that unfortunately goes nowhere. I kept hoping for *something*, but just NOPE. Bummer, dude.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follow Her
By Anna Stothard
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wasn’t overly invested or put off by Follow Her. This was the first novel i’d read by the author - the social media cult topic grabbed me. It was a quick read but I don’t feel like I ever truly grasped the plot or was drawn to the characters. The ending didn’t give much reveal and left me with a lot of questions.

[Jacob Cockcroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. The depiction of the tidal island is beautifully atmospheric and the characters so intricately woven together - you really feel like you are in a cult. Really enjoyed the relationship between the two main protagonists too. Highly recommend.

[Emory McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything cultish so I knew this would hook me and it did!! The way people prey on any kind of vulnerability is so frightening and interesting.

Excellently narrated!

Thank you to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love books about cults and I thought this would be a great book comparing influencers to cults since they do have cult like followings but I was underwhelmed. I really didn’t feel like this book had a significant plot device.

[Katie Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was super excited to read this book and loved the premise. But, I felt at though the book just kind of dragged on without much happening. I wish that I loved it, but, it just didn’t land for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for this ARC!