The Follower

Gr 8 Up–The Cole triplets seem to have the perfect life. They run the popular social media channel ColeTripsHouseFlips, on which their parents buy giant houses and make them over to sell them for top prices. Cecily and Rudy work in front of the camera, while Amber is the digital genius who edits photos and manages their livestreams. But there are cracks in the Coles’ public facade: Dad’s gambling addiction has left the family strapped for cash. Mom has taken out a big loan to buy a Range Rover to maintain their public image. The triplets are no longer doing the social media gig out of love, but to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Amber is feeling left out; Mom has determined a plus-size lesbian isn’t what the public wants to see, despite posts from followers indicating they want more of Amber. Then Dad selects their next project: a small-town haunted house—the site of multiple murder/suicides. The writing style is compelling, including livestream feed comments throughout. The Cole family is white, and the cast includes an Asian police officer, a Latinx contractor, and Amber’s love interest, Jada, who has brown skin.