Made You Look: A Novel by Tanya GrantPublication Date: November 18, 2025
Pages: 368
Add on: Goodreads
Buy the Book: Amazon
Rating: ★★★
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Publisher: Berkley / Penguin Random House
A Catskills retreat turns deadly for a group of influencers when a snowstorm cuts them off from their greatest resource—their followers—just as a killer strikes in this irresistible debut thriller.
Sydney Kent is the ultimate It Girl. You want her effortless style, her charisma, her hair. You want to be her; you want to be with her.
But the trouble with a star is that everyone else looks dull in comparison.
Despite Caitlyn’s social media cunning, it’s impossible for her to step out from Sydney’s shadow. Even Lucy, Sydney’s best friend since before her fame, can’t escape her role as full-time photographer to the influencer.
When the women are invited to post content for a secluded new retreat in the Catskills, alongside Sydney’s boyfriend Jeff, stylist Nash, and manager Brent, the weekend feels like it will be a fresh start. But an unexpected snowstorm traps the group together with no cell service, no Wi-Fi, and no way out.
Then a killer strikes, and the dream trip becomes a nightmare. Secrets, lies, and scandals are forced to the surface, and the friends can’t help but suspect the murderer might be among them. Worse, the killing has only just begun.
But where there’s danger, there’s juicy, jaw-dropping, name-making content to be created. You know you want to look.
Story Locale: Catskills, NY
REVIEW
Tanya Grant’s Made You Look throws six social media influencers into a remote Catskills retreat, then snatches away their phones, their fans, and any sense of safety. What starts as influencer drama turns fast into a deadly game of survival when it’s clear someone in the group might be a murderer. The tension builds in a setting that’s all icy windows and creeping dread, feeding the isolation and paranoia that quickly take hold.
At the heart of the story is Sydney Kent, the ultimate “It Girl”, magnetic, perfectly put together, and used to living her life on display. But Grant digs beneath the curated surface, exposing the insecurities, rivalries, and secrets that lurk behind every filtered post. The cast, a tight circle of frenemies and would-be allies, lays bare the shifting power plays and fragile egos that define influencer culture.
Grant doesn’t just use the classic locked-room setup to ratchet up suspense; she turns it into a sharp commentary on online life. Stripped of their digital armour, the influencers are forced to face who they really are, and what they’re willing to do when the audience is gone. Themes of identity, belonging, and the cost of being constantly “on” permeate the drama.
The writing is razor-sharp, the pace relentless, and the dialogue brims with wit and bite. Grant’s not afraid to show her characters’ dark sides, making for a read that’s as juicy as it is suspenseful. The reveals are clever, the stakes stay high, and the pages pretty much turn themselves.
Made You Look stands out for its fresh, satirical spin on the thriller, its vivid sense of place, and its willingness to both mock and humanize the world of influencers. There’s more than just drama here, Grant finds room for real questions about family, friendship, and what community means when the masks come off. If you can’t stand influencer culture, some characters might leave you cold, and the fast pace could feel overwhelming if you prefer your suspense to unfold at a slower pace. But for anyone who loves a locked-room mystery with a modern twist, this one delivers both chills and sharp social insight.
