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If You're Seeing This, It's Meant for You
Fates collide after a tarot influencer disappears from a decaying Hollywood mansion in this unnerving gothic mystery and audacious social comedy from the acclaimed author of Self Care.
After her boyfriend dumps her in a Reddit post, unemployed thirty-nine-year-old Dayna accepts an unusual opportunity from a man she stopped speaking to twenty years ago: If Dayna can help Craig transform his crumbling mansion into a successful hype house of influencers, he can restore his birthright to its former glory, and she can bring her career back from the dead.
But missing from the mansion is Becca, an enigmatic tarot card reader who built a rabid fandom with her cryptic, soul-touching videos . . . and then vanished. With nineteen-year-old Olivia, the newest member of the hype house (and one of Becca’s biggest fans), Dayna begins to build a social media campaign around Becca’s disappearance that will catapult the creators to new heights of success. Too bad Craig forbids Dayna from pursuing the mystery at its heart.
As Olivia searches for traces of Becca in a labyrinthine house that seems intent on hiding its secrets, and Dayna becomes entangled with both Craig and Jake, the resident heartthrob and the last person to see Becca, the two women make a shocking discovery that will upend everything.
The You may think you’re inhabiting it, but is it really inhabiting you?
After her boyfriend dumps her in a Reddit post, unemployed thirty-nine-year-old Dayna accepts an unusual opportunity from a man she stopped speaking to twenty years ago: If Dayna can help Craig transform his crumbling mansion into a successful hype house of influencers, he can restore his birthright to its former glory, and she can bring her career back from the dead.
But missing from the mansion is Becca, an enigmatic tarot card reader who built a rabid fandom with her cryptic, soul-touching videos . . . and then vanished. With nineteen-year-old Olivia, the newest member of the hype house (and one of Becca’s biggest fans), Dayna begins to build a social media campaign around Becca’s disappearance that will catapult the creators to new heights of success. Too bad Craig forbids Dayna from pursuing the mystery at its heart.
As Olivia searches for traces of Becca in a labyrinthine house that seems intent on hiding its secrets, and Dayna becomes entangled with both Craig and Jake, the resident heartthrob and the last person to see Becca, the two women make a shocking discovery that will upend everything.
The You may think you’re inhabiting it, but is it really inhabiting you?
320 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 2025
150 people are currently reading
22650 people want to read
About the author
Leigh Stein
9 books359 followersLeigh Stein makes fun of what the internet is doing to us. She is the author of six books, including the critically acclaimed satirical novel SELF CARE and a gothic novel titled IF YOU'RE SEEING THIS, IT'S MEANT FOR YOU. She has written culture pieces and personal essays for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker online, Airmail, Allure, ELLE, BuzzFeed, The Cut, Salon, and Slate.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
August 13, 2025
i guess reading this book is my destiny then
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
July 9, 2025
Have you ever opened a book and lost yourself within the pages so thoroughly that time moves differently while you’re reading it?
For me, that was how it felt to read “If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant For You.” I started it before moving, and was shirking my packing responsibilities to read a few more pages. I went on bike rides, and read outside with my phone turned off. I lost huge chunks of time, every time I picked it up.
Two women, for different reasons, enter a crumbling mansion, which is being flipped into a TikTok hype house. At its core, it is a gothic mystery novel. Someone is missing; someone is losing their mind. Is the house alive? So much to trip and fall into.
It’s also a satire, a reflection on aging in front of millions on the internet, and something else all its own.
It’s smart, funny, sexy and utterly divine. As an avid reader, I am of course always searching for books like this. But when I find one, I am grateful they are rare gems—they’re all the more special, that way.
For me, that was how it felt to read “If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant For You.” I started it before moving, and was shirking my packing responsibilities to read a few more pages. I went on bike rides, and read outside with my phone turned off. I lost huge chunks of time, every time I picked it up.
Two women, for different reasons, enter a crumbling mansion, which is being flipped into a TikTok hype house. At its core, it is a gothic mystery novel. Someone is missing; someone is losing their mind. Is the house alive? So much to trip and fall into.
It’s also a satire, a reflection on aging in front of millions on the internet, and something else all its own.
It’s smart, funny, sexy and utterly divine. As an avid reader, I am of course always searching for books like this. But when I find one, I am grateful they are rare gems—they’re all the more special, that way.
April 16, 2025
ARC for review. To be published August 26, 2025.
3 stars
Dayna gets dumped by her boyfriend in a Reddit post (that sounds even worse than break up by Post-it.) Then Craig, a man she knew twenty years ago offers her the chance to revive her career by helping to turn his decrepit mansion into a to a hype house for influencers.
She accepts, but she doesn’t realize that Becca, a tarot card influencer living at the house has gone missing. Dayna enlists the help of Olivia, another influencer in the house, to help create a social media campaign to help find Becca, but Craig doesn’t want the bad publicity.
Olivia searches the mansion for clues and gets to know the other three people living in the house while Dayna becomes involved with both Craig and Jake, another house resident and the last person to see Becca. Where has Becca gone and what secrets are hidden in the house?
This was OK. I’m aware of hype houses, but don’t follow any influencers, so a lot of this wasn’t super familiar to me. The ending was very rushed, I had to read it a second time to make sure I caught what happened. Definitely geared toward younger people.
3 stars
Dayna gets dumped by her boyfriend in a Reddit post (that sounds even worse than break up by Post-it.) Then Craig, a man she knew twenty years ago offers her the chance to revive her career by helping to turn his decrepit mansion into a to a hype house for influencers.
She accepts, but she doesn’t realize that Becca, a tarot card influencer living at the house has gone missing. Dayna enlists the help of Olivia, another influencer in the house, to help create a social media campaign to help find Becca, but Craig doesn’t want the bad publicity.
Olivia searches the mansion for clues and gets to know the other three people living in the house while Dayna becomes involved with both Craig and Jake, another house resident and the last person to see Becca. Where has Becca gone and what secrets are hidden in the house?
This was OK. I’m aware of hype houses, but don’t follow any influencers, so a lot of this wasn’t super familiar to me. The ending was very rushed, I had to read it a second time to make sure I caught what happened. Definitely geared toward younger people.
May 19, 2025
Full review to come.
September 9, 2025
This book started off super strong — creepy house, weird vibes, a group of influencers living together... I was so into the premise. It felt like it was gonna be a fun mix of gothic mystery and social media satire, and in a way it was. The writing is good and it kept me reading, but by the end I was kinda let down.
It wasn't as scary or creepy as I expected, and the mystery didn't really go anywhere. There were some interesting ideas about mental health, internet culture and influencer life, but it didn't dig as deep as I'd hoped. The story also dragged a bit in the middle, and the ending felt….underwhelming. Like, all that buildup for that?
Overall, cool concept and great beginning, but the rest didn't totally land for me.
It wasn't as scary or creepy as I expected, and the mystery didn't really go anywhere. There were some interesting ideas about mental health, internet culture and influencer life, but it didn't dig as deep as I'd hoped. The story also dragged a bit in the middle, and the ending felt….underwhelming. Like, all that buildup for that?
Overall, cool concept and great beginning, but the rest didn't totally land for me.
August 25, 2025
Leigh has written a book that only the elder millennial voice could so accurately portray. What starts off as a reddit thread posted by our main character's boyfriend announcing their breakup quickly builds into a satirical look at the opportunities we have been "afforded" by the likes of TikTok and Instagram: the ability to exploit yourself and others for financial reprieve.
If you were not on TikTok in the years leading to and after the 2020 US presidential election you may not be familiar with the term "hype house". During these years the platform was filled with mostly people dancing, pranks sometimes causing great endangerment, and voiceovers galore with that weird finger motions and lip techniques (iykyk). This was the era of Charli D'Amelio, Bella Poarch, and Khaby Lame. It is not to say that this barrage of videos have subsided but they have become somewhat more muted as the application has become one of the world's largest search engines and not only a method for escaping reality.
This book centers us around the engine that fueled a trend of young creators all piling into a luxurious house to create content. Showcasing a world that many could only dream of, but gives us the view behind the camera. I remember two creators pouring into my feed many years ago by the name of Brent Rivera and Pierson. They were young beautiful people making videos with perfect lighting, dancing or arguing, portraying a bit of teen angst and doing things that are not natural in real life but delivered with the most magnificent backgrounds. They would also have random other recurring cast mates who lived under the same roof, actively promoting one another through their various feeds. In some ways this was genius, albeit weird, but these young creators were gifted something magical, success beyond imagination for simply being in the right place at the right time...and potentially having the ability to dance a bit.
In the novel we meet a cast of characters all living in a hype house in LA but unlike the pristine walls and infinity pools seen in the videos I described above we have a building in disarray, in need of major repairs and in violation of county codes. There is also a bit of mystery around this house due to a missing creator who previously became successful through broadcasting live tarot readings. We are lead through first person narrative of two characters, Dayna and Olivia. Dayna is a woman in her late 30s down on her luck accepting the position as collaborator with Craig, the owner of said LA property sponsoring young creators. She takes hold of this unique opportunity to restore the mansion to it's former glory and reap the financial gains through managing a cast of young creators. Olivia is the newest participant in the creator coalition drawn to the house because of the intrigue with Becca, it's former tarot superstar.
There are so many things to like about this novel specifically coming from someone who is online and has made a decent in road with a specifically niche segment of TikTok. If you have doom scrolled and come across a video that starts, "If you are seeing this it is meant for you", and not had the inert desire to at least stay for a second and see if maybe there is some force out there uniting your glowing mobile device with the gods above, you are stronger than I. Leigh has taken so many elements from the social media-verse and wrapped them up in a tight tale that is not meant to condemn but rather expose the life behind our creators the lens is sure to never disclose.
If you were not on TikTok in the years leading to and after the 2020 US presidential election you may not be familiar with the term "hype house". During these years the platform was filled with mostly people dancing, pranks sometimes causing great endangerment, and voiceovers galore with that weird finger motions and lip techniques (iykyk). This was the era of Charli D'Amelio, Bella Poarch, and Khaby Lame. It is not to say that this barrage of videos have subsided but they have become somewhat more muted as the application has become one of the world's largest search engines and not only a method for escaping reality.
This book centers us around the engine that fueled a trend of young creators all piling into a luxurious house to create content. Showcasing a world that many could only dream of, but gives us the view behind the camera. I remember two creators pouring into my feed many years ago by the name of Brent Rivera and Pierson. They were young beautiful people making videos with perfect lighting, dancing or arguing, portraying a bit of teen angst and doing things that are not natural in real life but delivered with the most magnificent backgrounds. They would also have random other recurring cast mates who lived under the same roof, actively promoting one another through their various feeds. In some ways this was genius, albeit weird, but these young creators were gifted something magical, success beyond imagination for simply being in the right place at the right time...and potentially having the ability to dance a bit.
In the novel we meet a cast of characters all living in a hype house in LA but unlike the pristine walls and infinity pools seen in the videos I described above we have a building in disarray, in need of major repairs and in violation of county codes. There is also a bit of mystery around this house due to a missing creator who previously became successful through broadcasting live tarot readings. We are lead through first person narrative of two characters, Dayna and Olivia. Dayna is a woman in her late 30s down on her luck accepting the position as collaborator with Craig, the owner of said LA property sponsoring young creators. She takes hold of this unique opportunity to restore the mansion to it's former glory and reap the financial gains through managing a cast of young creators. Olivia is the newest participant in the creator coalition drawn to the house because of the intrigue with Becca, it's former tarot superstar.
There are so many things to like about this novel specifically coming from someone who is online and has made a decent in road with a specifically niche segment of TikTok. If you have doom scrolled and come across a video that starts, "If you are seeing this it is meant for you", and not had the inert desire to at least stay for a second and see if maybe there is some force out there uniting your glowing mobile device with the gods above, you are stronger than I. Leigh has taken so many elements from the social media-verse and wrapped them up in a tight tale that is not meant to condemn but rather expose the life behind our creators the lens is sure to never disclose.
August 23, 2025
*3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for providing and ARC of If You’re Seeing This, It Was Meant For You by Leigh Stein in exchange for honest feedback.
So I have slightly mixed reviews on this one, but overall I really enjoyed it. I thought it was fast-paced and the writing style was fun which kept me engaged throughout. This was essentially a modern take on connection and intimacy against the backdrop of our hyper-online world.
That said, the story felt a bit uneven at times for me and perhaps I’m crazy, but I felt like there was a whole chapter toward the end that was missing. I was convinced I somehow blacked out while reading it, but definitely was not able to figure out where that story hole went. Also not the biggest fan of ambiguous endings so that left me feeling a bit distant.
Still a fun read and would recommend giving it a chance!
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for providing and ARC of If You’re Seeing This, It Was Meant For You by Leigh Stein in exchange for honest feedback.
So I have slightly mixed reviews on this one, but overall I really enjoyed it. I thought it was fast-paced and the writing style was fun which kept me engaged throughout. This was essentially a modern take on connection and intimacy against the backdrop of our hyper-online world.
That said, the story felt a bit uneven at times for me and perhaps I’m crazy, but I felt like there was a whole chapter toward the end that was missing. I was convinced I somehow blacked out while reading it, but definitely was not able to figure out where that story hole went. Also not the biggest fan of ambiguous endings so that left me feeling a bit distant.
Still a fun read and would recommend giving it a chance!
September 4, 2025
2 ⭐️
A very strange and disjointed fever dream of a book.
A very strange and disjointed fever dream of a book.
July 31, 2025
such a unique and original concept for a novel. i never would’ve considered such a modern phenomenon like a social media hype house to blend with the classic gothic tale, but here we are.
i feel incredibly neutral about this book. it was fine. i read it, i didn’t dislike reading it, but i won’t sing its praises. the dialogue felt unrealistic quite regularly which pulled me out of the book. the mystery was also, unfortunately, quick lackluster. i wanted something bigger i suppose.
the characters (namely olivia, dayna, and becca) felt like ideas of a person rather than a fully fleshed out character. like, here’s olivia, she’s an orphan, that’s about it. the whole book sort of felt like a bunch of random ideas jumbled together without any real cohesion.
however, i did read this quite easily and did find myself intrigued by certain elements. i love a good gothic setting.
tl;dr: gothic house, influencers lacking personalities, and a mystery reveal that was as exciting as a slowly deflating balloon
(thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!)
i feel incredibly neutral about this book. it was fine. i read it, i didn’t dislike reading it, but i won’t sing its praises. the dialogue felt unrealistic quite regularly which pulled me out of the book. the mystery was also, unfortunately, quick lackluster. i wanted something bigger i suppose.
the characters (namely olivia, dayna, and becca) felt like ideas of a person rather than a fully fleshed out character. like, here’s olivia, she’s an orphan, that’s about it. the whole book sort of felt like a bunch of random ideas jumbled together without any real cohesion.
however, i did read this quite easily and did find myself intrigued by certain elements. i love a good gothic setting.
tl;dr: gothic house, influencers lacking personalities, and a mystery reveal that was as exciting as a slowly deflating balloon
(thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!)
June 22, 2025
This was well-written, but I feel like maybe I didn't totally 'get it'. I liked the premise a lot, and thought the beginning was super strong. Creepy house, mystery, random group of people living there. However, there was very little atmosphere in the book. I never felt like anything creepy was happening, or got that gothic mystery feel. The characters were all just okay. I didn't feel like we ever pursued the mystery of Becca - everything that happens just happens without any action from the characters and with no tension. I would have liked a lot more emphasis on the characters and Becca's disappearance, and less on influencing brand deals. That said, I found this well-written (love the writing style) and read it within 2 days, so definitely an interesting read.
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC.
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC.
July 11, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC for review.
Okay, Leigh Stein. I see you.
If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant For You is a deliciously gothic mystery that takes a close look at modernity, social media, replication, and the most dangerous drug of all- attention. And I’m absolutely obsessed with it. This book has had me in such a chokehold since finishing it, with no end in sight. This is one of the only books that I’ve ever read and immediately considered a reread.
If You’re Seeing This follows Dayna, a heartbroken millennial, as she moves into a dilapidated neo-Mayan mansion to take on the job of helping an old friend turn it into a hype house for young content creators. We also follow Olivia, an aspiring young actress who moves into the hype house with the secret intention of investigating the disappearance of the mansion’s former shining star, a social media tarot reader. However, nothing is as it seems- the owners of the mansion have a mysterious past, and the house seems to have a strange effect on those who visit, stirring up rumors and fears among online communities.
Leigh Stein packed so many layers into about 320 pages, I fear I won’t be able to scratch the surface. However, I found this book absolutely impossible to put down. She successfully turns the internet and the media into a haunting, and the rush we receive from online validation into a possession. While this may not be for readers who want every single question answered and fully explained in the end, it’s perfect for those of us who like to feel fully consumed by a story for days after finishing.
It’s atmospheric, it’s sexy, it’s satirical, it’s uncomfortably relatable. Oh, and the main character has a pet rabbit named Owen Wilson. Need I say more?
Okay, Leigh Stein. I see you.
If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant For You is a deliciously gothic mystery that takes a close look at modernity, social media, replication, and the most dangerous drug of all- attention. And I’m absolutely obsessed with it. This book has had me in such a chokehold since finishing it, with no end in sight. This is one of the only books that I’ve ever read and immediately considered a reread.
If You’re Seeing This follows Dayna, a heartbroken millennial, as she moves into a dilapidated neo-Mayan mansion to take on the job of helping an old friend turn it into a hype house for young content creators. We also follow Olivia, an aspiring young actress who moves into the hype house with the secret intention of investigating the disappearance of the mansion’s former shining star, a social media tarot reader. However, nothing is as it seems- the owners of the mansion have a mysterious past, and the house seems to have a strange effect on those who visit, stirring up rumors and fears among online communities.
Leigh Stein packed so many layers into about 320 pages, I fear I won’t be able to scratch the surface. However, I found this book absolutely impossible to put down. She successfully turns the internet and the media into a haunting, and the rush we receive from online validation into a possession. While this may not be for readers who want every single question answered and fully explained in the end, it’s perfect for those of us who like to feel fully consumed by a story for days after finishing.
It’s atmospheric, it’s sexy, it’s satirical, it’s uncomfortably relatable. Oh, and the main character has a pet rabbit named Owen Wilson. Need I say more?
July 27, 2025
From the cover and blurb, and like others, I kind of expected a campy thriller, and that’s NOT what this book is at all. This is a book about a group of largely unlikable twenty-somethings existing in a dilapidated mansion while wondering (vaguely, because they’re mostly just self-absorbed content creators, who are generally annoying to begin with) what happened to a previous roommate, Becca. The “adults” include Dayna, a 39-year old unemployed tabloid reporter whose boyfriend recently broke up with her via Reddit, and Craig, the weird 50-something owner of said mansion who had groomed Dayna when she was a teenager (while he was engaged, no less), then years later invites her to manage his household of vapid nobodies. I went into this thinking most content creators are vapid nobodies, and therefore was excited for this validation, to be clear. And we do get glimpses of character depth for some of them (Jake, Piper) but they’re mostly one-dimensional side characters that we don’t get a ton of context for.
There’s a lot of random craziness that’s mildly entertaining, and I think Olivia’s backstory is compelling but otherwise this seemed disjointed and incomplete. The entire “climax” of learning Becca’s fate was rushed and nonsensical, and the ending seemed like a cliffhanger but is there more to come from these characters? I don’t really think I would bother to find out.
I will say, the writing is very good and I did appreciate the author’s commentary on online fame overall.
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
There’s a lot of random craziness that’s mildly entertaining, and I think Olivia’s backstory is compelling but otherwise this seemed disjointed and incomplete. The entire “climax” of learning Becca’s fate was rushed and nonsensical, and the ending seemed like a cliffhanger but is there more to come from these characters? I don’t really think I would bother to find out.
I will say, the writing is very good and I did appreciate the author’s commentary on online fame overall.
Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 15, 2025
This book has a rabbit named Owen Wilson...let that sink in for a second. Just sit with that for a moment. Iconic. I think everyone needs a rabbit named Owen Wilson.
Given that this author does a lot of satire and commentary writing, this book is a conversation on a lot of aspects of our modern world. For example, our main character learns about her own relationship/break-up through a Reddit thread. And I thought that was hilarious.
This book has a touch of modern gothic spook to it. We get a spooky old mansion that is turned into a modern, influencer-type house, and lots of aspects of the world of the influencer. And through the lens of very different people.
I, personally, didn't really connect to the characters. They weren't fully developed enough for me. And I can see that being a choice since influencers are just marketing shells of people, but there's a way to make a character shallow without it seeming like you didn't spend enough time on them. This didn't feel purposeful, even if it was. I don't even think it was.
This is another book with a great premise but with an execution that didn't quite hit the mark. This could've been so deep and interesting, but it didn't land for me the way I wanted it to. I can still see a lot of people liking this though.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Given that this author does a lot of satire and commentary writing, this book is a conversation on a lot of aspects of our modern world. For example, our main character learns about her own relationship/break-up through a Reddit thread. And I thought that was hilarious.
This book has a touch of modern gothic spook to it. We get a spooky old mansion that is turned into a modern, influencer-type house, and lots of aspects of the world of the influencer. And through the lens of very different people.
I, personally, didn't really connect to the characters. They weren't fully developed enough for me. And I can see that being a choice since influencers are just marketing shells of people, but there's a way to make a character shallow without it seeming like you didn't spend enough time on them. This didn't feel purposeful, even if it was. I don't even think it was.
This is another book with a great premise but with an execution that didn't quite hit the mark. This could've been so deep and interesting, but it didn't land for me the way I wanted it to. I can still see a lot of people liking this though.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
July 15, 2025
If you’re seeing this, it’s meant for you! The title definitely got my attention - and maybe this book WAS meant for me?
This was such an unusual book and definitely not the type of book I normally gravitate to. It was recommended to me by Emma Thomasch at Ballantine and I am really glad I decided to read it!
This is both a modern gothic mystery and a scathing (IMO) commentary on TikTok culture and Gen Z. In a way it reminded me of “Yellowface” by RF Kuang- in that it’s a dark satire about something in our current culture. It really highlights the nonsensical-ness of our obsession with likes, clicks and going viral.
Though I don’t even have TikTok and feel, as an elder millennial, that I do not relate (or care to relate) to GenZ at all, this was so entertaining! I enjoyed the beginning half more as I felt the novel sped up in the latter half ended too quickly - and I definitely wanted more!
Thank you to Emily, Ballantine & NetGalley for the advanced copy! If You’re Seeing This It’s Meant For You is out August 26th
This was such an unusual book and definitely not the type of book I normally gravitate to. It was recommended to me by Emma Thomasch at Ballantine and I am really glad I decided to read it!
This is both a modern gothic mystery and a scathing (IMO) commentary on TikTok culture and Gen Z. In a way it reminded me of “Yellowface” by RF Kuang- in that it’s a dark satire about something in our current culture. It really highlights the nonsensical-ness of our obsession with likes, clicks and going viral.
Though I don’t even have TikTok and feel, as an elder millennial, that I do not relate (or care to relate) to GenZ at all, this was so entertaining! I enjoyed the beginning half more as I felt the novel sped up in the latter half ended too quickly - and I definitely wanted more!
Thank you to Emily, Ballantine & NetGalley for the advanced copy! If You’re Seeing This It’s Meant For You is out August 26th
June 4, 2025
Thank you to the publisher for sending this my way. I found it so engaging and entertaining and telling of the way influencer culture impacts all generations in different ways. I don’t know much about hype houses, and at first, I was worried this was going to feel a little dated, as trends are so fleeting in our culture, but I enjoyed the writing and storytelling, and the creepy vibes of the house unsettled me. Well done, Leigh.
May 4, 2025
Another banger from internet queen, Leigh Stein! IYSTIMFY is a quick read, with depth, humor, and Stein's signature satire. Both POV's are relatable, regardless of your age. Dayna, the disillusioned Millennial artist/journalist struggling with yet another "pivot," and Olivia, the extremely online Gen Z kids trying to make sense of her circumstances. One chapter in particular really nerds out on Tarot in a clever way.
Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!
Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!
September 5, 2025
File this under Gothic for the digital age: an unnerving, atmospheric mystery wrapped in social satire, where the haunted house is a collaborative mansion and the ghosts are followers with insatiable appetites. The tone is sharp and darkly funny, but it’s the human ache beneath the wit that makes it linger.
Setting the novel apart is the threading of Gothic tropes through modern anxieties. The mansion isn’t a mere backdrop— it’s a stage, a reliquary, an archive collapsing under its own illusions. Think Rebecca: a vanished presence shadowing every room. Think Grey Gardens: the eerie doubling of women across generations, collapsing into one another’s ruins. Stein pushes beyond parody of influencer culture to expose the raw fear beneath it: that visibility is fragile, youth evaporates quickly, and obscurity waits like a locked room at the end of a windowless hall.
Others may praise the satire alone, but the deeper brilliance is in its thoughtful tapestry. These characters are not simply labeled— they ache to be seen, to be chosen, to matter. The novel asks what it means to inherit not wealth, but myth, and what it costs to fashion a self under the gaze of strangers. Even its imagery: the recurring tarot, the nods to classic literature, the comparison of one generation to the next— suggests that what’s at stake isn’t just solving a mystery, but carrying the burden of faith, possibility, and reinvention.
This book unsettles not with corpses but with a quieter, more nuanced question: what does it take for a woman to avoid disappearing? And what does she stand to lose if she does— or doesn’t?
Setting the novel apart is the threading of Gothic tropes through modern anxieties. The mansion isn’t a mere backdrop— it’s a stage, a reliquary, an archive collapsing under its own illusions. Think Rebecca: a vanished presence shadowing every room. Think Grey Gardens: the eerie doubling of women across generations, collapsing into one another’s ruins. Stein pushes beyond parody of influencer culture to expose the raw fear beneath it: that visibility is fragile, youth evaporates quickly, and obscurity waits like a locked room at the end of a windowless hall.
Others may praise the satire alone, but the deeper brilliance is in its thoughtful tapestry. These characters are not simply labeled— they ache to be seen, to be chosen, to matter. The novel asks what it means to inherit not wealth, but myth, and what it costs to fashion a self under the gaze of strangers. Even its imagery: the recurring tarot, the nods to classic literature, the comparison of one generation to the next— suggests that what’s at stake isn’t just solving a mystery, but carrying the burden of faith, possibility, and reinvention.
This book unsettles not with corpses but with a quieter, more nuanced question: what does it take for a woman to avoid disappearing? And what does she stand to lose if she does— or doesn’t?
July 1, 2025
Since the advent of social media, young people have performed versions of themselves online for consumption and validation. Years later, they - and our main character - grapple with the impending indifference and disregard the world inflicts on those whose performances it no longer ascribes any value to.
Faced with that and a life that is a far cry from the dreams of their youth, the once-exploited may find themselves in a role reversal. Maybe it’s just the effect the once glorious and now dilapidated gothic mansion has on the women who inhabit it. Or maybe it’s just showbiz, baby.
A story about an influencer hype house in LA may provoke an (appropriate!) eye roll or two, but this book was SO easy to get into. There’s a bit of mystery, a healthy dose of cringe, a salacious moment or two, a dash of redemption, classic pandemic-era TikTok tropes, and a slew of mental health problems.
If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You was well-paced, well-written and hard for me to put down, but the last 15% or so felt a bit rushed, which left the redemption arc to fall a bit flat.
This book will especially resonate with readers in their 20s and 30s who have lived much of their lives being moderately to chronically online, but I’d recommend it even if those qualifiers do not apply to you.
Thanks to Ballantine & NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for my review.
4.25
Faced with that and a life that is a far cry from the dreams of their youth, the once-exploited may find themselves in a role reversal. Maybe it’s just the effect the once glorious and now dilapidated gothic mansion has on the women who inhabit it. Or maybe it’s just showbiz, baby.
A story about an influencer hype house in LA may provoke an (appropriate!) eye roll or two, but this book was SO easy to get into. There’s a bit of mystery, a healthy dose of cringe, a salacious moment or two, a dash of redemption, classic pandemic-era TikTok tropes, and a slew of mental health problems.
If You’re Seeing This, It’s Meant for You was well-paced, well-written and hard for me to put down, but the last 15% or so felt a bit rushed, which left the redemption arc to fall a bit flat.
This book will especially resonate with readers in their 20s and 30s who have lived much of their lives being moderately to chronically online, but I’d recommend it even if those qualifiers do not apply to you.
Thanks to Ballantine & NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for my review.
4.25
June 29, 2025
Wow! I couldn’t put this one down. Leigh Stein has done it again!
The remarkable thing about internet culture and social media is that it moves SO DAMN FAST…and as a result this feels a little dated already. Hype houses in 2025 aren’t nearly as much of a thing as they were just a few years ago. That being said, this book was still a highly enjoyable read and works on a number of different levels.
The gothic novel form worked beautifully here. The Deckler house was a great setting, and our characters were excellent, complex anchors who had me hooked on the story. I appreciated how Dayna was so morally gray—for so long I was a bit shocked by how far she was willing to go to still feel relevant. One criticism I have is that Dayna’s shift at the end feels pretty abrupt. The exploitative nature of it all seems to click out of nowhere and she feels sick at how she’s participated in it all. And things had to get pretty extreme before she felt that way! I also felt like the Olivia POV was just kind of dropped without much of a conclusion for her. Jake gets kinda dropped/lost too.
So many aspects of this novel felt on point: the tarot reader influencer, the Nepo baby, the older guy inviting a young girl to his mansion because he loves her art, the Reddit am I the asshole post, etc. Some of the characters, like Piper and Sean, weren’t as well fleshed out, but I feel like it balances out with how much complexity with get with Dayna.
I’ll never get over the story of how Olivia’s parents died or that imagery of her grinding and sweatily dancing as she reveals her trauma in a TikTok.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
The remarkable thing about internet culture and social media is that it moves SO DAMN FAST…and as a result this feels a little dated already. Hype houses in 2025 aren’t nearly as much of a thing as they were just a few years ago. That being said, this book was still a highly enjoyable read and works on a number of different levels.
The gothic novel form worked beautifully here. The Deckler house was a great setting, and our characters were excellent, complex anchors who had me hooked on the story. I appreciated how Dayna was so morally gray—for so long I was a bit shocked by how far she was willing to go to still feel relevant. One criticism I have is that Dayna’s shift at the end feels pretty abrupt. The exploitative nature of it all seems to click out of nowhere and she feels sick at how she’s participated in it all. And things had to get pretty extreme before she felt that way! I also felt like the Olivia POV was just kind of dropped without much of a conclusion for her. Jake gets kinda dropped/lost too.
So many aspects of this novel felt on point: the tarot reader influencer, the Nepo baby, the older guy inviting a young girl to his mansion because he loves her art, the Reddit am I the asshole post, etc. Some of the characters, like Piper and Sean, weren’t as well fleshed out, but I feel like it balances out with how much complexity with get with Dayna.
I’ll never get over the story of how Olivia’s parents died or that imagery of her grinding and sweatily dancing as she reveals her trauma in a TikTok.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
July 22, 2025
4.25 This is a really good read and has a lot of vibes I love - a crumbling gothic house, a mysterious disappearance, a costumed coterie in search of clues. There are also weird photos, paintings, and tarot card readings. The story follows several content creators living in a decaying Hollywood mansion, turned into a vibe house to fund repairs. POV jumps around a lot so you can hear events from different perspectives, but you do have to keep mental note of who everyone is. I really enjoyed being taken down the rabbit hole, but the ending is different than I expected, and with an added air of melancholy.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC of this book!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the eARC of this book!
April 20, 2025
Review
I really enjoyed this one! It was fast paced and the setting was very eery and cryptic. I first thought that a story line shout content creators might come off cringy but honestly it ended being very relatable. It focused a lot on social media and how it holds power over us whether we realize it or not. I really I like the gothic aspects of the house too and the spiritual elements as well. I wouldn’t say this a horror novel but it’s eery enough to make things very interesting & entertaining. My only critique is the ending. It felt a little rushed and confusing and it ended to abruptly. I had so many questions but I also think that might have been the point. But I’m also not a fan of opening endings so this critique is personal lol. I would 100% recommend & oh did I mention theirs a bunny involved! 🐰
Plot
39 year old Dayna has hit rock bottom. Shes unemployed and just got dumped. So what does she do? She’s accepts a job offer from an old friend to essentially be a content manager for a hype house of young 20 year content creators. Seems normal enough? Except did i say house? No sorry I meant this ancient gothic run down mansion like house on haunted hill mansion. And why does she get this strange feeling whenever she’s in this house? Likes it alive. The house is full of secrets but so are the people are living there. And rumor has it one of the original creators (a tarot card reader) is missing? Where’s Becca? Dayna needs answers & she’ll do what it takes to get them.
Thank you Ballantine Books for an early ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I really enjoyed this one! It was fast paced and the setting was very eery and cryptic. I first thought that a story line shout content creators might come off cringy but honestly it ended being very relatable. It focused a lot on social media and how it holds power over us whether we realize it or not. I really I like the gothic aspects of the house too and the spiritual elements as well. I wouldn’t say this a horror novel but it’s eery enough to make things very interesting & entertaining. My only critique is the ending. It felt a little rushed and confusing and it ended to abruptly. I had so many questions but I also think that might have been the point. But I’m also not a fan of opening endings so this critique is personal lol. I would 100% recommend & oh did I mention theirs a bunny involved! 🐰
Plot
39 year old Dayna has hit rock bottom. Shes unemployed and just got dumped. So what does she do? She’s accepts a job offer from an old friend to essentially be a content manager for a hype house of young 20 year content creators. Seems normal enough? Except did i say house? No sorry I meant this ancient gothic run down mansion like house on haunted hill mansion. And why does she get this strange feeling whenever she’s in this house? Likes it alive. The house is full of secrets but so are the people are living there. And rumor has it one of the original creators (a tarot card reader) is missing? Where’s Becca? Dayna needs answers & she’ll do what it takes to get them.
Thank you Ballantine Books for an early ARC in exchange for my honest review!
August 23, 2025
A crumbling LA mansion turned hype house for content creators. A missing tarot influencer. A rabbit named Owen Wilson.
I truly think only a millennial can perfectly capture the absurdity AND validity of “the platform” that so many of us lose hours on, and Leigh Stein crushed it. I loved the way she played with generational differences in “content creation,” and the mystery of a missing tarot influencer that was threaded throughout the story. Great meditations on aging and what makes art art.
This book is so smart, and timely, and perfect for bookish people who also happen to be chronically online (like me).
*I received a free review copy from the publisher. Thank you, Random House Books 😘
I truly think only a millennial can perfectly capture the absurdity AND validity of “the platform” that so many of us lose hours on, and Leigh Stein crushed it. I loved the way she played with generational differences in “content creation,” and the mystery of a missing tarot influencer that was threaded throughout the story. Great meditations on aging and what makes art art.
This book is so smart, and timely, and perfect for bookish people who also happen to be chronically online (like me).
*I received a free review copy from the publisher. Thank you, Random House Books 😘
September 2, 2025
I’m truly a sucker for crumbling gothic mansions to the point I don’t even really care about the rest of the plot - I just have to read it for the vibe. I’m glad I ignored my trepidation on the Tiktoker hype house plot, thinking it might be cringey because it wasn’t. Leigh Stein really fleshed out these characters so well and made what could’ve been a cringey plot, into an atmospheric, addicting gothic mystery.
Books like this don’t come around often - where the plot truly feels like a complete new experience. This book won’t be for everyone but it was most definitely for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
Books like this don’t come around often - where the plot truly feels like a complete new experience. This book won’t be for everyone but it was most definitely for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
June 29, 2025
Smart, addictive, and wildly original. I loved SELF CARE, but Leigh Stein’s latest novel is on another level. Set in a former Old Hollywood movie set turned influencer hype house, this book delivers a delicious mix of satire, suspense, and sharp social commentary. The characters and their backstories are so compelling, I felt like I was right there with them—and when I wasn’t reading, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Stein’s talent is undeniable, and the research and nuance she brings to the influencer world make this as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
July 7, 2025
negative stars actually. this author took every drug and wrote down whatever she thought of. everything she thought of. and it was awful. you owe me therapy
May 17, 2025
This is one of those crazy novels that took me a while to assimilate as it moves quickly with twists and turns at every corner! Dayna moves into Craig's crumbling mansion and it literally becomes a House of Influencers as the guests post everything online. But one young resident, Becca, is missing and no one knows where she is. As each are worried about their own careers, they form relationships, attempt to out-do each other with "likes" and are never quite sure what will happen next. It's a pure thrill-ride!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
July 28, 2025
Arc review to come.
August 10, 2025
Check out my full thoughts on this book and more here: booktube reviews :)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review: So far it looks like this book is getting pretty mixed reviews, which I would expect based on the content. I'm going to fall into the camp of really enjoying this book. If you do read it, or already have and didn't, make sure you read the author's note at the end. I feel like the author has some really important things to say.
What I appreciated about this novel is the humor, satire, and the cultural and societal commentary. I think for you to enjoy this, your worldview has to be somewhat similar to the authors which you won't know until you try the book. I felt like it was written really well, used satire to it's advantage and really had a lot to say. My day job is a therapist primarily working with college age students at a large university. I felt like this book really honed in on a lot of the distress I see related to social media and connection. Leigh Stein also pulls in current social media controversies which I appreciated. I think a lot of us are so blind to or have just accepted the problems of social media we overlook a lot of the issues we all know exist. What this book does the best though, is show how we are all involved in this (not that we should stop) but how we are each impacted and involved in revolving door of social media.
If you like satire, social commentary and if you're a fan of Bunny by Mona Awad you may enjoy this. If you are not ready to feel called out, maybe hold off on it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review: So far it looks like this book is getting pretty mixed reviews, which I would expect based on the content. I'm going to fall into the camp of really enjoying this book. If you do read it, or already have and didn't, make sure you read the author's note at the end. I feel like the author has some really important things to say.
What I appreciated about this novel is the humor, satire, and the cultural and societal commentary. I think for you to enjoy this, your worldview has to be somewhat similar to the authors which you won't know until you try the book. I felt like it was written really well, used satire to it's advantage and really had a lot to say. My day job is a therapist primarily working with college age students at a large university. I felt like this book really honed in on a lot of the distress I see related to social media and connection. Leigh Stein also pulls in current social media controversies which I appreciated. I think a lot of us are so blind to or have just accepted the problems of social media we overlook a lot of the issues we all know exist. What this book does the best though, is show how we are all involved in this (not that we should stop) but how we are each impacted and involved in revolving door of social media.
If you like satire, social commentary and if you're a fan of Bunny by Mona Awad you may enjoy this. If you are not ready to feel called out, maybe hold off on it.
July 16, 2025
This novel is an examination of the intersection of art and content, and the harms that might come from life lived online. We have characters who are caught up in the thrill of chasing likes and gathering fans, all at the expense of real life relationships. The characters are desperately seeking validation and, ultimately, love.
So they gather at a TikTok hype house. Do not worry if you do not know what a hype house is! In this case, it's an old Hollywood mansion in disrepair where the owners are sponsoring young people to come make viral videos that can make them all rich. It's a little company town and if the content creators can't generate enough views, they're out. One of the creators is a tarot card reader and when she disappears, her audience is obsessed with all the conspiracy theories that emerge. And a consultant comes in and wants to leverage the attention to benefit the house. Her previous ties to the house and her own thwarted ambitions add another level of tension.
This is a satire, a heightened vibration meant to serve as a critique of the attention economy. Along the way, however, the author is able to make us care about the characters. They're all working through their pasts and figuring out how to become authentic as artists and friends. My takeaway is that the author has a genuine affection for them and their struggles, which makes this more than social commentary.
Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So they gather at a TikTok hype house. Do not worry if you do not know what a hype house is! In this case, it's an old Hollywood mansion in disrepair where the owners are sponsoring young people to come make viral videos that can make them all rich. It's a little company town and if the content creators can't generate enough views, they're out. One of the creators is a tarot card reader and when she disappears, her audience is obsessed with all the conspiracy theories that emerge. And a consultant comes in and wants to leverage the attention to benefit the house. Her previous ties to the house and her own thwarted ambitions add another level of tension.
This is a satire, a heightened vibration meant to serve as a critique of the attention economy. Along the way, however, the author is able to make us care about the characters. They're all working through their pasts and figuring out how to become authentic as artists and friends. My takeaway is that the author has a genuine affection for them and their struggles, which makes this more than social commentary.
Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 30, 2025
**ARC REVIEW**
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.0 Stars)
This was my first introduction to Leigh Stein’s work, and If You Are Seeing This, It Is Meant for You is an intriguing mix of gothic mystery, social satire, and literary fiction. The story follows Danya, a 29-year-old washed-up journalist whose boyfriend dumps her via Reddit (a hilariously chaotic way to open a novel). After hitting rock bottom, she accepts an offer from Craig Deckler a much older man she met as a teenager during her photography days to help manage his decaying LA mansion that now functions as a hype house for influencers.
Among the influencers living there, one is missing: Becca, an enigmatic tarot reader who built a cult-like online following before vanishing. Alongside Danya’s POV, we meet Olivia, an orphan drawn to both Becca and the Deckler house, who auditions to move in and becomes entangled in the mansion’s eerie secrets.
The novel blends internet-age humor, TikTok references, and a critique of influencer culture, creating an atmosphere that’s both modern and unsettling. While the premise is fantastic and the commentary sharp, the execution falters. The narrative feels disjointed at times, and the reveal of what happened to Becca is rushed and lacks the emotional punch it was building toward.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.0 Stars)
This was my first introduction to Leigh Stein’s work, and If You Are Seeing This, It Is Meant for You is an intriguing mix of gothic mystery, social satire, and literary fiction. The story follows Danya, a 29-year-old washed-up journalist whose boyfriend dumps her via Reddit (a hilariously chaotic way to open a novel). After hitting rock bottom, she accepts an offer from Craig Deckler a much older man she met as a teenager during her photography days to help manage his decaying LA mansion that now functions as a hype house for influencers.
Among the influencers living there, one is missing: Becca, an enigmatic tarot reader who built a cult-like online following before vanishing. Alongside Danya’s POV, we meet Olivia, an orphan drawn to both Becca and the Deckler house, who auditions to move in and becomes entangled in the mansion’s eerie secrets.
The novel blends internet-age humor, TikTok references, and a critique of influencer culture, creating an atmosphere that’s both modern and unsettling. While the premise is fantastic and the commentary sharp, the execution falters. The narrative feels disjointed at times, and the reveal of what happened to Becca is rushed and lacks the emotional punch it was building toward.
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