What starts as a humorous, slightly catty look at social media turns into a chilling and dark commentary on our obsession with likes and followers. I fully expected this to be a light, fluffy read that would keep me entertained for a few hours and instead found myself dropped into a dark and twisted future that seems all to real and likely to happen.

Told through two timelines, we are introduced to a future where entire towns are filled with reality tv stars and are on camera non-stop. Marlow, a young starlet who has spent almost her entire life in front of the camera having her everyday life written and directed by the Network, has few memories of her life before. The face of Hysteryl, a mood stabilizing drug she has been using since puberty, Marlow spends her day in medicated contented bliss. When the Network decided it's time for her and her husband to have a child, the drug must be stopped during the pregnancy and is slowly weaned off as she prepares for her sowing party, her emotions slowly return and the mental clarity creates her first feelings of dread and uncertainty of spending the rest of her life having her every move dictated by others. When a lab technician discovers there is a discrepancy in Marlow's DNA, Marlow sets out to discover the truth about her parents and her past.

As Marlow searches for clues to her past, we learn through flashbacks about the social media rise of the couple that Marlow believes to be her parents. Floss Natuzzi and Aston Clipp rose to Internet super stardom with the help of blogger Orla Cadden and a series of outrageous stunts. When their Instagram stardom leads to a reality tv show, the three spend their days pretending to live their real life on camera while a small crew of writers create the scandalous and shocking scripts for them to follow. After an Instagram message inadvertently causes a horrific event, the three social media stars are cast out as social pariahs. The fallout of the event helped to spur on the Spill, a tragic and worldwide phenomenon that changed the world forever.

This book was fascinating! Not only does Megan Angelo give us a world ruled by social media and reality tv, but everyone also has an implanted device that allows them to see their standings and comments from followers. The devices provide a way for producers to directly influence their stars and direct their behavior. Living with a complete lack of privacy is second nature to the residents of Constellation, a town completely set up to provide 24 hour access to the followers of the show. With only one hour a day allowed to themselves off camera, found in the very wee hours of the morning, Marlow and her fellow residents have their every word and movement scrutinized and commented on by their millions of followers.

How absolutely terrifying! Even more so when you know someone in our present day has definitely had that idea and there are those out there who would love to watch a group of people live out every moment of their life with no editing or commercial breaks.

Angelo created a story that deftly combined the two timelines with enough twists and turns that you are always kept guessing as to how the two are truly intertwined. The Spill, not going to spoil that little nugget, is frightening in it's believability. To have one event completely change the future of the entire world-terrifying.