Esther Is Now Following You by Tanya Sweeney #BookReview #EstherIsFollowingYou @tanyasweeney @estherfollowsyou @bantambooksuk @TransworldBooks @RandomTTours

 

You're the love of Esther's life. You just don't know it yet...

Esther first sees Ted walking in a park in London. They lock eyes and for a fraction of a second, she feels something she’s never felt before.

She starts by reading up about his life in Canada and his work as an actor. Then she watches every interview with him online. It isn’t long before she’s joined Ted’s fan site online where her and the ‘Tedettes’ stalk his every move.

When Ted gets a new celebrity girlfriend, Esther decides that things have gone far enough. She leaves her husband, takes all their savings, and buys a one-way ticket to Canada.

After all, Ted might not know it yet, but they are meant to be together – he just needs a little bit of persuading...

Esther Is Now Following You by Tanya Sweeney is published by Bantam on 29 January 2026. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy as part of this #RandomThingsTours Virtual Book Tour 

I think we all judge a book by the cover. That first glance often tells us so much about what we are going to find inside. I looked at this one and saw fun, humour, maybe a love story? Well, yes, there are some of those, but there's so much more too. 

There’s something quietly unsettling about the book and the story, and that’s very much its strength. Tanya Sweeney’s debut is one of those novels that slips under your skin almost without you realising, you are nudged into uncomfortable territory yet it's so readable and so compelling at the same time. 

At first glance, the premise feels familiar: obsession, celebrity culture, fandom taken too far. But the author really doesn't sensationalise. Instead, she has produced a wonderful, intimate portrait of a woman whose inner life is far more fragile and complex than the surface narrative initially suggests. Esther is not an easy character to like, and I don't think that she is designed to be. I often found myself questioning her decisions, feeling frustrated by her beliefs and uneasy with the choices she makes. And yet, as the novel unfolds, it becomes harder to dismiss her as simply 'unhinged' or delusional.

The novel is paced so well. This is not a breathless thriller, but it is a slow, psychologically driven exploration of loneliness, longing, and the human need to be seen. There’s a quiet sadness at the heart of the story that lingers long after the final page, balanced with moments of sharp observation and the occasional wry note of humour.

The novel deals with modern fandom and online spaces, where connection and validation can feel so close, yet are ultimately hollow. Esther’s relationship with the digital world feels authentic and frighteningly plausible, particularly in how it feeds both her hope and her isolation.

Esther Is Now Following You is a quietly powerful debut, more melancholic than shocking, and far more empathetic than I expected from the blurb. It’s a novel about obsession, yes, but also about grief, depression, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. Not an easy read, but a rewarding one.

For the last fifteen years, Tanya has been a columnist in a number of Irish newspapers and magazines, among them the Dubliner, STELLAR, U, Irish Tatler, and the Irish Times Magazine.

She is currently a journalist and Weekend magazine columnist at the Irish Independent and is a regular contributor on Irish radio & TV. 

Her work in the music, film & TV industries helped inspire her debut novel, Esther is Now Following You, a funny, fresh and deeply affecting story about celebrity fandom and what happens when it all becomes a bit too real.

IG @tanyasweeney

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