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Influenced
'Darkly voyeuristic but with heart - as funny as it is painful and true. We loved it'
GRAZIA
on Underbelly
'So sharp, so tender... truly excellent storytelling' DAISY BUCHANAN on Underbelly
INFLUENCED [v.]
To affect or change how someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks.
Alexandra is falling apart. She's just lost her job, her husband barely acknowledges her existence and her daughter hates her. The only place she truly feels seen, is online.
She loves nothing more than the rush of emotion when she sees a blinking notification, a heart on one of her posts. Here, in this filtered reality, this community of women means she doesn't feel quite so alone, after all.
Until, one day, everything changes. And she'll do everything in her power to put it right...
***
Readers can't wait for INFLUENCED...
'Blown away by the first novel and hoping and praying for much more where this came from! Relatable, well-written, harrowing and gripping reading' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Incredible, absolute must read, I can't wait for what comes next!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Absolute killer first novel... more please!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Unputdownable, funny and serious, I can't wait for the next book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'So sharp, so tender... truly excellent storytelling' DAISY BUCHANAN on Underbelly
INFLUENCED [v.]
To affect or change how someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks.
Alexandra is falling apart. She's just lost her job, her husband barely acknowledges her existence and her daughter hates her. The only place she truly feels seen, is online.
She loves nothing more than the rush of emotion when she sees a blinking notification, a heart on one of her posts. Here, in this filtered reality, this community of women means she doesn't feel quite so alone, after all.
Until, one day, everything changes. And she'll do everything in her power to put it right...
***
Readers can't wait for INFLUENCED...
'Blown away by the first novel and hoping and praying for much more where this came from! Relatable, well-written, harrowing and gripping reading' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Incredible, absolute must read, I can't wait for what comes next!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Absolute killer first novel... more please!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Unputdownable, funny and serious, I can't wait for the next book' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 14, 2025
25 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Anna Whitehouse
10 books22 followersAnna is the granddaughter of a Jewish refugee who fled Vienna as a teenagerin 1936. She has loved writing stories ever since she was a young girl and this is her first children's novel.
The Last Santa was inspired by a question asked by Anna's dad when she was ten. "I wonder what would happen if Santa was ever abolished?" You'll have to read the book to find out!
The Last Santa was inspired by a question asked by Anna's dad when she was ten. "I wonder what would happen if Santa was ever abolished?" You'll have to read the book to find out!
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 16, 2025
3.5 stars!
This book was not entirely the book that I expected to read.
The tagline is - “Her Life Was Perfect..Now She Wants Revenge”
Our main character Alexandra (Mostly called Alex), loses her job at the very start of the book - which is not a spoiler it’s on the blurb, and she realises how alone she is, estranged from her husband and daughter even though they live in the same home. Alex, instead of trying to reach out to them, escapes online, a place where she seeks for the comfort and camaraderie she is missing in her own life.
The blurb basically outlines the above, but goes on to say “Until, one day everything changes. And she’ll do everything in her power to put it right…”
This sounded intriguing to me, I wondered what could have happened online? Did she do or say something to get someone cancelled or into trouble? Something we hear more and more about lately, around the dark side of social media.
However, having read the book, I’m a little unclear as to what this “one day” was. Instead I felt that there was a steady culmination of events and experiences that we see Alex go through, all of which lead to her working towards making changes in her life and of those around her. So not quite the dark tale I was expecting, but an interesting one nonetheless.
Alex as a main character is a tricky one, and hard to root for. At first glance she seemed to have few redeeming qualities; she's self-centred, conceited, entitled to name but a few - but then she would have these sudden sparks of self awareness sporadically to keep you hopeful. I think it was largely this hope that kept me reading. I couldn’t help but wonder, is she really this oblivious or is she trying to convince herself that she’s right?
Some of Alex’s actions are a bit unhinged in my view and I just felt pained and embarrassed for her. Then there is a shift - and I’m not going to spoil it but for me the shift was a definite relief! This book at times made me feel quite tense. I can empathise with some of Alex’s experiences being a Mum myself, but I definitely do not want to follow her example…at least not early Alex. It’s an uncomfortable but interesting read about a time of a woman’s life that I haven’t personally seen too much written about before
On a lighter note, there are some genuinely funny lines in there, one in particular involving crystals and wind chimes stands out! These were usually unexpected and used sparingly, it’s not really the overall tone of the book but these little moments of levity were a welcome change of tone when they popped up.
Overall I don’t think this book is necessarily for everyone.I think it is an interesting read, but if the tale of a not terribly pleasant near 50 year old woman’s journey of self discovery and borderline mid/life crisis doesn’t sound appealing then probably best to stay clear!
This book was not entirely the book that I expected to read.
The tagline is - “Her Life Was Perfect..Now She Wants Revenge”
Our main character Alexandra (Mostly called Alex), loses her job at the very start of the book - which is not a spoiler it’s on the blurb, and she realises how alone she is, estranged from her husband and daughter even though they live in the same home. Alex, instead of trying to reach out to them, escapes online, a place where she seeks for the comfort and camaraderie she is missing in her own life.
The blurb basically outlines the above, but goes on to say “Until, one day everything changes. And she’ll do everything in her power to put it right…”
This sounded intriguing to me, I wondered what could have happened online? Did she do or say something to get someone cancelled or into trouble? Something we hear more and more about lately, around the dark side of social media.
However, having read the book, I’m a little unclear as to what this “one day” was. Instead I felt that there was a steady culmination of events and experiences that we see Alex go through, all of which lead to her working towards making changes in her life and of those around her. So not quite the dark tale I was expecting, but an interesting one nonetheless.
Alex as a main character is a tricky one, and hard to root for. At first glance she seemed to have few redeeming qualities; she's self-centred, conceited, entitled to name but a few - but then she would have these sudden sparks of self awareness sporadically to keep you hopeful. I think it was largely this hope that kept me reading. I couldn’t help but wonder, is she really this oblivious or is she trying to convince herself that she’s right?
Some of Alex’s actions are a bit unhinged in my view and I just felt pained and embarrassed for her. Then there is a shift - and I’m not going to spoil it but for me the shift was a definite relief! This book at times made me feel quite tense. I can empathise with some of Alex’s experiences being a Mum myself, but I definitely do not want to follow her example…at least not early Alex. It’s an uncomfortable but interesting read about a time of a woman’s life that I haven’t personally seen too much written about before
On a lighter note, there are some genuinely funny lines in there, one in particular involving crystals and wind chimes stands out! These were usually unexpected and used sparingly, it’s not really the overall tone of the book but these little moments of levity were a welcome change of tone when they popped up.
Overall I don’t think this book is necessarily for everyone.I think it is an interesting read, but if the tale of a not terribly pleasant near 50 year old woman’s journey of self discovery and borderline mid/life crisis doesn’t sound appealing then probably best to stay clear!
July 26, 2025
I’m not sure I was quite the right target audience for this book but I went with it anyway!
Alex has been made redundant from the job that she has slogged away at for years and years without much recognition at all. She feels that this is grossly unfair and at the beginning I was inclined to agree with her. But when I learnt of all the little reasons that added up to her being asked to leave, I wasn’t surprised. Alex’s personal life is also struggling. She practically hates her husband and her relationship with her teenage daughter is challenging. Alex feels that she was destined for more than this, and seeks out support from the online world.
She gets sucked into the social media politics and her actions online were borderline cyber bullying I thought!! She was harassing people, but not really realising that that’s what she was doing. Ultimately, Alex was hard to like, although I do understand some of her frustrations. I can see where the author was going with this however Alex came across as though the world owed herself and that she felt she was better than everyone else, and I think it made her hard to relate to, even though some of the things she was experiencing and thinking were relatable.
The overall tone of the book was quite down, dreary and tbh, a little bit depressing 🙈 it did perk up towards the end and the ending was hopeful and light. Alex’s moments of self reflection finally came to fruition and she ultimately saw the error of her ways.
An easy enough to read book, but also lacking in lots of ways I thought.
Alex has been made redundant from the job that she has slogged away at for years and years without much recognition at all. She feels that this is grossly unfair and at the beginning I was inclined to agree with her. But when I learnt of all the little reasons that added up to her being asked to leave, I wasn’t surprised. Alex’s personal life is also struggling. She practically hates her husband and her relationship with her teenage daughter is challenging. Alex feels that she was destined for more than this, and seeks out support from the online world.
She gets sucked into the social media politics and her actions online were borderline cyber bullying I thought!! She was harassing people, but not really realising that that’s what she was doing. Ultimately, Alex was hard to like, although I do understand some of her frustrations. I can see where the author was going with this however Alex came across as though the world owed herself and that she felt she was better than everyone else, and I think it made her hard to relate to, even though some of the things she was experiencing and thinking were relatable.
The overall tone of the book was quite down, dreary and tbh, a little bit depressing 🙈 it did perk up towards the end and the ending was hopeful and light. Alex’s moments of self reflection finally came to fruition and she ultimately saw the error of her ways.
An easy enough to read book, but also lacking in lots of ways I thought.
July 7, 2025
Influenced is a tale for the modern woman; Alex's personal life isn't rewarding, her daughter seems to detest her and when her work falls apart, she finds herself online searching for the dopamine she craves.
This isn't quite the book I thought it would be! At the beginning, I found Alex's character quite hard to like- she seems bitter and as the reader it was easy to see the cracks she couldn't. However, as the plot went on, I think the novel delved into something a lot deeper - online behaviour and how that affects so many people. It's an interesting read and it was both engaging and believable. It is positive at the end and onewe could probably all take something away from!
If you read Whitehouse's previous novel, you'll enjoy this one too.
This isn't quite the book I thought it would be! At the beginning, I found Alex's character quite hard to like- she seems bitter and as the reader it was easy to see the cracks she couldn't. However, as the plot went on, I think the novel delved into something a lot deeper - online behaviour and how that affects so many people. It's an interesting read and it was both engaging and believable. It is positive at the end and onewe could probably all take something away from!
If you read Whitehouse's previous novel, you'll enjoy this one too.
November 4, 2025
I love Anna Whitehouse but didn't love this book. It didn't deliver on the drama that was promised and while I don't mind a character study, even with characters as unlikeable as Alex, I found the many threads in this book just didn't weave.
So many really important topics included, workplace discrimination, childhood trauma, low self esteem, menopause, online obsession, divorce but they just didn't go anywhere.
I felt this book was filled out too much with pages and pages of similar streams of consciousness and then too quickly wound up to finish, making it ironically difficult for me to actually finish.
There are many relatable arcs but ultimately it didn't have the juice of a page turning novel for me.
So many really important topics included, workplace discrimination, childhood trauma, low self esteem, menopause, online obsession, divorce but they just didn't go anywhere.
I felt this book was filled out too much with pages and pages of similar streams of consciousness and then too quickly wound up to finish, making it ironically difficult for me to actually finish.
There are many relatable arcs but ultimately it didn't have the juice of a page turning novel for me.
October 30, 2025
let's start with the positives - I admire the author advocating for flexible working for women in this male designed corporate world. also, writing a story from women in their 40-50s perspective, who has a teenage child and simply degraded to serving others and being invisible, when they should be celebrated and supported for all they went through.
the book, though, felt short with too many explanations, leaving little room for the reader to think about. the protagonists felt like two characters - one the start of the book and completely different personality at the end, which is quite unrealistic to think a 3 day writing retreat can make such a big change in personality traits.
the book, though, felt short with too many explanations, leaving little room for the reader to think about. the protagonists felt like two characters - one the start of the book and completely different personality at the end, which is quite unrealistic to think a 3 day writing retreat can make such a big change in personality traits.
July 21, 2025
I’m conflicted on this book, because it was way less about the dangers and drama of internet fame than about a woman’s internal conflict. I wouldn’t mind this at all except that it was not what I was looking for and it was not, to be honest, that engaging. I’ll admit I was bored for most of this and barely finished, but I think some people really would like this if they were looking for something more a character study and less an engaging plot.
Thank you to NetGally for the ARC, all opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGally for the ARC, all opinions are my own.
September 3, 2025
Alex is nearing 50 with a husband she barely speaks to, a job where she feels taken for granted and a 13yo teenage daughter permanently plugged into headphones. After being fired / or was she made redundant, first it was the former but then the latter she turns to a thinly veiled reference to an online forum to seek solace.
So far, so relatable. Except the tone is so dreary, Alex so unlikeable and the ending so convenient that I found myself agreeing with her boring husband.
On the plus side, I read it very quickly.
So far, so relatable. Except the tone is so dreary, Alex so unlikeable and the ending so convenient that I found myself agreeing with her boring husband.
On the plus side, I read it very quickly.
July 10, 2025
I like Anna Whitehouse’s writing style and enjoyed her previous book so I was looking forward to reading Influenced.
Overall I enjoyed it but I think some of the plot lines and decisions made by Alex, our main character, were at times frustrating and at other times too convenient in order to progress the plot.
There are some interesting insights into middle age, long term relationships, friendships, the effect of social media and lots more.
Overall I enjoyed it but I think some of the plot lines and decisions made by Alex, our main character, were at times frustrating and at other times too convenient in order to progress the plot.
There are some interesting insights into middle age, long term relationships, friendships, the effect of social media and lots more.
July 30, 2025
Alex was a flawed, complex and interesting character. I did find her quite frustrating at times but also quite fascinating. The book dragged a little for me at times but definitely picked up in the second half. A fairly easy read with a few laugh out loud moments.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Orion publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Orion publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 1, 2025
Hidden somewhere in this book is a good story and solid topics. Unfortunately it’s written in a confused and incoherent style. Characters are incomplete, strong themes are laid out then ignored, whole chapters feel like soapboxes rather than genuine interactions and the narrative arc is unsatisfying.
September 2, 2025
I enjoyed this book.
I loved the friends aspect at the end of the book, it was heartwarming.
A good read.
I loved the friends aspect at the end of the book, it was heartwarming.
A good read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews