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Under the Influence
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253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 1, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 30, 2026
ARC REVIEW:
Firstly, I want to thank Shaylynn for allowing me to read her work. It was a pleasure, a wild ride.
Under The Influence is a story based in the 90’s. A dual POV storyline between a scare actor and an actress. Lana and Kai collide in more ways than one. When I first started reading, I was already hooked. The descriptions of the characters, the settings, it’s all I want to read about when I’m reading a book.
Lana soon became my favourite. She was strong, compassionate, kind and she held her head high throughout the whole book. Throughout the plot twists and the waves of drama and love, she stood strong and held her head up high. 💕
Kai..Kai, Kai, Kai. What can I say about him? Attractive? Definitely. In a spicy romance book, I expect a MMC who’s obsessed, who’s dedicated to getting his girl. And Kai ticked all of my boxes, he’s officially on my book boyfriend list🫣
Overall, Shaylynn outdone herself with this book and I cannot wait for the rest of the world to read it and love what I loved.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read ‘Under The Influence’ ❤️🔥📚🩷
Firstly, I want to thank Shaylynn for allowing me to read her work. It was a pleasure, a wild ride.
Under The Influence is a story based in the 90’s. A dual POV storyline between a scare actor and an actress. Lana and Kai collide in more ways than one. When I first started reading, I was already hooked. The descriptions of the characters, the settings, it’s all I want to read about when I’m reading a book.
Lana soon became my favourite. She was strong, compassionate, kind and she held her head high throughout the whole book. Throughout the plot twists and the waves of drama and love, she stood strong and held her head up high. 💕
Kai..Kai, Kai, Kai. What can I say about him? Attractive? Definitely. In a spicy romance book, I expect a MMC who’s obsessed, who’s dedicated to getting his girl. And Kai ticked all of my boxes, he’s officially on my book boyfriend list🫣
Overall, Shaylynn outdone herself with this book and I cannot wait for the rest of the world to read it and love what I loved.
Thank you again for the opportunity to read ‘Under The Influence’ ❤️🔥📚🩷
May 16, 2026
Lana
She comes back to a town that she grew up in, goes to her last audition for a role that she dreams to land and once she gets the part, she meets her male counterpart to see if they have chemistry, Liam. He looks familiar to her, but she doesn't give it more thought. That will be explained later on in the book.
Kai
He has a history with Lana and is obsessed with her. He has had a crush on her since high school. He comes face to face with her one night, her being at the place where he works. Into flashbacks of his past, we realize that he has a weird way of dealing with his obsession, going to another girl everytime he has an altercation with Lana. Half of the book is filled with sex scenes between him and this other girl.
The writing is not very spaced out, it's hard to follow at times. In the same line, you can have the words of two different people and it sometimes gets confusing as to who is talking.
But the story is good and I was looking forward on knowing everything that happened between them since the beginning. I was more intrigued by the story than the characters, to be honest and had a few "what the hell is happening" moments regarding some of the choices that were made by them. There is some suspense going on and some stalking happening but this side of the story isn't exploited enough. There are so many sex scenes that the story is a bit forgotten.
I love the fact that the story happens in the nineties, this goes in the plus side of the book.
I am giving this book three stars. I am stretching it to three because I still wanted to read it, to understand what was happening and the concept was also interesting to me.
She comes back to a town that she grew up in, goes to her last audition for a role that she dreams to land and once she gets the part, she meets her male counterpart to see if they have chemistry, Liam. He looks familiar to her, but she doesn't give it more thought. That will be explained later on in the book.
Kai
He has a history with Lana and is obsessed with her. He has had a crush on her since high school. He comes face to face with her one night, her being at the place where he works. Into flashbacks of his past, we realize that he has a weird way of dealing with his obsession, going to another girl everytime he has an altercation with Lana. Half of the book is filled with sex scenes between him and this other girl.
The writing is not very spaced out, it's hard to follow at times. In the same line, you can have the words of two different people and it sometimes gets confusing as to who is talking.
But the story is good and I was looking forward on knowing everything that happened between them since the beginning. I was more intrigued by the story than the characters, to be honest and had a few "what the hell is happening" moments regarding some of the choices that were made by them. There is some suspense going on and some stalking happening but this side of the story isn't exploited enough. There are so many sex scenes that the story is a bit forgotten.
I love the fact that the story happens in the nineties, this goes in the plus side of the book.
I am giving this book three stars. I am stretching it to three because I still wanted to read it, to understand what was happening and the concept was also interesting to me.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you so much to the author for the opportunity to read this ARC! I’m always grateful to discover new stories early 🤍
This book immediately pulled me in with its 90s horror setting, which was honestly one of my favorite parts. The atmosphere felt nostalgic and eerie in the best way, and it really set the tone for the story.
That said, I did feel like the plot could have been a bit stronger overall. There were moments where I wanted more depth, especially when it came to the characters. I didn’t fully connect with them as much as I hoped to, and I found myself wishing for more development and emotional layering.
Another thing to note is that the book leans heavily into spice, at times it felt like it took up a large portion of the story. If you’re someone who loves a spice-forward read, this will definitely be right up your alley.
I did enjoy the twist, though! I especially liked how it played with expectations, thinking one character was the villain, only to realize things weren’t so simple.
Overall, this was a mixed read for me, but I can definitely see the appeal depending on what you’re looking for. Thank you again to the Shaylynn for sharing this story!
This book immediately pulled me in with its 90s horror setting, which was honestly one of my favorite parts. The atmosphere felt nostalgic and eerie in the best way, and it really set the tone for the story.
That said, I did feel like the plot could have been a bit stronger overall. There were moments where I wanted more depth, especially when it came to the characters. I didn’t fully connect with them as much as I hoped to, and I found myself wishing for more development and emotional layering.
Another thing to note is that the book leans heavily into spice, at times it felt like it took up a large portion of the story. If you’re someone who loves a spice-forward read, this will definitely be right up your alley.
I did enjoy the twist, though! I especially liked how it played with expectations, thinking one character was the villain, only to realize things weren’t so simple.
Overall, this was a mixed read for me, but I can definitely see the appeal depending on what you’re looking for. Thank you again to the Shaylynn for sharing this story!
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.5/5 First off I want to thank Shaylynn for the opportunity to read her debut novel and congratulate her as well!
I absolutely loved going back to the time of my childhood (let’s go 90s baby’s) and this book really caused me to miss my Friday night Blockbuster nights. I absolutely loved the concept and plot of the story and my need to figure out what happened kept me fully invested.
However, I would have loved to have the characters be a little more flushed out and to have a little more background on the characters. The writing style was not my favorite and to me felt a little choppy.
Overall I loved the book and hope that it finds its audience.
I absolutely loved going back to the time of my childhood (let’s go 90s baby’s) and this book really caused me to miss my Friday night Blockbuster nights. I absolutely loved the concept and plot of the story and my need to figure out what happened kept me fully invested.
However, I would have loved to have the characters be a little more flushed out and to have a little more background on the characters. The writing style was not my favorite and to me felt a little choppy.
Overall I loved the book and hope that it finds its audience.
May 17, 2026
ARC Review 📚
Just.. No. I don't want to say anything bad about this but it really wasn't good.
It had such potential but it fell completely flat. It was confusing, hard to keep up because of everything flowing together with how it's written, even the flashbacks.
It's really repetitive, not only troughout the book in general but also mentions the same sentence or word multiple times in the same page and scene.
And one thing that really disturbed me is the cover of the book. The one featuring Lana and Kai. It's really cool! BUT she dyed her hair red. It's not red on the cover.
Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me.
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Just.. No. I don't want to say anything bad about this but it really wasn't good.
It had such potential but it fell completely flat. It was confusing, hard to keep up because of everything flowing together with how it's written, even the flashbacks.
It's really repetitive, not only troughout the book in general but also mentions the same sentence or word multiple times in the same page and scene.
And one thing that really disturbed me is the cover of the book. The one featuring Lana and Kai. It's really cool! BUT she dyed her hair red. It's not red on the cover.
Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me.
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Author
I love this story 😍
I have the honor to help Shay on her journey with this book and I can just say, what an adventure 🥳
Shay is but the book as well.
It has a great story, with amazing characters, and different POVs, which works amazing 😍
I'm in love with Blake, he is my man 🥰
The story is thrilling, mysterious, and full of body contact (if you know what I mean 😉)
Thank Shaylynn for this amazing book, and congratulations on your debut 🥳🎉
I can't wait to read your future books ❤️❤️❤️
I have the honor to help Shay on her journey with this book and I can just say, what an adventure 🥳
Shay is but the book as well.
It has a great story, with amazing characters, and different POVs, which works amazing 😍
I'm in love with Blake, he is my man 🥰
The story is thrilling, mysterious, and full of body contact (if you know what I mean 😉)
Thank Shaylynn for this amazing book, and congratulations on your debut 🥳🎉
I can't wait to read your future books ❤️❤️❤️
May 18, 2026
This was a good, fun, dark, unpredictable story.
Kai is completely obsessed with Lana. He is unhinged. After an interaction with her years ago and letting her ago, he realizes that he won't ever let her go again. Unknown to her, he's been following her ever since. She doesn't know that he's always gotten int he way of her previous relationships and isn't thrilled with the one she's currently talking to now either. The story is thrilling and keeps you on your toes!
Kai is completely obsessed with Lana. He is unhinged. After an interaction with her years ago and letting her ago, he realizes that he won't ever let her go again. Unknown to her, he's been following her ever since. She doesn't know that he's always gotten int he way of her previous relationships and isn't thrilled with the one she's currently talking to now either. The story is thrilling and keeps you on your toes!
May 3, 2026
Oh my! Where do I even begin?! The spice level is through the roof!
The characters were interesting and the storyline was intriguing with some twists and turns!
Told in 2 timelines and multiple pov's, I found myself continually trying to guess what would happen next!
This is Shaylynn's debut novel and I am excited to see what else she has in store!
The characters were interesting and the storyline was intriguing with some twists and turns!
Told in 2 timelines and multiple pov's, I found myself continually trying to guess what would happen next!
This is Shaylynn's debut novel and I am excited to see what else she has in store!
May 24, 2026
This book was wild. I was hooked from the beginning. I loved Lana. And Kai’s obsession with her was something else. He especially didn’t like the fact that she had a boyfriend. The twists and turns had me totally invested. And that spice was spicing. This story was so dang good. I loved it. I want more.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received a advance copy from the author
I really loved the book, the story was really good. I enjoyed the characters. And everything was great. It was a really great read . I would like to thank Shaylynn for letting me read an advance copy of her book 📕. I can’t wait to read more of her books 🙂
I really loved the book, the story was really good. I enjoyed the characters. And everything was great. It was a really great read . I would like to thank Shaylynn for letting me read an advance copy of her book 📕. I can’t wait to read more of her books 🙂
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was a great debut novel, a fast read with spice, twists and emotions!
The storyline centres on Lana and Kai who meet again (after meeting previously) at Kai's workplace - Midnight Mayhem. Kai let Lana go once but he is not going to do this again. However, Lana has another potential boyfriend Blake and Kai does not like that.
The storyline is dark, fast paced and I read the book in one session.
Read the trigger list before reading as the book is very dark. I look forward to Shaylynn's next books ❤️
The storyline centres on Lana and Kai who meet again (after meeting previously) at Kai's workplace - Midnight Mayhem. Kai let Lana go once but he is not going to do this again. However, Lana has another potential boyfriend Blake and Kai does not like that.
The storyline is dark, fast paced and I read the book in one session.
Read the trigger list before reading as the book is very dark. I look forward to Shaylynn's next books ❤️
May 4, 2026
If you are looking for spice, this is your book. The story line was interesting and had lots of twists and turns. It kind of had a Scream vibe to it.
May 27, 2026
I went back and forth on my rating for this one because I always rate based on if I enjoyed it. I almost gave it 4 stars because I did keep coming back for more and wanted to know what was going to happen, but decided 3 stars was more true to how I felt when finished. This book was VERY spice forward. I’m not complaining, and I don’t mind that, but I do feel like I wanted more information on the characters. I wanted to care more about them. I also felt like some of the twists were just out of nowhere and some of the decisions the characters made didn’t make sense for me.
This is a debut novel for this author so I’m curious to see how she progresses in other work. I do think the plot needed some more work overall, but it is a fun dark romance that is heavy on the spice.
This could be a good read for you if you’re into any of the following.
- 90’s horror vibes
- stalking
- knife play
- horror twists
- spice forward plot
Review of advance copy received from Author
I want to thank Shay for allowing me to read her debut book. I loved the book and enjoyed being able to be taken back to my childhood (90s). I enjoyed the flashbacks and the overall story. I cannot wait to see the rest of her books and enjoy them! Kai is your typical morally gray man and is mostly what I look for in my book boyfriends.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews