Influence

by Sara Shepard, Lilia Buckingham

Get ready to delve into the world of teen influencers like you've never done before--from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS Sara Shepard and sixteen-year-old actress and social media personality Lilia Buckingham comes a twisty mystery that takes place in the fiercely competitive world of Internet stars.

After a video she makes goes viral, everyone knows Delilah Rollins. And now that she's in LA, Delilah's standing on the edge of something incredible. Everything is going to change. She has no idea how much.

Jasmine Walters-Diaz grew up in the spotlight. A child star turned media darling, the posts of her in her classic Lulu C. rainbow skirt practically break the Internet. But if the world knew who Jasmine really was, her perfect life? Canceled.

Fiona Jacobs is so funny--the kind of girl for whom a crowd parts--no wonder she's always smiling! But on the inside? The girl's a hot mess. And when someone comes out of the shadows with a secret from her past, it's one that won't just embarrass Fiona: it will ruin her.

Who wouldn't want to be Scarlet Leigh? Just look at her Instagram. Scarlet isn't just styled to perfection: she is perfection. Scarlet has a gorgeous, famous boyfriend named Jack and there's a whole fanbase about their ship. To everyone watching online, their lives seem perfect . . . but are they really? The sun is hot in California . . . and someone's going to get burned.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller, Fiction, Romance, Mystery Thriller

368 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2020

About the author

Sara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She has lived in New York City, Brooklyn, Tucson, Arizona, Philadelphia, and now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line.

Reviews

[Nour (FREE PALESTINE) Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

read in october 2023 & july 2024

influence

I may or may not have stayed up until 1 am finishing this book... sue me (please don't)

my thoughts
Sara Shepard is probably my favorite author and once again she hasn't disappointed.
There were so many small details that I easily skipped over, but then realize how important it all was later, everything was just so well thought out.
I looooooved all the secrets just pouring out, and there were definitely some juicy ones 🤭
I loved the way this book was written, how we got transcripts from Scarlet's vlogs and multiple POV's.

To everyone watching online, their lives seem perfect . . . but are they really? The sun is hot in California . . . and someone's going to get burned.

my views of social media have definitely changed after reading this, its honestly scary how many lies are told through social media, how obsessive we can get and how controlling/influencing people are without you even realizing it. it makes you question everything you know about people you watch or follow all the time.


the characters
DELILAH ROLLINS

After a video she makes goes viral, everyone knows Delilah Rollins. And now that she's in LA, Delilah's standing on the edge of something incredible. Everything is going to change. She has no idea how much.

I really thought I wasn't going to like Delilah because she kind of reminded me of a character from another book by the same author and I don't really like her, but I actually didn't mind her.
I love how even though she was new to being an influencer, she never really lost herself. She's such a strong character who I just was rooting for the whole time.
Her relationship with Jack was too cute, a little toxic at times, but still so cute.

JASMINE WALTER-DIAZ

Jasmine Walters-Diaz grew up in the spotlight. A child star turned media darling, the posts of her in her classic Lulu C. rainbow skirt practically break the Internet. But if the world knew who Jasmine really was, her perfect life? Canceled.

I LOVED her, absolutely LOVED her.
She is a character with so much baggage that even though I didn't necessarily relate to her specific problems, you can still relate to the way she handles and reacts to everything.

FIONA JACOBS

Fiona Jacobs is so funny--the kind of girl for whom a crowd parts--no wonder she's always smiling! But on the inside? The girl's a hot mess. And when someone comes out of the shadows with a secret from her past, it's one that won't just embarrass Fiona: it will ruin her.

Fiona was probably one of the most interesting characters I've ever read about. I loved how we were able to follow her thought process with her OCD and all the past traumas she has and just watching her process everything happening was really cool to read.

SCARLET LEIGH

Who wouldn't want to be Scarlet Leigh? Just look at her Instagram. Scarlet isn't just styled to perfection: she is perfection. Scarlet has a gorgeous, famous boyfriend named Jack and there's a whole fanbase about their ship. To everyone watching online, their lives seem perfect . . . but are they really?

Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet... what is there to say about this girl? she is the definitions of drama oml
I loved how all her POV's were transcript from her live vlogs. the way she orchestrates everything and keeps the image of having everything under control just makes you question if everything about her is real.
I really loved her character development and she deserved better <33


the ending
I loved the little investigation team that formed in the end trying to solve the mystery.
The ending... THE. ENDING. OMG, NO. WORDS. the way its solved but leaves you with so many questions is just breathtaking.
Overall, amazing book with amazing characters and an amazing plot with amazing plot twists. So in short, amazing.



Extra for funsiesss: 🎶 Playlist 🎶
Delilah:
- Break my heart by Dua Lipa 💔
Jasmine:
- Lush Life by Zara Larsson ☀️
Fiona:
It's my OCD by Rhett and Link 👌
Scarlett:
- You don't know me by Elizabeth Gillies from Victorious 😒
Jack:
- Magic by One Direction 🪄
- Right now I’m missing you by the one and only MattyBRaps 😢
Chase:
- Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo 🤨
Faith:
- Sweet but psycho by Ava Max 🤪
Ruby:
- My name is NO by Meghan Trainor 🙅‍♀️
Cory:
- Unstoppable by Sia ✋

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story: ★★★★☆
I thought this was a fun mystery about how messy our perceptions of internet influencers can be.

Audio: ★★★☆☆
So one of the co-authors, Lilia Buckingham, narrates this herself. She was very pleasant to listen to, but I sometimes couldn't tell the voices for different characters apart, especially the male characters. I believe this was her first time doing an audiobook though, so it's understandable. She obviously was able to be in tune with her character's emotions though, and that's always nice.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

Influence is a young adult thriller about the pitfalls of being a celebrity in the public eye and explores the sinister side of technology, offering a glimpse at the drama that unfolds behind the scenes of Hollywood’s it-influencers. How much of their seemingly picture-perfect lives are real and how much is facade? 16-year-old Delilah Rollins, known online as Puppy Girl, is an up and coming teen social media influencer from Minneapolis. She rose to prominence when a video in which she bravely rescued a golden retriever from a neighbour’s burning shed went viral. Having just moved to Los Angeles six days earlier with her family, Delilah receives an exciting invitation to a huge influencer party for Wellness Beauty, taking place at the Evensong Hotel, via direct Instagram message from @LuluJasmine, aka Jasmine Walters-Diaz, aka Lulu C from That’s Hot!, Delilah’s favourite dance show on Lemonade. With 20 million followers Delilah can't believe actress and dancer Jasmine even knows who she is, never mind saying she's a fan; after all this is the girl who practically broke the internet when she wore her iconic rainbow skirt and lace leotard. At the gathering Jasmine introduces Delilah to Fiona Jacobs, an aspiring actress and YouTuber, with her caramel skin and gorgeous, flowing red hair. It's not long before uber influencer Scarlet Leigh, aka @ScarletLetter, shimmies into the lobby and the 3 girls greet her.

Scarlet was a tall girl with glowing skin; bouncy, white-blond hair; and a curvy, flawless body. She was on every Sexiest Girl Alive list, she’d received sponsorship deals for everything ranging from a small-batch whiskey maker to a renowned airline. Delilah is taken aback when Fiona's boyfriend, Chase, warns her away from the apparently toxic, self-absorbed Scarlet. Delilah slips into a dimly-lit booth to gather herself and is shocked to discover that half-concealed in shadows, is a guy with pale green eyes and soft, floppy chestnut hair. The guy turns out to be Scarlet's beau, YouTube comedian Jack Dono, and unfortunately, with cameras now everywhere catching every minute of an influencer’s life the encounter between them is recorded and widely circulated. Cue the melodrama, bitchiness and accusations between the social media moguls. And when a brutal murder takes place, Delilah vows to root out the killer in their midst. This is a compulsive, exciting and unique read set in a cutthroat world where influencers will do anything to acquire fame and anything to retain it. It's a glamorous way of life, and we are shown a fully rounded and immersive view of it as the chapters alternate between the 4 girls. It's fun, entertaining and a great piece of escapism made all the more authentic by knowledgeable real-life influencer Lilia Buckingham's involvement. Highly recommended.

[Monte Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's my understanding that publication has been pushed to 2021, so I'll wait until then to publish my full discussion

--

the book is out now, so here's that review

As a piece of entertainment I’ll say that I enjoyed my time with the book. As a story that should make sense to me, that I had a harder time with.

It’s my understanding that a teenage influencer type person was consulted / was a part of the writing process of the novel but that said there were still a lot of things that just felt off about the book. It felt more like a 2009 view of influencer life, something more akin to the studio system of the 40s than what life would be like. It also felt odd early in the book for the narrators, Delilah in particular, to feel the need to explain terminology surrounding social media life to an audience that most definitely would be familiar with the terms.

Scarlet’s “vlog” portions of the book were also a problem for me. Maybe its just because I’m a dinosaur and maybe there are people out there that go on Instagram live and call it a vlog, but to me as a reader the perception I have of what a vlog is and what those chapters were, are two very different things. Those were livestreams and as transcripts made sense. If they were meant to be on YouTube though, the idea of the commenters having the @ symbol in front of their username makes no sense as that’s not how the YouTube comment section works. If that was just a function of this being an arc and that’s just to symbolize something that will look different in the final version of the book, my apologies. As a reader though it was giving me stronger Instagram vibes than anything that would be posted to YouTube.

On the whole though I felt that the book wasn’t very focused. Maybe it’s because of the multiple narrators, but the storylines didn’t really seem to converge in any kind of meaningful way to coalesce around a singular plot idea until the 60% mark according to my kindle. Until then we had the Lilah/Jack subplot that felt like it was all being told to me and never shown, the Jasmine is maybe a lesbian but her Disney-like persona can’t come out [which could still very much be a thing, but in 2019/2020 it was another one of those things that made me feel like I was reading a book not set in this current time], and Fiona’s drama that all took place before the start of this book and left me not attached to anything she was going through at all. When Scarlet did eventually die even the investigation into the death didn’t really unite the perspectives.

At that point there wasn’t really enough time in the story to navigate that + give the other three remaining perspectives any sense of real closure on their independent plot points. I also felt the idea of continuing to have this thread of maybe Scarlet isn’t dead cheapened the plot in a way that really made me feel like the story didn’t have a plot and that beat was added in solely to be able to market the book as some kind of edgy thriller and potentially come out with a sequel at some point in the future.

As a slice of life drama about the semi unrealistic messy lives of high profile teenagers, it was a good time. I enjoyed it the same way millions of people enjoy a good blockbuster film, maybe not so much for the storytelling but the aesthetics and explosions. I think any kind of scrutiny makes this book fall apart, but on a surface level I think that a lot of people will get some level of entertainment out of it.

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drama, drama, DRAMA! This insider's look into the world of teen influencers was a wild ride from start to finish—and I couldn't stop reading it.

Characters: ★★★★
Plot: ★★★ 1/2
Pacing: ★★★★
Binge-level enjoyment: ★★★★

Delilah Rollins is catapulting to stardom in a major way on Instagram. From her Minnesota roots to her recent move to LA, she's scrambling to find her bearings in a world where hundreds of thousands of people know her name, her face, and her life. Is Delilah really ready for her autonomy to be controlled by the opinion of the masses?

Jasmine Walters-Diaz is used to the fame of being an influencer. From her roots as a wholesome child TV star to her teenage years as a brand's dream endorsement, Jasmine should be used to her life being filtered through the lens of perfection and frozen time... but as her need to be herself and love who she loves grows and chafes against her public image, Jasmine finds herself bending and breaking to get out.

Fiona Jacobs is the perfect casual and funny influencer. She's effortless... right? As she listens to her inner monologue critique her every move, every breath, every calorie, and every step, Fiona tries to desperately maintain the facade of put-together perfection while her OCD and fear of past secrets threaten to tear her apart from the inside. Will she survive her own attacks on herself?

Delilah, Jasmine, and Fiona all have one thing in common: they're living their teenage years through the crystalized lens of public opinion, filters, and judgement.

And then there's Scarlett Leigh. Another teenage influencer but with more sex appeal, more ruthlessness, and more drive to win, Scarlett seems to be the three girls' worst nightmare and competition all rolled into one. But you can never trust what's on the surface...and the girls should really know better.

They'll find out just what exactly the truth means when one of them ends up dead. It's time to show off your best angle, ladies, as the part you're going to play now is one of suspect...

My thoughts:
My immediate response to this book was WOW, what a crazy premise and an even crazier plot. This reaction was further cemented when I realized that the co-author to this book, Lilia Buckingham, is an actual bona fide teen influencer herself. That definitely lent a more realistic quality to some of the details used in the novel (besides the murder, of course!).

My interest in this book came from the other author, Sara Shepard, who is best known for her drama-laden series Pretty Little Liars. Fans of Pretty Little Liars should be all over this—the amount of drama, gasps, and trainwreck sitcom moments are at the same level here in Influence. Like a reality tv show, I couldn't look away.

Definitely one to pick up if you like drama, glitz, and murder...

Thank you to Delacorte Press via NetGalley for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Blog | Instagram

[Allie · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️/5
now, if there is one thing i will say about this book, is that it was entertaining. i will probably find myself rereading this book in the future purely for entertainment value. however, there were so many things in this book that just felt out of place, or that they werent written correctly, that my rating is lowered so much.

influence is a YA contemporary thriller that follows a cast of “influencers” in LA as they navigate the social scene, blackmail, and jealousy in the world of social media.

as i am not an influencer by any means myself, i cannot speak on whether or not the book was accurate to experiences being an influencer. however, i feel like it was probably accurate to the horrors that go on behind the scenes of social media.

another part i really appreciated was how jasmine’s sexuality was handled. of course, it sucks that she was pretty much forced to come out to most of her family and friends, but i feel like the commentary on suppression of sexuality in hollywood was done very well. Jasmine’s character was very likeable and easy to sympathize with.

of course, the obvious nods to jasmine being based around jojo siwa i felt was a bit insensitive, especially because at the time of this being written and published, jojo was not publically out yet. yes, yes, i know about the “this is fiction” disclaimer at the beginning, but the parallels were COMPLETELY obvious. nickelodeon=lemonade, the fact that jasmine had to always dress in rainbows, jasmine had a tesla that was custom made and personalized with “lulu c.” all over it, the morality contracts, the fact that jasmine is a singer and dancer, i mean come on.

while i appreciate the fact that there has been a book written about influencers, especially when one of the co-authors is a popular influencer, i feel like could bring more teens in the modern age, like myself, into reading.

however, this then poses the question, do adults know teenagers and the etiquette of social media enough to write accurately write about these scenarios? i have mixed opinions on how the authors executed these things in this book.

while the scenes about cyber bullying and the “jacklet” shippers, in my experience of being on the internet and being a part of many fandoms, was fairly accurate, other aspects of the influencers interactions just felt rather cringe worthy as if i knew no one would say those sorts of things to each other in the real world, and it immediately took me out of my reading experience.

i, as a type one diabetic reader, did not feel represented by the type one diabetic character in this novel. while i don’t necessarily find the representation to be problematic, i did find it not well researched and executed just poorly. Delilah’s diabetes was only brought up when it could move the plot along, and it overall felt like it was only there to be used as a murder weapon. its so rare that i see t1d represented in ANY form of media, that reading this just felt appalling, i got my hopes up just to be let down. at some points towards the end i truly cried because i knew the rep was only thrown in there for a “cool plot twist” using insulin, the thing that keeps me alive, simply for a murder weapon. and i feel that is so unfair, and no diabetic reader should have to see themselves represented so poorly.

another issue i had was the amount of cheating and adultry. OH MY GOD.

not only was there just an abundance of it in general, but any queer relationship or start of relationship in this novel either was a product of cheating or one of the people in the relationship was cheating on the other.

and dont even get me started on the corey situation. not only was he cheating on his boyfriend, he, as a 20 something year old man, was cheating on him with a HIGH SCHOOLER.

queer men in the community already face the troubles of being labled as “predators” that putting corey with a highschooler in this book was insensitive at best.

there are so many other issues with this book that i could go on about, but simply feel like minor technicalities that can be explained with the star rating.

[Erin Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many twisting turns! A fun, quick read!

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not put it down.. deliciously addictive and twisted is how I would describe it! Very much in the vein of Pretty Little Liars...Perfect holiday read

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story from the social media side of life but just not my cup of tea.
Maybe it was the age of the characters but they didn’t click for me either. Maybe a younger audience will enjoy.
Thank you Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
- the first half was a bit too slow for my liking
- the remaining half got me *hooked*

[Meg ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

unbelievably contrived

[Trish at Between My Lines · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just wasn’t for me. I liked getting to know the 4 main characters who are all popular influencers. However the plot felt melodramatic and unrealistic. Plus the romances were underdeveloped and with a strong whiff of insta-love.

I think this book might suit a younger audience.

Thanks to Little Brown Book Group for giving me for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.

[Anneke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Again, I might just not be the right audience for this book but it was absolutely ridiculous and cringe.

[Chelsea | thrillerbookbabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to pick up this book because I’m a huge fan of Sara Shepard. I loved all the Pretty Little Liars books and have been reading them since I was a teenager. This book was co-written with an influencer and it was about...influencers!

I didn’t know much about the world of an influencer and a lot of what was in the book seemed like it was based on real life. It was similar to other Sara Shepard books and was about three girls who are influencers in LA. They talk about the world of trading free products for pictures with brands. There was gossip, drama, and boyfriend stealing- all the classic signs of a fun YA book.

I liked that this book added and element of murder, though I think it could have had more build up. It was still an interesting story and a quick read which I did enjoy. 4-stars!

[Kobe · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

I had a good time with this book, but it felt all over the place at times, and the ending was a little bit messy. Nevertheless, a quick, fairly fun read.

[Fatirah Murtaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part contemporary and part whodunit mystery, Influence brings us about the competitive side of influencers whereby fame and glamour top off everything. In tandem with this, we’re also given an insight of these influencers who rather have their life fully driven by public’s opinion instead of living a life they wanted to live. All is for the sake of attention, followers, engagements and sponsorship deals.

Written in an omniscient view, this book has four alternating characters – each of them coming from different backgrounds. Delilah, a rising influencer whose life suddenly takes a vast turning point when one of her videos gets viral. Jasmine Walters-Diaz, who’s accustomed to the influencer culture since young, begins to have an existential crisis about her identity as everyone still views her as Lulu C, a famous tweens fictional character that she once played on Netflix series.

Fiona Jacobs, an aspiring actress and a YouTuber who has the talent to entertain people with her funny traits, albeit she’s been battling with the insistent voices in her head. Lastly Scarlet Leigh, the mean girl who always gets under everyone’s skin. Yet she’s renowned for having a relationship with another uber-famous guy. Their image can send the whole fan base reeling in delight, worshipping the ship to sail forever even though the relationship is strictly meant for business.

These characters may seem flawed and you might find yourself drawn to them. However, I’m a tad bit disappointed that we only get to see them on a surface level. It could be more palpable if they’re thoroughly fleshed out. Perhaps, the author aims to deliver us the depiction of the influencer culture that’s pretty steeped in the world these days and I admit this part is well executed. Suffice to say, this book is full of glitters and infused with the glamour of Hollywood.

Plot-wise, the story is dragging before getting into another subplot - the whodunnit mystery. This mystery has thrust these influencers’ life into a tragic phase. From here onwards, there’ll be unending twists to be unfurled as the author successfully tweaks the plot to keep readers on edge.

Overall, I rated this book about 3.5/5 instead of 3 since I love how it’s ended. Fret not, it’s a crystal-clear kind of ending and your patience in unravelling those twists one by one will be paid off.
Warnings: murder, OCD mental illness, gaslighting, mentioned homophobia, implied child labour, drug abuse, bullying, body hatred. Thank you @putrifariza and @timesread for this copy in return for an honest review. This book is available in all major bookstores.

[AtenRa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Influence is a book about the "dark side" of social media, with Pretty Little Liars-like twists and turns.

It is told through 4 social media influencers POVs.
Does anyone else just cringe when they hear the word "influencer"? Because I definitely do! Even as I am typing it now there is that annoying red dotted line underneath it, and why? Because it's NOT A REAL WORD! The fact that one single person, someone you have never met or know personally, a total stranger, can influence your way of living and/or your mentality in any way is terrifying. But in 2020, unfortunately it's more real than ever!
The 4 girls in the book are in various stages of fame, 3 being very famous, and 1 an up and coming socialite. They all have secrets to hide which little by little are being exposed on the internet, and each of them will do anything to keep them from coming out.

I will admit, there are a lot of things happening in this book that seem waaaay over the top. For example, the extravagantly opulent lives these teenage girls live, and their fans' reactions to them. But as I kept reading I though "Is it over the top, or is it just how it is?" I have seen how fans treat people on social media with a significant following (I refuse to say influencers!) for years. They either adore them to a disturbing level, or hate them to a repugnant level. There is no in between, because the in betweeners don't care enough to comment or voice their opinion.
So, I have seen enough things on social media to make me go "No, actually this is not crazy enough!"
Well, except the murder part. I have not seen that 👀
Otherwise, if you think that the social media part of the girls' lives is too far fetched, think again because I don't believe it is at all. If anything, I think it's downplayed for the book to be more easily digestible. If they wanted to go dark, they could go darker.

The mystery itself was alright, there were a lot of red herrings at first, until the end when it's revealed that the person you least expect actually did the deed. After 16 PLL book, you learn to pick out the culprit straight away, so if you are a Shepard vet, the plot won't be as interesting to you.

As with PLL, I liked some girls POVs more than others. I remember Hanna and Spencer were my favourites back then. In Influence, I would have to go with Faith. She had the most interesting background out of all of them, I just wish it was a little bit more developed and not forgotten by the endher OCD

The romance was a bit of a fail, I'm afraid. I didn't particularly like Jack, I thought he was a total player and I am still not convinced otherwise. I felt like he didn't give Delilah a chance to decide whether she wants to be in a relationship when she was obviously torn about the whole thing.
But then again, teenagers! Maybe I'm too old to understand how people born after 2000 form relationships 🤷

As this is not a series, Influence wraps up in the end, which is quite refreshing in a world where everything must have a sequel.
It was a fun, entertaining read, filled with PLL nostalgia.
More suitable for ages 12-16.

[Elizabeth Aguilar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the worst thing I've read this year (I think?) but the motive is wayyyyyy to far fetched.

The audiobook may not have made the characters distinguishable but I doubt reading it as a physical book would have helped either.

The pacing was fine. I didn't care about any of the characters. There was instalove. There were technically secrets but it felt flat. I didn't feel any tension, even in chapters involving the murder. People who were suspects bended a little too easily to the main characters during their snopping.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I heard about a new Sara Shepard book, I immediately wanted to read it. I love gossipy thrillers like Pretty Little Liars and The Elizas. In Influence, written with coauthor Lilia Buckingham, the girls are all Instagram models, which I thought would add a fun social media twist to a dramatic, backstabby story. I follow a lot of themed Instagram accounts: book cover flatlays, of course, but also quarantine baking fails, art history memes, found object jewelry, etc., and I thought it would be fun to see the Instagram lifestyle.

The narration changes between different characters, but since they're all kinda generic and vacuous influencers, it's hard to keep track of who is speaking. The girls angst a lot about the difficulties of being a brand, but I didn't really see what their brands are or what made any of their IG accounts different from each other. At parties, less famous influencers tried to take photos with more famous ones, while the most famous influencers were sad about going publicity parties all the time. I found myself skimming, and I never skim in a Sara Shepard novel! Gotta catch all the details and try to guess the twists!

Mostly, this didn't work for me because there was nothing aspirational about these influencers. They weren't passionate about makeup or photography or community or really anything. The girls were famous for being famous, and even the secretly-tortured side didn't work because there was nothing particularly bad about being Instagram famous. Give me Collette Bing any day!

One of the influencers is a former tween star (Oh! I did enjoy the descriptions of a thinly-veiled Disney Channel!), famous for wearing cute rainbows, who longs to wear black leather and Louboutins. A real teen might well try this identity experimentation, but such a heavy 180° feels overdone in fiction.  Same thing with the Puppy Girl burning building rescue, Delilah not seeing or recognizing Jack, Delilah never getting recognized in public until she wants to prove that she's insta-famous, etc. There's no one event that goes too far, just a series of too-perfect coincidences that start to strain credulity and also start to get boring.

Finally, I wasn't sure if this book was supposed to be for kids. The murder(s), secret pregnancy, and evil frenemy actions more made this feel like YA, but the story also ties off with a heavy-handed Be Yourself! message, in an afterschool-special kind of way. Maybe this is the new Goosebumps, middle-grades fiction, with a body count.

[Jay G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review*

3.5/5 Stars

Delilah, a rising influencer known as Lila D. online, moves to L.A with her family. She is invited to a party by another famous influencer, Jasmine Walters Diaz, who was a famous childhood star but wants to move away from that image. While there, Jasmine introduces her to Fiona, and the three become instant friends. They pull her into their world full of drama with another influencer named Scarlett, who is dating Youtube star, Jack. When Delilah wakes up beside a dead body, and the police come to question them, the girls must work together to figure out what happened.

This book was nothing but entertaining. I wouldn't say it was particularly a good book, but I couldn't put it down. I think the book does a good job going into the darker parts of social media. but I do think that some of the social media aspects were a bit off, which was weird since one of the co-authors is an influencer. I did like the alternating perspectives between the 3 influencers, and the transcripts of Scarlett's vlogs (even though they should have been called lives.... but I digress). The characters all seemed very similar to one another, but they were all dealing with their own personal issues. It did take awhile for the story to become interesting, once the murder occurred, I was invested in trying to figure out who the killer was. The biggest complaint I have about the book was that there was a secret relationship between a 20 something year old and a high schooler, that was never to be deemed wrong... so that was a bit... yikes. The murderer wasn't who I expected, so I definitely enjoyed not being able to call the ending!

Overall, it was entertaining and I didn't call the ending, which was nice.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shines a light on the dark side of being an influencer.
The story starts off from the perspective of a dead girl. Who is it? I had to keep reading to find out!
The story follows the lives of 4 internet influencers.
Delilah is a newbie and is starting to feel overwhelmed with the pressure of it all.
Jasmine Walters-Diaz is a child star turned successful influencer. She can't seem to shake off her childhood role of Lulu C and be herself lest she loses her fans. The pressure of hiding her true self is starting to wear her down.
Fiona Jacobs is successful, talented and beautiful. However, she suffers from crippling OCD, anxiety and body image issues. Plus, she has a dark secret in her past that someone has just discovered.
Scarlet Leigh is the quintessential mean girl we all love to hate. She has the seemingly perfect life, but how much of that is real and how much of it is curated for her followers?

Being in the spotlight, especially at a young age, is difficult. As spectators, we don't realize just how difficult it is to keep up the persona of perfection, how much one has to hide who they truly are for the sake of fame, and how much pressure they are under. I found this to be a thought provoking novel while also create an intriguing mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dallas Strawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, but was kind of let down. The first 2/3 of the book were pretty slow. There's four POVs of Delilah, Jasmine, Fiona, and Scarlett and they're all teen girl influencers. It's hard to separate the characters in your head.

The last 1/3 picked up and some of the twists and reveals were good, but the final reveal of who killed *redacted* was kinda lame. It just wasn't as great as Sara Shepard's other work.

I think anyone that's a blogger/influencer will still enjoy it though simply for the lifestyle it tells the story of.

3 ⭐️

[Eliana · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Heads up, I read an ARC of this so everything I’m about to mention may differ slightly from the finished copy*

As your local type 1 diabetic with OCD, I wanna talk a little bit about the diabetes and OCD rep in this book.

Starting with the diabetes rep, it was...bad. Like, really bad. I hate leaving negative reviews, but this has got to be the worst type 1 rep I have ever seen—0/10 and I’m legitimately mad about it. I could tell from the minute Delilah’s diabetes was introduced—and I mean literally, from the sentence it was introduced—that her diabetes was purely going to be used a plot point. And that is an enormous pet peeve of mine. Diabetes is not a fun little plot device to spice up your story. It’s an all-consuming chronic illness that needs to be represented accurately and respectfully in books—and it’s not. Type 1 diabetics deserve to see ourselves represented in the stories that we read. I can’t even call this representation; it was extremely inaccurate, never once managed to get inside the head of a diabetic despite literally being told from a diabetic’s point of view 1/3 of the time, and Delilah’s diabetes absolutely never came up unless it was being used to further the plot. Additionally, Delilah doesn’t act like a diabetic. She doesn’t think like a diabetic does. She never thinks about her diabetes at all, actually. If the authors had bothered to speak to a single diabetic before writing this, they would’ve known that diabetes is always on our minds. It literally impacts every single decision we make and every action we take throughout the day. There is always a section of my mind that is calculating and checking in on and adjusting for my diabetes, and we don’t see that at all with Delilah. I get it; non-diabetics have no understanding of what it’s like to be inside our heads. But that’s why research and input from actual diabetics is important. Otherwise you end up with this. What I’m most upset about, however, is the harmful misconceptions and stereotypes about diabetes that this book portrays as accurate and true. I spoke about the diabetes “representation” in here a lot with my best friend who also happens to be diabetic, and we decided it’s closer to a hate crime. Seriously, that’s how harmful this type 1 “rep” is. It’s angering and frustrating to see our disability exploited in this way in 2021. Enough already. My friend also had a great way of describing Delilah’s character: she’s not diabetic. She’s a non-diabetic who pops up every now and again randomly carrying several bottles of insulin in her purse. Seriously, if you replaced Delilah with a non-diabetic and gave her an absurd amount of bottles of insulin to hold, you’d have the same character. I have never seen diabetes as a plot point taken to the extent that it is in this book. Also, if Delilah were a real diabetic she’d be dead after what she did in this book—no spoilers but that isn’t how any of this works. She would have been fully dead.

Moving on from that, let’s talk OCD. I’ve seen a lot worse, but that definitely doesn’t make this rep good. I can tell that a least a tiny bit of research was done, unlike the diabetes “rep” which reads like it was taken from a five-minute scan of a Wikipedia article. I appreciate the effort to include a character with OCD, I really do, but the OCD rep is just not done well. The best way I can explain it is that we get all the compulsion and none of the obsession. It’s obsessive-compulsive disorder; the obsessions are why we do the compulsions. But even though the story is once again 1/3 of the time from Fiona’s point of view, we don’t see the obsessions. We don’t get to see what it’s like inside the mind of someone with OCD. There’s a lot of stigma around OCD, and a good portion of it stems from a broad misunderstanding of what OCD actually is. When people with OCD share our obsessive and intrusive thoughts, we’re told our thoughts are crazy, dangerous, and “not just OCD.” Intrusive thoughts can be extremely disturbing—that’s the point. They are thoughts that go so completely against our ethics and morals and desires that they scare and disgust us. And most people don’t know about that part of OCD. What we see with Fiona is a very stereotypical portrayal of a character with OCD who has only the most stereotypical compulsions and no reason why, no obsessions, behind them. It’s not that having “stereotypical” compulsions doesn’t happen—in fact, a few of mine could fall under this category. It’s that no other kind of compulsions are ever shown. The representation of OCD that the audience is getting is this one, specific image again and again in books and on-screen. OCD is a lot more complex, diverse, and complicated than that. This book’s portrayal of OCD felt very skin-deep to me. Additionally, Fiona has an eating disorder. It’s never mentioned by name, which I thought was odd, but the problem that I had was that it was conflated with her OCD. It was presented and referred to as if the 2 disorders were one and the same, like they were both part of her OCD and not two very different disorders. Yes, they are obviously both mental illnesses, but referring to both as part of Fiona’s OCD is inaccurate and misleading about both. A therapist is mentioned maybe twice, but we never see them. Additionally, her mental illnesses are collectively referred to as “the Voice” throughout the book—which would be fine, if the Voice was not also attributed to Fiona’s most immoral and violent thoughts. These thoughts aren’t intrusive thoughts and are not the product of mental illness, and to portray them as such plays right into the harmful stereotype that people with OCD are dangerous and/or violent and act on our intrusive thoughts, when in fact people with OCD are actually less likely to commit violent crimes than others. Once again, intrusive thoughts do not reflect a person’s true feelings or desires. They’re the exact opposite. Finally, Fiona’s OCD is wrapped up all nicely at the end and just solved—I only wish it were that easy. Oh, and OCD is used as an adjective, which I hate. Also literally this entire quote for so many reasons:

“There were some new character traits to describe Kate’s personality.

In walks Kate (19), her phone outstretched. She’s doing a live video. Counts her steps as she walks into the room. Kate is major OCD—the cleaning kind, the counting kind, the germs kind. She’s working on it.

Fiona’s head whipped up. ‘Why have they made Kate OCD?’”

Also this quote:

“She shut her eyes to listen to what the Voice thought, but the Voice was eerily silent. Ironic, considering Fiona wouldn’t mind a second opinion.”

I have never once tried to intentionally summon my anxious or intrusive thoughts—I’m ecstatic if they’re not around! Nobody with anxiety or OCD wants to have those anxious or intrusive thoughts. They’re debilitating and irrational and no one would ever consult them as a “second opinion”. This is just so inaccurate and so weird.

As for matters unrelated to representation, I just wasn’t really into this book. I was expecting more thriller and less relationship drama, of which there was a lot. I didn’t even like any of the relationships in here because they were all so toxic and the love interests were extremely unlikeable. Honestly, I didn’t really care for most of the main characters, either. There are ~7 prominent characters, and out of them I really only liked 2: Fiona and Jazmine, probably because they’re the most developed. Maybe my expectations were too high going into this, but I was left really disappointed. Especially with the ending, which doesn’t even wrap up and we’re left to wonder. This may be a personal thing but I cannot stand open endings most of the time. Especially in a mystery/thriller of all places! Ugh.

[Alex Nonymous · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't really enjoying this book at all until the reveal that one of the MCs is a lesbian which is normally a very sticky situation for me reviewer wise because I hate having to try and decipher between whether I enjoyed a book because it was actually good, or if I just enjoyed it because I'm a little representation starved goblin who'll take literally anything I can get (spoiler alert, it was the second one).

I don't know who Lilia Buckingham is, but I did go into this knowing the co-author was an influencer so I was really excited to read an actual informed perspective on the social media scene, but somehow the terminology still never managed to make sense. Part of the story is told in transcripts from what are called vlogs so naturally, I assumed that was what they were but there was a consistent plot thread of bits and pieces of information that weren't supposed to be in the vlogs got there which I found really intriguing because unless some editor or something was sneaking in those bits and their existence as going to be revealed later, it seemed like the subject of the vlogs, Scarlet, was trying to get some sort of message out there under the ruse of 'mistakes'. Except it's not that because I'm pretty sure they were just livestreams and somehow no one caught onto the fact that livestreams aren't normally called 'vlogs'. A lot of the social media aspects are like that. Confusing and messy and just off enough that it feels like the writer has only ever experienced knockoff apps.

Characterwise, what was and wasn't shown seemed like a weird decision. For example, a big plot thread relies on 2 characters getting close and apparently exchanging hundreds of texts but we only see a handful and never a conversation. The book is already mixed media because of the transcripts so I don't get why they didn't show us any of those conversations instead of pulling a "we bonded off-page, trust us".

Also, I can't talk much about this aspect without massive spoilers, but the reason I managed to shed my giddy rep-starved googles was because this book does some not so great things with its queer rep. I'm not angry enough that I feel like it necessitates a spoiler and its definitely all well intentioned, but everything I was excited for with the introduction of a surprise queer lead quickly deteriorated.

[Caroline Sommerville · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok what the hell. at first, this book felt so cliche and worldly and basic and ohhhh-so-predictable but THAT ENDING. it really took a twist. then another twist. THEN ANOTHER TWIST AND MORE TWISTS WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!!

i’m kidding but this book was kind of boring in the first half but as soon as we hit that mark (you’ll know if you’ve read it) it became so intriguing and i could not put it down. LOVED. 😍😍

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on how influencers basically exist nowadays. The way they "live" their lives and their fanbase and whatnot. I felt like there were a few stories that were based on famous people but they did have their little spin. The book was a little confusing and slow for me in the beginning but once I got all the people sorted out, I sped through it. I'd read more by this team of authors if they put out more books.

[The Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

Influence is a deep dive into the teens influencer world, where everything is not as it seems.
Delilah find that out after a video of hers, saving a puppy, goes viral, after making acquaintances with Jasmin and Fiona she finds herself in the midst of social media drama which will probably change her whole life.

Lilia and Sara have made such a great job at bringing to light some of the aspects of the influencers world, which sometimes we forget about and which should be brought to life more often to raise awareness on the pressure and straggle that it’s given by being a public figure.
That’s a book that I wish every teenager aspiring to be an influencer should read, especially cause the book has been inspired by some of Lilia’s own experiences and who better than her can describe how having a career so young can affect youngsters.
For sure Sara writing experience and love for thriller and dark twists can be perceived throughout the whole book! Whenever I thought I was close to understand what was going to happen, a twist was presented and I was back to square one 😅 I guess you are all familiar with her bestselling series Pretty Little Liar, well so you can magone what I’m talking about!

It would be really interesting to see a movie or tv series adaptation of this book, but especially I would love to get a sequel!

Highly recommended to The pretty little liar fan or for whoever has watched Elite on Netflix 😊

[☆ Anushka ☆ (on semi hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★

Despite the mixed reviews that this book has received, I want to say one thing: I was absolutely blown away. Influence gave me an insight into the lives of teen influencers, and the dark side that simmers just beneath all the glittery surface.

Who hasn't wished for a life that was luxurious and glamorous, flocked by the paparazzi who captured your pictures to increase your followers, basically a perfect life? I already knew that if there were pros to living a life with so much fame and fortune, then there were some cons too. Plus, since this book is co-authored by Lilia Buckingham, who is a famous personality herself, the book became even more dramatic and realistic (except the murder, of course).

As for the pacing, the first one-third of the book was progressing quite slowly and I wasn't feeling like reading it. But when you reach the approximately 33% mark, the pace quickens and is very enjoyable afterwards.

As a person who doesn't read the mystery/thriller genre very much, I was completely intrigued by the plot. A fan of the said genre may have something else to say since they're more aware of a good thriller, I was still hooked to the pages and didn't ponder much on who the murderer might be (my bad!).

All in all, it can make an enjoyable read and fully recommended.

**All opinions are my own and my review has not, in any way, been influenced by anyone.**

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Immensely disappointing. I am a Sara Shepard fan -- she's a very efficient and entertaining purveyor of thrillers. My assumption upon hearing about her co-author was that Buckingham was added to provide credibility to Shepard for the influencer aspect of the story. Unfortunately, it reads more like this is the Buckingham's book and Shepard's name is the one being used to provide credibility. Other than revolving around multiple young female characters, this book bears none of the hallmarks of a Shepard novel.

I gave up a little over 30% of the way through the book. At that point, there were only three discernible plot points - one character loses an acting job to another, one character exchanges romantic DM's with another's boyfriend, and one character surreptitiously kisses an unknown girl. That's it. No mystery. No drama. No thrills. No story.

The whole thing feels very slapdash and amateurish. I know publication was pushed, and it's not hard to picture some frantic rewrites attempting to salvage an inert manuscript. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful. A few details about what it's like to be an influencer does not a novel make. Story is not a luxury.

Really hoping this is a Sara Shepard novel in name only.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC at YALL Fest 2019

This book was quite a ride!

Influence focuses around the premise of four influencers and their lives in and out of the limelight. I thought this came across very well in the book and brought an interesting perspective to YA books. I started out skeptical on if I would like it but at about half way the story picked up and got more interesting. Lilia and Sara write very compelling characters and the murder (around half way into the book) was very unexpected and had a very satisfying resolution.
I give this book 3.75 stars and would describe it as a Gossip Girl meets social media with some Pretty Little Liars vibes. If you like those things this book it the book for you!