Review: Influence, Sara Shepard & Lilia Buckingham

Influence by Sara Shepard, Lilia Buckingham
Published by Delacorte Press on January 5, 2021
Genres: young adult, contemporary, thriller, mystery
Format: ARC
Source: Penguin Random House INTL, NetGalley
Buy on Amazon, Book Depository, Wordery, Barnes & Noble, Publisher, Bookshop
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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.

I received this book for free from Penguin Random House INTL, NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

mention of leukemia, bullying, blackmail, murder, drugs, underage drinking, teen pregnancy, mentions of suicide, mention of the polycystic ovary syndrome, a main character deals with OCD and anxiety.

☂️ DIVERSITY: gay MC, diabetic MC, MC dealing with OCD and anxiety.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• Influence was certainly one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. It seemed to hold everything I could fall for in stories: a glimpse into the world of influencers, a thrilling mystery and a whole lot of drama. I’m happy to say that I mostly had a great time reading this book!
• I knew Sara Shepard from her previous work on Pretty Little Liars and was eager to see how she grew as a writer here, too. I was happy to find her signature writing, always filled with suspense and making you want to read more and more. Influence was fast-paced and the kind of addicting story you want to read all at once.
• The world of influencers was probably my favorite part of this story. Getting a glimpse of their lives, their fans, the pressure they encounter with maintaining their own image and pretending, sometimes, to be someone they’re not in real life. All of this was so interesting to follow and, with the three main characters, took different shapes and point of views I enjoyed reading about. Moreover, Lilia Buckingham, the co-author, is actually a real teen influencer, so… it was fun to know that!
• I felt like each of the three main characters brought something interesting to the story and I had a lot of fun reading from each point of view. Delilah’s instagram is blowing up and, as she moves to Los Angeles, discovers what the world of big influencers really is like for the first time. Jasmine is used to being recognized, but dreams of shattering this child-star image everyone maintains of her over time. Fiona’s the casual influencer, struggling with her own mental health and trying to keep a past secret at bay.
• Influence is fast-paced and, with the mystery at its heart, I found myself turning the pages quickly, wanting to know what would happen next. The twists and turns surprised me!

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…

☂️

• I felt like the characters, unfortunately, lacked a little bit of depth and dimension. I wanted to get to know them better and deeper, aside from their influencer life.
• The relationships also felt a tiny bit rushed to me, from the romance to the friendships. I feel like they were all so instantly taken with each other, I wished for more moments of development and growth to really feel the chemistry between all of these characters.

OVERALL

☂️

Despite my little drawbacks, I found Influence highly entertaining and was hooked from page one. The mystery, the drama and the peek into the influencer’s life were all real winners to me… so if this synopsis sounds like your cup of tea, go for it! You should really enjoy it.

FINAL RATING : 4 drops!

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Did you read Influence or do you want to? Do you have any recommendations of books dealing with social media? Let me know in comments!

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