This really just read like Pretty Little Liars fanfic about influencers. The relationship development was non-existent, the drama was contrived in a way that way unbelievable but not wild enough to be trashy-entertaining, and the characters were flat. There are much better Hollywood YA thrillers out there.

the back cover of this book intrigued me but unfortunately this book read too juvenile for me to enjoy.

I was expecting a fluffy read with INFLUENCE, as it's about Instagram influencers, but the novel is actually pretty hard-hitting and digs into the dark-side of the profession. The characters were multi-dimensional and interesting. I found myself caring about them, which I wasn't necessarily expecting. In typical Sara Shepard fashion, there were a ton of fun, twists and turns. I think fans of Pretty Little Liars will enjoy this outing by Shepard and hunger for more. I certainly didn't see the end coming, but I found it satisfying and would definitely read a sequel if one were to be written. Verdict: The glamorous lives of influencers takes a dark turn in this page-turning suspense novel.

I was really excited to read this when I first saw the deal announcement and I’m so glad it did not disappoint! So many twists and turns! A really fun read!

Even though I ended up very disappointed in the PLL tv show, I have read pretty much everything Sara Shepard has written and genuinely enjoyed it. It's like the thrillers that we adults love so much but with more teens and somehow even weirder drama. This new book by new and up-and-coming influencer (though she hates the word) Lilia Buckingham, has just that. I was initially a little skeptical of the collab (Buckingham is 16 and you know...in the world) but I was pleasantly surprised and think the book gave off peak Sara Shepard vibes but was well informed on the main aspect of the story: the absolute weird life of social media influencers--especially on Instagram and YouTube.


The world of Influence focuses on 3 girls: Delilah, an up and comer with a lot of innocence left; Jasmine, a JoJo Siwa type trying to get away from a rainbow brite image; Fiona, an influencer with some emotional baggage and a secret; and Scarlet, the A-list influencer queen that seems to be entangled in so many messes. Stolen ex-boyfriends, cloned iPhones, VIP events, photoshoots, all that jazz. There's also a death, some ominious text messages, hidden secrets, a positive pregnancy test, and pretty much everything you've come to expect from a Sara Shepard novel. I loved it, to say the least.

I like multi-POV novels, and I loved only getting to see Scarlet through her video vlog transcripts--it really showed me a new facet of the world. Each girl had a distinct voice, and while I'm still not totally sure how they went from strangers to best friends or what the pregnancy plot-line really meant, I ultimately enjoyed the book, and maybe we'll see another in the series...?

<b>Influence</b> is Pretty Little Liars for the next Gen and I am here.for.it. Written by veteran Sara Sheppard and 16 year old Buckingham, a Instagrammer with over 1.6 million followers (an “influencer” as well), this novel is about 3 young women who are deep the social media scene and 1 newcomer who is just rising to the top.

Chock full of murder, deceit and plenty of plot twists, I couldn’t put this one down. And the end leaves you with just enough of a tease that I’m wondering if we’re going to get a sequel (or even a series?!) out of this one!

I’d give this one a bunch of likes, follows, tweets, hearts and all the rest. Read it!

#Influence
#Edelweiss #NetGalley
#youngadult
#MustRead2020
Thank you to Delacorte and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Influence by Sara Shepard.
Once again, Sara Shepard is on the pinnacle of young adults with a book that captures to dark and pretentious side of social media. The influencers or the main characters in this novel are finding the cutthroat world of social media to be a dangerous and dark place when you are on the wrong side of it.

This novel is delicious and YA readers are going to devour it (I certainly did in one sitting). It reads like a Netflix original series where your only complaint is that you need more NOW. As a HS librarian, I will be ordering multiple copies of this one—I predict it will be flying off of our shelves.