TW: Rape, drugs, violence, murder

About the book: Adored by her legions of followers, social media megastar Skye is an inspiration. Once homeless, she is now fantastically wealthy, enormously powerful. A ‘like’ from Skye can literally change your life.

So when she suggests partnering with Nathan’s charity for the homeless, he thinks it’s a match made in heaven. With Skye’s backing, who knows what he can achieve? And no-one is more excited than Nathan’s teenage daughters, both massive fans of the star.

But Skye’s influence comes at a price. Yes, funds are pouring into Nathan’s charity, but she is a smothering presence, seemingly determined to insert herself into every nook and cranny of his family life.

Thoughts: We all see them; the influencers on social media but how much is really true about that life or them?
I enjoyed the book a lot and was eager to see where the story was going to go. There were parts where I think the author got confused. One such part is where Tiffany asks Skye how she made money and Skye replies with she had a cardboard sign with “I’m hungry, please help”, but Tiffany should know that since that’s how they met. Around the 60% mark is where the story kind of took a nose dive for me. I was loving the book up until that point. It got on my nerves that everywhere Skye went they knew her. It didn’t matter or who or age they all knew her.Jim the homeless guy knew her too. There’s a scene where she’s leaving the hospital with Nathan and there are the news people there interviewing her. It just gets to be too much. The author made out like she was a movie star status. Another thing that got on my nerves was that Nathan just refused to defend himself and stick up for what was right for me and respect Marie. He thinks he is drugged and raped but he keeps being pleasant to Skye and even inviting her in after his fiancée has left him and Skye shows up uninvited with pizza. I think not! He continues to ask this woman that is completely unhinged to remove things from her social media or say things aren’t true, to which she replies continually that she can’t. So why not just make a social media account and release your own video saying the relationship isn’t real and that you’ve decided to part ways with her because of differences. It just annoyed me that he continued to be used and not defend himself. She even kidnaps his kids and he brushes it off with no legal action because he is worried about his charity. The ending was just not good. It was so random and missing something. It felt rushed considering the build up for the big boat race.

Oh, Miranda, you've done it again! Another great read with some really dark turnings!

Poor Nathan is clueless when it comes to social media, so he really doesn't know how to respond to influencer Skye's overtures. While his fiancé is convinced, she has her sights set on him romantically, Nathan naively defends her as just being very passionate about his charity, Sacha's Sanctuary, a haven for people experiencing homelessness. How far will he go to protect his family and his passion for his charity?

While some reviewers were critical of the early hints at the backstory because you can figure out the twist early on, the author's real skill is the development of Skye's personality as she skillfully draws out Skye's manipulative personality. The reader has a front row seat as Skye "plays the game" of being philanthropic while truly only concerned about image. Everything she does is for a reason. The descriptions of endorsement fakery will have you questioning every social media campaign you've ever seen.

And can we talk about that ending? It was perfect, and I just wanted to reach in and shake Nathan's daughter and every teen who comes under the spell of social media.

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator books for an advance reader's copy for review.

Firstly this book was really interesting. I am fascinated and somewhat wary of the social media “influencer” phenomenon so to get a chance to read a novel like this was great.

Skye is a influencer and a media superstar, she came from poverty and lived very much in a position of not having anything and now lives in a world of privilege and decides she wants to partner with Nathan’s charity. Is it that clear cut? Does she want to give back or is there something further behind her plan?

Incisively written with incredible development, a real treat to read and despite my first thoughts of being a little too old for this topic, I didn’t feel so at all.

This book was like potato chips-you can’t read just one chapter! I flew through this darkly suspenseful book. Skye Walker has had a rough life-drug addicted parents led to her growing up in care homes and eventually becoming homeless. Then she meets Tiffany, a wealthy and generous girl who takes her in. Within 5 years, Skye has become the top social media influencer in the country and decides to give back by partnering with a homeless charity. However, Skye has her eye on more than just charity work.
With thrilling twists that kept me on the edge of my seat, I loved this book.

I received #TheInfluencer as an ARC courtesy of #NetGalley and #InkubatorBooks in exchange for an honest review

This book was a little conflicting for me at times but overall I did enjoy it.

It had a fairly strong story line in parts but was a little lacking in others. It was a little predictable but despite this I enjoyed the journey it took me on.

I really didn’t like Skye, but I suppose I’m not meant to as she isn’t very nice.

It flowed nicely and had fairly strong, rounded characters.

As I am not within the social media age bracket, I was less interested in that area but still enjoyed this title.

Skye, an influencer on social media who has risen from a very impoverished background to the status of megastar with millions of followers, wants to partner with Nathan Edwards' charity which he formed in remembrance of his deceased wife. Nathan's two teenage daughters are over the moon but his fiancee Marie isn't so easily taken in. But Skye's intentions have more to do with Nathan himself than his charity.

Being barely able to navigate Facebook and Goodreads, I was enthralled by this behind-the-scenes look at the power such influencers wield. I've seen people spend hours watching some of these influencers do the most mundane things! I really liked this book and found myself going back to it every chance I got. The story was excellent and the writing was first rate. The main characters were realistically portrayed. I developed an intense dislike for Skye - she was very sly and manipulative - and I thought Nathan was a sweetheart. He tried so hard to escape Skye's clutches and still remain a nice guy, I was really rooting for him. This is the first Miranda Rijks book that I've read but I'll definitely be looking into more of her works. I'm pretty excited to see most of them are free with my Kindle Unlimited membership. Highly recommended.

I have to admit that I don't really like this cover and it wouldn't have enticed me to read this book if I hadn't read the description.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.

In this day and age of social media moguls, I thought this would be an interesting read. Skye Walker, formerly homeless, is a mega Social Media Influencer. She sets her sites on Nathan. When things don’t go her way, it becomes a fatal attraction situation. As with social media, things are not always as they appear. I felt the ending was a little rushed and corny but overall a good read.

Excellent character development here. Absolutely enjoyed these characters!
Loved the premise of this book and particularly liked how this author alternated between Now and Then through a series of flashbacks and also told through multiple points of views!
Very different story plot which shows how much social media is used for gains.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this eARC of The Influencer, this will be published, April 25th!
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I went into this book with no knowledge & wow was I blown away! There are multiple pov’s & each chapter leaves you with a cliffhanger. I expected this to feel like a YA but it truly sucked me in & kept me wanting more. The story flows so easily & the characters are easy to either love or hate...
✨
I cannot wait for the reviews for this, I think it’s going to do better then expected!

Such a good, sharp story that, along with building a tight story line, illuminates the world of influencers, of which I do have some knowledge, but it was still nice to see it laid out with such dry humor. This is the first book I've read by Miranda Rijks - she really writes well, and I'll definitely be picking up more of her books.

A psychological thriller which is my current favorite genre and I'm so glad there are so many fab books coming out in this genre. The Influencer is a worthy addition to this list.

Skye is basically nuts but such a well written character who seems likeable at first, even though you know from the blurb that she's a headcase. I really liked her, even for all her crazy. She was really focused on her goals and that sort of determination is commendable. The character development in this book is just brilliant.

The ending was something I definitely did not expect, and the last chapter was just wow.

The Influencer is a book that keeps you interested and intrigued, with a crisp narrative and great character development. The story unfolds so smoothly and escalates so quickly that you don't even realize when it began to spiral. It's a train going too fast and taking you with it, but not one that has a risk of veering off track. No, Miranda Rijks is too skilled for that. Just fantastic.

Thank you to Inkubator Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many reviewers seemed to enjoy this book - I, however, did not. The language was rather halting and very...statement. "I am Nathan. I am getting married to Marie. My children are..." there was no...music to the language.

And maybe that's me expecting too much. It's just that there are so many thrillers out there that something has to be REALLY excellent to capture me. This...wasn't it.

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚
The Influencer By Miranda Rijks Publication Date 25th April 2021

Skye has been in the care system for years, different foster homes etc. She runs away and is befriended by a girl Tiffany, who is around the same age. She invites her to stay at her family home but not to tell her parents she lived in the streets. Tiffany keeps Skye in money as her parents are very rich. But soon Tiffany gets a bit fed up with Skye getting her parents attention.

Years later, Skye make a name for herself as a very famous influencer. But things aren’t quite what they seem. I did not see that final twist coming!!!!!!

Not my usual kind of book but I really liked it and definitely caught me out either that ending!!

#netgalley #theinfluencer #mirandarijks #twists #inkubatorbooks

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

Loved, loved! This isn’t the first “Insta-thriller” I’ve read but it’s the best. The multiple POVs were easy to follow, as well as the different timelines. Very concise. Juicy, absorbing read with a mega twist towards the end that I did figure on, about 70% in. Most won’t but as stated, I’ve read a few of these type thrillers. Carve a day out on your calendar & curl up with Skye. You won’t regret it!

The plot of this book was ok, but the way it was written there wasn't any suspense, and I didn't understand how Skye got to be famous with no personality. The characters were a bit miserable. I did finish it, as it was quite short, but it was a bit of a chore.

It's a fast read showing how weird social influencers world is. I enjotyed that aspect of this book very much.
I guess the twist at around middle of the story, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it.
The writing felt clunky at times, like it was translated, and it felt like this was the author's first book (which I know it's not).
I didn't enjoy the ending because Nathan, as one of two protagonist, is an unlikable git and he did not deserve that ending at all. I suppose that's ;life though and I can't be mad about that, lol.

Overall it's not the best thriller ever written, but it's not bad and I'm far from discouraging you from reading it.
I'll for sure check author's other books.

Super interesting book and my first by this author, but I will certainly be reading many more because this book is just dazzling. Skye is a social media Influencer with millions of followers who adore her. She wants more, though. She wants love. Enter Nathan, the founder of a charity that she decides to support and publicise to her followers, and she tried to make herself a part of his life. This escalates slowly and steadily and all of its sudden it's a whole lotta crazy. Really good storyline and showed me a lot about how social media influencers are really like. I suppose it does get to them even in real life.

Skye is a really well written character but something that confused me was why she was even attracted to Nathan. Didn't really see the appeal. Compared to Skye and even Marie he was just not so interesting. Would definitely like to see more work by this author, she's really talented and you can see she really loves what she does.

Really good suspense novel, can also be called a psychological thriller, I'm sure.

Thank to the publisher and netgalley for the e-arc.

This book seemed liked one I’d really like. A rags to riches story about a homeless girl turned popular influencer. Only things aren’t always as the seem. The idea and thought behind the story was a very clever one. Sadly it all just didn’t come together that well for me. I figured out the twist pretty early on so there wasn’t much of a surprise there. I think it could have been more enjoyable if the characters were more likable. Even the “victims” in the story were annoying. Plus Skye’s level of crazy wasn’t really developed as well as it could have been. Overall it wasn’t a bad book it just didn’t reach its potential like it could have.

Thank you Inkubator Books for the ARC.

The Influencer was a fast read for me. Skye a social media influencer uses to social media to amass a wealth. The story flips back and forth between her and Nathan a widowed dad of two girls. Very different story plot which shows how much social media is used for gains. I enjoyed this, more like a 3,5 stars

The Influencer' exposes the dangerous side of social media, easiness in manipulating others and losing everything. The story is written from two points of view - Skye Walker, the significant social media influencer with a sad history in the background - homelessness and drug-addicted mother. The second point of view belongs to Nathan Edwards, the charity owner for the homeless widower with two daughters. Their fates are intertwined some day, and nothing will be the same later. The complication of the situation making the plot absorbing from the very beginning. There is a twist in the middle of the book, which makes the whole story more exciting.

Miranda Rijks describes the influence of social media and brilliantly showed how hard it is to break the news from the media. Is there no way to find out how the real truth looks like? Can we plan everything in small details to gain expected results, or could some unexpected events show up? You need to find out! I enjoyed the book from the very beginning - I was afraid that it would be a boring story about the new star and her life - how much wrong I was!
Well written, it was quick for reading. I very recommend it for weekend reading.

Thank you, NetGalley and Inkubator Books, for the ARC of this title.

I enjoyed this book, it was a quick read. The story was quite unbelievable though ... I guessed "the twist' too. And the ending (last page) left me just incredulous. The prose seemed off/odd (was it translated from another language?). Quite stilted. Saying all this, it was a good story, and I did read it quickly, and wanted to know "What Happened Next". 2.5/3 stars from me.