I feel like 2023 has been the year of art reflecting life, and this is the second book that’s arrived on my TBR/ NetGalley shelf (along with Ripe) that delves into the influence and the unhealthy nature of corporate America.

As the reader, you could tell from the beginning that Harper is getting herself into a toxic situation: a hasty interview, rushed contract and promise that “this job is unlike any other” are serious red flags.

I felt nothing but fury for Harper as she got deeper and deeper into this “dream job” but knew she’d find her way out (spoiler alert)!

Due to the nature of the story, I found this to be a fast - albeit sometimes triggering - read!

Thanks Gallery Books for the ARC!

Ever peeked at an Instagram #girlboss and thought, "What's fresh hell is it like to clean her toilets- I mean, to work for her?" Noelle Crooks' "Under The Influence" drops you into that "green" smoothie-laden world in her debut, and it was all I wanted it to give me and more.

Broke and in need of a fresh start, Harper's a New Yorker who applies for a job with enigmatic influencer Charlotte Green, and faster than you can say "mandatory dance party," she's off to Nashville to join The Greenhouse. Initially, it's all sunshine and group bonding, but as Harper digs deeper into Charlotte's world, she uncovers the dark side of living a #girlboss life and answering to a She-E-O.

Crooks weaves a darkly comedic tale of the allure of the glamorous and the harsh realities behind the motivational memes. The characters are vivid, the writing sharp, and Harper's humor keeps you invested in her journey.

In short, "Under The Influence" is a hilarious and thought-provoking look at the not-so-Instagrammable side of the #girlboss lifestyle. If you've ever wondered what happens when the filter comes off and want some influencer tea (given that Noelle used to work for a very popular influencer, think "girl, get a grip"). It's a rollercoaster through the world of influencers, perfect for anyone who's a sucker for seeing the chaos behind the Instagram curtain like me.

I wish I had the time to binge read this book in its entirety, I would have. There were for sure parts reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada, but Charlotte's character was an absolute mental trip! Thank you, Netgalley for allowing me to review this title! I can only hope this is just the first of many Noelle Crooks titles I read in my lifetime!

Wow, I was pleasantly surprised with this novel! Wasn’t sure what to expect but the writing and storyline were great! The characters were bringing all of the drama which is always fun to read about!

When I first began reading this debut novel, I was fairly certain I could tell in advance how it would progress-and how it would end up. I found myself shaking my head as I read the book, thinking that this was so obviously going to continue predictably until the end.
But I was wrong.
Although some of the protagonist’s experiences were predictable as they were laid out in the book, I slowly realized it wouldn’t necessarily play out as I thought it would. And as I progressed through the book, I WAS surprised and pleased that this revelation was indeed true.
You need to read this book-not only as a young person, beginning your journey in establishing your future in business-but also if you are someone who had done so long ago. You will begin to find some of your own familiar stories here. I know I did-and I’m in my seventh decade, now retired. But yes-I recognize so many of these stories as similar to my own experiences, from so long ago.
A cautionary tale for the young—a memory and familiar tale for those older and further along in their own journey. You’ll learn and enjoy this debut novel, as much as I did.
I look forward eagerly to Ms. Crooks’ next book - and hope it comes out soon!

Very easy to read, rarely outrageous of-the-moment book. The author clearly projects herself onto the MC, and given her past, it's kinda warranted. For former Rachel Hollis stans.

I wish this book showed more of the relationships and more of Harper’s character. It’s hard to think of anything that defines her character, and really anybody else in the story. I also think this book could have been shorter, some of the plots seemed to just drag on, especially at the beginning. I kept waiting for a big story behind Charlotte, but nothing major really happened. Overall, this was just more of a surface- level read.

This was a thinly veiled memoir (i mean novel). It was so incredibly meh.. I kept wanting something to happen and was ultimately disappointed by the story. i hated all the characters, and eye rolled so hard at the epilogue.

As someone who followed along, read the books and basically drank the koolaid for a certain influencer and her husband (at the time) in Austin this book read like a biography. I was only a couple of chapters in when the story started sounding really familiar.

If you aren't someone who followed the influencer this book seems to be based on you might not enjoy the story quite as much. But, if you also thought she was great until things started to come crashing down around her this book will be a quick read.

I enjoyed this book as I am fascinated by the wellness influencer culture that can be considered a cult. This book dives into t the idea of hustle culture, toxic positivity which are aspects that I am personally unlearning.

under the influence was a really fun read! I liked the satire but also a warning to not get too sucked into this influencer culture. a great beach read.

Noelle Crooks formerly worked for Rachel Hollis, so I was super interested in reading this book and seeing if there were any similarities, and boy were there! I fall victim to the IG scrolling dopamine lift so I am familiar with the influencer culture, so this book was a really interesting satire of the career/look behind the scenes.

I so tried to get into this story but it just didn't hold my attention. I have to be drawn in immediately to a novel I'm sure it's a wonderful story but just not for me. It felt too dry and uninteresting. I'm sure others will enjoy it.

Intriguing book about working for an influencer, made more powerful by the author's real life experience.

Let me first admit that I used to follow Rachel Hollis, read her books, drank the kool-aid of her authenticity and advice about being my best self. Then things started to fall apart for me and for many others. When I saw that Noelle Crooks used to work for Hollis, I was very intrigued to read this book. Wow, the peek behind the curtain was quite telling. I know, Crooks will probably be the first to jump in and say that this book is not autobiographical, that it is only inspired by her time working for Hollis, but I can see how her experiences shaped this narrative knowing what I know about her former employer.

This book is about Harper Cruz, an NYU grad hoping to work in the writing/publishing world. Her roommate encourages her to apply for an interesting sounding job, and Harper is quickly interviewed, hired, and moved to Nashville to work for influencer Charlotte Green. Charlotte comes across as a down-to-earth anywoman who prides herself on authenticity and relatability. Although the job is everything that Harper ever dreamed of, the hours are long and there are some things that just don't seem right to her. Is Harper willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead in this business?

This book is incredibly relatable in this influencer world we live in today. It's a cautionary tale--one we've heard before over the years in all of its iterations: from actors to singers to sports stars to internet influencers, as much as we wantto believe they are just like us, they are not like us.

This was a very fast paced read, the author is a strong writer with an intriguing tale to tell. I'll be interested to see what direction she takes next with her writing. There are shades of The Devil Wears Prada here, but Harper's character was more interesting (and relatable) to me than Andrea/Andy was in that book.

If you're interested in reading about the darker side of the mega-influencer world, then I highly recommend picking this one up.

I read almost half of this book, but just felt like it was going nowhere. I wanted the main character to grow up and show some backbone, but at the 50% mark, I had to call it quits. (No other public reviews posted.)

Under the Influence by Noelle Crooks has been likened to "The Devil Wears Prada" and I too can see the similarities. Harper takes a job working for Charlotte Green who is a self help influencer. The insights of our online world ring through and the culture around fame is interesting too. There have been rumors that this is based on a real life influencer which might add a level of intrigue to the book, but even without the "who is she really", it's a fun read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Under the Influence in exchange for an honest opinion. This novel is available now.

Thank you so much to BookClubFavorites + Gallery Books for my STUNNING gifted copy! Forever obsessed with this cover 😍

After reading the synopsis of Under the Influence, I KNEW I had to read this one. I have always been very fascinated by influencers and that entire world. It’s just insane to me how lavishly some of them live and the money they make 🥴 like holy cow, but ANYWAYSSSS this book was so dang good and everything you could want in a book about a girl working for a self help influencer who has 2 million followers and this cult following.

Harper moves from NYC to Nashville to work for Charlotte Green’s team. Everything starts out great, but she begins to see some cracks in Charlotte’s armor. And Charlotte will do whatever necessary to keep those under wraps.

This book was so interesting to me because there were parallels in Charlotte Green to real influencers many of us have probably followed at some point in time. But also I feel like this book is such a good look at parasocial relationships because they are W I L D when you stop and think about it.

The ending was a little too neatly wrapped up for me and I didn’t love the romance addition, but overall this is a major win.

it was an interesting read for sure. Its very juicy and reads like someone with a chip on her shoulder. If you're in the right mood, it's page turning as heck.

The short chapters and near-constant action are certainly another reason i read this book in one sitting. And also because it's a book that's in a pretty negative headspace. And also, I wanted to shout at the lead character over and over again when she was thinking one thing internally and then doing another externally. Which drives this reader batty.

The other reason that this book was only 3 stars for me is that it comes from a very Millenial POV from a work perspective. There's a lot of talk about long hours, but, that's what these staffs of these people do. That's what many, many successful companies require from their staff. I feel that, if she'd one even the smallest amount of research, she would have known that she wasn likely to have to work a lot to basically 4x the salary she was earning. So, yeah, there was a lot of complaining about things, but then also complaining about the opposite of that thing. And that REALLY drives this reader crazy.

Don't get me wrong. I was glued to this book the whole time and absolutely wanted to know what was going to happen. And I was very interested in the details about how being an influencer works. It's 100% a job I never, ever want. It seems exhausting.

I will say that, if you love The Devil Wears Prada and stories like that one, I think you'll find a lot to be interested in here.

I thought this was such a clever, snarky and well done end of summer read. The story was fast paced and not at all one-note, which sometimes novels marketed like “The Devil Wears Prada” can be. This is more than that, and felt much more timely since influencers are absolutely unavoidable in every medium at this point—and since the author used to work for a highly recognizable influencer who had a very public and very familiar fall from Grace, this felt very juicy. I loved it, and read it in one day. Can’t wait to recommend at the store!

A fast and brutal devil wears prada for RIGHT NOW, Crooks is blisteringly funny and a bit terrifying in how much this rings and cuts.