For fans of the Hunger Games comes the next reality show The Kill Factor. Emerson wants more than anything to provide an escape from their underground home for her younger brother who is extremely intelligent. They live in the Burrows where people with little money live. Their father is an absent parent addicted to increasing his social media followers. Everyone is concerned about their followers because that's how your income is determined. When Emerson is arrested for breaking in a school and stealing money, she has two choices: go to prison or take a chance on a reality show. If she wins the show, she will get lots of followers and money or if she loses, she will be sent to solitary confinement. She feels like her only option is to take a chance on the reality show. The show is much more deadly that she was originally informed about. There are 50 competitors on the show and the deaths are brutal so the book is more violent that the Hunger Games books. The only thing I didn't understand were why were there competitors who had lots of followers and had more money than the people who lived in the Burrows.

I was hooked right away when I started this book. I did not see the twists or the ending coming. Hoping for a sequel!! The deeper meanings and reflections on society in this story are very important. Quick read. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Somewhere in the future, the world is run by social media. Wealth is acquired through having followers and earning brand credits. Emerson Ness is not an influencer, and her family lives in poverty. When Emerson faces prison for a crime she did not intend to commit, she is given a choice: serve her prison sentence, or compete in a new reality game show that, if won, will grant her her freedom and provide her with enough brand credits for her family to live comfortably for the rest of their days. The catch is that if she doesn't win, she will be sentenced to a lifetime in solitary confinement. When Emerson accepts a position on the show, she quickly comes to realize that the show has higher stakes than she had imagined. What comes next is a suspenseful and gut wrenching set of challenges that simultaneously unite the contestants and tear them apart.

This book was like The Hunger Games meets the Truman Show. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The characters were complicated and the lines of morality gray. The situations the author put these characters into had me concerned for his own mental health! My only real complaint is that there is an unnecessary love story included that would have worked better as just a strong friendship. The whole book takes place in about a week, so there is not enough time for characters to truly fall in love. Also, the ending has me praying that there will be a sequel to follow!

I was able to read this as an ARC from NetGalley, and I did find a significant amount of typos that I hope the editor catches before publication. At this point I would rate this book 3.5 stars, but I think it has potential to be a 4-star read with some more editing.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

: I really like the concept of such a strong influence of social media on this dystopian society. It honestly isn’t too far off of what could happen in terms how it impacts financials and relationships. I can really see this idea appealing to teens who are so surrounded by social media in their everyday lives. I do think a younger YA audience would appreciate this more as the writing is more surface than depth. Is it a bit far fetched in terms of the TV show? Sure, but it’s interesting. It’s a bit of The Hunger Games meets #murdertrending. I thought at first that the challenges that the contestants were facing were a bit lacking in creativity, but I think upon further reflection that it was done that way purposefully by the author. There was one twist I didn’t see coming, but appreciated. Oliver definitely set the ending up for a potential sequel or series as well.

Oh my gosh, this book was AMAZING. I literally could not put it down! I loved all the suspense involved, and the plot twist at the end was insane!