This book was absolutely fascinating. I loved the concept and thought it was such an interesting story to tell. It took me a minute - like at least 30% of the book - to really get hooked, but once that happened I could not stop reading. I liked how it highlighted our society's complete obsession with influencer culture, the co-dependency of a creator and their audience, true-crime, and parasocial relationships.

While the switching of POVs between all the Iversons, the mystery guy, and the social media followers did make it harder for me to truly know our main characters, I thought it added to the story in a weird way. At the end of the day, we as the audience do not really know all these different people that we follow online, and the commentary/searing indictment on parents using their children for likes, follows, and sponsorships was done so well. I feel like I'll think about this book for a long time.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC - all opinions and thoughts are my own!

The Influencers by Anna-Marie McLemore was a fun little mystery.
It was cleverly written with excellent plot development, interesting characters and a story that kept me glued to the pages.

Thanks to Net Galley and The Dial Press for the free copy in exchange for my honest review! I love all things influencer discourse and the changing understanding of exploitation of children in these influencer families, so I thought this would be right up my alley. The mystery( main plot) felt like it was actually a small b plot, and unfortunately the rest of the book didn't hold my interest and perhaps would be more enjoyed with an understanding that the mystery is going to take aback set and instead this is an exploration of the characters feelings about being social media famous from a young age.

I didn’t enjoy this one. The plot was hard to figure out, and I kept feeling like I was missing key pieces the whole time. It jumped around so much, I had trouble keeping up—and not in a fun, twisty way. It just felt messy and confusing. I really wanted to like it, but this one was a struggle for me.

I was really excited to read this book. The entire premise was really interesting to me however, when I started it, I just couldn't find myself yearning for more. It could just be a personal thing- that I wasn't immediately attached to what was happening, but there was some disconnect between myself and the characters while I was reading.

I do think other people could really enjoy this book and I wish it all the success when it hits the book shelves :)

Grateful for the chance to read an advance copy!

The Influencers is a sharp, darkly funny, and compulsively readable take on fame, family, and the fallout of a life lived online. Centered around the enigmatic “Mother May I” and her five now-adult daughters—each uniquely scarred by growing up in the spotlight-the novel blends murder mystery with biting social commentary.

As secrets unravel and public opinion swirls, the story explores generational trauma, performative perfection, and the cost of turning real lives into content. With a campy, satirical edge and a whip-smart narrative voice, this is both an entertaining whodunit and a searing critique of influencer culture.

Bold, twisty, and unflinchingly timely, The Influencers is the kind of book you’ll devour-and then want to talk about

I was so excited about this book but it just fell flat and I found it boring . I read about 30% and just couldn’t so I thought I’d at least skip and read the end but still meh ..

The author’s writing style is clearly not for me

4.5 stars. Meet the Iversons; social media influencers who grew up under the spotlight and in front of the camera. The five Iverson sisters have spent over twenty years being filmed for their mothers channel, 'Mother May I.' The once small channel became an empire with their lives plastered everywhere: from online videos to social media campaigns, the girls have done it all. So when their step-father ends up dead, and their mother's house ends up torched, they turn into lead suspects. The sisters have changed since the early years of Mother May I. April, the oldest, is now a successful businesswoman whose life isn't in the spotlight. The twins June and July have their own successful channel called 'The Summer Girls,' which is projected to become bigger than their mom's. January is living her own life away from social media as a theater tech. And the youngest, March, has completely disappeared. The girls have changed, but their mother hasn't. As the murder case goes on, resentment and secrets start to bubble over, and tension gets high. But that doesn't mean one of the girls really committed murder, right?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for this digital e-arc.*

When I read the description I was sold! I would limit the amount of Kardashian comparisons because that would not sell me on it and I am glad I didn't see that until after I was approved.

This was such a great, twisty domestic drama featuring daughters of a famous influencer and the mystery surrounding their stepfather's death. I loved the narration by Brittany Pressley, the bipoc/Latinx and trans rep. Anyone who enjoys entertaining social media influencer stories will not want to miss this one. Highly recommended for fans of books like Hate follow or People like her. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Not a very convincing story - there is a confusing amount of characters, each named after a month of the year (?)
The writing is telling you about the characters instead of fleshing them out.
I am also reading "Influencer" by Sara Shepard and Lila Buckingham and that narrative makes you feel as if you are actually there, involved in the conversation, and experiencing what the characters are going through.
"The Influencers" by McLemore seems more like an overly long parody about a murder mystery that nobody really cares about.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc and to PRH Audio for the alc.

I must say I chose to request this book on NetGalley because of that fabulously adorable cover!!! I mean just look at how cute it is. I love the color scheme especially!

Overall, I had a love-hate relationship with this book of sorts, This is because I found the mystery aspect of the story intriguing, but I also found the main characters semi-annoying. I can imagine they may have written to be this way on purpose though. So this book was both addicting and a slog for me. This is why I am confused on how to rate this book slightly.

I must say that I am super glad Brittany Pressley narrated the audiobook as she is one of my favorite audiobook narrators and she did a fantastic job. I think it is possible that if she didn't narrate this book, there would've been a strong chance that I dnf'ed it. But at the same time, i am also glad that I did not do this as the ending resolved the story quite well in my opinion.

Overall, I would probably rate this book somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars, and I do think that I would be willing to read more by Anna-Marie McLemore in the future as well.

I’m fascinated by our societal obsession with influencer culture, so I have very high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, they were disappointed. The multiple POVs were all over the place, and the characters lacked depth. For me, the pacing was the worst because IT DRAGGED. Truthfully, I had to push myself not to DNF this one.

For a mystery novel, I couldn’t have cared less who committed the crime because the victim was just a terrible person. Also, the “twist” was very predictable.

I just don’t think I was the right target for this book.

I will always read a book about an influencer, there is something endlessly interesting to me about the world’s obsession with social media influencers. The murder mystery wasn’t the most interesting part to me, it was the dynamics between the family. I can’t imagine growing up with the whole world watching my every move, it honestly sounds miserable and I liked that this looked at the dark side of social media. If you have a fascination with family vloggers like I do try this! Brit Pressley is one of the very best and she shines so bright here.

3.5 stars!

As a proud hater of family vlogging, I was on board for this. May Iverson, when I catch you...

There was a lot to love here. The dialogue and writing felt real, with some really funny lines among the heavier stuff. I loved all the siblings, but won't be naming my favorite. For spoiler reasons. If anyone reading this has read it - you'll probably know. The takes on mommy bloggers, family channels, and even true crime channels, were all really well done.

I think what is keeping it from being a four star or higher for me, is that the formula of it got a bit tedious. The leaked video reports every other chapter, and then not much happening elsewhere plot-wise. It was more family drama than mystery/thriller to me - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just found the repetition starting to stale and wishing more would actually happen in the current timeline, outside of the leaked videos.

It was still a fun read! I did enjoy myself and definitely intend on checking out more from this author.

DNF at 32%. This book couldn’t decide what it wanted to be, and at a third of the way through it really should’ve.

There are two stories here: first, the mystery surrounding the murder of a wealthy social media influencer and the investigation into the lives of those who have the means and motive. Second, the lives of young adults who were part of family vlogs as children and how that impacted their growth as individuals. Both of them would’ve been captivating to read, but they just don’t tie together well, at least not here.

The best parts of this were the interludes with the fans, their clowning (to borrow a term from the Swiftie community) to investigate the murder themselves and feeding into parasocial relationships.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, since it seems like something normally up my alley, but I just could not get invested or give a single fuck about any of these people.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna-Marie McLemore, and The Dial Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Remember, you are already a good mom."

A family that relied entirely on documenting their lives for the public to see. A mom influencer that thrived on filming every reaction, moment and event from her children so she could curate her perfect life. Four daughters that paid for the price of reality fame and a dead husband that no one knows how he died. That's the life of the Iverson's that anyone and everyone wants to follow on now. Mother May I may be a brand that May Iverson has perfected, but did she really get her own signature line correct?

The concept of this story was what had me intrigued from the get go. I enjoyed the alternating POVs from the Iverson's and the chapters about the "followers", as if they were paparazzi/fan excerpts that helped tell this story. The sisters all had their masked personalities, much like their mother May did. What made them different was that beneath the layers of social media, grooming and pleasantries was that each sister had their own trauma from being in the public eye that they never recovered from. Their characters and POVs were my favourite moments in the book. May's moments were my least favorite and I wasn't surprised with how her demise came to be. The death and mysteries were a bit underwhelming and predictable, still entertaining and helped shape the plot to what it needed to be.

For fans of reality tv shows like The Kardashians and families in the spotlight, this one may be a good pick for you. I can only imagine what children of celebrities and reality stars go through after finishing this book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House/The Dial Press for providing a digital copy for my honest opinion and thoughts!

📖 Title: The Influencers-a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Anna Marie McLemore-new to me author

📅Publication date: 4/15/25 | Read 4/10/25

📃 Format: e-Book 448 pgs.

Genre:
*Mystery/Thriller
*Contemporary

Tropes:
*whodunit
*family drama
*social media
*true crime
*social satire
*being biracial

👆🏾POV: 3rd person, multiple

⚠️TW: death of a spouse, arson, child exploitation, transitioning, infertility, secret identity, surprise pregnancy

🌎 Setting: CA

Summary: After twenty-five years of living in the spotlight, May and her daughters "The Iversons" deal with the fallout from May's husband August death where her daughters are all suspects.

🎭 Characters:

*August Ingraham-May's newlywed husband-murdered

*Ernesto Iniesta-May's ex-husband and father of all the kids

* May Iverson-53, matriarch of the family, creator of "Mother May I" social media empire

* April-29, the oldest sister, a businesswoman who is feuding w/ May over intellectual property

* June and July-26, twins that smile in May's face but threatens her spotlight, both also social media influencers

*January- 24, a theater tech, stays away from the spotlight, and is the black sheep of the family

*March-23, the youngest daughter, gone missing


🤔 My Thoughts: After getting all the characters straight, I enjoyed the commentaries on motherhood/sisterhood, social media, morality, and
how it manifested into the Iversons' adult lives. I enjoyed January and March's stories the most because they felt the most authentic. Even though the world building was sparingly addressed, the themes resonated with me.

Rating: 4/5 ✨
Spice level 1/5 🌶️

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group | The Dial Press, and Anna-Marie McLemore for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

I’m not an immediate fan of the writing style. It feels almost like a stream of consciousness, which isn’t my cup of tea. The chapters often felt like they were telling rather than showing, hindering my engagement with the book. The chapters either felt too long or not long enough. The pacing is slow because we actually know the passage of time that is occurring and the book tells rather than shows. The biggest disservice to the book, in my personal opinion, is the fact that it is marketed as a mystery. To me, the book is more of a fiction book that is meant to be a social commentary about influencer families that just so happen to have a mysterious death. I do, however, like the Iverson siblings. I think they are easy to empathize with and that even though we are shown some of their faults, their personalities as a whole show them as good people.

This book is outside of the typical genres I read, and unfortunately I had trouble connecting with the characters. I found the book to be much more of a character study than a mystery, the actual plot was the least developed aspect of the book. I also felt like this book was longer than necessary, and it took me a significant amount of time to get through it. That being said, the writing and setting was very entertaining and I could see this being adapted into a television show easily.