May Iverson, known as Mother May I to all mommy blogger fans, had the perfect life - fabulous husband, five beautiful daughters, a thriving influencer business. Now her husband is dead, her mansion is has massive fire damage, and one of her daughters hasn't been seen since she turned 18. I really enjoyed this book. I went into it expecting a lot more murder mystery but I was glad when it was more of a commentary on how people in the spotlight deal with being in the spotlight while also trying to process their own lives. I loved the interstitial chapters where you move from the perspective of the family to the perspective of the fans, and the armchair detectives trying to find out who killed August and where did March go. I really enjoyed the slow burn of everything, and that by the end of it all you have a solid payoff that just... makes sense. Things are both connected and disconnected, reality is both close to the rumors and far away, and everyone has to come to terms with the fact that the world knows every little thing about them.

I understand the lower ratings that other people are giving, it was actually really hard for me to have empathy for the characters knowing that they're wealthy influencers who can live with their heads in the sand. I mean, there's a scene where May doesn't know how to clean a toilet... But once I realized that's what was happening I was able to reframe my view and enjoy the book for what it really is, a story about a family that is nothing like mine trying to survive in the age of social media

The premise of this book really intrigued me, and the centering of the story around family vloggers/momfluencers feels super current and relevant. However, I ultimately felt like this book was at once too much and not enough - murder mystery + social commentary on influencer culture, but I felt like both could have been a bit more fleshed out as lots of the twists were quite predictable. I also found the character names after the months to be annoying in a way I didn't expect when I read the description and requested!

May is a Kardashian-ish momager with 4 grown children, influencer success, and riches, until her house burns down, her husband is murdered, and her family becomes the main suspects.

It was hard to read this and not imagine the Kardashians! The pacing was a bit slow and the characters were unlikable, but in a good way.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I never understood the people who make a living as an "influencer" nor have I understood those who excitedly follow their every post. But I know there are a lot of people out there who do both, and this book does a decent job of presenting a mystery <i>and</i> following both sides of that agreement.

"Mother May I" was the original influencer, and one of the POVs is from her followers while the rest are May and four of her five daughters, all charmingly named the month in which they were born. Her second husband, also named after a month, has just been found dead and, well, there's lots of speculation whodunnit, May or a daughter or ?? Things devolve into leaked uncut videos, leaked never uploaded videos and the family begins to fracture. How May responds/responded to their requests to not document things leads to lots of tension.

The followers act as almost a Greek chorus, which has the unfortunate effect of dampening things. How everyone reacts to the release of one, or more, video is muted because it's seen via the followers POV. There is also the insertion of an influencer wannabe with a true crime focus--ultimately this goes nowhere except serve as yet another voice, way to discuss the leaks. The overuse of both, plus the later chapters with Luke Sweatshirt (and honestly, it was obvious from the start where that POV was going) led to the loss of two stars.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

The goods:
- Some people may not like the format, but I loved being able to read inside each Iverson's mind and then reading what the followers thought. It was really cool, but if you don't like third person, this will drive you crazy.
- Everything does wrap up nicely at the end and I wasn't sure if it would, so that was a great surprise.
- There were twists in this story that I didn't see coming and I was hooked some of the time, but...

The loss of a star and a half:
-...it was just extremely low stakes the majority of the time when I was hoping for a bit more energy, considering how strong the opening was and how intense a few moments were.
- Some characters were not as developed as others, which was just disappointing to see. I feel like some parts of some characters were just randomly thrown in and forgotten for half the book.

Overall, if you're looking for a uniquely written mystery, you'd like this! But if you need first person or high stakes, this is not the book for you.

This is a fun, fast read squarely in my “influencers behaving badly” niche. Full of characters you love to hate and a Greek chorus of social media followers who think they know everything. Slow through the first half, but a solid ending. Also- there are some hilarious one-liners in this book that are so delightful I literally laughed out loud. 4⭐️

One of my favorite micro-genres is influencers behaving badly so I knew I needed to read this book the minute I heard about it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. May Iverson became a mommy influencer and skyrocketed to fame using her daughters, March, April, June, July and January (yes, really), as adorable content. Every part of their childhood has been documenting online for the world to see - first bras, first periods, all the awkwardness and sibling rivalry. The daughters are all adults now and each has her own relationship with social media. The public is still enamored with the family and then tragedy strikes. May's new husband is dead in an apparent murder. The internet sleuths have a field day with theories and speculation. Who could have done this? Why? I loved the inside look at a family who became internet famous. Be careful what you wish for - you may just get it.

With "The Influencers" taking on a very topical subject, I couldn't help but get sucked into this comfortable read. It was both comfortably suspenseful and irritating as if I was complaining about any influencer family on the couch next to my best friend who consumes this type of media with fervor.

McLemore's timing with a book that picks apart the world of fame on the shoulders of children is not only apropos for our time, but it does so in a hauntingly creepy way that lurks upon the pages like a sticky coating. It's a fun read, nothing too psychological but just frustrating enough that you hate all the right characters and want to take a step back and evaluate all the family vloggers in the world.

Rating this advanced copy at a comfortable three because, while not the most profound read, it is a fun read that is relevant and plays around with the topic in an engaging way.

4 Stars – The Influencers is a beautifully written, thought-provoking story that blends social media, identity in a beautiful way. While the pacing lags in places, the novel’s emotional depth and unique storytelling make it a worthwhile read.

I thought I would like this book more than I did. Unfortunately I found it hard to get into and the writing style didn’t really work for me. Have to confess I skimmed most of it to see how it ended - an unusual approach to reading a book for me and concluded that I was glad I didn’t invest too much time into this very slow burn. I’m sure others will appreciate this more! Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC .

The world of Mother May I and her family vlogging channel comes crumbling down after the murder of her second husband. May Iverson and her adult children have always faced public scrutiny, but never like this, and they are NOT handling it well as their secrets come out and lies get exposed.

This was so well done! I loved the varying POV’s and unique POV’s as well. Even with all the siblings, it was easy to tell whose POV was whose and they all had distinct voices. I loved seeing May’s world come crashing down, especially as you see how much she deserves it as the book goes on. I do wish that one particular aspect of family vlogging was talked about more than just a single chapter, but I won’t mention it due to spoilers.

I’ve had mixed results from this author’s previous works, but I thoroughly enjoyed their adult debut.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC of The Influencers in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately, it wasn't a fit for me. Many of the characters are named after months of the year and I didn't realize how much this would distract me from the narrative. When I read a story I like to sink into it and it wasn't possible for this one. If you can overlook that aspect, you might find it to be an enjoyable read.

An interesting format for telling the story of a momfluencer and her children. It was a slow burn, but sometimes a bit too slow for me.

I enjoyed the backstory of the family and would have probably been more interested in that piece, not necessarily needing the murder mystery of it all. That being said, I overall enjoyed this story of Mother May I and the whodunnit of who murdered her husband.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy!

August Ingraham, the second (and much younger) husband of May Iverson, is murdered and their house is set on fire, but who is responsible? May Iverson is a famous family vlogger, known as ‘Mother May I’, who has shared the lives of herself and her 5 children - April, June, July, January and March. The story centers around the ethics of family vloggers and the children who are forced to grow up in front of the camera. Much of the story is told through flashbacks via anonymous accounts releasing unedited footage taken from stolen cameras. While the concept of the book intrigues me, I wish the author was more subtle. I felt a lot of the twists were predictable. Additionally, for how long the book is, not a lot happened plot wise. Overall, the concept was interesting, but the ‘mystery’ wasn’t as gripping as I’d hoped.

3/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely brilliant! It was definitely more of a literary slow burn mystery than an action packed thriller, but it was gripping all the same. I was hooked by the characters: the siblings. Each one was so compelling with their complicated relationships with each their mother and childhood. I admired April and how strong she was when forced into motherhood at such a young age by her mother. June and July were an interesting pair, but even more interesting when they started to split apart. January was so confident in herself, pursuing a career her mother could never have approved of. I won’t reveal my favorite, but I am sure you will guess. And of course each sibling had their own secrets that were slowly, carefully revealed over the course of the story. I liked that we got each of their perspectives, and also outsider perspectives. I did struggle a bit with how many perspectives there were and how often it changed. But the ending made everything worth it and was so amazing. Overall this was a fantastic book and I highly recommend it!

this was a DNF for me- this just wasn't for me. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the eARC!

I enjoyed this book so much! The chapters are super short, which made it feel like I was flying through this book - and I loved the layout. There were chapters from different characters' points of view, and then interspersed were chapters from the perspective of people who viewed their lives/posts, and chapters with a specific true crime woman doing posts about the crime/mystery.

I did have a little trouble keeping the characters separate in my mind at first, but then they are laid out in birth order, and that helped it make a lot more sense. The only twist I was able to guess was where March ended up hiding.
But I loved how this laid out the different paths that influencer children might take and how they might feel. It was a really great exploration of influencers in general. I will definitely read this again to see what I can pick up the second time that I didn't notice the first time.

I heard about the Influencers on Fabled Bookshop’s winter preview and immediately requested it on NetGalley because I hate waiting for things. I am surprised to see such low ratings because I found it absolutely unputdownable. Every time I could, I was reading until I got through the last line, but maybe that’s because I am endlessly fasciated by people and their motivations for doing things. In The Influencers, we watch the downfall of a social media kingdom of Mother May I. Should it have been called Mommie Dearest?


California recently enacted a law that children who are used in their parents’ social media to make money must have money set aside for them, and I think this is even more fascinating set against that back drop. I loved the way the story unfolded from multiple points of view, the red herrings that were thrown in, and the ways the sisters were differentiated from each other. I think the resolution of the mystery could have been a little more satisfying, but this was a strong 4.5 stars for me.

When a member of a family of influencers (think the Kardashians) dies, we get chapters from all of the family members' perspectives while trying to figure out who caused the death, which was under suspicious circumstances. Each member of the family is named for the month in which they were born (usually), which is a unique twist. This book is relevant to current exposés about influencer culture and how much of one's family to share with the world. LGBTQ+ representation, complex family issues, divorce, rich people behaving badly, and child exploitation.

This book was so disappointing.

I requested this from NetGalley based on the premise because I thought it would be an interesting and well put together mystery.

This story turned out to me so dramatically underwhelming. I literally had to force myself to finish it.

Again; reading is subjective so if you want to read this by all means enjoy but for me I really don’t like a lot of nagging, dramatic stories with family drama. This felt like a reality show in the worst way.

Once I realized it was a YA Novel it clicked. I am not a heavy YA reader so I think that could have added to the disappointment as well.