I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. The blurb for this refers to the book as campy and escapist. Yes it is. It is a beach read in the best sense of the word. It is also well written, and a thoughtful look at expectations of mothers and children, social strata and sexuality. It is told in the form of short chapters- with the point of view of the participants as well as a narrator. The story line goes thru several timelines, and describes several podcasts, social media posts etc. It is not had to follow and is fun to read. May Iverson is an influencer. She uses the name Mother May I, and posts about her 5 daughters and her life as a mother.She divorced the girls father years ago and uses her last name for the daughters- who are named April, June, July, January and March. A year ago, May remarried , to a man named August, and things seem wonderful. Until they aren't. August is found dead and the house is in flames. May tries to carry on with her life, as the police search for the killer. Her daughters are all grown, and living their own lives, with varying degrees of social presence. Except for March, who has disappeared. It is a good look at life being lived on social media. It is campy, sarcastic, witty and thoughtful. I thought the end was not a smooth finish, but otherwise this is a great book to take on your next vacation!

This book was an interesting vibe for me. I requested it via NetGalley because I was obsessed with the cover, and I frankly find our society’s obsession with influencers fascinating. I also thought this novel is being released at a super relevant time, with many kids who grew up in the fishbowl of social media now releasing tell-alls.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I did struggle with the pacing and the abrupt changes between POVs, especially when it pivoted between the sisters’ POVs and the fans. At times, I enjoyed reading about the fans opinions on Mother May I and her daughters, but other times, it didn’t feel necessary to me. I really wanted more time with the family overall.

I struggled with how to rate this story but really enjoyed the ending and the twists and turns that occurred, so I ended up giving it four stars. I think you will really enjoy this book if like:

Mysteries
“Who Done it” Vibes
Complex Family Dynamics
LGBTQIA+ Representation
Multiple POVs

I love this concept: a momfluencer who has made her career by exploiting her children without their consent (and sometimes against their wishes) finds her perfectly constructed world crumbling after those children grow up and move out. Add in an MLM-bro of a husband who dies under mysterious circumstances and a fire that damages her immaculate, Instagram-worthy mansion, and you've got a couple of crimes, more than few suspects, and a whole lot of voyeurs who want to watch the whole empire burn.

This was beautiful. All the characters were developed and the pacing was perfect. It defied my expectations...because generally, novels about social media influencers (even the best of them) tend to be a bit vapid.

Interesting premise, but felt like the overall story dragged a bit. And didn't necessarily care about the mystery at the center.
A bit long but very creative!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Influencers.

Brace yourself, here's another novel featuring the trials and tribulations that come with being social media influencers.

I liked the cover and the premise made it sound like this was a murder mystery involving sibling influencers.

But it's not.

This was more character oriented featuring discussions about each daughter named after a month, and the privilege, superficiality, and shallowness of influencers.

There's plenty of descriptions of each Iverson, but you never really know each of them individually.

I didn't dislike anyone; I just didn't connect with anyone.

There's a disconnect to the writing, not helped by the sections of the followers of May Iverson, the mother influencer extraordinaire. I felt these sections distracting than helpful.

The narrative is slow-paced with no suspense or urgency; there's name dropping and descriptions of how May Iverson built her brand and used her childrens' identities to become rich and famous.

The writing style and tone lacks empathy and warmth, maybe because we're talking about social media and the people who power our obsession with influencers.

There's no mystery here, nothing to unravel, no clues to follow.

It's just a long-winded narrative about the Iverson family, who might or might not be capable of murder, how their mom ruined their lives by airing their private lives to the public.

There's nothing here I haven't read elsewhere with similar themes and topics.

I thought this was a mystery and it isn't, far from it.

3 stars.

I like that the plot of this book was unique, but it felt slow paced and the characters felt a bit flat.

The different viewpoints kept this story interesting, although the different ‘followers’ were difficult to distinguish at times. None of the characters were likable. I wonder if Anna-Marie McLemore wrote them with the intention of the reader having little empathy for anyone? It is definitely an observation of our influencer and celebrity culture and how we love to see the demise of people like that.
Too much privilege, unpleasantness and fakeness has led the Inversons to be slowly destroyed online after a family member is found dead, probably murdered. The haters, fans and fame hungry are quick to throw theories online on which of the sisters killed him. At the core of the story is how an online sensation promoting family, togetherness and support for mothers was found to be a sham. As a reader you are left to decide if the sisters are justified or is the mother the true victim here.
Thanks to Netgalley and The Dial Press for the ARC.

While the premise of The Influencers is engaging and offers sharp commentary on fame, family, and the pressures of social media, the execution fell short for me. The pacing was uneven, with too many scenes that felt unnecessary, slowing the story’s flow. The family dynamics were underdeveloped, and I struggled to connect emotionally with the characters. I also figured out right away what had happened to March.

That said, I did appreciate the satirical edge and enjoyed the multiple perspectives, especially the inclusion of the online audience’s take on the family.

Overall, The Influencers offers an interesting look at the cost of commodifying personal lives but doesn’t quite hit the mark.

This book was really good!!! In the day and age of social medias and all things influenced, this was such a great read!!! This book will have you hooked from beginning to end!!!

I can appreciate what this was trying to do. I just think it was trying a little too hard for my taste. I think there's definitely a lot of interesting commentary on internet fame in here.

The Influencers was a fascinating mystery spin on “momfluencer” culture that still remained true to its assertion that profiting off of your children’s likenesses online is extremely exploitative and problematic *at best.* If you’ve spent any amount of time on MomTok or anti-MomTok, this story will resonate as eerily believable. It was so hard to put down so I’d definitely recommend you pick it up!

This is like if The Virgin Suicides were written today instead of the 2000s and also by a far better writer. I liked it a lot.

I also posted it on my instagram as one of my top reads of 2024: https://www.instagram.com/p/DEklmf-Pz4G/?img_index=1

A beloved momfluencer’s husband turns up dead, kicking off an internet frenzy where everyone’s asking- was it one of the daughters? I have a lot of opinions about family vloggers, so as soon as I heard about this book I knew I’d be picking it up. The chapters cut between the POVs of everyone closest to the case as well as the chorus of internet fans who are so sure they can figure out what really happened. The quick jumps between perspectives and opinions keep you sucked into the story. The mystery dives into parasocial relationships, internet “sleuths” who spin wild claims out of the thinnest evidence, and the lasting impact of parents who broadcast every moment of their children’s lives online.

The Influencers by Anna-Marie McLemore is a send-up of all of the mommy bloggers who have profited off their children in the 21st century. I could see much of what happens in the book around the murder of the husband of "Mother May I" such as the commentary of the followers and the reactions of the adult children who were under the spotlight growing up. I highly recommend this mystery, especially for fans of Big Little Lies .

I loved this book. It was a great reflection on how we handle social media vis-a-vie our kids, sometimes intentionally, but often without even considering the consequences. Great character development with the kids, although not so much with the adults. Certainly a book I'll recommend again and again.

📖 Book Review

Title: The Influencers
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore

Description:
Mother May I is a wildly successful influencer who built an empire with her five daughters. Now grown up, two of the daughters (June and July) continue their influencer lifestyles, while May and January stay far from the limelight—and their sister March has gone missing. But when their stepfather is murdered, the family is forced to unravel secrets both personal and public. Who is behind it all?

My Thoughts:
Imagine the Kardashians with a twist of murder mystery, and you’ve got The Influencers! The premise hooked me instantly, as it dives into the life of influencers while tackling important issues like children being exposed on social media and how that affects them later in life. These themes feel incredibly relevant, making it more than just a fun whodunit.

While I loved the fresh take on influencer culture and the book’s start was gripping, I felt the second half lost some of its momentum. I also wished it had been a little shorter to maintain the tension. Still, it’s an intriguing read with a unique premise!

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Age Range: Adult

Favorite Quote:
“She was Mother May I. She was a brand. She was an empire.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

🗓 Release Date: August 13th, 2025
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC!


I will be posting this review on my instagram on January 15th 2025

3 stars

As an incoming McLemore fan, and one who has read most of their YA books and even taught a couple of them, I had a lot of excitement around this adult debut, and that was heightened by both the stellar cover and compelling premise. There are elements of McLemore's characteristic authorial charm here, but a few areas just feel off for me.

It's impossible to be a modern reader of this novel and not make constant comparisons to Kardashians for many undeniable reasons. While I expected a Kardashian-like setup, this is too on the nose. I found myself regularly thinking, "Oh, so this one is Kendall," and the like. It's hard to get as attached to characters - especially so many of them - when they are both too closely paired to real life counterparts and, in most cases, not quite interesting enough to help readers easily distinguish them. This is not a problem I've ever faced in a previous book by this author, so I was surprised and disappointed to find it here (because let's be real, some folks only write with constant "borrowing" from current events; McLemore isn't one of them).

There are some high notes here, but they made me desperately wish that the novel had been reworked to focus on them. The whole murder situation? I could not ever get to a space of caring about any part of this (a challenge in such a lengthy book). For me, the standout is Marc. I'd have LOVED a book focused on Marc from top to bottom. Give me his experiences in this environment, sibling relationships, thoughts, etc. I want all Marc all the time. When readers DO get to spend time with Marc, they also get discussions of food, culture, and relationships that are all characteristic of McLemore's writing. These are the good parts! Reading these sections made me (1) mad that the focus felt so off and (2) curious about whether earlier drafts read more like the author's other works and were somehow watered down in multiple edits.

I really enjoy this author, and my central issue with this book is that so much of it doesn't feel like theirs. I am really looking forward to many more reads from McLemore and will hope enthusiastically that they read truer to form.

This book was quite the glimpse into influencers and that lavish, entitled lifestyle you see some adopt. Mother May I has 5 daughters that she dutifully named after other months, and a husband named August who was murdered in the beginning of the book. The following chapters follow each daughter and May as they try to unravel who could have taken August’s life.

There’s drama, fights and so many dirty secrets come to life as the public speculates and true crime fanatics take hold of the story.

The end was a bit anticlimactic but I enjoyed this read

This is all about the world of social media influencers, and it is fascinating! The five daughters of "Mother May I" Iverson (January, March, April , June and July) have grown up completely under the spotlight, featured for twenty five years in their mother's social media accounts. When mom's new husband is murdered, each of the daughters is a suspect. The author has a lot to say about how children are affected by social media, particularly when their parents use them for content, which is something a lot of readers will relate to. I look forward to recommending this book.