Such a Bad Influence by Grace Demyan was a cute and cozy read. We follow main characters Felicity and Alex, who are complete opposites in every sense of the word. While Felicity likes going to bed at 8 pm with her favorite book in hand, Alex would rather be throwing a brick through the window of a certain shop in the local town. We meet Felicity after her mom passes away and she is left to take care of her family’s blueberry farm, and Alex is on the receiving end of the countless calls she makes to her mother’s previous phone number. They end up meeting under not-so-wonderful circumstances, and as their relationship takes many twists and turns, we learn what it means to find a best friend in the most unlikely of places.

I really enjoyed the romance between Felicity and Wade as well, it was cute and lighthearted! My only qualm with this book was the number of Gilmore Girls references. One or two would have been cute, but it felt like overkill in my opinion. It started to get a little repetitive after awhile. All in all, I enjoyed this book!

I loved this entertaining, heartwarming and adorable book! The town reminded me of Stars Hollow and makes me want to go move to Felicity and Wade’s street. Congratulations Grace Demyan on an amazing debut novel! Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC copy. Be sure to add it to your TBR!

Thank you to the author for reaching out to me on Instagram and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Such a Bad Influence is a story about two women who form an unlikely friendship to get revenge — and I loved every minute of it. The setting at a blueberry farm in Ohio gave me the perfect beginning-of-fall vibes while still feeling like a late summer read.

This book blends hysterical and heartfelt moments seamlessly. The banter was perfection, the humor had me laughing out loud, and the deeper themes of grief, found family, and loneliness gave it so much heart. It’s the kind of story that will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt out of place — and it just might leave you craving a slice of blueberry pie 🥧🫐😋

A fantastic debut from Grace Demyan, and one I’ll be recommending often!

Loved this book so much. Its a story of two woman who form an unlikely friendship through revenge. It was full of whitty banter. The romance was sprinkled in nicely.

Humor, love, friendship and family all in an Ohio blueberry farm. This book is filled with excitement and heart warming moments that will pull on your heart string. When two girls team together to over take some vandalizing kids what could possibly go wrong....?

Grace Deyman’s “Such A Bad Influence” was not only fun but also pulled at the heartstrings in all the best ways. The story takes place on a blueberry farm in rural Ohio. Felicity Lagvine and Alex Norse team up to form a scheme to scare away vandals from sneaking onto Felicity’s farm and it turns into something chaotic and empowering for the whole town. Deyman’s story covers themes of grief, loneliness, and found family. I enjoyed following Felicity and Alex’s journey. I laughed, and at times, I teared up. They’re flawed, fierce, and deeply human. Their growing bond is the heart of the novel and a powerful reminder that sometimes the people who save us are the ones we least expect to save us.

I really enjoyed this one! It's found family, and small town drama, a bit of romance, and growing through grief. You can never go wrong with found family, and this is so full of it!

Such a Bad Influence was so good and while the romance was there it wasn't the main point (which is different from my usual reading) but it worked so well with this story! The romance was absolutely secondary to the relationship between Alex and Felicity (as it should be) and I loved watching both relationships bloom!

You'll laugh and tear up, and fall in love along the way. This was a great debut, and I look forward to more! All thoughts are my own in this review of an advanced copy

✦ ℛ𝑜𝓂𝒸𝑜𝓂 𝘙𝘦𝘤 & 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 ✦

Such a Bad Influence
By: Grace Demyan

Standalone ✦ 347 pages

Pub Date: Oct 21 2025
ARC: Netgalley

𝐻𝑢𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑡
𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑛/𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒
𝐹𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦
𝐵𝑜𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑜𝑟
𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑓

A unique, heartfelt, and hilariously charming story — the perfect quick palate cleanser! I recommend this fantastic debut to my fellow romcom lovers.

The book follows Felicity, Alex, and Wade in a story that’s both touching and full of humor. Felicity’s last ties to her late mother are her family’s blueberry farm and her mom’s old phone number- which she still calls every single day. One day, she gets a call back. The voice on the other end belongs to Alex, a homeless 18-year-old who’s aged out of the foster care system and has no one left… except the stranger who’s been leaving rambling voicemails for a woman who’s no longer here. Then add in Wade- the boy next door who once turned Felicity down in high school. Could this be their second chance? The romance was sweet and believable, with just the right mix of banter, tension, and chemistry.

There is something powerful about a story that throws together people who desperately need each other. I loved seeing each character’s growth over the course of the story.

Heart, humor, and healing — this debut delivers it all.

Thank you @gracedemyan, Lake Union Publishing and @netgalley for an early #gifted e-copy!
Rating: 4.5/5

This was such a nice book. It cautive me with their message and plot line a lot! This is nice for those who wanna fit in the world

This was such a fun book to read!! 😍
Felicity Lavigne liked to leave voicemails to her mother as a way to be closer to her after her death. So when she’s see her mum ring her back she’s in disbelief and confused only for it to be a young eighteen year old girl asking for help to get out of jail.
Felicity takes Alex in after getting her on bail as she’s has no where else to go, she offered Alex to help her with her blueberry farm and to stop those teenagers from stealing her blueberry’s.
They both team up together to get revenge on those that deserve it, Wade is her next door neighbour as well as the boy who hurt her in high school.
He’s nothing like that boy she’s remember though he’s so much nicer, kinder.

Out October 21st, 2025
Honey, Such a Bad Influence by Grace Demyan is the literary equivalent of a messy bun, winged eyeliner, and a “don’t text your ex” group chat intervention. This book struts in with big “I’m not like other girls” energy and backs it up with razor-sharp wit, chaotic friendships, and drama so juicy it should come with a straw. The protagonist? A walking red flag wrapped in glitter, and we love her for it. She’s the kind of girl who’d ruin your life and then help you pick out a revenge outfit. Every page is dripping with sass, scandal, and the kind of bad decisions that make for excellent storytelling.

It’s Mean Girls meets Euphoria with a dash of “I told you so,” and I was living for every toxic twist. Grace Demyan doesn’t just write characters—she unleashes them like they’re storming the runway of your emotional baggage. The dialogue snaps harder than a bestie’s acrylics during a breakup rant, and the plot? A rollercoaster that forgot to install brakes. If you’re into morally questionable queens, chaotic energy, and the kind of drama that makes your therapist raise an eyebrow, this book is your new obsession. Just don’t blame me when you start texting your own bad influence.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC!

Genre: Women’s Fiction
My Rating: 4.5/5

"A heartwarming tale of an unlikely friendship between a blueberry farmer and a spirited teenager, as they join forces to launch a business centered on small-scale revenge.

Following her mother’s death, Felicity continues to call her old number. On the receiving end of those calls is Alex, an eighteen-year-old who listens in silence but never responds. Until a shoplifting arrest leaves Alex with no one else to call. Felicity offers her a place to stay, but only if Alex helps chase away local kids vandalizing her blueberry farm. Word spreads quickly, and before long, neighbors are seeking their help for their own grievances. As their small acts of revenge escalate, Felicity and ever-mischievous Alex find themselves in over their heads. Forced to face both the pain in their past and the chaos their new venture has unleashed, they must stick together to overcome the aftermath."

I enjoyed the story and thought it was unique. The writing was great, and I loved the characters (Juno, the dog, being my favorite, of course). I laughed. I cried. I now have the urge to learn how to make blueberry pie. I loved the little bit of romance sprinkled in, without it becoming the center of everything.

My only complaint, hence the 4.5 star rating, is that at times it was a little bit cringy. There were parts that seemed inspired by popular movies, and it just felt forced and a little too on the nose for me. However, I still had a great time reading it overall.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Hallmark movie, even when it’s not Christmas.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Grace Demyan for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This charming and emotionally resonant novel follows Felicity Lavigne, a grieving blueberry farmer in rural Ohio who still calls her late mother’s old phone number until one day someone is on the other end of the line. That someone is Alex Norse, a tough homeless teenager who’s just aged out of foster care. An unlikely connection forms between these two lonely souls, and Felicity offers Alex a place to stay with one unusual condition: help her scare off vandals from her farm.

Their small act of justice unexpectedly blossoms into a booming side hustle delivering revenge to locals with petty (and not-so-petty) grievances. But what starts off as a quirky business venture soon spirals out of control. As Felicity and Alex navigate the consequences of their actions, they also forge a bond deeper than either expected — a messy, healing, found-family relationship neither knew they needed.

Amongst all of this chaos is a complicated and charming romance story. Despite having been a total tool as a teenager, I loved the man Wade has grown into and found him swoon worthy.

Whilst slow in places I found myself excited to tuck into the next chapter - one after the other. If it was a movie or TV show I'd binge watch repeatedly when I need a pick me up.

Witty, warm, and full of heart, this novel explores grief, isolation, connection, and the fine line between justice and chaos. A delightful, poignant story about two women reclaiming their lives one prank at a time.

Such a Bad Influence is available from 21st October.

Thanks so much to Grace Demyan for inviting me to read the ARC which I did so via NetGalley - all in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the dynamic between Alex and Felicity and the whole premise relating to them. Their initial connection from a phone number was unique, and I really enjoyed how it played out. In fact, one of the biggest strengths of this book was how unique the plot and many of the events were. While I don’t know if Felicity chose the best route, it was certainly an entertaining route.

There were a few major things that lessened my enjoyment. The biggest one is that the protagonist is supposedly in her twenties, but she read like she was in her fifties. Her voice, her mannerisms, her overall tone came across as much older. The writing was also a little awkward in places, feeling stilted or wording things in odd ways. Something else was that Felicity talks about what hard work it is to run a blueberry farm, but there are zero pages relating to working on the blueberry farm aside from handing out “You-Pick” buckets. This kept the work from feeling as immersive as it could have.

This is one of those books where it’s better to just roll with it rather than question anything, and that approach makes it an overall enjoyable read. If you’re looking for a light summer read about found family, saving a blueberry farm, and learning to live again after loss, you may enjoy this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Such a Bad Influence by Grace Demyan is a wonderful debut! Felicity and Alex find themselves living together, either through fate, chance, or more nefarious means…but that is something we can discuss once you have read the book! Their relationship is the best part of this book, and I could have just read about how they both learnt to live their best lives for the entirety of the book (sorry Wade).

I felt the claustrophobia of living in a small town, coupled with the anxiety left over from high school moments best forgotten long ago. All this was second to the cosy vibes throughout and craving for blueberry pie. You really find yourself rooting for Felicity and Alex throughout everything, and there is a sense that things will work out well in the end so the stakes are low – extra cosy points.

The main reason this is a 4 rather than 5 star read was the fact there was an awful lot happening in this book, which was to the detriment of certain plot points which I enjoyed a lot more (no spoilers from me though!) However, I completely understand the vision and it feels like it all would have worked out better for me personally if the book was another 50 pages longer.

What a wonderful debut novel! I was so honored when Grace reached out to me to read an arc copy of this book coming in October! The beginning of this book grabbed my attention from the very first page. I had to know just what was about to happen next.

This is a heart warming story of finding chosen family, love and overcoming grief and the past (with a giant shot of revenge).

Overall this was a very easy and fun read. I gave it four stars, just because the middle seemed to slow a bit.

I would recommend this to all my friends looking for a fun women’s fiction read!

When Alex (a troubled teen) intentionally targets Felicity as the person to help her (or steal from), it starts a friendship they both didn't know they needed. Felicity is still reeling from Mother's death when she takes Alex in. She needs help keeping the blueberry farm and land safe. Both Alex and Felicity have a lot of grief, anger and emotions to overcome. Together they learn to trust and try and build a life that will heal them both. They have so much to work through and their journey is beautiful, scary and life changing in the best possible ways.

Loved Juno and Wade (despite being a dumb teen) was a wonderful addition to the romance part of the story, but not at all the main point. There were funny moments, pranks, shenanigans and more to enjoy. I appreciate the author reaching out and providing me a copy to read.

This isn't my typical type of book and I don't enjoy books with language or sex, but the storyline, characters and growth ARC were great.

written by Grace Demyan Out 21st October 2025. Thank you @gracedemyan for kindly sending me an ARC of Such a Bad Influence. The book follows Felicity who has inherited her family’s blueberry farm after her mum (her best friend) has died, and Alex a homeless teenager just out of the foster care system. They are an unlikely pair brought together by lonely messages left on Felicities mums phone who start up a revenge for hire business. Although the book deals with loneliness and grief it’s a light read that had me laughing “Yes!” out loud a few times at the satisfaction of the revenge. I would definitely recommend this fantastic book.

'Such a Bad Influence' by Grace Demyan is such a beautiful and quick read. It was like a roller coaster of emotions and kept me hooked till the last page. Characters felt like real humans and not those flat repititive characters so it was very refreshing for me. I totally loved Alex's sass, her diologs were just awesome. If you long for female friendships just like me then this is a must read for you. I really loved how an unexpected relation develops between Felicity and Alex, the way both selflessly helped each other in overcoming their past traumas and becoming a better version of themselves. And off course i really adore my baby Juno. The idea of (WO)Man Of the Year was really great.

The story unfolds as a heartfelt novel about Felicity, a woman I her late 20s. Owner of a blueberry farm who recently lost her mother. She was deeply connected with her and is struggling from depression. So she regularly calls on her mom's old number which nobody answers and leaves voice notes. Until one day she receives a call from the same number.

The caller was Alex, a troubled teenager who asks Felicity for help and they end up living together at the condition of Alex helping Felicity to catch her blueberry thieves. All this soon turned into an adventurous journey of revenge for hire business, cute little romance between Felicity and her neighbour Wade, Man Of the Year Competition and much more. From Felicity being a town outcast to finding a better version of herself.
Trust me guys, this is a must read.

I loved this story. I don’t read a lot of contemporary and I’m so glad I read this one. I was sucked in right from the beginning. I loved the small town, cozy story that had a lot packed into it. There were parts I teared up at that were so touching and heartfelt, it was so good.

My favorite thing is that the ending wasn’t exactly packaged in a perfectly wrapped box with a bow. But it was real! It was real life and I loved it.