About a week ago I’ve received a message from Grace Demyan about her debut novel called ‘Such A Bad Influence’. It’s a contemporary women’s fiction and will be released on the 21st of October.

The fact that this is a debut novel and the story being that good. There were moments that had me laughing and the end (and this doesn’t really happen, ever) had me fighting back my tears.

Felicity inherited her mothers blueberry farm after her mother lost her battle with cancer. Overcome by grief her she became a recluse; she hasn’t left her house in a long time apart from when she really had to, no one has been welcomed in her home. But something is about to change, she has to be courageous since there are thieves stealing her blueberries. After finally being able to scare them away she goes home and dials her mother’s number. It’s been a weekly constant even if she knows her mother won’t answer and the number belongs to someone else. She does get to leave voicemails, so that’s what she does.

Alex is 18 years old and homeless, a bit lost in live but she is a girl on a mission. She has to get felicity’s attention somehow, but for that to happen she needs to do something big. Stealing something of value and being caught is the only thing she can think of and it works!

Felicity lets Alex stay at the farm, to help with the Blueberry Bandits. They are kids so; nothing to scary. While they plot and succeed with their plan, they set up some kind of revenge business so they could earn money, with being in a humongous debt they need every single dollar they can get. But in taking these jobs, some of the town’s most important people are angry and will be making live for Felicity and Alex a lot harder. Those shenanigans will help Felicity in coming out of her shell; once cowering away when being bullied, she now faces things head on. Letting people see she’s not to be messed with; but also letting them see that underneath it all she is a woman with a heart of gold.

And Wade; Oh Wade… A total stunner, which a good book like this just needs to have. ‘Enemies to lovers’ is a thing and whilst I don’t always like stories with this as an element, in this one it fits. The teenage douche growing up to be infatuated with the once geeky girl turned neighbor.

All the elements in this story connect and make sense. It’s a cozy read and a story you can read in one sitting, but it will pull at the heartstring.

It’s a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐star read!

What do you get when you mix a grieving blueberry farmer, a homeless teenager, and a makeshift revenge-for-hire business? A surprising, heartwarming, and often hilarious story that hits far deeper than you'd expect.

Such a Bad Influence is the kind of novel that sneaks up on you. It starts with a quirky premise—Felicity calls her late mother’s phone number daily and ends up connecting with its new owner, Alex, a prickly teen fresh out of the foster system. From there, it grows into something much richer: a tale of found family, healing, and the messy joy of unlikely friendship.

Felicity and Alex are both wonderfully complex, and their dynamic sparkles with dry wit, vulnerability, and reluctant affection. Their revenge-for-hire scheme provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments (including chickens, baseball bats, and questionable disguises), but it’s the emotional undercurrents—grief, abandonment, belonging—that really ground the story.

The tone strikes a great balance between heart and humour, and while the plot veers into chaotic at times, it fits the characters and their journey. Grace Demyan delivers sharp dialogue, small-town charm, and a cast of side characters you can’t help but root for.

A heartfelt, offbeat, and emotionally resonant read. I’d absolutely recommend it to fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, The People We Keep, or anyone who loves found-family stories.

Quirky. Small town vibes. A little bit of love story. A little on building unlikely friendships. And even overcoming grief. This story had a bit of everything. Although, I didn’t connect to Alex’s character as much as Felicity seemed to benefit from her moody, teenage angst - I did enjoy Felicity’s journey to better herself as a person, community member, and neighbor. Although at times I felt like the character me actions were somewhat juvenile for my taste, I kept turning pages to see how Felicity, Alex, & Wade’s stories turned out.

This was such a beautiful and heartfelt novel. It was well written and had good pacing with a great cast of characters. I was hooked from the very first page and kept reading until the end. I look forward to reading more by the author. I highly recommend it.
💖 Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Such a Bad Influence by Grace Demyan

Felicity and Alex form an unexpected friendship after Alex’s latest shoplifting charge forces her to call Felicity, who’d been leaving voicemails on her recently deceased mother’s phone number, which Alex now possessed. Felicity, who lives on and runs a failing blueberry farm, has been trying to catch the Blueberry Bandits stealing her berries. Alex, formerly in the foster care system with a surly attitude, knows how to think like a thief. With Alex’s help, the unlikely pair sift through decades long family feuds and help resolve disputes plaguing their small town, while trying to evade the local police. Unfortunately, their plan goes awry and Alex ends up in jail…again, forcing Felicity to reconcile with her high school crush in order to avoid further charges.

4 ⭐️

Felicity hopes to turn Alex’s life around and leave her life of crime behind her. With bumps along the way and legal issues to combat, Felicity helps Alex change her life, while Felicity’s life changes, too. This story read like a Hallmark movie with more action and left me with a smile on my face.

Meet Alex—18, in foster care, with no one in her corner.
Meet Felicity—27, grieving her mother and trying to save the family blueberry farm.

Two women, worlds apart, both carrying grief and trying not to sink. When small-town gossip pushes Felicity to the edge, she and Alex form the Revenge Club (because of course they do). But plans don’t unfold as expected, and Felicity has to rethink what healing really looks like.

With the help of Wade—childhood crush turned unlikely ally—and his loyal dog Juno 🐾, these two broken hearts begin to mend through community, connection, and a whole lot of honesty.

This book has all the vibes: raw emotion, found family, small-town drama, and moments that’ll make you laugh through tears. And yes... totally Gilmore Girls energy. IYKYK.

Thank you Grace Demyan and NetGalley for this heartfelt ARC.

Such a Bad Influence was a fun read for me, I'm normally a thriller girlie but this was a good palate cleanser. I loved the drama as well as the humor and heartfelt moments. 3.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

When 27-year-old Felicity receives a call from her deceased mother’s cell phone number, she knows that she has to help. Even when it’s an 18 year old petty criminal on the other end of the line, needing to be bailed out of a local jail. 18-year-old Alex has had a rough life. She grew up in and aged out of foster care with nowhere to turn and nobody who cared about her, until she met Felicity. Author Grace Demyan has reminded us that even though they’ve reached the legal age of adulthood, these people are still children who deserve to be loved. Such a Bad Influence is full of heartfelt moments, humor, small-town drama, and even a bit of land feuding! You will not be left disappointed by this book, and it reminds us that the bonds between women really can change the world. This is one that I would be proud to display on my bookshelf.

Thank you SO much to Grace Demyan for personally reaching out to me to review her book, Lake Union Publishing, and for NetGalley for facilitating it!

A funny and endearing read, I was entertained the whole way through! Felicity and Alex are incredibly well written characters and I loved every second of their adventure.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This was such an enjoyable read with endearing character, entertaining humor, and an easy to follow plot. I adore Felicity and Alex and the relationship between the two of them was endearing. Both have pasts that seem to haunt and burden them and both really need each other when they team up. Felicity wants to get back at some vandal kids and Alex needs a place after some mistakes she’s made. They make a hilarious great team together and I was rooting for them. A perfect example that you CAN choose your family and lean on them during hard times. In between heavier reads, it’s nice to have a lighthearted story with laughs once in a while and this book checked that box for me.

I enjoyed this book! Perfect amount of spice and attention grabbing plot ! This would be the perfect read if you’re looking for spice, a little mystery, and adventure!

Thank you for this arc!

I found the book quite enjoyable! I really enjoyed the characters and their growth throughout the story. It felt more than just a small town romance it felt like it had a lot more emotional and mental depth to it. Definitely recommend!

Cute story of finding your people, accepting others as they are, grieving, and giving others a second chance. I enjoyed this book.

After her mother's death, Felicity inherits a blueberry farm in rural Ohio that she is not entirely sure what to do with. Struggling to come to terms with the loss, she continues to call her mother's phone, until one day she discovers that it has been allocated to teenaged Alex.

On the surface, the two women may not seem to have much in common, but when, Felicity works out a mutually beneficial deal for the two of them, an unexpected bond develops between them.

Even more unexpectedly, the relationship extends to the wider community in a way that Felicity and Alex had not foreseen.

This is a charming story about coming to terms with grief, found family, and unexpected ties. Worth checking out, it gets 3.5 stars.

This was fine. I enjoyed a lot of it, but found the Revenge Inc plot mildly ridiculous. A mostly sweet read.

I loved how we watched two characters grow for the other which leads to growth for themselves.
We get themes of grief, fear, sacrifice, self-love, and so much more!

New favorite Author unlocked!!!!! I'm in my Lucy Score, Claire Kingsley era and this author gave off some of their vibes. The townspeople weren't very friendly, which added a fun and interesting layer to the story. Watching Felicity face her fears and actually start living life again had me tearing up multiple times. I loved this book and this author. She is going on my always read list!!!

This is such a heart touching read! I had an emotional roller-coaster reading this book. I love how broken and realistic the characters are. You get to go through the journey of them building on themselves. If you like slice of life boos this is a good soft read that you will devour in a sit or two!!!!

this book made me cry happy tears and laugh.
a cute small town romance + care of a teenager, a well-written book. I enjoyed all the ups and downs of life within it.

Juno was def star of the show🐶💖

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.

This was such a sweet read! We watch two characters at their worst points grow for the other which leads to growth for themselves. The characters were realistically flawed in ways, I think, a lot of books shy away from, they felt like real people.
We get themes of grief, fear, sacrifice, self-love, and so much more!
It gave heavy Gilmore Girl vibes which I am a sucker for! It was a perfect soft read when you just need something light.