Such a Bad Influence by Grace Demyan

This was absolutely a change of pace from what I normally read and have been reading recently, but I absolutely devoured this one! We just need two characters learn and grow together, which is something I was really enjoying a story! It was just truly beautiful to see how these characters lives ended up intersecting, andhow they work together to ultimately get to the point that they are now!

This really gave me fall vibes for some reason and very possibly this is because they reminded me of Gilmore girls as well as just add magic but definitely a great read!

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars

This was a sweet, tender, heartfelt, moving debut!

Quick Synopsis
Felicity hasn’t let anyone in her life since her mom, who was also her best friend, died three years ago. She’s been struggling with her grief, helped only by the voicemails she’s been leaving on her mom’s old phone number. So, when eighteen-year-old Alex, the new owner of her mom’s phone number, calls asking for help, Felicity feels like her mom has sent Alex to her. When Felicity learns Alex is homeless and has nowhere to go, she invites her to stay and help out with her blueberry farm, which is barely staying afloat.

Felicity’s inability to pay her farm’s taxes leads to an ultimatum to come up with the money or sell the land that has been owned by her family for generations. So, Alex comes up with a scheme to offer revenge services for a fee to help out the many townsfolk who’ve been holding grudges for years. All is going well until Felicity and Alex become the town pariahs, leading to the revealing of difficult truths that jeopardize their fragile friendship and any progress Felicity has made in healing from her grief.


My Thoughts
Even though a large part of this book deals with grief, loneliness, and the pain of abandonment, it managed to be uplifting and heartwarming. I loved that the story centered around the relationship between Felicity and Alex, and that the romance between Felicity and Wade was a secondary element.

The story was multi-layered, with lots of stakes for the characters. Felicity was trying to heal from losing her mom, help Alex and keep her out of jail, save the blueberry farm, pay her back taxes, learn how to stand up for herself, stop being taken advantage of by jerks in town, and move past her complicated history with Wade. Alex was learning how to overcome being abandoned by her birth mother, heal from the deaths of her grandparent guardians, deal with the trauma of being in the foster care system, and how to trust and be loved again.

It was so heartwarming to watch the friendship that developed between Felicity and Alex truly heal each of them, and there were several sweet moments that had me in tears. Watching Felicity finally let someone back into her life, after shutting everyone out for years while she dealt with her grief over her mom’s death, was so moving, as was seeing Alex open up and learn to trust Felicity.

Felicity went through a tremendous amount of growth throughout the course of the novel; Alex helped her go from being a recluse with social anxiety known as “The Elswood Doormat” to someone who had purpose again, and who stood up for herself and the people she loved. Felicity chose Alex over and over, constantly showing Alex that she was worthy of being loved, even when it was difficult - which was exactly what Alex needed.

The revenge business that Felicity and Alex hatched up provided a lot of lighthearted fun and was a nice balance with the heaviness of the overall themes of the book; they pulled some seriously hilarious pranks!

I absolutely loved the setting for this book, which had total Gilmore Girls vibes, with a cast of colorful, small-town characters that added to the overall ambiance of the book. Also, Juno was the best, sweetest good girl ever 🐶, and her relationship with Alex was one of the highlights of the book.

Overall, this was a fabulous debut, full of heart and humor; if you’re looking for an uplifting, moving story about healing from grief with the added elements of found family, a little romance, kooky small-town characters, and hilarious hijinks, this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for providing this book for review consideration; all thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

ARC provided by Grace Demyan in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Such a Bad Influence is a feel-good small-town story with Gilmore Girls vibes, messy but lovable characters, emotional growth… and a dog! Felicity, still grieving her mother, clings to the life she once knew, but when Alex, a rebellious teen, enters her world, the two form an unexpected bond that transforms both their lives. I loved the honest portrayal of emotional growth, that not everything tied up neatly, and of course, Juno the dog! The story unfolds realistically, surprising me in all the right ways just when I thought I knew where it was going. Overall, this was a heartwarming story that balances themes of loss, adoption, and foster care with friendship, found family, and emotional healing. Perfect for readers who enjoy emotional journeys and small-town settings.

I loved Alex's & Wade's characters. To be completely honest Felicity's character got on my names. She is
27 and drowning in her grief I get that but see went totally against her morals and so far outside of her
charactor that it wasn't doing it for me.
Overall really enjoyed it! Definitely would recommend!

I had such a fun time with this! Found family, love, and a great pup! Felicity and Alex make a great team and the banter between the characters was fun! An endearing and heartwarming story with fun and ridiculousness. A great debut novel and I can't wait to read more from Grace Demyan!

Thank you NetGalley, Grace, and Lake Union publishing for the ARC!

NO SPOILERS
Such A Bad Influencer: A Novel
By Grace Demyan
Pub date 10/21/25
4 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

First off, the cover is fantastic—a great first impression. The two female main characters have incredible chemistry, and their relationship truly makes this a feel-good book with a lot of sweet moments.

I did, however, feel the pacing could be tighter. There were quite a few sections with extra dialogue that felt unnecessary. I found it a bit jarring that the adult main character, who is 28, often came across as much older, closer to 40.

One of the most powerful parts of this book is its reflection on aging out of the foster care system. I really appreciated how it sheds light on the struggles of our most vulnerable people.

Despite the minor issues with length and pacing, the story is genuinely great. Overall, a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Gilmore Girls meets Hart of Dixie with grief, revenge, and blueberry pie. This book was packed with so much emotion, from grief, betrayal, forgiveness, to love, and it just goes to show family is who you make it. The growth shown by Felicity, Alex, even Wade throughout the story felt so real and made the journey to a happy ever after for everyone that much sweeter. I loved this book!

Such a Bad Influence by Grace Deyman was delightful! The characters were well-written and the plot captured my attention right away. Small town life, romance, revenge, redemption, and family are all part of the story. Such a Bad Influence would be a great read for fans of How to Read a Book and would make a great book club pick with tons to talk about. Thank you to Grace Demyan, NetGalley, and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced digital copy. I loved it!

This was such a fun feel good read. The story touched on loss and the toll grief can take on a person. You have a story of a teenager dealing with accepting the fact that she is not wanted. Felicity and Alex go on this adventure in this small town and healing each other without realizing that they needed each other.

The story was intriguing and flowed beautifully. The ending brought everything together perfectly.
Enjoyed the read from beginning to end.

Three years ago, Felicity inherited her family's blueberry farm in small town Ohio when her mom passed away. When her mom got sick, Felicity put her entire life on hold and somehow hasn't figured out how to get unstuck. At some point over the last 3 years, someone else has been assigned her mom's phone number. But that doesn't stop Felicity from calling daily and leaving messages for her mom. Then, unexpectedly, the new owner of the number calls back. Her name is Alex and she is a homeless teen who aged out of the foster system. She's gotten herself in trouble and Felicity is literally the only person she can call. Felicity is willing to let Alex come live with her, so long as she agrees to one condition: Alex has to help her get revenge on the juvenile delinquents who keep trying to ruin Felicity's blueberry harvest. Throughout it all, the two young women develop a friendship and find the family they have been looking for.

When the author reached out to me and asked me to take a chance on her debut novel, I felt so honored. I read the premise and it immediately tugged on my heartstrings and I knew that this was a book that I was going to end up loving. It is a little bit zany with fun hijinx that the women get up to as part of their revenge business. There's a just the right amount of romance mixed in. Plus, it takes place in a quirky small town! Not only do Alex and Felicity find each other, but they help each other finally find themselves. All of those elements add up to a book that everyone will enjoy and it comes out perfectly in time for fall reading. I finished Such a Bad Influence in a single day because I couldn't stop reading.

Review posting @anythingnovel goes on 9/4/25

This novel follows Felicity as she inherits her mother’s charming blueberry farm, situated in a quaint small town. Felicity copes with her grief by calling her mom’s old number and leaving rambling voicemails, telling her about everything that is going on in her life and how she feels. One day, she gets a call back from a homeless teenager called Alex Norse, asking her to come and bail her out of jail. Felicity decides to take Alex in on the condition that she helps scare off kids who are trying to vandalize her blueberry fields. One thing leads to another, and together, they start a revenge business, helping other locals who are trying to take vengeance on their fellow townspeople.
This book blends genres really well, which was a delightful surprise. The reader gets romance, suspense, and female friendship all into one story. The setting of the blueberry farm was lovely, and the beautiful descriptions allowed me to picture it very vividly. In addition, I thought the cast of characters was endearing and their emotional arcs were very well written.
However, at certain moments the narrative relies on description, rather than showing, which I think would’ve made me feel even more immersed in Felicity’s world.
I would recommend this book to readers who appreciate small-town settings, themes of grief and found family, and those who enjoy a good mix of genres that keep things interesting throughout the story.



I will be posting this review on my bookstagram (@lovelettertoliterature)

𐦍༘⋆⋆·˚ ༘ *: ̗̀➛ such a bad influence

author˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ grace demyan
overall rating ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ 4.5
publication date ⋆·˚ ༘ * october 21. 2025

── .✦ the reader follows ⋆˚࿔ felicity 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ a typical small town woman trying her best to take care of the property her late mother left her, a blueberry farm in ohio. since her mothers death, felicity has called her mother's phone number every day telling her all the things she has missed out on, and all the bad times as well. what felicity doesn't know is that her mother's number now belongs to an 18 year old girl who has gotten herself into trouble with shoplifting. alex was raised in foster care and never had anyone to look out for her, that is until alex is arrested and she uses her one call to felicity.

⋆˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆ small town city, troubled teen, everybody knows everybody, old grudges, ex-high school situationship

🃜🃚🃖🃁🂭🂺
thank you netgalley & grace demyan for allowing me an arc copy of the book! first off, this book needs a standing ovation. i tend to only read fantasy, dystopian, or sci-fi books but i am completely flattered by this novel! it was insanely well written and even caused a few tears to escape my eyes. i loved the dynamic of alex and felicity as it represented real-world problems & how to navigate them. i'm thoroughly impressed with this book and recommend it to anyone who wants to read a sweet story that can also pull a few heart strings at the same time.

Set in a small town in Ohio, Such a Bad Influence follows Felicity, who through grieving the loss of her mum finds Alex, a teenager who has aged out of the foster care system. As the two become close they begin a revenge-for-hire business in an attempt to save Felicity’s blueberry farm.

This book was full of wholesome and silly moments making it a genuinely fun story. The first half is a bit slower and took me a while to get through, possibly as there are a lot of characters in the small town to keep up with, but I flew through the rest. Felicity and Alex’s relationship is the heart of the book and is lovely to read about, but even more sweet was Alex’s relationship with the dog, Juno. It’s what brings out her vulnerability as a character and allows her to be a little more well-rounded. The romance aspect of the story is definitely a slow burn and a secondary plot line but Wade is likeable and funny so I was rooting for him throughout. You definitely have to suspend reality for this book and all the goings on in the town of Elswood and the revenge business! I did feel that certain plot lines were a little rushed or weren’t fully concluded however overall the story has an uplifting arc with “found family” being the focus. Such a Bad Influence involves some heavier topics such as grief, mental health and trauma and I felt this was portrayed realistically and in a way that allowed me to connect with the characters. The ending definitely made me emotional and I think that’s proof of that! I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a fun read with likeable characters and some funny plot lines!

I could not get enough of this book. Grace blends accurate small-town politics and gossip with a feel-good feminist story from a unique of point of view. Felicity is a realistic character trying to overcome grief when she comes into contact with Alex, a troubled 18 year old that aged out of the foster system. Together, they combat the stereotypical townsfolk in a story that will have you cheering for them both as they grow. The plot twists were perfectly executed and the romance subplot present does not overshadow the plot whatsoever.

Grace is lovely to work with and I am so honored that I got to read this book. I cannot wait to read what she writes in the future.🥰

Thank you to Grace Demyan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of Such a Bad Influence.

When Grace first reached out to me about reviewing this book, I was a little surprised—it’s not the kind of story I typically gravitate towards. However, the blurb intrigued me, and I’m glad I gave it a chance. This turned out to be a pleasantly surprising and engaging read.

Before diving into what I enjoyed, I do want to mention one aspect that didn’t quite work for me. The novel is set in a small town where nearly every character, aside from the main character and her love interest, is portrayed in a highly negative light. While I understand this may be part of the narrative's design, I found it frustrating. The way the townspeople mistreated a grieving woman felt unnecessarily cruel, and it made it difficult for me to connect with the setting or feel invested in any secondary characters outside the central duo.

That said, the heart of this novel—Felicity and Alex’s relationship—is where it truly shines. They're an unexpected pairing, but their dynamic is rich and emotionally rewarding. I loved how they brought out new dimensions in each other, and their journey from strangers to something much deeper felt genuine and heartfelt. I’m always a sucker for a good “found family” storyline, and this one delivered beautifully.

The revenge plots added a fun and mischievous touch to the narrative. I only wish there had been more of them! They gave the book a bit of a playful edge that balanced out the more emotional moments.

By the end, I found myself unexpectedly moved. The character growth was satisfying, and watching this unconventional duo build a life together was a touching and well-earned conclusion.

I’d recommend Such a Bad Influence to readers who enjoy emotionally-driven romances with strong found family themes, a bit of playful revenge, and characters who defy the odds to create something meaningful together.

I was so excited to read this debut from Grace Demyan! Thank you for sharing this ARC with me to review.

Such A Bad Influence is a book that you go into thinking it is going to be a typical romcom and then it completely goes in a different direction in the best way possible. Yes, it is a romcom but it is also so much more. This book was filled with realistic portrayals of grief, laugh out loud moments, and everything in between! I did not expect to find myself tearing up or rooting for the characters as much as I did, I absolutely loved this one.

What stood out most for me was the depth of character development, Felicity's grief was palpable, Alex's teenager angst was spot on, and the will they/won't they dance that Wade and Felicity did throughout the book felt so real. I loved the found family plot line and the revenge schemes were hilarious, and I truly enjoyed watching Felicity grow as a person throughout the book. I would have loved to have a bit more resolution around the rivalry with the Calloways, I was hoping the whole town to turn against them in the end.

Final thoughts: A truly heartwarming and hopeful book, I loved the way the story tackled hard and dark themes without being tragic. This is the perfect book if you are looking a sweet book with some real depth.

Instagram: @fourbooksapart

I really enjoyed the plot and the characters we interesting and very well written. The story was very original and I wanted more even when it was over.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wonderful. I had the best time while reading.

This story of grief is intertwined with themes of fate, found family, and forgiveness. After just a couple chapters in I made a note stating “I’m feeling WITH the characters instead of FOR them” which I love and need in a good book.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a small town story where the whole town doesn’t like the main characters, but there should definitely be more. The antagonism toward Felicity and Alex made their struggles more taxing and allowed for amazing moments of comedy being beautifully blended into the serious themes.

Alex was such a blessing in this story. The ultimate teenager, she brought so much humor, vulnerability, angst, and love to the page. She made me laugh out loud more times than I can count while also tugging at my heart strings in other moments.

Right off the bat, I was excited to see where the relationship with Wade was going. At first glance, it appears him and Felicity are just neighbors but we slowly start to see there is more history. One of my notes while reading stated “this is how you do first person POV! Moments between her and Wade only getting a simple mention or glossed over because our FMC doesn’t associate any meaning to them herself.” I love having to read between the lines or fill in the gaps myself as a reader, especially in the beginning of a story. Well done!

The trio, Felicity, Alex, and Wade, was absolute perfection. I would read a whole second book of fluff just to continue having them on page.

Final thoughts:
Those were some of the most rich and dynamic characters I’ve read before. The story was perfectly though through with everything connecting and having meaning. This was a spectacular debut novel for Grace Demyan! Tens across the board. I can’t wait to see what Demyan does next.

Instagram: @chicklit_reviews

Such a bad influence by: A girl name Felicity lost her mom who was her best friend has taken over their blueberry farm while grieving and not wanting to let others get close to her. When she has bad days, she calls her mom’s old number and leaves voicemails so it feels like her mom is still around. One day, the person who has her Moms old number is an 18 year old girl named Alex who was in and out of foster care called Felicity asking her to come bail her out of Jail. The more Felicity found about Alex short life on earth, the more she wanted to help her, plus, if she didn’t show up for court, Felicity would be out of the last of her savings she put up for Alex bail if she didn’t give her a place to stay until her court date. This helps Felicity start connecting with the world again.

What an amazing debut from Grace - a huge thank you to her for an ARC of this book.

Overall, this is a beautiful portrayal of grief and the found family that can bring you through to the other side. There's romance, mischief, tears, laughter...this has it all.

The juxtaposition of the heavier theme of grief with the ridiculousness and hilarity of a prank business resulted in a perfectly balanced end of summer, early fall read. The small town idiosyncratic personalities absolutely sent me on multiple occasions... imagine a cross between Stars Hollow and and your school's PTO.

The way Felicity's character experienced and coped with grief was so raw and so real. The realistic emotions, the occasional seemingly erratic behavior, the desire just to do something right in your life was so beautifully portrayed. I think the unlikely friendship between Felicity and Alex was the backbone of my love for this book, though. Alex is grieving and coping in her own way and grew so much throughout the course of this novel. Throw in some sarcastic banter with the hot neighbor, Wade, and every piece of my character development loving heart was filled to the brim by this book.

The only thing that would have made this reading experience better would be a warm piece of blueberry pie with a big scoop of ice cream. I cannot wait to read whatever Grace puts out next!