Such a Bad Influence
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3.6 • 42 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A USA Today Best Seller
A Good Morning America Sizzling Summer Reads Roundup Pick
“A fascinating exploration of the dangers of social media . . . smart and timely.”—Carola Lovering, author of Tell Me Lies and Bye, Baby
For fans of Ashley Winstead, Jessica Knoll, and Jo Piazza, an electric debut thriller about what happens when one of the first child stars of the social media age grows up . . . and goes missing.
Hazel Davis is drifting: she’s stalled in her career, living in a city she hates, and less successful than her younger sister, @evelyn, a mega-popular lifestyle influencer. Evie came of age online, having gone viral at five years old for a heart-tugging daddy-daughter dance. Ten years older and spotlight-averse, Hazel managed to dodge the family YouTube channel—so although she can barely afford her apartment, at least she made her own way.
Evie is eighteen now, with a multimillion-dollar career and unlimited opportunities, but Hazel is still protective of her little sister and skeptical of the way everyone seems to want a piece of her: Evie’s followers, her YouTuber boyfriend and influencer frenemies, and their opportunistic mother. So when Evie disappears one day—during an unsettling live stream that cuts out midsentence—Hazel is horrified to have her worst instincts proven right.
As theories about Evie’s disappearance tear through the internet, inspiring hashtags, Reddit threads, podcast episodes, and scorn, Hazel throws herself into the darkest parts of her sister’s world to untangle the threads of truth. After all, Hazel knows Evie better than anyone else . . . doesn’t she?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Social media fame reveals its dark side when an influencer vanishes in Olivia Muenter’s smart and chilling thriller. Evie Davis is a multimillionaire YouTube sensation—though her camera-shy sister, Hazel, is dubious about the true cost of viral fame. When Evie goes missing, Hazel’s worst fears about Evie’s meteoric rise are proven right. As wild theories tear through the internet, we get to follow Hazel as she plunges into the seedy shadows of the influencer industry on a thrilling hunt for the truth. Muenter weaves an ingenious mystery around the dark consequences of turning real lives into online content, with Hazel’s sharp, sardonic voice guiding us through the digital noise. Along the way, forum posts and podcast snippets add unique texture to the twisty, fast-paced narrative. Clever, cutting, and utterly unputdownable, Muenter’s ice pick–sharp tale is a thoroughly modern pageturner.
Customer Reviews
A fun, thought-provoking debut novel
If you like your cultural commentary in the form of well-paced, well-written fiction (a la “Such a Fun Age”) you will like this book a lot. Fun twists and turns in the plot. Great writing, creative plotting, and characters that are multi-faceted.