I really enjoyed this book! It had a rapid start and kept up a great pace throughout the book. In our modern world of social media obsession, a new book like this is just what the doctor ordered! It was a great read and I devoured it in a few different reading sessions. The characters felt really real and were struggling with some big issues. Overall, again, a fabulous book that I thoroughly enjoyed!!!

This book is similar in many ways to Pretty Little Liars - dark secrets that could be revealed, rich girls, and a mystery. I found this book okay, but it did not engage with it as much, but I think if people are very interested by influencer culture, they will likely found this an interesting read.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this book!

If you enjoyed Pretty Little Liars (books or show) you will likely enjoy Sara Shepard's newest book, Influence. The story follows four popular influencers who all have some dark secrets. But there is someone out there who knows all their secrets and is threatening to spill them all. Sound familiar? The entire book had major similarities to Pretty Little Liars, including a “faking her own death” plot line. I really didn’t find the book original given Sara Shepard’s other books are exactly the same. Influence comes out June 30, 2020. I received this book from Netgalley to read and review.

- C

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Great read. I could not put it down. It was a great mix of Pretty Little Liars and modern influencer culture. Perfect for fans of Sara Shepard and readers looking for something new!

This book was not what I thought it was going to be! To be fair I did see a lot of Sara Shepherds normal storylines but that is part of why I wanted to read it! The first 25/35% of the book dragged out a bit but once it was time for the gratitude prom everything shifted and I really couldn’t put the book down. There were a lot of unexpected twists. It was also a really interesting perspective, a social media Influencer. I did not know who Lilia buckingham wasn’t before I picked up the book but her intro gave all the information I needed for the story.

The authors write very compelling characters. The murder was very unexpected. It was a good book. I thought the characters in the book were like able and I found the story interesting. It’s not a book I thought I would like.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Very quick read. An undercover look at the world of social influence, as told from the POV of Delilah, Jasmine and Fiona. Things aren't as easy as they seem in the spotlight. Fiona struggles with something that happened in her past, and is being blackmailed. Jasmine is chafing at the constraints of her juvenile image, and Delilah is a newcomer, who inadvertently falls for Jack, the boyfriend of one of the most notorious influencers, Scarlett Leigh.

I like that the book is well balanced, quick to read, and the characters are decent. There's a good bit of whodunnit to the story as well, and that keeps it moving quickly. The resolution makes sense, and isn't forced. All in all, a good read!

I love Sara Shepard and I was so excited to see a book about influencers co-authored by @lilia who has 1.7 MILLION followers. Featuring a cast of fictional influencers, we get a glimpse into the world of mom-agers, frenemies, and curated relationships.

The Insta-famous teenagers in this book each have a secret... but we all know that secrets don't stay that way for long! Some of the storylines seem a bit far-fetched, but if you want to get lost in the BTS of Instagram fame, you'll love this book.

2.5 rounded up. This book was trying to do a lot. I suppose the murder made sense given that Sara Shepard was involved, but it just wasn't all that believable to me. I enjoyed the three main characters and found them well developed, but would have appreciated something other than a murder to bring them to a conclusion. By the end, and the unsuccessful exposure of several red herrings, I found myself getting bored. Perhaps I just don't understand the teen influencer lifestyle enough to resonate with this.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this Ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I am not really into influencers and don’t really understand the interest in it. For that reason, this book was a slower read for me in the beginning. Once I got halfway through the book, it picked up and became really interesting to me. Not my favorite Sara Shepard novel, but definitely worth the read.

A glamorous new and addicting read from Sara Shepard and Lilia Buckingham

This co-authored book encompasses several common themes of Sara Shepard’s other novels. Everyone has a secret and there is an omniscient being lurking around every corner waiting to expose them. The first quarter of this novel is very angst and dramatic which I happen to enjoy. Normally, I find excessive hinting towards some big secret to be annoying but this was done just right. I was so invested and dying to know what the heck happened at the gratitude prom! Each of the characters behaves the way they do to showcase a certain aspect of the Influencer culture. My one complaint is that during some scenes it was very repetitive before the plot finally moved forward. The story also doesn’t pick up speed until it’s almost over and then the true mystery wrapped up very quickly. But I could not predict the ending like I normally do which is always a nice treat for me.

Wow. What a twisted ending. Sara Shepard did it again!! I loved every second of reading this book, honestly couldn't put it down. This was just the kind of entertaining read I needed.

Oh, how I love Sara Shepard.

Diving into an old favorite is like slipping into your favorite cozy sweatshirt. I read my first PLL book over ten years ago when I first started teaching and wanted to dive into the titles that were popular with my students. Oddly enough, I loved the PLL universe. I watched every season through to the end--yes, in spite of plot holes, wild, unrealistic plot points, and a cast of characters that acted more like early 20s than high school bebes.

I was totally a Spencer with Hannah's fashion sense.

For all these reasons, I was THRILLED to receive an eARC of Influence. Shepard has proven she's got a deliciously evil handle on upper-class girl world, but I was curious to see how a co-written work would go, especially when the co-author is an Insta-famous "influencer," for lack of a better word.

Delilah is a junior influencer, famous for saving a dog from a fire. Fiona is popular, on the cusp of having her first ABC pilot. Jasmine is the trademarked Disney star, with a cult following, tight regiments, and no freedom, who desperately wants to branch out and grow up. Above them all is Scarlet, one of the most popular Insta stars, with millions of followers, a YouTube ship, and a chance to take her fame to the next level. What none of them know is a murder is about to shake their worlds, and one of them won't make it out alive.

This book has everything attention-grabbing: fame, money, television, beautiful girls famous for being...well, beautiful. Most importantly, drama. ALL THE DRAMA. These girls have secrets, hold grudges, and play amateur detective when things go south. It has all the makings of a Freeform hit, and with good reason. Shepard and Buckingham create a world of jealousy and beauty that is both realistic and, at times, gross. And when I say gross, I mean how did we get to this point? Where Influencers have as much if not more clout than established Hollywood celebrities. The transition of reality TV from a guilty pleasure to a domestic mainstay is fascinating, and this book would not be possible if it weren't based in truth. How many Buzzfeed articles are devoted to Insta-worthy places? Or people? Or covering the drama between your favorite makeup YouTuber? Rarely do we get a peak behind the curtain, but Influence gives us just that.

One point I want to make if you're on the fence, sometimes this genre can be daunting to read. The slang, the conversational tone--I understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea. However, I did not find this annoying or exaggerated. I quite enjoyed the banter between the characters, and the use of slang wasn't overkill, a solid narrative with excellent pacing.

I can see this being the new PLL, but I'm hesitant to throw that phrase around because these girls are playing in a different league. Influence is fun, flirty, and scandalous. If you're looking for a lighthearted read, especially in a time when it pays to take your mind off the constant Corona coverage, this is the book for you.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review consideration.

4.75/5 Stars

as of 79% into the book:
THIS BOOK OMGGGG!! I picked this book up as an ARC at Y’allFest and had low expectations for this book. It just didn’t seem like my cup of tea and I thought I’d get nothing out of it. So far I’ve had a terrifying look into the twisted worlds of social media influencers and a great mystery. The characters all have such a realness to them and are written so well! The twists have left me shook and I’ve never been left satisfied after reading a chapter! I always just want to keep devouring this book and all its awesomeness!! I have never read/ watched Sara Shepherd’s Pretty Little Liars but now I have such an interest in these co-author’s style that I think I’d enjoy her individual writings and hope that Lilia writes her own book eventually or that they co-write again because :chefs kiss:. I right now at the moment would have to give it a 4.5/5 stars because of how well I’m enjoying it. There are some small things I think they could add like a few more descriptions on the characters themselves (appearance wise mainly) but yet again this is still an ARC and they might change things (??) but either way it won’t make me mad in the slightest. I’ll write more later after I progress more and finish and final thoughts :).

finished:
yES. tHIS BOOK WAS INCREDIBLE!! I am so glad I enjoyed it because I wouldn’t have finished it otherwise and what a shame that would’ve been!! The twists and turns kept me constantly guessing and never trusting anyone! Also to anyone who is thinking about reading this book but the synopsis doesn’t interest them PLEASE JUST GO FOR IT!! If you are interested in murder mysteries and thrilling page turners and an intense story that grabs you from the start and never lets you go, this book completely wowed me.

Characters: 3-4/5 - There was some things about certain characters that you usually don’t see in books! Of our main characters alone we have a diabetic, a character with OCD, and 2 lgbtqia+ character leads and a few side characters that had a few moments! The only reason I gave a 3-4/5 is because I feel like they were a bit forgettable to me personally.

Plot: 5/5 - Always kept me entertained and I never wanted to put it down! It was truly a page turner and unexpected from the start.

World building: 4/5 - The world was so like ours in how a normal person would see it but through the eyes of social media influencers was eye opening for many different reasons. Yes, I am aware that some of the eye opening crazy moments were because this was a book and fiction, but still it could happen and that makes it even scarier. Some times I wish they would just describe some things a bit more in depth so I could imagine things better but overall very well done.

Writing style: 4/5 - This isn’t the over-the-top fantasy terminology and stuff I usually read so this was nice to just have easy names and simple words to read. Sometimes I get to focused on the words themselves and not the meaning so it was just nice to flow through it so easily and not have to think to much except for guessing the mystery.

OVERALL ONE OF MY FAV MYSTERIES EVER (idc that i’ve only read two and no i don’t take constructive criticism😤) AND IM SO GLAD I GOT TO READ IT AS AN ARC AND SHARE MY LOVE FOR THIS BOOK!!

Thank you to the publishers at Y’allFest 2019 who had arcs for this and those at Netgalley!!

This really just read like Pretty Little Liars fanfic about influencers. The relationship development was non-existent, the drama was contrived in a way that way unbelievable but not wild enough to be trashy-entertaining, and the characters were flat. There are much better Hollywood YA thrillers out there.

the back cover of this book intrigued me but unfortunately this book read too juvenile for me to enjoy.

I was expecting a fluffy read with INFLUENCE, as it's about Instagram influencers, but the novel is actually pretty hard-hitting and digs into the dark-side of the profession. The characters were multi-dimensional and interesting. I found myself caring about them, which I wasn't necessarily expecting. In typical Sara Shepard fashion, there were a ton of fun, twists and turns. I think fans of Pretty Little Liars will enjoy this outing by Shepard and hunger for more. I certainly didn't see the end coming, but I found it satisfying and would definitely read a sequel if one were to be written. Verdict: The glamorous lives of influencers takes a dark turn in this page-turning suspense novel.

I was really excited to read this when I first saw the deal announcement and I’m so glad it did not disappoint! So many twists and turns! A really fun read!

Even though I ended up very disappointed in the PLL tv show, I have read pretty much everything Sara Shepard has written and genuinely enjoyed it. It's like the thrillers that we adults love so much but with more teens and somehow even weirder drama. This new book by new and up-and-coming influencer (though she hates the word) Lilia Buckingham, has just that. I was initially a little skeptical of the collab (Buckingham is 16 and you know...in the world) but I was pleasantly surprised and think the book gave off peak Sara Shepard vibes but was well informed on the main aspect of the story: the absolute weird life of social media influencers--especially on Instagram and YouTube.


The world of Influence focuses on 3 girls: Delilah, an up and comer with a lot of innocence left; Jasmine, a JoJo Siwa type trying to get away from a rainbow brite image; Fiona, an influencer with some emotional baggage and a secret; and Scarlet, the A-list influencer queen that seems to be entangled in so many messes. Stolen ex-boyfriends, cloned iPhones, VIP events, photoshoots, all that jazz. There's also a death, some ominious text messages, hidden secrets, a positive pregnancy test, and pretty much everything you've come to expect from a Sara Shepard novel. I loved it, to say the least.

I like multi-POV novels, and I loved only getting to see Scarlet through her video vlog transcripts--it really showed me a new facet of the world. Each girl had a distinct voice, and while I'm still not totally sure how they went from strangers to best friends or what the pregnancy plot-line really meant, I ultimately enjoyed the book, and maybe we'll see another in the series...?

<b>Influence</b> is Pretty Little Liars for the next Gen and I am here.for.it. Written by veteran Sara Sheppard and 16 year old Buckingham, a Instagrammer with over 1.6 million followers (an “influencer” as well), this novel is about 3 young women who are deep the social media scene and 1 newcomer who is just rising to the top.

Chock full of murder, deceit and plenty of plot twists, I couldn’t put this one down. And the end leaves you with just enough of a tease that I’m wondering if we’re going to get a sequel (or even a series?!) out of this one!

I’d give this one a bunch of likes, follows, tweets, hearts and all the rest. Read it!