I first want to say thank you to Inkubator Books, Netgalley, and Miranda Rijks for this book in exchange for an honest review. This book drew me in right away. I enjoyed trying to figure out how Nathan will get out of the jam that he’s in. And Skye is the person you love to hate. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 solid stars from me for I enjoyed the book immensely!

*thank you to Netgalley, Inkubator Books and Miranda Rijks for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


5 stars!

Wow oh wow what an amazing story! Once I started I was worried that this would be far too cringy because the whole social media stuff these days is not something I like on any level. But it turns out I was able to stomach the cringeworthy material and focus on the actual story.

I really enjoyed this from beginning to end and the back and forth storyline from present day to past. It was all so interesting and well written. My favourite scenes were teenage Skye's story in the first half of the book and I was disappointed to see that suddenly stop. But was delighted when the story made up for that further on in.

I had guessed the twist pretty early on but that didn't deminish the story at all. Or more so that I had a feeling I knew it and turns out to be correct. But there was still a lot in this that I hadn't predicted.

I would definitely recommend this.

Have you met social media's superstar? Skye is an influencer ... very successful with millions of followers. Once homeless, she's come a long way from those days, she's now financially set for life with the power to make or break others.

Nathan runs a charity for the homeless, in honor of his late wife. When he is approached by Skye suggesting that they work in partnership to bring more exposure to his charity. And no one is happier or more excited than Nathan's teenage daughters, huge fans of Skye.

But not is right with this new business adventure. Skye seemingly takes over Nathan's private life .. and his daughters. She arrives unannounced ... bringing horribly expensive presents for Nathan's daughters. She's smothering him and he wants it to stop.

He is about to learn what happens when Skye is rejected .. and it's not pretty. He wants to know what she really wants and the answer is more terrifying than he could ever imagine.

The alternating chapters representing past and present by Sky and Nathan, it's a well written fast-paced compelling read. There are twists and turns that rival a roller coaster ride. The characters are solidly drawn. And all roads lead to a highly suspenseful, unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Inkubator Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Influencer by Miranda Rijks.

Skye is a rags to riches online influencer with a huge following. Going from homeless, to now glamorous philanthropist, Skye has seen it all and is interested in helping others by helping to publicize their charities and raise money.

Nathan is a widowed father of two with a charity left in his wife's honor. He, and his two teen daughters, are thrilled and overwhelmed when they hear that the insta mogul Skye wants to join forces to help their small charity. But Nathan becomes disenchanted quickly when Skye exhibits possessive and aggressive traits. And more than that, she's set her eyes on his daughter. Is she really the do-gooder she has claimed to be?

Ok, this was...fine. It was easy to read, the timeline jumping was fun, it's got a slow unfolding that I enjoy. But overall the plot was a bit juvenile? It had big holes that I would love to address here, but I can't lest I spoil it!
But, if you are looking for something light and silly for the beach, this will do it!

Influencer culture is a booming industry, promoting everything, a high flying lifestyle and fame. But what if the identity you have so carefully cultivated hides a sinister agenda?
Nathan is a widower living with his teenage daughters and his fiancee, and he manages a charity for the homeless. Skye is an influencer who sweeps into his life, and his charity, to collaborate and possibly increase donations for the homeless. Can't go wrong with that right??
Miranda Rijks writes a brilliant plot, a tale of obsession, and of evil lurking behind beautiful facades.
A one sitting read, this one was a book I enjoyed very very much!

Another Miranda Rijks book which has taken less than 24 hours to read! Enthralling, creepy and gripping! A modern thriller which takes a look into the dark side of social media and the depths people will go to to get what they want. I loved the "then" and "now" story telling of Skye, a now famous and adored influencer who grew up in foster homes and then became homeless. To the world, she seems perfect, but to Nathan, charity owner whom Skye is so keen to work with, something is not quite right... A stark warning that we shouldn't always believe everything we see... Plot twists and shocks until the very last page! A must read!

--------Skye Walker is a well- known social media influencer,who connects with Nathan, a widowed husband with two teenage daughters who are huge fans of the Influencer. He has a homeless charity Sacha's Sanctuary named after his late wife and Skye wants to be a part of it.

Nathan doesn't know Skye is famous but his daughters do.

The beginning of the story held my attention and interest but it might hsve been my dislike of Skye that soured my opinion of the story.

So instead of flying through the book, I thought I figured out the surprises, but kept reading ONLY to see if I was right or not.
So for most of the book I slogged through the story and while I am glad I got the chance to read and review it, I regret those few lost hours of reading.

My thanks to NetGalley for the complimentary e copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars





With that said I will pick up her other books to see if I enjoy them more.

The Influencer is a story that is very present in current times, we all have seen the posts of influencers.

This book takes it a little further, Skye is very interesting and a character to watch!

Overall, I felt kinda meh about this book. Not necessarily bad, but not particularly memorable either. Giving it 2.5/5 Stars.

This is my 2nd book by this author and I’ve enjoyed both,
The story was unique, well developed and engaging. I guessed the twist but it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment.
I’ll definitely read more from this author in future and would recommend it.

An itneresting read---formerly homeless Skye Walker become a huge social media influencer. As with social media--things aren't always what they seems, and that proves to be a book that keeps you reading and wanting to find out what happens. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second thriller by Miranda Rijks that I’ve read, and once again I really enjoyed her clear style and inventiveness. The very modern setting of the books works to their advantage, making the stories even more compelling. I definitely enjoyed The Influencer more than The Arrangement, because it seems more dynamic and more carefully crafted.

Another very positive point is that her characters are often portrayed believably doing ordinary things, such as driving to a meeting, getting food, or embarking on a quest for answers. Of course, the villains, heroes, and everybody in between does rise out of the ordinary, but there is generally a lot of room to relate to the characters.

In The Influencer, the alternating chapters told from different first-person perspectives make for a very dynamic read, because you can’t wait to find out what will happen and how the characters are going to react to it. Admittedly, I saw one of the major plot twists coming, but that didn’t ruin my reading experience at all. I would have liked to see even more of the characters’ motivations shown through their interactions with others, and there are one or two minor points that need a more explicit explanation. However, this book is beyond doubt a strong psychological thriller that keeps you guessing and keeps you turning those pages.

Overall, the book shows solid understanding of the world of influencers and social media, and the insights into the lives of the homeless are absolutely heartbreaking. The contrast between those two worlds is definitely one of the strengths of the novel. There are many questions I want to ask as a reader; like Nathan, I was hoping to get answers but was left wanting more when the book ended, which I’m sure is a good sign!

My copy came with an excerpt from The Visitors, which got me intrigued enough to look it up soon.

Wow, was not expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did, but must say it was one twisted, chilling tale! The character development was done so well, which really made the story much more intense and gripping! Riveting, thrilling, twisty, chilling, and shocking! Also very fast paced and unputdownable, basically not to be missed! Highly, highly recommend!

Miranda Rijks tells a thrilling story in the influencer
A book's a winner for me when i stay up all night reading it and that was this book with compelling characters and intriguing plot that'll leave you guessing and wondering who did it.
I loved loved this book so much. This book should have a place on your to be read list if you love a lil bit of mystery for your next read.

Synopsis -

Skye Walker is the apple of social media’s eye. Her huge popularity is owed to her pure, genuine self and authenticity. When she offers to endorse and support Nathan’s charity for the homeless, he simply cannot refuse.

But when Skye begins to worm her way into both Nathan’s personal and professional world, he starts losing control on his own life. Soon, he begins to realize what Skye really wants becomes wary about her past and background. The truth only comes as a jolting shock.

Review -

The characters of Skye and Nathan felt very realistic and were well developed. While we get glimpse into the stardom glittery life Skye has managed to build for herself, the reality and the true intentions behind it are also exposed.

I found Skye’s charisma, passion perseverance towards her work remarkable, as well as her ability to turn around any situation to her advantage with her ingenious manipulative mind-games

I also became very invested in Nathan’s narrative and his struggles as a single parent. I empathized with his grief and appreciated his attitude towards moving on, striving to be a good father his noble initiatives of charity.

I was really impressed by the author’s quick paced style of writing. The POVs of Skye’s in the past and Nathan’s in the present is what draws you into this book.

And at one point, the big reveal just flashed in front of my eyes as I imagined the chain of possible events which seemed to reduce my interest in the book towards the end. I also felt that Nathan could have handled Skye’s intrusion better, but he seemed to just let the destruction happen until it no longer could.

This book would have been 3 stars for me for the above reasons, but for the final twist which I think superbly clever of the author. I donned a wicked grin on my face as I read the last chapter and that what propelled my rating to 4 stars!

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator books for providing me this book in exchange of an honest review.

She is worshiped by millions. But she has a secret…

Adored by her legions of followers, social media megastar Skye is an inspiration. Once homeless, she is now fantastically wealthy, enormously powerful. A ‘like’ from Skye can literally change your life.

What a gripping thriller.

This was a very good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

A fun and entertaining read but a predictable one.

The ending was brilliant and made the entire book worth reading. I really recommend this one.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

2.5 stars, rounded up

Lots of potential and an excellent outline for a terrifying contemporary psychological thriller that was let down by the writing style. The promise of a profile on the dark side of becoming a social media influencer by any means necessary attracted me to this story, it just didn't meet the brief.

The protagonist was too good, the antagonist too evil. Every character only had one aspect to their personality and never deviated. The writing felt sterile and superficial - like everything had to be spelled out for the reader in the most basic style but almost as if it was told by someone a few steps removed from the entire process. The plot was incredibly predictable from very early on and in the end the antagonist's motives weren't believable because the writing didn't delve deep enough to unearth an honest motivation for the character's actions. ***SPOILER***It actually made Skye seem clumsy and inept at manipulation which doesn't ring true considering her actions to amass the following she has cultivated.***

However, there is a bright spot of hope here. ***SPOILER***The final chapter had the most impact out of the entire book. A delicious twist and last resort that I truly wasn't expecting and made me want to read more, even though I found the rest of the story to be lacklustre.***

Poor Skye, child of a drug addict, sent from foster home to foster home as a child until she ages out of the system and finds herself having to chose between selling drugs or being on the streets.

Sleeping rough in a tiny town for a couple of nights, Skye fids herself the object of Tiffany Larken's charity. Tiffany has everything she could ever want, or so it seems. Tiffany's father, The Salad King, goes so far as to give Skye a job but she soon sees that it is just a ploy to play on her circumstances and play up their charity.

Fast forward and Skye finds herself using her story of a rough upbringing and homelessness to launch her career as an Influencer. She uses her name, her fame and her story to get everything she wants but this time, everything isn't coming to her so easily.

This was a good story of manipulation, fame and misdirection.

I have to say, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I originally thought I would. In fact, I found it hard to put down.

Nathan is a widowed father of two girls who runs a charity honoring his late wife which helps the local homeless population. He is also engaged to be married to Marie, the au pair he hired to help with the care of his girls after his wife died.

Skye is a well-known and beloved influencer who, once being homeless herself, decides to get behind and support Nathan's charity. The problem is that what Skye wants, Skye gets, regardless of the cost to others.

The Influencer is intriguing and twisty and ridiculously addictive. And the manipulation and lies... goodness gracious, the lies! The plot moves at an excellent pace. Most of the characters are rather unlikable, but extremely well-developed. Overall, I very much enjoyed reading this one and look forward to reading more from this author.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator for supplying and arc in exchange for an honest review.