For anyone who is thinking about reading this book, know that it is a satire about how ridiculous our obsession is with social media and influencers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book, and many apologies for not managing to read and review it until now.

Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavksy takes her unique wit to a mash-up of Lord of the Flies with the hectic chaos of Fly Fest. Her take on influencer culture did not really have much new to to criticize or say about this modern development, and the central characters tended to be extremely unlikable in attempting to shove them too closely into the paradigmatic boxes established in William Golding's earlier work. As such, this is probably the weakest entry of the books of hers I've read so far.

Listen, Goldy Moldavsky is not for everyone, but Goldy Moldavsky is for me, and this book was no different. The satire just hits. I love this take on Lord of the Flies/Fyre Fest. While there have been several festival books in the last few years (after Fyre fest!) I still found this to feel pretty unique. Looking forward to seeing what she does next.

This was a great modernized twist on Lord of the Flies. Moldavsky uses a sham music festival like Fyre Fest to explore how human nature takes control in extreme circumstances, especially in the wake of modern technology.

Are there outlandish, absurd parts? Sure. After all, it’s satire mixed with a literary retelling. But if you are interested in the classic—it becomes really fun to look for the connections between the two texts.

I also think it’s satirical and humorous given how many YA books have come out with protagonists who are podcasting when really, are teens listening to podcasts?

Thanks to the publishers, Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, Macmillan, and Netgalley for my digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is another recent read that I highly encourage educators to teach in tandem with the original, in order to gain kids further attention and help them expand on their understanding of the themes in the original. It will also be helpful in jump-starting conversations with teens about internet safety and the perils of " internet influencer culture"

Lord of the Fly Fest is highly entertaining, true to the original text in all the ways that matter, but is WONDERFULLY updated to reflect the issues plaguing our current era.

Teens will love it for the “exclusive access to influencers-turned-nightmare scenario” while adults and those familiar with Lord of the Flies will have the best time seeking out allusions and parallels.

This is so well done, and I definitely recommend adding this to your personal library as well as classroom!

Lord of the Fly Fest is a commentary on social media culture, true crime amateur investigating, and of course, the ridiculousness that was The Fyre Festival.

Rafi finds herself on a tropical island with a bunch of semi-famous influencers. She is an outsider right away, as she is not here for the advertised music festival but to investigate a pop star on the disappearance of his girlfriend. She has a not popular podcast, but an interview with the singer could change all of that. However, like Fyre fest, there is no luxury, no music, no gormet food— it’s all a scam. The attendees start going nuts, modern Lord of the Flies style, as Rafi gets closer to her mark.

Read this for a wild ride!! Many laughs and crazy twists!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another fun read from Goldy Moldavsky. While this isn't my favorite from this author, it was still an enjoyable ride from beginning to end. If you like Lord of the Flies, Beauty Queens (by Libba Bray), and anything to do with the epic fail that was Fyre Festival, this one's for you!

This was so, so fun and exactly what I needed! Reminded me of the Fyre Festival in the best ways and I always enjoy any book where the social media “influencer” culture gets called on its shit.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Macmillan for my ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

This book was SO FUN. I loved the mystery, the critique of social media/influencer culture and I thought it was really really funny. So hilarious I laughed out loud reading it. I don’t know how i feel about the ending but it was really enjoyable

Have I ever read Lord of the Flies? Nope. Did I request this simply based on the cover? Absolutely, yes I did. But this ended up reminding me so much of Fyre Fest in the most hilarious way and it was actually a fun read! I love being surprised by books I wasn't expecting a lot out of and this one definitely makes that list.

This was such a fun read I read it in one sitting and really enjoyed it! This book follows Rafi, a teen girl with a true crime podcast trying to solve a mystery, and a bunch of influencers as they are stranded on a tropical island with no resources. The fun trip they had previously expected turns out to be a nightmare and I loved every second of reading about it. I loved all the twists and turns in this book and all the different pop culture references and references to actual influencers. This book was crazy and hilarious and it's the perfect read for when you're just in the mood for something light.

I was surprised by Lord of the Fly Fest, definitely inspired by the mess that was Fyre Fest once upon a time. This is a critique of influencer culture for sure, and how online fame has a grip of people.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Goldy Moldavsky is a genius author. each book she writes is funny, well written, entertaining, and socially relatable.

“Lord of the Flyfest” is part young adult adaption of the failed Fyre Fest that took place a few years ago, and part reimagine of “Lord of the Flies”.

Rafi is a podcaster who is in attendance of Fly Fest. She has one goal and that is to figure out the truth behind River’s ( popular musician) ex girlfriends disappearance. However Fly Fest is a mess and nothing is what it seems.

“Lord of the Fly Fest” holds a magnifying glass to celebrity and influencer culture. What are people willing to do to protect their image and online reputation?

Another thing I loved about this book is how the podcast was used as a storytelling device to help the narrative move along. This was also great because I felt that this also showed bow people get really obsessed with true crime. It seems like now a days people don’t really care about the victims behind these crimes. Instead only care about the murderers or crimes instead. People seem to only want what the most interesting story is- just like Rafi.

This book is another win and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.

Lord of the Flies meets Influencer Island. Lord of the Fly Fest places our most insecure traits on display and the need to be seen. Moldavsjy tried to bring the grim realities of the current social media culture on display and contrast them to human instinct. Yet the flat characters and superficial plot fall short in having the intended impact.

I do wanted to love this but unfortunately it was just not it. The cover and synopsis really grabbed me, but what was under the cover just lacked a lot. The characters didn’t hold much potential and hardly developed. Not only that but I just really couldn’t stand to listen to them and read about them. I was interested in what was happening with them therefore I felt like I didn’t soak up much of the story.

I thought this would be more enjoyable but it is surface deep and didn't hold my attention. The cover is fun and bright. I expected this to have a Lord of the Flies vibe and it just fell short.

The Mary Shelley Club was an instant five star read for me, so I was very excited to read Lord of the Fly Fest; however, it did not work for me. The characters were annoying and frustrating, and quite a bit of the plot felt contrived. there were some good aspects, but ultimately not one that i will think about much.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Don't let my rating fool you. I liked this book. I just don't think it's for everyone. This fun, clever satire pokes fun at Gen Z by way of "Lord of the Flies" and the Frye Fest fiasco of a couple of years ago. When hundreds of shallow influencers find themselves stranded on a island after a failed music festival, they attempt to form their own society that dissolves into chaos.

I loved all of the tie-ins with "Lord of the Flies", right down to the character names. It was so fun seeing how the author mirrored the two plots. Unfortunately, I don't know how much of the target audience are familiar with "Lord of the Flies" beyond just the basic plot. But then again, perhaps I'm just being pretentious.