I enjoyed this mystery and hope there will be more books featuring Maggia.
A gripping and highly entertaining mystery that kept me reading, full of twists.
Good character and plot development.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book started out strong with a compelling opening chapter. I loved how everyone seemed like a possible suspect because they all had the means, motive and opportunity. Each chapter begins with an except from Maggie's blog, which I thought was interesting and provided lots of insight into violent crime.

What I enjoyed best is the deep dive into the influencer world and its toxic culture. Gossip blogs, backstabbing, lies and secrets beneath all the glitz and glamour — I'm here for all of it! However, I wasn't a huge fan of Maggie and felt amused when she likened herself to "James Bond or Jason Bourne".

I definitely didn't see the twist coming and thought it was pretty neat, but at the same time I'm not wholly buying it.

Overall, this is an entertaining and enjoyable read!

The Influencers - S.V Leonard

Publication Date: 10/03/22

⭐️⭐️⭐️


“A filter can hide all manner of secrets.” When Maggie Shaw the young and naive true crime blogger ends up getting invited to the influencer of the year awards boat party, she gets more true crime than she bargained for.

The cover of the book is attractive and enticing and with an early shock the book draws you in. S.V Leonard describes characters in a brilliant and easy way, and painted a picture of scenes with ease. As the book begins to draw to a conclusion there are still unsolved murders and more questions than answers, and then drops the twist. The type of twist to take your breath away with its creativeness, the reader couldn’t have seen it coming. I did feel that although there were segments of shock and drama littered throughout, the main psychological aspect was saved until the final pages.

A well written, twisted easy read. Huge thanks for NetGalley and Canelo for the ARC, and to S.V Leonard for writing this thrilling book.

The life of an influencer is desirable and glitzy on the outside, a life to die for, and some people are willing to do anything to get it, even kill for it. But this glamorous life hides lots of dirty laundry under the surface, and The influencers explores this duality in a really fun and entertaining story I could not stop reading.

Maggie Shaw is a true crime blogger desperate to make herself a name in the influencer’s world. When she’s invited to the “Influencer of the Year” Awards aboard a luxury yacht, she thinks her luck is about to change, but when Stella Knight, one of the biggest name on social media is murderer during the ceremony, Maggie founds herself in the middle of the murder investigation, teaming up with Reiss, a beauty blogger, to uncover who killed Stella.

If S.V. Leonard’s debut novel, The Islanders, drew inspiration from And Then There Were None, The Influencers could have some parallels with Death On The Nile because of its setting. The yacht and the three hour long trip back to land with a killer aboard, made for some tense and claustrophobic scenes and a great starting point for our duo of amateur sleuths. Maggie and Reiss’s interactions were so much fun to read. Their two different worlds colliding offered some really interesting moments laced with some humour.

The world of the influencers was really well portrayed, raising several important points about the role of these people and the responsability and maturity they should have when speaking about certain topics or promoting certain products, cause not everything goes, especially when it comes to young kids. Most of the characters were awful people and I have no proof (but also, no doubt) that real life influencers are not much better! 😅

The mystery unfolded as a classic mystery with Maggie trying to eliminate suspects from the pool. Although I saw coming the final twist, it was really well done, and even though I guessed the who, the why still held many surprises that made the resolution really enjoyable.

The Influencers was a really entertaining and easy read where trying to fit together all the pieces of the puzzle was really fun. You should read it (not that I wanna influence you. Well, maybe I do 😉).

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Influencers is my second book by S.V Leonard and like the first book I read by her I really enjoyed this one. I'm not a fan of influencers in real life so wasn't sure what I would make of this book but firstly I loved Maggie's character and she really drew me into the story and secondly there were enough twists and turns to keep me reading more and I sped through this book at lightning speed. I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for my ARC.

My first novel by author S.V. Leonard.

We meet influencer, Maggie Shaw who is a crime blogger. She is invited to the Influencer of the Year Awards which is being held upon a rather lovely yacht.

Upon the yacht and during the awards, an influencer called Stella is found murdered and this sets in motion the perfect scenario for Maggie who sets out to solve the murder of Stella.

This is a very modern day thriller, in the age of Influencers who seem to run the roost (so to speak). I am not a huge fan of Influencers as such, but the blurb made me want to read this novel and it is a good thrilling mystery.

Thanks to S.V. Leonard, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel, in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars.

Another look behind the influencer curtain - I’m never going to say no to a thriller about the influencer lifestyle. This was a fun book that kept me interested the whole time. The pacing was a bit off though. I feel like it started quick, slowed in the middle and ramped up at the end. None of the characters are particularly likable but it works since they are all suppose to be fame hungry and shallow. The ending added another half star to my review because it tied up loose ends and was just a fun twist.

First of all thanks for the free copy from canelo.. I enjoyed this book more than I thought from reading the description. The characters were well described although still a bit superficial but enough to form a bond with them.
It starts with a bang and fast pace from the start but went a little slower somewhere towards the end. Just when I thought the ending was quite predictable it had such an amazing twist that I remembered what I liked most about psychological thrillers. Well done.

The Influencer of the year awards is taking place on a glamorous yacht. As the highly polished select few shimmy their way down the red carpet with their tanned skin, expensive clothing and gleaming white teeth ready to board, Maggie Shaw takes in the scene. The crowds of young people straining their necks to get a glimpse, smartphones in hand, ready to capture that coveted shot to post on their own social media #OMG. Maggie has been invited as a ‘guest’, so instead of traipsing the red carpet, she is directed to a side entrance! She hasn’t made it big yet with her true crime blog, The Social Sleuth – BUT, she is hoping that will all change soon. This is the perfect place to network and hopefully grow her following so she can finally follow in their Louboutin footsteps. The yacht leaves Shad Thames and Maggie attempts to mingle but ends up feeling more at home with the downtrodden assistants than the self-proclaimed starlets. As the award winners are called to the stage one of the most popular influencers, Stella Knight – The Fashionsista is nowhere to be seen. The chair next to her swarve husband is ominously empty. As word gets around that Stella Knight has died, Maggie puts her sleuthing hobby to good use and starts her very own ‘investigation,’ along with the help of another popular influencer. As they do a deep dive into Stella Knight’s life and peek beyond the facade, they realise that the list of potential suspects is far larger than they had anticipated and her ‘new friend’ could also be on that list! Whoever the killer is – they are trapped on a boat with them, will they get to the truth before the killer gets to them?

I really enjoyed the influencer concept of this book, it’s the first time I think I’ve read a book with this theme and the glamorous backstabbing was highly entertaining. I did feel for poor Maggie always being on the outside of the clique! I enjoyed their investigating and it made for a good modern murder mystery. The characters were shallow and superficial – but you just loved to take a sneak peek, in a love to hate kind of way, and could totally expect it to be like this in ‘real-life.’ Like Maggie say’s “It’s like going onto a movie set and seeing all of the actors out of character.” For some reason, I got major Death In Paradise vibes while reading this book – and I do love a bit of Death In Paradise. There were parts where you did have to suspend your disbelief but that’s not uncommon for thriller/murder mystery fiction – and it was passable. All in all, I enjoyed The Influencer and did not see the twist at the end coming!

My thanks to the author and Canelo for my advance copy to review via Netgalley. Due to be released 10th March 2022!

Three and a half glamorous stars rounded up to four!

True crime blogger Maggie Shaw is invited to the Influencer of the Year awards aboard a swanky yacht. Small fry in the blogging world, Maggie hoped to network and gain some traction in that world. The awards are turned on their heads when the newly announced Influencer of the Year, Stella Knight, is found dead.

Stella’s murder awakens Maggie’s urge to investigate and there is no shortage of suspects. Stella may seem to have the perfect life, but she had made enemies on the way, and they all were on that yacht.

The world of an influencer is laid bare and the novel tackles some of the less savoury parts of that lifestyle. It makes some good points about the dangers posed by influencers who forget the demographic of their audience. It also highlights the often glaring inconsistency between the lifestyle on show, and the reality. It offers an insight to the world of being famous because you are famous.

Alongside Stella’s murder, there is a parallel story unfolding about Maggie’s earlier life and what led to her being in her precarious situation. This information is released in tantalizing small breadcrumbs.

Maggie’s character is difficult to get a hold of. Sometimes she is sensible, but other times she really does something daft. The author pulls it all together in the end. The world of influencers appears to have a lot of not very nice characters, so I found it hard to connect sometimes.

The one problem I had was the credibility of the amateur detectives and the interaction with police. It did seem a little fantastic but as I thought more, all amateur detective stories demand a suspension of belief. In real life, do the police really allow those do-it-yourself sleuths free rein? No, I suspect not so just enjoy the ride.

I enjoyed this book, and it has plenty of twists, turns, red herrings plus the denouement is satisfying.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Canelo for the eARC of #TheInfluencers in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie is a bidding new true crime blogger who is delighted to be invited to the Influencer Of The Year awards.
Especially since she will have a chance to mingle with the fabulous, super famous blogger, Stella Knight.
But when things don't go to plan and Stella Knight ends up dead at the awards ceremony, Maggie decides to use her blog to solve the murder.
This book was a refreshing, modern day take on the classic whodunnit. Plenty of glitz, glam and bitchiness make it easy to enjoy while guessing who the murderer could be. It's scarily accurate in terms of today's society of "Instagram vs Reality" and makes for an interesting and enjoyable read.

The Influncer of the Year trophy and more will be awarded during a glamorous dinner cruise on a luxurious yacht. The water is deep, the guests are not. Maggie Shaw, a first time attendee, is the creator of The Social Sleuth, a true crime blog, and is thrilled to be among the famous and the not-so-much. She’s especially excited by a sighting of Stella Knight (10 million followers) and hopes to meet her. Instead, she meets Anna, Stella’s assistant, who in an emotionally fraught moment, tells Maggie what Stella is really like. Then Maggie sees Stella’s husband Christopher and Anna confront a very drunken Maggie and half drag her back to her stateroom. Later, after Stella misses the awards ceremony, she’s discovered dead in her bathroom. She’s been poisoned. The ship is full of suspects and Maggie, accompanied by make-up artist Reiss Rose, decides to investigate.

The Influencers was so entertaining during the dinner cruise. I loved the descriptions of the yacht, the drinks, the meals, the ambitious guests, all of it. Maggie’s investigation was more of a problem. She interferes with the police and works closely with Reiss who she hardly knows and may be a suspect. The plot bogs down during this and the conclusion was not a surprise. None of the characters were particularly likable. I think that if this entire mystery had played out on the cruise itself, The Influencers would have been stronger. It would have had a great location and a locked room plot line. 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo and S. V. Leonard for this ARC.

Despite the interesting premise, I was unable to connect with the protagonist or the plot of this story and so I find it difficult to continue reading. This book did not work for me.

A who dunnit on a boat is a great premise & the vacuous influencers were a great choice of characters to explore. I liked the way the backstories were revealed & the motives of the guests all explained, but I struggled a little with the pacing. The start & the ending flew but in the middle it got a little slower. I'm still not sure how I feel about the conclusion, I think currently it's frustrated.

This book heavily explored the duality and shallowness of influencers. And while the characters were shallow, they were realistically portrayed and well-written depictions of people obsessed with attention and fame. Maggie Shaw was an interesting and enjoyable MC. You can feel Maggie's desperation to not only solve this crime, but to fit into influencer culture. Some of her actions (inserting herself in the police investigation) was so cringe, but reminded me of real internet sleuths.

The plot was great. Social media influencers all together on a glamorous yacht. Let the drama begin! The murder was just icing on the cake, and I was fully intrigued by the whodunit element. Stella Knight gave the people around her a lot of ammunition for hating her. But who hated her enough to want her dead?

There was, however, a big problem with the pacing. The story started off strong and ends equally strong with a great conclusion. Unfortunately, the middle lags and wasn't the tense, fast-paced read I was hoping it would be. The parts of the yacht were great, especially after the murder. Being trapped on a yacht hours from land with a killer gave me that anxious claustrophobic feeling reminiscent of Ruth Ware's 'The Woman in Cabin 10' or Catherine Ryan Howard's 'Distress Signals.' I would have loved for this whole story to take place on the yacht, but that part was unsatisfyingly short. My attention and interest plummeted once they were back on land. The investigation lacked tension and danger and became more methodical and bland IMO. That being said, the ending was fantastic! I saw it coming, but it was still so well done and perfectly wrapped up the story.

I recommend this book if you like the two aforementioned titles and/or are interested in influencer culture.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. I really liked the concept of this modern thriller. Anything to do with the vacuous influencers world is always juicy and entertaining. Here we also had combined with this, the true crime internet sleuth angle: Influencers on a boat, what could possibly go wrong? I found it easy to get into. The story didn’t fully hold my attention until the end as the investigating side of things didn’t let up, which began to feel a bit tiring with no reprieve. Also there wasn’t really any likeable characters to anchor my investment.

3.5/ Maggie Shaw is a true crime blogger, and runs her own blog called The Social Sleuth. She has been invited to The Influencer Of The Year award show aboard a luxury yacht. Maggie is hoping to strike gold among the rich and famous, and potentially gain more followers through their status. While Maggie is living out her “I’m on boat” dreams – Stella Knight, THE influencer of all influencers is murdered. This is the perfect opportunity for Maggie to show off her sleuth-y skills. Who would have wanted Stella dead?

This book gave me The Guest List vibes! I really enjoyed playing detective while trying to figure out Stella’s killer. There were some slow parts to this book, but overall this was a really good mystery! The plot twist at the end was SO unexpected and tied up so many loose ends.


Simone Says Read This if you enjoy:

*The Guest List
*an easy read
*a fun whodunnit mystery

I had a really difficult time reading this and unfortunately, only made it to chapter 6. It just wasn't fast paced or exciting enough for me to be glued.

OMGGG I knew this book was going to be fabulous after reading Leonard's debut last year, but wow that ending was really something. I'm usually really good and predicting twists (even the most shocking ones = I'm looking at you The Silent Patient) but this twist did not even cross my mind! I sailed through this glamorous, pacy and thrilling ride of a novel and I love how Leonard has carved a niche for herself in this extremely saturated market.

Definitely one for lying by the pool in the sun read. A huge hit for summer reading. Very current also.