Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

I would normally rate this closer to 3.5 stars, but I rated it a 4 because it totally surpassed my expectations. I think Ms. Crooks did an excellent job with the "influencer-speak." Loved the Greenhouse and all the references to planting seeds, blooming, getting rid of weeds, and so forth. I also enjoyed the conflict between the departed employees and the employees who stayed behind, as well as Harper's gradual transformation from doubter to true believer.

The one drawback is that it's a little TOO "Devil Wears Prada" at times. One of the tasks Harper had to do was the exact same thing Andy had to do to Emily in TWDP.

Overall, this was a great debut. It's well-paced, and the author does a great job drawing you into the influencer world.

Pitched as being a new Devil Wears Prada-esque read - I have to agree that Harper Cruz walks into the Greenhouse as naive and innocent as Andi did with Miranda Priestly.

Except this isn’t a fashion magazine - it’s social media influencing and it’s a whole different level of chaos and crazy and pretending that everything is perfect 24/7 while simultaneously being relatable and flawed.

I read this super fast and enjoyed Harper’s journey and growth as she was dropped into the deep end of influencing and had to figure out how to swim in a hurry.

First. I would raise to 3 1/2 stars. I went into this reading blind to its content and I was pleasantly surprised! I wouldn’t call it a “page turner” but I did want to see where the story would end up. I want sure which direction the author would go, which is a good thing-ending not totally predictable! I enjoyed the inspirational mantras along the way, and could hear Charolette in my head every time she spoke. I was surprised at how quickly Harper drank the kool-aid, but that’s what made it interesting; it seemed like such the opposite thing she would normally do. This made me think about branding and begin to wonder how much authenticity is really in a “big name brand.” We all know it takes a team, but how many ideas are passed on as their own? Is credit given where it really is due? I felt the ending was rushed, I was sort of let down by that, I would have liked it to have eased into it a bit more. Maybe I’m a big meany, but I wanted to read more about Charolette’s implosion. I felt like the author got a bonfire all set up for us, lit the match and we got to watch the fire begin to burn. . . . but then mom called us inside and we didn’t get to see the big fire roar. But we got to see the aftermath of the bonfire quickly the next morning in the quick “18 months later” chapter. I wanted more! 😀 Overall, a promising debut by a new author and I would happily read another one of her novels! Thank you #NetGalley #NoelleCrooks

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-Arc of The Influencer by Noelle Crooks!

What a debut. For real this was so entertaining and I don't really have any complaints! More thoughts will come when I can type from a computer and not on my phone, but just know that this was so fun. Read if you like going down YouTube holes about MLM's or random internet drama with influences.

This has to be one of my favorite books that I have read this year. It is a fast-paced story, but that pace fits the influencer world so well. The go go go of always having to be on social media at all times. Watching it all unfold from the first questions until the final straw was great. The small bit of romance in the book was nice, it doesn't dominate the book too much, but it does get its own moments and chapters. Every character comes to life from the pages and I adored each of them.

If you have ready/seen The Devil Wears Prada you will get some feelings towards that as the set up is somewhat adjacent. But it does not make the story any less thrilling.

Loved this story and I could totally relate as I have a very similar boss! With influencers being so popular right now, this book made me feel like I had a behind the scenes glance of what actually goes on.. Harper throws caution to the wind and moves to Nashville to take a high paying job with influencer Charlotte Green. She quickly is sucked into her world but finds out that it’s not as positive as it seems. A quick read that I really enjoyed.

Love the concept behind this book. The Devil Wear's Prada for the influencer age? Sign me up! The author worked for Rachel Hollis? Sign me up again!!

The writing, unfortunately, falls flat. The Devil Wears Prada influence extends to plot points and at least one of the event is identical to the former. The protagonist's relationship with her job was not articulated well at all: she seemed to be questioning her job, but then would give her full throated support for her boss/ job when her family criticizes it. The first third of the book (that establishes Harper navigating her job) feels like it could benefit from tighter editing because we spend too much time on these events but don't carry that out throughout the rest of the book (there is not a gradual worsening of the job--just jump into a few isolated toxic incidents). The ending was okay but was pretty abrupt and the romance component definitely was not expected and felt just tacked on.

Toxic bosses - ah, the world is full of them. Self-help guru BS - ah, the world is full of that as well. In UNDER THE INFLUENCE we get a view into what it's like to work for a toxic self-help guru.

If you know anything about the self-help genre, then you most likely know which toxic boss this book is referring to - without saying her name. And the examples the author gives in this fictional story of bosses gone wrong, are absolutely believable. I could definitely see the real self-help guru committing these office crimes.

With that said, the story itself was stale. The story did not contain enough conflict below the surface of the "bad boss." There were a lot of ways the author could have turned this story into a dark, twisty ride, but instead she showcased a lot of the ways her previous boss had wronged her.

Plagiarism, threats, shaming and mind manipulation were all tactics we saw the bad boss "do" in UNDER THE INFLUENCE.

There were a few things that weren't believable - the Greenhouse business was a soft-core cult. Our heroine quickly, and I mean quickly, fell into line. She should have been questioning everything, but her big salary led her into submitting. Right there is one way there could have been more conflict.

The romance also seemed a bit forced, but UNDER THE INFLUENCE is women's fiction, not romance, so it's understandable.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for an e-copy of UNDER THE INFLUENCE to review.

I rate UNDER THE INFLUENCE three out of five stars.

DNFed around 30% of the way in. I wanted to love this book, I’m familiar with the novel’s inspiration (a famous influencer with a toilet lady, IYKYK). But I found the storytelling and writing to be a bit juvenile. I struggled to connect with Harper, the novel’s protagonist. This may work better for a younger audience despite not being a YA book.

I wanted to read this book because I remembered hearing she worked for the Hollis Company. I remember hearing she was publishing a book years ago, then that didn’t pan out. This appears to be a rebranding of that prior attempt. I also liked the cover & the title, but I couldn’t get into this book. Unfortunately, it was really boring, I also didn’t get the sense that she is a writer. This doesn’t seem up to standard to me. I was pretty disappointed.

I love social media and I loved this book. I think it's a fictional work that probably accurately describes the real life influencer world.

Harper wants to be a writer but she's having no luck in New York in a series of dead end jobs when her best friend spies the ad to work for influencer, Charlotte Green. Harper isn't really in the world of social media but she figures out, "why not?" and fills out the application. In a whirlwind of events, she's hired and moves to Nashville to join The Greenhouse.

The story tells of Harper's experience being flavor of the month, can do no wrong employee but what she has to give to achieve that status.

The characters in this book are wonderful and I already miss them. This is a fun book that I had a hard time putting down. Two thumbs up!

Ok, even though this doesn’t come out until august it’s going to be the perfect end of summer beach read. A modern devil wears Prada with some interwoven commentary on influencers and social media, this was an enjoyable fun read. I read the whole thing in a day and enjoyed it as the perfect fluffy relaxing read! Thanks for Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Under the Influence is The Devil Wears Prada with an influencer twist. We meet Harper as she’s applying for a too good to be true/sounds a little sketchy job working for a top influencer. Under the Influence continues Harper’s journey as Charlotte’s visionary support strategist with lots of ups and downs along the way.

The story felt a little disjointed and long for me. We all know what’s coming but it took a while to get there. I wasn’t totally engaged in the story or the characters, even though I thought the author did a good job of making Charlotte both likeable and unlikeable within the same chapter.

Under the Influence gets 3/5 for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Entertaining, but I was left wanting a more realistic arc for Harper. Everything was tied up just a little too neatly.

Harper uproots her life in NY to work for Charlotte Green at the Greenhouse in Nashville. Green is a self help guru/influencer/entrepreneur who is deeply flawed and unlikeable. Harper, despite all the warnings from friends and family, falls for the narrative and ignores her own intuition.

If you watched the very public meltdown of Rachel Hollis or just want to be entertained and not blown away, this is a decent read. If you are looking for a more serious critique though, looks elsewhere. UNDER THE INFLUENCE isn’t great literature, but would suffice as a beach read.

Under the Influence is an engaging, compulsively readable story that takes readers through the inner world of a famous influencer—and those around them. At the start of the book, Harper Cruz is lonely, confused, and desperate for a fulfilling job. When she unexpectedly gets the opportunity of a lifetime to work for famous influencer and self-help guru Charlotte Green, she jumps at the chance to move to Nashville and take the job. But all that glitters isn't gold, and Harper begins to question what's "real" about this glamorous world. I love stories that focus on influencer culture/social media commentary, and thought that overall, this book did a great job of exploring those topics! I think many readers can relate to aspects of Harper's character, and I enjoyed following her journey. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. The cover and title drew me in immediately. I kept thinking about how clever the title was.

I felt the entire time that I was reading it that Charlotte was based on Rachel Hollis (not at all Gwyneth Paltrow as a few reviews mentioned). Upon researching the author I found that she did work for The Hollis Company. I am very curious how autobiographical this novel is. Some of my favorite parts were about Charlotte’s husband, they were truly laugh out loud funny. The “Mister Class” concept made me scream laugh. (Edit: I just looked at Rachel Hollis’ website and started laughing my ass off again, the author nails Rachel’s obnoxious writing style.)

I think this book did a really good job examining both toxic positivity and the grind/girl boss culture. It sucks that people waste their money on the manufactured, aspirational bullshit that these “creators” put out. As if all you have to do is gratitude your way into happiness. I find it extremely predatory. The book also did a great job showing how quickly you can get sucked into a certain kind of work environment. And how everything we see on social media is such a fabrication of real life.

I rated it down because I thought the romance plot line was a bit boring and the ending was a little cheesy for me.

I will definitely be checking out anything this author puts out in the future.

This is an eye opening and surprisingly entertaining take down of the behind-the-scenes world of top level online influencers. Crooks, who worked for Rachel Hollis, pulls no punches here. And yet what she reveals is both shocking…and sort of what we all secretly know is the truth behind these perfectly curated Instagram lifestyle posts. A good read and a helpful reality check.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

This book was incredibly entertaining and full of fun details. If you enjoyed The Devil Wears Prada, you will be obsessed with Under the Influence!

Harper has been having trouble finding a job working for a publishing house in NYC, and when her BFF shows her an upbeat job ad she is intrigued enough to apply. She takes a position working for an influencer who, on the surface, is all about female empowerment. Her time working for Charlotte starts off confusingly, but soon enough Harper drinks the kool-aid and is one of the most dedicated employees in the place.

This story is just delightful. Gossipy, sassy, two-faced, and full of commentary about influencers and the life they sell. It was compulsively readable, and I binged it in a single day, not wanting to stop before the end.

Harper is a likeable character who starts off in complete disbelief at the things her colleagues do every day, from the morning dance off to the team chants. She slowly acclimates to the office environment as she is given more responsibility, and her transformation is entertaining. Of course she makes some people angry along the way and nearly burns some bridges.

Charlotte brought several influencers to mind as I was reading. She spouts endless positivity and is constantly cognizant of needing to create content for her followers, even as her personal life is falling apart. I didn't find her to be a sympathetic character at all, but she was highly entertaining in the way watching a character be bad can just be so good.

I enjoyed the storyline and liked the way things wrapped up in the end.

This was a debut novel, and I am highly impressed with the author’s writing! I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A stroke of luck gives an everyday young woman the chance of a lifetime and she's soon brought into the world of a high level influencer. This wild ride sucks the reader into the inner workings of the sort of woman so many aspire to be like. You'll find yourself asking the same questions as Harper, such as is it a business or a cult?

First of all, thank you so much for the opportunity to read and provide early feedback! This book flew by much faster than I wanted! The character of Charlotte Green reminded me so much of the internet drama, plagiarism, expensive conferences, and overall toxic positivity a la Rachel Hollis. The story flowed from one minor drama to the next in Charlotte’s influencer life leaving new employee Harper to try to both do damage control and find success on her own. Harper was so likable and refreshing. I found it so relatable how she got carried away in the nonsense and “drank the kool aid” herself. I have always been particularly drawn to fiction that includes the concept of influencers as it’s something most all women encounter constantly if they spend any time on social media. This book did not disappoint!