I was drawn to the cover and the Kardashian like story, but found it just okay. It felt longer than necessary and I didn't feel very invested in the characters.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy Netgalley & Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press.

"Mother May I" Iverson has built a reputation on the backs of her 5 kids. Now that they are grown and on their own, they are fighting about that past and how they move forward. This is a novel about what can happen on socials.

As a dissection of influencer culture, The Influencers doesn’t just ask whodunnit—it questions what happens when a life lived online unravels offline. Throughout the book it felt as if we shifted gears unexpectedly. While it delivers an interesting exploration of how social media twists our perceptions of relationships and reality, that wasn't the whole point of the book, at least it's not what I expected. The story’s ending leaves some threads frustratingly loose. Either way, it's a compelling, if slightly uneven, mystery and worth the read.

I'll be reviewing on Instagram on April 1st.

20/100 or 1.0 stars

I was excited to start this, as the premise was interesting, and I wanted to know how McLemore told the story.
This did not work for me at all, unfortunately. The characters were all one dimensional and it was hard to get into the story. I was hoping as it went on that it would change my mind, or do somthing interesting, but that didn't happen.

I have read many of Anna-Marie McLemore's books over the last years – this is actually my ninth book by them, wow – and their new releases always have my attention. They are the author of lyrical, magical YA trans stories for me, and I was very excited to see how this translates to an adult fiction book. The book follows a rich influencer family consisting of the super famous Mother May I and four of her daughters after the murder of May's second husband August. I saw "The Influencers" tagged as mystery / thriller on Goodreads, but it's really not. It's more of a rich people drama where there is also a crime, so don't go in with the wrong expectations. While there is the question of what really happened to August and who killed him, this book is less about solving the mystery than about painting a family picture. First, there's May Iverson: former mommy blogger turned lifestyle influencer, now rich and internet famous and thinking that firing the staff of her mansion makes her a minimalist. May has five daughters from her first marriage – January, March, April, June and July (don't get me started on these names) – and she pretty much got famous through making their childhood public. All the daughters are adults now, and some followed into their mother's footsteps while others feel exploited by her. Everyone gets their own POV in the book, so a lot of different perspectives are presented. None of the daughters liked their stepfather much and many had problems with their mother, but who actually had the motive for the committed crime? It's not really a thrilling read, but I liked the way how the story unraveled with each new chapter. There's also this interesting collective POV of the family's followers that shows how the Iversons are perceived on social media. It's an observing perspective that doesn't necessarily show the truth, only constructing a picture from online content. These chapters were very well done in my opinion. It's where McLemore's lyrical writing shines the most and a lot of commentary on current issues regarding social media is offered. I'm talking about carefully constructed online personas and fakeness, about parasocial relationships, about privacy and publicity, especially when it comes to children. It's not a deep or analytical exploration of these themes, but I liked how they were interwoven with the narrative and how they were part of the everyday life of the characters. It was a good read, but some minor things also bothered me. There were five siblings and all had different personalities, but their respective chapters didn't really have a unique voice, so I was sometimes mixing them up. And if you name twin sisters June and July there's a 100% chance that I can't remember who's who, I'm sorry. I also think that the book could have wrapped up a little faster or be shorter in general. But these negative things don't weigh down my overall positive opinion too much and I'm glad that I enjoyed Anna-Marie McLemore's adult debut. Every time I read a book by this author I kinda want to re-read my old favs by them and "The Influencers" was no exception. I don't think that fans of the author have anything to worry about with this new release and I hope that many new readers will find them through the new genre.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House / Dial Press for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Having previously enjoyed Anna-Marie McLemore’s YA books, I was excited to see they were branching out into adult, and into the thriller space. And while age group and genre pivots come with mixed results, I feel McLemore did a great job with The Influencers. Influencer culture, from fans’ parasocial relationship with them to the intense toxicity among influencer families, from reality-TV families like the Kardashians and the Duggars to family vloggers like the Frankes. While there isn’t a direct analogue between the fictional Iversons and any real influencer family, McLemore seems to have a finger on the pulse of the issue as it’s been discussed of late, and we see that reflected in both the interpersonal toxic dynamics among the family and the fan responses.
And in terms of the writing, I love the way the book conveys this. Following the passage of time since the murder of the new husband of family matriarch May, I loved the mix of more intimate perspectives from the various family members, interspersed with “fan” (and eventually “ex-fan” perspectives, and it really gives the impression of consuming a juicy gossip blog.
In terms of characters, I can’t say they were all that well-fleshed-out. The POVs aren’t super distinct, so I didn’t find myself feeling much for these people. But I do think McLemore did the work of capturing the intense dysfunction that comes from broadcasting your family’s lives to the world, and the conflicts that might naturally arise from the resulting discomfort (and more). And while the lack of individual investment made the twists a little less impactful, I’m not shocked I found the characterization lackluster, as this has been a complaint I’ve had with many thrillers.
And while I definitely was consistently intrigued with all the drama, the uneven pacing impacted my enjoyment, at least somewhat. There were some parts of the book where the story dragged, and the timeline of the book felt much longer than it was, with everything occurring in just under a month, not to mention the book clocking in at around 448 pages.
However, in spite of these flaws, I enjoyed the reading experience overall, and would recommend it to readers who are interested in books that explore the darker side of celebrity and fan culture.

May Iverson, known as Mother May I to all mommy blogger fans, had the perfect life - fabulous husband, five beautiful daughters, a thriving influencer business. Now her husband is dead, her mansion is has massive fire damage, and one of her daughters hasn't been seen since she turned 18. I really enjoyed this book. I went into it expecting a lot more murder mystery but I was glad when it was more of a commentary on how people in the spotlight deal with being in the spotlight while also trying to process their own lives. I loved the interstitial chapters where you move from the perspective of the family to the perspective of the fans, and the armchair detectives trying to find out who killed August and where did March go. I really enjoyed the slow burn of everything, and that by the end of it all you have a solid payoff that just... makes sense. Things are both connected and disconnected, reality is both close to the rumors and far away, and everyone has to come to terms with the fact that the world knows every little thing about them.

I understand the lower ratings that other people are giving, it was actually really hard for me to have empathy for the characters knowing that they're wealthy influencers who can live with their heads in the sand. I mean, there's a scene where May doesn't know how to clean a toilet... But once I realized that's what was happening I was able to reframe my view and enjoy the book for what it really is, a story about a family that is nothing like mine trying to survive in the age of social media

The premise of this book really intrigued me, and the centering of the story around family vloggers/momfluencers feels super current and relevant. However, I ultimately felt like this book was at once too much and not enough - murder mystery + social commentary on influencer culture, but I felt like both could have been a bit more fleshed out as lots of the twists were quite predictable. I also found the character names after the months to be annoying in a way I didn't expect when I read the description and requested!

May is a Kardashian-ish momager with 4 grown children, influencer success, and riches, until her house burns down, her husband is murdered, and her family becomes the main suspects.

It was hard to read this and not imagine the Kardashians! The pacing was a bit slow and the characters were unlikable, but in a good way.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I never understood the people who make a living as an "influencer" nor have I understood those who excitedly follow their every post. But I know there are a lot of people out there who do both, and this book does a decent job of presenting a mystery <i>and</i> following both sides of that agreement.

"Mother May I" was the original influencer, and one of the POVs is from her followers while the rest are May and four of her five daughters, all charmingly named the month in which they were born. Her second husband, also named after a month, has just been found dead and, well, there's lots of speculation whodunnit, May or a daughter or ?? Things devolve into leaked uncut videos, leaked never uploaded videos and the family begins to fracture. How May responds/responded to their requests to not document things leads to lots of tension.

The followers act as almost a Greek chorus, which has the unfortunate effect of dampening things. How everyone reacts to the release of one, or more, video is muted because it's seen via the followers POV. There is also the insertion of an influencer wannabe with a true crime focus--ultimately this goes nowhere except serve as yet another voice, way to discuss the leaks. The overuse of both, plus the later chapters with Luke Sweatshirt (and honestly, it was obvious from the start where that POV was going) led to the loss of two stars.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

The goods:
- Some people may not like the format, but I loved being able to read inside each Iverson's mind and then reading what the followers thought. It was really cool, but if you don't like third person, this will drive you crazy.
- Everything does wrap up nicely at the end and I wasn't sure if it would, so that was a great surprise.
- There were twists in this story that I didn't see coming and I was hooked some of the time, but...

The loss of a star and a half:
-...it was just extremely low stakes the majority of the time when I was hoping for a bit more energy, considering how strong the opening was and how intense a few moments were.
- Some characters were not as developed as others, which was just disappointing to see. I feel like some parts of some characters were just randomly thrown in and forgotten for half the book.

Overall, if you're looking for a uniquely written mystery, you'd like this! But if you need first person or high stakes, this is not the book for you.

This is a fun, fast read squarely in my “influencers behaving badly” niche. Full of characters you love to hate and a Greek chorus of social media followers who think they know everything. Slow through the first half, but a solid ending. Also- there are some hilarious one-liners in this book that are so delightful I literally laughed out loud. 4⭐️

One of my favorite micro-genres is influencers behaving badly so I knew I needed to read this book the minute I heard about it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. May Iverson became a mommy influencer and skyrocketed to fame using her daughters, March, April, June, July and January (yes, really), as adorable content. Every part of their childhood has been documenting online for the world to see - first bras, first periods, all the awkwardness and sibling rivalry. The daughters are all adults now and each has her own relationship with social media. The public is still enamored with the family and then tragedy strikes. May's new husband is dead in an apparent murder. The internet sleuths have a field day with theories and speculation. Who could have done this? Why? I loved the inside look at a family who became internet famous. Be careful what you wish for - you may just get it.

With "The Influencers" taking on a very topical subject, I couldn't help but get sucked into this comfortable read. It was both comfortably suspenseful and irritating as if I was complaining about any influencer family on the couch next to my best friend who consumes this type of media with fervor.

McLemore's timing with a book that picks apart the world of fame on the shoulders of children is not only apropos for our time, but it does so in a hauntingly creepy way that lurks upon the pages like a sticky coating. It's a fun read, nothing too psychological but just frustrating enough that you hate all the right characters and want to take a step back and evaluate all the family vloggers in the world.

Rating this advanced copy at a comfortable three because, while not the most profound read, it is a fun read that is relevant and plays around with the topic in an engaging way.

4 Stars – The Influencers is a beautifully written, thought-provoking story that blends social media, identity in a beautiful way. While the pacing lags in places, the novel’s emotional depth and unique storytelling make it a worthwhile read.

I thought I would like this book more than I did. Unfortunately I found it hard to get into and the writing style didn’t really work for me. Have to confess I skimmed most of it to see how it ended - an unusual approach to reading a book for me and concluded that I was glad I didn’t invest too much time into this very slow burn. I’m sure others will appreciate this more! Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC .

The world of Mother May I and her family vlogging channel comes crumbling down after the murder of her second husband. May Iverson and her adult children have always faced public scrutiny, but never like this, and they are NOT handling it well as their secrets come out and lies get exposed.

This was so well done! I loved the varying POV’s and unique POV’s as well. Even with all the siblings, it was easy to tell whose POV was whose and they all had distinct voices. I loved seeing May’s world come crashing down, especially as you see how much she deserves it as the book goes on. I do wish that one particular aspect of family vlogging was talked about more than just a single chapter, but I won’t mention it due to spoilers.

I’ve had mixed results from this author’s previous works, but I thoroughly enjoyed their adult debut.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC of The Influencers in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

I had high hopes for this one, but unfortunately, it wasn't a fit for me. Many of the characters are named after months of the year and I didn't realize how much this would distract me from the narrative. When I read a story I like to sink into it and it wasn't possible for this one. If you can overlook that aspect, you might find it to be an enjoyable read.

An interesting format for telling the story of a momfluencer and her children. It was a slow burn, but sometimes a bit too slow for me.

I enjoyed the backstory of the family and would have probably been more interested in that piece, not necessarily needing the murder mystery of it all. That being said, I overall enjoyed this story of Mother May I and the whodunnit of who murdered her husband.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy!

August Ingraham, the second (and much younger) husband of May Iverson, is murdered and their house is set on fire, but who is responsible? May Iverson is a famous family vlogger, known as ‘Mother May I’, who has shared the lives of herself and her 5 children - April, June, July, January and March. The story centers around the ethics of family vloggers and the children who are forced to grow up in front of the camera. Much of the story is told through flashbacks via anonymous accounts releasing unedited footage taken from stolen cameras. While the concept of the book intrigues me, I wish the author was more subtle. I felt a lot of the twists were predictable. Additionally, for how long the book is, not a lot happened plot wise. Overall, the concept was interesting, but the ‘mystery’ wasn’t as gripping as I’d hoped.

3/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.