Thank you to Quirk Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter is an amazing adult thriller debut about a missing influencer. The story revolves around Hazel Davis, whose younger sister Evie is the most famous teen influencer in America. Hazel mostly watches Evie from afar, protective while keeping her distance from Evie and her momager, Erin. But when Evie suddenly goes missing after a suspicious livestream that got cut off, it’s up to Hazel to piece the clues together and find her sister. But will she find Evie in time or will it be too late?
Here is a captivating excerpt from Chapter 1:
“And if I’m being honest, the fact that Evie Davis is my sister has been everyone else’s fun fact almost as often as it’s been mine. I sometimes love the extra surge of attention that people pay me when I explain that yes, she is ten years younger than me with a different face and a different body and a vastly different life, but we’re sisters all the same. I liked knowing that everyone I met thought they knew her, but it was only me who actually did. It’s why I have to bite my tongue when someone says something like, “So how much does an eighteen-year-old lifestyle content creator make, anyway?” … But that’s not why I watch out for her, not really. Mostly, I protect her because I know how she got here. I’ve seen exactly what it takes to grow up under a microscope that you never asked for, to put a camera on that microscope, to monetize it into oblivion.”
Overall, Such a Bad Influence is a gripping thriller that will appeal to fans of Missing Clarissa or The Real Deal. One highlight of this book is how unputdownable it is. I got wrapped up in the plot and literally could not this book down until I finished it and found out what happened to Evie. Another highlight of this book is how it sheds light on the problematic aspects of influencer culture.
If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that the ending was not very satisfying. One aspect of the ending was completely anticlimactic. Another aspect was definitely jaw-dropping, but made me think that the book as a whole should have been better to match the shock of the ending, which came out of nowhere. If you’re intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you’re a fan of thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!
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