Book reviewed by Chris J Kenworthy, for Armadillo magazine.
‘Influence,’ written by Sara Shepard and Lilia Buckingham, is a deep insight into the life of an ‘influencer.’ It focuses on Delilah – who’s recently moved with her family to LA – and the friends she makes in Jasmine and Fiona (also influencers), who are frenemies of the ‘perfect’ Scarlet Leigh.
The Prologue flawlessly sets the tone of the book, with the quote: “in my world, we planned things very carefully. Everything we did […] was crafted. We showed you only what we wanted you to see.”
The story focuses on teen fame, sexuality, jealousy and the consequences of irresponsible drinking. The dangers of artificially crafting the ‘perfect’ life on social media, and the lengths to which their families and managers will go to keep their lives on track, make the characters feel trapped in their stardom.
The chapters are quite short, and they are named after the characters to focus on each of their perspectives at that time in the story. The transcripts of Scarlet’s vlogs – interspersed with her actions (written like stage directions) – give the book an audiovisual element, and provide a change of pace to the narrative. The comment sections at the end of these vlogs add to the realism, and immerse the reader into this conceited world of stardom.
There is a twist to the story when threatening messages are sent to each of the protagonists. The DM sent to Fiona, for instance, starts with: “I know what you did.” This is a similar storyline to the one used in the ‘Pretty Little Liars’ series – also written by author Sara Shepard – and plays with the idea that somebody is always watching, and waiting to take advantage of their secrets.
‘Influence’ has lots of twists to share with its reader, and is written in a very readable, colloquial tone. Although the novel feels like it’s aimed mostly at teenagers, it also has a warning message for Internet users in general. As Delilah’s parents have “read articles […] about online bullying,” in her acknowledgements, author Sara Shepard requests the reader to “think before you post a comment. Consider that on the other end of an account, there’s a living, breathing person with feelings.”
Stowmarket Reporter 