Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - A Influencer

I really enjoyed this but imagine it could be horrifying and triggering for parents-to-be/new parents so tread carefully. Lots of the reviews here seem harsh and I don't think the average rating reflects this book but maybe it just worked for me in a way that it doesn't work for the masses? I enjoyed all the vile characters and feeling like everybody could turn out to be the real villain

and perhaps they all did!

. I haven't really read many thrillers for a long time so maybe that's why I enjoyed this as much as I did, but I also like the themes around social media and manipulation and whether authenticity can ever be authentic when it's being bought, sold and marketed (or maybe: is there truth under late-stage capitalism?).

Content Warnings

hannahledavies's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

Towards the end there were chunks of the text I skimmed/skipped over as I just found the content a bit too much - advise to check trigger warnings!

The book felt as though the entire story played out in the last 50 pages or so and was slow to get going. Having said this, it was an easy read and not bad, just not great.

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laileanah's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

3.5

I pretty much hated everyone involved in this and that balanced out much of the predictability of the storyline.
This features infant death, suicide and infant endangerment.

Content Warnings

kamrynkoble's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I chose to tackle my BOTM TBR with this one and only saw it’s really low rating after I’d already started.

First off, all of the “mama” culture quips were super cringy to me. I’ll give a pass on the Britishisms but since I’m from the US they weren’t speaking my language. I’m not sure what will make you hate this more - if you actually love “inspiring/raw/honest mama” influencers, or if you detest them.

My biggest logistical complaint was the antagonist’s POV being inserted in italics, randomly, in chapters that were labeled as the husband or wife’s POV. It was confusing at first and I still don’t get that choice.

The thriller part of this story was interesting. Some red herrings fooled me. In the end it wasn’t exactly twisty, but very depressing. After so much lead-up the climax/final challenge was swiftly resolved and I’m just left feeling badly for the antagonist.

That is especially because I did not really like either of the parents. I obviously can’t connect with them as a childless person, but there are some pretty detestable, horrible choices made here. And even worse, they didn’t learn from their mistakes. There’s no redemption here. Maybe that’s the point.

I would pick up something by these authors (it’s a husband and wife duo under a pen name) again. Not sure I need a hard cover of this one but it certainly held my interest.

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_jchinasa's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This satirises the influencer life, where every moment of your life is a piece of content that is marketable and for sale. Every person we meet who is part of the influencer world is presented as fake at best, and morally corrupt at worst. Emmy, meant to represent an inclusive and empowering vision for motherhood, is secretly a privately educated career woman whose every story is borrowed and whose words calculated to provide maximum engagement. She betrays her childhood friend in order to land a new gig. Her assistant Winter steals her influencer gifts and then later sells her photos online. Dan for a long part of the book is presented as a palette cleanser, who wants to give his family a real and authentic life rather than the Instagram version. But when the unthinkable happens, he quickly becomes just as bad as Emmy - selling in his own morality/ desire for privacy in exchange for a second shot at fame and renewed success as a writer. </Spoiler>

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trhines23's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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florian's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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