Influence

By: Sara Shepard, Lilia Buckingham

Narrated by: Lilia Buckingham

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

If you loved We Were Liars, be the first to listen to this twisty new mystery that dives into the world of teen influencers from the number-one New York Times best-selling author of Pretty Little Liars Sara Shepard and 17-year-old actress and social media personality Lilia Buckingham.

After a video she makes goes viral, everyone knows Delilah Rollins. And now that she's in LA, Delilah's standing on the edge of something incredible. Everything is going to change. She has no idea how much.

Jasmine Walters-Diaz grew up in the spotlight. A child star turned media darling, the posts of her in her classic Lulu C. rainbow skirt practically break the Internet. But if the world knew who Jasmine really was, her perfect life? Canceled.

Fiona Jacobs is so funny - the kind of girl for whom a crowd parts--no wonder she's always smiling! But on the inside? The girl's a hot mess. And when someone comes out of the shadows with a secret from her past, it's one that won't just embarrass Fiona: It will ruin her.

Who wouldn't want to be Scarlet Leigh? Just look at her Instagram. Scarlet isn't just styled to perfection: She is perfection. Scarlet has a gorgeous, famous boyfriend named Jack, and there's a whole fanbase about their ship. To everyone watching online, their lives seem perfect...but are they really? The sun is hot in California....and someone's going to get burned.

©2020 Sara Shepard, Lilia Buckingham (P)2020 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"[A] glamourous thriller." (Publishers Weekly)

"Welcome to the glamorous - and cutthroat - world of social media influencers.... Glossy and salacious." (Kirkus Reviews)

"This is a fun romp and a peek into a fascinating, of-the-moment cultural phenomenon." (SLJ)

"A timely tale that calls into question the pressures put on young people of influence and how far people are willing to go to get ahead." (Booklist)

Had so much potential…

I usually love Sara Shepard’s books, so buying this one was a no brained. Unfortunately, the narrator reads so fast you can’t barely retain what she says. The story takes way too long to pick up and it’s simply “meh”. It had potential, but this is one of those that the narrator ruins the whole experience. I’d say read it for yourself instead of buying this one, and maybe you’ll like the story a little better than I did.

horrible narration

Although the content was okay, I struggled to finish because of the horrible narration

please read this book! you will not regret it!

this book was incredible. the representation of sexuality and mental health were so honest and open. this book will help you understand yourself and make you feel valid and like you’re not alone. I totally recommend this book!

Blah

Wasn't bad. Wasn't good. Was kind of like a lifetime movie playing in the background when you're cleaning up the house.

THE VOICE, the STORY - *chefs kiss* 😘🤌🏼

I thought the story line was so cute and the voice actress was amazing and her voice is soooo comfy 🥹 loved it!

Not what I expected

I love Sara Shepard books, but this one was lack luster and didn’t give me that whoa factor I am use to . I had to slow the book speed down at times because she was reading really fast also.

Tropish with bad narration

The narrator speed read through this vapid story speaking so rapidly I had to check my app to see if I accidentally set it to double speed. Nope. She couldn’t get through the story fast enough either.

Expressionless and monotonous narration

The story is passable, but the fast and expressionless narration makes this audiobook very difficult to listen.

Also, everyone, regardless of gender and age, sounds exactly the same.

It was okay for the first hour or so, but soon enough, all the characters start to blur into one.

Not PLL

I was excited to listen to this book - and I rarely leave a negative review - but I’d skip it.
The story feels like PLL but it’s not PLL and falls flat.
It’s cute for a tween maybe? But maybe not someone over 30.
I really desperately wanted to love this book and get into it. I found myself confusing the characters and not remembering plot lines.
I did like the narration although it felt rushed at times.
If you are a diehard fan of Sara Shepherd then go for it!!