The Influencers

A Novel

De: Anna-Marie McLemore

Narrado por: Brittany Pressley

A social media influencer's empire is burned to the ground—literally. The top suspects? The five daughters who made her famous.

“A witty and razor-sharp whodunit that will leave you both satisfied and challenged . . . A gorgeous, gloriously scathing story.”—Ashley Herring Blake, author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date

What do you really know about the people you’ve made famous?

“Mother May I” Iverson has spent the past twenty-five years building a massively successful influencer empire with endearing videos featuring her five mixed-race daughters. But the girls are all grown up now, and the ramifications of having their entire childhoods commodified start to spill over into public view, especially in light of the pivotal question: Who killed May’s newlywed husband and then torched her mansion to cover it up?

April is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over intellectual property; twins June and July are influencers themselves, threatening to overtake May’s spotlight; January is a theater tech who steers clear of her mother and the limelight; and the youngest . . . well, March has somehow completely disappeared. As the days pass post-murder, everyone has an opinion—the sisters, May, a mysterious “friend of the family,” and the collective voice of the online audience watching the family’s every move—with suspicion flying every direction.

A campy and escapist exploration of race, gender, sexuality, and class, The Influencers is an evisceration of influencer culture and how alienating traditional expectations can be, ripe for the current moment when the first generation of children made famous by their parents are, now, all grown up—and looking for retribution.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A murder mystery crossed with a cautionary tale about family, authenticity, and social media . . . Funny, heartbreaking, wonderfully written.” —Jane Pek, author of The Verifiers

“Juicy, twisty, and full of ruthless details . . . Be careful who you unfollow—they just might kill you.” —Maggie Thrash, author of Rainbow Black

“The Kardashians meets Knives Out—a murder mystery with slices of a Virgin Suicides Greek chorus . . . I whipped through it!” —Frances Cha, author of If I Had Your Face

“A witty and razor-sharp whodunit that will leave you both satisfied and challenged . . . A gorgeous, gloriously scathing story.” —Ashley Herring Blake, author of Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date

“As sharp as it is delicious, The Influencers is a page-turning delight as well as an incisive critique of the culture of unmitigated self-display. No one is spared—including the readers—but everyone is granted their full, complex humanity.” —Jessie Gaynor, author of The Glow

“Brilliantly dissects the pressures of influencer culture, privacy, and power while exploring the complex dynamics of sisterhood . . . McLemore’s voice and wit shine through, making this a must-read for anyone who loves a smart, subversive take on contemporary life. Gripping, cunningly plotted, and thought-provoking, The Influencers balances escapist fun with deep social commentary.” —Christina McDowell, author of The Cave Dwellers

“An intriguing and thrilling murder mystery . . . Questions abound, but the only certainty is that The Influencers will keep readers guessing through twist after twist. . . . McLemore builds a world that draws from reality in engaging and even playful ways as they explore family, social, and even parasocial relationships. The Influencers is a stunning novel that is sure to please McLemore's fans and bring new readers to their YA novels.”—Shelf Awareness

“A stellar adult debut . . . McLemore writes a gimlet-eyed take on social media’s infiltration of society, with a murder mystery as the novel’s fulcrum. . . . A compelling read, rather like watching a train wreck. Recommend to fans of the Kardashians and novels like Kevin Wilson’s The Family Fang.”—Library Journal

“McLemore uses a clever, collective point of view: various social audiences narrate a significant part of the book. Each Iverson gets a chance to speak as well, providing a view of this complex story from all angles.”—Booklist

Funny & insightful send-up of influencer culture

This is a great listen, and very well-written, funny mystery novel about a family of influencers, and the damage done by making your children star in your online fantasy life.

Would work really well as a miniseries - doesn’t work as a book

Spoiler-free!
Things I liked: the variety of characters and their strong traits and visuals. Would really lend itself to casting.
Each chapter is from a perspective of an audience of the influencers (eg those who hate-watch, those who unsubscribed, those who love X character, etc).

Things I didn’t like: The book is very repetitive. Certain ideas or events will be told to the reader over and over again in so many words. It’s unnecessary and boring, but worst of all sometimes adds confusion to the timeline.
To build on that, the timeline can be very confusing. It will be present day but the character will get lost in a memory, then they set it up so you no longer know if it’s the memory or currently happening.
Questions and plots are introduced that are never answered or resolved. I couldn’t believe it when I finished listening and realized they just ignored certain things. Really frustrating.

Overall: this is more of a character-driven story than a plot-driven one. If that’s your thing then this will probably be fun for you. If you’re into fashion and complex female characters you’re better off listening to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This book relied a lot on visuals but the author tells and doesn’t show. (Hence why it would work better as a show or movie.)
As a fan of twisty thrillers and horror, female-centric reads, fashion, and “formerly traumatized child confronts family” genres, I should’ve loved this, but it’s a solid 3/5 at best.

Interesting Fun Read.

At the start of the book - I love it, it was different, loved the different POV. Then half way thru I started thinking isn't this done yet. Good Book just too long