I’ve been a long time fan of Anna-Marie McLemore and so you know I had to read this adult debut. The Influencers is a mystery which is searing and heartfelt at the same time. Keep reading this book review of The Influencers for my full thoughts.
Summary
“Mother May I” Iverson has spent the past twenty 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 Who killed May’s newlywed husband and then torched her mansion to cover it up?
April is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over IP; 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.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Influencers is an examination of influencer culture and identity. It’s about tying something like our future and our livelihood to our identity. Using the power of who we are to sell a product, a lifestyle. Combined with this exploration is a mystery. It’s about the hand crafted construction of an identity, a veneer, and what it means to grow up with that and with that as our family. How do these relationships form between not only our friends and family, but also our ‘followers’? The sibling dynamics in The Influencers was my number one reason for reading.
How much can you really know about a person through social media? Through their best shots and their curated vulnerability? The boundary of public and private is crossed so much until you don’t even know where you stand anymore. The pacing and short chapters makes The Influencers fly by. It feels high stakes as we see not only through the children, but also those who watch. I was constantly guessing and this adult debut from McLemore is stunning.
Find The Influencers on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.
Book Tour Schedule
| Tour Date | Tour Hosts | Type of Post |
| April 21st | @lindsey.the.librarian | Bookstagram only |
| Utopia State of Mind | Bookstagram + Blog | |
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| April 22nd | Melancholic Blithe | Bookstagram only |
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| April 23rd | @chibichapters | Bookstagram only |
| Wanderingintopages | Bookstagram feed post + Reel | |
| Itsbetsy.books | Bookstagram feed post + Reel + Tiktok | |
| April 24th | @pagesoflovebug | Bookstagram only |
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| The Book Butterfly J | Bookstagram only | |
| April 25th | @jennyfioreads | Bookstagram only |
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| Musings by Michelle | Bookstagram + Blog | |
| April 26th | Mrs.brasingtonreads | Bookstagram only |
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| April 27th | Naturally.caffeinated.reader | Bookstagram only |
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