writing style, at least that's what I thought, but the writing style isn't boring at all it's just different to what im used to reading but it honestly really grew to me, it was sarcastic, funny, trauma bonding without me actually having that trauma but it felt like I was almond. I didn’t expect to completely fall in love with a story about the ins and outs of social media, but here I am, neck-deep into not only the mere photos people post on the internet, but also the devastating impact it can have on others—and that’s exactly what Almond Brown’s story reveals. I also think it’s ridiculously important to have these storylines and to bring these issues into young adult fiction because with the rise of social media and a lot of unsupervised internet access, these things can happen and for a young person it can be really daunting. This book was one of my most anticipated releases of this year and I would say it was good not nothing groundbreaking but I am not mad that I read it.

The brand deal that will set her up for years is just a few weeks away - then she can walk away from it all. I also had a hard time understanding why the main character would let people who had deeply hurt her back into her life. A thoughtful and believable first novel for 14+, exploring the nuances of cancel culture and the remorseless nature of internet scrutiny. Additionally, the exploration of racism, blackmail, internet drama, and the rise of deepfakes adds another layer of realism to the narrative. So this is a very solid debut in my opinion, not perfect and not necessarily for everyone but it really resonated with me.Holly Bourne is a great advocate of young teens reading about difficult issues as a 'safe space' to consider and discuss those issues, this book does a great job in that sphere. We also have a burgeoning relationship with Almond and Joss from her therapy group - I felt like they fell in love too instantly for it to be truly realistic but it was cute. It’s usually fun to read about rich kids and influencers, we usually get thrillers or contemporary books full of drama but this took a different approach. Only, it’s not the life Almond would have chosen for herself, and being on a platform all the time has made her anxious and insecure. and Amara Sage does a great job of amplifying that claustrophobia for readers when Almond gets panic attacks and starts to spiral.

Beyond the social commentary (with a lot of important points being raised with regards to race too, the main character being biracial), it was also a super entertaining and, at times, deeply affecting read. Influential" casts a strong and unrelenting light on the influencer industry, intersections of the mommy blogger/child influencer genre, beauty and teen use of social media. We don’t see anything that’s unfiltered and Influential is exactly that a unfiltered awareness of life as a influencer. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way.

There was just the right amount of choice to suit everyone without being overwhelming and I received comments from parents and staff about the quality of books offered compared to previous sales which have always been based around current crazes and well known celebrity authors. I knew that I would love "Influential" as I can see similarities between this and "The List" by Yomi Adegoke, which will be released later this Summer. The only reason I didn’t rate Influential five stars was because I thought the ending was a bit… cringey 😬 It kind of felt like everything was resolved a bit too easily/quickly. While I’m a sucker for romance (and this book did have the tiniest sprinkle) I love when friendships, family relationships, and self love take centre stage sometimes.

When the darkest side of the internet begins to haunt her, Almond feels like she's going to lose everything. This story is incredibly current with the wave of new 'influencer' celebrities over the last few years, and opens up some really important discussions about social media marking, consent of minors to being filmed, and when to stop giving the internet all of the details about your life. When the darkest side of the internet begins to haunt her, Almond feels like she’s going to lose everything . No fancy pictures were painted, it was authentic and real, and really makes you think about how influencers are viewed. When their relationship starts to fall apart under all the pressure, Mel finds herself feeling alone with the impossible dilemma of the Little Bang growing inside her.In an age where content is (said to be) king, fear of missing out drives scrolling, and so many of our young people are targeted by the current crop of celebrity influencers, this novel offers the reader the opportunity to rethink their views on the lives being portrayed. It is a really sad book because the thing that Almond go through in this book, you don't want any one to go through and I would say that this book isn't the easiest read and I would urge anyone that wants to read this book to please check the content warnings.