BLURB:

She is worshiped by millions. But she has a secret…

Adored by her legions of followers, social media megastar Skye is an inspiration. Once homeless, she is now fantastically wealthy, enormously powerful. A ‘like’ from Skye can literally change your life.

So when she suggests partnering with Nathan’s charity for the homeless, he thinks it’s a match made in heaven. With Skye’s backing, who knows what he can achieve? And no-one is more excited than Nathan’s teenage daughters, both massive fans of the star.

But Skye’s influence comes at a price. Yes, funds are pouring into Nathan’s charity, but she is a smothering presence, seemingly determined to insert herself into every nook and cranny of his family life.

Nathan’s daughters are thrilled to have so much up close and personal contact with a superstar. But he worries about Skye’s growing influence on them… And is it just a coincidence that ever since she’s been around, his personal life is disintegrating?

As things spiral out of control, Nathan begins to wonder what Skye really wants from him and his daughters. The answer is more terrifying than he could ever imagine…

The Influencer – the stunning psychological thriller from Miranda Rijks, author of The Visitors, The Arrangement, and Roses are Red.

MY THOUGHTS:

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for letting me read this book prior to its publication. My opinion is 100% honest, unbiased, and my own.

Have you ever read a book that made you feel you could punch every single character in the face? No? Well, look no more. This is the one.

I requested this book because the premise intrigued me, and the story was interesting enough, but I guessed the main twist very soon after I started reading. It was kind of obvious.

The story is told from two different points of view, and it jumps back and forth in time, so we can learn about Skye and her past. And there, in the chapters about Skye’s past, were all the clues to help you guess the twist at the end of the book. So kind of disappointing. Actually, my reaction at the big revelation was: “Doh!”

As for the characters, I didn’t like them at all. The main protagonist, Nathan, has no backbone at all, and I just felt like shaking him, so he would react. And Skye was just infuriating: entitled, thinking she could do whatever without consequences, callous, and a real psychopath. If I had daughters and someone started influencing their lives like Skye was doing, I would have put an immediate end to it.

It’s a quick read because the pace is fast, but it’s disappointing because it is easy to predict what was going to happen.

As for the very ending, I won’t say much because I would reveal spoilers, but it felt way too far-fetched and I didn’t believe for a second the character involved would react as they did.

All in all, a quick read for the weekend, but don’t expect anything too amazing.

So, for all of that, I give this book… 3 TEA CUPS!