Thriller

The Influencers

The Influencers

  • Downloads：7733
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-03-14 09:21:41
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：S.V. Leonard
  • ISBN：B09N97G8PB
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A filter can hide all manner of secrets…

When budding true crime blogger Maggie Shaw is invited to the Influencer of the Year awards， it feels like everything is finally falling into place。 Held on a glamorous yacht， the awards are the perfect opportunity for Maggie to network and achieve her dream of turning her channel into a full-time job。 But by the end of the night， the party is in ruins and there’s one question on everybody’s lips: who killed Stella Knight？

Stella was beautiful， famous， and hiding a host of secrets behind the perfect facade。 During her short career， Stella had made a number of enemies in the industry， and all of them were at the awards。 Maggie is trapped on a boat with a killer and must work out who is telling the truth， and who is faking it before they strike again。。。

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Reviews

Paulina M。 ，

Enjoyment: 4Total rating: 3。93Maggie is a true-crime blogger trying to grow a more considerable following。 SO when she is invited for the Influencer of the Year awards， she is stoked。 When an influencer with as many enemies as followers is found dead， Maggie sees it as an opportunity to cover the case and aid the police。I absolutely love Leonard's books。 She chooses elements from pop culture and adds a delightful murder twist with a side of devious behind the scenes。 The Influencers delivered a Enjoyment: 4Total rating: 3。93Maggie is a true-crime blogger trying to grow a more considerable following。 SO when she is invited for the Influencer of the Year awards， she is stoked。 When an influencer with as many enemies as followers is found dead， Maggie sees it as an opportunity to cover the case and aid the police。I absolutely love Leonard's books。 She chooses elements from pop culture and adds a delightful murder twist with a side of devious behind the scenes。 The Influencers delivered a slump-curing， light-hearted， witty， soapy well-plotted mystery， and I cannot wait for her next book！Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review， I am thankful to Canelo and NetGalley for providing a copy of The Influencers。 。。。more

Annarella ，

I enjoyed this mystery and hope there will be more books featuring Maggia。A gripping and highly entertaining mystery that kept me reading， full of twists。Good character and plot development。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine

Tracy Gavin ，

3 1/2 stars

Javier ，

Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic。blogspot。。。。The life of an influencer is desirable and glitzy on the outside， a life to die for， and some people are willing to do anything to get it， even kill for it。 But this glamorous life hides lots of dirty laundry under the surface， and The influencers explores this duality in a really fun and entertaining story I could not stop reading。Maggie Shaw is a true crime blogger desperate to make herself a name in the influencer’s world。 When she’ Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic。blogspot。。。。The life of an influencer is desirable and glitzy on the outside， a life to die for， and some people are willing to do anything to get it， even kill for it。 But this glamorous life hides lots of dirty laundry under the surface， and The influencers explores this duality in a really fun and entertaining story I could not stop reading。Maggie Shaw is a true crime blogger desperate to make herself a name in the influencer’s world。 When she’s invited to the “Influencer of the Year” Awards aboard a luxury yacht， she thinks her luck is about to change， but when Stella Knight， one of the biggest name on social media is murderer during the ceremony， Maggie founds herself in the middle of the murder investigation， teaming up with Reiss， a beauty blogger， to uncover who killed Stella。If S。V。 Leonard’s debut novel， The Islanders， drew inspiration from And Then There Were None， The Influencers could have some parallels with Death On The Nile because of its setting。 The yacht and the three hour long trip back to land with a killer aboard， made for some tense and claustrophobic scenes and a great starting point for our duo of amateur sleuths。 Maggie and Reiss’s interactions were so much fun to read。 Their two different worlds colliding offered some really interesting moments laced with some humour。The world of the influencers was really well portrayed， raising several important points about the role of these people and the responsability and maturity they should have when speaking about certain topics or promoting certain products， cause not everything goes， especially when it comes to young kids。 Most of the characters were awful people and I have no proof （but also， no doubt） that real life influencers are not much better！ 😅The mystery unfolded as a classic mystery with Maggie trying to eliminate suspects from the pool。 Although I saw coming the final twist， it was really well done， and even though I guessed the who， the why still held many surprises that made the resolution really enjoyable。 The Influencers was a really entertaining and easy read where trying to fit together all the pieces of the puzzle was really fun。 You should read it （not that I wanna influence you。 Well， maybe I do 😉）。Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

E Dod ，

My first novel by author S。V。 Leonard。 We meet influencer， Maggie Shaw who is a crime blogger。 She is invited to the Influencer of the Year Awards which is being held upon a rather lovely yacht。Upon the yacht and during the awards， an influencer called Stella is found murdered and this sets in motion the perfect scenario for Maggie who sets out to solve the murder of Stella。This is a very modern day thriller， in the age of Influencers who seem to run the roost （so to speak）。 I am not a huge fan My first novel by author S。V。 Leonard。 We meet influencer， Maggie Shaw who is a crime blogger。 She is invited to the Influencer of the Year Awards which is being held upon a rather lovely yacht。Upon the yacht and during the awards， an influencer called Stella is found murdered and this sets in motion the perfect scenario for Maggie who sets out to solve the murder of Stella。This is a very modern day thriller， in the age of Influencers who seem to run the roost （so to speak）。 I am not a huge fan of Influencers as such， but the blurb made me want to read this novel and it is a good thrilling mystery。Thanks to S。V。 Leonard， NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel， in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Cherlynn （cherreading） ，

✨ "Making friends is like a game of Russian roulette: you never know which one will kill you。"True crime blogger Maggie Shaw has always wanted to be part of the Rich And Famous crowd。 When murder strikes onboard a luxury yacht where the Influencer of the Year awards is being held， it seems like the perfect chance to turn her life around and she makes it her mission to investigate。This book started out strong with a compelling opening chapter。 I loved how everyone seemed like a possible suspect b ✨ "Making friends is like a game of Russian roulette: you never know which one will kill you。"True crime blogger Maggie Shaw has always wanted to be part of the Rich And Famous crowd。 When murder strikes onboard a luxury yacht where the Influencer of the Year awards is being held， it seems like the perfect chance to turn her life around and she makes it her mission to investigate。This book started out strong with a compelling opening chapter。 I loved how everyone seemed like a possible suspect because they all had the means， motive and opportunity。 Each chapter begins with an except from Maggie's blog， which I thought was interesting and provided lots of insight into violent crime。What I enjoyed best is the deep dive into the influencer world and its toxic culture。 Gossip blogs， backstabbing， lies and secrets beneath all the glitz and glamour — I'm here for all of it！✨ "None of these people are who they say they are。 They're not even who they think they are。"However， I wasn't a huge fan of Maggie and wanted to LOL when she likened herself to "James Bond or Jason Bourne"。I definitely didn't see the twist coming and thought it was pretty neat， but at the same time I'm not wholly buying it。 Overall， this is an entertaining and enjoyable read but lacks that wow factor。Thank you Canelo and Netgalley for an ARC of this book。 。。。more

marnie | once upon a time book reviews ，

“They’ve got a life to die for…”A behind the scenes look into the darker side of social media influencers， this is an entertaining read。 The murder of Stella Knight， one of the biggest influencers， dominates the story as true crime blogger Maggie sets out to find her killer。The Influencers gave me Christie’s Death on the Nile vibes， but in this case on a yacht and I throughly enjoyed this section of the book。 A feeling of claustrophobia washed over me knowing a killer was on board and with no wh “They’ve got a life to die for…”A behind the scenes look into the darker side of social media influencers， this is an entertaining read。 The murder of Stella Knight， one of the biggest influencers， dominates the story as true crime blogger Maggie sets out to find her killer。The Influencers gave me Christie’s Death on the Nile vibes， but in this case on a yacht and I throughly enjoyed this section of the book。 A feeling of claustrophobia washed over me knowing a killer was on board and with no where to go， unless you wanted to jump in the sea， the tension was rife。I liked Maggie’s character as we follow her on her quest as she works through a host of possible suspects， each with their own secrets to hide and a dislike for Stella。 The mystery played out well and I had a good time trying to put all the pieces together。 The outcome was unexpected and very well done。All round this is a well written fun read and look forward to more from Leonard。Thank you to S。V。 Leonard， Canelo Crime and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Influencers， which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily。 Where you can find me 😊💻 Blog: bit。ly/3gR3io8👩‍🏫 Facebook: bit。ly/3gVeC2B🐤Twitter: bit。ly/3BQk2Dl📷 Instagram: bit。ly/3wSv0Gj📌 Pinterest: bit。ly/3vS2HGX📚 Goodreads: bit。ly/3wQxUM3 。。。more

Laila ，

First of all thanks for the free copy from canelo。。 I enjoyed this book more than I thought from reading the description。 The characters were well described although still a bit superficial but enough to form a bond with them。It starts with a bang and fast pace from the start but went a little slower somewhere towards the end。 Just when I thought the ending was quite predictable it had such an amazing twist that I remembered what I liked most about psychological thrillers。 Well done。

Sarah Ross ，

True crime blogger Maggie Shaw is invited to the Influencer of the Year awards aboard a swanky yacht。 Small fry in the blogging world， Maggie hoped to network and gain some traction in that world。 The awards are turned on their heads when the newly announced Influencer of the Year， Stella Knight， is found dead。 Stella’s murder awakens Maggie’s urge to investigate and there is no shortage of suspects。 Stella may seem to have the perfect life， but she had made enemies on the way， and they all were True crime blogger Maggie Shaw is invited to the Influencer of the Year awards aboard a swanky yacht。 Small fry in the blogging world， Maggie hoped to network and gain some traction in that world。 The awards are turned on their heads when the newly announced Influencer of the Year， Stella Knight， is found dead。 Stella’s murder awakens Maggie’s urge to investigate and there is no shortage of suspects。 Stella may seem to have the perfect life， but she had made enemies on the way， and they all were on that yacht。The world of an influencer is laid bare and the novel tackles some of the less savoury parts of that lifestyle。 It makes some good points about the dangers posed by influencers who forget the demographic of their audience。 It also highlights the often glaring inconsistency between the lifestyle on show， and the reality。 It offers an insight to the world of being famous because you are famous。Alongside Stella’s murder， there is a parallel story unfolding about Maggie’s earlier life and what led to her being in her precarious situation。 This information is released in tantalizing small breadcrumbs。 Maggie’s character is difficult to get a hold of。 Sometimes she is sensible， but other times she really does something daft。 The author pulls it all together in the end。 The world of influencers appears to have a lot of not very nice characters， so I found it hard to connect sometimes。The one problem I had was the credibility of the amateur detectives and the interaction with police。 It did seem a little fantastic but as I thought more， all amateur detective stories demand a suspension of belief。 In real life， do the police really allow those do-it-yourself sleuths free rein？ No， I suspect not so just enjoy the ride。I enjoyed this book， and it has plenty of twists， turns， red herrings plus the denouement is satisfying。 Thank you to #NetGalley and #Canelo for the eARC of #TheInfluencers in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Emma ，

The Influencer of the year awards is taking place on a glamorous yacht。 As the highly polished select few shimmy their way down the red carpet with their tanned skin， expensive clothing and gleaming white teeth ready to board， Maggie Shaw takes in the scene。 The crowds of young people straining their necks to get a glimpse， smartphones in hand， ready to capture that coveted shot to post on their own social media #OMG。 Maggie has been invited as a ‘guest’， so instead of traipsing the red carpet， The Influencer of the year awards is taking place on a glamorous yacht。 As the highly polished select few shimmy their way down the red carpet with their tanned skin， expensive clothing and gleaming white teeth ready to board， Maggie Shaw takes in the scene。 The crowds of young people straining their necks to get a glimpse， smartphones in hand， ready to capture that coveted shot to post on their own social media #OMG。 Maggie has been invited as a ‘guest’， so instead of traipsing the red carpet， she is directed to a side entrance！ She hasn’t made it big yet with her true crime blog， The Social Sleuth – BUT， she is hoping that will all change soon。 This is the perfect place to network and hopefully grow her following so she can finally follow in their Louboutin footsteps。 The yacht leaves Shad Thames and Maggie attempts to mingle but ends up feeling more at home with the downtrodden assistants than the self-proclaimed starlets。 As the award winners are called to the stage one of the most popular influencers， Stella Knight – The Fashionsista is nowhere to be seen。 The chair next to her swarve husband is ominously empty。 As word gets around that Stella Knight has died， Maggie puts her sleuthing hobby to good use and starts her very own ‘investigation，’ along with the help of another popular influencer。 As they do a deep dive into Stella Knight’s life and peek beyond the facade， they realise that the list of potential suspects is far larger than they had anticipated and her ‘new friend’ could also be on that list！ Whoever the killer is – they are trapped on a boat with them， will they get to the truth before the killer gets to them？I really enjoyed the influencer concept of this book， it’s the first time I think I’ve read a book with this theme and the glamorous backstabbing was highly entertaining。 I did feel for poor Maggie always being on the outside of the clique！ I enjoyed their investigating and it made for a good modern murder mystery。 The characters were shallow and superficial – but you just loved to take a sneak peek， in a love to hate kind of way， and could totally expect it to be like this in ‘real-life。’ Like Maggie say’s “It’s like going onto a movie set and seeing all of the actors out of character。” For some reason， I got major Death In Paradise vibes while reading this book – and I do love a bit of Death In Paradise。 There were parts where you did have to suspend your disbelief but that’s not uncommon for thriller/murder mystery fiction – and it was passable。 All in all， I enjoyed The Influencers and did not see the twist at the end coming！My thanks to the author and Canelo for my advance copy to review via Netgalley。 Due to be released 10th March 2022！Three and a half glamorous stars rounded up to four！ 。。。more

Crystal Hiatt ，

This book heavily explored the duality and shallowness of influencers。 And while the characters were shallow， they were realistically portrayed and well-written depictions of people obsessed with attention and fame。 Maggie Shaw was an interesting and enjoyable MC。 You can feel Maggie's desperation to not only solve this crime， but to fit into influencer culture。 Some of her actions （inserting herself in the police investigation） was so cringe， but reminded me of real internet sleuths。 The plot w This book heavily explored the duality and shallowness of influencers。 And while the characters were shallow， they were realistically portrayed and well-written depictions of people obsessed with attention and fame。 Maggie Shaw was an interesting and enjoyable MC。 You can feel Maggie's desperation to not only solve this crime， but to fit into influencer culture。 Some of her actions （inserting herself in the police investigation） was so cringe， but reminded me of real internet sleuths。 The plot was great。 Social media influencers all together on a glamorous yacht。 Let the drama begin！ The murder was just icing on the cake， and I was fully intrigued by the whodunit element。 Stella Knight gave the people around her a lot of ammunition for hating her。 But who hated her enough to want her dead？ There was， however， a big problem with the pacing。 The story started off strong and ends equally strong with a great conclusion。 Unfortunately， the middle lags and wasn't the tense， fast-paced read I was hoping it would be。 The parts of the yacht were great， especially after the murder。 Being trapped on a yacht hours from land with a killer gave me that anxious claustrophobic feeling reminiscent of Ruth Ware's 'The Woman in Cabin 10' or Catherine Ryan Howard's 'Distress Signals。' I would have loved for this whole story to take place on the yacht， but that part was unsatisfyingly short。 My attention and interest plummeted once they were back on land。 The investigation lacked tension and danger and became more methodical and bland IMO。 That being said， the ending was fantastic！ I saw it coming， but it was still so well done and perfectly wrapped up the story。 I recommend this book if you like the two aforementioned titles and/or are interested in influencer culture。Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Clairelouloves ，

3。5 stars。 I really liked the concept of this modern thriller。 Anything to do with the vacuous influencer world is always juicy and entertaining。 Here， we also had combined the true crime internet sleuth angle: Influencers on a boat， what could possibly go wrong？ I found it easy to get into but the story didn’t hold my attention until the end。 The investigating side of things didn’t let up which began to feel a bit tiring， with no offer of reprieve。 There also weren’t any particularly likeable c 3。5 stars。 I really liked the concept of this modern thriller。 Anything to do with the vacuous influencer world is always juicy and entertaining。 Here， we also had combined the true crime internet sleuth angle: Influencers on a boat， what could possibly go wrong？ I found it easy to get into but the story didn’t hold my attention until the end。 The investigating side of things didn’t let up which began to feel a bit tiring， with no offer of reprieve。 There also weren’t any particularly likeable characters in which to anchor my investment。 Thanks to Netgalley for the arc。 。。。more

Stephanie ，

3。5 starsAnother look behind the influencer curtain - I’m never going to say no to a thriller about the influencer lifestyle。 This was a fun book that kept me interested the whole time。 The pacing was a bit off though。 I feel like it started quick， slowed in the middle and ramped up at the end。 None of the characters are particularly likable but it works since they are all suppose to be fame hungry and shallow。 The ending added another half star to my review because it tied up loose ends and was 3。5 starsAnother look behind the influencer curtain - I’m never going to say no to a thriller about the influencer lifestyle。 This was a fun book that kept me interested the whole time。 The pacing was a bit off though。 I feel like it started quick， slowed in the middle and ramped up at the end。 None of the characters are particularly likable but it works since they are all suppose to be fame hungry and shallow。 The ending added another half star to my review because it tied up loose ends and was just a fun twist。 。。。more

Rebecca Tait ，

A who dunnit on a boat is a great premise & the vacuous influencers were a great choice of characters to explore。 I liked the way the backstories were revealed & the motives of the guests all explained， but I struggled a little with the pacing。 The start & the ending flew but in the middle it got a little slower。 I'm still not sure how I feel about the conclusion， I think currently it's frustrated。 A who dunnit on a boat is a great premise & the vacuous influencers were a great choice of characters to explore。 I liked the way the backstories were revealed & the motives of the guests all explained， but I struggled a little with the pacing。 The start & the ending flew but in the middle it got a little slower。 I'm still not sure how I feel about the conclusion， I think currently it's frustrated。 。。。more

Tracie ，

Book review coming soon。

AndiReads ，

Grab this modern thriller！ Loved the Influencers by S。V。Leonard which is about。。。。INFLUENCERS， of course！Maggie has started her own true crime podcast and is over the moon to be invited to the Influencer of the Year awards on a fancy Yacht。 She hopes this is the opportunity she needs to network and expand her viewership。 While out in the water however， Stella Knight， by far the most popular Influencer who was pegged for the Influencer of the Year award is murdered！This is a perfect time for Mag Grab this modern thriller！ Loved the Influencers by S。V。Leonard which is about。。。。INFLUENCERS， of course！Maggie has started her own true crime podcast and is over the moon to be invited to the Influencer of the Year awards on a fancy Yacht。 She hopes this is the opportunity she needs to network and expand her viewership。 While out in the water however， Stella Knight， by far the most popular Influencer who was pegged for the Influencer of the Year award is murdered！This is a perfect time for Maggie to put her true crime hobby to the test。 She teams up with another larger-then-life personality and slowly begins her own investigation。 Not long after the cops ask her to cease， she begins receiving threatening notes。 Should she quit， or is this the chance she has been waiting for？ I truly loved this book， I found it exhilarating and interesting to hear a bit of the behind the scenes of people who are famous only for being famous :）If you are a fan of pop culture， who done its， and of course solving murders， then #TheInfluencers is for you！#Canelo #NetGalley #NetGalleyReads 。。。more

Suzanne O ，

Not sure if this was for young adults but even so it was poor。 Good idea and characters were interesting but the writing was not the best。

Francis M。 Torres ，

I know this is too fictional， BUT OMG this whole thing with influencers and social media is so TRUE！ I LOVED the little bits of information about influencers and their popularity and how they are not easily spotted but how much power and influence they have over EVERYONE。 Not going to lie， I love influencers， but not everything is at it seems， social media is a huge buffer， and it’s hard to believe ANYTHING。 This book was like a confirmation， anyway we meet Maggie who got invited to this Influen I know this is too fictional， BUT OMG this whole thing with influencers and social media is so TRUE！ I LOVED the little bits of information about influencers and their popularity and how they are not easily spotted but how much power and influence they have over EVERYONE。 Not going to lie， I love influencers， but not everything is at it seems， social media is a huge buffer， and it’s hard to believe ANYTHING。 This book was like a confirmation， anyway we meet Maggie who got invited to this Influencers award party or whatever。 She is a true crime blogger and she is not very popular but she is there mingling and being hella awkward， lol。 I adored her because when Stella was found dead， she took charge of the investigation， trying to find the killer。 She did her thing， with her investigative skills， and everything went haywire。 I had a feeling there was going to be a twist because Maggie was unhinging， she had me on my toes， and she was so close and then everything changed。 And the ending left me with my jaw on the floor。 This author was awesome building that type of rush in us， and then ending it the way she did， I am still thinking about it now。 It was a good page turned。 Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more

Kim de Ronde ，

3。5 Stars rounded down Stella Knight is an influencer with over one million followers on KnockKnock。She is a nominee at The Influencer of the Year Awards being hosted aboard a yacht sailing down the Thames。 When the time comes to announce the winners Stella is nowhere to be seen。 Maggie Shaw is a true crime blogger and was surprised when she found an invite to the awards in her email inbox。 Maggie runs a blog called the Social Sleuth with only 1200 followers and attends in the hope of networking 3。5 Stars rounded down Stella Knight is an influencer with over one million followers on KnockKnock。She is a nominee at The Influencer of the Year Awards being hosted aboard a yacht sailing down the Thames。 When the time comes to announce the winners Stella is nowhere to be seen。 Maggie Shaw is a true crime blogger and was surprised when she found an invite to the awards in her email inbox。 Maggie runs a blog called the Social Sleuth with only 1200 followers and attends in the hope of networking and potentially gathering some more followers。 As soon as she is on the yacht and trying to engage her peers in conversation， it becomes apparent she does not belong in this social circle。 When Stella turns up murdered aboard the yacht is it luck or coincidence that Maggie is ready and waiting to investigate。 Reiss Rose is a former friend of the deceased and has made his name known for exposing celebrities that have undergone plastic surgery。 He befriends Maggie and persuades her to start an investigation before the police arrive。 During the course of her investigation Maggie discovers the list of people that could’ve wanted Stella dead is lengthy。 But whodunnit？In summary I did enjoy this story told from Maggie’s POV。 It started as a glitzy and glam affair and by the time the yacht docks back at the Thames all the guest are hungover and dishevelled。 I like how Maggie conducts her investigation with the help of Reiss， whilst being mindful of the fact that he is still a suspect until proven otherwise。 Throughout the story it seemed to me Maggie has this edge about her， almost manic an intent on self destruction perhaps。 Anna describing what it was like to work for Stella， the fact that she couldn’t keep an assistant for longer than six months reminded me of Miranda Priestly in the Devil Wears Prada （one of my favourite books and movies）。I wouldn’t say this was one of the most gripping stories I’ve ever read but I was intrigued to find the answer to this particular mystery and that kept me reading until the end。 In my opinion the ending was most abrupt and honestly very unexpected。 A light enjoyable read perfect for a bit of escapism。 Great for mystery fans。 。。。more

Maddie Staples ，

The Influencers follows Maggie Shaw who is a true-crime blogger。 She is invited to the influencer of the year awards which take place on a yacht。 Everything seems to be going great until the influencer of the year Stella Knight is found dead。 Maggie being the true-crime blogger that she is takes it upon herself to find out who killed Stella。 While also hoping that the killer does not kill anyone else。 I enjoyed this one a lot。 It was a pretty fast-paced true crime book that kept me on my toes。 T The Influencers follows Maggie Shaw who is a true-crime blogger。 She is invited to the influencer of the year awards which take place on a yacht。 Everything seems to be going great until the influencer of the year Stella Knight is found dead。 Maggie being the true-crime blogger that she is takes it upon herself to find out who killed Stella。 While also hoping that the killer does not kill anyone else。 I enjoyed this one a lot。 It was a pretty fast-paced true crime book that kept me on my toes。 This is also one where you had no idea who the killer was until the end。 It checked all of the boxes that make a good true crime book。 However， I didn't really understand what Maggie's motive was for wanting to solve Stella's murder。 I do understand that she is a true-crime blogger。 But I wanted more of a reason as to why she took it upon herself to solve the murder。 This book also shows that influencers are more than what they post about。 And it shows that not everything you see online is real。 Overall， I would suggest if you are looking for a fast-paced true crime book。 Thank you to NetGalley， S。V。 Leonard， and Canelo publishing for this eARC。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more

Christy ，

4 stars for this nail-biting， engrossing， couldn't-put-it-down， never-would-have-guessed thriller！Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy for review ^^I love a slow-building type of whodunnit thriller。 This was no exception。 What do you get when you mix super popular and wealthy social media influencers on a yacht with murder？ A very gripping thriller！ True crime blogger Maggie Shaw is looking for her next major case， so when she finds herself as part of the Influencer of the Years yacht part 4 stars for this nail-biting， engrossing， couldn't-put-it-down， never-would-have-guessed thriller！Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy for review ^^I love a slow-building type of whodunnit thriller。 This was no exception。 What do you get when you mix super popular and wealthy social media influencers on a yacht with murder？ A very gripping thriller！ True crime blogger Maggie Shaw is looking for her next major case， so when she finds herself as part of the Influencer of the Years yacht party， she takes advantage of soaking it all in。 Everything seems fine， until the influencer everyone is anticipating to win the award winds up DEAD。 Turns out that there were a lot of people who really had it out for mega influencer Stella Knight。。。 Then the investigation really begins for Maggie - who really killed Stella Knight？Maggie goes on to investigate the case and finds that there are many different suspects that all have a motive， an opportunity， and a timeframe that would have allowed them to commit the crime。。 but who？ The police don't want her getting involved too deep， but that won't stop her from getting to the bottom of the case。 。。。more

Yvonne （It's All About Books） ，

Finished reading: February 21st 2022 "Appearance can be deceiving; especially on the internet。" *** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Canelo in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you！ ***（view spoiler）[S。V。 Leonard's debut The Islanders is on my list of 2021 favorites， so of course I couldn't resist reading her newest story as soon as possible。 I always like a social media angle in my thrillers， and having a focus on a true crime blogger and influencers in Finished reading: February 21st 2022 "Appearance can be deceiving; especially on the internet。" *** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Canelo in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you！ ***（view spoiler）[S。V。 Leonard's debut The Islanders is on my list of 2021 favorites， so of course I couldn't resist reading her newest story as soon as possible。 I always like a social media angle in my thrillers， and having a focus on a true crime blogger and influencers in general sounded like a match made in heaven for me。 And while I do think that her debut is a lot stronger， there is no doubt that I still very much enjoyed my time with The Influencers。There is no doubt that the social media angle is the star of the show here。 Most of the main characters in play are influencers and are active on multiple platforms。 The murder victim Stella Knight is a hugely popular influencer with a lot of skeletons in the closet， and the main suspects are mostly either influencers or have a close connection to her。 Then we have our true crime blogger Maggie Shaw of course; we see the events through her eyes as she investigates what happened to Stella。 There is also the partial setting on the boat celebrating the Influencer Of The Year awards， and last but not least we have the little snippets taken from Maggie's blog The Social Sleuth at the beginning of each chapter。The plot itself mostly reads like an amateur murder investigation where Maggie basically goes against the orders of the police and interviews multiple suspects by herself anyway。 I personally wondered how credible this would be and how she wasn't arrested for obstruction of justice at some point。。。 I also wasn't sure how believable it was for her to trust a complete stranger and investigate along with him （especially since he is such an obvious suspect）。 Thankfully， there were lots of twists and secrets to keep you busy along the way， and they were partially successful in distracting you from the lack of credibility。I also had some issues with the main characters; mostly because they weren't exactly likeable and there was just something about Maggie that didn't convince me from the start。 I did like the idea of her being a true crime blogger and wanting to investigate a murder that happened while she was closeby。 That does make for a great premise and the social media angle in general is what kept me reading。 I was a bit disappointed to have guessed the truth about the 'explosive' ending quite early on though， but that might just be my own fault for reading too many thrillers in the first place。 As a whole， The Influencers is still a very entertaining thriller and worth your time if you like the sound of the premise。 （hide spoiler）] P。S。 Find more of my reviews here。["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more

Kelly Van Damme ，

This time last year I talked about S。V。 Leonard’s debut， The Islanders， which I LOVED， so I was thrilled when I discovered her second book was available on NetGalley， and even more so when I was approved to read it。 It pains me to say that I didn’t love it quite as much as its predecessor。It took me a while to be taken in by The Influencers， it didn’t grab me right away。 Now， I did have a lot on my mind at the time of my reading it so I could blame my frame of mind， and to some extent， I do。 But This time last year I talked about S。V。 Leonard’s debut， The Islanders， which I LOVED， so I was thrilled when I discovered her second book was available on NetGalley， and even more so when I was approved to read it。 It pains me to say that I didn’t love it quite as much as its predecessor。It took me a while to be taken in by The Influencers， it didn’t grab me right away。 Now， I did have a lot on my mind at the time of my reading it so I could blame my frame of mind， and to some extent， I do。 But the fact also is that it took a while to take off， and I didn’t think it wasn’t atmospheric enough to pull off the slowburner thing。 Even more importantly， I didn’t click with the main character， Maggie， the narrator of the story。So what happens is that we’re at this influencer award ceremony on a yacht when the Queen Bee dies。 Taken at face value， it would seem that she got too drunk or overdosed on drugs， but one of her influencer friends immediately screams MURDER。 This is right up Maggie’s street， she’s a true crime blogger after all， so she immediately starts interviewing people。 Even when back on dry land， she doesn’t let it go and decides to continue her investigations。Knowing what I know now， it does make sense why she’s so meddling and tenacious。 The problem is， I didn’t understand her at the time， and couldn’t really stand her either。 In the second half， the action and suspense are ramped up and The Influencers became so addictive， I literally couldn’t put it down。 I had planned on finishing it the next day， but I couldn’t do it， I had to know what was what and how it might all pan out。Unfortunately， after all that tension the ending fell a little flat。 Without going into detail， I don’t want to spoil things but I do need to explain my niggles。 The author was obviously going for a shocking twist， and it was， but I personally didn’t think it made a whole lot of sense。 For me， shocking twists only work if you can go back and with hindsight realise that silly little details were actually clues。 I went back to check a few things I remembered off the cuff， and I really don’t think the picture is complete。I’m sorry to say The Influencers missed the mark for me。 While I thoroughly enjoyed part of this book， other parts just didn’t work for me。 Don’t let that stop you from checking out this book， most other reviewers seem to be wildly enthusiastic about both the story and the twist。Thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for the eARC。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Stephanie Sowden ，

A brilliant modern take on a Christie- style mystery， set against the sinister backdrop of influencer culture。 I loved this book， the mystery is set up well in a Death On The Nile-esque death at sea with a cast of wonderfully unlikeable characters。 The ending is especially brilliant- I definitely didn’t see it coming and it ties up lots of loose threads I hadn’t quite realised were still dangling loose！ Clever and gripping

Samadhee Ismail ，

Maggie Shaw is a budding blogger and gets invited to a high profile award show， with a party held in a glamorous yatch。 While trying to gain connections， the party soon turns to a nightmare when a famous blogger Stella Knight was found murdered。 Maggie along with another blogger must find who killed Stella Knight。The story first started slow and I was slightly bored。 The story is mainly told from Maggie's perspectives as Maggie is determined to find out who killed the infamous blogger。 I felt li Maggie Shaw is a budding blogger and gets invited to a high profile award show， with a party held in a glamorous yatch。 While trying to gain connections， the party soon turns to a nightmare when a famous blogger Stella Knight was found murdered。 Maggie along with another blogger must find who killed Stella Knight。The story first started slow and I was slightly bored。 The story is mainly told from Maggie's perspectives as Maggie is determined to find out who killed the infamous blogger。 I felt like I was watching some soap opera crime drama show with all those wannabe rich people and bloggers who wanted to be recognized。 But despite the flaws， the writing was good and the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story。 But towards the end， the story started getting more interesting and。。。yes the reason my initial 3 star rating bumped up to a 4 star rating was the ending！ The ending was completely unexpected and I was literally flabbergasted！So as I mentioned， the ending in this book was really good despite the fact that the story started slow， not very fast paced and not much of twists and turns。 Worth four stars in my opinion！Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 The review is based on my honest opinion only。 。。。more

Chloe ，

Since the term "influencer" was coined， i've been extremely intrigued by this concept of a somewhat local fame- being highly revered and looked up to by tens of thousands， if not millions， of people and yet not quite being well enough known to be considered a traditional celebrity。 Especially with the somewhat recent influx of TikTokers and the like， now is the perfect time to dive into a topic like this。 S。V。 Leonard does an amazing job of setting up and introducing the reader to the highly int Since the term "influencer" was coined， i've been extremely intrigued by this concept of a somewhat local fame- being highly revered and looked up to by tens of thousands， if not millions， of people and yet not quite being well enough known to be considered a traditional celebrity。 Especially with the somewhat recent influx of TikTokers and the like， now is the perfect time to dive into a topic like this。 S。V。 Leonard does an amazing job of setting up and introducing the reader to the highly interesting world of influencers- transporting us back to， what i would consider the peak of social media influencers， and giving us a sneak peak into the lives of a few of the UK's most affluent content creators。 When It girl Stella Knight is found dead in a very suspicious manner， budding true crime blogger Maggie Shaw decides to use her grizly knowlege to start up an investigation of her own。 The Influencers is a quick-paced thriller with an extremely intriguing premise and a great set of bones， particularly perfect for someone looking for an easy read。 I did， however， find it to be somewhat predictable at times， but that was made up for by the interesting points being made about what it means to be an influencer and find oneself in the public eye- and how dangerous that can potentially be。 。。。more

Courtney ，

What In The White Whales Sea！ 😯😳 First， I will say this was a slow burn book for sure。 And I will admit I struggled with this one。 I had a hard time being pulled in and keeping my interest。 Maggie Shaw is invited to The Influencers of the Year awards on a yacht in London。 She's a blogger on true crime， called "The Social Sleuth" & will find very quickly that her interest will be put to the test。 Stella Knight， the winner of the award and highest influencer there， is murdered。 Every gorgeous infl What In The White Whales Sea！ 😯😳 First， I will say this was a slow burn book for sure。 And I will admit I struggled with this one。 I had a hard time being pulled in and keeping my interest。 Maggie Shaw is invited to The Influencers of the Year awards on a yacht in London。 She's a blogger on true crime， called "The Social Sleuth" & will find very quickly that her interest will be put to the test。 Stella Knight， the winner of the award and highest influencer there， is murdered。 Every gorgeous influencer on the yacht is a suspect and has secrets they want to keep hidden。 Could the killer strike again？ All of that being said， I will say the book redeemed itself at the end， which helped boost my rating for it。 That was one heckuva mystery suspense twist I didn't expect or see coming！ It was a pretty good amateur sleuth type novel。 Definitely entertaining。 Thank you to NetGalley & Canelo Publisher for this ARC。 Release date: March 10， 2022。 I give this 3 / 5 snowflakes！ ❄️ 。。。more

Karen Fan ，

Short and easy thriller， I couldn’t really sympathise with any of the characters， but the ending was quite the payoff。

Danielle ，

The Islanders was one of my favourite reads last year and The Influencers has certainly cemented itself as one of my favourite reads already this year。 S。V。 Leonard has an incredible writing style - it’s beautiful， paints a picture and it totally draws you in。 I was hooked from the first page （I love that the story takes you straight to the action） and it was a complete page turner afterwards。 Every time I was convinced I had it all figured out， the story went in another direction， so it kept me The Islanders was one of my favourite reads last year and The Influencers has certainly cemented itself as one of my favourite reads already this year。 S。V。 Leonard has an incredible writing style - it’s beautiful， paints a picture and it totally draws you in。 I was hooked from the first page （I love that the story takes you straight to the action） and it was a complete page turner afterwards。 Every time I was convinced I had it all figured out， the story went in another direction， so it kept me guessing throughout。 The ending had me sat open-mouthed， but I really don’t want to give anything away， so I’m saying nothing more about it！ S。V。 Leonard is one of my go-to， auto-buy authors and I’m eagerly waiting for book three already！ 。。。more

Ceecee ，

3。5 rounded up Maggie Shaw is “The Social Sleuth” a true crime blogger desperate to increase her followers。 If her post at the start of the book is anything to go by， her readership will rocket！ She’s received a guest invitation to the “Influencer of the Year “ award aboard luxury yacht Destiny （think something Jeff Bezos would own not something to sail out of Cowes）。 She’s desperate to link up with some of these bright and beautiful types and you definitely catch that in her interactions。 Can s 3。5 rounded up Maggie Shaw is “The Social Sleuth” a true crime blogger desperate to increase her followers。 If her post at the start of the book is anything to go by， her readership will rocket！ She’s received a guest invitation to the “Influencer of the Year “ award aboard luxury yacht Destiny （think something Jeff Bezos would own not something to sail out of Cowes）。 She’s desperate to link up with some of these bright and beautiful types and you definitely catch that in her interactions。 Can she hook in Reiss Rose or Flower Spirit or better still The Fashionsista， Stella Knight？ The yacht leaves Shad Thames for its several hour voyage and Maggie is a fish out of water but it does give her the chance to survey the glitterati in all its perceived glory。 She observes a number of unsettling incidents and then finds herself slap bang in the middle of a murder investigation。 Who would want Stella dead？ Reiss and Maggie team up as self appointed yacht police！My first thoughts are …。 Why would Maggie get an invitation， she’s a crime blogger not an influencer so that strikes a discordant note which niggles at the back of your mind。 It does later make sense however！ Her behaviour is intriguing as it’s strange and jarring and her actions seem at odds with her personality which is interesting！ The world of the influencer is done well （the ‘Interstellas’， shoot me now！） and it makes very good points about responsibility and the impressionable especially the young and your online branded perceived persona versus reality。 A lot of these characters are simply not very nice but it does make for fascinating reading and a growing suspect pool。A tangled web begins to reveal itself as Reiss but especially Maggie rush around like pseudo detectives learning things before the police！！！ Can you see my eyes rolling？！ There are some good revelations， some decent red herrings and the end twist is a good one and very unexpected。Overall， it’s an entertaining read， the pace is slow burner but that suits the storyline。With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Canelo for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Influencers

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Influencers&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Influencers&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0