I’m a big fan of Olivia Muenter. One of my book clubs actually started from a local spinoff Facebook group of the podcast she is a cohost of - Bad on Paper. Of course we had to read her debut novel, Such a Bad Influence, as a book club pick!

This book follows Hazel Davis, the sister of an extremely famous influencer, Evie Davis. Their mom was basically a stage mom for influencers, but Hazel wanted no part of the family career. When Evie suddenly disappears, Hazel has to dig into her memories and her sister’s carefully curated online presence to figure out what happened—before it’s too late.

My favorite thing about this book was the way it mixed in different types of media, like an email newsletter about influencers, podcast transcripts, and snark subreddits. These elements made the story feel modern and immersive while showing the darker side of social media fame, including the ethical issues around exploiting children for views, and how the likes and instant gratification can be addictive and drive someone too far. I actually liked this one for the behind the scenes of the influencer life over the mystery, which was a bit of a slow burn. That said, I definitely didn’t see the ending coming! I’d recommend this one if you follow a lot of influencers like I do and want a mysterious read with some family drama thrown in.