Found this one to drag a lot... Got to 80% of the book, and though much had happened, nothing really had regarding the plot that's we're baited with throughout. And then the ending... How can all that be condensed into an epilogue? Just felt like such a let down, to give all this throughout, and then be rushed through the end like that... Plus the revenge scene almost had me throwing up what with the horror surrounding that poor newborn baby... Left a weird taste in my mouth. Though it covered the influencer lifestyle super-well, the plot itself just felt very pithy and then too rushed at the end

I'm fascinated by the ease at which people share personal information online, myself included, and this sharp psychological thriller explores what could happen when that information falls into the hands of someone wishing you harm. This will make you think twice about posting seemingly innocuous content to the world, compelling and provoking, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the dark side of social media.

I liked it, I didn't love it. I enjoyed the plot but I found parts of it not very believable. Maybe i'm the naive one and this is a representation of 'influencers' but it felt quite cold and detached at times.
There were also parts of the book that made me feel very uncomfortable, especially being a new mother myself. Maybe don't read this if you are new mother and have a young baby, it's slightly triggering.

This book is just bloody amazing!

If you like social media influencers you’ll love this book. If you don’t, you’ll still enjoy it.

The storyline goes over the lives of an Instagram influencer mum,
and the fakery they make their life and only show what is Instagram worthy, the risks that lifestyle brings. It really gives off a fake celebrity type of vibe but although I’m not overly fussed about social media celebrities this novel really highlights everything I hate about the parenting, bare all lifestyle. But, that is the whole point of the book.

The storyline is split into three parts. Emmy aka ‘MamaBare’ and her perfectly snapped Instagram life at her families expense, Dan the struggling author and their two children who are paraded on social media and the third; the follower, a mystery person.

This book reinforces what we all know, that not everything you see on social media is real. Instagram posts are hand picked, staged edited and filtered to within an inch of their life. And that’s not just the Instagram squares.

The third character is an unknown narrator, but these chapters I found really interesting and wanted more of them. I longed to read the next. They were intriguing, creepy and although I was puzzled who the mystery person was I just could n’t get enough. So much so I read later into the night with a 3am bedtime.

As things became clearer and the intentions unfold, it really did chill me to the bone. I don’t like cliches and idioms but for this review it’s appropriate.

Once this book hit 50% it took a massive turn both in its pace and as the thriller element kicked in.

The chapters are chilling, full of tension and I wasn’t sure I should be enjoying the book as much as I was due to the theme. It’s hard to read. It’s not just hard it’s utterly awful but you just can’t tear yourself away due to the suspense that is poured into this book in bucket loads.

Before I give away any spoilers about the reveal chapters, overall it was an absolutely perfectly crafted and well researched novel. With the two main characters having been written by husband and wife; Paul Vlitos & Collette Lyons, the authenticity of both characters was what really shined through.

This book has gone into my top five of the year so far. It’s just packed full of all that I love.

As a side note; Something ironic that happened as I wrote this review, I got a notification for a widely unlikeable ‘celebrity’ follow suggestion on Instagram. You bet I swiped that right away!

This was an interest read considering i come from a conflicted position of finding the career of ‘influencer’ quite ridiculous whilst also being a blogger who uses all forms of social media. I don’t make a living from it thank goodness so I can take holidays from social media every so often. I liked this take on a thriller told by three people: mum Emmy who is an influencer with the handle MamaBare Emmy, her stressed out husband Dan and an obsessive fan who wants to kill Emmy. It addresses the modern issue of Instafame, how people become sucked into this world and psychologically dependent on being liked by strangers while neglecting the real world. Her followers see Emmy as the expert on being a mum, but is she as real as she would have them believe? Dan is sceptical of his wife’s new found role and is struggling to write that tricky second book. As MamaBare becomes more successful, he can see their roles in the relationship changing and while he wants to be supportive, he doesn’t see what she does as ‘real’.
I loved how each chapter was split into the three viewpoints, all of which had very clear and distinct voices. It works because between the married couple there are ongoing tensions, but the third voice brings something much darker, adding suspense and danger to the story. There was also an added note of poignancy to the tale with a very real and raw look at loss. All in all this was an interesting and escapist thriller that shows real promise for this writing team.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ellery Lloyd and Harper Collins for this book which I have neglected for too long !

I am not sleeping tonight, I am instead going to be buying blinds to hide me from the street outside and multiple locks for every door in my house and deleting all social media. You know the way 'You' the tv show makes you feel? That all-encompassing dread and fear that someone is following you? Yeah, that is how I feel right now.

A book to warn you of the dangers of social media while also acknowledging what a lifeline it is for the people who use it. A bit of an inside look at the world of influencers and those who surround them,

I do admit I wanted a wake up call for Emery and Dan that was not this violent because you know there still needs to be hashtag-justiceforpolly and a level of accountability that we never really get. Also the final final ending was a bit meh and felt a bit too much. The more I think about this book the more loose endings I can find that were not resolved or delved into enough, a bit like unravelling the wool of a jumper parts start to fall apart.

It's been one of those months and after reading a few longer books I really needed an easy read that I could switch my brain off for and just enjoy.

And this met those requirements! It's a thriller (I'll use that term very loosely!) Based around a social media influencer, a mum blogger basically!

The thriller aspect was very slow and tame for the first 90% of this book. With the odd page here and there from a mystery person who clearly has an axe to grind with Emmy, or MamaBare (her influencer name). It picked up towards the end but it's a hard stretch to call this book a thriller!

Instead it just felt like a story about an influencer and I quite enjoyed that. It's still a new enough career that it doesn't appear front and centre of many books. The characters were utterly dislikeable but I didn't mind that to be honest. It felt like a hate-follow on social media (we all do it!)

So I enjoyed it but not sure I'd recommend it. I'm not sure who it's aimed at. Older audiences might not care or enjoy the influencer aspect and for younger ones it's nothing we don't already know about behind the scenes of being a blogger and the dangers of social media!

2.5 stars

This book talks about social media influencers and the dangers of what happens when data gets out there on the internet, once on the net always stays on the net. There's no escaping the pressure of deadlines, expectations online!

Honestly I didn't like any character, especially Dan who I found to be a whiny person and towards the end gets to claim all the fame- the way the story was suddenly shaped up was weird, it seemed like an unlikely scenario.

So glad I'm not a blogger - terrible book and I didn't finish. That's all I can say on this one - don't waste your time.

I’m really not quite sure I feel about this book, like it was good, but also not at the same time 😂

I think my main issue is that I found the ending, and the antagonists reasons for going after Emmy so unbelievably far fetched that it ruined the rest of the book.

I didn’t warm to Emmy AT ALL, and she really made me question the authenticity of all the bloggers and influencers that I follow 😳 so much so that there is a particular influencer that is well known in the bookstagram world that I had to unfollow after reading 😂

I mean I am glad that I’ve read this as the premise was quite interesting, but ultimately it fell a bit flat for me.

I do use Instagram but I can’t say I really follow any influencers who make a career from posting their life. This book really opened by eyes about the people that do. How much of their life they share and potentially how risky it is.
This was a real page turner of a book, fast paced with alternating chapters between husband, wife and stalker. Highly recommend. Big thanks to Netgalley for my copy in exchange of a review.

I found this book a difficult read. Didn't particularly like the characters or the storyline.. Unusual for me but just couldn't engage.

enjoyed this book a lot. Gripping and quite tense at times. Emmy isn't the most likeable character in the world but the follower trumped her on that one. Looking forward to reading more from the author!

This book is such a great representation of how people can so easily manipulate their social media use for their own benefit. A dark story of a 'much loved' social media momma who does not realise the effect the lies she portrays to her million followers, have on those who adore her and soon comes to find these will come back to haunt her and her innocent family

Wonderful read that puts the spotlight on influencers particularly 'mommy bloggers' Despite having zero interest in parenthood I have come across enough of these types of posts to know this was very accurate. The main character paints himself as a frazzled mum online who people relate to but shes not exactly being truthful and someone is watching her very closely. Full of twists and turns, I thoroughly enjoyed this.

I really enjoyed this, I found it really gripping and fast paced. The characters weren’t very likable, but then there not supposed to be!

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This would actually sit as a 3.5 star for me.
I found the plot and writing style really compelling and was on the edge of my seat at points, I did feel that at some points it seemed to lose pace a little. I love a multiple POV book, so I'm always invested when I realise we have multiple narrators, but I did find that some of the characters needed more development and the concept felt a little far-fetched. The social commentary about social media and 'influencers' could not be missed though and I think that's what made me appreciate this book more, it wasn't just a thriller, it had underlying meaning/message. Overall, it's an enjoyable read for anyone that likes a good thriller.

A completely gripping thriller that also talks about the dangers of social media addiction, and how different the lives we lead on Instagram can be to what life really is.

I found the three main characters, including our anonymous character,a little difficult to connect with and engage with which did make my enjoyment of the book wane slightly.

I also thought the writing dragged a little at times, and the pacing was rather slow.

I really enjoyed this, loved the different voices all feeding into the same narrative and how pacy it was. There wasn't a wasted word.
It did make me feel a little uneasy and squirmy as the author obviously really understands every nuance of the Instamum culture and didn't mind exposing every excruciating detail of just how manipulative and fake these accounts are. Also just how devastating the contents of their 'content' can be.
It was a little extreme but I felt like the motivations of all involved were authentic and real, in fact I would have gone further at the end and imagine the author might have flirted with the idea of the perpetrator succeeding! However, there was some realisation and redemption which I did enjoy and happily found it all rather satisfying.
A good modern thriller.

This was absolutely brilliant! Incredibly gripping and also had a very eerie sense about it. One that will 100% make you want to look behind you all the time. Had me on edge throughout. I highly recommend it!