[ Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing a proof copy in exchange for an honesty review ]

This is a shocking thriller set on an abandonned island where a bunch of promising influencers and wannabe influencers are sent to cultivate their image and followers, but end up in a cut-throat battle to the death, reported in the form of a podcast script (reminiscent of 'Life and Death in LA and Serial). I really enjoyed the format, and think this will make a fantastic audiobook with the right cast of characters!

This was a really quick, fun read, which gave me big Squid Game meets Battle Royale vibes, with some weird Alice in Wonderland references and an artsy twist. It was entertaining and if you liked The Hunger Games, then you'll probably like this.

The only reasons this wasn't a 5 star read for me, were that this is one of the only books where I dislike the characters MORE at the end, and while I understand what the message was supposed to be I'm not sure it came across well, with all of the characters ending sympathetic to, in effect, a serial killer - that character personally didn't have enough character development so despite revelations at the end, just seemed evil.

A fun read overall, and I really liked the format. Definitely think this is a good one if you're looking for something quick and punchy to get you out of your book slump!

I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games series so I was so interested by the concept of this book. I also remember the absolute wreck that was the Fyre Festival and enjoying the tell all documentaries about it. So I was very excited going into this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

The plot was wild! Yet I could totally see it happening which says quite a lot about the culture of social media and influencers. Influencers aren’t necessarily a new thing as even before social media there were people trying to sell their lifestyle through magazines and tv. Social media provided standard humans with the ability to become influencers which resulted in the current ‘phenomenon’ which Google informed me started in 2009.

I loved the format of this book. It was basically a transcript of a podcast which I found to be very easy to consume and resulted in a super fast paced novel that just kept me hooked. I’ve read a few novels written in unusual formats and this is one of the better ones. The plot of this book meant that it just worked so well in this format. I’d totally have listened to this podcast if it happened in real life. However I’d much rather it didn’t because just wow!

I don’t know if I liked any of the characters. I don’t think that it was important to find them likeable. I don’t think I’d have had any interest in any of their public profiles. I liked the way that the characters reacted to their situation, some embracing the idea of harming their competitors and some being actual human beings and not being so keen.

The island location sounded absolutely horrific! I loved finding out more about the island and the more that I found out, the creepier it felt. This book was pretty violent and I’m not usually one for gore. However I felt that the gore wasn’t gratuitous. A lot of scenes hinted towards the violence more than describing it in detail which may be why I enjoyed it so much.

I loved the way that Carrie’s brother and Cal’s father contributed to the story. At first I was a little confused about their relevance and then I was so excited when everything started to come together. I did not guess what was happening but I was happy to just enjoy the ride!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will be looking out for more books by this author as I just loved the concept.

Firstly thankyou to Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

So, influencer island. The concept is superb, I've never read a book like it. Fyre Fest is one of my favourite documentaries and I'm glad it's still garnering attention after all these years.

However the characters fell flat for me. Since it was in a podcast style format, I don't think the characters and their story were fleshed out enough. And some dialogue felt forced and almost cringey.

Another thing I've come to realise is that this book is very similar to another YA book coming out this month and I'm not sure what to make of it. So 3/5 from me.

Kyle Rutkin's Influencer Island follows Cal as he unfolds the story of the biggest event in the social media world, Influencer Island. With ten influencers competing to be larger than life, we're shown what lengths people go through to get what they want- fame, money, or the truth.

This book has an impressive concept that got my full attention from start to end. It was a very enjoyable read that tackled some deep issues, but even then, does not feel too heavy or dragging to read. I actually liked the format it was in, makes it all the more interesting to get into it.

I only really have two problems with this. One, the characters aren't so fleshed out, which I understand because of the format. But the romance aspect kind of didn't make sense. The story would have moved forward without that. Two, the reveal was a little underwhelming. This is because there was no solid build-up to the person behind Wyatt James. I honestly would love a book telling the story of Wyatt James! But I found that whoever the real Wyatt James is, was an underwhelming choice. There were a lot of characters that would have made so much sense as that character.

Despite those two issues, I devoured this book. I really like it. It's unique, a breath of fresh air (although it's really a Battle Royale-esque book)! I probably would enjoy this whatever format it would be written in, but that podcast format really added to the charm. I could just imagine the voices and sound effects while reading.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Hunger Games/Battle Royale-like stories. Anyone who thinks influencers are... meh. Or anyone who's looking for a good, short read!

This concept was super exciting and fun, but it felt like there was still more work to be done. Some pieces of the story felt abrupt and confusing. I enjoyed the attempt at a new format of a podcast, but it felt like it lost a little of the natural flow following that format.

Went into this one totally blind and I was honestly shocked by how much I loved it! I couldn’t put this one down. I found myself at my desk at work trying to read this on my computer in my down time. Really great plot and just downright scary/morbid! Who will be the winner of Influencer Island? Only one will survive. Five stars all around! I can’t wait for the prequel.

Thanks to Netgallery for give me an ARC copy to review.
Influencer Island has an interesting premise, a fyre fest like scenario meets the hunger games.
The story is told through a unconventional format in the form of a podcast script. The formatting was hard to get used to, and at times it felt the narration didn’t feel like realistic podcast dialogue.
Things start off rarely slow, but begin to pick up a third of the way through, which from then onwards the story is fast paced and more interesting.
The action in Influencer island is interesting, unfortunately the characters are not. The main two characters were interesting, but the majority of the characters felt flat and forgettable. I also personally was not a fan of the romance between the main two leads, there didn’t seem to be much chemistry between the leads.
Overall Influencer Island was a fast paced read with an interesting premise that was unfortunately let down by flat characters and an uninteresting romance

I read this book in 24 hours, which is totally not like me (having 3 kids 3 and under doesn’t give me much time) but I couldn’t put this one down! It grabbed me by the first couple pages and wouldn’t let me go until I knew WHY?!
The format was different than most but it made it easier for me to read. This story isn’t very deep but it’s highly entertaining and kept me questioning the entire time. There was quite a few characters to keep track of which was difficult at times but not enough to distract you from the plot. I would for sure recommend this book if you need a quick adventure.

I can't decide if this book was dumb or brilliant. Or maybe the brilliance lies in exploiting how dumb we are, the people reading this, or those who would watch something like this if it actually existed. A concept consisting of obnoxious social media celebrities lauded for ...nothing, really-- just as influencers in real life--pitted against each other on some desert island version of Big Brother Battle Royale Hunger Squid Games Or Whatever. Masterminded and orchestrated by some enigmatic avant-garde artiste who paints portraits of famous people right before they die. NONE of these contestants found that suspicious enough to have qualms about being under this guy's thumb for a whole season's worth of a tv show? But as obnoxious as the personalities were, I would have liked these characters to be more fully fleshed out, to feel something (even triumph!) when they die. But no, I felt nothing. I will say though, that as silly as I thought the story was, it did absolutely suck me in and keep me feverishly reading to find out who this masked artist was and what the heck was their deal. So I don't know, I was brilliantly suckered in because maybe I too, am dumb. Or maybe the book was a brilliant commentary on all of this dumbness? At this point, I don't even know.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy NetGalley!

I was initially very attracted by the summary and comparison to Hunger Games. However, I found the unique format distracting. I can see how other readers may like it though.

I enjoyed the themes on social media and the dangers that lie in exposing yourself so much on social media and the things some people do for a higher followship and fame.

The premise of this was so much fun. We all love a battle royale/hunger games theme and when you throw in the whole "Eat the Rich" and poke at influencer culture, you know you're going to have a good time.

I've been in a book slump and I was able to read this in one sitting, which speaks highly to the author. However, I wish there was more on the actual "events" and action scenes. I also personally wasn't a huge fan of the documentary/podcast format. The ending felt a bit rushed as well.

Would recommend for those that are fans of this genre! .

I loved the concept of Influencer Island! Written in interview style it felt like listening to a different episode of a podcast each chapter. Writtten for the times we are living in today it was easy to follow while also highlighting the lengths some will go to to become 'instafamous'. Although some of the characters fell flat for me and the story kind of veered away from the competition I still found this an incredibly quick and fun read!

This book had an interesting idea but the character and the plot fall flat and I wish there was character development but it lacked a bit but this book really has potential!

Wow I've never read anything quite like this before-Influencer Island is a short snappy sprint of a book that's so 'now' it made me feel old. A competition to find the biggest Influencer in the world- but are the ten influencers picked to take part willing to risk everything for the chance of winning?

From the beginning you know that Influencer Island has resulted in death and carnage, as the competitors turn on one another whilst being watched by millions of people around the world, all fighting for their place in the competition, There's one survivor at the end, but she is so shell shocked by everything that she;s almost catatonic. Luckily there's a podcaster who has been recording everything closely and manages to piece things together .

The blurb says this is a combination between Fyre Festival and Hunger Games- which is a perfect description. The competitors are all young, beautiful and fearless, the puppet master running the show is fabulously power-crazed - well worth a read.

Influencer Island is a novel that has a strong idea and plot but lacks a bit of skill to execute the story perfectly. It tells a story of competition, in which influencers and seemingly random ordinary people compete against each other to become the winner who takes it all - the international fame, wealth, and success. Millions of people across the world watch the contestants trying to survive on a remote island, where the biggest danger proves to be the others around them. I liked the twisted atmosphere of the setting, many times evoking a contemporary version of Hunger Games. Unfortunately, what lets the story down is that it tries to achieve so much in little time. The competition itself, which I expected would be the main focus, felt rushed and underdeveloped, not only because it was told retrospectively. I think the author might have had a really complex idea that would work if he just took a bit more time with it, letting the competitors play the game for longer so the reader could understand the monstrosity of the competition better. Instead, it felt like it wanted to get to the plot twist as soon as possible and explain a hugely elaborate back story. The way the narrative shifted was also quite confusing and the timelines were difficult to follow at times. Overall, I liked the idea and I read the book in one sitting, but I think it would need to be a little longer to pack the punch it set out to have.

This was fast paced and read like a podcast transcript, it kept me interested while I was reading it. I requested this arc because the premise sounded super intriguing! While I did enjoy this book, it was short and seemed rushed at times, the characters and some storylines were not entirely fleshed out. I didn't really connect with any of the characters so I didn't care what happened to them, I just wanted to figure out the mysteries. There were definitely quite a few good twists and turns. If survivor style competitions and watching influencers compete to survive sounds like a fun time to you...Pick this one up.

Will post review on linked Instagram and goodreads.

*Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

I was really intrigued with the concept—social media meets Hunger Games hybrid told in a pseudo-documentary format, and it sucked me in right from the start. And I was totally hooked through the first half or so, but then the story started to go off the rails a bit. That isn’t to say I wasn’t still enjoying it, it just became harder to believe/take seriously, especially once the ‘competition’ really got started. It almost felt like the author had a grander plan in store and yet suddenly decided they didn’t want to come up with so many trials and so did something to get rid of most of contestants right away. Overall an enjoyable adventure that didn’t quite live up to the promise of the original premise. 3.5 stars out of 5. Thanks to Greater Path LLC and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Influencer Island.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R6PP5OI1SL37V/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This was definitely a breath of fresh air! Not only the ideas behind the story, but also the writing format which is set up as a series of podcast style interviews. I quite enjoyed that aspect.

As for the story, it was good. The idea was an interesting one, however it was a little anti climactic for me. The whole time this author had me guessing at who Wyatt could really be and unfortunately I was disappointed in the identity and the motive behind all of this.

The premise however is a good one, it had some really interesting points about human nature and the world we live in right now, and how far people are willing to go to be famous. The writing style was good, and despite the ending I read this book in one sitting.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I received an ARC of Influencer Island by Kyle Rutkin. The plot intrigued me. 10 influencers invited to an island for a Fyre Festival meets Hunger Games experience. The 3 main characters Wyatt James a mysterious and “Bansky” type artist. Cal a journalist who is haunted by the death of his artist father he never knew. Carrie a former surfer girl also haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her beloved brother. I love how the story was told in podcast format. I flew through it in a day. The suspense level was high and seeing how everyone’s stories intertwined made it almost impossible to stop turning pages. If you’re looking for a suspenseful intriguing and entertaining read with the backdrop of the vanity of the internet and influencer culture this is a perfect read

I was super intrigued upon reading the synopsis of this book. Especially with social media now and “influencers” vying for likes and followers.
With the unconventional format of this book, it took me a bit to get into but I really quite enjoyed it. I think it actually had quite a powerful message.
I continually thought Netflix needs to pick this up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greater Path LLC for this ARC eBook in exchange for my honest review.