"Fyre Festival meets Hunger Games" is a lot to live up to and unfortunately this book didn't deliver.

The story started out promising and I enjoyed the podcast format. It was both refreshing and fitting (though also messy at times), considering the novel's exploration of our obsession with social media and influencer culture.

However, I feel like the book tried to cover too much in just 200 pages. Most of the characters were unmemorable, with close to zero scenes and lines. The bloodthirsty competition that the synopsis hints at is only a small portion of the story and hence very disappointing. Add weird arsty and bizarre cult-like elements, a romance subplot (that I had zero investment in), social commentary, many flat characters, and you have everything stretched too thin.

I got increasingly bored and despite some okay twists, I wasn't impressed because it was too little, too late. I wanted Squid Game, Battle Royale and Hunger Games levels of bloodbaths. This book wasn't it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC to review.

2 stars!

Ooof I really liked the idea behind this and how it was described, but sadly how it was formatted, just fully in podcast style, not even switching it up from podcast to story really didn't work well for me with this story.

It would have been better to actually witness and go through that the influencers had to go through on the island. And then recap on the aftermath in a podcast style then switch as it would have made me more interested in the story and want to know what was going to happen.

And to be honest they weren't really fleshed out as characters enough to even get deep into the story, which is a shame.

Unique writing style, sort of like a podcast transcript. I personally enjoyed the creativity and change of pace but it’s not for everyone so keep that in mind. I have no doubt this would make an amazing audiobook. This book is quite graphic and is recommended for those 18+.

The premise of the book is very interesting and creative but it didn’t meet the expectations it set for itself. This book is trying so hard to be shocking and different that it failed to have a fluid storyline. It was too all over the place and was missing things I consider to be important while over discussing other things. Although I do enjoy the writing style I don’t believe it was the right choice for this particular story. I think the style was a big part of why it felt like there was so much missing. Additionally I found the big reveal of who Wyatt James truly is disappointing.

DNF at 62%

The concept of this book is good and I really love the cover.
The story told in podcast transcripts witch is a great idea but the execution was not good.
This book supposed to be fast paced but I was really bored reading it, couldn't get into the story and didn't liked any of the characters. Unfortunately I couldn't continue reading this.

Thank you to netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars for the sheer originality of this book! How far would you go to be famous? The entire story uses a podcast format, with the chapters being “episodes”. I loved It! It was fast paced and gripping. It did take me a while to get used to the back and forth between Cal and Carrie’s individual storylines, as they’re told in alternating paragraphs at times. I would’ve Liked to see a tad more gore and bloodbath descriptive narrative here, as it was a reality contest show turned murderous island. The shark scene is super original and would’ve loved that to be longer. Overall I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more of this authors work.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Influencer Island was a fun bingeable read, but definitely not a book you want to focus too much on or you'll start picking apart the plot.

There's a lot of different influencer characters to keep track of and they all kinda blue together --just like all the actual influencers on Instagram looking the same with just different hair. I enjoyed the illuminati conspiracy theories, but thought the art storyline got lost in the podcast notes. Did I mention this whole book reads like the transcript of a podcast?

Also, appointment the author is doing a series of books that revolve around this Illuminati/11 conspiracy so this one has Easter eggs from the first one.

I enjoyed this as an escapist read, but it's kinda fluffy thriller trash. If you like that then read this and you won't be disappointed!

To put it plainly: this was a ghastly book. This isn't because the thriller did what a thriller should do, instead this book was formatted and written poorly. I could see if this was an audiobook, how it could be an immersive experience, but despite that, Influencer Island has nothing to offer.

Billed as Fyre Festival meets The Hunger Games, I was expecting something enticing and fast-paced. Instead, with this novel, I got a poorly written thriller devoid of intrigue. The characters, if not unbearably annoying, were flat and stereotypical. This plot, while intriguing at first, became more muddled as the book went on. And then, the writing, which's flaws should have been covered up by it's format, became increasingly awful.

A perfect example of a great idea that couldn't be transferred onto the page.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I enjoyed the writing style of this author. It keeps your attention from the first page. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first page trying to figure out what will happen next and if that character did it. This book is in my top 5 thrillers of the year. This book will be in stores on July 30, 2022 for $11.99 (USD).

Well, this was just fun!

While there’s definitely messaging here about social media and influencer culture, it’s also a blast of a read.

Now to be honest, I kind of hate influencers. Maybe it’s the fact that all the vapid ones move to L.A. (home) and then complain about how everyone in L.A. is vapid. Maybe it’s the fact that they think the word ‘shilling’ has positive connotations. Whatever it is, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them getting their comeuppance in this book!

Did I like the characters? Nope. Did I care? Also nope. The book was over-the-top entertainment and I raced through it.

I’ll admit a wee bit of disappointment in the reason behind (and the truth) behind everything, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the read!

• ARC via Publisher

The first half of the book really had me! It was interesting and terrifying and suspenseful. I was enjoying the "podcast" format and the switching between narratives of hinting what happened on the island vs the early podcast story was jolting in the exact right ways.
However, then came the kind-of romance which in itself was odd - like, they met twice and he was all the sudden in love with her?? There was no depth there. I could have looked past it, but the way the podcast host's personal life got all entangled within really brought me out of the suspense and exciting nature of the story. I didn't care about that part.. that's not why I picked up this book. It really felt annoying to have it wrapped in, and lost the "podcast" feeling of the writing. It just felt like a novel being written in a weird fashion with different narrators. There was nothing podcast-ish about it in the second half. Even the intense scenes were sluggish because they were constantly interrupted with this other storyline. Disappointed in how this turned out.

3.75 🌟

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free eARC copy through NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

I was intrigued when I came across Influencer Island on NetGalley and wanted to try this book. I was overjoyed when I learned that I was approved for a copy of the book. I genuinely thought that I would love this book. However, I feel like if I had read this book at any other time, I would have enjoyed this more. The reason for this is Samantha Allen's Patricia Wants to Cuddle, which also has a similar premise- remote island+ people competing which turns deadly and has elements of multimedia.

Since I read both of the novels closer to each other, I constantly compared the novels and sometimes would get confused with minor details. I recognize that this is quite unfair and it's just me being stupid. However, I do feel like Patricia Wants to Cuddle had stronger character development in contrast to this novel, but it could simply be because it is a contemporary literary fiction work.

Regardless of this issue, I really enjoyed it for what it was despite the slight errors in the review copy. Also, the book cover is phenomenal!

This book is great for those who love following glitzy people on social media. The drama and ridiculousness are peak. Personalities collide on the island. Well written.

If you're looking for a dark, slightly gruesome read that you can devour in one day, Influencer Island is a great option. The podcast formatting can be hard to get into for some readers, but that's what made it a fast read for me. Every few chapters (sections) I found myself thinking "HOLY SH*T" or "what am I reading"?! There is no way I could have predicted how this story unfolded or who the Wyatt James really was. This is probably not a book for all readers but it was an interesting way to mix things up for me.

I loved this! I love how the story is told. I want to listen to this as an audiobook and love it even more.

3.5 stars (+ bonus .5)

i love an unconventional format and an alternating POV but i can also see how this style could get old very quickly and become confusing for someone used to a standard novel format, so consider this a warning if that kind of thing isn’t your favorite. it’s a pretty fast paced story and i read it almost entirely in one burst. i also feel like this story was pretty in-your-face about its “clues” along the way with the podcast unfolding, so the Big Reveals at the end felt sort of anticlimactic to me, but the way it’s written feels like that was not the intention.
this was a pretty solid 3.5 star book for me but with a bonus .5 because i did particularly enjoy the format and the voice of it—and when i got to the acknowledgments, kyle rutkin says that the voice really clicked because of writing while listening to true crime podcasts (duh, lol) and reading World War Z, the latter of which is a favorite of mine and that i could absolutely feel the inspiration from.

Influencer Island was a thriller that also really makes you think. What lengths would you go to to be famous? We’ll in this novel, we find out just how far some people will go to be famous.

Entertaining, descriptive, fast paced, and well-written. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book, as it brought complexity to the narrative. I have found other authors have tried this style, however, have not been able to pull it off even half as well as K. Rutkin has. did.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Greater Path LLC for providing me an advanced copy of “Influencer Island” in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily.

Very interesting idea for a book. The podcast way of writing just isn't my favourite. It did hook me, im the sense that I wanted to keep reading to figure out the twist. However, I feel like more details could have been given in certain areas, and less in others. The ending also felt a little bit rushed. I did however enjoy the concept.

Okay so I read this literally in a few hours. I couldn’t put it down! Hunger Games x Fyre Festival x Crime Podcast x Bansky-esque figure made for a super compelling read for me!

No spoilers coming here but Even the podcast format didn’t bother me in the least. I’d read a second instalment in a heartbeat if it ever came out!

So, I can start this off by saying WOW. I couldn't put this book down for the life of me. It was everything I needed in a thriller ! I absolutely loved that this book was written in a podcast form seeing as I'm currently on a super hard Only Murders in the Building kick.

The story starts us off with the beginning of a podcast about a strange competition that will later be known as Influencer Island. The podcasts hosts, Cal, and Joss are very determined to get the truth about what REALLY happened during the competition seeing as there were multiple bodies of multiple influencers found on the island. The competition initially begins with 11 contestants, all influencers looking to grow their following and win the grand prize of 5 million dollars.

One of these influencers is Carrie Andrews, a well known surfer who has recently suffered the disappearance of her brother. Is this competition in any way connected to her brother Tuck ? On the other side of the island another person is brought into things, Cal. Cal who has become obsessed with finding out what happened to his father on this island and learning the true identity of Wyatt James, the famed artist working under a pseudonym who's known for famous pieces of mutilated celebrities with their eyes blurred out in gold.

Will Carried find out what happened to Tuck ? Will Cal find out how his father died ? Was Wyatt James responsible ? WHO is Wyatt James ?!? Again, if you're looking for a great thriller, written in a different format than the norm, then Influencer Island is that book. Kyle Rutkin absolutely KILLED this one :)