WOW ! A great psychological thriller! Influencer Island is based on the Fyre Festival Debacle of 2017. A mysterious artist similar to Banksy named Wyatt James has gathered the best influencers in the world to assist with the opening of a new resort - Influencer Island.

First, a contest for all influencer want-to-be's to enter. 10 are chosen, including 'Carrie and Kiara, best friends who are poised to be the most dramatic meltdowns on camera -- Carrie has a secret mission and Kiara has a big secret from Carrie.

Add in Cal, a podcast reporter who is obsessed with Wyatt James and whether he was involved in his father's suicide, testimonials from podcast producers, FBI agents and participants themselves and you have a unique and captivating story.
If you like a fresh take on a reality style show, podcast driven book or just a page turner that will burn your hands, Influence Island is for you!
#GreaterPathLLC #GreatPathBooks #InfluencerIsland #KyleRutkin #netgalley #Netgalleyreads

I never really knew if I liked plot driven or character driven books more and this one made it clear for me that I prefer character driven stories. This book focuses more on the plot and the idea that the author was creating than on the character themselves, but even though this was the case I have to say that I really enjoyed the book. It was definitely an interesting concept to have, I personally haven't seen another book that has a story line like this so it seemed unique to me.

I wish that I could have liked the characters a bit more though, since at the end I really didn't care who made it and who didn't. Of course we only get to see their curated personality since they are suppose to be people who only care about their image so I think that the characters not being super likable was most likely done on purpose. Just like how they didn't care about doing anything to get famous we as readers probably should feel what the viewers felt when they watched what happened during the games at influencer island. I was more interested in the artist and who it was since there was so much mystery around them even though they were probably the most well known artist of the time.

Everything happened really fast so there weren't moments when I could feel like the story was dragging on an on. There were multiple little stories that are meant to come together and give a reason as to why influencer island was created. Alone I don't think the individual stories would have been a strong enough reason but together I think that they worked really well and it made it more believable that it could potentially lead to disaster at the hands of someone.

The format of the book was like a transcription of a podcast, so I think the story would have had more impact if I had an audio version of it. Reading it at times felt a bit confusing, specially in scenes where there was a lot happening, and you have one paragraph with one character and then the following on is another character. Even in a podcast I would have found that a bit confusing at times though.

I went through this book pretty quickly so I obviously enjoyed reading it and I would recommend it to someone who is looking for something quick to read.

Influencer Island by Kyle Rutkin had the potential to be a huge hit but instead fell flat. Billed as Fyre Festival meets Hunger Games, Rutkin introduces multiple social media 'stars' all bidding for a chance to be flown to Influencer Island to party with some of the biggest stars in the world.

Before the contest is taken offline, several people are dead and the contest host, the mysterious Wyatt James, is connected to the podcast host Cal Everett....the one person in search of the truth.

Honestly, I wanted this book to be better. It had the potential to be massive. It had everything to be a huge hit. It's all of the keywords that media is looking for... social media stars, islands, contests, celebrities, etc. Instead, these are one-dimensional characters who frankly...are boring.

I think that Kyle Rutkin has the potential to be a great writer with the right editors. I'm sure the next book will be even better.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity.

Honestly, there's nothing good to say about this book. Firstly from a purely practical standpoint, writing a book as a podcast script doesn't flow well at all, especially when half the time it doesn't even sound like it'd be in a podcast.

My more pertinent point though, is that just read like a man slam dunking on influencer culture so much that he wants to send a bunch of them to an island to get murdered. I thought it was interesting that pretty much all the female characters were incredibly flat stereotypes, who were pretty indiscernible from one another, yet most of the male characters were pretty well developed. I just think this is satire that fell so flat, and fell into punching down on women who are influencers territory with nothing of real value to say, and with references (Squid Game) that won't be relevant in two years time

Also, if your story has Fyre Festival themes, it's a bit too on the nose to make a character called Billy that somehow is even more bland than the real Billy McFarland.

This is probably the most scathing review I've ever written, but it's worth it.

Influencer Island by Kyle Rutkin unfortunately did not live up to my expectations. I love a psychological thriller, but this just didn't grip me at all

"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.