Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise of this book drew me in at first, but the execution fell flat. I liked the novelty of the podcast structure and was excited for the potential the novel had to be a slasher, but there were several aspects of the story that I couldn't bring myself to enjoy. For instance, most of the characters were not incredibly well-developed, which made them hard to differentiate, let alone connect to. I also thought the motivations of both Cal and the villain were underwhelming, and the flow confused me as I was never sure where the reader was in the timeline of the story itself. I do appreciate the fast pacing (I did read it in one sitting) and the attempt to criticize what people will do for fame, but it ultimately lacked the social commentary that I was expecting and instead inserted far too many pop culture references. In the end, I think I was expecting a polished novel, but it felt like I was reading an early draft.

Content Warnings: gore, death, general violence, cult activity, kidnapping, substance abuse

This was an interesting read and something new on the market, I am interested in seeing this authors future work.

Such an original story that almost reads like a horror fantasy, so I obviously enjoyed it!! Might not be for everyone, but the Fyre + Hunger games for the modern “influencer” driven world is spot on. I think everyone should read this just to encourage Kyle to write more stories like this!!

Thank you author & publisher for the e-arc.

I loved this book! It was so intriguing and kept me on my toes the whole way through. Some parts were 'scary' and had me looking around the corners but I couldn't stop turning the pages. I would 10/10 recommend it.

I found this read to be very fun and interesting!! There were some slow parts, but overall I found it to be great! I would’ve loved a bit more detail, but the characters were very strong!

Hunger Games meets Fyre Festival is actually a pretty good description of much of this book, though I also think there is an element that is unique to this story. It was something that I found in the previous book in the series, She Died Famous, as well. I loved the exploration of the dark side of fame, in a way that takes it to its extreme, but in a way that is disturbingly plausible. I really enjoyed the podcast script and interview type format. I think it was a very effective way to introduce only parts of the story at a time, as each speaker shares their own experiences. The format I can see being something to get used to for some people, but for me it added quite a bit to the story and my enjoyment of it. The characters were interesting and figuring out how people were connected to each other as the story progressed was one of my favorite parts. I realized that I missed reading the prequel to this, Tik Tok Gone, and now I definitely want to go back and read that as well. I really am enjoying this series and this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was good. This was unique.
But I guess if there was no build-up done by the marketing team, I would have enjoyed it more?
I guess it's the expectations that killed the experience for me.

This is a unique style of writing which I personally couldn't keep up with. I enjoyed the premise and idea but the style wasn't for me.

3 stars

Really interesting premise but I felt the execution could have been better.
The story felt disjoint at points and the ending had pacing issues.
Overall, it was a good read and I would definitely check out further works from the author.

"Fyre Festival meets Hunger Games" got me! Quick and enjoyable read relevant to today's culture. Great for psycyh thriller lovers. 3 stars - liked it. Thank you!

I really, really, need this book to be an audio book. I think it would be fantastic. As it is, I have discovered I am the type of reader that finds it very hard to read books structured like this one. So, it's hard to assign stars to because I had a hard time getting past the format. Again, for what it's worth, I think it would be a brilliant audio book.

Amazing concept, but I feel that the book might use more work. A few grammatical mistakes and name changes caught my eye and. I didn't enjoy how some of the characters were obviously based on real people.

This book was SO COOL. I really liked the unconventional style of writing. I think it helps tell the story, and I loved being able to get the world and story building through various ways. It was entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it

I recieved this as an arc a while back and finally decided to read it, since I felt like the title and description gave me more autumn vibes. Anyway, the concept of this story is so good but the execution is lacking a lot, at least for me. The storyline felt rushed on some important stuff and completely dragged on stuff that felt quite unimportant to the storyline. Also I wish there was more depth to the characters as well as more depth to the actual plot on the island…since that whole thing seemed to be over in a blink of an eye, at least it felt like it. Personally I thought the idea of the story being told on a podcast format was genius but the execution again was too confusing with the time jumps from the story within the podcast. This had so much potential but sadly it wasn‘t as good as it could‘ve been.

Influencer Island is a fun, fast read. It will likely end up feeling very dated in a decade, but right now it is a great snapshot into society's obsession with social media.

A new reality show has been announced, organized by one of the most famous and elusive performance artists of our time. "Influencer Island" is a beautiful paradise where 10 of the most famous social media influencers await 10 lucky winners who will get to join them on the island and compete for the most followers.

The story is told in interview/podcast episode format, and it is made clear right up front that the reality show had a much darker purpose. I found myself thinking "this sounds like an episode of Black Mirror." I turned the page and one of the characters says the same thing. The competition on the island has Hunger Games elements. The characters note this obvious nod as well. I also felt that the movie Nerve was echoed here, as well as, in a more limited way, Libby Bray's Beauty Queens. The author clearly is referencing popular TV/books that explore similar themes...the danger of too much reliance on technology, the stripping away of humanity when faced with extreme peril, survival at all costs. The author says in the acknowledgments that this book was inspired by the Fyre Festival. Interesting.

It ends up being VERY convoluted and unbelievable, but I was thoroughly entertained all the way though, so I didn't mind at all!

The concept of this book could’ve been absolutely fantastic. However it really didn’t do it for me. It tried though. As soon as I saw it was like the hunger games I knew I wanted to read it. As then I found out about the podcast element within the book. Both of those areas I did really enjoy. But the characters just didn’t do much for me and the plot could’ve gone much further than it did.

This book unfortunately did not land for me. The concept was extremely original, but the execution did not work for me. The way the book was written as a podcast script was interesting but I felt as if it took away my ability to connect with the characters. Unfortunately I would not recommend this book, but the concept is one I would definitely read about in the future.

Described as Fyre Fest meets Hunger Games, it instantly intrigued me. A group of influencers compete for a chance to party in paradise with the biggest celebrities and influencers. Wyatt James, an eclectic artist that paints portraits of celebrities, designed the contest and island. It sounds like a significant chance to get more followers and notoriety. Until feeds go down and people are missing or dead.

The description alone got me going, and I couldn’t wait to dive right in. The book was fast-paced and kept you wondering what could have happened. The book was written in interviews and podcast transcripts. Which at first I wasn’t sure how that would work, but it was written really well. All the characters give their own point of view and each one questions their choices. This insight into the characters is what really made the book for me.

The plot was character motivated that explores how far some people will go to find fame in social media. While there are some disturbing moments, it wasn’t overdone. In fact, I was looking for a little more fight.

Overall, it was a fun book that I enjoyed and I would read more by this author.

It was a fast paced read. It’s something I would rather listen to than read since it’s podcast style. It did what it did and it was ok .

What can I say about influencer island? When I read the description of this book I had big hunger games vibes but based around the world of social media and the pull of having other peoples views and opinions matter on your life. I’m not a big fan of how it’s written like a podcast/ interview and struggled to begin with. I think if anything it may work better as an audio book but when I got into the story I was hooked! Genuinely I didn’t know how it would end and I wasn't disappointed at all. Honestly I loved this book when I got into it and by the end I didn’t want it to end.

If you liked the hunger games you would definitely enjoy this! You will follow those in search of fame, fortune and questions to an island where you will be asked a simple question. How far would you go to be famous beyond your wildest dreams? Take the plunge and find out for yourself but don’t dig too deep or you will find answers you didn’t want to know.