Member Reviews
I didn't have any expectations before starting this book, but I actually really enjoyed it. I was worried the non-traditional format would put me off, but as a regular podcast listener, it was easier to adjust to than I would have thought. Although, this would still make a STELLAR fiction podcast (reminded me of Limetown a bit while reading).
I really liked the unfolding stories that paralleled each other including the actual events on the island, Carrie's brother's disappearance, what lead the influencers and Carrie to separately be picked for the island, as well as Cal's surprise connection to the island and Wyatt.
While reading some of the more critical reviews for this book, formatting aside (which won't be for everyone), it struck me that as someone who enjoys pop culture and has an understanding of influencer culture, those things lead me to enjoying this book more than others because I was able to understand all the reference and source material and see through all the layers of the story. While quite graphic at times, there was still this tongue in cheek factor to the book.
The only reason I knocked a star off is because I felt the story fizzled a bit at the end and I wanted a little more of a grand standoff or climax in the lighthouse... something about it fell a little flat. Additionally, I was really intrigued by this illuminati-esque 'XIIX' group, and not much information was given to explain how they were involved, other than some of the members were involved in the island.
Overall, this was a quick but intriguing read and was a great commentary on the current culture. It almost reminded me of an indie film I saw years ago called Series 7, that was a similarly violent contest commentary on the rise of reality television. But the book never crossed the line into parody territory, which would have ruined the tone needed.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced read copy.
I thought the premise of this book was fascinating. The format of the novel was not usual or unusual, as books told in a narrative format (like a podcast) are becoming somewhat more common. I thought that Carrie and Cal's backstories were fascinating and I was really intrigued to see where they went.
I did find the pacing to be off - the first 70% or so was medium paced, and then the ending felt very rushed. It almost made it seem less credible because it all resolved itself so quickly, after dangling the carrot of the mystery for so long. I wish there had been another 50 pages or so to pace out the ending and allow time for each reveal to sink in.
Written in a podcast/interview style format which I loved! It was like uncovering the story with all the characters together.
It keeps comparing it to a Fyer Festival (It's not what it seems) vs a Hunger Games (kill everyone til the end), but it kind of reminded me more of Jurassic Park (fight, persevere and stay alive) or Scooby-Doo - Spooky Island (what the heck is going on and who is controlling this). There are multiple story lines that are running throughout the book and come together at the end. But is it really believable that *SPOILER ALERT* it was all because of Tuck? It seemed a little too easy of an ending. For being a thriller, there were some life lessons in that plot twist. "A wave does not care about your intentions...if you hesitate...you've already lost"
It is a fun quirky fast read that made it worth the read.
I feel like this has potential but it needs to be polished extensively. The direct style works in a podcast format but it needs to be raw if you go with that style. If it’s satire, then lean into that. I feel Like this has a lot of interesting things but none of them went deep enough.
The book exudes atmospheric, chilling, and thrilling vibes. It creates just the perfect ambience for a psychological thriller/horror narrative. The concept is interesting as it gives you a what-if situation of what will happen if suddenly there's a competition specially designed for influencers that becomes the hothouse for an unexpected death.
It's fast-paced, and the writing style is structured as if you're reading a podcast instead of listening to one. I'm new to this kind of writing structure, so I don't know if I liked it or not. Overall, I kinda enjoyed it and it was a thrilling ride.
Thank you to Netgalley and Greater Path LLC for the eARC!
Personally, I found it hard to focus on all the different viewpoints. I get that it was a podcast and the text served as a podcast script, but there were really no clear breaks between “scenes,” for lack of a better word, which really confused me.
The story overall had a lot of potential with the action scenes between contestants, but I feel that the author wanted to pack so much and so many different viewpoints that the story became rather jumbled. I had a hard time remembering the characters who were associated with the office - I think a character was named Lane but who was Lane, and why was Joss a relevant character?
The novel was pitched as Fyre Island meets Hunger Games, and those aspects were present from the beginning.
Personally, I had high hopes for this book, and I was definitely intrigued throughout but I’m not as impressed or excited by the ending and the book as I had hoped to be.
It definitely has potential and some points I was rushing to find out what happened next, but overall I feel I have more questions and confusion over the plot now that I finished reading.
With a title like "Influencer Island," you sort of know the kind of book you're signing up to read. I anticipated a fast-paced, fun time with this one, and it delivered. Is it the most original book? No. Is it kind of predictable? Yeah. Did I still have a fantastic time with it? Absolutely. Unfortunately the characters are a little one-dimensional and the pace kind of makes it so that it's hard to really get to know and like any of them, so this one is just a 3-star for me. But I would recommend it for anyone looking for a really fast and not-too-serious book.
This novel is a fairly quick read but I like it because it feels like listening to a true crime podcast or watching a documentary. In fact, I really wish this could be done as a film or something because it’s so compelling!
It really speaks a lot to what we as a society tune into and give attention to, plus has commentary on our influenced culture and what we will do for fame. Definitely recommend!
I am on the fence about this book. On one hand, the suspense created definitely kept the pages turning. On the other, the book was too abrupt. There was a lot of hype leading up to the show and the mysterious artist hosting it and then the actual competition took about 3 chapters. If you're going to compare something to the Hunger Games, which took three books plus prequels, you gotta do better than three chapters of challenges.
The book is told interview style and the narrators are a podcast producer and his assistant producer, interspersed with FBI agent testimony and two survivors of the island. I have seen this style before and it was done better in the other book I read as sometimes it was difficult to remember who was who (they kept referring to someone named "Lane" who I still don't really know who they were in relation to the story and I didn't care enough to flip back to remember).
Unfortunately, I am comparing this book to a few other similar ones I have read this year and this one does not pass muster when contrasted with those. I think this book has excellent bones but the author needs to go back and flush out the story more, including lengthening the show aspect of Influencer Island and the games to a more acceptable level. It is a severely missed opportunity since Mr. Rutkin clearly has it in him to be sinister and creative when it comes to plot devices.
Starting off this review, I wanted to point out that this is the first book I've ever read by this author. With that in mind, I will immediately say that I loved the idea of this format of a podcast, and more books should be written this way. That’s what drew me to request this book for review in the first place.
The story (podcast) is very fast paced. However, there was something just… Lacking. For me, personally. Backstories were drawn out a little too much and characters were just a little too unlikable for me. It made it hard to resonate with anyone. On top of unlikable characters, there was also a lot of flip-flopping around in the story. That, personally, was a bit of a mood killer for me.
I wish the other went into a little bit of more gory details with some aspects. For example, I was really hoping that *spoiler* the shark scene would have a bit more oomf. However, it was lacking for me. That disappointed me the most. The lack of gory detail.
I want to personally thank NetGalley, as well as the author, publisher, and anyone else involved in providing copies, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Reviews will also be submitted to Goodreads.
The description of Hunger Games meets Fyre Fest is SPOT ON! This book was a quick, thrilling read. As somone who doesn't "get" social influencers I loved they way they were written in this book. The transcript writing style made for an fast read but you really have to give it your attention, sometimes I had to back up because the narrator changed on me. Kept my interest till the end and I enjoyed the read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. It is really different. I really liked the way that this book was written. It was a fresh and new take and I love books that write differently. It is also a really engaging book. It is in parts edge of your seat. Lots of action and things going on. There is alot of strange things going on in the book and it is also a book that has alot of things that you need to try and put together along the way. It is also eye-opening if you are someone who spends alot of time on social media following influencers. (not my kinda thing.) As it shows you how the race for insta fame can be really damaging. I really do recommend this book.
Love love love the concept I can’t say that enough but this was just not it for me. It gave off too much of a hunger games or squid games vibe
This is a very different format to a thriller and I enjoyed the podcast approach to the dialogue. It’s also written in very short paragraphs which worked for me. The challenge with the unique podcast approach, is that it makes it very difficult to create and maintain a coherent storyline and in addition I struggled a bit to care about who these superficial characters were and what happened to them.
Overall though, it’s a very different read and I enjoyed it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Greater Path LLC
I loved the idea for this book. It was really unique and gave be Huger Game vibes. I also loved how the aspect of influencers were incorporated because the hold social media has over us is a really relevant topic. I like the writing style. I did not however, enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. I felt like there was too much going on at once. The plot kind a took a weird turn. It was an intriguing read but I am not sure I would recommend it.
This book...was not for me.
The characters all melded into one, none of them had particularly distinctive personalities, none of them were particularly likeable.
Also, it is very unfinished. a lot of spelling errors and continuity errors. I appreciate this is an advanced copy but I would generally expect works on netgalley to be ready for publishing.
**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of Influencer Island by Kyle Rutkin through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.
Influencer Island by Kyle Rutkin is an adult mystery thriller told in podcast format. It is about a podcaster who investigates an event hosted by a mysterious artist on a private island. It is also about a woman who goes to that island to compete in that event and her search to find out what happened to her brother. It was published on July 30th, 2022. I rated it 4 stars on Goodreads.
Here's the summary from Goodreads:
FYRE FESTIVAL meets HUNGER GAMES in this dark psychological thriller about a social media competition that turns deadly.
Welcome to Influencer Island, an experience for ten competitors to travel to paradise and compete for social media glory. Overnight, millions of users send off their submission videos, hoping for the chance to party with the biggest influencers and celebrities in the world.
Or so they thought…
By the time the contest went offline, over a dozen influencers were declared dead or missing. No winner was announced. The only hope for a conclusion lay in an unaired podcast produced by Cal Everett, a young reporter with his own mysterious connection to the murderous contest creator, Wyatt James.
As listeners will soon discover, James designed Influencer Island to be more than a battle of social media wits. If the contestants hope to survive, they will have to answer the question at the very heart of the competition: How far would you be willing to go for fame?
PLEASE NOTE:
Influencer Island is a dark, fast-paced psychological thriller. The format is unconventional -- Similar to a podcast transcript, and comparable to titles like World War Z, Sadie, or Daisy Jones & The Six. Due to the graphic nature of the novel, 18+ are recommended.
I really enjoyed the format of this story. I like novels that are written as an oral transcript because it gives a different vibe to a regular novel and it feels faster pace than a regular novel. It also makes it feel more real in a way because you feel like you're listening to a podcast. This did that format quite well. It was easy to imagine it as a podcast, especially with how it was structured. It would hint towards certain information and then transition to a different part of the story. It kept your interest and felt dramatic.
I enjoyed the story in general. It was a little fantastical, but it was still gripping like you couldn't look away from it. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, and I kept trying to guess but never really got it right. That's what made it so engaging, because it really did keep me guessing. There. were a couple of moments where I got confused about details and felt that the book was contradicting itself, however, I was able to move past that because I might have just misread something.
I liked the characters. They had interesting personalities, and complex backstories. The main podcast host was. clearly determined and ambitious when it came to his mission. The woman going to the island was interesting as well. I was curious about what happened to her brother and how her brother was connected to all the other people going to the island.
It was fast paced and an intriguing premise. If you're at all interested in the premise, I suggest that you check out this book.
Influencer Island is a wild ride for sure, it's twisty and dark. I liked the mystery of trying to find out why the characters were called to the island, and some of the horrific imagery the author conjured up won't be leaving my head any time soon. The unique format that the author used to tell the story was overall well done, but there were some points that I felt like I was getting whiplash from the changing perspectives and plot lines. I will say the ending was really gripping, and I really enjoyed the overall theme and tone of the book. It's a really fun yet horrific piece of work.
* sorry it’s taken so long to review *
i enjoyed this more then I thought. The format was a little difficult but eventually I adjusted. The story was really good and often reminded me of another book that had a similar idea. I love the mystery and the island! Great concept well executed
Influencer Island is all about the masks people wear behind a phone or computer screen. It follows the belief that nothing is as it seems behind closed doors. The contestants of Influencer Island are all well known influencers who want to continue building their fame by competing on a remote island for and becoming reformed.
The main characters of this story, Cal and Carrie, share a similar reason behind going to the island. They both have questions about what happened to important people in their lives. While you meet many other characters, Cal and Carrie are the main focus. It was obvious from the start and the many pauses within their story, what they lost drove them to find the truth.
That's what Influencer Island is all about: finding the truth. I particularly didn't care for all of the pauses in the story and while there were gruesome things and scenes that happened, I couldn't get on board with how the scenes developed. They felt unfinished and I wanted more from them. I also felt that the overall reveal at the end was lack luster because it felt random.
The overall originality and delivery of this book were unique and something that I found myself enjoying along the way. It was just the execution that didn't do it for me.