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.

First things First: this book WILL NOT be for everyone. It is not written in a traditional style; the story is told through a podcast, and the novel is a transcript of that podcast. So if that style of writing doesn’t appeal to you, this isn’t the book for you.

But, me? I loved it. Let me try to explain what it’s about, lol.

Rogue, and often macabre, street artist Wyatt James, announces his biggest project yet: Influencer Island, a party with the world’s top Internet celebrities and a competition to see who could outwit the others to become the world’s top influencer and enshrine themselves forever as a celebrity beyond their wildest dream. Millions applied for the chance to go to the island and watched the contest begin. But then the contest got dark, quickly. And then it went offline. And by the time police got to the island to intervene, there were many dead and even more missing. What exactly happened on the island? The podcast, told by someone in the middle of the drama, puts the story out there for the first time.

I seriously couldn’t stop reading this book. It just sucked me in from the beginning and I had to know what the heck was going to happen next. It seemed like every chapter brought some new twist that just had me needing to know more! And of course the book kept delivering with more craziness that kept me satisfied as I just plowed through this book.

I didn't get any deep messages out of this book if we were supposed to about social media obsession or anything, I just enjoyed it for what it was, a fun escape from reality for a little while.

The thing is, you have to suspend your belief a little bit and just have some fun with this one. I mean, is the FBI going to let some possibly murderous/definitely morally questionable street artist just roam around and then gather a bunch of people on an island without any question? No way! But is it fun to imagine that they could get away with it? Sure! Once you realize this is an exercise in just relaxing and enjoying a good book, you’ll enjoy it much more.

If you’re willing to give this one a try, it’s definitely worth it, IMO.

So, how into the ‘Gram are you? How vibrant and eye-catching is your Insta-life? Would you make the cut? Would you be chosen to be part of the Influencer Island?

This is a dark and gripping, immensely quick paced, deviously deceptive novel that I could NOT stop thumbing through. A few readers found the format in which the book is written to be a problem, but I found the format to be one of the most interesting things about this novel. Written in the way of a podcast, each character providing their narrative,
I could almost hear their voices speaking the words, and I found myself thinking about the novel even when I wasn’t reading it. Some of the characters seem shallow and not thoroughly developed, but in a book with a cast this big, that’s difficult to do - the main character, especially Carrie, is a well developed character, her motivations and her life laid bare for the reader to peruse through.

Overall, the book becomes thrilling right away, hooking me in a way very few others had, and it got crazier and crazier as things began to be revealed. I had a lot of guesses on how the book would end, but nothing prepared me for the way things unfolded. I absolutely loved every minute of reading this novel. Definitely recommend this book - I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel, it can’t come soon enough !!!

Influencer Island is a riveting book that truely kept me wanting to turn the page and find out what was going to happen next. The story brings to light influencer culture and the horrors behind living your life in public. The imagery was so vivid that I could imagine this easily becoming a tv show or movie.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greater Path LLC for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Influencer Island by Kyle Rutkin.
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?
Really good read. Twisty. 4*

a short and snappy book written like a podcast. it was dark and twisted and had a concept that was intriguing, The characters were all very unlikeable and i did struggle to keep invested in other story.

I really liked this concept. I think the trials part could have been more details but I enjoyed them.

the book is all about how fake people are online trying to impress strangers and how that doesn't make a lick of difference in the end.

i dont know how else to describe this without giving it away... its like survivor but influencer likes is the voting.

Such a fast read for me! I finished reading this book in just under 5 days, delving deep into the depths of its pages. A work of ART!!! Kyle Rutkin definitely knew what he was doing when he fleshed together this eerily written tale.

Pulling you in with snippets of the nightmarish social media competition that was Influencer Island; the story begins with a combination of audio clips and pleading last words from contestants who were later found dead, alongside eerie dialogue from multiple news outlets and survivors recollecting the terrible events that lead to their deaths.

Influencers pitted against each other in a torturous tale that embodies the struggle between wanting to be seen by the world, and what they are willing to do in order to be thrust into the limelight. "They don't want to group up and be an astronaut or a doctor. They want followers. They want verified check marks. They want to be famous."

Peppered with a unique backstory and a brilliantly written plot, this book is definitely one to pick up if you haven't yet! For those of you who may have ever been, currently are, or have ever dreamt about being internet famous... this read is one for you. I can practically guarantee that you won't be disappointed.

A VERY, VERY, VERY special thanks to NetGalley, GreaterPath LLC, and Kyle Rutkin for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and held my attention. I will be reading more from this author :)

Influencer Island is a fast-paced thriller and suspense novel with plenty of twists and turn. I enjoy it when authors play around with the format of their work, so the podcast-style dialogue set up was cool to read. I haven't read another book written in that style before. There were some moments that the dialogue between two separate "scenes" was overlapped for dramatic impact. Most of these were clear, but there were a few instances that I had to back track and re-read to make sure I was keeping track of everything correctly. In general, setting up the story as a podcast really worked in the favor of revealing information to the reader in a methodical way that kept the story engaging and compelling. It's been a while since I've read a book that makes me say "okay, just one more" at the end of each chapter.

The plot was enjoyable, though definitely graphic as the warnings mention. I loved the meta references to other works of fiction like The Hunger Games. I do wish there'd been a few more hints scattered in for some of the plot twists (though it's very possible that I may've just missed them). Though, I did like that I sometimes didn't see twists coming at all, which can be rare for me.

I'd definitely be interested to read more from Kyle Rutkin, whether that's more from this series or something new!

this was SO confusing to read. the constant switching between timelines, what was going on on the island, what was going on with the missing brother. i just could not keep any of it straight.