Ok, let me start with the fact that I devoured this book in 1 day.

But I struggled with it at the beginning, because it is a slow burn and quite descriptive at times. The concept was refreshing to read and quite interesting. It is quite relevant to current times, with the internet and different platforms and how many people think being famous will solve all their problems when in reality is the contrary. It gave me Black Mirror vibes of how real this can be. It has so many twists and turns, you cannot trust anyone.

I devoured this in a day. The plot was compelling and very original (think ‘Black Mirror’ meets ‘Love Island’) and I really liked and enjoyed the characters. Heather wins a ‘social media lottery’ whose prize is cash payouts for life and (more interestingly) six months of fame. So she leaves her old career and friends behind to join the glamorous world of 'winfluencers,' who are living the high life and spending their wealth, streaming and posting as they go, their every move watched by millions of followers. At first, it all feels like a dream come true. Until the dream turns into a nightmare…

A twisting, turning, roller coaster of a book that kept me reading, kept me guessing and left me thinking about the strange era of instant fame we live in – and the dangers that come with it.

I liked this and was a page turner ,intriguing and different kinda concept .cd be a black mirror episode and worth a read

Brilliant. Unsettling, engrossing and very timely tale about the dark side of social media. Was gripped and left chilled. This is an important story and one that touches on so much in the modern world today. What is so ingenious is that the narrative is both immersive yet offers all the thrills of an escapist thriller read: we are both appalled by the world the characters move in, yet are simultaneously swept up in it all. Following on from the brilliant When She Came Back, this is certain to be a summer sizzler of a read.

Parsons takes a combination of ‘Big Brother’, YouTube ‘influencers’, and Instagram to imagine an App called Triple F (Fame, Fortune and Followers). Any member of the public can enter a lottery and if chosen is given £5,000 week for life provided they manage to keep their followers above half a million for 6 months.

What the appeal of the winfluencers, (those who win this lottery), actually is, is never really shown. Some of the women do videos on interior design, or make-up, but why would these be watched over the hundreds of other Youtubers doing the same thing? Heather, the protagonist, is a trainee science teacher, and promotes the company by buying new clothes and doing a vlog of her new house. The idea needs more thought, and most of the App insta-fame concept is told to the reader rather then shown.

The synopsis of the novel intrigued me because Youtube watching has overtaken traditional television in the United States. It is always interesting to look at new technology and how it changes people’s habits and how this affects society.

“Celeb rate is just a pretty veneer for advertisers. An idealised vision of what happens when ordinary people are subjected to sudden wealth and fame…Fame hijacked by people who have done nothing to achieve it yet somehow feel they deserve it, who feel that everyone should want to watch them, not as they perform a live concert, unveil a new work of art, or act in a film, but simply engage the mundane activities of their daily lives: shopping, partying, eating a piece of cake. It makes no sense whatsoever. But it’s fascinating”

I would agree with the author that there are YouTubers and Kardashian sisters who are famous seemingly for nothing. However, the appeal of YouTube and TicToc and Instagram is there. 68% of people in the United States watch more video content from YouTube than any other platform, while 51% still watch traditional TV. I would have liked a more thoughtful treatment of this. Would everyone if given £5,000 a week chose a shallow life style? How does the loss of privacy affect people? Why are social media apps so popular? Are they really only used by narcissists to show off themselves and their possessions in return for promoting products to their followers?
The novel is a thriller. There are suspicious deaths and many of the characters have secrets which are slowly revealed to the reader. There is also a romantic sub-plot.

There needed to be fewer characters, so that they could have been given more personality. The concept needed to be more convincing. I didn’t enjoy this novel and couldn’t recommend it.

Took me a while to get into this book and I found it a bit too slow for me. It was well written but didn't keep me on the edge of my seat unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this ARC.

I love me a good psychological thriller and the Winner scratches that itch for me perfectly!

I highly enjoyed this and recommend it for everyone loooking for a good summer pool side read

This was a really fun and modern read. I love stories about influences and social media and such although I do hate when they include medium such as message boards, articles and pod casts but that is the world we live in so it makes sense to have aspects of that reflected in the book. A slow burn but a really enjoyable one. Very character based and also just so so realistic! I was so hooked and really enjoyed getting lost in this world

A unique concept, which was fun to consider. The whole setup of the Winfluencers was clever and something that probably could happen in today's society. I did find Heather a little naive at times. She seemed to not understand how anyone could not want fame and fortune, but as an intelligent trainee teacher I'm surprised she didn't factor in that some people are shy, private, self conscious, etc. I would read more by this author though as they clearly have a unique edge in the thriller market.

I was hooked immediately with this book, the twists and turns and build up of sense was just so thrilling overall.

Whilst I enjoyed this novel on the whole, it's certainly very of the moment, it took far too long to get going. I didn't really get into it unil nearly halfway through. Plenty of twists and turns once it got going!

Way too slow moving. I got through the first part where the guy was whining about his drinking problem and never found anything interesting after that. I had to check back to make sure I was even reading the book that matched the description. I gave up. Just had nothing for me.

Fame. Fortune. Followers. Be careful what you wish for. An intriguing and gripping thriller about the world of influences and what people will do for fame. Tense and twisty, this book is certain to keep you hooked to the very end. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

as news spreads of a celeb-rate star losing all of his followers after being caught drunk driving, a teacher is willing to sign up for a reality show to gain followers.

i loved the inclusion of articles that the characters were reading, it drew the reader in more.

this book is a great representation of how social media has taken over lives and warped our ideas of relationships, beauty and life itself.

the book touches on, trolls, stalkers, wanting social media popularity and mental health issues caused by social media usage, which is very relevant to a lot of different audiences

this is a thriller based on the haunting reality of the internet- it’s very black mirror-esque.

I found this a little difficult to get into at first, too many threads maybe?
The premise of the book is really interesting, 'Triple F Lottery' which offers a life changing £5000 a week providing you can maintain social media followers above the bottom spot in the ratings. Heather is to be one of the 'lucky' dozen winners competing for the prize but someone is leaking the contestants secrets online with dire consequences...
A fun read for a self-obsessed social media generation!

This book is fantastic. I loved the whole plot of the story and found it extremely exciting as to what was going to happen.

This book shows accurately depicts the dirty underbelly of reality TV competitions, when combined with a gruesome crime. The pace is breakneck and you will not be able to tear yourself away!

This one is an intriguing take on the classic cautionary tale of why "winning the lottery" (in this case, quite literally) may not in fact be the solution that people sometimes think it is...

Heather is delighted to be one of a dozen lucky winners in the Triple F Lottery that does in fact offer a life-changing opportunity. Providing you can maintain anything above the bottom spot in the ratings of our social media obsessed world!

Unfortunately, that turns out to be more difficult than she anticipated, as someone starts to leak the winners' secrets online, and all hell breaks loose as a result...

This is an entertaining read, and a fresh take on a not entirely unfamiliar trope. I had fun with it. It gets 3.5 stars.