Today I’m joining the blog tour for Bad Influence. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the blog tour and TO Orenda Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

Two bored teenagers.
One stupid game.
The wrong place to play…

Alyssa wants to be seen. Less wants to be someone. She takes two buses to class, posts pictures of her lunch, and pretends it’s all effortless. He hides his privilege beneath thrifted clothes and a sketchbook full of impossible designs. Together, they are inseparable – two outsiders constructing a version of themselves the world might finally applaud.

Then Alyssa stumbles upon the hidden world of phrogging – living unnoticed inside other people’s homes. She and Less slip through Los Angeles’ glossy veneer: influencers, producers, pop stars, all so busy performing their perfect lives they don’t notice the shadows in their attics, the scratching in their walls.

An act of rebellion. A harmless thrill. A social experiment.

Until they choose the wrong house.
Until the influencer they idolise catches them in the act.
Until the cameras, already rolling, capture everything.

What begins as a reckless adventure becomes a nightmare of lies, power … and murder…

Review:

If you’re a regular reader of my reviews, you’ll know that I absolutely love Will Carter’s work. As usual, it’s not a conventional novel and the narrative is not always linear, but it took me on a surprising journey that did not disappoint me. 

Bad Influence is written in short sections, written from the perspective of various characters. I enjoyed this approach, as it kept the novel fast paced, but also allowed me some insight into the characters’ lives, and how this differs from the image they project on social media. There are also sections which replicate social media posts, which are often chillingly realistic and brought me into the world on which Will Carver is shining a light. As always, his observations are totally on point and really gave me some things to think about. 

The central characters in Bad Influence are Less and Alyssa. They are quirky characters with contrasting but compelling backgrounds, and despite their behaviour, I warmed to them and found their escapades exhilarating. 

The plot of Bad Influence is quite complex, but wonderfully pulled together. I absolutely did not predict the direction in which Will Carver took the story, but I was hooked the whole way through. The ending in particular means that I will be thinking about this novel long after I finished reading. 

Bad influence is available from Amazon.

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