Influence

Product Description

If you loved We Were Liars, be the first to read this twisty new mystery that dives into the world of teen influencers from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars Sara Shepard and seventeen-year-old actress and social media personality Lilia Buckingham. 

After a video she makes goes viral, everyone knows Delilah Rollins. And now that she’s in LA, Delilah’s standing on the edge of something incredible. Everything is going to change. She has no idea how much.

Jasmine Walters-Diaz grew up in the spotlight. A child star turned media darling, the posts of her in her classic Lulu C. rainbow skirt practically break the Internet. But if the world knew who Jasmine really was, her perfect life? Canceled.

Fiona Jacobs is so funny–the kind of girl for whom a crowd parts–no wonder she’s always smiling! But on the inside? The girl’s a hot mess. And when someone comes out of the shadows with a secret from her past, it’s one that won’t just embarrass Fiona: it will ruin her.

Who wouldn’t want to be Scarlet Leigh? Just look at her Instagram. Scarlet isn’t just styled to perfection: she is perfection. Scarlet has a gorgeous, famous boyfriend named Jack and there’s a whole fanbase about their ship. To everyone watching online, their lives seem perfect . . . but are they really? The sun is hot in California . . . and someone’s going to get burned.

Review

“[A]
glamourous thriller.” —
Publishers Weekly

“Welcome to the
glamorous—and
cutthroat—world of social media influencers. . . .
Glossy and salacious.” —
Kirkus Reviews

“This is a
fun romp and a peek into a
fascinating, of-the-moment
cultural phenomenon.” —
SLJ”A
timely tale that calls into question the pressures put on young people of influence and how far people are willing to go to get ahead.” —
Booklist

About the Author

SARA SHEPARD is the #1
New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series, the Perfectionists series, and many more novels for teens and adults. She lives with her family in Pittsburgh. @saracshepard on Instagram; @sarabooks on Twitter

LILIA BUCKINGHAM is a seventeen-year-old writer, actress, dancer, and student. Though she has a strong social media presence, Lilia hates the term “influencer” but loved writing INFLUENCE. She lives in Los Angeles with her mother, brother, and two dogs. @lilia on Instagram; @BuckinghamLilia on Twitter

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Delilah
 
Delilah Rollins was going to a very, very important party.
 She sat in the back of her family’s nondescript SUV–as though her mom, Bethany, was an Uber driver and she was the passenger–biting her nails in excitement and terror. Her mom clutched the steering wheel and fitfully murmured about the chaos of LA traffic, a city the family was brand-new to as of six days earlier, when they’d moved there from Minneapolis. To say they were having culture shock was a major understatement. 
“So tell me again what this thing is?” Bethany asked warily, cursing under her breath as another driver cut her off. 
Delilah shifted. “It’s for Wellness Beauty. It should be great. A lot of influencers and celebrities will be there, there will be tons of photo ops, free stuff . . .” 
Delilah’s sister, Ava, who was also sitting in the backseat, turned, eyes gleaming. “Ooh, can you get me an eyeshadow palette?” 
Bethany frowned. “You’re too young for makeup, Ava.” 
Ava pouted. “Fourteen isn’t too young!” 
Bethany ignored this, glancing at Delilah again in the rearview mirror. “Who invited you?” 
Delilah felt the same thrill that she had when she’d first gotten the invitation. Only one of the most famous people on the planet invited me, actually. But she couldn’t tell her mom that. It might freak her out. Her mom was wary of famous people, especially influencers. “Just some people I know online,” she said casually. 
“In other words, strangers.” Bethany shook her head. “Maybe I should come in with you.” 
“No!” Delilah begged