Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter Book Review

I’m very excited to be sharing my Such A Bad Influence book review today. I picked this book up because I follow the author Olivia Muenter on Substack. She shares behind the scenes info about her book and publishing process, as well as stories from her life. She also has this really cool Desk Tour series where she talks with writers and creatives and showcases their workspaces.

I love that! My Mom always loves reading Architectural Digest to look at beautiful homes, but I would much rather see their home offices. Haha.

Such a Bad Influence is a really interesting book. It’s told through the eyes of Hazel who is a struggling twenty-something who must help her mother cope when her younger sister goes missing after returning from a brand-sponsored trip. Evie is a social media queen and tiktok star so when she stops posting to her accounts altogether, Hazel knows that something must be wrong.

Keep reading for my full Such a Bad Influence book review. And if you’re looking for more thriller recommendations, you can find more here.

What is Such a Bad Influence About?

Hazel Davis is drifting: she’s stalled in her career, living in a city she hates, and less successful than her younger sister, @evelyn, a mega-popular lifestyle influencer. Evie came of age online, having gone viral at five years old for a heart-tugging daddy-daughter dance. Ten years older and spotlight-averse, Hazel managed to dodge the family YouTube channel—so although she can barely afford her apartment, at least she made her own way.

Evie is eighteen now, with a multimillion-dollar career and unlimited opportunities, but Hazel is still protective of her little sister and skeptical of the way everyone seems to want a piece of her: Evie’s followers, her YouTuber boyfriend and influencer frenemies, and their opportunistic mother. So when Evie disappears one day —during an unsettling live stream that cuts out midsentence—Hazel is horrified to have her worst instincts proven right.

As theories about Evie’s disappearance tear through the internet, inspiring hashtags, Reddit threads, podcast episodes, and scorn, Hazel throws herself into the darkest parts of her sister’s world to untangle the threads of truth. After all, Hazel knows Evie better than anyone else . . . doesn’t she? (from Amazon.com)

Who is Olivia Muenter?

Olivia Muenter is the author of Such a Bad Influence. This is her first published novel. She is also a writer and cohost of the podcast Bad on Paper (a weekly podcast about books, writing, and other lifestyle topics).

Such a Bad Influence is a mystery filled with twists and turns, and perfect for fans of Ashley Winstead, Carola Lovering, and Jessica Knoll.

My Initial Thoughts

I have to say right off the bat that I really enjoyed the way Olivia structured this story. The opening scene features Evie but immediately after that we are thrust into a world where Evie is gone. As Hazel and her mother discuss Evie and her disappearance with the police, Hazel gets lost in thought and we learn some of the back story about her family and Evie’s rise to social media fame and the way their Mom got sucked into the mom-ager role of controlling her daughter’s brand deals and money.

I have to be completely honest. Many years ago I used to enjoy the Get Off My Internets forums. I never posted, but I liked to read the different snark on bloggers like Taza (Rockstar Diaries), Natalie Jean (or Nat The Fat Rat back in the day), The Daybook. Basically any of the innocuous mormon mommy bloggers who shared way too much information about their children’s lives.

All of that is to say that I really enjoyed this addictive psychological thriller because I was familiar with the world. For years people have wondered about what would happen to the first child stars of the social media age and somehow Olivia perfectly captured in her book how horribly wrong things can go.

Interesting Aspects of Such A Bad Influence

The story is interspersed with different bits and pieces of the darkest parts of internet culture, like reddit posts, newsletters, and podcast interviews. That’s a really interesting way to add information to the story without just spelling it out for the readers.
For Hazel’s family, social media really became a family business. One that she worked very hard to not be a part of. I found Hazel to have a very compelling perspective on all things related to internet fame.
It’s of course very interesting to read about the rise of a megapopular lifestyle influencer. I imagine it was very fun to craft Evie’s rise to fame. It’s a very original storyline, and yet it totally seems like something that could happen in real life.
The daddy-daughter dance video. So dark. But so brilliant.

In Conclusion

Such a Bad Influence is a fascinating exploration of the dangers of social media. It may seem harmless to make a little money with brand sponsorships on social media. Social media stars do it all the time. For teens, if their money is properly managed it can even be a great way to save money for college. But things can get out of hand very quickly. Money changes people and in the case of Evie’s situation, the people involved in her life may not have her best interests in mind.

This book is also a powerful reminder about the allure of parasocial relationships. We may thing we know the people we follow and admire, but the truth is that all we see is what they are showing us. We don’t actually know them or their lives.

It’s easy to see that this book is the launch of a talented new writer. I really enjoyed Olivia Muenter’s debut novel and I hope she publishes more in the future. She’s a fresh new voice and her razor-sharp debut thriller certainly won’t be her last.