Influential

When I bought this book, I thought I was taking a bit of a risk. I don't usually read this type of book, where the real world is talked about in the story. By this, I mean that most of the time, the books I read don't explicitly talk about things such as Instagram, or YouTube. This book was one focussing on issues that are caused by these real-life things, such as social media, and the impacts that they can have on many different people. However, I can say that this was a risk worth taking.

Almond was born into a life constantly on camera due to her mother's YouTube channel, and as she was growing up, her whole life ended up being documented on the internet. Once she started to get older, brands began reaching out to her and her mum asking them to do advertisements for them. As Almond was thrust into fame, she ended up having anxiety, and then as a result of this, a condition called excoriation disorder, where she was constantly picking her skin all over, causing blood, to try and gain some sense of control.

Her mum sent her to a doctor to see if he could help her with her anxiety and excoriation, which did for a while, but not for long enough. Soon later, she was referred to group therapy, where she finally met some people who liked her for her, not for her follower count.

I really liked Almond's progression throughout the story, and her gradual realisation on how she didn't have to do what everyone else wanted for her, but could do what made her feel good. I also thought that her situation was a good example, that was not made too 'internet-y', of how not everything that is seen online is true. Her's and Imogen's portrayal of the outcomes of growing up in the public eye was very interesting to read.

Heather was my favourite character (apart from Honey the dog) because she showed that people can have a balanced life between the online world, and real life, as well as being able to talk to people about her problems, as well as helping others with theirs. Joss was a good character as well, but I was not a very big fan of his chronically offline message. Although it was a good representation of two opposites of a spectrum, it was a little unrealistic for somebody living in a big city in modern times.

The blackmail that Almond received was also a well written representation of how things can easily be faked, yet can still absolutely ruin someone's life. The release of the video from the anonymous troll was a well written way to show that malicious people are out there, and that they are not always just talking, but sometimes act on what they say. This message being sent through the book can hopefully remind people that if something like this happens to them, to tell someone before it gets too late.

So many social issues were discussed in this book, which I think was beneficial, because it can make people more aware of issues they may not have even known existed. I liked this story quite a lot, despite the messed-up characters such as the mum and the rest of the beauty influencer circle, but I do feel like some of the speech feels a bit out of place when reading. It was a decent story, but there was nothing exceptional, or terrible, about it. So overall, I would say it was fine.

★★★