Influence

April 1, 2020
Welcome to the glamorous--and cutthroat--world of social media influencers. Sixteen-year-old newbie Delilah Rollins became a minor celebrity after her rescue of a puppy from a burning shed was caught on video and went viral. When she's invited by actress Jasmine Walters-Diaz to an influencer party at a fancy Los Angeles hotel, she's thrilled. Jasmine introduces Delilah to influencer and aspiring actress Fiona Jacobs, and Fiona's boyfriend warns Delilah away from the blonde and supposedly toxic Scarlet Leigh. Delilah also has a meet-cute with a green-eyed guy who turns out to be none other than Scarlet's beau, YouTube star Jack Dono. Cue the melodrama. When someone is murdered, Delilah vows to root out the killer in their midst. Via alternating narratives, the authors divvy up a handful of serious issues among the main cast, including bullying, sexuality, and mental illness, and Shepard's co-author, real-life teen influencer Buckingham, brings authenticity to a world defined by likes and clicks. But the final product is akin to flipping through a tabloid: It's glossy and salacious but ultimately shallow, and the murder mystery, complete with an out-of-left-field denouement, lacks tension. Still, things end on a hopeful note, and the overarching message of being true to oneself is evergreen. The cast includes some queer characters and seems to be mostly white; Jasmine is cued as Latinx, and Fiona is described as having caramel skin. A fleeting diversion. (Mystery. 13-18)

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May 1, 2020
Grades 7-10 The life of a social media influencer is rarely as it seems, and the latest from Shepard (Pretty Little Liars, 2006), a collaboration with Instagram star Buckingham, gives a look into the life of the internet famous. The story alternates between the perspectives of four teenage girls, each navigating the world of fame, from the up-and-coming Delilah, who went viral for saving a puppy from a burning building, to the well-established Scarlet, with her vicious reputation and rabid fan base. The cast is refreshingly realistic, including a character with diabetes, one with OCD, another who grew up in poverty, and two coming to terms with their sexualities. Readers learn at the start that someone dies, and the mystery only grows from there. Though a bit slow with the buildup, the story offers ample opportunity to get to know the characters and guess at who done it?and who gets done. 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

June 12, 2020

Gr 7 Up-After the video of her rushing into a burning building to rescue a puppy goes viral, teenager Delilah "@LilaD" Rollins and her family have recently arrived in Los Angeles-an epicenter of social media influencer culture. When she receives a DM from mega media star Jasmine Walters-Diaz inviting her to an influencer event, Delilah's life will never be the same. Along the way, she meets Fiona Jacobs (gorgeous on the outside, a hot mess on the inside) whose terrible secret is torturing her; Scarlett Leigh, one half of the ultimate social media 'ship, with a life more complicated than anyone realizes; and Jack, the bad boy YouTube star who is the second half of that internet-famous relationship. Their lives are scripted and documented to the Nth degree and while those lives may appear perfect, the reality is far from it. Shepard (Pretty Little Liars; The Perfectionists) teams up with teenage social media maven Buckingham to create a whodunit set against the highly competitive, cutthroat world of social media influencers. This is a fun romp and a peek into a fascinating, of-the-moment cultural phenomenon. VERDICT For fans of Shepard's other series and readers with an interest in influencer culture.-Elaine Baran Black, Georgia P.L. Svc., Atlanta

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December 7, 2020
An up-and-coming social media influencer from Minneapolis is quickly tangled in a complicated L.A. love triangle in this glamorous thriller by Shepard (Pretty Little Liars) and actor Buckingham. Delilah Rollins, 16, is known online as “Puppy Girl,” after a video of her saving a golden retriever from a burning building went viral. At her first big influencer event after moving to Los Angeles, she meets former child star Jasmine and aspiring actress and YouTuber Fiona Jacobs. Immediately hitting it off, the three bump into Scarlet Leigh—whose sponsorships, fierce reputation, and splashy relationship with YouTube comedian Jack Dono render her “practically a Kardashian.” But when a chance meeting between Delilah and Jack is filmed and circulated, it creates waves in the celebrity sphere. In this collaboration that mashes matters of fame with an unevenly written whodunit, Shepard’s expertise in crafting and layering multiple character perspectives comes through clearly alongside Buckingham’s insider’s take on social media notoriety. Ages 12–up. Agent: Andy McNicol, William Morris Endeavor.