The Influencers by Anna-Marie McLemore: Book Review

The Influencers is the adult debut for best-selling author Anna-Marie McLemore. Released on April 15, 2025, it gives readers a look into the dark side of being an influencer. May Iverson has been an influencer and social media success for over 20 years. When her house is on fire, and her husband is found dead, everyone is left wondering who would do this? Obviously, her daughters would never do that, right?

I want to thank Random House, Dial Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Influencers. However, all opinions expressed here are solely mine.

Synopsis from Goodreads

“Mother May I” Iverson has spent the past twenty years building a massively successful influencer empire with endearing videos featuring her five mixed-race daughters. But the girls are all grown up now, and the ramifications of having their entire childhoods commodified start to spill over into public view, especially in light of the pivotal question: Who killed May’s newlywed husband and then torched her mansion to cover it up?

April is a businesswoman feuding with her mother over IP; twins June and July are influencers themselves, threatening to overtake May’s spotlight; January is a theater tech who steers clear of her mother and the limelight; and the youngest…well, March has somehow completely disappeared. As the days pass post-murder, everyone has an opinion—the sisters, May, a mysterious “friend of the family,” and the collective voice of the online audience watching the family’s every move—with suspicion flying every direction.

My Opinions

The Influencers gives Kardashian vibes. The mother swears everything she’s done is for the girls, to make their lives better. The daughters all push back in their own way, whether it’s following closely in Mom’s footsteps but not quite, or disappearing once they turn 18. It feels like you’re reading a dumpster fire of a story. And I mean that in the best possible way. I struggled to put the book down, I had to keep reading, I needed to know what happened next.

The only issue I had with the book was at the beginning, when meeting the daughters. At first, they all seem similar; there doesn’t seem to be much difference between them. But the more you read, the more you learn that there are differences, especially between the twins, June and July. That’s right, all of the girls are named after months of the year. That alone feels wrong, but it fits with the image of May Iverson.

There are a few mysteries in the book. One who set fire to the house? Two, who murdered August? Three, what happened to March? Four, who’s sharing the old footage of the Iverson family? Five, why are they sharing the footage?

I figured out one of the mysteries early on and felt vindicated when I was proven right. As for the others, I was surprised by the answers. I had my suspicions, but wasn’t 100% certain until McLemore spelled it out on the pages for us.

I haven’t read any of McLemore’s other books, so I can’t compare this to them. But I do know, if they write more books like The Influencers, I will be clamoring to read them. This felt like reading a tabloid magazine, one filled with stories of the rich and famous. But better, as it was full of so many juicy details.

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.