whitneydaniell

Summary

Jenna Miller had dreams of being Broadway’s leading lady, but when life after high school took a sudden turn for the worse, she found herself cleaning wealthy homes to make ends meet.

Three years ago, when her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, Jenna left acting school to care for her. Since her mother could no longer work, someone had to pay the bills. While keeping her mother’s housekeeping business afloat, Jenna runs into an old high school classmate who invites her to their reunion event. Like most Gen Zers, Jenna has kept up with her old high school friends via social media, and the idea of rubbing elbows with them again—after her life has taken such a sudden turn—is something she doesn’t want to do.

But when her ex is mentioned in the conversation, she can’t help but want to see him again—maybe even rekindle their old relationship. So she puts on her best (and slightly smaller) little black dress and heads into the city to see for herself what everyone has been up to.

Shortly after arriving at the pricey bar where the event is being held, she’s shocked to learn that the ex she came to see is gay—and he’s there with his boyfriend. Before she can make her Irish exit, she runs into her childhood best friend, Corinne, and they slip right back into old habits: talking and catching up like no time has passed.

Corinne is an influencer looking to grow her online presence and expand her brand. She’s purchased tickets to the Girl Boss Summit, hosted by three top influencers who are beloved and admired among other influencers. Against her better judgment, Jenna reluctantly agrees to go with Corinne, thinking maybe being an influencer isn’t so bad—and it could help her escape the housekeeping business.

At the Girl Boss Summit, Corinne wins a raffle prize: an all-expenses-paid trip with the three star influencers—Venus Ashford, Suki Lin, and Sydney Blue Foster. At Corinne’s insistence, they allow her to bring Jenna along.

Corinne, Jenna, and three other up-and-coming internet personalities board a private jet with Venus, Suki, and Sydney Blue. Two hours later, they’re at a private villa on the beaches of Bermuda. But shortly after arrival, Jenna realizes the trip isn’t all it was promised to be—something far more sinister is going on, and she doesn’t want to stick around to find out.

It’s supposed to be a seven-day escape from reality where they learn the ins and outs of being an influencer, but suddenly, they’re all fighting for their lives. Is fame and fortune really worth it? How far would you go to have influence beyond your wildest dreams?

Character Summary

Once an aspiring Broadway actress, Jenna Miller had to leave school to care for her mother after her cancer diagnosis. For the past three years, she’s been working as a housekeeper for her mother’s company, Squeaky Clean. She has a desire to do and become more, but she doesn’t have the tenacity to go after it. Jenna is self-loathing when thinking or talking about her own lack of achievements, but when speaking about others, she idolizes them. She’s outwardly jealous of almost everyone she meets because she thinks their successes should be hers—even though she’s worked hard at nothing. She believes influencers are beneath her and that any success they’ve earned must be easy, something she could achieve without putting in real effort. Jenna behaves like a Boomer Karen—it’s unsettling.

On the contrary, Corinne Carter is desperate for the spotlight and will do anything to shine online for hundreds of thousands of people. She’s been stuck at a measly ten thousand followers and is desperate to gain the attention of big-name brands. Corinne is delusional and borderline psychopathic, following Venus as if she’s her big ticket to fame and fortune.

Venus Ashford shot to stardom seemingly overnight. One day she was a nobody; the next, she went viral and became the poster child for influencer virality. Suki Lin and Sydney Blue Foster follow behind Venus. Though they are celebrities in their own right, they’re not as big as Venus, and in her presence, they fade into the background.

My Thoughts

I want to know more about the author, K.D. Wong—there’s not much about him online. I wonder if that’s intentional. Or maybe this pen name is a pseudonym. Either way, I have a couple of questions.

• Were you once an aspiring influencer who was burned by another influencer?
• Did you once want to date or talk to an influencer, only to be rejected?
• Who hurt you?

Grammatical errors aside (since I read an advance copy), this was not a good read.

All of the characters are awful, but there is something so off about the main character, Jenna, that it’s disturbing. Her portrayal makes me think some woman out there hurt Wong’s feelings, and he wrote this book as retribution. Jenna hates her life and is angry that her mother got cancer and derailed her plans—as if millions of college students don’t also work full-time jobs. It’s New York City, not Hope, Arkansas! (No shade to Hope, AR)

She gets dolled up for this reunion party to snag her ex’s attention—plausible—but when she learns he’s gay, she’s physically disturbed. Aren’t all these Gen Zers gender-fluid or whatever?! It’s like she’s repulsed and jealous of his boyfriend at the same time. I am confusion.

I don’t have time to fully unpack the flawed “friendship” between her and Corinne, but it’s bothersome that in one breath, Jenna is jealous of the attention Corinne gets from Venus, and in the next, she acts like that kind of attention is beneath her. Then, once Corinne and Venus strike up a little alliance, Jenna suddenly plays up this “best friend” angle—when in reality, they haven’t spoken since high school and just reconnected a week ago. Hardly best friends, if you ask me.

My last gripe: the reveal and climax. Murder isn’t where you draw the line—it’s voyeurism? That’s what appalls you? The last 20% of this book is total swamp ass, makes zero sense, and I can’t imagine the editorial chain that allowed this manuscript to make it onto NetGalley—let alone be published for public consumption in a few weeks.

Final Verdict

This should still be a rough draft on Wong’s hard drive.

As a matter of fact, the same person who stole Beyoncé’s choreographer’s computer should go steal K.D. Wong’s devices—all of them. Can’t risk anything being in the cloud and getting out.

Okay, that was harsh, but seriously. There is a good premise here—how far influencers will go for fame and fortune—but it slipped into something silly when there was real potential for a sharp thriller.

Acknowledgement

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for this advanced reader copy of The Sinfluencers by K.D. Wong in exchange for my honest review.