About the Book
A razor-sharp debut thriller about what happens when one of the first child stars of the social media age grows up ... and goes missing.
Hazel Davis is drifting: newly unemployed, living in a city she hates, and significantly less successful than her infamous younger sister, Evie. Evie grew up online, having gone viral at age five in a daddy-daughter dance video. She had an Instagram following in elementary school, and brand sponsorships before she had a driver's permit. Now she's a megapopular lifestyle influencer, with a million-dollar career at an age when few teens know what they're going to major in.
But to Hazel, @evelyn is just Evie, her beloved little sister--and a kid who has been exploited for her entire childhood. Ten years older and spotlight-averse, Hazel has managed to dodge the family business, but she's deeply protective of Evie and skeptical of the way everyone seems to want a piece of her: Evie's followers, her YouTuber boyfriend, her frenemies across the influencer industry.
So when Evie disappears--in the middle of a live stream, during a brand-sponsored trip to Los Angeles--Hazel knows something is terribly wrong. Determined to find her sister, Hazel throws herself into the darkest parts of internet culture to untangle the threads of truth behind Evie's disappearance. After all, Hazel knows Evie better than anyone else ... doesn't she?
Internet fame, the allure of parasocial relationships, and some of our deepest cultural obsessions collide in this electric thriller by a debut writer to watch.
About the Author :
Olivia Muenter is a writer and cohost of Bad on Paper, a weekly podcast about books, life, and everything in between. Previously she was a senior fashion and beauty editor at Bustle.com. Olivia's work has appeared in Refinery 29, HuffPost, Glamour.com, Philadelphia magazine, Byrdie, Apartment Therapy, and more. This is her first novel.
Krystal Hammond is a narrator/writer, cancer survivor, and nonbinary queer human. They grew up in rural North Carolina, nurtured by a steady diet of local Black Beard legends and Civil War-era ghost stories. These nuggets of folktale and myth fostered a lifelong love of storytelling and all the drama that goes with it, resulting in loads of trunk novels and dozens of audiobooks. They have a passion for science fiction, fantasy, and horror, YA and middle grade novels, and romantic comedies. Amanda Stribling grew up as a musical theater/show-choir girl and went on to pursue a journalism degree from the University of Tennessee. She loves all things performance and often lends her voice to audiobook productions. A southern girl, she currently resides with her husband and twins in Nashville, Tennessee. Deanna Anthony is a classically trained singer, actress, and audiobook narrator. A former beauty queen, she has performed in over fifty regional and international theaters. When not working, she enjoys quilting and sewing, reading romance, and enjoying home-cooked meals and baked treats. Jesse Vilinsky is a classically trained actress and voice actor, having graduated from the USC School of Dramatic Arts and BADA in London. She has lent her voice to numerous film and television projects and has worked on various video games, animation, and commercial projects as well. As a narrator, Jesse has garnered recognition in AudioFile magazine for her expertly voiced characters and ability to bring forth the strength and truth of their stories.
Kelli Tager is a classically trained actor with a master's degree in Shakespeare studies from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK. For many years, she worked in film and theater and taught children's acting, but now she specializes in acting from behind the mic--in commercials, animation, and, of course, audiobooks. She finds audiobook narration to be the perfect marriage between her love of literature and her love of acting. Joe Hempel is a total eighties kid who had a fascination with an eclectic array of shows that would later shape his performances in the audiobook world. For over a decade, he honed his acting skills as a referee in professional wrestling and, combined with his animated personality and love for reading, went on to become an audiobook narrator. He has recorded over one-hundred titles in a range of genres. Mark Sanderlin is a talented voiceover artist who has worked on numerous audiobook projects.
Amara Jasper is an in-demand narrator with a background in film and stage acting.
Review :
"An addictive psychological thriller that will totally immerse you in the terrifying, overexposed world of child social media stars."
-- "Jo Piazza, author of The Sicilian Inheritance and host of the Under the Influence podcast"
"Packed with trenchant critiques of internet celebrity and topped off by a satisfyingly nasty finale, this leaves readers wanting more from Muenter."
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
"A fascinating exploration of the dangers of social media...smart and timely."
-- "Carola Lovering, author of Bye, Baby"
"Timely, riveting...This story is as addictive as scrolling Instagram."
-- "Ashley Winstead, author of Midnight Is the Darkest Hour"
"With razor-sharp insights and wit, Muenter puts under the microscope parents who monetize and exploit their children for clicks and financial gain...A not-to-be-missed page-turner."
-- "Library Journal (starred review)"
"Woven into its twisty, propulsive story of a missing influencer are complicated questions about the cost of mining one's life for content. I was riveted the whole way through."
-- "Ana Reyes, author of The House in the Pines"
