AN INSTANT USA TODAY BEST SELLER

OUT IN PAPERBACK DECEMBER 9, 2025

Hazel Davis is drifting: she’s stalled in her career, living in a city she hates, and less successful than her younger sister @evelyn, a lifestyle influencer. Evie came of age on the family YouTube channel after a viral video when she was five. Ten years older and spotlight-averse, Hazel managed to dodge the family business—so although she can barely afford her apartment, at least she made her own way.

Evie is eighteen now, with a multimillion-dollar career, but Hazel is still protective of her little sister and skeptical of the way everyone seems to want a piece of her: Evie’s followers, her YouTuber boyfriend and influencer frenemies, and their opportunistic mother. So when Evie disappears one day during an unsettling live stream that cuts out midsentence, Hazel is horrified to have her worst instincts proven right.

As theories about Evie’s disappearance tear through the internet, inspiring hashtags, Reddit threads, and podcast episodes, Hazel throws herself into the darkest parts of her sister’s world to untangle the truth. After all, Hazel knows Evie better than anyone else . . . doesn’t she?

A USA Today Best Seller
A Good Morning America Sizzling Summer Reads Roundup Pick
One of Goodreads Readers’ Most Anticipated Summer Mysteries and Thrillers in 2024
A CrimeReads Best Psychological Thriller Book of 2024
An Apple Books Best Books Pick of June 2024
A Betches Book Club Pick
A Reading Group Choices Most Popular June Book
One of Electric Literature’s Best Books of Spring 2024, According to Indie Booksellers

What People Are Saying

“Bad on Paper podcaster Muenter’s wildly entertaining first novel sounds the murky depths of social media fame… Packed with trenchant critiques of internet celebrity and topped off by a satisfyingly nasty finale, this leaves readers wanting more from Muenter.”

— Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review

“Clever, cutting, and utterly unputdownable, Muenter’s ice pick–sharp tale is a thoroughly modern page-turner.”

— Apple Books

“Wickedly clever and incredibly self-assured.”

— Molly Odintz, CrimeReads

“An addictive psychological thriller that will totally immerse you in the terrifying, overexposed world of child social media stars. Muenter’s debut will have you rethinking everything about your Instagram scroll as you inhale this book in a single sitting.”

— Jo Piazza, author of The Italian Inheritance and host of the Under the Influence podcast

“A fascinating exploration of the dangers of social media . . . smart and timely.”

—Carola Lovering, author of Tell Me Lies and Bye, Baby

“Razor-sharp insights and wit...A smart and intelligent thriller that is a not-to-be-missed page-turner. Buy multiples because this one has the making of a big best seller.”

— Library Journal, Starred Review

“This unsettling plot is delivered with a sense of humor and is filled with twists and turns that are sure to inspire a buzz within the thriller community. The shocking ending will leave readers wanting more. Muenter is a fresh new voice with a compelling perspective.”

— Jayme Oldham, Booklist

“Timely, riveting. . . . This story is as addictive as scrolling Instagram, and marks the launch of a talented new writer.”

— Ashley Winstead, author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour

“Such a Bad Influence is as addictive as Instagram. 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