Under Her Influence by Amanda RadleyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finished on May 16, 2021
Favorite Scene/Quote: "The algorithms of Instagram and YouTube were hard mistresses to appease."
4.5/5 rounded up
I’ve really enjoyed most of the Radley books that I’ve read previously, so when I saw that a new one was being released, I knew I was going to want to read it. Luckily, I was given an ARC eBook from Netgalley and the publisher to aid that desire. So disclaimer, I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Fraser Park is a nature reserve and theme park that has been handed down in the family for a few (couple?) generations now and is currently in the hands of Beth Fraser and her brother. Beth does most of the work around the park and has gotten a bit of a reputation because of it, even the board doesn’t really seem to like her. Her brother, in trying to help keep the park going, invites Jemma Johnson to stay for a week and post about the park. Jemma is a social media influencer and staying at Fraser Park has been on her bucket list. The two first meet at the park and, after a slightly bumpy meeting, the two end up spending time together.
I honestly really enjoyed this book. I think the main reason that I did was that it isn’t too serious. It’s not a book with a tremendous amount of serious drama. It falls more along the lines of a comfort read. Something you pick up when you just want a sweet story about likeable characters with a happy ending.
I really liked both characters. Beth is the perfect archetype of a workaholic who doesn’t really have time for much else in her life. She’s also portrayed very sympathetically. Radley gives you the reasons why she works so much, lets you see how this affects her. It’s nice and humanizing. She’s not portrayed as a monster who ignores everything for work. She’s portrayed as someone who still finds time to spend with her niece and nephew even as she struggles to deal with the load of work that she’s been given to keep her family’s park running. Jemma is also a very interesting character. Radley even made sure to include a bit about the toll that being an influencer can have on a person, the mental strain. I think Radley did an amazing job at the influencer side of things and I’m very curious to know how researched that information was. I’m really hoping most of it is at least somewhat realistic because it honestly sounded like things that would occur.
The only character who ever bothered me was Cameron. I do understand why he was the way he was, to a certain extent. He just got on my nerves when he seemed to ignore things that were blatant to other people. He didn’t even notice that his sister was suffering trying to make sure that they could keep the park. Part of me wishes the health part got played up a bit more just to freak Cameron out.
I do however have one major drawback that I need to mention. This entire book, including the epilogue, seems to take place over the span of a month or so. That didn’t bother me too much because I don’t actually mind insta-love stories sometimes, but I know that it could bother other people, so I felt like I needed to mention it. I do think the book would have benefited from being dragged out a bit. Having a few chapters between the board meeting and the epilogue where the two have to adjust to their new positions, in a professional and personal sense, and then setting the epilogue farther out than just a few weeks.
If you want a book that will kill a few hours and entertain you, I think this would be a great book. You don’t spend a lot of time wondering whether the characters are going to be okay when drama pops up and the characters bond nicely together.
4.5/5 rounded up
I’ve really enjoyed most of the Radley books that I’ve read previously, so when I saw that a new one was being released, I knew I was going to want to read it. Luckily, I was given an ARC eBook from Netgalley and the publisher to aid that desire. So disclaimer, I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Fraser Park is a nature reserve and theme park that has been handed down in the family for a few (couple?) generations now and is currently in the hands of Beth Fraser and her brother. Beth does most of the work around the park and has gotten a bit of a reputation because of it, even the board doesn’t really seem to like her. Her brother, in trying to help keep the park going, invites Jemma Johnson to stay for a week and post about the park. Jemma is a social media influencer and staying at Fraser Park has been on her bucket list. The two first meet at the park and, after a slightly bumpy meeting, the two end up spending time together.
I honestly really enjoyed this book. I think the main reason that I did was that it isn’t too serious. It’s not a book with a tremendous amount of serious drama. It falls more along the lines of a comfort read. Something you pick up when you just want a sweet story about likeable characters with a happy ending.
I really liked both characters. Beth is the perfect archetype of a workaholic who doesn’t really have time for much else in her life. She’s also portrayed very sympathetically. Radley gives you the reasons why she works so much, lets you see how this affects her. It’s nice and humanizing. She’s not portrayed as a monster who ignores everything for work. She’s portrayed as someone who still finds time to spend with her niece and nephew even as she struggles to deal with the load of work that she’s been given to keep her family’s park running. Jemma is also a very interesting character. Radley even made sure to include a bit about the toll that being an influencer can have on a person, the mental strain. I think Radley did an amazing job at the influencer side of things and I’m very curious to know how researched that information was. I’m really hoping most of it is at least somewhat realistic because it honestly sounded like things that would occur.
The only character who ever bothered me was Cameron. I do understand why he was the way he was, to a certain extent. He just got on my nerves when he seemed to ignore things that were blatant to other people. He didn’t even notice that his sister was suffering trying to make sure that they could keep the park. Part of me wishes the health part got played up a bit more just to freak Cameron out.
I do however have one major drawback that I need to mention. This entire book, including the epilogue, seems to take place over the span of a month or so. That didn’t bother me too much because I don’t actually mind insta-love stories sometimes, but I know that it could bother other people, so I felt like I needed to mention it. I do think the book would have benefited from being dragged out a bit. Having a few chapters between the board meeting and the epilogue where the two have to adjust to their new positions, in a professional and personal sense, and then setting the epilogue farther out than just a few weeks.
If you want a book that will kill a few hours and entertain you, I think this would be a great book. You don’t spend a lot of time wondering whether the characters are going to be okay when drama pops up and the characters bond nicely together.
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