Emmy was a magazine editor before the industry flamed out. When it was over, she needed to find something new, something she could build herself. So she became an Instagram influencer. With the help and support of her family and friends, her agent and other follower-hungry influencers, and with a sharp eye for what the public wants to see on their social media feeds, she has built an empire. @Mamabare has over a million followers, along with the free swag and product endorsements that come with that.
Her husband Dan is a writer. His first novel did well, was even picked up by Hollywood for a possible movie, but that was seven years ago. Now he’s struggling to write that second novel while being recruited to help out Emmy with her Instamum life. He worries about their kids being photographed and put online so much, but since that is what is paying their bills, he has agreed to let their 4-year-old daughter and infant son be a part of @Mamabare. They do take precautions, though, as there are many out there who clearly are not fans of Emmy and her Instalife.
There have always been trolls on the internet, those who will take any opening to say disparaging things. There have always been men online hitting on her, making suggesting comments, or sending pictures of themselves through direct message. Emmy shrugs these off, acting like they’ll be safe from the online degenerates, the bots, and the pervs. She takes the time to answer people’s comments and to respond to fan DMs. She tries to be who everyone wants her to be, offering words of support to those who are hurting or a congratulatory “you go, girl!” for those who are celebrating. All this with a generous helping of emojis and vulnerability. That’s why she has a million followers. Because people like her.
But as her career takes up more time and energy, it drains their marriage of its spark. The shirts and mugs and appearances help pay their bills, but it means more time spent pretending to be a family instead of enjoying being a family. And if the family is the brand, what happens when it starts to fray at the edges?
And then the danger gets closer. Dan loses their daughter at a mall for several frantic minutes. He finds her, but she’s holding an aged stuffed animal that they’d never given her. There is a break-in at their home, a laptop stolen along with passwords for all the @Mamabare accounts. Photos of their daughter start showing up on another Instagram profile, pictures that they had taken of her but had never posted online. This profile talks about their daughter as if she belongs to someone else, and as if she is sick. Dan is behind himself at the fake profile. Is it a threat? How can he keep his family safe?
And when the internet threats show up in real like and puts the family in real danger, will the InstaFamily survive to post more content? How could they possible come back from that?
People Like Her is a darkly funny novel of life under the InstaMicroscope. Debut novelist Ellery Lloyd takes a deep look at what it truly takes to be an influencer, the sacrifices, the time, the careful curation of every comment and caption. One small misstep could bring it all down overnight, and that’s not even counting those who use the internet to stir up trouble. This comic suspenseful novel looks under every rock at what could go wrong for an Instagrammer and brings a lot of that to life.
I was swept away reading People Like Her. I thought it was brash and funny, chilling and engaging, and I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see how it all wraps up (really well, if you’re interested). If you are interested in being an influencer, or you know someone else who is, this is the book to read to help you think through all the pitfalls. But it’s also just a really good domestic thriller with smarts and biting humor and a little heartbreak too.
Egalleys for People Like Her were provided by Harper through Edelweiss, with many thanks.
