Clara’s Verdict
Adam Cesare’s Influencer arrived as an Audible Original in November 2023, and it earns its reputation as one of the sharper YA thrillers of recent years. What makes it work is Cesare’s understanding that the most effective horror is not supernatural – it is social. Aaron Fortin is terrifying not because he has any special powers, but because he is simply very good at identifying what people want and using that knowledge against them. In 2024, that premise cuts close to the bone.
Brittany Pressley navigates a complicated dual narration with considerable skill, and the Audible Original production values are noticeably high. Rated 4.0 from fifty-three listeners, this is a confident, propulsive listen. Note that the content carries warnings for graphic violence, drug use, and sexual assault.
About the Audiobook
Aaron Fortin arrives at a new school mid-senior year, driving a conspicuously expensive car his parents gave him to compensate for the upheaval. He knows the car will mark him out, and he does not care – he intends to use it. Crystal Giordano is part of the misfit group Aaron inveigles his way into, and she is the first to sense that something is seriously wrong with him. When she tries to expose him, she becomes his primary target, and what begins as social manipulation rapidly reveals itself as something far more dangerous.
Cesare is particularly good at writing from inside Aaron’s perspective – the chapters that enter his point of view have a chilling coherence that makes the character’s actions feel scarily plausible. Crystal’s POV is equally well-handled: she is observant, resourceful, and believably frightened. The novel’s central concern – how influence operates in a world of social media, peer pressure, and adolescent need for belonging – gives it a contemporary urgency that distinguishes it from more conventional thriller fare. Produced by the producers of Smile and The Outsider.
The Narration
Brittany Pressley delivers a compelling dual narration, creating genuinely distinct voices for Crystal and Aaron without resorting to caricature. Aaron’s chapters require a particular quality – a surface charm that conceals something deeply wrong – and Pressley manages this difficult balance with impressive control. The production quality throughout is exceptional, as you would expect from an Audible Original. At eight hours and fifty-eight minutes, the pacing is tight and the listen never slackens.
What Readers Say
Rated 4.0 from fifty-three listeners. UK readers have been enthusiastic: one writes that the book reminded her of Twilight in its social dynamics – “only with a psychopath instead of vampires” – and that “the narrators of the audiobook were superb.” Another US reviewer describes it as a “keeps-you-up-all-night YA thriller” with three-dimensional characters and twists that brought her back at “my first best opportunity.” The consensus is that this is a compulsive, genuinely unsettling listen that earns its content warnings honestly.
Who Should Listen?
Recommended for older teens and adults who enjoy psychological thrillers with a contemporary social edge. Fans of Karen McManus, Maureen Johnson, or the darker end of YA fiction will find much to appreciate here. Given the content warnings, it is not appropriate for younger or more sensitive listeners. For a gripping, sharply observed thriller about the mechanics of social manipulation, find Influencer on Audible UK.
