As a reminder, my Lord of the Fly Fest review contains links to affiliate sites. Clicking and purchasing at these links helps fund A Modest Hiccup.
Goodreads Synopsis:
One of Us Is Lying meets Lord of the Flies meets Fyre Fest in this wickedly addictive and funny YA thriller.
Rafi Francisco needs something really special to put her true crime podcast on the map. She sets her sights on River Stone, the hearthrob musician who rose to stardom after the mysterious disappearance of his girlfriend. Rafi lands herself a ticket to the exclusive Fly Fest, where River will be the headliner.
But when Rafi arrives on the Caribbean island location of Fly Fest with hundreds of other influencers and (very minor) celebrities, they quickly discover that the dream trip is more of a nightmare. And it’s not just confronting beauty gurus-gone-wild and spotty WiFi. Soon, Rafi goes from fighting for an interview to fighting for her life. And, as she gets closer to River, she discovers that he might be hiding even darker secrets than she suspected…
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Lord of the Fly Fest Review:
Influencers roasting on an open fire (literally? maybe?) in this ‘Lord of the Flies’ but make it Fyre Festival novel.
If you like your drama with a side of snark, or you’re feeling both influencer *and* true-crime podcaster fatigue – this is the perfect read for you!
Lord of the Fly Fest is like Diet Coke, addictive and here to keep you up all night. This book picked up speed as I grew as obsessed with finding out what darkness was looming over the island as an influencer is with a new paid partnership. I went into this with only the vaguest of understandings of the plot, and I encourage everyone else to do the same to let yourself be swept away by the overt weirdness of each character.
This cathartic read took the exhaustion we have with the influencers, and hustle-culture startup bros clogging up our FYPs and feeds and made it hilarious, contemptible, and utterly readable.
Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.