Suck it in and smile

Ellie, 25, is a top Canadian social-media and YouTube influencer under the handle Quinoa Forever. Her days are consumed by constantly posting pretty pictures and videos of herself eating healthy foods or documenting what she's wearing, whether that's her workouts and postworkout snacks, her most important recipes, or snapshots of her life with boyfriend Samuel--a heartthrob singer. Ellie thinks her glamorous life is complete, but living so publicly takes work and tough skin for this once-unpopular girl who was chided for her weight. In the quest to increase her ranking, gain followers, and attract better sponsors, Ellie reluctantly agrees to let her agent pair her with another influencer for a series of posts and videos. To measure up, she finds herself sucking it up and sucking it in more than ever--and wondering if this is truly the life she wants to be living. This unfiltered look at being a successful influencer strips away the glitz and glitter to show the emotional and physical tolls of fighting for demographics and followers while maintaining overly strict diets and a pristine public persona. Interspersed with Ellie's posts and followers' comments, the story deals with self-esteem, showing that perfection on social media fuels society's unhealthy obsession with appearances. A perfect crossover title for those questioning their worth, just like the author did as a teen.

An influencer grapples with presenting an authentic life on social media instead of living one in this novel translated from French. From her home in Quebec, 25-year-old Ellie watches her YouTube account, Quinoa Forever, grow to nearly half a million followers. From recipes to workouts and polished photos on Instagram, Ellie finds new fame thanks to her relationship with her handsome musician boyfriend, Sam, who was a finalist on The Voice. But her life starts to unravel when she meets kind, interesting Dave and she can't stop thinking about him. In addition, someone from a dark part of her past resurfaces, and she begins to lose her grip on maintaining picture perfection. Ellie struggles with disordered eating, including obsessing over calories, bingeing, and misusing exercise; a supporting character accuses her of promoting orthorexia. There is some discussion of body positivity, but frustratingly, Ellie never fully recognizes the seriousness of her behaviors or stops participating in the perpetuation of the culture of fat-shaming. Beaudoin-Masse expertly weaves Ellie's emotional distress--often taking the form of a quiet, burning rage and desperation--into the storyline. The pacing is well done, and the supporting characters are interesting. However, the book finishes on a cliffhanger that may leave readers searching for missing pages. The main characters are assumed White. A relevant read that comes close to making substantial social revelations. (Fiction. 16-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

If there's one thing that annoys influencers, it's being told that they are influencers. In general, we prefer to be known as "content creators." I would never say this in front of my colleagues, but I think it's hilarious to talk about our work this way. I mean, it's so deliberately ... vague. As if a large part of what we do isn't to exert our influence over our followers. ... That's why the expression "content creator" makes me laugh. I mean, you're kidding, right? That would be, like, the difference between me and a photographer. Technically we're both "content creators." She takes pictures and I make videos, right? Yet you'd never hear a photographer call herself a content creator. She's a photographer because what she sells is her pictures.  But what am I selling? My content? No. What I sell is the people who watch my videos. What brands want when they hire me is to reach my audience. I sell my influence. I am an influencer.  We're not going pretend otherwise, are we? Excerpted from Suck It in and Smile by Laurence Beaudoin-Masse All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.