Olivia Muenter- Such a Bad Influence (Podcast)

Debut novelist, Olivia Muenter, joins Book Gang to discuss her hit debut Such a Bad Influence and the dark side of online fame in her real and imagined worlds.

What happens when your child becomes famous? In Such a Bad Influence, Olivia Muenter pulls back the curtain on the innocent early days of a fictional family’s online moment that went viral, to later reveal the insidious nature of the influencer era when fame and fortune find them.

A self-described “recovering influencer,” Olivia shares how her debut became a sharp, emotional page-turner and the ways her work as an influencer tied into her more complicated truths in this mixed media thriller.

In this revealing conversation, we discuss:

Unlearning the Influencer Mindset – Olivia shares what it really means to be a “recovering influencer,” the habits that were hardest to break, and how her social media past shaped her storytelling voice.
Choosing an Independent Path with Quirk Books – Olivia shares why partnering with a boutique publisher was the right fit for her debut, from the creative freedom it offered to the close-knit collaboration that helped Such a Bad Influence find its perfect audience.
The Hidden Cost of Kid Influencing – Olivia discusses the unsettling realities of children growing up online to create family content and explores how she used her unsent newsletters to craft a mixed media experience for readers, illustrating the struggles long after the cameras stop rolling.

Don’t miss this week’s fun companion book, 18 influencer books that are as unputdownable as your favorite feed. Patrons will also receive today’s printable checklist to take on their next visit to the library.

Such a Bad Influence Book Summary

An electric psychological thriller about what happens when one of the first child stars of the social media age grows up . . . and goes missing.

Hazel Davis is drifting. Her career has stalled out, and she lives in the shadow of her younger sister, @evelyn, a mega-popular influencer who rocketed to fame as the child star of their family’s viral YouTube channel. Now, at eighteen, Evie has a multimillion-dollar career and everyone wants a piece of her—Evie’s followers, her YouTuber boyfriend and influencer frenemies, and even her opportunistic mother.

Ten years older, Hazel has nothing to do with the family business. But when Evie vanishes during an unsettling livestream, theories about her disappearance tear through the internet, and Hazel must throw herself into the darkest parts of her sister’s world to uncover the truth.

Addictive and thought-provoking, Such a Bad Influence offers a razor-sharp commentary on influencer culture and social media.

Meet Olivia Muenter

Olivia Muenter is a writer, reader, and the co-host of the Bad on Paper podcast. Her first novel, Such A Bad Influence was an instant USA Today Best Seller. Her second novel, Little One, will be published in 2026.

A former fashion & beauty editor and freelance writer, Olivia’s work has been published in Glamour, Byrdie, Bustle, Brides, Health.com, Philadelphia Magazine, and more. You can find her most personal writing via her weekly newsletter, where she shares about her life, her work, and everything in between.