Publisher: Gill Books
Source: Borrowed from library [ Goodreads ]
Blurb:
Fifteen-year-old Effie has spent her entire life in the spotlight as the daughter of @TheBrightFamily, a famous Irish influencer family known for their picture-perfect posts. But after her dad’s very public cheating scandal implodes their online empire, Effie’s mam relocates the family to a small rural town for a fresh start.
Desperate to escape her embarrassing past, Effie hides her influencer origins at her new school, where she finally starts to make friends and meets Jack – a grounded, gentle boy with a total lack of online presence or knowledge of that world. But as her mam starts reinventing herself, Effie’s secrets and her chance at a new beginning are at risk of being exposed … in a very public, very messy way.
I actually had no idea this book was a graphic novel until it arrived into the library. I had only skim read the blurb before requesting it as I knew this sounded like a fun time. What I came away with was so much more than fun.
This novel explores really important themes around social media. The plot highlights the good and bas aspects and how children being used by blogger families as content really impacts them and can have negative affects on them as they grow into teenagers and adults. A lot more thought has been given to these "family vloggers" lately, as we are only seeing the repercussions now. I think the way in which the reader sees not only Effie but the rest of her family deal with the upheaval of their lives due to the fact that their parents decided to invite the internet into their every private family moment is very impactful and important.
The story is engaging and with a whole cast of fantastic characters. I loved Effie's granny she was amazing, Effie's siblings and mum seeing how they cope with this change, and of course Effie's new friends after she moves away was so special. There are lots of genuinely very funny moments in the book that made me laugh. I really loved the "Irishness" of the story too as we don't see too many graphic novels for teenagers out there that are from Irish authors so this feels extra special.
Written with real warmth, perfectly realistic teenage voice and a real thought provoking message regarding social media use presented in a way that I hope teenage readers finish the story not only wanting more Effie stories (me too) but also reconsidering their views on influencer culture and online sharing.
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