No, this isn't an April Fools prank - you are, in fact, seeing an older review that I'm bringing back for visibility and because I've had some changes in my personal life (good changes!) that mean I'm extra exhausted. No excuses, but my brain won't let me write a coherent review right now, and I don't want to do any author dirty because of it.
BAD VIBRATIONS by Lucy Leitner
1. I’m starting this off by saying I relate hard-core to the main character, Valerie. I’m a gym rat. I’ve spent a large portion of my life being active – from high school and college sports to gym memberships as an adult. Admittedly, and somewhat ashamedly, when social media became as big as it is there was a brief (I mean BRIEF) moment I thought I’d try my hand at being a fitness influencer. NOPE. I quickly learned I do not have the particular brand of crazy that is required for that. Not saying I have no crazy, I surely do, just not that kind. All of the characters in this book are ‘slight’ exaggerations of the types of people you’ll encounter in that space and MAN, it brought memories and feelings flooding back to me. Yikes. Glad I dodged that bullet, says the girl who now spends all of her money on independent horror books and conventions 😉
2. I love how Lucy so perfectly likens the fitness influencer industry to a cult. Because, honestly, that’s what it is. Not just influencers; it’s not fair to single them out, but the whole industry. It’s so sad, because there are science-based things that are out there and can be helpful to people who need them. I for one, have a diagnosed vitamin B12 deficiency – so I take a supplement – and I notice a difference. NOT EVERYONE needs this, yet I see it all over everything as a magic cure for fatigue (it’s not). Health and wellness are so individualized and it’s also something VERY valuable – beyond monetarily, so it’s incredibly easy for capitalistic vultures to swoop in and ‘woo’ people into buying unnecessary and, sometimes harmful, items/supplements/ideas. Thankfully, I have noticed more and more fit-fluencers out there calling it like it is, making me wonder what their tipping point in the cult was. Hopefully it wasn’t as drastic as what Valerie encounters in this novella…
3. Little bit of real-life horror mixed with exaggeration and humor, what’s not to love? Especially for anyone who has experience on the health side of any social media!
Definitely recommend. FIND IT HERE: Bad Vibrations: Leitner, Lucy: 9781940250557: Amazon.com: Books