The bright side of going dark

To her hundreds of thousands of followers on social media, Mia Bell has the perfect life. She's engaged to a handsome photographer, about to be married at a picturesque mountain inn, and has a steady stream of income-generating sponsorships in exchange for publicity on her Pictey channel. But like so many things online, reality is far uglier. Her fiancé broke up with her days before their wedding, and Mia has to break the news to her family, her followers, and the companies paying her to wear their dress, carry their flowers, and so on. When her channel is taken over by a well-meaning Pictey employee, Mia's reliance on technology is thrown into sharp relief. Harms (The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, 2019) examines both sides of the ever-growing technology debate, especially the pros and cons of life as an influencer. Witty, lively, and au courant, The Bright Side of Going Dark will make readers think twice about refreshing Instagram for the tenth time today. Tackling thornier questions of mental health and the toll of constant comparison, this will appeal to fans of Meg Wolitzer and Elin Hilderbrand, who'll adore the intertwining lives of Mia, her followers, and those they encounter IRL.

A social media influencer goes through a self-imposed electronics detox while another woman hacks into her online identity in an attempt to distract a family member from thoughts of suicide. Through Mia Bell's hard work, @Mia & Mike has become a very, very successful brand. Pictey--a social media app akin to an Instagram/Facebook/Twitter mashup--is her platform, and half a million followers await her near-continuous posts and comments. As Pictey has grown from a startup to an offices-in-168-nations behemoth, so has she, evolving from the struggling owner of a small yoga studio to a well-known motivational influencer. However, in quick succession, Mia's fiance breaks up with her, she hides that fact from her followers, and she fakes her Colorado wedding. Realizing what she has become, she then throws her phone over a cliff to separate herself completely from the account. Paige Miller, on the other hand, is a very well-paid Pictey standards enforcement and quality assurance team member medicating away her debilitating panic attacks. When Paige's half sister, Jessica, comments on one of Mia's posts with suicidal thoughts and follows through with a suicide attempt, a series of against-the-odds coincidences lead Paige to Jessica's side in Colorado and the problematic decision to hack into Mia's unusually silent account to impersonate her. Author Harms (The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, 2019, etc.) deals openly and honestly with depression, the aftereffects of attempted suicide, and the benefits of medical treatment. Refreshingly, each character is a true-to-life individual with complicated emotions and unique voices. Most readers will be pleased that the storylines wrap up with grand moments and gestures so that hope and joyfulness in the future are the final notes of this tale; some, on the other hand, might find it overly tidy. A surprisingly easy read containing a little romance, a lot of personal growth, and an honest look at weighty topics. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.