The Reaction

They thought a reaction was harmless.
They were wrong.
It started with a new emoji — a warped little grin, crooked and unforgettable. It spread through the feeds like wildfire, tagged on posts, dropped in chats, stamped beneath videos. But once you use it, something happens. Your body begins to twist into its shape. Smiles fracture. Eyes hollow. Faces warp. And the more the world reacts, the hungrier it gets.
For Aria, it begins with a sketch she can't stop drawing, lines that crawl off the page. For Izzy, a reflection she can't trust, her own face bending back at her from the glass. For Chloe, a livestream that spins out of control, the watchers demanding more than she can give. And for Naomi, it's the vow she can't stop whispering into her brother's hair: I won't let it take him.
But the watchers don't stop at sketches or screens, reflections or promises. They feed on them. They grow with every click, every replay, every smile forced into the shape of the icon. And every grin is another mouth, another upload, another body breaking.
As the cycle tightens and the feed consumes them one by one, the girls must face a truth more terrifying than going viral: once the world sees you through the grin, it never looks away.
The Reaction is a relentless body-horror thriller about viral obsession, impossible promises, and the brutal weight of being seen in a world where attention is the deadliest curse of all.

Martin holds 2 PhDs, one in Psychology and another in Medicine. He also holds a Master's in Criminal Justice and is a certified personal trainer. Martin has worked in the fields of Law Enforcement and Behavioral Health.
Martin has been a consultant on many subject matters, but his true inspiration for writing this book comes from his years in foster care and the abuse he suffered throughout his childhood.
This book isn't Martin's story; it's our story.