At the centre of ‘Idol’ is so-called feminist wellness guru, Samantha Miller. She’s a 40-year-old well-educated single white woman who has become extremely successful in peddling her view of the world through her online presence, book deals and personal appearances. And she’s toxic. As ever, Louise O’Neill doesn’t shy away from exploring challenging subjects and, after reading this novel, many readers may be prompted to ponder why they are attracted to this sort of online presence, and whether or not these people really are inspiring role models.
However, I’m not sure that the narrative goes beyond pointing out that this sort of presence is often facile and sometimes dangerous. It would have been interesting to have seen just why Samantha behaves as she does from her early teens onwards. Because she’s an unreliable narrator, it’s difficult to truly believe that her family life has been particularly problematic. I’m not sure, either, why she has such a fixation on her childhood friend, Lisa. What is clear is that she is determined on self-promotion above all else, not least the truth. As she explains to her mother, ‘…I needed a story in the beginning. The publicity team at Glass House kept asking how I was different to all the other privileged, white women writing their memoirs, how was I going to differentiate myself?’
O’Neill certainly shows the reader that female lifestyle gurus do nothing to help or support their audiences. The latter buy into quick fix mantras and sponsored products which are never going to empower in the way that they promise to. Of her proselytising, the protagonist claims, ‘…this is my truth … you have to respect that.’ O’Neill demonstrates categorically why we shouldn’t. However, ‘Idol’ would have been a more thought-provoking read had the author explored why it is that so many become captivated by Samantha Miller types.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Bantam Press for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

This was a fantastic novel, unputdownable. Sam is the idol of the Wellness movement and New Age Movement and the members of both those gruops mostly adore her, and she has published books, of which the latest is 'Chaste'. Then she feels brave enough to share a sexual encounter in an essay, that she had with her best friend, Lisa, when they were both young. The only problem is that Lisa does not remember that it happened as Sam says. How is Sam going to fix things? Does she fix things at all? I will not give an answer to that question. The reader will just have to read it for themselves, or I would be giving out spoilers. The reader will, in my opinion, probably love this book, as much as I did. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

I have so much respect for Louise O'Neill's fearlessness. Not only is she effortlessly moving between genres over the span of her career but she also isn't afraid to take on the most probing of topics. And her wry observations are almost always on point.

In this, her third adult novel, Louise tackles the subjects of wellness and influencer culture, abuse of power, sexuality, consent and the Me Too movement, trial by social media and cancel culture. Idol's damaged but successful protagonist, Samantha Miller, has made her fortune telling young girls how to live better on the internet. She has amassed three million followers and a platform to say whatever she believes to be true, until her childhood best friend Lisa gets in touch to challenge a piece Sam wrote about a sexual experience they shared as teenagers. While Sam recalls an intimate moment of sexual awakening she can now utilise to promote her newfound chastity, Lisa remembers it as something she didn't consent to. As her public profile disintegrates, with reporters contacting old friends and flames for dirt, Sam travels back to her hometown to confront Lisa and attempt to keep her life on the rails.

Idol - like all of Louise's books - is a timely and incisive take on important socio-cultural issues. As always, her commentary is searing and her writing scalpel-sharp. Essentially this is a story about the subjectivity of memory and the curation and manipulation of the past to spin a suitable narrative. This is also a book about friendship and envy, and although this book is set in New York and Connecticut, the story throbs with the bitterness of Irish begrudgery.

A gripping, piercing and murky read and one that, no doubt, will amass its own large following on publication. And Louise deserves the readership. 3.5 stars.

There is so much to love about this book, and so much to hate. Samantha is possibly one of the most unlikeable characters out there, and yet she is entirely recognisable, familiar even, in that her darkest and deepest acts come from a desire to be loved. To be seen, and still to be loved.

Touching on highly relevant topics such as influencers, cancel culture, feminism, and rape accusations, Idol is one of those books that doesn't pull any punches. It raises the very important, nuanced question: at what point can we forgive the past? Where is the line between accountability and so-called cancel culture? I had no idea what direction the author would take, but the ending was superb.

Samantha is not just any old influencer - she's an influencer at the top of her game. Known for always speaking her truth, even when it's about something horrific like her experience of sexual assault, she has three million followers hanging on her every word, a book deal, and the envy of almost everyone she meets. But what happens when Samantha's truth doesn't align with someone else's? To generate publicity for her new book, Samantha writes a candid essay about her one night of teenage sexual abandon with her best friend Lisa. Only then the essay goes viral, and the long-estranged Lisa comes forward to say that that night wasn't the night of consensual enjoyment Samantha remembers.

Is one of the women lying or can two truths be completely different? As Samantha's carefully constructed world begins to fall apart, she realises she will do anything to keep the life she has built for herself. Even if that means going back to her childhood home and confronting the truth in a way she never has before...

I loved this book from the get-go. Louise O'Neill is such an engaging writer, and is so deft at character development. I loved that the whole novel was a gradual unravelling, both of the truth and of Samantha's world, and I also loved that Samantha in particular was so well written that you could find yourself rooting for her even as you were horrified by her behaviour - in lesser hands she would have been a villainous caricature, but as it was, she was so nuanced that you ended up wanting her to pull though despite all of her flaws.

I won't say much more so I don't spoil anything, but this is definitely one for those who enjoy their thrillers well-paced, beautifully written, and with a narrator who is as unreliable as they come...or is she?

Thank you to both Netgalley and to the publisher, who gave me a free ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a superb book I didn’t want it to end. It follows an influencer who has built her own brand. She writes a piece on an encounter with her best friend at high school but fast forward many years later and her friend said it wasn’t consensual.
This story has me gripped! I’m hoping there will be another book about what happens next. Wow! Excellent book.

Wow! Louise O’Neill is never afraid to approach difficult subjects and her latest book is no different.

Samantha is a ‘love, light, positivity’ guru with adoring fans, and rape survivor, She has an essay published regarding a sexual encounter but then her manager gets an email from the girl in the story saying Samantha assaulted her.

As Samantha tries to find out why her friend is lying about such a thing, it seems no one’s memory is accurate.

This is just amazing. I can see this being on a university reading list in the future, discussing how reliable the characters are and if they should be believed.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Social media as a phenomenon in society and in personal lived experience is asokething that we need authors to tackle and Louise O'Neil has done a great job in ctprafting a deeply immersive and page turning novel around the life of social media lifestyle guru Samantha and her cult following of young girls. The book kept me enthralled as we watched her life spiral out of control and we the readers were faced with seeking the truth through a variety of perspectives, the characters are gradually revealed through words and actions, through social media posts and descriptive narrative.
This is an excellent noevl that will rightfully attract many many readers and which asks important questions about consent and abuse. And the climate of cancel cultureUltimately though I found the issues unresolved although one must acknowledge how difficult they are to resolve too.
I was ultimately left slightly disappointed though I commend the author's attempt.

Provocative incredibly interesting. This story of dual narratives in the social media sphere was impeccably written. I was intrigued from the first page and couldn’t wait to finish. Highly recommend!

Released May 12th

When popular wellness guru and influencer Samantha Miller writes an essay, a former friend gets in touch with an allegation that if made public, will tear Samantha's life apart and destroy everything she has built for herself. Samantha must face her past - but does she even remember her past? Can two people be telling the truth if they each remember an event differently?

A timely look at influencer and cancellation culture, the #MeToo movement and how rotted the wellness industry is.

It's not my favourite of Louise's books, but it was still very readable and I found myself wanting to get back to it, even if I wasn't keen on all of the characters.

I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately those hopes were not met, maybe because I failed to recognise the main protagonist in anyone I have ever come across or perhaps simply because she was an unlikeble character, either way I struggled to finish it and when I eventually arrived at the end I simply didn’t care what happened!

Another page turner form one of my favourite writers, who is impossible to pigeonhole!

This page turning novel dives into social media, wellness gurus, truth, relationships and cancel culture

I loved it!

I can't wait for other people to read this so I can tell them about it! This book was completely intriguing; it captivated me from the beginning and managed to keep me deeply involved the entire time. I just can not put it down, nor did I want to.
The book moves quickly, and Samantha's character is so well characterised that I begin to dislike her. O'Neil intersperses snippets of Samantha's personality throughout the storey, and my impression of her changed as the storey progressed.
I will definitely read more of this author's work.
Thank you, netgalley and publishers, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Brand New book from the bestselling Irish female author Louise O’Neill.
Idol starts with the character Samantha (Sam) Miller an influencer, wellness guru and recovering drug addict. She has created this online world for all her ‘girls’ to help them be like her until one day it all comes tumbling down when an allegation of sexual assault is made against Sam after she writes an essay about a lesbian experience she had as a teenager with her best friend. Except Lisa doesn’t recall the night going the same way. Who’s truth is the actual truth? Can memories be tampered with and recreated in the mind to be favourable towards ourselves? It’s not often I read a book that I hate the main character and continue reading but with Sam I had a love/hate feeling about her it became apparent to me how toxic she is and her relationships with people are. At the beginning I was outraged and couldn’t believe how easily someone’s life could be turned upside down with such an allegation but as the story continued I found myself being less sympathetic towards Sam as it seems she has remembered her teenage years differently to those she grew up with. This is a prime example of how social media influencers can create a world that we buy in to and place them on a pedestal but with Sam the higher the pedestal the greater the fall. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and all the different characters some more likeable than others. This would be a perfect summer/holiday read although rainy and cold January was my only option!

A Few TW to note:
Sexual Assault
Rape
Eating Disorder

What I truly adore in Louise O'Neill's books is the fact that the stories are always fresh, controversing, complex and she's not shying away from difficult issues.

In this book, though, I somehow couldn't completely get Sam. The whole idea of contorting, misconstruing the past was not so convincing to me. I mean, you can forget that something happened, but so much? I somehow wasn't able to get into Sam's head, to understand her, to eventually understand what has happened that made her see her past in this way. I also missed an explanation of the obsession with Lisa, it seemed that every single female character in this book wanted to be friends with Lisy. Why? What was so special in her? I also had a feelings that some subplots, that felt really important to explaing Sam being Sam, weren't treated with enough intensivity.

This story is about presence in the social media, about cultivating our alter - egos out there and maybe this is because it didn't work so much for me - I am not obsessed with social media. Yes, I have an account or two, but I don't follow some gurus, don't buy their books, I simply am able to think for myself and have my own opinions. The book shows how, treating your social media persona too seriously, can completely change your life and sometimes even destroy it. It's written in a sharp, observative and modern way and it made me feel all kinds of feelings towards the characters - pity, hate, support. I think the author has treated her chosen topics with sensitivity but also being very, very honest and direct. It is an important and timely read and Louise O'Neill is for sure that author I'll be introducing my daughter to when she's a bit older.

<i>"This is my truth. You have to respect that."
"If it's not THE truth, what's the point?"</i>

This is a very topical novel that delves into the murky wold of the nature of truth, social media, parasocial relationships and cancel culture. We're following Sam, a wellness and health guru who is no stranger to controversy but has just hit one that she can't weather out or explain away, having always been a strong supporter of "believe all women." But what if that woman is your childhood best friend and is accusing you of something terrible?

The characters are frequently unlikable and just as frequently pitiable which makes for a difficult read at times before even taking into account the subject matter! Sam and Lisa, the two main characters of the novel both appeared trouble and flawed and have completely different memories of their intense childhood friendship which leads you to wonder who is correct, if either of them even are.

This novel could stand on the strength of the conversation it is having alone but also manages to weave in a neat twist and excellent ending. I also like how it subverted the situation by having this be between two female characters because it avoids too much derailing of the essential themes. Another thing I likes is that I think it encourages a lot of thought about how we treat each other and how even small interactions can have lasting consequences. This will be an excellent book club pick - plenty to discuss here.

Personally for me there was one major flaw - I've gone into this more deeply into my goodreads review behind a tagbecause it's spoilery but spoiler free version: I think a certain plot point slightly derailed the entire point the author was going for which is a shame. Because the point is good.

Overall a very compelling and fast paced read that I fully recommend for anyone that may be interested.

Thank you netgalley and Random House UK for providing a copy for review.

A glimpse into the life of an influencer/guru, this novel reminded me a lot of the second season of “Truth be told” but lacked the larger than life personalities and soon became more of a high school delayed drama. Not a bad read but not one I will remember.

This book felt so fresh and authentic. It explores a diverse range of subjects and material, in particular the concept of memory through the lens of friendship

This is a book that makes uncomfortable reading but is also a book that I couldn’t put down. It is a story of our times when friendships can be made online and you can write your own backstory. The main character Samantha Miller is herself a victim of abuse. She has turned her abuse into a multimillion dollar career as a guru worshipped by her millions of followers. The book shows what can happen when your idol’s story is questioned. What is true and what is not true? False memory is explored as is obsessive friendship, control and how social media can work for you but also against you. I found I had little sympathy for Samantha but her character is well rounded and I felt the ending was the right ending. Recommended for all those obsessed with social media.

This book confirmed what I hate about social media and influencers. All is never has great as it appears online. Idol was a bit brutal at times as you're taken into Sam's world. You're left wondering is she changing the story of her past to fit her narrative. It's a gripping read that will keep you hooked until the last page. That ending...it fitted it perfectly. Another brilliant read from Louise O Neill.