A thoroughly enjoyable psychological thriller which keeps you guessing right up until the end. O’Neill is a master at keeping up the suspense. Who is telling the truth? Who is lying? And how much of what we remember is true anyway? There are some serious themes here: trauma, the dynamics of friendships, the power of social media and the ethics behind turning yourself into a brand, which are introduced rather than explored, as well as #metoo and the potential weaponizing of personal trauma. This is very much commercial rather than literary fiction – for fans say of The Girl on the Train or Liane Moriaty’s books. There’s a lot of flinging open of closets and picking out off-the-shoulder soft cashmere jumpers and suede boots. The dynamic between Sam and her team, and particularly her manager, is well done and O’Neill has a good grasp of the business behind modern wellness brand sensations like Goop and the cult of personality. It’s a glossy and over-the-top thriller that would translate well to TV. A great beach read or a guilty pleasure.

Having read two other Louise O'Neill books before, I knew this wouldn't be a breezy book. This is the story of Sam, a social media influencer and lifestyle guru with millions of followers and a wellbeing empire. Everything is going well for Sam, until an email surfaces from her childhood best friend Lisa, claiming that Sam sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers. Lisa version of events is very different to Sam's, and so she travels back to her hometown to settle the matter whilst she is hemorrhaging followers and her business is folding, in the wake of the leaked email. Back in her hometown Sam gets drawn into petty high school rivalries, and finds out that a lot of what she remembered from her teens is not accurate.

Sam isn't a likeable character at all, from the start right up to the end, you find yourself glad you don't know Sam, she is messy, toxic, and self-obsessed. Despite this I couldn't put this book down, wanting to find out what had really happened, including the uncomfortable flashbacks to the late 90s, early 00s. There are some difficult subjects covered in this book, around consent, assault, and rape, but yet again O'Neill balances a topical essay with some incredibly important social commentary in the middle of a work of fiction that you could see happening in real life.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Louise O'Neill for the ARC of Idol.

I'd heard great things about this book and as someone who also delves into the world of social media I was really intrigued by the story line of an online social media expert.

Sam is worshipped online, with millions of followers and a successful career in the wellness sector. When an article of hers about a female on female experience she had in the past goes viral, her world is turned upside down when she gets accused of assault. Suddenly the Sam is thrust into the world of defending every action, clearing her name and trying to cling on to every ounce of integrity she owns.

This book is shocking and eye opening in parts, and whilst a slow burn, I found the action built up well and the ending was really satisfying. I found myself questioning the truth throughout and wondering which characters I could trust.

An enjoyable gripping read in a topical subject matter for the modern world - a stark reminder that our past is never truly our past when it comes to social media!

Intriguing storyline talks about a lot of current issues - social media, toxicity, trial by social media
Felt that this was a bit of slow burn, took time to get to the plot - but I enjoyed the overall book, the way it deals with Sam's issues and as truth gets revealed.
Sometimes the writing seems to be all over the place, keeping a track of timelines is tough in this one!

Thanks to netgalley & random House UK for the ARC in exchange for honest opinion.
This is my 1st book by the author, look forward to reading more!

I found this book really interesting to read and whilst I had some doubts about certain characters, I really didn’t know what to think. I thought I knew what was going to happen in the book but I really didn’t. It’s such an interesting perspective taken in this book and it highlights a lot of very topical issues.

I really found this book intriguing and the short chapters helped me fly through this. Overall, a really interesting, different book, that legit made me question my abilities of judging characters 🙈

Strong content warnings for this book including sexual abuse and substance abuse, but worth checking the full list before reading.

Wow, this was masterfully written. I spent most of the first chunk of the book flip-flopping between compassion for Sam and thinking she was an awful person, unable to make up my mind or see how things would end. If you told me this was a true story I could believe it, Sam felt like a real person and all the social media inclusion felt so accurate. This was a lot more intense than I was expecting, despite me knowing the theme of the book going in. I found it very gripping and it really kept me interested throughout. I think this is a book I'm going to think back to and also want to reread later.

First of all a huge thank you to the author, publisher and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

SYNOPSIS - 'Follow your heart and speak your truth.'

For Samantha Miller's young fans - her 'girls' - she's everything they want to be. She's an oracle, telling them how to live their lives, how to be happy, how to find and honour their 'truth'.

And her career is booming: she's just hit three million followers, her new book Chaste has gone straight to the top of the bestseller lists and she's appearing at sell-out events.

Determined to speak her truth and bare all to her adoring fans, she's written an essay about her sexual awakening as a teenager, with her female best friend, Lisa. She's never told a soul but now she's telling the world. The essay goes viral.

But then - years since they last spoke - Lisa gets in touch to say that she doesn't remember it that way at all. Her memory of that night is far darker. It's Sam's word against Lisa's - so who gets to tell the story? Whose 'truth' is really a lie?

'You put yourself on that pedestal, Samantha. You only have yourself to blame.'

MY THOUGHTS - Wow I have raced through this book! I was gripped from the outset, completely drawn in to this life of Samantha, a social media influencer who has reinvented herself and is flying high. One email changes all that and shows how easy that downfall can be…. Fabulous characters, clever plot, difficult subjects covered including sexual abuse and eating disorders. A fabulous twist at the end too which I won’t spoil but I highly recommend you add this book to your TBR!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!

Idol is the story of a social media influencer whose world starts crumbling when she is accused of rape. Idol is a clever story of the impact social media has on everyone as well as showing how things are remembered differently by people.

Louise is a legend when it comes to her writing.

What a great story about social media status and how fragile that can be. A great host of well developed characters that were easy to relate to and feel empathy towards. This story was nicely written and executed.
Highly recommend
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Brilliant book. Great storyline and characters. Really engaging. Ten out of ten.
I would recommend this.

Samantha Miller is a famous 'guru' self-help author and celebrity, and is idolised by her fans. When a shock allegation comes out online about Sam (that she sexually abused an old friend) she must return to her hometown to put a stop to the allegations before they ruin her now crumbling empire.

I wouldn't call this story boring but it did feel slightly repetitive in parts. There were many flashbacks to the characters' youth which I would either prefer more of, or just prefer they weren't there at all. The frequency with which the flashbacks happened didn't feel natural with the storyline, to me.

This wasn't a book that I'd rush to pick up again but it definitely has that Louise O'Neill flare that I love about her writing. Her characters are multi-dimensional and just when I thought I could predict what they were going to do, they did the opposite.

Like the other Louise O'Neill books I've read, she brings small towns to life with her characters and relationships, and even though this story wasn't set in Ireland like her other books, it didn't feel any less real to me. I don't usually enjoy books where I don't like the main character, but this one really kept me interested. Just be warned that you might not like any of the characters. 🥴

Samantha Miller has created a Social Media empire based on helping girls and women cope with all that life has thrown at them, she has done this based on her own life experiences and battles.
At the top of her game, an email from an old friend throws her life in to termoil and as she goes back to her hometown to try to deal with it the person she says she is and the experiences she claimed to have had begin to unravel and the true Samantha Miller comes out.

A great book to pick up for a holiday.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read Idol.

I saw this advertised months ago on Netgalley, and I couldn't even remember what it was about when I eventually came to read it. I re-read the Synopsys, and still, the book was nothing like I had expected. I enjoyed this a lot, and it raised so many questions about social media, influencers and friendships.

Samantha Miller has made a fortune as an influencer, mainly with younger women. 'her girls' want to be like her. She inspires them to become better, stronger people, but all is not quite as it seems in Sam's real world. When she publishes an essay on her first sexual encounter with her best childhood friend, her manager receives an email saying that the friend didn't see it in quite the same way Sam has forced herself upon her. Sam is about to release her fourth book, 'chaste' and needs this cleared up as soon as possible before the media finds out and destroys her life. So, Sam returns home to try and fix things with her best friend, Lisa.

Louise O'Neill has written an outstanding plot, focusing on the #metoo situation, sexual assault and eating disorders. There is a lot here to digest, and we begin to see things start to unravel for the perfect Samantha Miller. There are plenty of secrets and lies and differences of opinion. Their school rival, Becky, has her own agenda, which has a massive impact on the situation, and we see both sides of Sam's fame.

I couldn't put this down and really enjoyed the characters. They are interesting, though not always likeable. Idol looks at the perils of reinventing yourself for social media, and when you put yourself on that pedestal, it's a long way to fall. I felt the characters were well-drawn. I knew who they were and could easily relate them to people in real life and social media stars.

The ending was brilliant too. I don't want to say anything about it aside from that, as I think it's best read that way, but you're in for a treat!

A great read that's brilliantly written. I would be delighted to read more of Louise O'Neill's work in future, especially if it's as good as this! This is full of delusion, venom, and wondering what the correct version of the truth is. It's also unputdownable.

Firstly, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. I loved it. The story was engrossing and I thought I knew how it was going to go (big wig goes back to small town etc.) however it was unexpected and I really enjoyed it! I definitely recommend it.

This was an interesting story highlighting the fact that we don't know what people in the limelight are truly like. Social media allows people to sugarcoat their lives and can destroy others in the process.

Well written and enjoyable

Talk about a wild ride.
This book is not only a smirking look at the self/help industry and the popularity of ‘gurus’ and ‘spiritual boss babes’, but also about how we can truly create our own ‘reality’. Mind you, our ‘reality’ might not match up with others ‘realities’, and that’s where things start to get a bit muddled, at least they do for our MC, Samantha Miller. Sam is a top influencer and self-help celebrity, with millions of fans who place her on a pedestal – until it turns out that someone accused her of something that could knock her down.
Despite being a slow burn, this book hooked me in right away and I finished it in one sitting. And the ending…wow. Seriously.. Read it. You’ll thank me!

A captivating, compulsive read. I enjoyed every page and when I was forced to put it down I couldn't wait to get back to it as soon as possible - always the sign of a great read.

Fabulous story with plenty going on. When two friends reckon their version of an event is the truth,how do you know whose truth is a lie? This will capture you till the last page.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and review Louise's latest novel. I thoroughly enjoyed Only Ever Yours and Idol is another to add to the list of books I loved reading.

The story has you questioning everyone, someone has to be lying. And although almost all the characters are somewhat highly unlikeable you don't know who you should root for or who is telling the truth.

Samantha is a lifestyle guru/influencer who has rebuilt her life after sexual assault and addiction. Using her story to build a social media empire, publish books and host events and workshops that sell out in a bid to help 'her girls'

This book explores the topic of speaking your truth following the #metoo movement but what if your truth isn't the truth for someone else. After an essay she writes goes viral a childhood friend steps forward accusing Sam of sexual assault and how Sam's story is fabricated.

A fascinating read that looks into how people remembers things differently. It explores the topic of influencers striving to maintain the perfect image regardless of the cost, and the pedestal that influencers are put upon by their fans. The trolls and haters waiting in the wings to tear them down. In a world of cancel culture how would you handle allegations you would never dream of commiting. What would you do to maintain your perfect online image, while sponsorships are pulling out and your followers are dropping by the minute

The characters are manipulative and conniving. Their lives full of toxic relationships and the ability to be delusional enough to bend the truth to the point it becomes believable.

Louise O'Neill touches on so many riveting topics and turns it into a thrilling and compelling read. The writing is flawless, and Louise's novel feels somewhat more grown up than previous works.

Idol is a prescient novel that follows Samantha, a guru who has millions of teenage fans hanging on her every word and social media post. She’s open and frank about her life so one day when she shares an essay about her sexual awakening as a teenager the post goes viral. But then Lisa gets in touch to say she doesn’t remember that night the same way and Samantha’s life begins to unravel. This novel looks at how we create online personas and come to believe what we say on social media. It looks at the way different people can remember the same event completely differently. It also makes us question who has the right to tell a story and who owns what happens. I found this book so difficult to put down. It’s a compulsive novel that keeps you turning the pages whilst at the same time making you stop and pause for thought too. It’s a novel that has really stayed with me since I finished reading it and I highly recommend it.