TV reality show Living With The Lancasters has been running for seventeen years. During a tribute section, they show a twenty-year-old home video which reignites interest in a missing person case, a missing person who was last seen alive at their home.

If you are going to read this book then cancel any plans you may have because you won't want to put it down, Clickbait by L. C. North is the equivalent of those TV series you binge-watch. The author uses a variety of different media, as she did with her previous novel The Ugly Truth, to get the reader's attention and then keep you gripped. This is one of those books where you'll keep saying to yourself, "Just one more page" and before you know it you've finished the book.

Clickbait focuses on the rise, and fall, of a "real life" family, the Lancaster's. Mum, Lynn, and her adult children Taylor, Locke and India. For the past seventeen years, they've been the stars of their own reality TV series, very much in the same vein as The Osbournes, Keeping Up With The Kardashians and even Made In Chelsea. The family has always been used to living in the public eye as Ed, the father, was a premiership footballer. Shortly after his unexpected death Lynn Lancaster got the idea for the reality TV series.

It is during a tribute episode to their father that the children show an old family video from before the days of the TV series. Eagle-eyed viewers spot someone in the background of one of the shots, Bradley Wilcox, a teen who went missing after attending a party at the Lancaster's home. The family has always maintained that Bradley left the party in a taxi with a group of footballers, but the new video clearly shows this to be a lie.

Investigative journalist Tom Isaac takes up the missing person case, he's got a vested interest as he knows the family and this gives him access that other journalists don't have. In keeping with the reality TV theme, Tom posts all his findings via his YouTube channel, asking his followers what they think. By chipping away at the story and interviews with the family the facade of Living With The Lancasters drops and we see a family, particularly Lynn, who will lie, manipulate and fabricate to get what they want, at any cost.

There are twists galore and you know not to believe what anyone is saying, not a single person can be trusted. Even with all this in mind the conclusion is still a shock and left me feeling indignant.

I raced through this clever, twisty story about a cold case murder and the dangerous allure of fame. I really enjoyed the mixed media format and pacy plotting and look forward to reading more by L.C. North.

Wholly Immersive..
What happened to Bradley Wilcox? Investigative journalist and YouTuber Tom intends to find out. As his docuseries commences, and a brighter light than ever shines on the Lancaster family, secrets and lies will undoubtedly out. Wholly immersive and completely compelling whodunit - relayed effectively in multi media format with the spotlight on the docuseries episodes - with no cost to character formation nor plot. A one sit, pacy and satisfying read.

A fascinating and deeply clever modern form of the epistolary novel, L.C North takes the modern fascination which we have with the lives of celebrities, and creates a unputdownabke thriller
Using podcasts, amateur detectives, a mix of news reports and interviews, the 20 year old mystery of what happened to Bradley, a young man who went missing at a celebrity party, is put under a modern microscope.
His sister has never been satisfied with the explanation given by the well known Lancaster family. They are the stars of social media, straddling the wolrd of sports and fashion and seemingly unstoppable.
Until a podcaster names Tom is urged to turn his true cime investigative eye upon what happened to Bradley.
But as he digs deeper, along with his public 'T.I's' that follow every post he makes, there is far more than dirty secrets and truth to be exposed.
A damning indictment on the pedestal we raise those in the public eye to, and how quickly they are dashed to the ground, this is a story within a story-Clickbait is the name of the novel and also the concept which pulls the reader in, making them complicit in the spreading of 'news'.
Its such a good book that is easy to read with the format of social media posts and short chapters, and really makes you think about power ans accountability.

Started out slow but once it picked up I COULDN'T stop reading. Highly recommend if you're a thriller fan! And I loved the format of this story.

This book is definitely current in today's world of living in the glare of social media. A lot of people wish they were famous but gosh I cannot imagine living my life with everybody watching and commenting on each part of the life you live, I liked the way it flowed and showed how they solved the mystery of what happened the night in question!

"Clickbait" by L.C. North is a gripping thriller that expertly combines suspense, intrigue, and the dark underbelly of fame. From the moment an old video surfaces, casting doubt on the Lancaster family's innocence in the disappearance of teenager Bradley Wilcox, readers are drawn into a web of deception and secrets that keeps them guessing until the very end.

North's innovative use of mixed media to tell this story, including video transcripts and diary entries, adds layers of depth and immersion to the narrative. As readers delve into the story, they are not only immersed in the world of the Lancasters but also in the enigmatic mystery and relentless pursuit of truth by the Tom Isaac a true crime investigator on YouTube too. The seamless integration of various media formats beautifully complimenting the storytelling, and intricately weaving together the threads of suspense and intrigue that propel the narrative forward.

Despite the potential predictability of the overarching plot for some readers, North's exploration of themes such as the allure of fame and the moral compromises it demands is both compelling and thought-provoking- particularly in this modern age of new found stardom online. Through nuanced characters and skilled plotting, the novel navigates the complexities of ambition and the consequences of fame that keeps the pages turning as you hunger for more. I found myself devouring this text in one sitting, absolutely captivated by trying to guess the next twist or reveal.

In conclusion, "Clickbait" is a captivating read that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the final reveal. It's a must-read for fans of suspenseful thrillers or anyone who grew up in the age of YouTube celebrity families, and I am excited to add “Clickbait” to my shelves on April 11th 2024!

I’d like to thank NetGallery, the Publishers, Author and all those who helped created this novel behind the scenes and those who handled my request for an advanced reader copy.

I had a fantastic time reading this book! Clickbait is the second book by L.C. North written in this style. I absolutely love a mystery book that is told through ‘mixed media’. This one includes transcripts of videos of a reality series posted on YouTube, comments, transcripts and comments on a podcast – in short, all the things that are favourites of mine.

Clickbait follows the Lancaster family who are the stars of a reality TV series, ‘Living with the Lancasters’, which definitely felt reminiscent of the Kardashians. Everything starts to unravel for the family when an old video shows missing teenager Bradley Wilcox at an infamous party thrown by the Lancasters but witnesses had sworn they had already seen him leave for the night. Bradley’s sister, Cassie, enlists the help of investigative podcaster/YouTuber Tom Isaac who takes on the task of finding out what really happened to Bradley.

It took me a while to get into this book, mainly as I did not have the time to pick it up. BUT once I did and particularly from around the 50% mark onwards, I was absolutely hooked and did not want to put it down. The style that it is written in makes it very easy to read and really helps the pace of the mystery as it unfolds.

This was a great reading experience and exploration of celebrity, internet culture and true crime. I would recommend this to readers who enjoyed Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter and Janice Hallett books.

I am rating this book 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5 stars) and I will definitely be looking out for more books in this style by L.C. North.
Thank you to the publisher, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A crazy wild ride of a story with lots of satisfying twists. Clickbait is well paced and easy to read in one sitting.
4 stars.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. It was one of those that keeps you reading well past what you deem to be an acceptable bedtime.

Written in a different style than a standard murder mystery thriller, it's written as transcripts. Mainly from TI Tom's narration of his YouTube channel but also as excerpts from the show Living with the Lancaster's. This made for a much snappier read than standard prose. I particularly liked the sections that were conversations in Tom's YouTube channel comments. Very quirky. It also meant there was no mid-novel lull that sometimes happens.

Staying true to the mystery genre, there were twists and turns that kept you guessing what happened to Bradley Wilcox. It was one of those books where you trust noone.

I love murder mysteries but also am fascinated by internet culture and celebrity culture (which perplexes me, I'm certainly not a Kardashian fan!) So this book was the perfect topic for me.

I am going to check out the authors other book as I read her footnotes she seems to enjoy writing about internet culture and psychology, which I find a fascinating topic!

Wow, Lauren North has done it again what a captivating and rather twisty novel that I was hooked on from the very first page it really drew me in!

The book doesn't have a typical narrative, rather told from podcasts, comments, you tube episodes, police transcripts and much more the Lancaster family were clearly inspired by Kardashians which I love!

The ending I would never have guessed I didn’t see it coming it was unbelievable! I’d highly recommended this book if you like the Karadashians 😊

The Lancaster are social media royalty with a following for years on YouTube. But years have gone past and a missing person is connected to them and a cold and a cold case brought to light. As secrets are revealed and family turns against family will we find out who killed Bradley?

Fantastic - I love these kind of "mixed media" novels - in 2023 I read Kill Show and Alperton Angels, which I thought were really good - Clickbait knocks it out of the park - totes! (sorry)

Why did I like this so much?

It's a great idea - I love the idea of the media family embroiled in a scandal and the story slowly unravelled by an amateur "investigator"

Also, North captures the voices of the character superbly - totes! (sorry - you'll get this when you read the book

Finally, there's something about the mixed media format that helps create pace and tension - that chopping and changing, seeing things from different people's viewpoints, at different points in the story timeline, and of course giving the author lots of opportunities to drop clues in when needed - North does this well and uses it to create a tightly plotted and pacey story

My reading experience...got this on Netgalley on Day 1 - read some during the day, some more in the evening, then finished it by 8am on Day 2 - it's something to be read quickly in big chunks - again, the MM format really pulls you in and keeps you on the page

Final conclusions - Very Highly Recommended - and before you think this is just a Millennial or Gen X book because of the MM format and theme...I'm over 60 and still loved it - it's genuinely for anyone that loves a well developed and tightly plotted crime/mystery novel

PS - I'm going to find North's previous novel, The Ugly Truth now

Wow once again L. C. North has written a captivating and rather twisty novel that I was hooked on.

She has created the Lancaster family, who are clearly modelled on the Kardashians I would imagine I've never watched them) and they are a car crash of a family that I couldn't get enough of.

The whole book doesn't have a typical narrative, rather told from pod casts, comments, you tube episodes, police transcripts and more.

And I would have never guessed how everything would unravel and yet it all made sense.

Was remarkably easy to follow and totally had me hooked, And you never know who to trust fully.

The finale was perfection with many gasps from me, as everything came together.

Just wonderful.

Thank you to Transworld Digital and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This was brilliant! I loved the epistolary style, the characters and the world built around them. There were so many twists and mysteries throughout, and it was an easy read while also being a complex story. Highly recommended!

A believable, intriguing mystery with a cast of compelling characters. Very easy to read. You can tell Lauren North is familiar with certain reality TV shows and their formats.

This is the second LC North novel and I loved this just as much as the first one.

LC North sticks to the same type of novel as her first, a story told via mixed media (mainly in the form of podcast episodes, but also with interview transcripts, etc.) Whilst this non-traditional storytelling device may not be for everyone, it is becoming more popular and I, for one, really enjoy it.

LC North also sticks to a broadly similar theme, celebrity, media, reality TV type characters but with a dark story. In Clickbait, we meet the Lancaster's (think Kardashians) who have their own popular reality show featuring siblings Taylor, Locke and India with their controlling mother Lynn.

Everything is going well for the Lancasters until a newly released video casts doubts on the disappearance of Bradley who went missing a number of years ago after attending a party at the Lancaster's home. What really happened to Bradley? Did he ever leave the party? And do the Lancaster's know more than they have ever told.

When Bradley's sister, Cassie, gets a popular podcaster involved, the investigation soon turns up new evidence. Is this the end of the Lancasters or just the beginning?

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Wow what can I say this was a near perfect book! It’s written as multi media text and it is done well. It’s the text of YouTube videos, news pieces and podcasts.

I have been unable to put this down, I definitely couldn’t have waited each week for a new episode had this been a true crime docu-series!

We follow Tom Isaac, a YouTube detective who sets out to find out what happened to Cassie’s brother Bradley, after attending a birthday party thrown by her super rich best friend 20 years ago after he never returns home. Tom is determined to find out what happened now the family in question are the UK’s version of the Kardashian’s. As each episode unfolds more deaths occur and questions are raised , especially when people end up in prison thanks to Tom’s investigation. Who is lying and who is telling the truth, if they even know what the truth is anymore!

This is an absolute must read and is out 11th April 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lauren North and Randomhouse for this advance digital copy!

I found this novel very different to what I've read before and I found the story interesting and easy to follow. It had a lot of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. The novel also had a cast of interesting characters that were believable. An overall enjoyable read that I recommend.
❤️ Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Clickbait by LC North is a contemporary tale told in a unique way.

"Living With The Lancasters" is a massively successful "reality" show with an audience of millions tuning in to watch the gilded lives of a family mostly famous for being famous. When they show a video of a party held in the days when their only fame was being the family of their Footballing legend Father eagle-eyed viewers briefly glimpse someone who shouldn't be there,a missing teenager who had supposedly already left before the time the video was shot,never to be seen again.

YouTube Sleuth Tom Isaac ,a former friend of the Lancasters, investigates and gets tangled in a web of lies, with his viewing figures rocketing and someone seemingly trying to silence him.
The tale is told via the medium of Tom's YouTube transcripts, comments left under his videos and excerpts from the diary of one of the other characters. This seems a bit strange at first but as the tale unfolds it proves an effective way of telling the story.

This is a clever story well told. The Lancasters are a slippery bunch,and not overly pleasant with their sense of entitlement and deceit while Tom is a bit of a nerd determined to find the truth.