This is a thought provoking read which follows Rose who has a one night stand with a world famous celebrity.

It is an easy read, one you get caught up in very quickly and I enjoyed the writing and the plot line, I was not sure where the story was going but was completely invested in it.

The authors skill at selling Milo Jax - the charismatic, handsome world famous singer lured you into his world of women, fame and money. Set against this is Rose, working hard, making ends meet and attracted to this icon. As the story moves forward, I found myself willing Rose to tell her story, she cannot remember what happened on the night she had a one night stand with Milo. As she tries to find answers she finds herself struggling to cope with her life and I found this so heart breaking.

It’s a story of consent and how we look at many celebrities and the power dynamic at play. It’s an emotional read but one which I really enjoyed.

This was described as being set in the pre-Me Too era and I did find myself wondering how much has actually changed since then as I was reading. Would Rose feel more able to speak out now than she did then? I honestly don’t know that she would. There is still a lot of stigma around women who make accusations against popular male celebrities, especially in the circumstances described in this book.

It did get off to a bit of a slow start and I think some of the filler could have been cut but as a whole the book is a fairly scathing indictment on celebrity culture. She touches on the fakeness of some of the influencers and how despite acting like they are just like everyone else and showing their whole lives on their social media channels they generally actually show a very carefully curated snapshot rather than the full picture. This also speaks to how lonely a life it can become for some of them and how trapped they can feel by the life they thought they wanted. Very much a life lesson in be careful what you wish for.

This is contrasted with Rose, who, despite her job, doesn’t appear to really have any designs on a celebrity life and doesn’t seem to fit in with a lot of the trappings of her job and the people around her. She is a pathological people pleaser and this often leads to her ending up letting people down because she can’t actually keep everyone happy when their conflicting demands are pulling her in different directions.

The issue of consent comes up multiple times in multiple ways and the way different characters dealt with it was very relatable.

The ending for me felt slightly rushed and I would have liked a little more time given to that part of the story.

As described the story does deal with issues of consent and sexual assault and whilst it is in no way graphic or gratuitous I would be mindful of this if deciding to read it.

“Gold Rush” was a very interesting and thought provoking story.

If I had to explain this book to someone, I would describe it as a complex story about a woman navigating a world and industry dominated by males. It's the kind of book that people either love or hate with no middle ground. The book is genuinely upsetting, but it's also incredibly well-written and has a compelling structure. What's most disturbing is that the situation it portrays is not rare; it's something that many women actually experience. The book delves into the trauma of abuse and how it affects both the victim and those around them. For me, it felt more like a screenplay than a traditional book, and that influenced the rating I gave it. But is a solid good story and worth to be read. Thank you very much to The author and the editorial for the early access to this arc

I feel the book has the potential to be hit but I also think it needs a lot of tweaking here or there.

I found the chapters way too long. There were parts that, I found, were unnecessary, or needed more added to it to be more relevant. For example the Hen party, what happened next?? The whole Dad situation, what happened next??

The different POV needs to be removed, in my opinion and that part of the story written in Roses POV.

The whole Clara story feels unfinished and the ending felt rushed.


The book needs more time and work put into it and then I think it could be an excellent book.

Obviously these are just my opinions and as I have never written I book I feel bad writing my criticisms into this review but I would definitely suggest reading it because I DID find it a real page turner. The main concept of the book is good and I would like to see this be a hit. The character Rose will stay with me for a while. I want to know more feel her ending needs to be happier.

Very powerful exploration of trauma and the harm of non-consensual relationships. I found the harrowing scenes effective but also sensitively handled, they conveyed the distress Rose goes through with great emotion. In some ways I wanted more retribution for her, and her to take the latter half of the book more into her own hands, but I also found her actions understandable, especially considering the isolation she felt. It’s really well written and the pacing is excellent. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book was truly addictive, I couldn’t stop reading it. Not only does it relate to me having been from the PR world which already felt enjoyable to me, it also talks about an important topic related to celebrity culture, and what powers they can have over ‘normal’ people. Great book

A terrifying and insightful look into the world of celebrity and those who are unwittingly captivated by it despite shallowness. The main theme is what constitutes as consent and abuse. The plot centers around Rose, a PR assistant for a magazine, who having recently broken up with her boyfriend becomes easy prey for the alluring heart throb Milo Jax.
The two meet at an event she has helped organised and there is obvious chemistry from the outset when he invites her to an after party. Later, overwhelmed by his attention and messages via social media, she visits him and as the drinks flow they sleep together. This is when things take a drastic turn for the worse as Rose has no recollection of the night but is aware of severe pain and bleeding the following morning when she wakes up at her home.. With increasing violent flashbacks and panic attacks it is clear that she needs to piece together events before her life spirals out of control. There is one problem however, Milo has no intention of speaking to her again and without even his phone number Rose is left vulnerable and broken.
Petter does a good job in portraying this fickle and shallow industry where celebrities, particularly men are protected and excused while their female fans are abused and used as their play things. It is fair to say this was triggering reading especially in light of the Me Too movement. Petter's ability to depict Rose as spiralling out of control was truly engaging. The shock and abrupt ending made me want to scream for justice.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

This book is readable and fairly engaging, and the main topic is important and handled well. I just think it could maybe have been a little shorter, there are a lot of interactions with characters who aren't particularly well developed or necessary to be included, and all of the dialogue is written in a way that makes it quite difficult to follow who is speaking. I also found the single chapter from a different POV a little jarring and unnecessary.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6645825102

Simultaneously a page turner and a very harrowing/uncomfortable read. Rose feels like a real person and the things that happen to her all feel very real too. Milo and the way he hides in plain sight sadly also felt very real. I can't exactly say I enjoyed this, given the bleak subject matter, but it is a beautifully written and thought provoking book - and not entirely devoid of hope. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This I think is a marmite kind of book. It deals with the celeb world and the use and effect of power which celebs wield. So totally on it and a need for it but I couldn’t get to grips with the characters nor to be honest care enough about them. But because that is my experience I still would say try- read it!

Imagine if you work for a celebrity magazine and have the opportunity to fulfill your wildest dreams by mixing with the rich and famous. Sounds like a fantastic dream lifestyle doesn't it? Rose seemed to think so until she met Milo Jax the current pop heart throb adored by women everywhere. Rose can't believe it when he starts to pay her attention but, after spending the night together her life starts to unravel. Rose can't remember anything about it apart from a painful aftermath and increasingly nightmarish flashbacks. Which affect her whole life going forward. Very current story in light of the #metoo revelations.

A contemporary novel exploring events in the run up to the #MeToo movement. The cover and blurb on this book are very misleading - this is not a serious literary work about a #MeToo incident. It reads like the author started writing a romance between a pop star and a publicity assistant then decided she wanted to add in a serious issue without changing her style or tone. It lacks the seriousness or bite required to write on this topic, with so much inane chatter about working for a magazine between the actual key plot points that it's easy to forget what has actually traumatised Rose. The quality of writing isn't bad, its just wrong for the subject matter. There are much better #MeToo related novels out there. Not one for me.

Gold Rush is a deeply compelling and upsetting immersive story of Rose and the terrible thing that happens to her. Rose works in an industry that valorizes men and treats women as disposable objects. Men's careers must be protected at all costs in media PR.
When Rose wakes up the morning after a one night stand with a mega famous male pop star, she feels increasingly wrong. We accompany Rose, as the creeping realisation that she has been raped becomes horribly apparent. Rose struggles to put one foot in front of the other. She finds unexpected support and unexpected gaslighting from other women. It's a brilliantly written and scarily real account of how women don't always support each other when something awful happens.

*** spoilers***

The first part of this book, which I feel could’ve been discussed in far fewer pages than was written, mainly sets the scene for Rose Martin the fact that she has just broken up with Richard, her long-term boyfriend, who works for (Firehouse magazine), who she lives with (Luce), her relationship with her mother (Lola). Her work life is filled with helping to put together launches for the magazine whether it be products, fashion shows and exclusive after parties. Then there is the rubbing of celebrity shoulders and with others in her line of work, editors and influencers. One of the best perks Rose gets from her job at the production company can be all the free products she has access to, which come from photo shoots, product launches or are items, make-up to high end handbags which are sent to the editors.

Anyway, Rose meets Milo Jax, a rockstar at the pinnacle of his career, at one of these launches where he then takes her to an afterparty. Following a couple of messages on social media, she becomes intrigued and ends up having sex, after a visit to his home.

The day after the interaction with Milo, she meets her mother for a walk and on the way home has a panic attack and ends up in hospital. She’s advised to take a couple of days off work which she does and uses her time to try to contact Milo, who hasn’t responded to her.

He’s obviously ghosted her but she’s not accepting that by continually contacting him on social media, he hasn’t even given her his number but there’s more going on here than meets the eye. And it leads up to a very shocking twist towards the end. The reason a chapter towards the end that doesn’t make any sense at all, it doesn’t state who the accounts version is written from, it just describes the breakdown of rose.

This book reminds me of another book called Queenie, where she too sleeps her way through a break up because jolene is doing exactly the same thing, using sex as therapy to get over a break up. It really makes me think that there are women out there that do this, become so obsessed with a guy after sleeping with them, that they can’t even think straight or use sex as therapy.

It’s a very descriptive book and the best description is the way she’s falling apart over Milo, how she’s just become obsessed with him and the fact that she can’t even remember what happened after sleeping with him. It is very long this book, but it is worth a read as it is very insightful into the goings-on of PR companies and the business as a whole especially if you’re interested in this sort of field of employment.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

I was not keen on this book. It is very, very slow and there is, for me, too much details on what a PR person's job actually involves and a too detailed account of a hen weekend. I felt that these were just padding.

None of the characters (apart, perhaps from Minnie) are people you want to know in real life. They are all astonishingly shallow and self absorbed and worryingly needy. Even Rose is hard to warm to. Girls can be very silly where men are concerned but Rose is a young woman and surely would have grown out of crushes and ideas of knights in shining armour.

What does make the book a very uncomfortable and depressing read is the (presumably accurate) bleak and shallow lives led by these characters. I am horrified by how women are manipulated and treated by the men in this book. I was particularly shocked by the fact that even women are buying into these porn tropes of violent and degrading choking etc., during sex. Having said that, the book has prompted much discussion among my friends and fellow readers both male and female.

Interesting but not enjoyable.

Rose works for a PR agency. The year is 2017, and Rose is 25.
The people around her are privileged and entitled. We immediately dive into the world of the celebrities, influencers and PR.
Something is fishy. We are not sure what it is yet.
It is gradually unfolded.
This was a 3.5 stars read for me, rounded up thanks to Petter's mastery of this world.
Her writing was gripping from the outset and throughout most of the novel. It is hard to believe this was a debut novel - I genuinely felt surprised upon learning of this fact.
Petter takes us on a visual-cinematic journey across the kitchen of entertainment. Unfortunately, this kitchen is sometimes ugly.
Overall, what stood out for me was the incredibly detailed and vivid representation of the PR world and entertainment industries. The nepotism, the hierarchies, the pet peeves, and the nastiness.
I wish we delved more into the characters, and due to the amazing writing of Olivia Petter, I wish to read a buoyant story by her with little twists. Her style is a perfect match for such stories. It was quite fitting for this story to be unfolding too, though I found the final parts, and the revelation of Rose's trauma (this was hinted many times, I only wish to get insights into such a character's psyche as part of another book - it was not this book, which is fine) a little abrupt.
Plot: 3.5
Concept: 4
Mood, style and prose: 5, 5 and 5
Characterisation: 3
Themes: 5
Thank you, #netgalley and #4thEstateandWilliamCollins #fourthestate. Petter's was the most refreshing and original voices I have read in a while.

Thank you to the publishers and to NetGalley for this ARC!

Wow wow wow. This book is incredible. I will admit that when I started it, I wasn't sure if it was going to be for me, but after the first couple of chapters I was hooked. And it just kept getting better. This book explores so many themes such as celebrity culture, power exploitation, sexual assault/rape, toxic friendships and relationships, womanhood, amongst others. The characters in this book jump off the page and I could very easily see this being a TV show or movie. This book made me angry, heartbroken, and even made me laugh in parts through the frustration and pain that I was feeling for the main character. Gold Rush is such a stunningly beautiful piece of fiction that is sadly all too close to the reality that we hear and read about daily. I loved reading it.

I struggled to read this book at times because it felt/sounded like a sreenwriter preparing for the next version of "The Devil Wears Prada".
I never figured out how Rose came to be working at her role in a publishing company. PR is far from the arts degree she had studied for.
She also saw herself as the charity case duckling amongst the beautiful, monied, cygnets and swans. Although she was certain her abilities were better than theirs particularly Oliver, who got the best jobs because he is a good looking gay man.
The settings are all celebrity - A to Z - listed parties and events full of drink and drugs.. Run out of the best champagne? no problem, move on to the top shelf vodka and tequila. Heaven forbid you run our of them but whisky will do.
I had visions of a drunk going round the tables at closing time pouring the dregs into one glass to get another mouthful of booze. Not a pretty site.
Rose finally gets to strut her stuff with the celebrity singer who is mid world tour. He is lovely to her. Not at all what she expected and he doesn't expect a quick shag in the cleaning cupboard.
She is smitten. Especially when he initiates contact through instagram direct messaging. Then comes the invitation to his home, of sorts. They talk for hours before finally having sex. Petter gives no indication if this was sweet and missionary or a mix of BDSM and Shibari but Rose seems happy enough.
He escorts her home where more drink is taken and, judging by the pain and bleeding the following day. Rose assumes they had more sex. But she can't remember..
For me this was where the book fell apart heading straight down to the ridiculous duckling finding herself surrounded by hens, booze, drugs and naked butlers as well as an obsession with instagram and Cinderella dreams.
The ending had to come and I was happy that it was not dragged out. Given the length of the celebrity 's career and the number of girls/women who were delighted to get his attention I don't foresee a happy outcome.
Me? Despite the quality of Petter's writing and her insights into the pathetic culture of celebrity, I should have spent my valuable time washing my hair.

3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book and was able to devour it in less than 48 hours.

I really enjoyed the authors writing and found her style very relatable and easy to absorb, making this book one that's easy to gobble up despite the triggering content. The story itself I did enjoy, again despite the content, I enjoyed the exploration of Rose as a character and her character development and conflicting thoughts and feelings made this feel very real and honest. The important topics that were covered were covered well, and I thought the author did them justice.

Whilst I did enjoy the book and it's impact, this is a 3.5 star read for me due to the fact I wanted the side characters to be fleshed out a bit more in order to add a bit more sustenance to the story rather than being quite one dimensional. I also found the ending to seem rather abrupt which didn't really fit the pacing at all in comparison to the rest of the book? The random perspective change near the end has so left me with loads of questions and theories but I suppose that was likely the authors intention - I'd love to know everyone else's thoughts on this.

Overall a very good book and I would definitely check out the authors other book after reading thus.

Thank you to 4thestatebooks and wmcollinsbooks for my ARC of this book.

This is more 3.5 to low 4 star for me.
While the book follows an important topic and does it rather well. It doesn't shy away from it. I also felt the writing was very slow paces which made it hard to stay invested and not zone out a little.
Then the ending felt so rushed compared to the rest of the book. She finally truly knew what happened to her and the book just ends.