Idol
The must read, addictive book club thriller
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3.9 • 26 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
'Totally addictive' JUNO DAWSON
'Completely riveting' FABULOUS
'Glamorous, surprising' MARIAN KEYES
'Utterly gripping. Unsettling' LUCY FOLEY
'An absolute page turner' CECILIA AHERN
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Samantha Miller is everything her fans want to be. Her three million followers hang on her every word - she's an oracle, telling them how to be their best, true selves.
To promote her new number-one bestseller, she's written an essay about her sexual awakening as a teenager with her best friend, Lisa. She's never told a soul, now she's telling the world.
But Lisa's memory of that night is far darker.
It's Sam's word against Lisa's - so whose 'truth' is really a lie?
******
'Darkly delicious' ELIZABETH DAY
'Compulsive, brilliant' ABIGAIL DEAN
'Utterly compelling' HOLLY BOURNE
'Clever and beautifully crafted' OBSERVER
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
With Idol, Louise O’Neill takes on influencer culture and its tenuous relationship to authenticity and the truth. Samantha Miller has achieved incredible success telling young women how to live better lives and is poised to expand on her three million followers when her account of a teenage sexual experience with her childhood best friend is challenged by Lisa—who recalls the incident as something she did not consent to. As Sam’s public profile disintegrates, she travels back to her hometown to salvage her career and reputation. Incisive and timely, this is a profound reflection on online celebrity, cancel culture, the #Metoo movement, female friendship and envy—and what can happen when you turn yourself into a product.
Customer Reviews
Devoured it
Instantly started searching her back catalogue for my next read. Idol is brilliant.
A compelling read
“Not everyone we put on a pedestal deserves to be there…”
Samantha Miller, a lifestyle social media influencer has it all. An adoring following of 3 million people who hang off her every word, a best selling author and business owner. But all that is threatened when she is accused of sexual assault from her childhood best friend Lisa.
There are 3 sides to every story. The memories of two people and the truth. O’Neill takes the reader on a journey as she delves into each side of the women’s take on that night and how things can be perceived so differently. The change up of traditionally stereotypical characters on this issue added an interesting element.
I had mixed emotions for Samantha. A complex unreliable narrator, she is fuelled by her need to be loved and adored, her past of abuse and addiction shaping who she has become in the present and who will do anything to protect her brand she has worked so hard for.
Idol is a dark, wicked and addictive read where you are compelled to keep flicking the pages, as each chapter ends with you wanting more. Fast paced, twisty and eye opening this is a powerful read and that ending….BOOM!! Mic drop!!