Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Idol

I picked this book up on a whim and i’m so glad i did! i wasn’t expecting much, i thought it was just going to be your run of the mill adult thriller based on the cover, but it was so tense and really makes you reflect on how we view celebrities! it was a great view into the minds of people who commit assualt and how they’re not all these faceless monsters of men who creep in dark alleyways, they can be people who we trust and look up to and who’s persona convinces you that they could never commit an act as horrible as rape.

I’m obsessed with books that have unreliable narrators, and this one is a perfect example of it. I spent a lot of time switching between believing Sam and her story to questioning that maybe everything isn’t what it’s made out to be and she’s perhaps not as innocent as she’d like people to believe. From big things like whether that night with Lisa was assualt to whether her parents sent her away or if she chose to go to Utah herself, all these twisted tales add up to make her a perfect unreliable narrator.

I was often reminded of Pretty Little Liars whilst reading this book. The unknown online troll and the ‘popular girl in high school being an awful person’ trope has very similar vibes to that show, and I feel like Samantha is what Allison would have been like as an adult if the writers of PLL hadn’t completely ruined her character.

I heavily recommend this book if you’re looking for something that will keep you hooked, though i advise checking trigger warnings because there’s a lot of heavy stuff discussed

Content Warnings

jazzy_t's review

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challenging dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Would not recommend. Sam is a horrible, frustrating, manipulative character and it was hard to read.

Content Warnings

theunfinishedbookshelf's review

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challenging emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Content Warnings

travelseatsreads's review

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Idol takes an interesting look at the current instafamous, sponcon world of social media influencers. As usual O'Neill doesn't shy away from hard-hitting topics and within Idol she opens conversations about eating disorders, mental illness, sexual assault, the #metoo movement and cancel culture.

It wasn't my favourite Louise O'Neill book as it had a surface level vibe at points but still a very readable and insightful look at some of the less appealing aspects of our current society.

Content Warnings

books_r_cool's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was so unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It’s safe to say I’m now obsessed with this book and it will be the only thing I think about for a while.
The plot twists of the main character realizing she misremembers things? Exquisite.
This book was packed with social commentary but not once was it boring. The writing style and the storyline in general was SO GOOD.
At the end I liked not a single character, they were all such bad people and they all sucked. The way they were written was so modernly evil.

Samantha in the beginning was a successful woman who had built an empire for herself healing and empowering women through her own stories of trauma and her life experiences. Lisa’s claim absolutely ripped her life to shreds as we saw everything deteriorate from her social presence, her image on social media to her health mental and physical. She goes to her hometown to try to sort this mess out but as the reader we end up seeing everything fall to absolute pieces as we find out that Sam has misshapen so many of her memories and experiences to the point that she believes they’re true herself. These characters are so flawed (not in a quirky girlboss way, they are literally fucked in the head especially Sam). In the end we find out that Sam has gaslit herself once more but for the very major thing that is Lisa’s sexual assault claim being true. Her career is gone, she is a terrible person (and not to mention extremely mentally ill and delusional) and nothing was solved and no one learnt anything. It ended in turmoil I absolutely loved this book.

This book was amazing incredible showstopping and I loved it. (please read cws)

Content Warnings

caoimhe_93's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Slow burn at the beginning to set the reader in Samantha Miller’s world, moving into a crescendo of dark and emotive themes that renders the reader into questioning their own views on tough issues.

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Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Idol by Louise O'Neill

pippahawkins's review

luxxltyd's review against another edition

clairew97's review against another edition

charlottefannon's review against another edition

madelinequinne's review

jazzy_t's review

theunfinishedbookshelf's review

travelseatsreads's review

books_r_cool's review against another edition

caoimhe_93's review