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robynw1996's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Sexual assault, and Eating disorder
bookishlysophie's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A really easy to digest book but one that deals with some seriously dark topics. The unreliable narrator makes you question everything. It was a sort of interesting plot twist that kept me reading. I have to say the end felt a bit flat. I’d still recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Abortion, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic friendship
ninawieland's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Abortion, Rape, and Drug abuse
theunfinishedbookshelf's review
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
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Sexual harassment, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Abortion, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, and Drug use
keirahelena_'s review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Abortion
luise96's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
3.5
I really like the idea of this book but I think the execution was somewhat flawed. It was very nice to read a story from the viewpoint of such an unreliable narrator. But I didn‘t think that any other characters were really fleshed out and the „plottwist“ was not that surprising to me and the ending felt rushed. It still made me think about my teenager years and how sometimes we tell ourselves stories which then become more real to us than the actual reality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Vomit, and Rape
Moderate: Abortion
vaishsviews's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I would like to thank my good friend, Clodagh, for recommending this book to me. Since she first mentioned it, I’ve been aching to get my hands on it and only managed to do so recently.
Idol spotlights Samantha Miller and her life as an influencer. Having recently published yet another book, she is revelling in the limelight: she has 3 million followers and life could not be any better. In an essay, baring the truth to her followers, she admits to a sexual awakening experience between her and her former best friend, Lisa. But that’s not how Lisa remembers the experience and in coming forward, unravels the careful façade that Sam has worked so hard to create.
This book took me on a journey that I wasn’t expecting at all. There were so many plot twists and so many loose ends but it made for such a good story. I genuinely found myself struggling to put this down and to not finish it in one sitting. I enjoyed the mixture of long and short chapters because they built tension and suspense well. O’Neill’s writing is seamless between the past and the present, to truly uncover the events of that night and Sam’s life since.
“not everyone we put on a pedestal deserves to be there”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, and Vomit
travelseatsreads's review
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.
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
Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Mental illness, Body shaming, and Eating disorder
nadinej127's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Addiction, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Abortion
books_r_cool's review against another edition
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)
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.
This book was amazing incredible showstopping and I loved it. (please read cws)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Vomit, Abortion, Addiction, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Rape, and Toxic friendship