A review by vaishsviews
Idol by Louise O'Neill

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”
Expand filter menu Content Warnings