Idol: The must read, addictive and compulsive book club thriller of the summer

Louise O'Neill

May 2022 · Random House

About this ebook

'Totally addictive' JUNO DAWSON

'Completely riveting' FABULOUS

'Glamorous, surprising' MARIAN KEYES

'Utterly gripping. Unsettling' LUCY FOLEY

'An absolute page turner' CECILIA AHERN

******
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

Ratings and reviews

“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!!

About the author

Louise O'Neill grew up in Clonakilty, a small town in West Cork, Ireland. Her first novel, Only Ever Yours, was released in 2014 and won the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, the Eilís Dillon Award for a First Book and the Bookseller's inaugural YA Book Prize. Her second novel, Asking For It, was published in September 2015 to widespread critical acclaim. It spent 52 consecutive weeks in the Irish top 10 bestseller list. Both novels have been optioned for screen.

Louise's first novel for adults, Almost Love, was published in 2018, followed shortly by The Surface Breaks, her feminist re-imagining of The Little Mermaid. Her second novel for adults, After the Silence, was published in 2020 and was an instant bestseller in Ireland. It won Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and has also been optioned for screen. Idol is her third adult novel.

Louise contributes regularly to Irish TV and radio, and has a weekly column in the Irish Sunday Times.