Idol

'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

An absolute page turner; addictive and refreshingly twisted.

By turns utterly gripping and unsettling, this gorgeously written novel is a fascinating look at the ills of influencer culture. A book for our times.

IDOL is darkly delicious and asks important questions of fame, influence, self-help and what it really means when we click "follow". Louise O'Neill is one of those rare authors whose writing grips you from the first page, but who also makes you think. I will read anything she writes.

Louise O'Neill steps into areas that lesser writers are daunted by. She is a pioneer.

O'Neill continues to push at the murk around contemporary taboos, shining a compassionate and compelling light on what drives our appearance-obsessed society, marking us all as complicit. IDOL is a gripping, shocking read I could not put down.

IDOL is utterly compelling and totally fearless. I literally had to ban myself from reading it after 8pm as I couldn't sleep otherwise. Louise isn't afraid to grasp nettles and IDOL is a confronting exploration of toxic female friendships, consent, and the gross hypocrisy of influencer culture. Destined to be rightly huge. It will take a long time to get these characters out of my head.

Compulsive, disturbing and totally addictive, I couldn't put IDOL down. No-one writes the dark extremes of womanhood like Louise O'Neill and I think this might be her best novel yet.

Sharp and sharply plotted, muscular, propulsive, visceral. So good on illusion and self-delusion; the lies we tell ourselves and each other; the damage of toxic friendships, and the legacy of betrayal or imagined betrayal. There were phrases that stopped me in my tracks, they resonated so hard. I hope it flies far higher than Samantha Miller.

I read it in one sitting! Louise has a way of making her characters deliciously, unapologetically human and gloriously messy. Sometimes you want to look away but it's impossible. IDOL is her best yet.

Electrifying. I devoured IDOL in two greedy gulps - it is so smartly and sharply observed. It's going to stay with me for a long, long time - Louise's writing is so compelling, gripping and addictive.

Daisy Buchanan, Sunday Times bestselling author of INSATIABLE

As an author I am envious of the incredible achievement IDOL is, but as a reader I am so thankful for the three days of page-turning reading it provided. Sophisticated, gripping and compulsive, I couldn't tear through the pages fast enough. I was just so desperate to find out what happened! I'd even go as far to say that IDOL is my book of the year. This is going to be massive.

IDOL is such a cleverly constructed novel, taking a scalpel to the superficiality of social media and the wellness industry. O'Neill writes so perceptively about adolescent friendships, toxic relationships, and how our personal truths can be littered with self-delusion. It's a timely story - a morality tale for the Instagram generation - and all the more compelling for it.

I don't think I've ever enjoyed hating a character as much as I hated Samantha Miller. This fierce tale of toxic female friendship is unlike anything I have read. Highly original, unflinching and with a devilishly dark conclusion, I loved every page of it.

Idol is sharp, unflinching and timely, and made me question what's real in a world where likes and clicks matter more than ever. It's a book that dazzles and mesmerises, and will linger in your thoughts long after you finish reading.

I'm completely in awe of what Louise O'Neill has done with this brilliant and riveting book. Idol is absolutely astonishing. It's one of those rare novels you desperately want to eke out - to make it last forever - but then can't help yourself rushing through, staying up all night to finish. It's so well-written and pacy, I was literally breathless for the last 100 pages.

IDOL is that rare combination of thought-provoking and page-turning - the very definition of a novel for our times

IDOL is Louise O'Neill at the very top of her game. This is a clever, zeitgiesty read, which will play with your emotions as if they were scrabble tiles and give you characters that you love then hate on the turn of a page but you won't be able to stop reading. This is going to be one of the most talked about books of the year

Brutal, compulsive, brilliant. Louise O'Neill exposes the contradictions and quandaries of influencer culture with her usual perceptiveness.

'An absolute must for your book club, with so many issues up for discussion'

A tinder box of a book... smart, sparky, and packed full of combustible emotions.

O'Neill's darkly compelling thriller asks disturbing questions about memory, truth and the power of social media to destroy its own idols

Louise O’Neill is a bestselling author from Clonakilty, West Cork. Her debut novel, Only Ever Yours, won multiple awards including the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year and the inaugural YA Book Prize. Her second novel, Asking For It, spent 52 consecutive weeks in the Irish top 10 and was awarded the Michael L Printz honour by the American Library Association. 
 She has since published The Surface Breaks, a feminist retelling of The Little Mermaid, which was shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards, and three novels for adults: Almost Love, After the Silence — named Crime Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2020 — and Idol, which went straight into the Irish book charts at #1. Her memoir, A Bigger Life, is coming in autumn 2026. Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone? is her latest novel.

'IDOL is fresh, glamorous, and surprising, taking an issue we all care about and with a deft twist, recalibrating our position. It dazzles us before revealing the darkness at its heart. Louise O'Neill is not afraid to take on a taboo but somehow always makes it utterly compelling. This is such an exciting book.' Marian Keyes 
 
'Follow your heart and speak your truth.' 
 
For Samantha Miller's young fans, she's everything they want to be. She's an oracle, telling them how to be their best, true selves. With three million followers and a recent number one bestseller, Sam is more influential than ever. 
 
Determined to bare all to her adoring fans, she's written an essay about her sexual awakening as a teenager with her female best friend, Lisa. She's never told a soul, now she's telling the world. The essay goes viral. 
 
But then - years since they last spoke - Lisa gets in touch to say that her memory of that night is far darker. It's Sam's word against Lisa's - so whose 'truth' is really a lie? 
 
'You put yourself on that pedestal, Samantha. You only have yourself to blame.'

Louise O'Neill

A glamorous, sexy, fascinating read about damaged people and what really happens to child-stars.

Marian Keyes, bestselling author of MY FAVOURITE MISTAKE

Razor-sharp and utterly spellbinding, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MADELINE STONE? boldly cracks open the glittering world of child stardom and, in O’Neill’s uniquely compelling style, lays bare the dark and reaching cost of fame. Questions of identity and destiny underpin this thrilling tour-de-force, which will stay with you long after the final page. I absolutely devoured it!

Catherine Doyle, bestselling author of TWIN CROWNS

An unflinching examination of the destruction wrought by fame. Part Me Too thriller, part family tragedy. It reckons with our celebrity-obsessed culture and confronts our dark impulse to consume and then destroy women in the spotlight. Confronting, compulsive and profound

Sophie White. author of Such A Good Couple and Where I End.

Addictive, propulsive and deliciously enraging - and a vital, healing text for anyone who came of age during post Y2K weirdness. Louise writes about modern womanhood with such elegance and fury. It's a truly excellent novel, and one which will make so many of us feel so seen.

Daisy Buchanan, bestselling author of INSATIABLE

Utterly addictive. Easily one of my favourite books of the year. A standout novel, with Louise O’Neill’s inimitable storytelling style making it impossible to put down. I adored it. Her best book yet.

Andrea Mara, bestselling author of NO ONE SAW A THING

This tale of child stardom is equal parts unflinching, devastating and gripping whilst masterfully weaving hope and courage in its aftermath. There aren’t enough words to express how in awe I am of the character arcs, the world building, the way the story felt so prescient whilst delving into the dark underbelly of Hollywood’s past.

Nikita Gill, bestselling author of HEKATE

Propulsive and unflinching, O'Neill dissects the world of child stars, familial dysfunction and manipulative relationships with such clarity and compassion it's impossible not to be drawn into the world of her characters. As an examination of the way women in the public eye were - and still are - treated, it's both an important and timely novel. I devoured the book in two sittings - with so many talking points, it's destined to be a book club hit

Hannah Beckerman, author of THE FORGETTING

An absolute masterpiece and shows one of our best living novelists at the height of her powers. It is equal parts compulsive and profound, thrilling and heart-rending, pacy and absolutely beautifully written, incisive and poetic . . . This novel is a powerful mediation on fame, shame and misogyny as well as family, girlhood and, most of all, sisterhood. I loved every single page and can confidently say it’s the best novel I’ve read in a very long time.

Lucia Osborne-Crowley, author of THE LASTING HARM

A must-read for everyone who lived through the not-so-glorious days of the mid noughties gossip blogs and tabloid circles of shame. An evocative, captivating story rooted in twisted nostalgia, but so modern, so sharp, so enthralling. It’s a triumph

EASY 5 STARS. A captivating story that you want to absorb in one go.

Michelle Elman, author of THE JOY OF BEING SELFISH

Emotional and compelling, the story exposes the cost of celebrity, and how ambition and scrutiny can shape – and destroy – family bonds.

This is O’Neill at her best, combining compelling characters and plot with incisive commentary on fame, power and men’s bad behaviour.

O’Neill is a top social commentator, and this exploration of child stardom is fascinating.

Addictive and nostalgic, this one’s perfect for group chats and book clubs

A perfect read if you enjoy dark, character-driven stories with plenty of twists

An astute examination of noughties' gossip culture wrapped up in a mystery

A beautiful reminder of just how talented O'Neill is. […] unputdownable read from one of our finest authors

A gripping novel and perfect for fans of stories about Hollywood glamour and the dark side of fame

O'Neill dismantles misogyny and exploitation in this confronting, fast-paced novel

This novel will prove a must-read: you’ll be drawn to continuing until the end. Louise is certainly still at the top of her game

An addictive look at the dark side of the entertainment industry

2002. 
 
Twin sisters Madeline and Chelsea Stone are joint stars of the AtomicKids sitcom Double Trouble, but everyone knows it’s Maddie who shines most brightly. Until Chelsea beats her sister out for the role of a lifetime and is catapulted into the spotlight. And just as Chelsea’s star reaches impossible new heights, Maddie disappears. 
 
2025. 
 
Chelsea Stone retired from acting after her sister’s disappearance – but living life under the radar is easier said than done when you’re the most famous woman of your generation. 
 
When a storage locker is found containing heart-breaking truths about the year Maddie went missing, Chelsea feels a flicker of hope for the first time in twenty years. This is her chance to discover what really happened to her twin, but to follow the trail she’ll have to face the past and step back into the spotlight . . .

Louise O'Neill

Praise for Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone?

A glamorous, sexy, fascinating read about damaged people and what really happens to child-stars.

Razor-sharp and utterly spellbinding, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MADELINE STONE? boldly cracks open the glittering world of child stardom and, in O’Neill’s uniquely compelling style, lays bare the dark and reach ...

An unflinching examination of the destruction wrought by fame. Part Me Too thriller, part family tragedy. It reckons with our celebrity-obsessed culture and confronts our dark impulse to consume and then dest ...

A glamorous, sexy, fascinating read about damaged people and what really happens to child-stars.

Razor-sharp and utterly spellbinding, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MADELINE STONE? boldly cracks open the glittering world of child stardom and, in O’Neill’s uniquely compelling style, lays bare the dark and reach ...

An unflinching examination of the destruction wrought by fame. Part Me Too thriller, part family tragedy. It reckons with our celebrity-obsessed culture and confronts our dark impulse to consume and then dest ...

A glamorous, sexy, fascinating read about damaged people and what really happens to child-stars.

Razor-sharp and utterly spellbinding, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MADELINE STONE? boldly cracks open the glittering world of child stardom and, in O’Neill’s uniquely compelling style, lays bare the dark and reach ...

An unflinching examination of the destruction wrought by fame. Part Me Too thriller, part family tragedy. It reckons with our celebrity-obsessed culture and confronts our dark impulse to consume and then dest ...

Books by Louise O'Neill

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