Throughout the majority of this book I didn’t like a single character. But it actually worked really well to keep me engaged and wanting more. By the end there were two characters that really stole my affections, one of which managed to bring a huge smile to my face as they showed their true cunning and strength. This is a book that is going to stay with me for a long time. I wish I could erase it from my memory and read it all again from the start. It's not often that I can read a story with a VERY unlikeable main character and still enjoy the story. I caught on early to the true nature of our protagonist, though I don't know if that's down to the writing, or me having spent a few years behind the curtain in YouTube event green rooms. I think it's a timely story in lots of ways, not least of which because of the public fall of a guru or two we've seen in the past couple of years, but also as we navigate this new-ish world of social media and celebrity being so... parasitic to each other? Samantha is a social media guru, loved, adored, cherished by millions of girls who stand by her feminist vocality and vegan lifestyle…until she is accused of sexual assault…by a former female best friend ( Lisa ) and her life becomes, well in the words of one author comment ‘gloriously messy’

This book consists of a Part 1 dedicated to research design and causality, making use of causal diagrams to make the concept of identification straightforward, and a Part 2 dedicated to implementation and common research designs like regression with controls and regression discontinuity. You can see the chapters and navigate between them on the left (on in the dropdown menu up top if you’re on a small screen).

This novel is a true examination of what it means to be a celebrity, and how we put them upon a pedestal. It is also an examination of sexual abuse, and especially how people construct narratives for their entire life. So, in this instance, which narrative is true?

It was a very interesting choice for O'Neill to change the gender balance of stories which are sadly too prevalent in society at the moment. It is one of those stories where you will love then hate then pity then hate some characters as the story progresses in the present day but also as the truth emerges over what happened all those years ago. O’Neill, B., Gallego Pérez, J. I., & Zeller, F. (2013). New Perspectives on Audience activity: ‘Prosumption’ and Media Activism as Audience Practices. In K. C. S. Niko Carpentier, & L. Hallett (Eds.), Audience Transformations: Shifting Audience Positions in Late Modernity (pp. 157-171). Routledge I thought this was a timely story and although the characters weren’t likeable they were highly interesting. A highly entertaining read! The word idol has a special meaning in East Asian cultural circles, which is different from the definition of an idol in European and American pop culture circles. In European and American culture, an idol has a more abstract meaning; an idol can be someone you like or admire, and he can even be an ordinary person around you. In East Asian culture, besides the above meaning, the idol is also a profession, different from a singer, actor, or host. It, therefore, inevitably gives birth to idol-related industries and economies. From an economic and sociological point of view, idols are tools created by capital, products driven by the fan economy, and the root of fan culture. The Japanese media system is organized around a general fascination with idols and the ideal consumer products used to satisfy its audience’s most common desires and aspirations. In this sense, becoming a fan means becoming a loyal consumer of idol-related products. This phenomenon began to develop in Japan around the 1970s and later spread to Korea and China (Corgi, 2022). While the public measures idol groups in terms of the industry and the sectors that build the market, the audience lie somewhere in between (Livingstone, 1998). A really interesting, thoughtful, balanced novel about a very current issue in society which I think was handled very sensitively.Cohen, J. (2001). Defining Identification: A Theoretical Look at the Identification of Audiences with Media Characters. Mass Communication & Society, 4, 245-264. The protagonist is a hot mess but yet there's also something so charismatic about her that you can't peel yourself away from. Sad to say but I could relate to some of her experiences and decisions e.g. fictionalising a real-life account as a coping mechanism.

They were something more than friends, more than sisters even; they were two halves of the same person, only whole when they were together." There were lots of satisfying moments in this book but the ending was the cherry on the cake, and I feel like I let out a sigh of relief when everything came crashing down once again. A gripping read from start to finish. People are going to be talking about this book for a long time to come! Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Idol will be out on May 12th - guaranteed to be a hit! Samantha is a guru/influencer/idol, however you would describe her. She has a following of millions of her "girls" on social media and encourages them to speak their truth.Comparing the two forms of media, traditional and new media, media influence in the traditional mode works by linearly conveying meaning to a passive audience, a homogenous and uncritical group (Livingstone, 1998: p. 240). In contrast, new media communication has made audiences less tolerant of the cultural and entertainment industries, and audiences are instead able to become more active participants and producers of content in commercial activities or communication processes. As a result, new media is more focused on individuals and more likely to highlight personal characteristics. Fans can naturally establish a seemingly closer connection with idols unilaterally, so this is a significant factor that makes new media an essential part of fan culture. People claimed they wanted the the truth but when faced with it, it was too messy for them to accept. The truth often felt like a story, one with plot holes, an unreliable narrator." Idol by Louise O'Neill is a fast and addictive read that I found really intriguing. Well written and filled with darkness. Mansor, N. A., Abdul Razak, R., Mohamad, Z. Z., Din, N., & Abdul Razak, A. (2020). The Affective Economy and Online Fan Communities: A Case Study of Johnny & Associates. In N. Suki, & N. Suki (Eds.), Leveraging Consumer Behavior and Psychology in the Digital Economy (pp. 91-105). IGI Global.