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On 3rd January 2022 Sam(antha) Miller, best selling author and owner of Shakti, a lifestyle brand, is about to launch her 4th book ‘Chaste��. She has her audience (young, mostly white and female) in the palm of her hand, this is the power of the cult idol with over 3 million social media followers. This is Sam at her peak, literally moments after her speech to her “loves�� the world she has created with all its power and monetary benefits begins to implode. Well, I dare say if you plonk yourself at the top of a brand success pedestal at some point you’ll fall off. Is she a good person? Authentic? Truthful? Only time will tell.

Wow. This is one powerful well written novel. Louise O’Neill is quite some writer as unafraid she tackles a whole host of issues via Sam such as #MeToo and sexual assault, eating disorders and so on. In Sam the author has created a superb character who you view through various different lenses. There is Sam the attention seeker, the messed up, Sam the obsessive, the deluded, the needy and the character who gets what she wants any which way she can. Then there’s the Sam her followers see but then there is the Sam from the past where other characters have an entirely different perception of the truth. This is very much a she said/he said/she said novel and you have no idea who to believe or who is the credible one with much of this being played out on social media (can you hear me groaning?!). She’s not easy to like but she’s very damaged and at times you feel sad then you feel angry at her behaviour and manipulation. The only thing that seems to be true is that if you tell yourself something enough times you will grow to believe it.

There’s tension, it’s uncomfortable, you wince, you groan and it’s quite raw at times with some scenes making you gasp in shock. It’s absolutely gripping as you witness the crash, burn, rise, crash and burn. It’s certainly not a book that is easy to read because it’s so dark but it’s equally impossible to put down. Louise O’Neill has nailed it here with the highly topical and much debated themes of the book.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld, Bantam Press for that much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.