Joined in 2023 
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She has released books, and has a strong online presence, guiding her "girls" on how they can be the best in their lives.
She is flawed, manipulative, and completely caught up in herself, the version she presents to the world in any case. The best friend, who has come forward with her allegations and is obviously not well, literally only suffers for trying to speak her truth and will continue to do so now that the truth is finally out in the world. 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.Sam is these things, yes, but that isn’t why she is unlikable—I don’t like her because she is self-absorbed and perhaps even narcissistic. The only problem is, that Sam has just written about the encounter in a recent article as evidence of her sexual awakening. Of course, the inevitable dilemma of a rock star romance is how is the heroine going to fit into the heady world of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
The story centers on a holier than thou guru and the house of cards that social media and online celebrities/influencers appear to often live in.It's also a fantastic gaze at the danger of influencer culture to such an extreme and how it seems to be so easy for young women to fall under the spell of others who might just being using their trauma for their own gain. She's perfectly portrayed, from her pick n' mix spirituality and clean eating, to her insistence on speaking "her truth". Not only a reflection on how we can create our own reality, but also on the fact that the stories we tell ourselves can be at stark odds with the realities of other people.
The synopsis frames the sexual assault as the MCs "sexual awakening" (which is just really utter and complete bullshit). IDOL analyses our relationship with social media while also highlighting the toxic nature of the cancel culture. IDOL is fresh, glamorous, and surprising, taking an issue we all care about and with a deft twist, recalibrating our position. But when word of Anna’s work reaches her enemies, it sets off a cat-and-mouse chase that will lead Ben and Anna halfway across Europe and into the heart of war-torn Syria. Everything in Sam's hometown was like watching a car crash and Sam just kept digging that hole deeper, and deeper for herself.We are all capable of being incredibly moral and incredibly monstrous, given the right circumstances.
It felt a bit as if this subtlety was somewhat lost as the story progressed though, with Sam becoming more and more extreme nearing the end which, even though I still liked reading about her, made her much more black-and-white than morally grey. 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.
The perfect blend of interesting ideas and a frothy, moreish narrative style – I struggled to put this book down. Subsequent books have definitely not hit the same heights but at least kept me engaged to some extent. It goes without saying that the impact of social media today is massive, and ‘Idol’ merely reinforces my dislike for it! Sam is eager to get Lisa to bend to her will, and say and do exactly what she wants/needs her to say or do.
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