IDOL Louise O’Neill

Bantam Press, priced £14.99 (ebook £5.99). With conversations around consent, cancel culture and wellness, Idol is a book firmly placed in the now. Samantha Miller is a world-famous wellness guru – but when she publishes an essay about a sexual awakening she had with her teenage best friend, the ex-friend gets in touch to say she doesn’t remember it the same way – threatening to topple everything Samantha has built. It’s a

cleverly constructed story, told from Samantha’s perspective, so we’re initially on her side – only to realise how insidious her actions are, and the darkness that lies within. It brings up interesting questions about the modern cult of wellness – skewering well-known lifestyle idols in the process – but while incredibly readable, the story meanders in the middle. Ultimately, it builds up to a satisfying conclusion - one you can’t help but read with gritted teeth as the action unfolds – but it takes a bit too long to get there.

7/10 is put into an induced coma after complications caused by a drug used to treat his multiple sclerosis. When he wakes, months later, Krichefski suffers a rare psychological condition that puts an immense strain on their relationship, and Morgan receives a devastating diagnosis of her own – but she continues to rally friends, family and the couple’s two children to battle a disease with crushing effects, not just for the patient, but everyone around them. As a scriptwriter, Morgan knows how to craft dramatic prose. She doesn’t pull any punches, describing with unflinching honesty the anger and resentment that bubbles up during some of her darkest moments. Interspersed with glimpses of the couple’s glamorous life – rubbing shoulders with A-listers and walking Hollywood red carpets – before MS turned their world upside down, it makes for a captivating, heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful read, that will resonate with anyone who has had to cope with the illness of a loved one.