A compelling literary thriller about the wellness industry and the rise of the “conspiritualist” (a conspiracy theorist that preaches under the guise of health and wellness). This book felt very timely and unsettling.

Sadie meets the magnetic Lileth and her Deep Flow movement when she moves to LA and is feeling adrift, dealing with past trauma whilst struggling to find her “tribe”. Lileth and Deep Flow offer her a way to connect, feel good, unlock her creativity as an artist and give her life a new focus.

There were so many sharp observations on the wellness industry peppered throughout - when Sweet talks about how it culturally appropriates other practices and belief systems and commercialises them, how it offers ways to feel good but can be problematic, and how it can exploit people’s vulnerabilities and loneliness / desire for community in increasingly insidious ways.

Of course, this is not reflective of all of the wellness industry, but it does speak to a dark underbelly and a side that is borderline lifestyle brand and borderline cult, which this book in particular plays with. At one point, Lileth refers to her upcoming plans to start a paradisical off grid community to her followers, which certainly seems pretty cultish. The plot builds tension well, and the slow unravelling of Deep Flow’s true nature is both chilling and believable.

The only part of the book I really didn’t enjoy were the dream sequences. I get why they were in, but I struggle to read and engage in descriptions of other people’s dreams and found it a bit cliche. Also, whilst I was hooked by the plot and really liked the characters, I would have liked to see a bit more depth from the secondary characters.

Overall though, False Idols was a captivating, fast paced read - a perfect fictionalised spin off to Amanda Montell’s Cultish (which I loved!) It would make a great holiday read as it’s absorbing and hard to put down!

Another book that I didn't enjoy thanks to this godforsaken slump! I loved the synopsis of this one but I didn't end up enjoying it in the end which is a shame. I might give it another read later down the line when I'm back to normal. I just didn't click with the story and I found it drawn out as well as taking a while to get to the nitty gritty.

Thank you to the author & Net Galley for allowing me to preview this book before it was published to the public. I absolutely loved this idea and the book itself didn’t dissapoint. The whole “it’s not a cult it’s a lifestyle” vibe throughout the whole book was creepy in a way that was weirdly natural? I felt like Iv been there and heard of similar things happening before in the real world so it wasn’t a stretch to take myself into the world of Deep Flow and feel like I knew exactly what and who were involved.
I loved the ending but felt it could have been taken in a different angle and focused more on the character of Vee and her experiences. Would have been good to know more of her story! My favourite quote of this book was “ if she were wearing pearls , I don’t doubt she would be clutching them right now as if her life depended on it.”

The themes False Idols are incredibly timely - the reveal of certain ones hitting me like a punch enough to draw a breath. (No spoilers, promise!)
Written extremely entities and passionately, I think Sweet has a sure fire hit on her hands. My only slight issue was that the ending and resolution were wrapped up a little too quickly for my liking. I wanted to luxuriate in the characters a little more.

After Derek and Sadie relocate to Los Angeles to pursue Derek's dream career, the latter finds herself at something of a loose end. That is, until she discovers Deep Flow, a wellness initiative that quickly sucks her in and gives her a purpose.

But is this what it seems - simply the newest trend in a health, beauty and wellness industry that's thrives on continuous pursuit of the next big thing?

Or is it more sinister and cult like than it seems at first glance? Sadie is about to find out...

An absorbing thriller, the book keeps the reader on the edge of her seat. This earns 3.5 stars.

Sadie has an interesting life story.
She and Derek move to LA and Sadie finds herself in Flow.
Flow becomes a mystery on its own.
I loved Sadie’s voice.
A few scenes felt less plausible and underwritten.
In general, the craft was good.
The plot and the resolution were 65-70%.
Nevertheless, Sadie kept me engaged. There could have been more depth and story.
Overall, still 3.5 stars rounded up because it was fun.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Headline for this ARC

False Idols is a compelling, dark dive into the underbelly of the wellness industry.

Sadie is adrift; looking for something to hold on to when she meets the magnetic leader of wellness class Deep Flow, an enigmatic woman named Lilith.

Lilith takes Sadie under her wing, and soon, Sadie is addicted to all things Deep Flow and Lilith. When others around her profess their skepticism, Sadie is quick to insist that Deep Flow isn’t a cult, but a transformative experience and a chance to escape her past.

However, soon, the walls start to fall down and Sadie begins to realise the truth about Deep Flow and Lilith.

This is such a unique concept for a thriller, and brilliantly captures the dark side of the wellness industry; how it can be unregulated and how it can pray on the vulnerable, isolating them.

Sadie’s state of mind is portrayed so well, and you’re completely captivated as she falls under Lilith’s spell.

Overall I really enjoyed this book - a unique story that balances thriller with literary fiction.

This story does explore some difficult themes which may need a trigger warning!

‘False Idols’ is an extremely gripping ‘is this a cult’ thriller. The ominous and eerie tone of the novel is accompanied by a fast-paced narrative. We follow Sadie a new-bee to LA following her husband’s successful career and running from her own trauma. She feels isolated in the new city so when approached about a new form of wellness class, portrayed as a ‘lifestyle’ and ‘community’ it was all she could have asked for.

I really enjoyed the novel. I had a complicated relationship with all the characters which I thought was very atmospheric and highlighted the central themes, while also humansising the chracters. The novel was mostly propulsive, the only thing I would note is that bang on at 50% a climax happens and isn’t followed through.

I would recommend to fans of literary fiction that want a thriller novel as it explores much more than just the standard thriller tropes.

Thank you to #netgalley for this #DRC of #falseidols

I mostly enjoyed this is it a cult or not?? book.
I liked the pacing to find out exactly who Sadie was and how she had got to where we meet her.
The whole wellness idea is very believable, and so easy to be sucked into things when you're new to the area.
I felt the whole book built momentum, to just fall a bit flat at the end.
I'm not sure what it was.
Still a fun read, with some interesting characters.

When Sadie moves to LA she finds herself some comfort in a lightworking group called Deep Flow.

The issue here is while Sadie has every reason to fall in to this cult like business, she also reads as a character entirely unconvinced by the group. In most situations this cult would get her by showing love, care, riches but Sadie doesn’t even seem brightened by their company, which unfortunately means this book was hard to believe in big parts.

I liked so much to read the witty takes on the other members and I wanted to love Sadie, a strong woman who deserved the world, but I couldn’t, the story made her seem weak where she clearly wasn’t.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for this eARC in return for an honest review.