Sadie has recently moved to LA from Georgia with her husband and feels rootless: she's struggling with childlessness and has never got up the courage to show any of her art, instead relying on her income from freelance graphic design. She's drawn into Deep Flow, an intensive wellness programme run by the charismatic Lilith, despite her suspicions of its wealthy, almost entirely white clientele. Yes, it's another wellness cult book, but for some reason I thought this one might be better, and it turned out to be worse. Sadie's character makes no sense; she's continuously critical of pretty much everything about Deep Flow, and yet she keeps on buying into it. She also makes some frankly ridiculous, unrealistic decisions after she decides to investigate a person with a grudge against Lilith. The writing is choppy and info-dumpy; Sadie's husband, Derek, sounds like he swallowed lefty Twitter whole, which meant that I agreed with a lot of what he said but found it impossible to believe a real person would actually talk like that. The pace is also incredibly slow, and the only plot-thread that engaged me was what Sadie might be hiding in her past. Not for me.

oooo this is a cult. this is definitely a cult.this was such a great thriller read about the darker world of the wellness industry, well the whole world of it really. i wanted to both shake Sadie and rescue her from this at the same time. we see her spiral and thinking into being under Lilith's spell so well. i could feel that unease growing in me and wanting to stop her, stop her now. she is like most pulled into it who take it too far adrift in life. she neeeeeds something. and of course someone takes advantage of that. that someone being the intriguing and compelling character of Lilith who is the leader of a wellness class. she of course goes through all those well worn stages and firstly starts by taking Sadie under her wing aaaand of course Sadie is very soon completely all about it and Lilith.
others try to offer a different view, but of course Sadie rebukes it. saying its saving her etc etc.
and then something lingers too long in the unease Sadie is feeling. she starts to see, see more than she wants to but cant hide from about this place, group, woman.

the wellness industry is definitely all the 'cult wrongs' twisted into one giant manipulative culture bomb. there might be micro parts of it happening. one where people get away with just enough 'not being evil' behaviour. but its all really one of the same. like a
cult preying on it prey and knowing exactly how to do so which is especially dangerous when what your using is "wellness" "health,food body etc"
a great book that felt all those creepy and uneasy feelings that you feel around this culture. its so current and almost felt normal some of the things i was reading, as in normal of our time too. i recognises so much of it as actually happening in our real world. and that made me more captivated but all emotional towards the story.
i great book. and great insight and look into a world that goes under the radar of being questioned and is so prevalent it sure does make me as uneasy as this book plot did.

Thank you NetGalley for approving my first Arc!

Artist Sadie and director husband; Derek move from Savannah, Georgia to LA, California as part of Derek's dreams whereas Sadie is now feeling a little lost. She's lost her friends from back home and while she's happy that her new home has given her the space to spend as much time as she wants painting, she's feeling lonely. She's in the supermarket when approached by the mysterious Lilith who encourages her to join a wellness group; Deep Flow.

Told in three parts, first part is fast paced as Sadie starts her 4 week free trial with Deep Flow. We move on to the second part which remains steady as we start to learn move about Sadie's past and her struggles, while also learning more about Deep Flow as it drifts between deep breathing and bordering on a possible cult. Part three resumes the fast pace as more secrets are revealed.

I liked the aspect of the plot about the main character possibly joining a cult, I just wish there was more. It focused more on Deep Flow as it's members practiced deep breathing and releasing negative energy that I found it difficult to understand how it could be cult until more of the plot was revealed.

I found parts of the book laugh out loud funny and other parts questionable at the sudden change in character decisions while also reading about very heavy topics that trigger warns might be required.

I'm a big fan of any plot involving the dark underbelly of the beauty and wellness industry, so I knew I had to read False Idols, We follow Sadie, an artist adrift, as she meets Lilith, the leader of wellness class Deep Flow. Lilith takes Sadie under her wing, and it isn't long before Sadie is well and truly addicted to the group, spending money she doesn't have and fixating on Lilith. But soon, she starts to realise the dark truth.
I think I might be the problem here; this is a good book, but sadly I think I might be sick of this particular plot line. I found the first 40% tough to get through, with no characters particularly standing out to me.
Make sure to check your triggers - this book explores some difficult themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The synopsis promised a gripping and layered story, but unfortunately, I found it hard to stay focused.
While the plot had potential, it fell flat for me.
Sadie,the main character, was hard to connect to, and some of her actions felt a bit far-fetched,even for fiction.
I was interested in some of the other characters more and would have liked to learn more about them and their stories in more depth.
Overall, the execution didn't quite live up to what I expected.
I hope others enjoy more.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline/Mountain Leopard Press for the Arc.

Sharp, timely, and full of drama 🎭🔥. False Idols is a bold, unflinching look at fame, power, and the price of influence. Karla Marie Sweet crafts complex, morally grey characters in a story packed with twists, ambition, and scandal. I loved the layered exploration of image, identity, and authenticity. Perfect for fans of edgy contemporary fiction with bite.

Wow! I cannot remember the last time I was so hooked! This book was an absolute fantastic, suspense-filled, unputdownable page turner with a wild unexpected twist! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

The perfect example of a psychological thriller I had no idea what was going to happen until the last few chapters.

This book masterfully weaves suspense, intrigue, and complex characters into a story that keeps you guessing until the very end i’d highly recommend!

If you’re a thriller fan in any capacity, I would recommend grabbing this one immediately! This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I can’t wait to read more of her books! 😊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars

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.