Today, I’m delighted to be reviewing The Goldens by Lauren Wilson. Since I first heard about this title via the BookFest sampler HarperFire gave out and then the cover reveal at YALC, I have wanted to snap it up.
This review originally appeared on The Nerd Daily.
Chloe has always dreamed of becoming a bestselling writer. Then she meets enigmatic influencer Clara Holland, and at last, Chloe has something to write about. They bond instantly, and Chloe moves into Clara’s mansion. But as Clara’s fame skyrockets, she starts behaving strangely, hosting increasingly wild parties, complete with bonfire rituals and moonlit river baptisms.
Clara opens up her home to other girls desperate to live like her. The media call it a cult, and soon Chloe begins to hear unsettling rumours from Clara’s past. After one spectacular party, a girl goes missing and the rumours take on a sinister new meaning. If Chloe can’t escape Clara’s influence, she may be next …
Publication Date: 3rd July
CW: death, murder, violence, manipulation, emotional abuse, classism
My Thoughts:
The Goldens builds on a great concept to deliver a delectably dark journey down the rabbit hole in this sapphic thriller. It is a spectacular debut so keep your eyes out for what Lauren Wilson does next.
This is influencing taken to the extreme—it has a wickedly dark heart running throughout. You can see this being ripped from the headlines. It is the classic tale of power and influence being used to manipulate and control people, just with a modern twist. You know it will end in tragedy and yet you cannot pull yourself away from it. It is alluring and beautiful with thorns hidden behind smiles. Cults are such a fascinating topic and Wilson offers an intriguing spin here. The whole Internet era and the parasocial relationships formed online are rife with issues. Everything is curated, a façade that we construct our own narratives about. This especially rings true in a time of AI and questioning everything we are presented with. Within this, influencers are a guiding light— someone people are drawn to in the wilderness of the Internet. There can often be a relationship cultivated by those who are so dedicated to their idols, believing themselves to be best friends with someone they’ve never met. Those dynamics are open to abuse and distorted beliefs, so what might happen if these were taken to the edge?
At the centre of it all, we follow Chloe, a smart, kind and often overlooked writer stepping into these hallowed halls. Clara is a beacon in the darkness for Chloe, who feels like an outsider in this space of glossy privilege. Being drawn into Clara’s circle means having popularity and power for the first time. There is such a great conversation about classism within this book – particularly in a British space. It is almost an unspoken rule of British society, a quiet separation that quickly becomes loud and unmissable. University offers the opportunity to mix people of all different backgrounds together and yet every year, the headlines speak to the continued persistence of these archaic divisions in the power system. It is a miniature version of the very real ways this continues to define people and maintain the expected power structures of society. With Chloe, this is also explored with the prejudice sparked by her Northern accent. That expectation of assimilation and rejection of anything outside the ‘standard’ is horribly realistic.
The mystery is very well-constructed with a creeping sense of dread from the first page. It hits all the classic Dark Academia beats with the painted façade of social media and builds tension wonderfully. Everything gradually gets darker and darker but it is the way Wilson pulls you in just a little more each time. Chloe finds herself justifying the slightest change and then another and then another. It is a chilling portrait of control and manipulation, showing the scary way it can slowly erode all that you are. Another central theme of the book is toxic relationships and the way Wilson chooses to explore this is thought-provoking. There are undercurrents that become foregrounded with different aspects adding new layers to the story. Everything builds and builds until it becomes a relentless mass of tension that simply has to break. I absolutely loved it and without giving anything away, it has a magnificent ending.
The Goldens is the type of book that pulls you into its depths and refuses to let you go. It is a brilliant thriller that utterly captivates you with its twisted tale of influence, power and glamour. Forgive the cliché but this may just be your new obsession.
A Short Book Lover 
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