Click Bait

by Gillian Philip

A funny joke’s a funny joke. Eddie Doolan doesn’t think twice about adapting it to fit a tragic local news story and posting it on social media. It’s less of a joke when his drunken post goes viral. It stops being funny altogether when Eddie ends up jobless, friendless and ostracised by the whole town of Langburn. This isn’t how he wanted to achieve fame. Eddie knows he’s blown his relationship with rich girl Lily Cumnock. It’s Lily’s possessive and controlling father Brodie who fires him from his job - and makes sure he won’t find another decent one in Langburn. And Eddie doesn’t even have Flo to fall back on - his old nan died some six months ago, and Eddie is still recovering from the death of the woman who raised him and who loved him unconditionally. Under siege from the press, and facing charges not just for the joke but for a history of abusive behaviour on the internet, Eddie grows increasingly paranoid and desperate. The only people still speaking to him are Crow, a neglected kid who relies on Eddie for food and company, and Sid, the local gamekeeper’s granddaughter. It’s Sid who offers Eddie a refuge and an understanding ear. But she also offers him an illegal shotgun - and as Eddie’s life spirals downwards, and his efforts at redemption are thwarted at every turn, the gun starts to look like the answer to all his problems.

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2019

About the author

Gillian Philip is the author of more than 20 books for adults, young adults and children, including the Rebel Angels series (Firebrand, Bloodstone, Wolfsbane and Icefall). Her debut novel, the dystopian mystery Bad Faith, was published in 2008.

As well as fantasy she writes crime: Crossing The Line and The Opposite Of Amber are published by Bloomsbury. She is one of the Erin Hunters, working on the Survivors series, and has written as Gabriella Poole (Darke Academy). Her short books for Key Stage 3 are published by Ransom and by ReadZone Books, and include Life Of The Party, Mind's Eye, Sea Fever and Cyber Fever.

She lives in the north-east highlands of Scotland, with one husband, two children, three dogs (Cluny, Milo and Otto), two psychotic cats (the Ghost and the Darkness), a slayer hamster (Buffy), a fluctuating population of chickens (including Mapp, Lucia, Mrs Norris and Honey Boo Boo), and a lot of nervous fish.

From her website:

"Writing for a living is (a) what I always wanted to do; (b) occasionally frustrating; (c) a lot of fun – I take dictation from the characters in my head, who spend their lives telling me what’s going to happen next.

"But I like it that I never know just how it’s all going to end – not till the fat lady sings, the villain meets a suitably sticky end, and the boy gets the girl (or indeed the boy)."

Reviews

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (10/2/2020)! 🎁

[Richard Denham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely thrilling read by Gillian Philip. This is the first of her titles that I have read and I was greatly impressed. We follow Eddie Doolan who makes an inappropriate joke on social media, and what happens after that is a horrible descent as the threads of his life slowly unravel one after another. It makes many keen and intriguing comments on the 'age of the internet', and there are countless tales of lives being destroyed by social media and this is a great reflection on that. I don't like the term 'unputdownable', but that is what Click Bait was. I look forward to reading more from Gillian Philip in the near future.

[Dean Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story

What can I say? Well first thing is the book is well written and the story keeps you flicking the pages to find out what happens to Eddie Doolan. The premise of what would happen if.. Is taken to a level that you feel truly sorry for Eddie and his stubborn attempts to deal with the fall out of his mistake.

There wee points in the book where I found myself saying "what are you doing Eddie?" And I think that gives you an indication of the way the story is told, it drags you in and makes you care what happens to this, at times, idiotic character.

Great read and recommended.

[Alex Bloodfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read, great story, and thoroughly recommend it!

[Jackie Marchant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie Doolan doesn’t come across as the nicest, most sensible guy, but it’s easy to sympathise with him, even though what he’s done is utterly stupid. That’s because Gillian Philip portrays him so well – how she manages to get inside the inside the head of this 19 year down-on-his-luck old lad is pretty impressive. True, he makes some awful decisions, but that’s just who he is – and you can see his underlying decency the whole way through. This was a gripping read about how a split-second decision to post something to social media can ruin your life.

[Claire Loneragan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Click Bait - it’s my first Gillian Philip but certainly won’t be my last. The prose is deft and draws you in to small town life without fuss. The characters - good, bad and ugly - can be found in every town, and they provide a backdrop for what is happening to Eddie partly as a result of and partly despite their actions. Highly topical, it’s both engaging and thought provoking.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Topical & timely

Very fitting for the world we live in now; where a tweet can result in a pile-on or cancellation in minutes. What this reminds me is that each of us is much more than one thing, one thought, one idea. We are good. We are bad. We are everything in between.

[Rachel Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my type of story but some great writing. Some funny parts and interesting to see how the plot panned out.

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really don't get the appeal.

[Stephen King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book by the author in return for an honest review. And to be honest, I think this is a really important YA book about the dangers of trying to be funny on social media. One drunken tweet from 19 year old Eddie about a tragic accident involving a police officer changes his life permanently in so many unexpected ways. The characters are realistic, Eddie's life is totally believable, and there is plenty of humour amongst the angst and on-line bullying. I would say suitable for ages 13+, and I'll definitely be promoting this to my Year 9 and above students.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eddie finds that posting distasteful jokes on Facebook on slow news days isn’t a good idea and we see his life fall apart as he becomes infamous in his community. A well written young adult book which this not at all young adult enjoyed a lot.

[Natasha V · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is incredibly well written, thought out and gripping. Another brilliant read from a brilliant author. The only thing I have to add is, oh Eddie, you calamitous soul.