Filter This is a witty, relatable and surprisingly moving take on the Instagram scene.
Ali Jones seems like she has it all – at least, according to her Instagram account.
But in reality, the 25-year-old has a thankless job as a production assistant on Durty Oul’ Town and her father, Miles, has early onset Alzheimer’s disease.
She spends her evenings drinking wine with her best friend, Liv, and scrolling through her Instagram feed – dreaming of one day being like Shelly Devine, aka: the queen of the Irish influencers.
But Shelly’s life isn’t without its own set of problems. She’s been struggling to maintain the image of her perfect lifestyle. Her husband, Dan, hates the influencer life – and Shelly is feeling a lot of guilt about using their three-year-old daughter Georgie in promoting brands.
The pair’s lives become intertwined in the lead up to the Glossie Award nominations, when Ali accidentally leads her followers to believe she is pregnant – and becomes an overnight Insta-star.
Ali finds the newfound attention way too tempting, and begins sharing her faux-pregnancy as @AlisBaba – gaining tens of thousands of new followers and #sponcon deals in the process. But things only get more complicated with the return of Tinder Sam, who believes that Ali’s ‘baby’ is his.
Both of Filter This’ lead characters are so well developed that you can’t help but want to root for them – and become way too emotionally invested in their latest outrageous stunts.
Ali’s use of Instagram as a way to deal with her beloved father’s illness and her frustrations about her job is both frustrating and moving (and definitely relatable).
As she begins to realise how her deception has been affecting those around her, she begins to try and figure out how to come clean.
Shelly, meanwhile, fears that she’s in way too deep. Her assistant not only runs her Instagram account, but one for her husband and yes, even their three-year-old daughter.
She even gets an actor to play her husband at an event after he refuses to smile for the camera, as she tries anything to avoid shattering the image of an Insta-perfect life.
But despite every twist, turn and move she makes in pursuit of an Insta-perfect life, White manages to make Shelly both sympathetic and relatable – and crucially, surprisingly likeable.
Everything comes to a head at a holistic retreat, which changes both Ali’s and Shelly’s life forever – or, at least, until the next Insta-scandal. And with the sequel to Filter This already confirmed, we can’t wait to see where Ali and Shelly end up next (especially after that revel at the end).
Filter This is available in store now for €12.99.
A good book can do just about anything; from taking you on a wild and fantastical adventure to making you feel like an all-knowing super sleuth (if you figure out the killer twist).
But what’s good to read? Each week, #Bookmarked will help you out – with an insight into the best novels hitting shelves right now and other faves that everyone needs to read at least once in their lives.
