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Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone?

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The compulsive, glamorous and timely new novel from #1 bestselling author Louise O'Neill

2002.

Twin sisters Madeline and Chelsea Stone are joint stars of the AtomicKids sitcom Double Trouble, but everyone knows it’s Maddie who shines most brightly. Until Chelsea beats her sister out for the role of a lifetime and is catapulted into the spotlight. And just as Chelsea’s star reaches impossible new heights, Maddie disappears.

2025.

Chelsea Stone retired from acting after her sister’s disappearance – but living life under the radar is easier said than done when you’re the most famous woman of your generation.

When a storage locker is found containing heart-breaking truths about the year Maddie went missing, Chelsea feels a flicker of hope for the first time in twenty years. This is her chance to discover what really happened to her twin, but to follow the trail she’ll have to face the past and step back into the spotlight . . .

PRAISE FOR LOUISE O'NEILL

'Darkly delicious' ELIZABETH DAY

'Fresh, glamorous, surprising' MARIAN KEYES

'Compulsive, brilliant' ABIGAIL DEAN

'Utterly gripping and unsettling' LUCY FOLEY

'An absolute page turner; addictive' CECILIA AHERN


'Unflinching, clever and completely riveting' FABULOUS

'An absolute must for your book club, with so many issues up for discussion' PRIMA

'A compelling, clever and beautifully crafted thriller' OBSERVER

'A smart, addictive page-turner' STYLIST

© Louise O'Neill 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

A glamorous, sexy, fascinating read about damaged people and what really happens to child-stars.
Marian Keyes, bestselling author of MY FAVOURITE MISTAKE
Razor-sharp and utterly spellbinding, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MADELINE STONE? boldly cracks open the glittering world of child stardom and, in O’Neill’s uniquely compelling style, lays bare the dark and reaching cost of fame. Questions of identity and destiny underpin this thrilling tour-de-force, which will stay with you long after the final page. I absolutely devoured it!
Catherine Doyle, bestselling author of TWIN CROWNS
An unflinching examination of the destruction wrought by fame. Part Me Too thriller, part family tragedy. It reckons with our celebrity-obsessed culture and confronts our dark impulse to consume and then destroy women in the spotlight. Confronting, compulsive and profound
Sophie White. author of Such A Good Couple and Where I End.
Addictive, propulsive and deliciously enraging - and a vital, healing text for anyone who came of age during post Y2K weirdness. Louise writes about modern womanhood with such elegance and fury. It's a truly excellent novel, and one which will make so many of us feel so seen.
Daisy Buchanan, bestselling author of INSATIABLE
Utterly addictive. Easily one of my favourite books of the year. A standout novel, with Louise O’Neill’s inimitable storytelling style making it impossible to put down. I adored it. Her best book yet.
Andrea Mara, bestselling author of NO ONE SAW A THING
This tale of child stardom is equal parts unflinching, devastating and gripping whilst masterfully weaving hope and courage in its aftermath. There aren’t enough words to express how in awe I am of the character arcs, the world building, the way the story felt so prescient whilst delving into the dark underbelly of Hollywood’s past.
Nikita Gill, bestselling author of HEKATE
Propulsive and unflinching, O'Neill dissects the world of child stars, familial dysfunction and manipulative relationships with such clarity and compassion it's impossible not to be drawn into the world of her characters. As an examination of the way women in the public eye were - and still are - treated, it's both an important and timely novel. I devoured the book in two sittings - with so many talking points, it's destined to be a book club hit
Hannah Beckerman, author of THE FORGETTING
An absolute masterpiece and shows one of our best living novelists at the height of her powers. It is equal parts compulsive and profound, thrilling and heart-rending, pacy and absolutely beautifully written, incisive and poetic . . . This novel is a powerful mediation on fame, shame and misogyny as well as family, girlhood and, most of all, sisterhood. I loved every single page and can confidently say it’s the best novel I’ve read in a very long time.
Lucia Osborne-Crowley, author of THE LASTING HARM
A must-read for everyone who lived through the not-so-glorious days of the mid noughties gossip blogs and tabloid circles of shame. An evocative, captivating story rooted in twisted nostalgia, but so modern, so sharp, so enthralling. It’s a triumph
Vicki Notaro, author of REALITY CHECK
EASY 5 STARS. A captivating story that you want to absorb in one go.
Michelle Elman, author of THE JOY OF BEING SELFISH

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