"I feel a deep and irrational sadness. Something isn't right. I have so many followers, so many subscribers. I should be happy, but I am so lonely. But everything is connected! I shouldn't feel lonely because everything is connected."

Lilian Quick is a 40 year old single woman who can see animal auras and captures these in pet portraits. When her long-lost cousin Florence, known to the world as the famous self-help and spiritual guru Eleven Novak, makes contact, Lilian ends up moving to New York and working for the Ascendancy - a program created by Eleven which teaches empowerment to women. Radiant Shimmering Light is a funny satirical look at the world of social media influencers and wellbeing and spirituality organisations. It took me a while to get into but I liked it overall.

In Radiant Shimmering Light we meet Lilian Quick. Lilian, at forty, is still waiting her life to happen. She is reliant upon social media for her approbation. I think Lilian is actually okay to begin with. She is a pet portrait artist, and shares a studio with Yumi, who works with wool. She is spending money on self improvement she doesn't need, and waiting for ‘likes' as if she was a teenager.
When Lilian was young she had a more wayward and out-there cousin called Florence. Florence was more exciting and daring than her, so Lilian adored her. They stopped being in touch when their mothers had a bad falling out.
Florence has now reinvented herself as Eleven, like the mysterious character in Stranger Things. She has created a self-actualisation cult called Ascendancy, with herself as its' guru and bad poet. Eleven is holding an event in her town, and Lilian determines to make something of their family connection.
To Lilian's surprise, Eleven takes her under her wing, and moves her to New York into her inner circle. Lilian is very naive, and doesn't quickly realise when she is being manipulated . When the money starts rolling in, she doesn't really care.
This book is a brilliant satire on how you can be suckered into believing you need approval in order to be your truest self. On the one hand Ascendancy seems to be a real con. It reminded me so much of Gwyneth Paltrow's aspirational Goop website, with its' astonishingly expensive life hacks. On the other, Lilian does undergo some real, and major, changes. It is not possible to rubbish Ascendancy altogether.
All in all, this was a great read, albeit with a truly baffling ending. Four stars.

Interesting concept (and beautiful cover!) but I found the writing style rather irritating. Not sure how I would recommend this or what the audience is intended to be.

It's with a bit of disappoint that I write this review. I really wanted to like RADIANT SHIMMERING LIGHT, and invested myself in to the 'Perfect-Yourself' self-improvement moments that Selecky describes so well in the book. I guess it depends on your temperament and attitude towards these self improvement communities that will determine how you receive Lillian Quick, and towards the beginning of the novel I liked her. She was fun, and I loved how she felt so real but then as the novel progresses and she becomes more invested in the Ascendency, I went off her. I understand that we follow Lillian's journey, and I really like how Selecky described how Lillian becomes overwhelmed by her new life in New York - I spare I was feeling anxious reading it, not being able to sleep, checking my phone - it was creepy! – but I didn't really feel that the resolution was there. She completed Ascendency, despite the fact that it really does seem like a cover to sell products. I was actually quite sad by how the rest of the characters didn't see it. It's a shame, as I felt I could have really got behind this book, but it just felt too long – there were some points when the plot didn't really move along and we just lingered in Lillian's new life and it felt quite repetitive. Which is why when I finally reached the end, it didn't feel like it delivered

What a great book! Not the sort of book I normally read but I was hooked! It made a change from my usual murders and serial killers!! It was funny, clever and thought provoking . I thougherly enjoyed it. It made me think about how I deal with struggles in my life and what I said it that we really want.

The story of 2 long lost cousins. Best friends as kids but a family feud pulled them apart. It is 20 years later and Lillian is a struggling artist in Toronto, while cousin Eleven is an internet sensation with her female lifestyle and empowerment programs. The 2 reconnect at an event and end up working together again. Lillian's life takes a dramatic change of direction and she suddenly has money, friends and a purpose.

Such a great read that was outside my usual reads. Highly recommend this book. Thanks to Text Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read and enjoy. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

Lillian is a pet portrait artist, who has lost touch with her cousin, Florence. Lillian is someone who spends too much time on Instagram, comparing herself to others. Her cousin has re-branded herself as "Eleven" and is now a lifestyle guru. Lillian ends up moving to New York to work for Eleven.