For reality TV fans, September can be a bittersweet time. The end of summer means the close of another season of “Love Island,” leaving devotees searching for their next fix of drama, romance, and intrigue. Yet, as the curtain falls on the latest villa escapades, the cultural impact of the show—and its stars—continues to ripple through books, fashion, and even the world of literature. This year, the influence of “Love Island” is more visible than ever, from the pages of a dystopian novel to the runways of New York Fashion Week and the shelves of a celebrity book club.
On September 19, 2025, BOOK RIOT published a glowing review of The Compound, the debut novel by Aisling Rawle. The book is a page-turner for anyone who’s ever been hooked on the high-stakes relationships and strategic alliances of “Love Island.” But Rawle’s story takes the familiar premise and turns it on its head, setting her tale in a chilling dystopian reality. The protagonist, Lily, is a beautiful but restless young woman who lands a coveted spot on a reality TV show that feels suspiciously like “Love Island”—but with much higher stakes. Contestants must not only win challenges and form alliances, but also fight for prizes that quickly shift from luxuries to necessities for survival.
As BOOK RIOT describes, “With how mundane and directionless her life is on the outside, all Lily wants is to make it to the end and stay in the Compound for as long as possible. But staying in the Compound is not as easy as it seems.” The rules are strict: no talking about life outside, no revealing the nature of their challenges, and, most ominously, a slow process of banishment until only a few remain. As the days pass, the competition grows fiercer, alliances fracture, and the line between reality TV entertainment and genuine desperation blurs. The review notes, “The struggle for power over the Compound becomes all the more desperate and violent as the days pass. And as readers, we get the sense that the outside world (the one no one is allowed to talk about) is crumbling.”
Rawle’s novel doesn’t just entertain—it unsettles. The reviewer points out that “The horrifying truth is that The Compound is not too far off from the world we live in today, and the way we use reality TV to distract us from our own realities and dehumanize others.” It’s a sobering thought, especially for those who have spent summer nights glued to the latest villa drama. The book asks: What are we really watching, and at what cost?
While Rawle’s fictional contestants fight for survival, real-life “Love Island” alumni are making their mark in unexpected places. Nowhere was this more evident than at the latest New York Fashion Week, as reported by The New York Times on September 19, 2025. The event, long a showcase for emerging trends and cultural moments, saw a wave of reality TV personalities stepping into the spotlight—none more so than Olandria Carthen, a fan favorite from the most recent season of “Love Island USA.”
Carthen’s appearance on the Sergio Hudson runway drew rare applause from the crowd, an unusual honor in the often-stoic world of high fashion. Alongside her co-star Nicolas Vansteenberghe, she also made a front-row appearance at the Off-White show, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and influencers alike. The presence of “Love Island” stars at such a prestigious event signals a shift in how reality TV alumni are perceived—not merely as fleeting personalities, but as bona fide cultural influencers.
Fashion Week also featured other headline-grabbing figures, including Vivian Wilson—Elon Musk’s eldest daughter—who walked in three shows and, according to designer Olivia Cheng, brought a “certain level of virality” due to her public persona and outspoken views. Even Ellie the Elephant, the New York Liberty’s twerking mascot, made waves, with Shana Stephenson, the Liberty’s chief brand officer, noting that Ellie had “transcended sports” to become a fixture in New York’s fashion and culture scene.
Other notable attendees included Rama Duwaji, illustrator and wife of Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani; actress Sara Paxton, who delighted fans by reprising her mermaid role at a unique show aboard the Wavertree ship; and Ben Ahlers, the “Gilded Age” actor and rising sex symbol, who mingled at parties hosted by GQ, Dior, and Nylon. Ahlers, reflecting on his own fashion evolution, told The New York Times, “I’m from Iowa, where there is no style.” Attending Fashion Week, he said, has helped him “claim my sense of style as an adult.”
The week wasn’t just about star power. It also saw announcements of major collaborations, including Nike’s new shoe with Air Afrique, Sperry’s platform boat shoes with Monse, and a new artistic residency at Uniqlo led by KAWS. These partnerships highlight the ongoing fusion of art, design, and commerce that defines the modern fashion landscape.
But the “Love Island” effect isn’t limited to fashion or fiction. As USA TODAY reported on September 17, 2025, Jeremiah Brown, a former contestant known for his brief but memorable relationship with Huda Mustafa, has leveraged his reality TV fame to champion a different kind of passion: reading. Brown, who describes himself as a “huge bookworm,” was voted off “Love Island USA” early but has since launched “Jeremiah’s Reading Room,” an online book club inspired by his popular TikTok book reviews.
“In the villa, I didn’t even get to talk about books,” Brown told USA TODAY. Now, through his book club, he’s able to connect with fans who share his love of literature. Brown’s reading journey began in his uncle’s comic book shop, where he devoured titles like “Scott Pilgrim” and Studio Ghibli classics. After drifting away from reading during high school and college, he rediscovered his passion during the pandemic, turning to what he prefers to call “self-mastery” books—works like “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz and Ryan Holiday’s “Ego is the Enemy.”
Brown credits reading with helping him survive the emotional rollercoaster of reality TV. “That’s why I didn’t crash out,” he explained, referencing advice from books like Pema Chödrön’s “When Things Fall Apart.” His book club has already tackled Madeline Miller’s “Song of Achilles” and Mark Manson’s 2016 bestseller, drawing a crowd of book influencers and “Love Island” fans alike. Brown’s literary pursuits have even landed him a partnership with Amazon Kindle, and he’s not ruling out writing a book of his own one day. When asked what he’d title a memoir about his time on the show, he replied, “‘Now You See Me.’”
From dystopian fiction to high fashion and book clubs, “Love Island” and its alumni are proving that reality TV is more than a guilty pleasure—it’s a launchpad for creative reinvention and cultural conversation. Whether it’s through a novel that questions our own complicity as viewers, a show-stopping runway moment, or a new community of readers, the stories that begin in the villa are far from over once the cameras stop rolling.
