Australian wellness influencer Belle Gibson shot to fame after convincing the world she had cured her terminal brain cancer with a healthy diet. But there was one problem: she'd never had cancer.

Gibson, a high school dropout and teenage mother, built a global business that vaulted her to fame and fortune. She had a legion of followers, international book deals, and a best-selling phone app, having fooled Penguin and Apple. She was a digital-age celebrity, a one-woman cult, a hero of the “wellness” world, and an inspiration to many.

Written by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, the two journalists who uncovered details of Gibson’s lies, The Woman Who Fooled the World unravels the mystery and motivation behind this deception. It follows the public reaction to the scandal, which included headlines in Time and Gibson being named as a top 10 villain of the year by The Washington Post.

The book explores the lure of alternative cancer treatments, the cottage industry flourishing behind the wellness movement, and the dangers of social media. It documents the devastating impact Gibson's con had on her fans and cancer patients.