Reviews

Rouge by Mona Awad

inthefallstateofmind's review against another edition

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5.0

It maybe feels weird to give this book five stars because it is definitely one of the oddest stories I have read in a while, but no other rating would do justice for the hold Rouge had on me. It captured me from the very beginning and held on throughout the whole tale even when I did not have a clue what was going on. I read it for my entire four hour flight and it made the trip pass by so quickly. I thought about it when I wasn't reading it. I couldn't wait to get back to it. When I was done I had to tell my fiancée all about it even though he looked at me like I was crazy. Lol.

I really enjoyed the duality of this book. On one hand it is a very real observation of the beauty standards society puts on women. The skin care boom that has resulted in women/girls younger and younger applying more and more products to their skin every day with the hope of keeping their youthful skin. You can see the reality in the videos about skincare that Belle watches, the rows of jars lined up on the counter, the satisfaction derived from positive feedback on her skin. On the other hand Rouge is a dark twist on a fairytale story with elements that are very much not rooted in reality
magical mirrors that can transport people to other places, the transferring of one's soul/essence into a jellyfish, the almost vampire cult, the physical changes created from giving up memories
Such an imaginative, captivating, and original read for me and it makes me want to check out Awad's other books.

sophienyx's review against another edition

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4.0

I enjoyed this mostly, even though it came across every similar to Bunny. I did like the ending and the critique of skin care culture.

rayanaj's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

i think i understand the point 

camiip's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

evaroyter's review against another edition

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2.0

Maybe 2.5
I’m genuinely shocked that I didn’t like this book especially after enjoying Bunny so much. This writing style didn’t click for me, and the plot was odd and uninteresting for so much of the book. I think Belle and Noelle’s relationship is fairly well written in its complexities, but that’s about all i liked about the book.
I do though, have the same problem I did with Bunny and it’s that I just would love an explanation of whatever the hell was actually happening! Was it supernatural?? Was it magic??

Merged review:

Maybe 2.5
I’m genuinely shocked that I didn’t like this book especially after enjoying Bunny so much. This writing style didn’t click for me, and the plot was odd and uninteresting for so much of the book. I think Belle and Noelle’s relationship is fairly well written in its complexities, but that’s about all i liked about the book.
I do though, have the same problem I did with Bunny and it’s that I just would love an explanation of whatever the hell was actually happening! Was it supernatural?? Was it magic??

Merged review:

Maybe 2.5
I’m genuinely shocked that I didn’t like this book especially after enjoying Bunny so much. This writing style didn’t click for me, and the plot was odd and uninteresting for so much of the book. I think Belle and Noelle’s relationship is fairly well written in its complexities, but that’s about all i liked about the book.
I do though, have the same problem I did with Bunny and it’s that I just would love an explanation of whatever the hell was actually happening! Was it supernatural?? Was it magic??

Merged review:

Maybe 2.5
I’m genuinely shocked that I didn’t like this book especially after enjoying Bunny so much. This writing style didn’t click for me, and the plot was odd and uninteresting for so much of the book. I think Belle and Noelle’s relationship is fairly well written in its complexities, but that’s about all i liked about the book.
I do though, have the same problem I did with Bunny and it’s that I just would love an explanation of whatever the hell was actually happening! Was it supernatural?? Was it magic??

sunflower7's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

1.0

bookishbriony's review against another edition

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dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

litjot's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

checkmate's review against another edition

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5.0

me when i’m in a competition for most fucked up mother-daughter relationship but my opponents are mirabelle & noelle

hippi3mama's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0