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laylar's review against another edition
3.0
Death Becomes Her meets Goop.
I had a fun time reading this, but I'm not entirely sure that it did what it set out to do. The present-day story was fun and the writing held my interest, though the horror was pretty light for something that is described as a horror novel. The split timelines didn't really add anything for me. I didn't see what purpose the flashbacks served, since they didn't really clarify anything about our protagonists character, nor were any of her issues really resolved by the end of the book. Overall enjoyable but forgettable.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC :)
I had a fun time reading this, but I'm not entirely sure that it did what it set out to do. The present-day story was fun and the writing held my interest, though the horror was pretty light for something that is described as a horror novel. The split timelines didn't really add anything for me. I didn't see what purpose the flashbacks served, since they didn't really clarify anything about our protagonists character, nor were any of her issues really resolved by the end of the book. Overall enjoyable but forgettable.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC :)
courtneyeli's review
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
youthjuice was a fun ride of a novel. I love an unreliable female narrator in a story and youthjuice delivered with Sofia. I did feel the story got a bit drawn out in the middle and would have loved more on Dom and what happens to her. The narrator of the audiobook was also wonderful. If you are into horror but maybe in a fun feminine way, this book is for you.
mbt1963's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
read_byred's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Really good if you're wanting to get into the weird litfic genre. Sometimes I was a bit lost in the writing and I did expect more craziness to happen being described as American Psycho esque with "outrageous body horror," but I'm not disappointed I read it. Some good talks of beauty standards and past trauma, but I feel like it resolved very easily.
designatedbanana's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
This book was super fun and super disgusting! Exactly what I was looking for!
The imagery was extremely well done, I read a lot of horror but gore in this really surprised me. I had to periodically take breaks to calm down and remind myself it was just a book.
The story was extremely fast paced and was easy to binge. The narrator did an excellent job!
The imagery was extremely well done, I read a lot of horror but gore in this really surprised me. I had to periodically take breaks to calm down and remind myself it was just a book.
The story was extremely fast paced and was easy to binge. The narrator did an excellent job!
hellororyg's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Important to know about me: I love American Psycho, I love The Devil Wears Prada and I am endlessly fascinated by (though not sucked into) wellness and beauty cults, very specifically goop. So on the surface, this is the perfect book for me.
And in a lot of ways, it was. I’m a litfic guy through and through and I love a cast of unlikeable characters. (Not you Jamie, I am never talking about you.) Sadly, though, I found that it fell a little flat for me. I’m not sure if it was the weight of the comparisons, but it lacked the punch I wanted from it.
Which isn’t to say I disliked it at all. I’m giving it 3.75 stars overall, and although the first third dragged for me at times, I powered through the rest very quickly once it hooked me.
I think maybe I wish this book had been more of something, though I can’t pinpoint exactly what. Grosser, more gory maybe. I wish Sophia had either been a villain who would commit to it, or been a voice of reason. As it was, her occasional bursts of morality (which always quickly fell to one side) just ended up annoying me. Be a bad guy! Be the horror you wish to see in the world, Soph! The same can be said for the 2008 plot. I’ll try to stay spoiler free, but I really wish the ending of that was that she’d done something much worse than she did. That history had really repeated itself, which in my opinion, it hadn’t.
This all sounds very negative but again, I actually did like this book once it grabbed me. I liked its despicable cast of characters (Soph aside) and their self-centred delusion, I liked the way it somehow combined what was very obvious with a slow reveal. I loved the clear picture it gave me of HEBE, the way these women and this company was so familiar and clear. The Ashleys are generic characters, as they should be, but they each felt very real to me. I’ve known these girls my whole life, I’ve loved and admired them, I’ve felt jealous of them and I’ve also hated them and rolled my eyes at them.
Ultimately, I wish this had leaned more into the blood and gore of it all. I wish Soph had been a real Villain. But I felt entranced by the world of HEBE, by these women and their awful quest for immortality and beauty, and so I would say the good outweighs the bad for me.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Renegade for the ARC.
And in a lot of ways, it was. I’m a litfic guy through and through and I love a cast of unlikeable characters. (Not you Jamie, I am never talking about you.) Sadly, though, I found that it fell a little flat for me. I’m not sure if it was the weight of the comparisons, but it lacked the punch I wanted from it.
Which isn’t to say I disliked it at all. I’m giving it 3.75 stars overall, and although the first third dragged for me at times, I powered through the rest very quickly once it hooked me.
I think maybe I wish this book had been more of something, though I can’t pinpoint exactly what. Grosser, more gory maybe. I wish Sophia had either been a villain who would commit to it, or been a voice of reason. As it was, her occasional bursts of morality (which always quickly fell to one side) just ended up annoying me. Be a bad guy! Be the horror you wish to see in the world, Soph! The same can be said for the 2008 plot. I’ll try to stay spoiler free, but I really wish the ending of that was that she’d done something much worse than she did. That history had really repeated itself, which in my opinion, it hadn’t.
This all sounds very negative but again, I actually did like this book once it grabbed me. I liked its despicable cast of characters (Soph aside) and their self-centred delusion, I liked the way it somehow combined what was very obvious with a slow reveal. I loved the clear picture it gave me of HEBE, the way these women and this company was so familiar and clear. The Ashleys are generic characters, as they should be, but they each felt very real to me. I’ve known these girls my whole life, I’ve loved and admired them, I’ve felt jealous of them and I’ve also hated them and rolled my eyes at them.
Ultimately, I wish this had leaned more into the blood and gore of it all. I wish Soph had been a real Villain. But I felt entranced by the world of HEBE, by these women and their awful quest for immortality and beauty, and so I would say the good outweighs the bad for me.
Big thanks to NetGalley and Renegade for the ARC.
evesreadingcorner's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Sophia is a 29-year-old who lands a job at HEBE, a beauty and wellness company in Soho. It becomes immediately obvious that there is something weird in how they create their products; Sophia, having little to lose, just goes along for the ride.
Short, fun and weird in the best way. While it did take me a while to get into the story, once I did I was thoroughly hooked; there was something so... uncomfortably entertaining about it that made it impossible for me to put it down.
Even though I found it a bit predictable at time, it still is a well-done satirical horror. I almost wish it descended more into madness, sometimes it felt like there was so much more that could have been done and the author was holding back. But it still was a fun time for sure.
Many thanks to Dialogue Books & Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Short, fun and weird in the best way. While it did take me a while to get into the story, once I did I was thoroughly hooked; there was something so... uncomfortably entertaining about it that made it impossible for me to put it down.
Even though I found it a bit predictable at time, it still is a well-done satirical horror. I almost wish it descended more into madness, sometimes it felt like there was so much more that could have been done and the author was holding back. But it still was a fun time for sure.
Many thanks to Dialogue Books & Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!
aedoran08's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kryalen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’d say overall, I enjoyed it, but I felt like it didn’t really do anything new or audacious with the premise to fulfill its potential as social commentary (read Mona Awad’s Rouge for a novel that does!), and it also failed to establish the tension necessary to make it effective as a horror novel. It did have some deliciously gross imagery, especially in the second half of the book, and a unique dream-like storytelling voice. I’m curious to see what comes next from Sathue as she hones her craft!
kaylo88's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What in the Elizabeth Báthory did I just read?!
The plot of the book was not what I had expected. Although some parts of it were as I had anticipated, it certainly took me in a different direction. However, I must say that I did enjoy reading it.
Initially, I was drawn to the main character Sophie and hoped to like her, but as the story progressed, I realised that it was her who would be the Patrick Bateman from American Psycho references!
The book is not exactly a horror story, although the theme of horror is predominant throughout. The story delves into some dark and unsettling themes, and there is a strong presence of weird girl vibes.
While I had high hopes for the book, I believe it fell a little short of my expectations. Nevertheless, I still found it enjoyable. I needed more background to many of the characters including Tree the brainchild of Hebe, and I would have liked more detail into the process of how they got rid of their evidence.
I have to say the vegan tee totalers with a side hustle for young blood was a hilarious twist to the story.
Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. My review is my own opinion.
The plot of the book was not what I had expected. Although some parts of it were as I had anticipated, it certainly took me in a different direction. However, I must say that I did enjoy reading it.
Initially, I was drawn to the main character Sophie and hoped to like her, but as the story progressed, I realised that it was her who would be the Patrick Bateman from American Psycho references!
The book is not exactly a horror story, although the theme of horror is predominant throughout. The story delves into some dark and unsettling themes, and there is a strong presence of weird girl vibes.
While I had high hopes for the book, I believe it fell a little short of my expectations. Nevertheless, I still found it enjoyable. I needed more background to many of the characters including Tree the brainchild of Hebe, and I would have liked more detail into the process of how they got rid of their evidence.
I have to say the vegan tee totalers with a side hustle for young blood was a hilarious twist to the story.
Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. My review is my own opinion.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Eating disorder, and Suicide attempt