Reviews with content warning for Grief - Natural Beauty

I had a great time with this book up until about 3/4 of the way through it. The climax felt rushed and messy, with so many questions left unanswered (and not in a mysterious, intentional way). Overall, it was a decent read but a letdown towards the end.

Content Warnings

punk_flower_child's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Oh my God, once I got about halfway through this book I just couldn't stop. This was such a profound commentary on beauty standards and so much else I couldn't even begin to express. One of my favorites so far this year

Content Warnings

emilywemily6's review

Go to review page

mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

In some ways, this book gave more than I expected, and in other ways, it didn’t quite fulfill what I was hoping for while I was reading. I really liked the conversations on the cosmetic industry, European standards of beauty, the privileges afforded to the privileged, etc. However, there is a lot jammed into this book, and by the end I felt a little unfulfilled in these discussions and plot points that could have gone farther than they did. Also, the main character’s lack of awareness/acceptance of the changes she went through was irksome. If I was suddenly 6 inches taller I would have been startled and run away from Holistik, for one thing, let alone all the other things that happened. She also felt so bad about her relationship with her parents but did nothing to truly fix it or come to terms with it. So I wasn’t a huge fan of the main character. I also felt like the book was over-sexualized. While this novel gave me a lot to think about, it won’t be quite a favorite.

Content Warnings

farrahwho's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Holistik has changed everything. Natural beauty doesn’t exist here—it’s created.

i really wanted to be more invested in this story, but i just couldn't bring myself to care more. the pacing is all over the place, the chapters are broken up in a way that ruins the flow of certain scenes, and the mc is so frustratingly passive at times making this whole reading experience more arduous than it should have been. the "action" towards the end felt shoehorned due to a lack of sufficient build-up and the ending wasn't satisfying

(despite being somewhat hopeful/optimistic)

. doesn't really bring anything new to the table in terms of commentary on consumerism and beauty/wellness culture. if anything, this is just a slightly more grotesque, unnecessarily sexual version of rouge by mona awad (which i didn't really vibe with either!)

i will say, the body horror in this was well done (i.e., managed to actually gross me out)

Content Warnings

irenemarie's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious 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

Content Warnings

zeroschatz's review

Go to review page

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

HOLY SHIT WHAT DID I JUST READ?! I am still processing and I am completely creeped out😭

Our nameless Chinese American main character/first-person narrator takes a new job at Holistik, a wellness and beauty store (and infamous empire!) to make more money, after her parents get into a horrible accident and she is months late on their care facilities rent. She was once a promising classical music ingenue, but gave it up because of her parents’ tragedy. From the beginning, Holistik emits a bit of a cult-like aura, and it only gets darker and darker as the novel goes on! She starts to “drink the Kool Aid,” as one would say, as she gets more and more procedures done and implements hours-long nighttime skincare routines.

Our narrator (who takes on the name Anna to appease customers/her employers) takes on a second night job within a different branch of Holistik, but she never remembers what happens during those sessions and typically just wakes up in her bed a bit woozy. She begins to uncover darker and darker secrets about the company, at dire consequences for herself and those she loves dear. I had such a dreadful feeling reading this, just knowing something more sinister was waiting for her around the corner (not an *actual* monster, but moreso the monster of beauty standards, the wellness industry & the constant sell of achieving eternal youth & beauty!

Huang's writing of the narrative voice was searing, unimpressed and straightforward. She posited our narrator as deeply caring towards her parents, but once their accident happens, she is clearly deep in the wells of her grief. I can’t say too much else without spoiling this, but I will say that I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book, and for some reason, the scene with “Anna” having to tell an unhoused man who looked like her Ba to move from the Holistik storefront has stayed with me. She became so pulled to what Holistik wanted her to be, that she strayed so far from being the kind of person that her parents would be proud of. It’s an all too familiar push and pull of being a first-generation child of immigrants who is cautiously towing the line between wanting to assimilate and feel as if they belong in predominantly white spaces, like at Holistik, or be a child that your parents are proud of, and to prove that their sacrifice paid off in you. That moment really pained me.

Anyway, I will absolutely read more of LLH’s work, and am so impressed with this piece of dark, haunting horror!

Content Warnings

More...