A review by inthefallstateofmind
Rouge by Mona Awad

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.