I really wanted to love this, and I think it is a great book for a certain kind of reader, but that reader wasn’t me. This is billed as American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada and while that’s kind of true, I feel that the grandmother of this book is ultimately Death Becomes Her. It takes an especially skilled writer to take you through a story that relies heavily on a fever dream-esque narrative, and to me this author was just not up to the task. It was a cool concept and definitely got better as it went on, but it’s plagued with pacing issues and missed opportunities to feel connected to the story. I DO think that fans of BEE and Hunter Thompson may dig this book though.

I've been loving all the beauty industry horror that has been coming out! Youthjuice was a fun addition but I did find myself a bit bored by the main character. I think it's still worth checking out if you like this sub genre!

Thank you, Netgalley for this arc

3.5 rounded down.

Books that explore wellness culture seem to be having a minute right now and I’ve read so many of them so it’s tough reviewing and differentiating between them. Youthjuice lies somewhere in the middle of the pack.

What if there was a secret ingredient that could keep you looking young forever? Would it be worth the cost?
I love a wellness-gone-wrong, unhinged-women, fever-dream of a book and this delivered all three. I'd recommend to fans of Mona Awad and similar authors!

I was given a copy of the audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest review. Youthjuice has some incredibly beautiful prose about absolutely abhorrent subject matter. The writing style is flawless, but the end of the book, specifically the lack of consequencesk for the main character, was a little disappointing. I also thoroughly enjoyed the narration.

I love books like this - commentary on women's vanity with a dark twist. This was a quick, fun listen and I enjoyed the twists and ending.

I'm such a fan of thriller/horror books its not even funny- so this was right up my ally!

That being said, I do think it lacked a few things, as well as did some things very well.

First thing- I do think some of the people who 'vanished' just got swept under the rug too easily. I wish there was more of a commotion about them before hand. I felt like the only reason the book progressed at one point was because we learned about them and what happened.

Second- I was exepecting more with how the backstory was playing out. I really felt like it was leading us in a direction then took a left turn on the last chapter of it. Rather frustrating.

Now, the book was great far as the descend into madness effect. Sometimes I really had to take my earbuds out, look around and take a breath. I could feel my anxiety spike with the madness spreeding. Wonderfully done.

I would like to thank Netgalley and RB Media for this audiobook ARC. This audiobook is narrated by Suzy Jackson.

Youthjuice follows Sophie's journey starting her new job at Hebe, a luxury skin care brand. Sophie is quick to want to impress her boss, Tree. Tree gives Sophie a serum to try on her scarred hands. It works amazingly and the scars seemingly disappear. There are interns missing, there's conflict with Sophie's roommate, and there's murder(s). As the book progresses, Sophie's want to impress Tree is her ultimate downfall.

Youthjuice was so enjoyable. It is unhinged in the best way! I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. If you like unhinged, female main characters, I think that you will love this. It reminded me a lot of Bunny by Mona Awad, but had a more defined plot. The book ties together young people's desire to be noticed and liked. It also really sheds light on the problematic influencer community. I highly recommend this one!

First, the cover art is awesome. It's what initially drew me in. Creepy pink covers will always entice me to peek inside.

If this book wouldn't have compared itself to 'American Psycho' and 'The Devil Wears Prada' I wouldn't have had such high expectations. Regardless, I still enjoyed it.

When I started reading, it felt familiar. I think it reminded me a bit of 'Aesthetica' and 'Self Care.' Putting comparisons aside, the characters in this book needed more depth. I wasn't able to connect with anyone, even the main character. I hope the final version has more oomph.

The book was sort of vanilla - it didn't wow me, but it kept me engaged enough to finish. I would pick up another book by this author.

The audiobook was well done - very easy to follow, even when sped up.

A fun, sassy, snarky yet withering look at the modern beauty industry and beauty influencers. With some truly horror-filled scenes.

Sophia has just landed her dream job at Hebe, a beauty product company with a charismatic boss. We learn about Sophia as the timeline bounces between modern Sophia and 2008 high school junior Sophia and her bestie Mona.

There is body horror with vampiric undertones, greed, guilt, vengeance, ambition, vacuousness, and the modern-obsession with anti-aging.

Hard to put down, a quick biting read where you love, hate, pity and cheer for Sophia. Maybe some plot holes in the easy ending, but I totally enjoyed myself despite them!

Thank you @NetGalley and RB Media @recordedbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Writing was a bit pretentious (intentionally - but it felt like overkill). Plot was predictable and yet also unrealistic. I wish it had felt a little more “real” in terms of the outcomes. It was entertaining, but I think it had more promise than it actually lived up to.

2.5ish stars.

I wanted this to take to me places of sinister intent like "Tender is the Flesh". Overall, I enjoyed the book, it was slightly predictable, however, the art of story telling kept me going! Definitely not for everyone, but if the summary of the book hooks you, give it a try!

Meh. The summary reeled me in. The main character is a 29-year-old copywriter (like me!) so that got me. The book was described as "American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada." That's a bit rich. If I were to compare it to any two books, I'd say it's a cross between Bunny and A Certain Hunger. And even that would be a generous statement.

The premise of the plot is compelling and super relevant—it's all about the pursuit for ageless beauty and its (killer) cost. Sophia Bannion works for HEBE, a luxury skincare company in NYC. She has the personality of a dead fish and that is another major issue I had wth this book. I could not connect with her or any of the characters.

Satirical and witty in parts, this social horror novel is an okay read but I was expecting more characterization, plot, thrill... anything. It fell short for me.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be. It is funny and witty horror. The secret ingredient of the "Youthjuice" isn't hard to guess, but the direction Sathue takes the whole thing is great and is totally worth the read! It takes some dark turns that I was NOT expecting. The experience of reading this was like how I felt when I read My Year of Rest and Relaxation - so if you enjoyed that book then this one will be right up your alley.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an advance audio copy of this book for review.

Youthjuice follows Sophia, a woman who has just started a new, highly coveted career at HEBE, a trendy luxury beauty brand. She quickly finds herself deeply immersed in the lifestyle this new job provides her with and the access she now has to the brand’s elusive founder, Tree. But as Sophia grows closer to Tree and becomes more involved in the ins and outs of what goes on behind the scenes of HEBE she is soon forced to admit to herself that something very sinister is taking place in order for Tree to create youthjuice, HEBE’s new miracle product.

I didn’t dislike youthjuice. It was too inoffensive for me to dislike it. I just thought it was so incredibly… empty. There’s nothing inside it that the reader can’t figure out by simply reading the book’s summary. It was just a few hours of waiting for Tree to figure out what was obvious as soon as she stepped inside of HEBE. I didn’t feel strongly about any of the characters. Tree wasn’t a compelling villain. I think Dominique, Sophia’s best friend and roommate, was the only character with a personality. I did like her sections of the story. I didn’t feel anything either positive or negative about the writing. There’s a plot line that takes place in Sophia’s past that I didn’t think was very interesting.

I don’t know what else to say. There isn’t much to say. Youthjuice was just… fine.

This was my second book this year that was set in/around the beauty industry and I was here for books of this setting, but I think something was a bit off in this one - and it isn’t just Sophia (or …. maybe it was).

Everything we read - present day observations and past recollections are through Sophia’s lens. Despite the jam pack of overly descriptive words for every single detail, the tone is coldly detached. It’s like describe to me what is happening with as many adjectives you can to paint a picture (she is a storyteller), but do so with no emotion. Maybe that is the jason bateman american psycho connection ???

Addicted to a HEBE luxury skincare and wellness lifestyle, Sophia has as many secrets as HEBE’s miracle crème youthjuice and her guilt is only skin deep. The secrets and the horror feel like they take forever to get to. I forgot for 90% of the book that it was a horror, so just be prepared to wait for it and any twist until the very end.

Super weird, quirky, and grotesque, and I mean that as the utmost compliment. If you've ever worked in beauty, a startup, or both, you will find yourself cackling at this on-the-nose satire. I loved the tone and the snark from the beginning but once I learned the ingredients of Youthjuice? There was no turning back. I was hooked. EK Sathue has a unique and hilarious voice that is most welcome in the thriller/horror space, and the audiobook is very well-narrated. I can tell American Psycho was an influence and I approve of this feminine version. Sign me up for this author's next work, because this one was a delight.

The audiobook has the perfect narrator, one that captures character as well as satire. By that, I mean that the characters don't realize they are part of a story whose purpose is to reflect cultural fixation on youth and beauty. They are playing it straight, but it's so absurd that the combination of tone and story is done perfectly by the reader. I appreciate this new Elizabeth Bathory inspired take on an issue that's haunted us for centuries. The satire reflects Goop living, the wellness community, but it also uses the legend of a centuries old figure to tell this story. I also like the way she made us squirm. We are MEANT to find these details gruesome and unsettling, and her prose in these moments is actually lovely, making the gore worse. Thank you for both my physical ARC and the audiobook ARC. I do love to compare and contrast these things.

I was unprepared for this book. It was a wild ride. Have you ever wanted to be young and beautiful forever? Well these girls have and they will do some terrible things to make it happen. Don’t let the pink cover fool you this book is dark. The body horror is shiver inducing and so vividly described that I will struggle to put moisturizer on for a few days.

This book will do well on Book Tok. Part of me feels this book was written specifically for BookTok... I feel this book has the possibility to be compared also to Rouge by Mona Awad... This is just the peppier less weird less "scary" version of the book. I also was not a big fan of the audio book narrator. I think if was a unique choice for such a preppy book