I was really not sure what to expect with book. It was definitely a dark and satiric view of the entire wellness and health industry and how it is very superficial. I found Jane to be intensely unlikable and very much to be a leach of sorts that gained her success off of the coattails of someone that was the metaphorical wellness guru. I really wanted to see more of the experience of how Jane made their retreat a go, however the book seemed to fall flat when it just skipped this and moved onto turning their business into acquisition to the same company that she was very much in debt. The irony was definitely not missed here. At the end of the day, this one did fall a bit flat for me and lost steam around the midpoint. I would give this one a 2.5 rounded up to a 3. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley,

The Glow is a dazzling debut about a "desperate young publicist trying to save her career by turning the charismatic leader of a grungy retreat center into the hottest new self-care brand". Okay, okay. I know I copy and pasted their elevator pitch, but I couldn't sum up this book into a better, neater one-liner.

Because it's everything.

If you like clever literary fiction along the lines of Big Swiss by Jen Beagin (in terms of sharp, dry humored writing and a touch of satire) with social commentary on social media vs. reality, America's flawed medical system, and exploiting relationships for personal gain/corporate greed. It's not as pretentious as I'm making it sound. It's a well-done, impressive debut that's equal parts alarmingly observant and really f*cking funny.

The third act in particular is the star of this book. No spoilers, I promise, but there's nothing like a literary fiction protagonist unknowingly evolving into the very thing they're morbidly obsessed with. Karma? Schadenfreude? I don't know. I'm just saying words at this point. It's a hallmark of the genre, but it's a sneaky transformation here, a full-on "blink and you'll miss it" and it's worth acknowledging / applauding separately.

It's a near perfect read for me. Although the pacing felt sluggish at points and sometimes the constant one-liners were overwhelming-- well, pause. I read this during a hectic week, so my brain was pretty oversaturated and maybe all two of my brain cells were just too tired to focus. So I'll backtrack. The pacing is fairly fast for literary fiction's sluggish standards and Gaynor's humor is engaging and effortless, which is the key that makes this book a standout. It deserves all the hype. All of it!

Thank you so much to Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Pub date: June 20, 2023

4.5/5

I really enjoyed this one. The characters were vivid and it was easy to imagine a retreat at Opeia, down to the painted white floors and warm water (as a treat). I could see it on the shelf next to Leigh Stein's Self Care. Perfectly toed the line of satirizing the wellness world while maintaining slivers of hope that all the tonics and cleanses might actually work. A good read for the GOOP interested, and definitely for fans of the POOG podcast. Will recommend to friends.

I give this book 3.5/5 stars. I was super into it in the beginning - I loved Gaynor’s occasional witty lines and the overall direction of the story. Jane’s character was pretty relatable while Cass’s obviously wasn’t but was more aspirational. I kept thinking this was going to take a dark turn like in Nine Perfect Strangers but it never did. In fact, the whole ending kind of fell flat for me. I didn’t like how Gaynor skipped over a whole chunk of time to just say “and now their retreat is successful” while I thought the whole story was going to be about how they built their success. I also was disappointed by the sellout at the end. Overall, if you’re looking for a light read about white women in the wellness industry that will make you chuckle every once in a while, this is a quick and worthwhile read for you.

Full disclosure, 1/4 of the way in, I was ready to abandon this book, but I pushed through. I worked in the cosmetic industry for over 20 years and found the discussion of the beauty industry hysterical! I really didn’t like Jane for most of the book, but maybe because I could relate to her, her never ending search…for recognition, acceptance, success, wealth and finding it just beyond her grasp. I know this book is a comedy, but I also think it’s a tragedy. (Can one exist without the other?) I did enjoy this book and I think it will stick with me a while.

This starts off as a very funny book, so much so that I had to keep sharing hysterical lines by reading them aloud. It's a snapshot of modern social media internet culture. Jane is in her late 20s and working in PR, (she's PR Jane at present.). She's previously been poetry Jane who never finished her PhD degree. Jane is in a financial black hole, owing a huge amount to a hospital where she had appendicitis surgery., a hospital was not in her network.( Many people can relate to that tragic occurrence.)

She becomes fascinated by the face of a woman named Cass whose skin glows and who is absolutely beautiful on a website called FortPath. She convinces her boss that a weekend visit to FortPath will help her recruit them as new client. intriguingly, the website also featured erotic photos of zucchini, and elaborates that this is a "spiritually nourishing vegetable that grows without fear." I won't go on to describe that weekend because you must read it for yourself. The food is almost non-existent featuring variations on zucchini as well body temperature water, yoga like exercise and a group masturbation session. The amazing thing is that the darn place works, and Jane returns with glowing skin. like Cass. Unfortunately, her big mouth loses Jane her PR job.

Jane is not a likeable character, but she is the embodiment of a certain type of post-feminist contemporary woman. How Jane worms her say in and PRs her way into taking over and turning Fort-path into Opeia is a tongue-in-cheek inside look at how Goop and its ilk have become so popular in women's self-care and health products.

The Glow shows up the things that influence our lives in these days of influencers and their web sites. It's also a very entertaining novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC copy of this novel you kneew I would like in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I was really impressed with this novel! First time reading a book from this author and absolutely loved the writing style. Definitely drama in every chapter and really captures your attention from the beginning.

Jane, like many 20-somethings, is a little lost. She has a PR job she doesn’t care about, is crippled by medical debt and spends too much time on instagram. Instagram is where Jane discovers a wellness retreat run by gorgeous, enigmatic Cass.

I absolutely loved this hilarious look into the wellness industry. Jane was very relatable even her petty and self-serving (yet vulnerable) nature. It started out a little slow for me but ultimately hooked me and I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

4 stars- this was a fun read and glimpse into a faux wellness guru, cass. thanks netgalley + the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

THE GLOW is a satirical dark comedy about the wellness industry, self-care, and beauty/health influencer culture. Jane is constantly trying to keep up appearances between two vastly different versions of herself: PR Jane, a bubbly, ambitious 25-year-old thriving in the public relations industry, and Actual Jane, a 29-year-old grad school dropout who's drowning in debt and working a job she hates. Could a "wellness retreat" run by the mysterious, charismatic Cass and her husband Tom be just what Jane needs in order to save her job and gain the acceptance she wants? I loved how smart and witty the writing was, and Jane was an especially fascinating, complex protagonist to follow. If you want a funny yet thought-provoking read with characters you love to hate, then THE GLOW is the book for you! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

This was a very good book and the concept and story line was very good. I enjoyed this and thought it was a good book. And this is a very big topic and industry especially in the age if the influencer and social media. I really enjoyed this so much.
I just reviewed The Glow by Jessie Gaynor. #TheGlow #NetGalley
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Great book with a main character you don’t know rather to pity or take notes on how she turns out. I really enjoyed the whole story from start to finish.

I loved this story! Jane is a relatable character for many women in their 20s/30s who are trying to figure it all out. My favorite part was the satirical look into the world of self-care/wellness. I found it all interesting and especially relevant in 2023. I thought the writing was witty and enjoyable. Best paired with a face mask and maybe some microgreens!

Jane works in girlboss PR, and in a desperate attempt to save her job, she finds FortPath, a culty wellness retreat in NJ. She devotes her life to Cass, the ethereally beautiful guru running the place. Struggling with crippling medical debt, she's willing to do whatever it takes to make money and ascend to what she views as a higher version of herself.

I found every character in this book insufferable, but I did generally enjoy it. The cover is one of the most beautiful I have seen and I would purchase the physical copy for the reason alone. I could not relate to Jane and did not understand the motivations behind essentially anything that she did. But I was interested in her story and wanted to know where in her story we would leave her.

I don't know if I feel there was a well wrapped ending here, and maybe there doesn't need to be. Generally I would say this book hinges on the concept of dissatisfaction, for Jane and most of the people around her. And I do think the author did an exceptional job of conveying that emotion along with others that felt like a direct view into the character and provided for some viscerally uncomfortable secondhand embarrassment moments.

Overall, this was a midline book for me but it's one I have thought about since I finished and may continue to grow fonder of over time .

Thanks NetGalley for proving an electronic advanced copy of The Glow for an honest review.

The Glow for a few laugh out loud moments from me. Gaynor did an excellent job at showing how ridiculous and over the top the wellness industry could be. I wish the story was told in first person though. I feel like it would have totally helped bring the storytelling up an extra notch.

I thought the premise of this book was a great one! It dives into the new-age wellness industry. But, I didn't really love the execution of it. The characters weren't very likeable (which does work in some books) but I just did not find that it meshed well with this story. I understand the reasoning behind it, as it looks through an unfiltered lens. Overall, it was an okay read - but it just didn't stand out for me.

The Glow is a dark comedy about wellness culture, and the millennial drive to be "that girl." I enjoyed the dark comedy elements, and laughed out loud several times. The first half had me hooked. However, the plot ultimately didn't go anywhere. I was waiting for the cult that was hinted at in the blurb, but this was not a cult book nor a thriller. After a long tangent in the middle, it changed directions and became purely a drama. The ending was extremely confusing and quite a let-down. I do think it was worth the read for the humor and insights into wellness culture/social media.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I enjoy satire and this book had some nice humor--we follow a young PR worker who struggles to keep up appearances while facing a mountain of medical debt. She ends up exploring a wellness retreat that's pretty much a cult, and becomes involved in working for it herself. There were some nice lines in here, and some moments that really worked, but overall I felt the story was a little.... expected? It didn't blow me away, and I'm not entirely sure what didn't click for me. I'd say if you're interested, definitely give it a shot! But I'm not the ideal reader for this one.

DNF @ 70%. I just felt no connection to the characters and didn’t know or care about what was going on halfway near the end. It had some funny moments and I wish the story was more around Jane than Cass & Tom. I just completely lost interest when it focused on the 2 of them.

ARC Review: the Glow by Jessie Gaynor:

The Glow follows Jane, a poetry PhD dropout and struggling PR agent as she attempts to secure an eccentric and mysterious client to save her career.

This book was a repeated pleasent surprise. It’s written with tastefully done dry humor, and takes a satirical approach to today’s commoditization of wellness and spirituality. The characters are flawed, complex, and unlike any I’ve read before.

The Glow stands out because it successfully captures the nuances of wellness culture and image building on social media without being shallow and ingenuine. Jane’s financial insecurity and awareness of her beholdeness to capitalism runs paralell to her fixation on beautiful, expensive things in a way thay resembles a Rooney character.

If you liked Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors, you should definitely add this book to your list :)

The Glow will be published June 20th, 2023.

My review is currently posted on Instagram (@blondeandabook): https://www.instagram.com/p/CoC7ZyvrMb_/?igshid=MWI4MTIyMDE=