The queen of the fever dream Mona Awad is back with my favorite release of the year (and quite honestly I think my favorite release of hers to date)

Everything about this book is genius to me:
- The re-imagined elements of Snow White
- The commentary on the cult of skincare and the promise of immortality
- The way “beauty” is synonymous with “whiteness”
- Our sinister relationship with screens and mirrors
- The way daughters inevitably mirror their mothers relationship with their reflection
- The complexities of grief
- Tom Cruise and immortal jellyfish

You’ll be asking yourself wtf is happening in the first half but it comes together in the most mesmerizing and unsettling way in the second half. The tension in this book is 10/10 tingles down your spine A24-pick-this-up-please kind of good.

Rouge by Mona Awad is an eerie, surreal exploration of beauty, obsession, and grief that really pulls you in. From the moment Belle returns to Southern California after her mother's mysterious death, you're hit with a sense of unease that only grows as she becomes entangled in the strange and cult-like world of La Maison de Méduse.

The novel has this hypnotic quality that mimics the experience within the cult. Awad captures the terrifying allure of beauty standards with sharp satire, blending it with a mother-daughter dynamic that is both relatable and unsettling. Belle’s obsession with her appearance, mirrored in her mother’s life, turns into a spiraling descent that you can’t look away from.

It's a strange mix of Snow White meets cult horror, and honestly, it worked. There’s humor, but it’s laced with this deep sadness, especially as Belle grapples with her identity and her fractured relationship with her mother. The last few chapters get wild, in a good way, pushing the quiet horror of the book into something much more chaotic and intense. This was weird, a bit grotesque, and definitely not what I expected—but that’s what made it such an interesting read.

It was good, but didn't wow me. I had high hopes for a new Mona Awad book, and this just didn't live up to my expectations

A sultry, seductive story about a woman whose mother was always her greatest competition and greatest teacher. Beauty is all this family thinks of and there is an undercurrent of mystery and creeping dread beneath the surface. I devoured this one, jellyfish and all and I am so excited to pick up more of Mona Awad's books! Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this one!

Not exactly what I was expecting. Bunny might be a wonderful for me, because I found myself looking for more meaning in the one...

This was a slow start but once it picked up steam I found myself enjoying it much more. I wish there was more poignant commentary on the beauty industry as the story set it up for so much potential.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. The premise was more interesting than the execution. I would recommend if you are a fan of Mona Awad's or if you enjoy the weird girl lit fic genre a lot, but unfortunately it fell too flat for me. I would say more 2.5/5 stars.

This Snow White retelling was SO GOOD! Awad uses her signature creepy/ anxiety-inducing writing style to attack the beauty industry and how they prey on women. She is merciless in her attacks on the industry and how they force women to strive for difficult (and often unrealistic) standards to uphold themselves to.
Awad does completely spell things out for the reader by the end, so there isn't much guessing on what happened in the story. It is a little unfortunate, because it doesn't leave any room for interpretation, but it was still such a great read!

A mesmerizing gothic noir set in San Diego's picturesque and wealthy beach "village," La Jolla, CA. The story follows Mira, a skincare-obsessed protagonist, as she unravels the dark secrets of a cult-like spa her mother frequented, with haunting imagery of roses and jellyfish adding to the surreal atmospher. I absolutely loved this novel.

3.5 stars!

This is really hard for me because I really don't know how I feel after finishing this book. I have read Bunny and All's Well by Mona Awad and the way she makes me feel after reading a book is so unique. The writing in this was weird, and the choices the characters made were weird, but there were portions of this book I really did eat up. Not my perfect book, but I will always pick up what Mona Awad writes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Rouge is an exploration of the lengths people go to be beautiful, to the cost of everything, with the backdrop of a few familiar fairy tales. of course there has to be the Mona Awad twist in it, and that feels like the end which is part Little Mermaid, part Awad. This is bizzare and thought provoking in the best way

Mona can do no wrong. Weird and wonderful are her specialty with plenty to disturb a reader. Obsessed. I’m a fan for life.

Rouge is a mesmerizing blend of fairy tale and psychological thriller, weaving a surreal narrative that delves into the dark side of beauty and obsession. Belle's journey into La Maison de Méduse is a haunting exploration of grief, identity, and the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. With its black humor and seductive horror, the novel captivates from start to finish, offering a unique perspective on our society's obsession with appearance and mortality. Brimming with California sunshine and chilling revelations, Rouge is a gripping and thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page.

Mona Awad is hit or miss for me, and both Bunny and All's Well had highs and lows. Rouge is probably my favorite Awad book so far, but it comes with heavy caveats. A horror tale set in the beauty industry hardly sounds like a fresh idea, but Awad's brain works in such unthinkable ways. There were several points in this story where I had to take a step back and try to figure out what I just read. That seems like a criticism, but the whole thing works surprisingly well. Awad continues to be one of our most original and exciting storytellers.

Mona Awad does it again. This was an absolutely incredible read. This book talks about so much (a mother's influence on a child's sense of self, euro centric beauty standards, the male gaze) but it never feels superficial or poorly done. Rouge feels like a fever dream in the best way. Our narrator is confused and unreliable - so much so that I am not even sure what name I should call her. Is she Belle? Mira? I don't know and neither does she. If you are interested in skin care, grief, and weird girl books you will absolutely love this.

Rouge by Mona Awad was not for me, personally. Awad is a racist cunt who says things for shock value. It's obnoxious and the way a boomer would write. This is my second book of hers.

I was thrilled to see another release coming from Mona Awad, critically acclaimed (and well-deserved) author of Bunny. This one focuses on a woman who goes through a bit of a spiral when her mother passes unexpectedly. She's on a "treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty," essentially a horror retelling of Beauty and the Beast and none can stand in her way. Twists and turns, surprises and some chuckles, this read kept me going. Awad is absolutely terrifying at times in the best way possible.

Wow this was such a trip. Awad's writing is lovely and poetic on a sentence level, and there are some really funny parodies/critiques of the ~beauty industry~ and beauty bloggers etc. The structure is a little like...weirder and dreamier than I generally prefer to read personally but it was a really compelling journey to go on.

Like her books before this is a wild trip into Awad’s mind. This take on an old fairy tale is interesting if not always entertaining or clear. Sometimes weird can be too weird.

This book was weird, as expected from Mona Awad. I’m not sure it will have staying power in my head, but it is a good rec for someone looking for a weird book.