God Damn Mona Awad you always suck me in.

This is the very definition of a Fever Dream and i loved it.

As we follow Mirabelle following the loss of her mother, she gets sucked into what i can only describe as a Beauty-Cult. Everyone is bright and youthful and and adorned in varying deep reds. Mirabelle is drawn to this cult because her mother too was a member, and she is trying to feel close to her again and to understand her. We also get glimpses into Mirabelles childhood and her relationship with her mother, and the beauty standards and beauty industry culture throughout which made for a compelling read.

I am not even sure I know how to properly review this other than to say - this is for the girls who loved Alls Well (aka me). Its so weird, unsettling, and somehow funny??

Thank you NetGalley, Mona Awad, and S&S/Marysue Rucci Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I picked this one up because Bunny was such a feverdream and I liked the description, but I sadly couldn’t really get into it. However, if you liked Bunny or are a fan of this genre, be sure to pick this one up.

4/5

okay like…… what a strange book!

i started it super fast, crashed around 60% through, and just sped through the rest with two days left before it returns. and i don’t even know what to say about it. mona’s books always leave me like this tho!

i actually did love all the descriptions of the terrifying house & its visitors, particularly the ending bits. i understand why we needed all the flashbacks, but those were also the most off putting parts of the book to me. the tom cruise obsession was … funny, but so very strange & difficult to read for me. i do have a problem with second-hand embarrassment, though.

thanks to simon & schuster and netgalley for thé advanced copy of this book! i’m really glad to have read it, because i do love all of mona’s creepy, disturbing, confusing books.

This one didnt do it for me unfortunately. After reading Bunny I was expecting to be confused a bit while reading this book but Rouge was too confusing. Its not that I didnt "get" the book i just felt the pacing was off and not that scary.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn't realize this was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast when I requested it. That's not normally my cup of tea. I'm also new to Mona Awad's writing. Though I've heard good things about it, this one didn't really draw me in. I'm not against giving her other titles a try, but this one didn't work for me.

Mona Awad has such a talent in writing. This book dives into the complexities of mother/daughter relationships, the beauty industry, grief & trauma, and Tom Cruise??? I found this to be a bit too similar to All’s Well in the structure of the story but still enjoyed it nonetheless. This book just felt so feverish but in a good way.

The pursuit of beauty is the pursuit of truth in Mona Awad’s Rouge. When Belle attends her mother’s funeral in Los Angeles, she becomes tangled with a cult-like spa called “Rouge,” the last place her mother went to before her sudden death. Awad explores the addictive toxicity of the beauty industry, specifically in how corporations commodify people’s, particularly women’s insecurities. In a surreal twist this larger concept is personified as a demon-like entity who startlingly resembles the actor Tom Cruise. But as much as Rouge is a gothic tale about beauty, it is also a story of a daughter processing the loss of her mother whom she didn’t have the best relationship with. Awad uses the larger concept of beauty along with the Snow White fairy tale to explore the complexities that can exist between mother and daughter, most notably how a mother can see competition in her own daughter. A profound, uncanny gothic.

Rouge by Mona Awad is an adult gothic horror book about a woman named Belle who falls on a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty. This book is really hard to explain and if you are familiar with Mona Awad's works then you know what I mean. Their books are always different than everything I've ever read and they always leave me with the weirdest feelings. That makes it hard to explain my thoughts but I will say that I enjoyed my reading experience. If you are open to Awad's different types of stories then pick this one up!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Rouge has left me eager to explore more of this author's work, particularly Mona Awad's 'Bunny,' a book I've been eyeing for a year now. After the captivating experience of Rouge, I am certain that 'Bunny' will be a compelling read.

This story is a beautifully written dark and surreal fairy tale that revolves around a woman grappling with the profound loss of her mother. As she embarks on a haunting journey in pursuit of youth and beauty, the narrative unfolds with a dreamlike quality, often described as a fever dream by many. Mona Awad skillfully delves into the shadows of the beauty industry, launching a potent critique against the societal pressures imposed on women to adhere to unattainable standards of beauty.

I would readily award this story 5 stars for its compelling narrative, yet I acknowledge that, around the middle, it does become somewhat confusing. While the final 50 pages offer a more crystallized and satisfying experience, the complexity in the middle might have challenged my understanding. Nevertheless, the gripping nature of the conclusion leaves me with a strong impression, and I am excited to delve further into Awad's literary world with 'Bunny.

Mona Awad keeps one upping herself. A timely look at our obsession with beauty and the lengths we'll go to stay youthful looking. There's a touching mother-daughter message in here as well. Awad's writing style is compulsive and addicting, you'll find yourself in mad rush to finish the book. It's clever and funny and really, really dark mixing in cannibalism, magic mirrors, macabre Freudian slips, and Tom Cruise!

I did not live this as much as her other books but it was definitely on brand for the author. It was atmospheric and the story was strangely captivating. If you liked her other books, you will probably like this one!

📕Take that beauty industry! Get your hands off of perfectly clear skins, normal size lashes, and young lips. No one needs that many products to keep their 20 something skins. You just wanna mess up what is good at the early ages and make women depend on you at later ages
-
📗Connection between personality, memories, and experiences and the condition of our skin is rather disturbing. Of course people who lived a good life with minimal struggles have great skin while others who had to work hard under unhealthy conditions or went through a lot of trauma would show the signs of those on their skins. But dear Mona, don’t put ideas into Big Beauty’s mind
-
📘Awad did not fail us. She gave us another what the hell did I just read book. I want to take trip into her mind and see where these ideas come from. Using influencer “doctors” and ad bombing for skin products, she told an incredibly disturbing story similar to ancient search for ambrosia

rouge was an excellent alternative fairy tale. I appreciated Awad's approach to beauty and how seeking it can be sometimes harmful. Weird writing as always!

This was a strange, ethereal story that felt like some kind of dark dream. I'm not sure I understood it all, or that it was meant to be fully grasped, but there were definitely some allusions to "Snow White" with all the mirrors and yearnings for youth and beauty. I think more than that, it reminded me of a kind of reimagined, beauty-industry/focused "Suspiria." The witchy vibes were strange and haunting, and the idea of witches stealing souls through a spa was pretty genius. On the whole I felt more detached than I would have liked to really enjoy the book, but it was definitely strange in a good way.

Wow! What a weird, wild, twisted ride this was. This is one of those books that you read and then need time to process afterwards to figure out what the hell you just read. LOL

The writing style is so unique in a way that really adds to the creepy depths of the story. Reading this is like a fever dream. It’s dark and haunting. With a highly-unreliable narrator, you never know what to expect, what is real and what is a nightmare come to life. It has all the vibes of a dangerous Grimm fairytale.

It shows the dark and toxic sides of beauty standards as well as the effects that body image can have on our mental and physical health. How far is too far? The lengths that society can go to feel beautiful. It has a tumultuous and complex mother-daughter relationship.

This was my first Mona Awad. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. It was not a quick read for me, but the more I reflect back on what I read, the more I really liked it. I will definitely be reading from this author again. Highly recommend!

This was easily a 4 star book and has definitely made my top reads list of the year.

Mona Awad has created a contemporary fairytale that jumps straight into the toxicities of the beauty industry and the perpetual obsession with youth. This is served with the complexities of mother/daughter relationships and grief.

This book is a fever dream served in a gothic fairytale retelling and I absolutely loved it. I laughed, was confused, and then I cried. Another great book from a great author

Mona Awad doesn't miss. Going into the novel, I knew this was Awad taking on the beauty industry but I got so much more. I love the mother daughter relationship that every mom/daughter can relate to at least once in their lives. The horror aspects were also just the right amount of unsettling. This was one of my most anticipated releases and I did not disappoint.

How does Mona Awad come up with this stuff?!?! Truly a brilliant writer. Though not my favorite of hers (Bunny forever), I still found myself scratching my head at the twists and turns and ravenous to see how it all ended. The middle was a bit tedious, but that’ll happen. I’m still not exactly sure what I read and what it all means - but that’s the Mona experience, if you will.

went to a pub event book talk with mona awad at the cambridge public library! it made me like the book more than if i had only read it. of mona's books, i was least moved by this one. i liked the exploration of otherness, which is always a theme of her books. i think the fairytale references worked well but i had difficulty with the random celebrity/pop culture moments. did not feel like it added much.

The level of excitement I possessed upon finding out I got the ARC for Rouge almost hurt. I screamed. Cried. Almost jumped for joy. Yes, I (obviously) am a huge Mona Awad fan.

Mona Awad is maddeningly brilliant. Awad has such a talent at creating deliciously digestible novels while humbly showcasing her literary prowess. At the most basic level, Rouge is a spooky and quirky novel that critiques the beauty industry. And yet, it does so much more. I would have loved to buddy read this with someone.

The plot: Belle (short for Mirabelle) is a woman who is utterly obsessed with her skin care routine. As her past is revealed, we see that this obsession probably stemmed from her mother, who’s recently passed. As Belle deals with her mother's death, we get a glimpse at her dark, envious past and eventually her journey to self-acceptance via a horrific, dream-like spa experience.

Awad’s symbols and imagery: I love how Awad integrates fairytales so overtly and yet so seamlessly. The fact that Mirabelle is called Belle (beauty) and how she must face the beast of the beauty standards that society has placed on women. Belle's red shoes that lead her down a road to a magical castle-like mansion. The golden-locked princesses she envisioned in her bedtime stories. Mirrors. Broken mirrors, mirrors as portals, mirrors as revealing yourself and your demons. Mirrors as a vessel for our obsession with our vanity. Roses! With their beauty, but also their thorns. The jellyfish at the spa and the possible connection to “immortal” jellyfish species in real life. I mean, the list goes on and on. The imagery in this novel is also on point. I can immediately picture rooms, scenes, even (weirdly) smells when reminiscing about my reading experience. Awad is such a vivid writer, splashing red (rouge) all over the page.

This novel is obviously critiquing the beauty industry and what the media often depicts as beautiful/desirable. I read some quote recently that said something along the lines that men don’t age more gracefully than women, but that their aging is accepted. Women aren’t allowed to age in this society. That’s it. The amount of money companies make on anti-aging/youthfulness is astounding and disturbing. Catch me going gray and wrinkly (which is great since I’m too lazy to keep up anyway).

Though this review is *glowing* like Belle's skin, I felt like Awad didn't trust her readers enough. I found parts to be almost spoon-fed to the readers and a bit too redundant. Also, though I love Awad's style, I found parts of this book to rely too heavily on this odd dream-like state that led to sentences being far too short and almost jolting.

All in all, Mona Awad is superb. Rouge is definitely worth the read and hype. Hauntingly fun, and not devoid of meaning. Loved it and wish I could read it anew all over again.

Forgot to give my gratitude! Thank you NetGalley and S&S/Marysue Rucci Books for the advance reading copy!

4.5/5
_____________________________

hits a little too close to home making it that much more brilliant; i’ll be doing some reflecting, but far, far away from mirrors 🪞🪼🌹💄♥️💔❤️‍🩹

rtc! and i mean it this time
————————————————————

AHH! I can’t wait to read this!! I got the arc today!! ❤️‍🔥