TW: Language, drinking, smoking, toxic parent relationship, gaslighting, death of parent, abuse, sex, death by suicide, drugs

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the same lavish, culty spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.
Release Date: September 12th, 2023
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 384
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. In love with the cover

What I Didn't Like:
1. 1,080 uses of Mother
2. Tom Cruise obsession
3. This book dragged on & on
4. Sick of hearing about Tom Cruise

Overall Thoughts:
Mona Awad and I have had our ups and downs. We were not friends when I read 13 Ways at Looking at a Fat Girl. We definitely lost each other's numbers when I read Bunny. When Alls Well came out we met for lunch and talked things out. So I was nervous to see if our friendship would last during Rouge.

Constant uses of the word mother drove me insane. I like to believe even Norman Bates is jealous at her level of saying mother


Book says it's a mix between Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut, but I'm getting Death Becomes Her vibes. If you haven't seen that movie go watch it!!


No offense to the author but is it me or are all her books feeling like they are the same thing?
• Girl who is lonely and seeking something
• Meets large group of weirdos
• Group is into something evil
• Girl joins group
In Bunny it's a group of college girls - the main character wants to be popular and included. In All's Well it's a play with a bunch of actors - she's a struggling director on the verge of losing her job. And now we have an actresses' daughter caught up in a forever beauty cult - she wants to look young forever. I just felt as though I've already read this story over and over. Same story but different characters.

Repetitive sentences about her waking up and men being in the kitchen. Constantly reminded this happened to her in her life. I got it the first time. The second time okay. The third time just feels like you're trying to get a word count in.

Belle thinks;
All about to be sold by Tad. Handsome young Tad, who has no idea of death or loss.
But when Belle first meets Tad he mentions he lost his father. Is Belle this so self absorbed that she doesn't even remember this fact? Or did the author forget that she gave Tad a line that he had lost someone?

I did like that this story tells you that even though the mother never encouraged her daughter to seek out ways of becoming beautiful or staying beautiful, it's the effects of what we hear our mother or parent talk about that affects us and changes the way we view things. Her mother tells her countless times throughout the book how she thinks she's beautiful and how she doesn't need these things, but Belle doesn't see things that way because she sees her mother going out of her way to stay beautiful. This morphs Belles perspective of what is beautiful and what is obtainable. Belle never feels beautiful because her mother constantly needs that reinforced for herself and uses so many beauty products. And it makes sense because if someone as beautiful as Belle's mother is never happy then why would Belle have to settle for beauty like hers, which is different than her mother, so it would make her feel like she's ugly compared to her if her mother. The whole thing of of you hear about it enough you start to believe it.

Final Thoughts:
I couldn't read this book fast enough - because I wanted it over. I really struggled to get through this book. I wanted to DNF it so badly but I pushed through it hoping that it would be more than what it already was, but I wish I would have just quit reading it. It just didn't get better. It had no direction. It wasn't scary. It wasn't a thriller. In the end it just existed to exist. I gained nothing by reading it and lost so much time thinking it was going to become something.

I hated the obsession with Tom Cruise. It didn't make any sense for our main character. She's in her 30 years and is obsessed about him as though she grew up with him and his movies.

Another ending that made zero sense. I guess Belle thought she beat her "demons" but really you can never escape your insecurities even when you think they are gone. I mean who even knows.

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Thanks to Netgalley and Marysue Rucci Books for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🌹 Rouge was a delightfully bizarre, perfectly heartbreaking journey into the darkside of skincare culture and confronting childhood trauma.

Whenever I think of describing Mona Awad’s books, I immeidately go to ‘fever dream’. She crafts such a compelling world in every novel, but the fairytale feeling really got me. It made the unexpected plotline of Belle’s childhood (prepare to cackle) and the commentary on the cult-like behavior of the skincare world (you’ll feel very weird buying skincare products) more sinister.

There are many mysteries to be solved, all of which are tied up in satisfying manners. For me this was one of those books where there was so much going on that I wasn’t worried about trying to figure it out before the reveals, and honestly, I’m not sure it’s possible to. It’s all so outlandish that but in a way that just makes sense. It’s weirdly perfect.

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!

Wow! Rouge was weird and creepy and eerie and SO much fun! I’m skincare obsessed, so I was intrigued from the beginning, but this one took some crazy turns and still ended up being so satisfying. I’ll be reading more of Mona Awad’s work asap!

An exploration of perceptions of beauty, mother-daughter relationships, grief, and... spa cults? This is the first of Mona Awad's work that I've read, and it was utterly un-put-downable. The story follows Belle, a young woman dealing with the recent, and quite mysterious, death of her mother. As she explores the wake of her mother's existence in California, miles away from where she has been living in Montreal, her connections to a mysterious and ultimately sinister spa called Rouge are unearthed. The entire book is shrouded in mystery and darkness, and takes on an eerie, dreamlike quality. We get deep into Belle's mind, even as it begins to slip from her grasp. A lot of questions are raised, a lot of characters are introduced, and a lot of plot lines are developed, but it all comes together beautifully in the end. With subtle nods to the fairy tales of our childhoods, and the addition of Awad's own vivid and twisted imagination, Rouge is truly unlike anything I've read before. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the gifted copy. I apologize for taking so long to get this review up, I have been unprecedentedly busy lately!

This is the first book by Mona Awad that I have read, and I really loved her style. The writing is tight but still somehow lush, and the changes in language that occur as the protagonist's mental state deteriorates are really effective. There were things about this story that felt a little unsatisfying, but on the whole I really loved the meditation on physical beauty, the beauty industry, whiteness, and envy. The relationship between Belle and her mother was heartbreaking and deeply affecting. 4.5/5

“she used to tell you fairy tales at night, remember? once upon a time. when you were a sad, dreamy little girl.”
•
when belle's mother unexpectedly passes away, belle is drawn back into her mother's world: california sun, a dress shop, and an apartment on the ocean. she begins going to her mothers “spa”, a place her mothers red shoes walk her to in the night. in her mother's apartment she’s surrounded by an array of skin creams, treatments, serums, and mists. when her mother's friend gives belle a box of her mother's belongings, she begins to unlock a part of herself, forgotten memories of the entire year she was ten years old. in these strange and psychedelic memories she unlocks, the unexpected presence of … *slight spoiler maybe???* tom cruise (lol i’m still SCREAMING about this???) was such a fun touch!!! as her memories resurface, belle spirals deeper into her mother's world of the glowing, beautiful things; drifting further away from reality.
•
“belle, do you ever look in the mirror and hate?
hate? i stared at the silhouette of my reflection in the dark. yes, i thought. of course. all the fucking time. but i said, hate what, mother?
ce que tu vois, mother whispered.”
•
having just devoured mona awad's bunny, i was so horny to pick up rouge and my expectations were edible-high. let me tell you, mona awad has once again given!! i feel like i did so many drugs lol. rouge shocked, hypnotized, and intrigued me with its trippy vibes and psychedelic ambience. the book's emphasis on skincare and belle’s pursuit of perfect skin is intriguing and fascinating. awad's signature satire and incredible prose had me captivated from beginning to end. without a doubt, a solid five stars.
•
“seems pretty important to keep that in mind, don’t you think?” but there are roses in my mind, i want to tell him.”

A horrific story of the beauty industry. Highly original and riveting.
Many thanks to Simon Element and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Every time I thought I knew what was coming next, no I didn't. This book was disorienting in the best way. A great take on the gothic genre.






Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a wild ride of a book. Mona Awad has a distinct writing style and she creates such unique and trippy stories. Rouge was like an Eyes Wide Shut meets Snow White acid trip, if that makes sense. If you loved Awad’s book Bunny, then you’ll probably enjoy this book. Things get weird pretty fast and I had a fun time reading this one.

I’d recommend Rouge for fans of strange horror fiction. You should add this book to your tbr if you haven’t already. I’m looking forward to Awad’s next book.

3.5/5 stars

This book was crazy! Belle has always been obsessed with skincare, watching Dr. Marva’s YouTube videos each morning and night and following along with her own array of creams, lotions, and potions. Shortly after her mother’s death, Belle uncovers that Mother, too, shared this obsession. What’s more, Mother was a member of a luxurious, exclusive spa in the mansion at the cliff’s edge. Just what will Belle need to give up in order to get in? I will say it again—this book was crazy! I literally cheered at the end. Dark, twisted, and so utterly delectable. I loved it!

This was a highly anticipated read after reading and loving Bunny last year. But I’m sad to say, I don’t think I was the right audience for this. It was quirky and bizarre and I felt like I was missing most of the symbolism and metaphors. I’m a very literal thinker and reader so this did not work for me. The characters felt very flat, without much depth. I struggled with the pacing a bit. Overall, strange and unique but not for me. If you’re looking for a read that’s more than a little out there, give it a try.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster, Mona Awad, and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up. This book makes you feel the obsession! Like our main character, Belle, I was sucked in to the fever dream that was La Maison de Méduse. It was a great way to critique the beauty industry and its unrealistic expectations. How much of yourself are you willing to lose to achieve the impossible? I really enjoyed the frequent word slips that hammered home this critique, but I can see where some would feel they were too on the nose. However, my main issue with this story is that it was too long and repetitive. In particular, the flashbacks to her childhood were too long. I felt taken out of the present time story. Shorter snip-its of the past would have worked better for me as a reader.

I really wanted to like this one! I just don’t think it was for me.
Now, I really liked her other books so this might just be a matter of right book wrong time.
I will definitely try to read this again and hopefully at a better time.

To quote the Grateful Dead, "what a long, strange trip it's been." This book is so trippy! I love how it takes a look at the obsession with beauty and the lengths people will go to get that perfect skin and glow. Then, it is creepy AF in the "spa" that Mirabelle goes too. Half the time, I was wondering if things that were happening had actually happened in the past or were they in her mind. I kept thinking look beyond your obsession and see what's really happening here!

Mirabelle leaves Montreal for California when her mother is found dead on the rocks at the ocean. A fall, they say. What she didn't know was how much her mom had changed before her death. There is a lot of damage in the past between them. She finds out when she is invited into the "spa". Things go bonkers from there.

This book has everything from Tom Cruise to "red jellyfish." It was a very interesting story and hard to put down.

Thanks to Negalley and Simon Element for a copy for review.

This book was incredibly captivating and well-done. It was disorienting and confusing in a way that perfectly reflected the protagonist's lack of understanding about her situation. It was not so confusing that it was frustrating, but rather it was confusing in a way that made it mysterious and very intriguing.
Awad's use of imagery in this novel is incredibly impressive. She beautifully and skillfully uses jellyfish, roses, color, and more to create a stunning, haunting story.
My only complaint is that things began to drag a little bit towards the middle of the book. However, once the pace picked back up, it began to move quite rapidly.
Overall, this was an incredibly fascinating book with so much to say about the beauty industry and grief. Awad's writing coupled with the topics of the novel create something that is so alluring and impossible to put down.. I still do not know exactly what happened, but I do know I enjoyed it. My experience with this book was a lot like that with Awad's other book, 'Bunny," a bit of a fever-dream that left me wondering but still satisfied. I am looking forward to reading more of her work in the future.

This may be the most eerie book I have ever read. Science Fiction meets the beauty industry, While a tale of selling your soul for beauty sounds fiction, is it too different from the influencers in our world today?

I tried to give this author another chance after Bunny but this book was wayyy too weird for my taste and I only got 5 pages in

I liked this more than All's Well but less than Bunny. It was fascinating, then repetitive, then fascinating again. I was dreading reading it given how much I've been hit over the head with anti-beauty-industry content lately, but I thought it was handled in a fascinating way. Mona Awad I'll love you forever.

Reading much like a fever dream, Rouge is a sinister fairy tale that revolves around a strained mother-daughter relationship and the beauty cult that drew them both into its malevolent web. Throughout the story, Awad brilliantly explores the toxicity of the beauty industry and the complex grieving process after losing a parent. Horror-tinged, surreal, and full of vivid imagery. I highly recommend for spooky season.