A story reminiscent of House Of Hollow and Natural Beauty about a disgraced idol, Sunny, who follows her ex-bandmate to a talent competition/training camp in a bid to find answers and get closure for a series of traumatic events that occurred two years prior.

I found this book interesting -- the tension was well built, especially in the beginning and I read this book in one day as it got me invested. The author made an effort to pull the reader into the scene. The unreliable narration was most certainly unreliable, although it was done through my least favourite method. The interspersion of the two timelines was well crafted, both story lines were well developed. I really enjoyed the way everything played out.

Here's the thing: I cannot discuss details but there was a lot of crossing moral boundaries that was never treated quite seriously enough on its own, if that makes sense? If you were to take the horror out of the book, the book would still be a thriller, is what I'm saying, but because of the horror aspect it feels like the gravity of some events was detracted from.

However, that did not make the horror aspect any less horrifying. The world-building behind everything is painfully exhaustive, which is good. The way it interacted with the characters was inventive, although I felt it could have gone even further with certain aspects.

The characters were well developed and I really liked some of them. The dialogue felt a bit stilted at times, but nonetheless the relationships that are present here are well structured.

The rehearsals and all the technical industry elements seemed well written but I am not an expert. I do wish we'd seen more of the routine stuff but I understand that succinctness and pace were at stake.

Overall, a good YA horror/thriller that left me wanting just a little bit more than what we got, but well crafted and written nonetheless. I am definitely interested in the series.

Thank you to Macmillan and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Now this is how you write a K-pop-inspired novel! Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng is an amazing YA thriller will give you chills all over. The story revolves around Sunny, who used to be part of a bestselling music trio when she was a kid. Then, something tragic happened to Mina, one of the girls in the trio. Now, Sunny is trying to get back in the game. She decides to compete in a popstar competition against her former groupmate, Candie. Can the two figure out what really happened to Mina?

Here is a terrifying excerpt from the opening chapter:

"“It’s not right,” Mina mumbles.
“What’s not right? Are you feeling sick?” I brush my hand across Mina’s forehead, and then I flinch. “Oh my god, Minnie, you’re burning up! Here, lie down, I’ll get you some ice—”
“Ice won’t help,” Candie says. “She needs to come with me.”
“To where?” I snap. “And you better say the hospital!”
Mina looks up, finally, and I suck in a breath. Her face looks … different."

Overall, Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is an amazing #ownvoices thriller that every reader of YA should add to their TBR lists. One highlight of this book is how it is #ownvoices. I am a huge of fan of Asian American authors writing YA thriller/horror, and I am so excited to support this debut author. There need to be more Asian American characters in YA, and it is especially important to have them written by Asian American authors.

Out of all the YA books I've read that have been inspired by K-pop, this is definitely one of my favorites - just because of how original its K-pop meets horror premise is. Another highlight of this book is the LGBT rep, which is also underrepresented in the YA thriller space. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA horror in general, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in November!

This was very much like Suspiria set in the world of K-pop instead of the world of dance. I thought it was a very cool premise, but overall felt that both the mythology and horror aspects were underdeveloped.

This book will definitely be an addition to my classroom library when it is published. Very appropriate for a high school classroom. The characters are very well developed and I know it will.appeal to my K-pop fans. I can't wait for the sequel.

This YA book is fabulous, and I could not put it down. It starts off so unobtrusively and innocently. There's a female K-pop girls singing group, gorgeous, talented and famous! But wow, it just twists and turns from there. It turns into a horror fest...and no spoilers here...READ IT! It is terrific . Thank you to Netgalley and to Roaring Book Press...mackids.com and fiercereads.com. for the ARC... It is fierce!

I didn't know what to expect when I got an ARC, and now I'm here unapologetically loving this book.

If I were to compare this book to anything, it would be Perfect Blue, where the entertainment industry, particularly the musical aspects which rule various Asian countries, is gouged and dissected, unveiling the true horrors lying beneath its faux glamorous façade through the horror medium. What perfect genre to explore a industry that explicitly preys upon young women than YA horror?

God, Cheng really nailed the imagery. It got very vivid and gruesome and I loved it so much. It didn't stop there, either. Cheng's writing is addicting but a very good one. I usually prefer third-person POVs because it leaves more room for the reader to interpret meaning on their own, but somehow Cheng managed to capture that in Sunny's first-person POV, which I must applaud her for.

I really hope this book gets the attention it deserves when it officially releases in November. Until then, I'll be force-feeding this book to anyone who will listen to me.

An ancient legend and a vengeful goddess proves that the gruesome happenings at a K-pop program are more than the excesses of an intense trainee competition. This was a horror infused, fast-paced read that explores friendship, loyalty and love when everyone around you will do whatever it takes to succeed.

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is a fast-paced thriller set in an Americanized K-pop training facility. It gets rather gory at times and made me cringe more than once. If you're expecting this to be a behind-the-scenes, exposé type of narrative about the K-pop industry, you might be disappointed. Like I said, the training camp is Americanized, but it also merely acts as the setting. The mystery and horror of the story really has nothing to do with music at all.

I was engaged from beginning to end and was curious how it would all end up. I wasn't disappointed, but I did walk away forgetting a lot of what happened. It was a fun ride, but sadly not one that I see sticking with me for a while.

10/10 must read. I did not expect to be so into this book but I am so grateful for the ARC and this may end up on my shelf. Thank You Linda and thank you netgalley,

Steadied Wives meets American Idol! It’s a win for me. I loved the plot, and the way this author told the story. It kept me engaged the entire time I was reading, and I never had a moment where I was bored. The ending was great to set up for a second book (which I cannot wait to read).

My only complaint: the sequel isn’t already out! I’m looking forward to more from this author!

YA is a tough sell in our libraries and this doesn't feel like it has crossover adult potential so won't be a good fit for our libraries. Stopped at 5% as I wasn't personally connecting with it and didn't find myself interested. Thrillers are very hit or miss for me personally, so that doesn't mean anything.

The cover is gorgeous.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC.

I was fascinated by this twisted premise and the book did not disappoint! It was so dark and disturbing at times, but also really fun to read. The story was fresh and the characters felt real. I will be recommending this to other readers, especially young adults.

Suspiria meets K-pop contest in this story about a disgraced teen idol who has to fast the demons of her past while reuniting with the girls who haunt her in a deadly K-pop competition. Sunday “Sunny” Lee is an 18 year old teen who spends her day in hiding and cyberstalking her ex-best friend and groupmate, Candie. Sunny is still reeling from the death of her other group mate and best friend Mina, and the events that unfurled that lead to her career being destroyed and their group disbanding. When Sunny discovers that Candie is going to be attending a new K-pop workshop in her own hometown she knows she has to enter too and to see Candie again. it doesn’t help that Sunny still see’s Mina’s ghost everywhere and the events of the past haunt her every living second, making her see ghostly visions... and the fact that competitors are being strangely injured one after another. Something darker is happening in this competition and Sunny knows that somehow Candie is connected to it.... but just how deep it goes will unravel everything and both Sunny and Candie will have to face each other after all these years and the reason their friendship and possibly something more, had broken... and see if they can depend on one another to survive this cut throat competition. This was a surprisingly delightful horror read, I loved the blending of past and present as we get to see how Sunny and Candie’s history unfolds, and how it slowly adds more and more to the tension that is currently happening in the present. They have a complex relationship and what happens in the past that really impacts the mysterious injuries of the present competition was a fun reveal. I would definitely recommend this for horror fans who enjoy some hauntings, some folklore, and a bit of sapphic romance!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*