This was so Glossier coded!!

As someone who works in the beauty industry, for a beauty publication, this book hit too close to home for me, despite it being categorized as horror story. And while I love beauty industry hot takes and exposures, this one fell a little flat and felt like this was a story that’s already been told. I read Natural Beauty late last year, and this book felt eerily similar. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy this story because I did!

It’s dramatic and graphic, and the FMC is trash and her boss is an even bigger dumpster fire. Must love detailed descriptions of blood, biting, peeling, etc., to get through this one.

(Thank you, Soho Press and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

”The blood is the life!”
Poor old Renfield knew it. Dracula stole his sanity but left him with the knowledge that blood has magic properties and it will keep you young.
According to legend the Countess Elisabeth Bathory also knew a lot about the rejuvenating powers of human blood. The story (as you probably already know) tells us that she slaughtered hundreds of servant girls to bathe in their blood and keep herself young forever.
The blurb on this book talks about it being “American psycho meets The devil wears Prada.” The countess is a much more important inspiration than Bret Easton Ellis fames serial killer.
Sophia and the other women at HEBE are monsters but hey are another breed of monster than Patrick Bateman.
I must confess that this book is rooted in a culture I´m not very well versed. I´m a man, 50+, and the only skincare product I use is my son’s moisturizer. I don´t follow influencers and I only have a TikTok account to keep an eye on book trends. This did not in fact hamper my ability to enjoy the book. E. K. Sathue has crafted a novel that works without any deep knowledge about makeup and the wellness industry.
I had actually hoped for a bit more horror in the book. Some parts lean into body horror but to be fair I was expecting worse. It´s well written and the parts that takes place in 2008 helps round out Sophias character and helps the reader understand her motives.
A good debut and I will definitely keep my eye on E. K. Sathue. I see great promise here.

This book was WEIRD, in a wonderful way! I loved the concept and the weirdness throughout. While it won't be a fan favorite at our library, I believe we will be able to find an audience that loved it as much as me!

Beauty company HEBE is working on a new product called youthjuice, which promises to grant someone beauty and youth forever. but at what cost? Sophia spends the novel navigating the cost of beauty while simultaneously remembering her complex relationship with Mona, Her childhood friend.

The novel does a wonderful job alternating between the two timelines, which complement each other well, especially as it relates to themes of youth, beauty, and superficiality. though the novel falls under the horror genre, we don’t see too much horror until the latter half. The criticism of the beauty industry is clear and hints of the faults of late-stage capitalism peak through too.

Here’s a great quote: “in the future, age will be a myth; we will speak of wrinkles and turkey necks the way veterans on the winning side of the war speak”. The beauty industry, according to Sathue, is so intense that the characters feel comfortable comparing it to war. This itself is a great moment of commentary on the beauty industry itself. There is a lot to be said about this novel, especially after some analysis.

I wanted this to take to me places of sinister intent like "Tender is the Flesh". Overall, I enjoyed the book, it was slightly predictable, however, the art of story telling kept me going! Definitely not for everyone, but if the summary of the book hooks you, give it a try!

I enjoyed this one. There's plenty of neat stuff going on -- solid body horror, satirical overtones, plenty of weird scenes. Overall, the quality was good, but it wasn't one I missed when I put it down. That being said, I like the author's style and look forward to their future books.

I need to start this review with the cover. It’s amazing. It’s especially going to stand out among horror titles. I read this as a digital ARC, but I may buy a copy just because I love the cover that much.

As for the story itself, I understand the ‘American Psycho’ comparison. The main character, Sophia, has Patrick Bateman levels of detachment and superficiality, and it works for this kind of book.

The plot is a bit predictable, but I didn’t find that it detracted from my reading experience. If anything, my culture shock fed into the horror more than me wondering about what was next. My only real complaint was wanting the descent into madness to go further, almost like the author was holding back.

Overall, it’s a well-done satirical horror on the wellness culture. Good for fans of dark comedy who can withstand body horror.

I wanted to love youthjuice by E.K. Sathue; the description of it sounded fantastic. I was especially interested in its body horror and was considering it as a possible example for one of my creative writing classes. Unfortunately, the novel fell short, especially on its promise of horror. There were some jaw dropping moments with Sophia and her "decaying" roommate. These scenes were deliciously squirmy and made me wish for more of it. Given other books satirizing or using the wellness and/or beauty industry as a source of pain, youthjuice didn't push hard enough to say anything different. The reveal of the secret ingredient was so expected and not at all shocking. The tension with the police, especially once Sophia ran into the officer on the street, was deflated quite quickly. The fate of the last intern was brushed over - blink and you miss it. And, worst of all, in the final act, Tree was a lump of nothingness, no fight, no anything. For such a formidable character, this was a big miss.

I do look forward to seeing what E.K. Sathue does next. This book had a lot of potential and I believe the writer does, too.

I received exactly what I was sold. American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada. This was quick and disturbingly addicting. The idea was clever and relevant to millennial women in a world of TikTok skin-influencers along with youth and health obsessions.

I did, however, find myself occasionally bored while reading. And I hate to say the characters needed more depth, because the irony is not lost on me that they’re supposed to be shallow. But maybe some witty dialogue could have compensated for intentionally bland characters?

I’m not sure what the answer is, but my investment was low. This was simply short and interesting and made me chuckle and cringe a few times. Perhaps someone more involved in this industry would have enjoyed it more.

*SPOILERS*

Story 4/5
Pacing 3/5
Characters 3/5

Thank you so much to Soho Press & NetGalley for this ARC

youthjuice by E.K Sathue is like Natural Beauty and Boy Parts had a weird little baby that Ottessa Moshfeigh raised. Beauty horror is a new subgenre that I have found myself engrossed in and I am a sucker for satirical horror so I was delighted to receive this ARC.

There was a lot going on in this relatively short novel, sometimes maybe too much. This novel jumps between two timelines which I liked. At times it felt a little messy by I also think the main character is messy so it works, getting a drip feed of our main character's (Sophia) past. I enjoyed Sophia's descent into madness (who knows maybe she was never sane). I really enjoyed Dom as a character and wish we saw more of her before her demise but I did like her ending. In my opinion Sophia's boyfriend was not needed at all, in fact I forgot he was in this until writing this review. I left wanting more of Tree as well but I think that might have been intentional.

As for this being a horror book I will say it grossed me out and unnerved me. Sathue's descriptions of Sophia and her hands made me gag so mission accomplished. This novel is ridiculous but in a good way. I was worried going into this as the blurb seemed very similar to Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang but within a few chapters it was apparent in wasn't going to be too similar.

If you like weird satirical horror books I would recommend this. Definitely not everyone's taste though.

This book hooked me in from the moment Sophia meets the bizarre and seemingly perfect Tree Whitestone of beauty company HEBE. This book is perfect for lovers of body horror and skeptics of the seemingly endless list of new beauty and skincare trends. I loved the overall concept of the book, as well as the critique it raises of the skincare industry.

youthjuice by E.K. Sathue missed the mark for me. I can see a lot of parallels to American Psycho, though, so it might be worth it for those who enjoyed that story. But for me, I found the story uninteresting. It wasn't compelling enough to keep my focus, and the protagonist seemed too undefined to me. I couldn't get a good feel for her personality -- other than her becoming more and more unhinged toward the end. Also, there wasn't nearly as much body horror in this as I anticipated, so that was a little bit of a letdown as well. Ultimately, it just wasn't for me.

Patrick Bateman meets Elizabeth Bathory for the Tiktok generation! I really enjoyed this homage to American Psycho. It was cleverly executed (pun mostly unintended!) and I thought the pacing worked and played out well. I found myself snortlaughing so many times over this delightfully unhinged body horror!

TW: Language, body shaming, bullying, drug use, toxic parent relationship, eating orders

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:From Sophia Bannion’s first day on the Storytelling team at HEBE, a luxury skincare/wellness company based in New York’s trendy SoHo neighborhood, it’s clear something is deeply amiss. But Sophia, pushing thirty, has plenty of skeletons in her closet next to the designer knockoffs and doesn’t care. Though she leads an outwardly charmed life, she aches for a deeper meaning to her flat existence—and a cure for her brutal nail-biting habit. She finds it all and more at HEBE, and with Tree Whitestone, HEBE’s charismatic founder and CEO.

Soon, Sophia is addicted to her HEBE lifestyle—especially youthjuice, the fatty, soothing moisturizer Tree has asked Sophia to test. But when cracks in HEBE’s infrastructure start to worsen—and Sophia learns the gruesome secret ingredient at the heart of youthjuice—she has to decide how far she’s willing to go to stay beautiful forever.
Release Date: June 4th, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 288
Rating:⭐

What I Liked:
1. Book cover is nice

What I Didn't Like:
1. Monotone mindless dimensional character (Sophia)
2. Boring
3. Not like other girls vibes
4. Where is the horror???

Overall Thoughts:
"Hebe (hee-bee): The Greek goddess of youth, daughter of Zeus and Hera.

At HEBE, we believe beauty is your birthright. You were born perfect, but life drained you of your vibrance. We return your inheritance. From the boardroom to the bar bathroom, HEBE’s products tap into your natural vitality, making you glow from within. After all, the world belongs to those who bathe in abundance.

Sophia is pretty boring. She's so far this woman who joins a MLM. She has as much personality as an envelope.

Why do all these books coming out all say they are American Psycho? This one compares itself to that Meave Fly when Meave Fly said it was like American Psycho. Full circle.

Sophia's mom was kind of a jerk. When she was a child she sold lemonade but forgot sugar - she made her return money to all the neighbors. So odd.

Of course, we have a book with triple-named bully girls - Ashley's. Did anyone else go to school with girls that had triple names that hang out? I never knew anyone in school, but it's always in books and movies.

Final Thoughts:
Honestly, I think if you like beauty gurus on Tiktok then this book might be for you. All the characters have no personality and the books superficial. I struggled to care about anything happening in this book.

I did not enjoy this book but I kept pushing myself because it was such a short(ish) book and I tend to struggle through books that are shorter. I ended up quiting at page 200 because I just couldn't anymore with this book. If there is horror in here then please show me. It was boring and dull.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hell's Hundred for the advanced ebook edition, and Recorded Books for the advanced audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm really disappointed here. This was my most anticipated book of the year and it just didn't work for me. This book does not feel like a horror book or even an adult book. This feels like it belongs in the young adult section. The narrator felt very juvenile and the "horror" felt so mild a child could read it. I can see how this will appeal to those who want something just unsettling but for me it was very bland.

At its most basic level, this novel combines the hippy-dippy Gwenyth Paltrow Goop beauty machine with we-are-soylent-green horror. Fans of horror (and maybe Paltrow) will devour it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Receiving an advanced copy was a delightful surprise. I believe both existing fans and newcomers will find it equally enjoyable.

Creepy look at the costs of beauty. A blend of American Psycho horror with Girlboss era sentimentality. Obvious critiques of goop and glossier, which are funny and funny-sad at the same time. Fast paced, I raced through it in an afternoon. Reminds me of Mona Awad's Rouge and Leigh Stein's Self Care.

Thank you to NetGalley, Soho Press, and Hell’s Hundred for providing this book, with my honest review below.

youthjuice seems to be a book that will be divisive, appealing to some readers but coming off a bit gross for others. Massive trigger warnings are needed for body dysmorphia and self harm (not quite in the traditional way). While Sophia, our main character, was interesting to get to know and I enjoyed the horror element and story, the pieces of the book describing what she was doing to herself just didn’t sit right with me.

youthjuice is a look into the obsessive culture of the beauty community. At how far people will go to look young and stay beautiful. The tagline boast American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada. I haven’t read or watched American Psycho, so this could be the perfect book for fans of that!

I just couldn’t get into this. I found it difficult to engage with Sophie, and while I enjoyed learning more about her past, I felt it didn’t add anything to her character. There were several instances throughout the book where I would start a chapter and be utterly lost. I would flip back to see if I had accidentally missed a transitional comment that led to the current situation, only to find nothing. It was jarring to feel dropped into conversations and events midway through without context. This is my first “beauty horror” book, but I think those that enjoy that genre will like this.

youthjuice is out June 4, 2024

Thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.