This book was an absolutely WILD ride. It’s fast paced and the pov narration makes it easy to follow. Very relevant with our influencer culture today.where we stream and monetize anything and everything. Breigh hustles like no other. I was so entertained by this book and as a millennial I found it terrifyingly relatable but also eye opening. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon on pub day and links added to NetGalley.

💘REVIEW: 4.5/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨💘

📸 Ravenous by Sara Cooper 📸

🤰synopsis: Breigh is an influencer completely obsessed with her brand and viral livestreams, living by a constant “yes” to everything. But now she’s pregnant, her body is changing, and her perfectly curated life starts to feel… off 🫣

🤰my opinion: the premise alone hooked me, an influencer who is way too obsessed with her image, her content, her brand… not in a “I like posting” way, but in a my-entire-life-revolves-around-this kind of way. but it’s not just that, Breigh also wants to unbox her pregnancy and I’m sorry but that concept alone had me like ??? turning something that intimate into content… a campaign that has to perform… it already feels off from the start 🫥 and the further you get, the worse (or better) it gets because her behavior becomes more and more weird and obsessive. And what made it even more unsettling to me is that the only person she actually seems to talk to — like really talk to — is her baby, which just adds this extra layer of isolation that feels… I don’t even know 😭😂

at some point I couldn’t stop thinking about Anna from Possession, not because the story is the same but because the energy is there — that feeling of someone being completely consumed by something. except here it’s not a literal possession, it’s this uncontrollable desire to be special, to stand out, to be that influencer people can’t look away from. the whole #LiveBirth thing feels like the peak of that, like there’s no line she won’t cross if it means creating something bigger, more viral, more “perfect.”

👀Highly recommended if:

- you like your books a little unhinged and uncomfortable.

- you’re into messy women spiraling in a way that feels a bit too real.

- social media culture lowkey scares you, or if you just want something that feels like a glossy, slow breakdown with subtle Possession vibes but very online!! 🙂‍↔️💓

💁‍♀️Release date is on Aug 13!!

💌 Thanks to @columbiauniversitypress for sending me a copy <33

A novel that addresses the dangers of influencer culture in a fun, satirical, and unhinged way! This book is truly funny, and here is the best dialogue from the book:

“I’m cosplaying Elizabeth Holmes.

Who?

She’s in jail. It doesn’t matter. She was extremely convincing.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Roseway Publishing for this arc.

Absolutely bonkers, fast paced and full of satire and internet culture, “Ravenous” is an unhinged influencer joy ride that will have you chomping at the bit!

Breigh (not Bree!) is an elder millennial influencer who is obsessed with being relevant and going viral. The only downside is, she’s pregnant and that is so not hot.
Before the baby destroys her figure she hatches a new plan to keep her body attractive AND get views! Introducing… #LiveBirth. Yes, you heard that right.

A descent into madness that sheds light on the toxicity of consumerism, the psychological impact of social media and the reality of influencer culture - “Ravenous” is completely wild but also way too on the nose for its own good!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Holy moly this was the most insane fever dream I read it in one sitting. The stream of consciousness of our main character Breigh is absolutely unhinged and I was obsessed.

This book was chaotic and the satirical dialogue was some of the best I’ve read in a good while. Breigh’s descent into madness and being under the influence of social media was incredibly convincing and so well written I was hooked until the last word.

What the f*** did I just read?? This novel was an intense plunge into a wealthy, pregnant influencer’s rapidly deepening mania. As the story neared its end I felt like someone watching a horrible car crash happening and being able to do nothing about it. The book featured make-up eating, a talking foetus and several unhinged takes on the concept of unboxing. Absolutely nuts and couldn’t take my eyes off the thing. Out 1 August!

Okay, I genuinely do not know what I just read, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Breigh is a momfluencer who has built her entire identity around unboxing products on livestream, and things go... further than you'd expect. lLke there's a weird husband (affectionately known as Daddy, at first I thought she was calling him HER daddy but then realized she was talking to her unborn baby) subplot in there, there's a baby, there's a seven-step marketing plan, and somehow all of it coheres into this completely unhinged but weirdly incisive portrait of what we've done to ourselves as a culture. Sara Cooper has absolutely no chill and I respect it deeply and will check out any of her future work because of it.

The satire in this book hits because it never really tips into mean-spirited. Breigh is a disaster, but you get why she's a disaster. It's really about women navigating the pressures of consumerism and the performance of perfection, and Cooper just wraps all of that in a bow made of brand partnerships and postpartum chaos.

It's not always comfortable to read. Some of it made me put the book down and stare at the ceiling for a second. But that's kind of the point, isn't it.

4/5 stars, would recommend to anyone who has ever doomscrolled through a momfluencer's feed and felt something complicated about it. or moms who have had fleeting desperate thoughts of doing crazy demented things to make sure your child gets the life (or.... live.. stream?) you want for them.

Woah. Once I started I could not put this down. It's exceptionally weird but also exceptionally sharp. It feels like it was written right in this moment. It's satire but also full of truths. This won't be for everyone but those that will get it will really get it. If someone is looking for a light read with a likeable character this is not it, but is someone is looking for a complex, stark, darly funny, biting and unpredictable ride this is the book for you. I felt as bad for the main character as I also wanted to never be in the same room as her.

Thank you NetGalley and Roseway Publishing for providing me with this ARC.

We find here a delicious, turbo fast-paced and character-driven novel sprinkled with delightful stream-of-consciousness.
She — Breight, is this gorgeous famous elder millennial influencer — a pioneer.
She is tired of her 27 weeks pregnancy (yes, 27) and creates this brilliant marketing plan to deliver — unbox — the baby #LiveBirth. We follow her entering into complete madness, obsession and whothefuckknowswhat.

The author’s satire of our current world situation is on point and hilarious. If you love an unreliable character, this will be your next favourite read.

Themes: feminism, unreliable character, mental illness, obsession, horror, stream-of-consciousness, consumerist, manipulation, satire of consumerism, social media.

Momfluencers today have already unboxed everything imaginable. Except maybe the baby itself.

This book is such a vibe. “Omigosh,” I say as I read the first page. “Obsessed. Literally, holy grail of psychological fiction.” My heart is racing, my eyes scanning the page with an avaricious, hungry reverence. "It's giving dark academia slow burn enemies-to-lovers spicy romantasy morally grey shadow daddy sapphic BookTok crying cottage core villain era found family trauma dumping chosen one literary fiction adjacent cozy gothic emotional damage atmospheric denouement marginalia slay!!!"
I am sweating, hungry, turning pages with something close to devotion. I am a five-star review happening in real time. I am—

That’s more or less how reading the book felt. It’s also basically exactly how the book starts (except Breigh is opening boxes, not reading a book). It’s thought-provoking brain rot. Bet you never thought you’d see those words in the same sentence.

Breigh, an elder millennial, earns her keep by unboxing products for a livestream crowd. Now, at only 27 weeks pregnant, she thinks of a plan to go viral: unbox the baby live! Of course! She's a pioneer. She just has to do it before pregnancy ruins her camera-ready looks. Welcome to #LiveBirth.

The story unfolds in a stream of consciousness, racing at the manic pace of Breigh’s thoughts. The writing is feverish, dazzling, almost delirious. It uses this rapturous, divine fervor about things that are completely vapid. A skincare routine feels like spiritual ascension. Like watching a high-church mass, but instead of a priest, you have a woman unboxing a dermaplaning tool.

Breigh is experiencing a simultaneous awakening and a descent; she is becoming more and less sane at the same time, finding flashes of clarity even as she slips deeper into paranoia.

Beneath the glittering surface lies a real story that is actually pretty devastating. Breigh’s life is a performance, and it doesn’t end when the cameras are off. While she (presumably) looks like she has her shit together on the outside, her inner world is a chaotic wasteland of isolation, cynicism, dysmorphia, and denial. It’s a brutal look at body dysmorphia, internalized misogyny, and the desperation to be thin and beautiful at any cost. Apparently, even babies prefer symmetrical faces? We just can't win, can we? It’s a Sisyphean chase for validation, filling an existential void with everything from skincare to sex to food and starvation.

This book has moments that really made me stop and question my habits. Or rather, question how broken the systems are and how much we are lied to by the corporations. I had to Google some of the claims and they turned out to be true. Like that, only 9% of the world’s plastic is actually recycled, what?? God dammit!! Here I am thinking I’m helping by recycling, and they’re just lying to me? There’s also a part that discusses consumption and how the companies are “robbing us blind, and we are purchasing the privilege. We call spending self-care. We call shopping therapy.” GOD DAMMIT!! Even when we tell ourselves we are winning, even when we tell ourselves we beat the system, it’s because they designed it to make us feel that way!!

I don’t think this is a book for everyone. But if this book is for you, it will really hit. It’s funny, it’s vapid, it’s satirical, it’s poignant, it’s thought-provoking. It’s a dazzling portrait of modern life that leaves you feeling a bit like you’ve been unboxed yourself.

This was such a rollercoaster I have no idea what to think!
It was so relatable as an elder millennial myself that it was scary at points. It was also fast-paced, so if you want a quick read that will suck you in from the start, this is it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Roseway Publishing, and Sara Cooper for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
5/5⭐️

This book?! Like, Slay. Bet. Chef's kiss. Honestly?! Bury me with it. Yes. Obsessed! Its giving. Old-money quiet-luxury core. Corporate-baddie corecore. Like!! Omigosh!! TikTok ambassador, send me more galaxies. TJ Maxx jam packed aisles at Christmas time type vibes. You need this new cup! New Tote! New design! Bows! Avocado toast low fat carb free gluten free super dewy hydro cream clean girl unboxing! Classic short Uggs in everyone's favorite (sand)!!

If this triggered your fight or flight response, or piqued your interest, you'll probably love this just as much as I did. I'll be thinking about this one forever. Overconsumption and chronically online meets weird girl lit fic. It hits.

Breigh, wannabe millennial momfluencer, is pregnant with her first baby, and she is a disaster. She is hyper-focused on her content, branding, livestreams, appearance, and weight, to the point of insanity. She is desperate to perfectly portray her life to her following. To keep growing her following. More brand deals, more unboxings. The only joy she seems to feel in the book is the spiritual high she gets from consuming. The book is all in her point of view. No separate chapters, just one long, 280-page stream of absurd consciousness. Breigh spends most of the book speaking mentally, sometimes audibly, to the baby in her stomach. We're talking Lady Jessica from Dune 2, talking to her unborn baby.

Breigh and her baby, unbeknownst to her husband, decide that the best content they could make would be a #LiveBirth! An unboxing! A real, raw, unboxing of her own baby, live streamed right to you. Yes. Obsessed!! It doesn't matter that she's only 27 weeks along! She can make it happen. For content.

This book had me HOOKED from the beginning, all the way to the shocking end. The writing style is constant, flowing, and overstimulating in the best way. Sara Cooper calls out influencer culture and the world's obsession with 'more' in the most satirical way possible. The only way brain rot makes you smarter is if it's satirical! If you can read through the mania for the deeper meaning, you'll hopefully find this eye opening to the culture the world is sadly creating. Hopefully it makes you stop and think for a while. Hesitate before buying your 8th limited edition insulated 200oz cup. A new iPad, in a new color which the case covers anyways.

I hope you'll all be tripping over your cryptocurrency to get this book when it comes out on 8/13. Hype, thou art built.

O. M. G.

What a strange, strange novel. How to even describe it? It's almost a think piece that goes on a bit too long. Yet it keeps working somehow.

A lot of social commentary ... swiftly and somewhat superficially sped by the reader, kind of like an MIA lyric. But you never know where it's going. That's the meta-level point, I think, Or one of them.

The ending comes out of nowhere. Then again, it's just right.

I'm being obtuse but this is honestly a difficult book to describe. It's whiplash, zany, all over the place, and a deeply sad rendering of the end of the modern millennial.

Utterly insane but in the best way possible, for me. The way this was written scratched every single itch in my brain so well that I couldn't stop reading it. This is obviously a satire regarding influencers which is very timely but what made this so good was how, every now and then, we'd get glimpses into Breigh's obvious intelligence that she's clearly supressed to become internet famous.. Felt like I was in a fever dream. Amazing stuff.