At first blush, this book seems like yet another 'dangers of social media story. As the story progresses, however, we are treated as readers to a complex and tangled mother-and-daughter story amidst the struggle of the main character's struggle for identity. The concept of Aesthetica, as a treatment, is fascinating and we're left wondering what one could regain by undoing every nip, tuck, and prick that's happened over the decades. An interesting read that I highly recommend!

Wow, this is my first time reading anything by Allie Rowbottom and I am impressed. I'm not sure I've ever read anything like this before...

This novel follows Anna at 18 years old to Los Angeles, who hopes to become the next big Instagram Influencer. Once Anna gets a manager, named Jake (who is obviously a scumbag), and quickly plummets into the life of plastic surgery, facetuning, medispas, etc. They are sort of dating too? He pays for things she wants and needs, but also puts her in some REALLY bad situations.

The story goes back and forth between younger Anna and Anna in her mid 30's. In her 30's she finds herself full of regret for how she has changed herself to become an *influencer*. That is were Aesthetica TM comes in..

I honestly did not expect this book to hit so hard with how hard friendships and mother daughter relationships can be. It also touches on addiction, sexual abuse, illnesses, and feminism. I was deeply moved by the writing and will continue thinking about this book as time goes on. I was expecting something much more superficial than it turned out to be. You just have to get past the first bit of this book and then trust me. You will be hooked.

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

Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom was a semi-futuristic novel about the false reality social media is poisoning our brains with. Particularly, the impossible beauty standards women are expected to uphold, especially when they want to be influencers. I have not been on social media for years now to protect my and my family's mental health, so I knew early on the book's overall message wasn't intended for me, but I was still able to get into Aesthetica and read it with an open mind.

I appreciated that Allie went deep into this phenomenon and showed how it affected Anna in 2032, as well as what she went through. However, I was thoroughly distracted and a little annoyed by how often "emoji" and "trademark" were said. I tuned out when it was a long list of emojis, thinking that it was completely unnecessary and detracts from the message Allie was trying to convey.

Chelsea Stephens was a fine narrator.

Overall, I rate it 3.5 stars rounded up because I am aware I am not the intended audience.

Thank you to HighBridge Audio for providing me with an ALC.

Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom follows Anna, who At 19, was an Instagram celebrity. Now, at 35, she works behind the cosmetic counter at the “black and white store,” peddling anti-aging products to women seeking physical and spiritual transformation. She too is seeking rebirth. She’s about to undergo the high-risk, elective surgery Aesthetica™, a procedure will reverse all her past plastic surgery procedures, returning her, she hopes, to a truer self. Provided she survives the knife. But on the eve of the surgery, her traumatic past resurfaces when she is asked to participate in the public takedown of her former manager/boyfriend, who has rebranded himself as a paragon of “woke” masculinity in the post-#MeToo world. With the hours ticking down to her life-threatening surgery, she must confront the ugly truth about her experiences on and off the Instagram grid.

I was so captivated by Anna's story and appreciate how the author was able to make Anna feel real despite existing in a "fake" world. I think it can be challenging for writer's to write about this online, aesthetic culture we are in and make it feel genuine. However, Rowbottom masterfully balances the artificial and the authentic. I highly recommend this book especially if you like books like Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados and My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

On the eve of a controversial surgical procedure called Aesthetica meant to return her back to her “natural state” by reversing previous procedures, Ana can’t help but remember the events that lead her to this decision and the man, now at the center of a me too scandal, who “managed” her career when she was fresh out of high school. As her career is taking off, her protective and chronically ill mother is diagnosed with cancer which pushes Ana head first into influencer events to pay the bills and later to cope with her grief. What she didn’t expect was for the events to be fronts for sexual exploitation and for her manager to be at the center of it all.

Young Ana’s thought process for dealing with her manager was very similar to the main character in I’m the Girl: they both had the same false ideal that because men want sex, women control them. I’m not sure why this line of thinking is popular because men’s desires cannot be exploited if they take what they want without consent. Young girls thinking they have the upper hand in a patriarchal society because they are the desired object always turns out badly for them.

I enjoyed this book because it touches on a topic that isn’t really discussed; the dark side of influencing and how easily young, naive women are taken advantage of because they are the product being sold.

Disturbing peel at the dark side of the influencer business.

Anna moves to LA hoping to find her career. She wants to be that gorgeous girl who sells things to others with her hotness.

After being picked up my Jake, a manager, she begins to be carefully nudged into dark places. First it’s just a risqué photoshoot, sex, drugs, filler, cosmetic surgery and more.

We see this start and develop in her flashbacks and then her attempts to reclaim her self and fight back in present day.

Can she know herself when she’s been faking it for so long?

Format: Audiobook
Listening time: 8hours
Expected publish date: 11/22/2022

Thank you to #NETgalley, #sohopress and #RBMedia for the advanced reader's copy of #aesthetica by #allierowbottom.  Anna Ray is a 35 year old cosmetic salesperson that plans on getting a very high risk cosmetic procedure to reverse all of her prior plastic surgery, fillers and botox that she has received over the years. She believes this will bring her happiness. At age 19 Anna moved from Texas to LA in pursuit of being an Instagram model. The story alternates between Anna age 19 and age 35. 

This is a cautionary tale of the downside of social media and the effects it has on women's health and self esteem. Anna completely transformed herself to gain followers and likes. The beauty industry abused her and left her so damaged mentally that she was willing to risk her life to remove all of her procedures. She did not learn because she even considered having a mommy makeover if she chose to have a child. Personally I did not have much compassion for the character because she was selfish and shallow. I am impressed with this debut novel due to its originality. I rate it 3.5 stars.

This was a great book on influencer culture and how it has shaped the way we view ourselves. I really liked the mother-daughter relationship exploration as well.

Aesthetica is an incredibly provocative and poignant commentary on influencer culture, plastic surgery, and the way body types go in and out of "style." This novel touches on mother/daughter relationships, friendship, addiction, abuse of power, self-image, feminism, illness, social media... the list can go on. I was so impressed with how it tackled so many subjects in such a compelling way. Aesthetica is the type of story that's a bit difficult when you're first getting into it but you soon find yourself unable to turn away. If you were a fan of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Aesthetica has a very similar narrative voice that I think you'll enjoy!

This book was just . . . annoying. I didn't finish it, because I couldn't really get into the story.

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I had such high expectations for this, and the book exceeded everyone of them. I knew the story was going to be an interesting and nuanced look at influencer culture, but what I didn’t expect was an additional mother/daughter storyline that would absolutely rip my heart out. Rowbottom made these characters so real and complex, any person who has struggled with body image or the pressures of social media will undoubtedly see themselves in this story. Stunning writing, plus it left me with so much to ponder… A new all time favorite for me!

First of all, I need to thank both HighBridge Audio, Soho Press, NetGalley, and Allie Rowbottom for sending both an Advanced Readers Copy and an Advanced Listeners Copy of this book prior to its publication date of November 22, 2022.

What a sick and twisted, YET VERY META narrative about a woman who is so obsessed with making it and going viral, that she's willing to sacrifice valuable family relationships, her body, and her sanity to get to #SocialMediaGoals.

Though I feel Bookstagram is not in this Black Mirror, self-absorbed state, there were definitely some similarities.

Anna does whatever she can to get to the top, even if that means putting herself up for grabs, and falling victim to the #MeToo movement as a result, but yet she's still modifying her body posting suggestive selfies to keep the Instagram likes pouring in to appease her followers and partners. It's a rough battle and then coming to find out that her mother is dying from cancer, sends her to a place of generational/childhood trauma that she had repressed for so long. I wanted so badly for our main character to grow and push aside her haters and vices, but it was a sad sight to view all the while. I do feel she eventually prospered past the world of filters and false love, but it took a village.

4 stars

_Aesthetica_ has a futuristic name and cover, but it feels deeply relevant and contemporary. Rowbottom reflects a shady side of our modern society (and wow there's so much to choose from these days) in an utterly realistic and sinister manner that I know will stay with me for a long time to come.

Anna, the m.c., gets in on that illustrious influencer life in her late teens, and this comes with a rapid downward spiral into making her body bring filters to life. She gets involved with gross people, uses her body as a tool to reinvent herself and promote her success, and aims to counteract her more traditional mother's concerns that she's headed for disaster. But it's not just her mom who can see that disaster is impending.

Folks of a certain age - particularly those who are women identifying - know exactly what a nightmare social media can be and will not be surprised by any of the content they uncover here. Folks of other age groups may find this even darker because they are not as personally connected to this life and can remember a time when one could walk through a Southern California neighborhood and actually tell when any random woman was sad or happy or surprised. There are folks who have done some incredible work with the influence of social media in recent years (Delia Cai takes a different but memorable perspective on this in her short story, "Big Fan," for example), but I think this one will stand out because of the titular idea: this notion of a potential return to "real women." For me, this idea of what Anna considers "real women" really sticks. What does it mean to be "real," "authentic," "worthwhile," "seen," etc. these days? And does getting to these points require some level of facade? Is what's happening in that black and white store really any different than going under the knife or needle? I can't get enough of the postmodern possibilities connected to this concept, and for me, this is the real highlight.

This is a killer debut, and the audio version is a treat. I'll be looking for more from Rowbottom and recommending this one - mindfully - to certain students and pals.