Just a few years ago Sunny Lee was at the top of her game. Together with new friends and Sweet Cadence members, Candie and Mina, they are topping the charts and are seemingly unstoppable. As their success grows Sunny and Candie grow closer as well, but things are complicated and feelings get hurt. Then a shocking scandal, a ritual gone wrong, and Mina’s tragic death brings everything tumbling down. We pick up again now, two years later, and so many unanswered questions concerning Mina’s death and what went wrong remain. When Sunny sees that Candie is attending a new K-pop workshop she follows looking for answers.

I loved this, the atmosphere was mysterious, dark and tense. From the beginning you get an idea of what you are in for but as the reader alternates between past and present in the story and learns more the horror and builds. There were cults and rituals and I loved the celestial maiden element. The writing is beautiful and dreamlike at times and contrasted against the gruesome events really works well.

The narrator for the audio book expresses the mood and changes to the characters between the past and present well and brings the horrifying moments to life in an expressive way. I really enjoyed her narration.

Elements of this reminded me of The Honeys and Suspiria and those looking for a fresh speculative ya horror thriller will really enjoy this.

I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

4.5 / 5 ⭐️'ˢ

“Gorgeous Gruesome Faces” By Linda Cheng @lychengwrites

📕 Edition: Physical Copy & Audiobook

This book gave me the chills in the best way! 😱 A thrilling mix of horror and dark fantasy that had me hooked from the start. The author's storytelling prowess is top-notch, and I can't wait to dive into the next book in the series! 📖👏

The story revolves around Sunny's quest to unravel the mysteries of her traumatic past, haunted by a tragic event that changed her life forever. As she reunites with her former friend, Candie, and delves into the world of K-pop, the supernatural elements start to creep in, leaving you with a sense of eerie anticipation. 👻💫

Cheng masterfully builds suspense, keeping you on the edge, while also exploring themes of friendship, loss, and the darkness that can lurk beneath the surface. The sapphic thriller angle adds an extra layer of intrigue and complexity to the narrative. 🌈💔

If you're into eerie and gripping tales with a hint of the supernatural and a dash of sapphic romance, "Gorgeous Gruesome Faces" is a must-read.

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces releases November 7th!

Thank you @NetGalley , @Bookishfirst , @lychengwrites , @Macmillan_audio , Roaring Book Press @macmillanusa for providing me with copies of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest, spoiler-free review!
NOTE: I am reviewing an audiobook

Themes: Grief, Death, Popularity
Representation: Queer MC and LI, Asian-American MCs and SCs
Content Warnings: Gore, Horror, Grief, Suicide

PERSONAL COMMENTS
I thought that the story was quite interesting. As a person who loves mystery and easily intrigued by thrillers, this book captured my attention. It was slow to start, and for me it was hard to start listening because I was super busy with school and didn’t have too much time to read this month. However, once I started reading and the action ramped up, I couldn’t wait to figure out what happened next!!!

The characters in this book are frustrating but realistic and the mystery is super strange and mysterious. But it kept my attention all the same. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a really enjoyable read. Plus, it fits the time of the year since I read this around Halloween.

Thus… I give it 4/5 stars.

CHARACTERS
I thought the characters were well written, especially Sunny and Candie. I thought Sunny was definitely a complex character. She is someone who might not necessarily be likeable. However, as you read the book, you can definitely see how her experiences shape her. Also, if you’re a person who likes character development and reveals, then you’ll definitely vibe with Sunny.

For Candie, she is sort of mysterious at first. Sunny really likes her, and you might not understand why at first. But as you read on, you’ll definitely see why Sunny really cares about Candie. I wished that there would be a bit more development for Candie. However, I quite enjoyed her relationship with Sunny and how they help each other out.

Finally, as for the side characters, I really enjoyed Sunny’s relationship with Mina as well as the people at the workshop. I thought it revealed a lot about her character and made her more human. As for the antagonist(s), they are somewhat foreshadowed in the book, but who they are still caught me slightly by surprise. But more on that in the plot of the book….

Rating: 4.3/5

PLOT
I’d say that I think this book focuses a bit more on plot. However, there is a lot of focus on characters too.

I feel like the book starts out slow and doesn’t immediately grasp your attention. However, action DOES build up towards the middle of the book. The pacing changes a lot so your enjoyment of the plot depends on how much you like dynamic pacing. As for the things in the plot, there are enough plot twists and things occurring in the plot. I felt like there could’ve been more going on in terms of plot, but I think it’s enough to keep your attention.

Finally, the ending of the book is super nice. It ties things together and is super sweet.

Rating: 3.7/5

OTHER
The book has a unique narration style: it is told in two different timelines. You have Sunny from 2–3 years ago as well as the Sunny of present day. I do not personally mind the narration and thought it was a nice touch to the story. However, it can definitely be hard to switch from one timeline to another. It’s for sure difficult to write dual timelines.

In terms of perspective and tense, it’s told in first-person perspective (from Sunny’s perspective) and the present tense. I think that having Sunny as the sole narrator is great as it provides an unreliable narrator as well as a limited view on the events of the plot.

Finally, for the narrator, I enjoyed her voice. I liked how she did different voices for different characters and conveyed the emotions of the book.

Overall, 4/5

RATINGS
Personal Rating: 4/5
Characters: 4.3/5
Plot: 3.7/5
Other: 4/5
Final Rating: 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to an early copy of the audiobook. Gorgeous Gruesome Faces will be released on November 7th, 2023.


This book felt like a fever dream. The book was so beautifully written, I loved the inclusiveness of the characters and the imagery the author provides. I found myself completely enthralled with the story, even zoning out as I pictured the story in my head. Linda Cheng created a perfect blend of beautiful and creepy when writing this book and I cannot recommend it enough. I honestly can't even find the words to describe this book any better than the synopsis already does.

My suggestion: add this book to your TBR immediately. AND definitely, opt for the audiobook because the narraration? *chef's kiss*

First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!

I somehow missed the fact that this book has K-pop influences. Had I realized that was gonna be in here, I wouldn't have picked it up. I was gonna DNF it, but it's my own fault for not reading the description well enough on the NetGalley site, so I felt obligated to finish reading.

That said, I didn't enjoy this book. The writing itself is fine, and the characters are decent, but all the references to idols and K-pop culture in general had me cringing and rolling my eyes every other page. Candie's family history and the curse that came with it was really interesting, though! I wish the author would have leaned more into that. I was much more interested in that and Mina's place in everything than I was in the competition aspect. And the competition aspect seemed more like a plot device than anything, anyway. We don't get to see much of it. There's, like, two dance scenes and one practice scene, and the rest of it gets glossed over entirely.

Also the narrator sounded like she was pouting through the entire book, just talking through pursed lips. Strange.

I was originally going to give this book one star, but since it's my own fault that I didn't read the description well enough to realize that it wasn't going to be my thing, I'll give it some grace and two stars instead.

Such a good read. It reminds me of a great mix between Bunny by Mona Awad and Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra. I couldn’t stop once I started! Every good twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Loved it! Thanks NetGallery!

First of all what the fuck. And second I really need to read synopses more carefully because that “speculative” and “speculative thriller” really took me by surprise. At first I wasn’t really into the more fantastical elements (pretty sure that’s my unapologetic love for idol animes rearing its ugly head), but as things unraveled, I was getting more and more into it. One thing that was a miss for me, though, was Sunday’s character - she’s wildly inconsistent to the point that even though the entire book is told from her perspective, I felt like I didn’t really know her. The other characters we get to see beyond surface moments were astounding and complex; it felt like Sunday was just used as a chameleon to fit the needs of the story and mold to whoever she’s partnered with in a given scene. Then again, she’s also a teenager so her inconsistency could have been deliberate.

My favorite parts were, of course, the gory bits. Sunday’s night terrors, the dramatic accidents, and the climax. There’s one particular scene with a knife that was just so visceral and satisfying.

I’m also very interested to see how a book two is going to shake out…

Thank you for the ARC.

I found it a good suspense listen for the Halloween season.

I enjoyed the now and then timelines.

I enjoyed the narrator.

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is exactly what you want a YA thriller to be; it’s entertaining, dramatic, fun, and original. It’s not every day you pick up a sapphic K-Pop competition novel filled with scandal and horror.

The story centers around Sunny, a fallen-from-grace star, as she navigates the gruesome incidents happening to the girls she’s competing with in a K-Pop competition. A completion she joined to reunite with her estranged best friend (and former co-star) Candie who disappeared from her life after the tragic loss of their other friend and co-star, Mina.

Told in alternating chapters of Then and Now, the competition continues as the number of victims grows and the past events leading up to Sunny and Candie’s estrangement are unraveled.

Filled with drama, scandal, and gore, Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is a fantastic example of YA Thrillers. I loved the concept and the writing.

This book ended up being 4 stars for me because I felt that while the novel as a whole was structured well, the pace of the novel fluctuated inconsistently. Some parts felt more rushed than I found myself hoping them to be. And there were moments I felt that I had missed something or wished that more time had been spent detailing some events or character relationships.

I was given the chance to read this book in audiobook format and the narrator was fantastic!

Overall, Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is a wonderful, fun read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys YA thrillers. Especially with a little scandal involved.

*Huge thanks to Linda Cheng, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for providing the ARC of Gorgeous Gruesome Faces in audiobook format*

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is one of the best things I’ve read all year. This is an intelligent horror story in the vein of a modern day Suspiria. We follow a girl named Sunny who is trying to move on with her life and her career after becoming a disgraced pop singer/teen actress due to a scandal. She auditions for a new workshop that is also being attended by her former best friend/cast member/band mate. But not everything is as it seems.

For lack of giving anything away all I can say is read this book. It’s fantastic.

I unfortunately did not enjoy this book. I found the jumping between timelines very hard to follow and a I could not stand that some pretty awful issues within the K-Pop industry we’re just brushed off. I unfortunately won’t be reading the next book.

What starts as your typical light K-Pop inspired novel quickly turns dark and twisted. Hand this to those that love both horror and K-Pop/K-Dramas. This is one book that will stick with its readers and likely haunt them in their dreams.

Love the cover, love the story - just love all around.

Sunny is barely eighteen and already a has-been in the idol world. She and her fellow groupmates Candie and Mina were once famous and popular, poised to be the next huge thing. They shared a genuine friendship and relied on one another. That only made the situation so much worse when everything began to fall apart.

In present day, Sunny decides to give the idol life just one more shot. She joins a training workshop while hiding an ulterior motive: get answers from Candie, who is also attending. But she isn't at all prepared for what lies ahead.

The plot switches between present day and past flashbacks in a way that blends seamlessly and unfolds layers of story. The inside look at idol culture feels balanced and realistic, with the main character having lived as both the fan with the para-social relationship and as the beloved idol.

This story is dark and fantastical and properly horrifying, with a turn into the weird and culty. It's honestly a little light on the idol training workshop after a bit, which was what grabbed my attention in the first place - but by the time I noticed, I was having so much fun I didn't care. What starts as something semi-normal morphs into a thing much bigger and more terrible than I would have guessed at the beginning, and I absolutely loved it.

Elaine Wang's delivery on the audiobook narration is a little subdued, but she particularly nails the emotion in the dialogue. It's a great way to experience the book if you have the option!

Lots of behind the scenes K-pop star goodness in this YA horror debut but for me this book felt kind of all over the place. Part myth-based cult story, part queer romance, part revenge tale. I sort of wished the author would have picked a lane and stuck to it.

I liked that it pulled the veil off the nitty and gritty of this world of fame and popularity and the high toll it takes on the stars (sex scandals, cancel culture, etc.). Plus the huge emphasis on beauty at all costs (and the cost is HIGH in this book)!

Good on audio and recommended for fans of Kpop as an industry and books like I feed her to the beast and the beast is me by Jamison Shea or She is a haunting by Trang Thanh Tran.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! I'm interested to see where this might go next as a series!

⚠️CW: some graphic/gruesome scenes

well, i'm shook.

i haven't read a lot of young adult in recent years, particularly horror/thriller, as i feel like i've aged out of appreciating the genre, but the plot to this one intrigued me.

sunny is in social ruins. a cheating scandal obliterates her career and soon after, mina, one of her trio, jumps to her death. candie, the other remaining member of her k-pop group, won't return sunny's texts or calls, so when sunny hears that candie's going to be attenting a k-pop workshop in her town, she can't stop herself from attending so she can uncover the truth of what happened years ago.

reunited and it feels so... bad? candie wants nothing to do with sunny anymore. to top things off, sunny's starting to see things and her competition starts getting mysteriously and violently taken out.

sunny knows a secret about candie and her ability and suspects that she's behind all the violence, but before she exposes her for what she is, she's first got to prove it.

this was deliciously spooky with a bit of unhinged girl violence which is, of course, my fave. throw in some social commentary about how men are treated publicly vs. how women are treated publicly and a cute little sapphic romance? i'm sat, i'm ready. this took me so pleasantly surprise and i can't wait to see what happens in the future.

there's one EXCELLENT scene of unhingedness that was giving jennifer's body. this was a fantastic read for halloween, also.

This performance was amazing! I loved the story and the narration. What a wonderful creepy story about growing up and dealing with something supernatural.
I loved it.

After seeing this beautiful cover, I knew I had to read this book. I switched off between the physical copy and the audiobook. The narrator for the audiobook did a great job. The pacing was good and I was able to stay engaged throughout the book.

This book is a trip. There is so much going on. There is a little something for everyone. The book has romance, horror, mystery, supernatural aspects, and K-pop style drama. I’m not very familiar with k-pop music, but I still enjoyed that aspect of the story. The music industry is an animal that really puts young artists through the wringer.

I especially enjoyed the ending of the book and how all the loose ends came together. I don’t want to say too much about it and spoil the mystery.

Overall, this is an engaging YA that I recommend to readers who enjoy sapphic romance and murder mysteries with hints of the supernatural.

4.5 stars rounded up

This queer, contemporary take on gothic horror spotlights the pressure to perform femininity and live up to impossible beauty standards in the K-pop world, and it delivers on gothic atmosphere and horror.

Gorgeous Gruesome Faces- I'll be honest, I don't love the title and think it's a bit on the nose- but it follows Sunny- a former member of a music group formed for reality TV. In the past timeline she's bubbly and excited to prove herself to the beautiful and already famous Candie. In the present, the tragic and disturbing death of their third bandmate Mina, plus a PR crisis led to the breakup of the group and Sunny becoming a pariah. But now she sees that Candie is attending a special performance workshop and thinks this might be her one chance to repair their relationship and find closure. But things are not quite what they seem and accidents keep harming the girls in the workshop, while Sunny keeps seeing a spectre of Mina's ghost...

I love a gothic horror novel. And something that does social commentary well. And then make it queer? Love it. This is a great entrypoint to the genre for teen readers with a pretty interesting mythology underpinning it. Definitely would recommend and the audio narration is excellent. I received an audio copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

I loved this!! I had no idea where this book was going but I was hooked the whole time! Sunny, Candie, and Mina were extremely close friends in a K-pop group up until the night that Mina jumped to her death. Candie stopped speaking to Sunny but now an opportunity presents itself for Sunny to finally get answers for what happened to Mina. She sees online that Candie is going to a K-pop workshop, signs up, and gets in. She needs answers from Candie but also strange things keep happening to the other girls in the workshop. I did see that this is the first book in the series and I'm really interested to see where this series will go! This book was pretty dark and soo good.