"Youthjuice" by EK Sathue is a riveting and thought-provoking novel that delves into the dark underbelly of the beauty industry. The story follows Sophie, a young woman working at the prominent beauty company HEBE, who begins to uncover unsettling secrets about her workplace, her colleagues, and the lengths to which people will go to maintain youth and beauty. Sathue masterfully explores themes of beauty and aging, shedding light on society's obsession with youth and the sometimes extreme measures people take to preserve their appearance. Through Sophie's eyes, we witness the pressures and moral dilemmas faced by those in the beauty industry, making for a compelling and often unsettling narrative.

The novel's strength lies in its ability to balance a gripping plot with deep, reflective commentary. Sathue's portrayal of HEBE's darker aspects and motives is both insightful and critical, prompting readers to question their own perceptions and the societal standards of beauty in real life. The suspense builds as Sophie navigates the intricacies of her job, her relationships with her coworkers, and the enigmatic behavior of her boss, making for a page-turner that is hard to put down.

One of the standout aspects of "Youthjuice" is its exploration of childhood friendship and betrayal. The characters are richly developed, with flaws and past mistakes that make them incredibly human and relatable. Sathue does an excellent job of illustrating how past relationships shape who we become and the moral complexities that define us. The characters' actions and motivations are portrayed with nuance, reminding readers that even those who have done awful things are not necessarily awful people.

E.K. Sathue's writing is both engaging and evocative, capturing the reader's attention from the very first page. "Youthjuice" is a must-read for anyone interested in a hypothetical beauty industry's inner workings, societal standards of beauty, and the complex nature of human relationships. It's a book that not only entertains but also provokes thought and introspection.
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This novel presents a darkly satirical take on the beauty industry and NYC's influencer culture, blending elements of horror with social commentary. The premise of a luxury skincare company harboring sinister secrets offers a compelling critique of society's obsession with youth and beauty. While the plot's exploration of the protagonist's moral dilemma and the gruesome reality behind the products creates an engaging narrative, the body horror elements may indeed be too intense for some readers. The book's strength lies in its sharp observations of contemporary culture, though its graphic content could be off-putting for those sensitive to such descriptions.

This book was very dark and weird, so naturally I loved it. The storytelling was a little disjointed at times and reminiscent of Mona Awad's book Rouge. It came into it's own and unfurled into a very enjoyable horror parody aimed at the skincare beauty industry.

3.75 stars rounded up.

Marketed as American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada and it lived up to the hype. Yes, it was over the top and a bit on the nose but I really enjoyed it. My favorite parts of youthjuice were when EK Sathue really examined just how ugly and disgusting vanity can be. Did I listen to this audiobook while doing my multistep skincare routine? Absolutely.

One minor thing: I really liked the narrator but there were a few places in the audio where there were some noises from the mic cutting out at the end of a paragraph or chapter. This seemed like an easy editing issue that wasn't addressed.

Good narrator with excellent pacing and tone. Some odd gaps between chapters but not too distracting. thank you to NetGalley and publisher for a copy..

Youthjuice was a wild listen. I like the books lately that look at the darker side of the beauty and wellness industries. Add it to the canon

Youthjuice 🩸💉💄💋🧴
by E.K. Sathue
3.7/5 ✨

Described as American Psycho X The Devil Wears Prada.. 😱

I will always pick up a book with a pink cover - and then you add a little blood, too? I’m in! I’ve always had an interest in the fashion industry, especially the dark underbelly of it. The idea of life-changing skincare is so exciting!! But once you find out the cost.. 😳

Sophia is a female Patrick Bateman and she had me cracking up multiple times out loud. Tree is a trip and seeing her run HEBE kept me on my feet.

If you’re expecting a ton of gore - don’t. This is more subliminal and will come to bite you in the butt before you know it. Suzy Jackson was a dream to listen to and she brought this story to life. She kept bringing me back for more!

If you enjoy a slow burn about luxury beauty culture that tiptoes across the horror genre, give this one a go.

Thank you to Netgalley and E.K. Sathue for gifting me an ALC of Youthjuice!! 🩷

unfortunately, while the synopsis of this was promising and the idea of a horror book that comments on today's beauty standards is definitely interesting, this was just lacking in execution. i do not have much to say besides the fact that this was incredibly dull and uninteresting, the characters all blended into one another and it made this to feel longer than it actually is. i do not think this book is in any way comparable to american psycho and i think that is a big claim to make. i don't feel like it had particularly good commentary either.

about the audiobook, the narrator had a really soothing voice but i do not think it fit the vibes of the horror genre or this book, so while it did not heavily impact my listening/reading experience, it did nothing to improve it. i genuinely think their voice would have been more fitting for romance/contemporary books.

Beyond disturbing and highly entertaining. I’m totally immersed in beauty culture, but this made me really think about what exactly I’m chasing. Lots of layers in this skewering of our obsession with appearance.

I really enjoyed the book and narrator, but I feel like I personally don't do well with audiobooks. For some reason, I tend to fall asleep the moment it comes on, whilst with actual reading I can pay better attention.

3.5 Stars

Youthjuice was my first by author E.K. Sathue. This horror-ish, satirical audiobook fits in with today’s youth-obsessed culture. The book boasts a mixture of American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada.

The star of our book is 29-year-old Sophia, who just started her first real job, a career, if you will, in an all-woman-run and owned beauty supply company. This is her dream job, everything she could ever want. While everything seems perfect, interns begin to go missing without an explanation. Tree, her idol and boss, asks her to test a beauty cream with unbelievable results. It has to be too good to be true. The key ingredient is wonderfully shocking! At what lengths will you go to remain youthful?

I wouldn’t really consider this a horror book; maybe it's a pre-horror? I’m used to splatterpunk, and this is at the other end of the spectrum. This book fits our society’s obsession with beauty products. Since the book is from Sophia’s point of view, you don’t get much depth and backstory from the other characters, even from her. The writing style was pretty interesting, and it did keep me engaged for the most part. The narration was good, but she seemed so perky and upbeat the entire time. I didn’t care much about the flashbacks.


Thank you to Netgalley and E.K. Sathue for gifting me an ALC of Youthjuice. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Youthjuice by E. K. Sathue
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Youthjuice follows Sophia, a 29 year old New Yorker who just started a new job at HEBE, a high end skincare company. HEBE is testing out a new powerful moisturizer known as Youthjuice.

I’ve seen this book described as American Psycho but for beauty culture, and um… yeah, sounds about right! I don’t think this book was really saying anything we don’t already know - beauty culture, especially the hype surrounding anti aging and skincare, is problematic and troubling, and some people will stop at almost nothing to stay looking youthful. The beauty industry is just that - an industry that exists to make money off of these insecurities. We all knew this already. However, that isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy the story. These values and problems are personified in the way that the company HEBE and its leadership go about creating their products (that lipstick line scene was INSANE but not completely unrealistic 👀). The story definitely kept me on my toes and I never knew what Sophia or Tree were going to pull next - they really lean into their crazy sides and are honestly really terrifying characters.

Thank you to @netgalley for the audiobook ARC!

Macabre commentary on aging and beauty, a horror tale reminiscent of Dracula and full of female rage.

I think you’ll love the creepy saccharine vibes, the dark isolation, and the bleak helplessness infused throughout. This one is dank, people!

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Sophia works at HEBE, a luxurious skincare and wellness company in New York's SoHo. Sophia has her problems, and among them are hands. Due to childhood trauma, she constantly chews on her fingers, leaving them raw. She wears gloves to hide her hands from other people. HEBE's newest product "youthjuice," a fatty, luxurious moisturizer is given to Sophia. She tries it on her hand, and the results are undeniable - Sophia's skin looks flawless. Almost as if she had never had any problems at all.

As Sophia becomes more embedded in HEBE's world, cracks begin to show. She witnesses odd behavior, resource scarcity, and a growing sense of unease. Her investigation leads her to discover the horrifying truth behind youthjuice's effectiveness.

Prepare to be disgusted, disturbed, and strangely delighted. The opening pages hint at the depravity to come, and the story takes a surprisingly dark turn. The juxtaposition between HEBE's picture-perfect facade and the horrifying truth behind youthjuice is both hilarious and terrifying. The horror unfolds gradually, perfectly capturing the reader's attention. One minute you're following Sophia's new job at HEBE, the next you're reeling from a shocking revelation about her lace gloves.

Overall a very fun read!

I tried to get into this but felt no connection to the characters. It felt like a chore to listen so I did not end up finishing it.

What a disgusting delight of a book. The author takes you on a darkly funny ride into the world of luxury beauty brands to leave you pondering the cost of youthful beauty.

A book being touted as "American Psycho" meets "The Devil Wears Prada" creates pretty big shoes to fill, and I think "youthjuice" is mostly up to the task. I found Sophia to be a little flat as a main character but her journey into HEBE, the luxury skincare company she works for under Tree Whitestone, an enigmatic CEO obsessed with staying young, was compelling and creepy enough to keep me reading. Sophia's shallow and ambitious, a dynamic duo of traits for a narrator who gradually becomes more unhinged. The themes of this book and the critique of our youth obsessed culture remind me of books like "Natural Beauty" by Ling Ling Huang and "The Glow" by Jessie Gaynor. I like this trend of books and "youthjuice" is a pretty good addition to the genre. Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Press for the audio arc.

"Wrinkled, wrinkled little star... hope they never see the scars." - Madeline Ashton, Death Becomes Her (1992)

The Countess Báthory, meets American Psycho, and they shares a twelve-step goop routine? And written by a former beauty editor? Hot damn, YOUTHJUICE has all the makings of the perfect summer slasher with a Gothic cherry on top.

Sophia Bannion is an almost-thirty copyeditor and chronic nail biter embarking on her first day at the popular beauty brand, HEBE, named after the Greek goddess of youth in SoHo. At HEBE's helm is Tree Whitestone, the epitome of millennial beauty and Girl Boss energy. While quickly seduced by HEBE's lifestyle brand and beauty products, it doesn't take long for the sparkling veneer of the company to begin to wear off for Sophia. Told from her perspective split between the present day at HEBE and 2008 in the post-Y2K spray tans and whale tails days of yore, YOUTHJUICE is a deeply neurotic and uncomfortable story about female beauty, the aging process, and the corporations and influencers keeping it all afloat.

While YOUTHJUICE harbors a seemingly predictable plot line on the surface, it holds a wonderfully disturbing twist, so I hope readers won't sift through too many reviews before just diving in to this one. This was a fun read that I greatly enjoyed listening to poolside and feel confident deeming this the horror beach read of the summer. Solidly in the Top Five for sure. Plus, I'm all in for female character driven "coming-of-rage" stories. Give me more, please and thank you.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an audiobook review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very interesting take on the beauty /influencer industry. Definitely gory and horrific, our main character is hgihly flawed. SHe is the perfect anti-hero who you want love, and who does the right thing in the end. Sathue also comments on how cut throat, pun intended, the beauty industry is - often, many are completely dispensable. Overall, it is an interesting read, that will at times shock, but does promote critical thinking.

Well. Honestly, I would have DNF'd this in the first 20% if it weren't for it being an audio and having seen a friend (that I highly trust) give it a 4/5. The beginning of this screams every other influencer/beauty trope book from the last few years - therefore, I was bored to death. It took too long to get to the good stuff that sets it aside from those books. After that, it's decent enough but I found it hard to care. Did have a few metaphors/lines that were profound... but again, I didn't care enough.