Fun book that reminded me of the show GIRLS mixed with Glossier. Clever and laughs at influencer culture while also looking at it as a guilty pleasure.

This was creepy! I love any type of book about the horrors of the beauty industry and this one delivered. The audio was well done and kept me captivated the entire time.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Many of my hang ups with this book could truly be because of the audiobook version, and I feel that maybe my rating would be higher if I had a physical copy. There are time jumps in the book that do not translate well in the audio, so I felt confused and lost a majority of the time.

The story concept is interesting, but fell a but flat for me. There wasn’t anything new or unique to the plot, and I was left wanting a bit more.

Ultimately, this was not my favorite read, but I do see the appeal for certain audiences.

THE WAY THIS BOOK CAUGHT ME BY COMPLETE SURPRISE! I absolutely loved the satirically snarky funny take on the beauty industry. I LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS BOOK AND I CANT WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON A PHYSICAL COPY!

Thanks so much to Recorded Books for the review ALC!

I had no clue what I was getting into with this book. Everything was WILD in the best way possible. This is a great sarcastic take on the beauty industry in todays day and age, and what people will do to stay young. This was a great read!

This book is like if Bunny by Mona Awad's mean girl clique and Boy Parts by Eliza Clark's narcissistic main caharacter had a baby and that baby went to work in The Devil Wears Prada

This was a fun weird girl book. I thought the main character's inner monologue was the most fun kind of unhinged. The only thing I was hoping for more of was the gross scenes. There was a few really good ones, I just wanted more.

Youthjuice started off very strongly for me, but as it went on, I became less and less interested and more and more annoyed at the main character. It didn't feel like anything new and I honestly felt like I read this before- I've never seen American Psycho, but I do definitely get the Devil Wears Prada vibes. Though it also reminded me of strongly of The Centre with some Ripe vibes. Lots of similarities to Natural Beauty, too. Yes, it should be classified as horror, but I would call it entry level horror.

I felt like maybe Sophia wasn't built out enough as a character to make me totally understand her motivation for doing things. Especially one thing in particular she does that I just couldn't wrap my ahead around. Things felt a little shallow and I felt like I had to listen really, really closely to the audiobook or I'd miss important things that just seemed like small details in the telling.

I did really appreciate the concept of the book- I think there really is a dark underbelly to the beauty industry and the future of beauty companies can be pretty terrifying when you think about it.

As someone who loves a good character-driven book, I think I needed more from the main character (and supporting characters). I know most horror books aren't character-driven, but I at least needed a bit more to fully understand their motivations. I do think this is a good book to listen to, as long as you can stay pretty focused on it.

A story of female presenting superficiality or really the superficiality that society demands. Follow an unreliable narrator in a dual timeline in what is described as “American Psycho meets Devil Wears Prada”. I didn’t really find it as intense or grotesque as American Psycho though. About halfway through the book, I was trying to figure out where the so called body horror came into place. This felt more body horror nonexistent until like the last 5 percent

The author does a good job of telling details, using adjectives to their strength to play to the imaginative mind. Sometimes the thesaurus use was a little bit on the heavy side and came across a little pretentious (don’t say epidermis, you can just say skin). Expect more small detailed narratives that tends to move all over the place than a fully fledged story. Not bad, but I would have preferred a concise and focused story and the story never fully drew me in.

This was like a modern-day Countess of Bathory and the comparisons to American Psycho crossed w/ Devil Wears Prada are right on!
Sophia Bannion is hired as Head of Creative for HEBE, a beauty-brand set to change the market with their newest product, YouthJuice. Sophia is quickly made a believer when she is tasked with trying out the product before the launch, and the results are startling. Sophia has a terrible anxiety-induced habit of biting her nails and her hands have paid the price. Using the YouthJuice only on her hands make them new again. No scars, no chipping of the nails; her hands are new and baby-soft. So what is in the YouthJuice? And where have all HEBE's interns gone?

*Special thanks to NetGalley and RB Digital for this audio e-arc.*

”Youthjuice” is a mix between american psycho and the devil wears prada. it mixes the two influences well and drags you in. I wanted more horror though, maybe I am complaining too much but it didn’t start until more than 25% into the story. But otherwise I had no issues with the characters, i found all of them really interesting and real!

In Today’s society we are so obsessed with skincare, looking the youngest we have ever been! Not a wrinkle in sight! This book came out at the perfect time because it challenges those thoughts and turns it on their head.

You’ll love this if you are a clean girl or into gritty body horror.

This was a compelling thriller about a young girl who works at a beauty company developing an anti aging cream through sinister methods! While I was ultimately disappointed by the ending, it was still an enjoyable read. The narrator had an excellent reading voice!

First of all, thank you NetGalley and RB Media for the audiobook! Youthjuice has a fresh story, with touches of Elizabeth Bathory and a pink cover with blood. It's definitely my kind of book!
An interesting and extremely fun story to read, even with its touches of cruelty and dubious morality. the plot itself is not new but remains very interesting, but I really wish the book had gone deeper into its bloody potential.
The protagonist is surprisingly irritating but I kind of loved following her story.

Fresh, modern and a bit like American Psycho. Youthjuice was a fun read that had me fully immersed in the world of skincare and beauty. I love skin care and take it seriously so it was cool to read about it especially in horror. The author created interesting, disturbing characters and the book kept you guessing. It didn't give away much and I enjoyed that because it held my interest.

A bit like American Psycho but not boring or filled with ridiculous amount of filler. This book is perfect for anyone who loves skincare or anyone interested in "cults" or cult mind sets.

Narration was excellent.

This was an interesting story about a beauty company obsessed with youth and looking pretty. As the story goes on you get two time periods from the main character - current day and in the mid to late 2000s and the relationship with her friend. It goes into how she became who she was as an adult and what went into making the newest product from her company.

When they said the book was a combination of Devil Wears Prada and American Psycho, I fully expected the story to have some sort of hierarchy between the characters and a bit more of an obsessive main character. I feel the actual storyline fell short, despite the premise and the strong writing being indicators that there was potential in the novel. I found myself multiple times nodding off during this novel, even though the book’s premise was right up my alley. I really wish I could’ve liked this book more, but the characters were far too drab and the whole story felt like I was listening to a former employee of Goop talk about Pilates and snail mucin.

youthjuice was a fun ride of a novel. I love an unreliable female narrator in a story and youthjuice produced a perfect one in Sofia. I felt the story got a bit drawn out in the middle and would have loved more story on Dom and what happens with her. The narrator of the audiobook was also wonderful to listen to. If you are into horror but maybe in a fun feminine way, this book is for you.

This was a fun book to listen to. It's set in the It-girl world of New York City where everyone is obsessed with status and appearances and youth.

The book's main character, Sophia has started working at a skincare company called HEBE. As well as a job, it's an entire culture-led by the charismatic founder Tree-and Sophia quickly gets pulled in. She's especially enraptured by a product called youthjuice which has miraculously healed her hands from years of self-injury.

Only, the method for creating youthjuice isn't harmless. Once Sophia and others know, they're faced with the moral dilemma of how far they'll go in pursuit of beauty.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s life story. lol just kidding. But goop plus the blood of virgins to stay young and beautiful.

Definitely for horror fans that have morbid curiosity of the beauty trends on social media.

Dual timeline following Sophia when she was you get and now that she works in the beauty influencer field. She struggles with biting her hang nails and nails to the point of blood dripping down her arms until her boss gives her some youthjuice 👀

It was good. I felt like it was longer than it needed to be but enjoyable in a gross way 😂

I really liked the narrator and the juxtaposition of her voice with what was going on in the story.

Thanks to netgalley and recorded books for an advanced listening copy.

This book was super fun and super disgusting! Exactly what I was looking for!
The imagery was extremely well done, I read a lot of horror but gore in this really surprised me. I had to periodically take breaks to calm down and remind myself it was just a book.
The story was extremely fast paced and was easy to binge. The narrator did an excellent job!

In her debut novel Youthjuice, E.K. Sathue plunges readers into the sinister underbelly of New York City's It-girl culture with a sharp and satirical edge. Drawing parallels to iconic works like "American Psycho" and "The Devil Wears Prada," Sathue crafts a gripping tale that exposes the horrors lurking beneath the glamorous facade of the beauty industry.

Sathue's narrative is both vivid and disturbing, with elements of body horror and gore that add to the unsettling atmosphere. Yet, despite the gruesome imagery, Youthjuice isn't a traditional horror novel that relies on fear; instead, it immerses readers in the warped psyche of its protagonist.

The story follows Sophia, a character whose descent into madness serves as a chilling reflection of society's relentless pursuit of youth and beauty. As Sophia navigates the cutthroat world of influencers and beauty products, readers are treated to a blend of satire, horror, and dark humor.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its portrayal of Sophia, a deeply flawed and unhinged character whose actions are driven by societal pressures and personal insecurities. Through Sophia's perspective, Sathue explores the damaging effects of beauty standards and the insidious influence of social media and celebrity culture on young women.
Youthjuice feels particularly relevant in today's society, where the obsession with youth and beauty has reached unprecedented heights. Sathue deftly captures the cultural zeitgeist, offering a sharp critique of the beauty industry's exploitative practices and the toxic influence of social media.

With its soft pink cover and hints of darkness, Youthjuice is a must-read for anyone intrigued by the darker side of beauty and obsession. Sathue's compelling narrative and incisive commentary make this novel a captivating and thought-provoking exploration of our society's fixation on appearances.