I don't wanna give spoilers, but also not sure how I can review this book without giving somethings away. Also cover is not hiding it. Anyways! Are we all Countess Elizabeth Báthory now? Pick up young girls from the street as interns (we know there are men who already do this) and use their youth for our own benefit. We normalized having snail mucus in cosmetics, but not sure young blood is something that I can expect in my moisturizer.

Sophia started working at HEBE. It's not only a cosmetics brand but also lifestyle company. Sophia didn't know how lucky she got with this job. She got to hang out with the CEO and revamp herself. Most importantly CEO presented her with a cream that cleared her hands. She didn't have to wear gloves anymore. But what made their products so effective was a question she could not answer until one day she saw real story behind interns.

This book makes me wonder if there is actually a company like this somewhere. I won't be surprised if we see this in the news one day because there are people obsessed with youth and they would do anything to preserve it.

Youthjuice is essentially American Psycho for beauty girlies: outrageous body horror for the goop generation. Don't give this book to Gwyneth Paltrow!

It's a quick horror/thriller read that I enjoyed a lot, especially the audiobook narrated by Suzy Jackson who did a fantastic job. The story is intriguing and fun, and especially the second half of the book is very well written. There are two storylines (present and past of the main character) and I really liked how the two intertwined and connected, but I feel like I wanted a bit more from the present: I expected Sophia to become completely unhinged, losing control, giving into her "wild" side. Because of this, the story remains a bit flat for me (the reveal is very predictable and like... literally on the book cover) and never fully picks up. The epilogue was also a bit unnecessary and difficult to believe.
Overall though I enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to read more by E.K. Sathue!

* I'd like to thank E.K. Sathue, RB Media and NetGalley for providing this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was like a cross between some beauty blogs I used to read on the daily and a reality show…HA! Needless to say I loved it! If beauty based books with a little mystery twist are your thing then you will love this book too!

This was definitely interesting. It's kind of like if American Psycho and The Telltale Heart had a baby. It was a bit different than I thought it would be, but I enjoyed it. It definitely had some graphic scenes described in it, so some people might be sensitive to that. I liked the story, but I had trouble really connecting with the narrator. It was still enjoyable though.

Youthjuice immediately piqued my interest with the title and cover alone. Then after reading the synopsis and seeing it described as a body horror novel featuring the beauty industry, I couldn’t wait to read it. Unfortunately, this book fell flat for me.

Starting with the positives. A+ for the overall concept. Our main character, Sophia Bannion, begins testing a moisturizing cream for her new boss and realizes something is a bit off. When she confronts her boss, Tree Whitestone, she learns what is so special about youthjuice and the secret as to how it is made.

While the concept is great, the characters felt very one dimensional and underdeveloped. Some of the choices Sophia makes in this book are shocking and gruesome; however, her character is not set up in a way where any of these actions are believable. Same thing for Tree Whitestone. She is the brain behind youthjuice and there was such a missed opportunity to fully develop her character so we could learn exactly why she created this product.

If you enjoy true horror books, this one will probably not cut it. But for those new to the horror genre this might be a good introduction.

While this book was enjoyable (2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for GR), I was left wanting more. Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was pretty far out. I know as an older woman that I don’t want my skin to get old or excessive wrinkles but I would rather have my body age naturally and gracefully instead of what was going on at that company. The transition from past to present really kept you hanging on the edge. The author made it apparent that the main character was slightly off.

I wanted to like this book a lot because the premise sounded fun. However, it felt a little tired and like I had read the story before. While I think there was some cool imagery, I found that it fell flat.

Be warned that none of the characters are likeable but I don't think they're supposed to. It is integral to the story but I know it can throw some people.

was so Glossier coded!!

As someone who works in the beauty industry, for a beauty publication, this book hit too close to home for me, despite it being categorized as horror story. And while I love beauty industry hot takes and exposures, this one fell a little flat and felt like this was a story that’s already been told. I read Natural Beauty late last year, and this book felt eerily similar. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy this story because I did!

It’s dramatic and graphic, and the FMC is trash and her boss is an even bigger dumpster fire. Must love detailed descriptions of blood, biting, peeling, etc., to get through this one.

(Thank you, RB Media and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

Youthjuice
by EK Sathue

Narrated by: Suzy Jackson
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Horror
Format: audiobook 🎧
Publication date: 4th June

🌟: 3/5

“American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada: outrageous body horror for the goop generation
A 29-year-old copywriter realizes that beauty is possible—at a terrible cost—in this surreal, satirical send-up of NYC It-girl culture.”

Everyone’s is shallow, everything is shallow. the world is skin deep and that is all.

It was a quick read, funny at times, gross at others, with a good dose of crazy thrown in. I didn’t care much for anybody in the story but I imagine they’re all supposed to be that annoying and materialistic.

I actually most enjoyed the flashbacks to Sophia’s earlier life than her current job at HEBE, I thought this was the more interesting part of her narrative and how she got here / what happened to her hands.

I thought it was an Ok mild horror read, the narrator was good, the story flowed well I just didn’t really find the story very gripping.

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Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook

This book is absolutely bonkers, and I really liked it. Is it realistic? No but that's not the point is it. Taking the pursuit for beauty and youth in a modern company to the furthest possible extent with visuals that will have you flinching and nauseated. The narrator absolutely nailed the vapid unhinged voice and it made the book come to life. I will say that in audiobook I did lose track of a few of the characters because they seemed vaguely interchangeable but it also felt intentional that they were described that way in a sort of fever dream haze.

I've seen this described as 'pink horror' and while I'm not exactly sure what that means, I feel like it fits the bill. The story of Sophia, a 29 year old copywriter working at a successful NYC Beauty Brand and described as "American Psycho" meets "The Devil Wears Prada", this one was a bit out there. Sophia is tasked with testing the latest product Youthjuice and I'll leave it at that.

I do get the references, but that is shooting a little high tbh. I found it to be a fun little rollick, with a side of gruesome and a splash of gore. I hated Sophia, but I loved to hate her. She's so self-centred and morally bankrupt and yes she's also pretty deranged. The head of the company is your typical cliched older rich woman trying to stay young. It did remind me of something but I can't work out what. Maybe if Blair Waldorf went completely off the rails...

This was gifted to be on @netgalley as an audio and the narration was spot on. You could tell she was becoming more and more unhinged not only by the words but her voice. Superb acting,

Definitely won't be for everyone, but if you feel like a slice of delulu and you don't mind some gross imagery, then this might be something you'd enjoy.

Youthjuice is a dark humored satirical exploration of the beauty industry and the obsession with youth with a serving of body horror on the side. It’s giving Death Becomes Her meets Goop and a bit of Rouge by Mona Awad.

I really like how we move between the past and the present and seeing Sophia’s relationships, especially the intimacy with her childhood friend vs the present. It’s an exploration of toxic friendships and the workplace, age and class but it’s at the same time also easily digestible. I really loved the premise and actually wish it had been pushed a bit further. The ending also felt a bit too convenient but overall I found it to be a fun read.

If you’re a skin care girly or are looking for a mystery thriller with a bit of horror on the side this is for you.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher. I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a ride for sure! I really liked this book for its original plot ideas for a horror. I feel like so often we get a bunch of Halloween movie variations (not that we don’t love another summer camp killer adaptation) so youthjuice was definitely a break from that pattern.

Sophia was very unlikable, which personally is not a negative in my book, I’m happy to dislike an MC. But she was at times painfully self centered to the point of ridiculous, many of her big life choices were made solely in vain.

I loved the nose dive she took into psychosis, I honestly thought it was the best part of the book even though it was starting to drag a little in the middle of the second half.

*I received this ARC from NetGalley and RB Media in exchange for my honest review. All words/opinions are my own.*

Thank you Soho Press and RB Media for my free ARC of youthjuice by E.K. Sathue — available Jun 4!

Read this if you:
✨ are addicted to your beauty products
🩸 love a bit of horror and 'wtf is going on'
🥂 don't mind relatively un-complex characters

Sophia lands her dream job working for Tree Whitestone at HEBE, a luxury wellness brand. She's a bit lost in life, but figures that this job will set her on the right path. When Sophia is asked to test some new HEBE products, she accidentally finds out where the ingredients come from, and she'll have to weigh the cost of flawless skin against her future.

This was such a creepy premise, and I hoped to love it! Unfortunately, it was just okay for me. I wasn't invested in Sophia as a character, and I found her motivations hard to puzzle out. The other characters are flat as well, and this may have been An Intentional Choice™ but it didn't land for me. I found the book overall entertaining but nothing really stood out as shocking or overly memorable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sophia works at HEBE, a luxury skincare line where she is asked to test youthjuice, a moisturizer advertised to make you look young forever. She soon learns the truth about the ingredients and manufacturing process, and questions the brand as a whole.

Described as American Psycho and The Devil Wears Prada is a little bit of a stretch. Satire about the beauty industry and how American society views aging. This is a WEIRD book.

Thanks Net Galley, RB Media, and SoHo Press for the ARC

I really wanted to love this, and I think it is a great book for a certain kind of reader, but that reader wasn’t me. This is billed as American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada and while that’s kind of true, I feel that the grandmother of this book is ultimately Death Becomes Her. It takes an especially skilled writer to take you through a story that relies heavily on a fever dream-esque narrative, and to me this author was just not up to the task. It was a cool concept and definitely got better as it went on, but it’s plagued with pacing issues and missed opportunities to feel connected to the story. I DO think that fans of BEE and Hunter Thompson may dig this book though.

I've been loving all the beauty industry horror that has been coming out! Youthjuice was a fun addition but I did find myself a bit bored by the main character. I think it's still worth checking out if you like this sub genre!

Thank you, Netgalley for this arc

3.5 rounded down.

Books that explore wellness culture seem to be having a minute right now and I’ve read so many of them so it’s tough reviewing and differentiating between them. Youthjuice lies somewhere in the middle of the pack.

What if there was a secret ingredient that could keep you looking young forever? Would it be worth the cost?
I love a wellness-gone-wrong, unhinged-women, fever-dream of a book and this delivered all three. I'd recommend to fans of Mona Awad and similar authors!

I was given a copy of the audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest review. Youthjuice has some incredibly beautiful prose about absolutely abhorrent subject matter. The writing style is flawless, but the end of the book, specifically the lack of consequencesk for the main character, was a little disappointing. I also thoroughly enjoyed the narration.