Member Reviews
Writing was a bit pretentious (intentionally - but it felt like overkill). Plot was predictable and yet also unrealistic. I wish it had felt a little more “real” in terms of the outcomes. It was entertaining, but I think it had more promise than it actually lived up to.
2.5ish stars.
I wanted this to take to me places of sinister intent like "Tender is the Flesh". Overall, I enjoyed the book, it was slightly predictable, however, the art of story telling kept me going! Definitely not for everyone, but if the summary of the book hooks you, give it a try!
Meh. The summary reeled me in. The main character is a 29-year-old copywriter (like me!) so that got me. The book was described as "American Psycho meets The Devil Wears Prada." That's a bit rich. If I were to compare it to any two books, I'd say it's a cross between Bunny and A Certain Hunger. And even that would be a generous statement.
The premise of the plot is compelling and super relevant—it's all about the pursuit for ageless beauty and its (killer) cost. Sophia Bannion works for HEBE, a luxury skincare company in NYC. She has the personality of a dead fish and that is another major issue I had wth this book. I could not connect with her or any of the characters.
Satirical and witty in parts, this social horror novel is an okay read but I was expecting more characterization, plot, thrill... anything. It fell short for me.
This book was exactly what I wanted it to be. It is funny and witty horror. The secret ingredient of the "Youthjuice" isn't hard to guess, but the direction Sathue takes the whole thing is great and is totally worth the read! It takes some dark turns that I was NOT expecting. The experience of reading this was like how I felt when I read My Year of Rest and Relaxation - so if you enjoyed that book then this one will be right up your alley.
Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an advance audio copy of this book for review.
Youthjuice follows Sophia, a woman who has just started a new, highly coveted career at HEBE, a trendy luxury beauty brand. She quickly finds herself deeply immersed in the lifestyle this new job provides her with and the access she now has to the brand’s elusive founder, Tree. But as Sophia grows closer to Tree and becomes more involved in the ins and outs of what goes on behind the scenes of HEBE she is soon forced to admit to herself that something very sinister is taking place in order for Tree to create youthjuice, HEBE’s new miracle product.
I didn’t dislike youthjuice. It was too inoffensive for me to dislike it. I just thought it was so incredibly… empty. There’s nothing inside it that the reader can’t figure out by simply reading the book’s summary. It was just a few hours of waiting for Tree to figure out what was obvious as soon as she stepped inside of HEBE. I didn’t feel strongly about any of the characters. Tree wasn’t a compelling villain. I think Dominique, Sophia’s best friend and roommate, was the only character with a personality. I did like her sections of the story. I didn’t feel anything either positive or negative about the writing. There’s a plot line that takes place in Sophia’s past that I didn’t think was very interesting.
I don’t know what else to say. There isn’t much to say. Youthjuice was just… fine.
This was my second book this year that was set in/around the beauty industry and I was here for books of this setting, but I think something was a bit off in this one - and it isn’t just Sophia (or …. maybe it was).
Everything we read - present day observations and past recollections are through Sophia’s lens. Despite the jam pack of overly descriptive words for every single detail, the tone is coldly detached. It’s like describe to me what is happening with as many adjectives you can to paint a picture (she is a storyteller), but do so with no emotion. Maybe that is the jason bateman american psycho connection ???
Addicted to a HEBE luxury skincare and wellness lifestyle, Sophia has as many secrets as HEBE’s miracle crème youthjuice and her guilt is only skin deep. The secrets and the horror feel like they take forever to get to. I forgot for 90% of the book that it was a horror, so just be prepared to wait for it and any twist until the very end.
Super weird, quirky, and grotesque, and I mean that as the utmost compliment. If you've ever worked in beauty, a startup, or both, you will find yourself cackling at this on-the-nose satire. I loved the tone and the snark from the beginning but once I learned the ingredients of Youthjuice? There was no turning back. I was hooked. EK Sathue has a unique and hilarious voice that is most welcome in the thriller/horror space, and the audiobook is very well-narrated. I can tell American Psycho was an influence and I approve of this feminine version. Sign me up for this author's next work, because this one was a delight.
The audiobook has the perfect narrator, one that captures character as well as satire. By that, I mean that the characters don't realize they are part of a story whose purpose is to reflect cultural fixation on youth and beauty. They are playing it straight, but it's so absurd that the combination of tone and story is done perfectly by the reader. I appreciate this new Elizabeth Bathory inspired take on an issue that's haunted us for centuries. The satire reflects Goop living, the wellness community, but it also uses the legend of a centuries old figure to tell this story. I also like the way she made us squirm. We are MEANT to find these details gruesome and unsettling, and her prose in these moments is actually lovely, making the gore worse. Thank you for both my physical ARC and the audiobook ARC. I do love to compare and contrast these things.
I was unprepared for this book. It was a wild ride. Have you ever wanted to be young and beautiful forever? Well these girls have and they will do some terrible things to make it happen. Don’t let the pink cover fool you this book is dark. The body horror is shiver inducing and so vividly described that I will struggle to put moisturizer on for a few days.
This book will do well on Book Tok. Part of me feels this book was written specifically for BookTok... I feel this book has the possibility to be compared also to Rouge by Mona Awad... This is just the peppier less weird less "scary" version of the book. I also was not a big fan of the audio book narrator. I think if was a unique choice for such a preppy book
This was a weird one.
I think this was my first horror book, so some of my opinions may be just from that. I really liked the themes of the plot. The look at the beauty industry and society pressures. Addiction to perfection and our careers. Basically all the characters were unlikeable, but I think that’s on purpose. You don’t want to be rooting for anything they’re doing. All the flashbacks seemed unnecessary too. I wish we got more of life at HEBE. I did like the writing style though! I’m left unsure if I liked the book as a whole. Maybe? Or maybe it’s not for me? Definitely read all the trigger warnings before diving in.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
Youthjuice is a dark story with a touch of satire and horror. This story, while fiction, will seem a little too realistic after viewing the never ending desire to stop aging in our society.
Sophia is just starting a new job at a luxury skincare and wellness company. She notices immediately that something is off but finds herself addicted to some of the products and the idea of clinging to her youth. This was marketed as The Devil Wears Prada meets American Psycho but what about Death Becomes Her?! I was so sucked into the last part of the story and couldn’t get the grimace off my face hearing the descriptions of what was really going on in the wellness company. I absolutely loved it!
This audiobook was narrated by Suzy Jackson. She was so engaging and did a phenomenal job!
Thank you so much to Netgalley, E.K. Sathue, and RB Media, for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This will be a great read for everyone on June 4th!
I have posted my review on Goodreads, in my Facebook book club, and will post a Tiktok review within the week before it releases.
Youthjuice was a fun and twisted look at the beauty industry in today’s society. There were parts of the book that emphasized the anxiety of our protagonist perfectly. I have never before read a book that detailed excoriation so realistically (as someone who has consistently struggled). But on the same hand, I didn’t feel very tied to any of the characters in the book or their relationships to one another.
This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Interns that consistently disappear from a beauty company. A mystery uncovered with a sinister secret. Definitely was action packed towards the end with some twists I didn’t see coming. Would highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was drawn to the book by the cover as it reminded me of a book I just read by Mona Awad called Rouge. I also really liked the look of the skincare product with blood dripping. Horror is my fav genre.
I was pleasantly surprised with the story. It was a very easy listen, not too much “horror” in the gore sense, but it still got its message across. It was fairly straightforward. It didn’t have any twists or turns, but it did have some “oh shit” moments.
I thought the narrator did a wonderful job with the character and I would def listen to another book by her.
All in all, I’d have to say I enjoyed this more than the other story I mentioned. And I look forward to more from her.
I felt like the story was pretty predictable. The anxiety of the main character was relatable but the rest kind of didn't pan out.
Giving this one a 3.5. Parts of it were slightly disturbing, like when it cane to "friendship" and the ending. It was decent, but I was hoping for a bit more from this one.
Let me start off with saying the writing was beautiful and the story was entertaining enough to keep going BUT I was left underwhelmed and slightly disappointed.
I wanted more explanation to why Sophia, the MC, did what she did. I just wanted more.
The body horror was on point though.
I did listen to this on audio which the narrator did a fantastic job. She did so well.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review
Apparently this was the week of pink for me 😂 This was a fun, cutesy horror. I loved how far people would go to be beautiful. And I also found out the author was a beauty editor. Umm ma’am?! Is this really happening? I have questions 😂 Our FMC, Sophie, is not very deep and is happy to do whatever it takes to fit in at the beauty company. Even though Sophie is very superficial it was fun to hear about her shenanigans 👀 while working. This isn’t super gory and that’s why I think it’s cute horror. There’s horror elements but it’s not anything too bloody or gross. I think I’m also to the point where that stuff doesn’t phase me, so take that with a grain of salt. The narrator for this audio was amazing and I highly suggest listening if you get a chance. It also reminded me a lot of Mona Awad’s Rouge, so if you’ve read that one or it sounds interesting, I think you’ll enjoy this one
What in the actual hell did I just read???
If you threw The Herd, Darkly Dreaming Dexter and #FashionVictim in a blender, you would still be confused, but you would have a messy splatter that displayed parts of this book.
Would I still recommend it?
Sure, but mostly because I want all your WTF moments via DMs while you read it.
Thanks to NetGalley & RB Media for my ALC.