‘The first thing they teach me at the store is how to be my best self. It requires constant self-surveillance to steadily improve. My coworkers relate it to pruning a bonsai. Painful but necessary for refinement. What starts as an enthusiasm for improvement becomes an all-consuming infatuation. Caution becomes paranoia and, eventually, fear. Is there anything more comforting in life than knowing what to fear? At Holistik, they teach me what I need to be afraid of to become beautiful.’

In Natural Beauty, we follow an unnamed Chinese American narrator as she learns firsthand about the privilege, toxicity, and horrors of the wellness industry from within its walls. As readers, we join her on a journey from her childhood as a piano prodigy, through the tragedy of her parents' accident, and into a seemingly unrelated job offer in adulthood. A job that initially seems too good to be true quickly leads her into the grip of the health and wellness industry in ways she could never have predicted.

This debut novel is an outstanding critique of the growing consumerism and cultural appropriation that pervades the ‘wellness’ industry. It delivers incredibly powerful and wide-ranging social commentary, tackling the toxicity of Western beauty standards rooted in white supremacy, surveillance capitalism, and so-called ‘health-motivated’ self-surveillance.

The decision to leave the narrator unnamed, only for her to later be forced to adopt a workplace name for easier assimilation, further underscores the novel’s powerful commentary on the erasure of the immigrant experience and the role capitalism plays in perpetuating it. Throughout the story, the so-called health and wellness ‘treatments’ push her closer to the Eurocentric ideal of beauty, deepening the critique of this toxic system.

I particularly appreciated how Ling Ling Huang also weaves in themes of queer longing and confusion, emotions that become increasingly entangled with the overarching chaos of the wellness industry and the demands of assimilation.
The narrative is filled with visceral body horror and references to the narrator’s lack of bodily autonomy within the context of toxic consumerism. Be sure to check content warnings before jumping in, as alongside many other triggers, the novel includes depictions of sexual abuse, both within and outside the workplace.

This is an incredibly impressive debut. I cannot wait to get my hands on Ling Ling Huang’s next novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Content/Trigger Warnings:
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racism, Rape, Terminal illness, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Child abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, and Cannibalism

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars
Paperback publication: 30th January 2025

Thank you to Canelo and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Our narrator produces a wondrous sound from the piano learned from her mother and father, who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store: Holistik.

This was such a solid debut. It had excellent social commentary on the wellness industry and westernised beauty standards, but I really appreciated the author touching on the immigrant experience and cultural erasure. Our main character remains unnamed in the book until she is “advised” to adopt a less ethnic, more westernised first name while at work, and goes by “Anna” from that point on; we never learn her real Chinese name.
The body horror in this was good; it was quite visceral and felt icky. There was an uncomfortable, fever dream aspect to the entire book. The writing did get a bit chaotic on occasions, with the final confrontation feeling particularly rushed and messy, only to be followed by a fairly lengthy tying-up of threads. This being said, I read this in two sittings and would love to read more from this author.

Some good food for thought about the beauty industry and how obsessing on a beauty standard erases cultural and personal identity. Really weird at times and filled with gross body horror. It's a shame the ending felt rushed and weaker compared to the rest of the novel tho

Rated 3.75 stars.

This was all kinds of f*cked up, from the insane storyline to the unreliable narration. I kept reading purely for shock value, I couldn’t believe what was happening or the horrors of it all. However, where the plot impressed me, the writing let me down. It felt basic and almost like a first draft in certain parts. The conversation scenes were difficult to read, partly due to the unrealistic nature of them and the lack of energy in the writing.

I did enjoy the criticism of society and humans self obsession with looking good, but even this felt empty in parts. For a horror story focused on human narcissism, I really wish the writing lived up to the hype.

I was expecting to adore this book like everyone else.
However, what started out really strong and intriguing ended up being really underwhelming.

I understand why the book took the course it did, but until the last 15% it was a solid 4 star for me. Until it wasn't.
Of course, to remove yourself from a situation like that presented in the book is quite hard, and it was handled well enough. But i still feel it lacking depth, the main character ended up happy in her own way but not in the way I thought she deserved.

The commentary was amazing, wish it was explored more, the suspense elements really made me fly through the book always wanting to know more.
Overall, it was a solid book some will love it, while others will be disappointed by the ending. Unfortunately, I'm the latter.

This one surprised me! The tight writing and storytelling really worked for me. While it clocked in at under 200 pages, it had enough action to feel like a 350-pager! It reminded me of a more mature and horror-ified version of Death in the Downline.

I liked the intentional choice to not name our MC, it really drove home cultural erasure of the immigrant experience. I loved the relationship our MC had with her parents - it was so moving and beautiful how close, supportive, and loving the family was. Watching the MC’s musical journey was emotive, to say the least. I’ve never played piano but the author made sure I understand just how connected our MC was to her music to the point where I ‘got it’.

The commentary on the immigrant experience, capitalism, identity, the predatory beauty industry , poverty, and living as a second generation immigrant in North America were all impactful themes that worked really well together. We covered a lot of ground; there were times I wish we’d gone a little bit deeper into each theme or making some of it come full circle.

The escalation was absolutely unhinged. Some of it I was able to guess but a lot of it went in a direction I wasn’t expecting at all. Personally, I would have valued a bit more time in the denouement as the escalation was a bit intense and I was sitting with a few unanswered questions.

This is an impressive debut. I will keep my eyes open for more work by Huang.

4.25/5
Absolutely surreal story, which at the same time also seems like something that could really happen. This book is thought-provoking, but it is fun and easy to read. There are many books that want to draw attention to the consequences of the excessive beauty industry through magical realism or horror elements and this book sometimes does it best. Each figure was written so sophisticatedly, no matter how small the roll was, the details were just perfect.

Wow! Natural Beauty encapsulated how it feels to be a woman in the most garish, campy and artistic way possible. The way it shows the commodification of self care and beauty through a “ridiculous”, satire lens was pure genius.

Can’t believe this is a debut novel!

Natural Beauty is an extraordinary novel that left me spellbound. It is a stunning exploration of identity, perfection, and the cost of beauty, delivered through writing that is both poetic and razor-sharp. From the very beginning, Huang creates an atmosphere that is captivating, unsettling, and impossible to look away from.

The protagonist’s journey is profoundly moving, filled with moments of vulnerability and strength that resonate deeply. Huang delves into the pressures of modern society with a raw honesty that feels both timely and timeless. The story masterfully balances its surreal elements with stark realism, creating a narrative that feels both dreamlike and painfully real.

What truly stands out is Huang’s ability to craft tension and emotional depth in equal measure. Every scene feels meticulously constructed, pulling you further into a world that is as beautiful as it is terrifying. The book left me breathless, questioning societal values and reflecting on my own perceptions long after I finished.

Natural Beauty is a masterpiece - haunting, thought-provoking, and unforgettable. A flawless 5/5!