3.5 rounded up. I so enjoyed this little literary horror and I'm loving this new genre of twisted beauty companies and their new "innovations". The darkness that lay in Sophia was so raw and vicious but also cold and impassive which made her more frightening. Although it was kind of predictable, I still enjoyed the journey and the way Sophia acted and reacted to what was going on. Personally, I think we could have done without the flashbacks. There must be a much simpler way to explain why she felt so bad to the bone than the way it was told, and I found it made the book drag on a little. More focus on youthjuice, less on Sophia's past and it would have been 5 stars!

The cover and premise is what initially intrigued me about this book. A commentary on beauty and the damage it does to us as women, sounds great! Unfortunately, I struggled to connect or feel anything towards the story. The writing was intoxicating and beautiful, which is the only saving grace. I really enjoyed the almost euphoric and dreamlike state of the writing. Everything else, however, was difficult, from the characters to the time jumps. Still, a horror-inspired and creative novel.

"Youth Juice" is a uniquely weird book that tackles the societal pressure on women to maintain a youthful appearance. The story delves into the extreme measures some women go to in order to preserve their youth, making a dark and disturbing main character that adds to the discomfort of the narrative. The book combines horror with comedy, highlighting the obsession with health and youth found in real life and on social media. The use of green drinks and turmeric vapes adds a humorous element to the story. While the concept of the book is enjoyable, the overall reading experience might not match up to its potential.

3.5 stars

Sophia starts a new job at cosmetics and skincare company, Hebe (whose baby pink branding is very on par with Glossier), and soon finds out some of the horrors that go on behind the scenes in Hebe's mission to develop the ultimate anti-aging product.

This was a very gloopy horror novel with some incredibly vivid body horror and gore but isn't at all scary. It's not the kind of horror that fills you with dread but instead you're thrown into the mind of Sophia as she slowly unravels. I feel like this will do incredibly well in the Booktok community upon its release especially with "weird girl" book readers. Our main character Sophia isn't particularly likeable and is completely unhinged but I think that works because it makes more sense that she makes the decisions she does.

It's flooded with modern-day references and trends that make it very relatable to a millennial that's chronically online (a.k.a. me) and whose algorithm is constantly spoon-feeding me ways to avoid fine lines and cases for Botox.

The language in the book is very flowery but I dig that. The intricate detailing of morning routines is so vivid and I really enjoy Sathue's way with words. The only thing that I did find a bit confusing was the way things jumped around. I'm not sure if it was the e-copy I received which was a bit messy but I sometimes ended up a bit lost.

I am excited for its release and anticipate everyone's thoughts on it.

3.5 stars

Starts out as quite sad how obsessed these people can be with looks, and not aging, then takes an incredibly sinister turn, and is all the better for it.
It's creepy but actually a fun read.
Leaves you wondering, how far would someone go?

Definitely this book had me at Devil Wears Prada! How unique it has a horror twist, not really my thing but the story seemed too juicy not to check out! I think it perfectly captures the instagram/influencer era and just how far some people will go to achieve beauty and status. I think this book will really appeal to anyone interested in that world and all that comes with it. I’m getting a Scream Queens vibe,