As "clean beauty" has become the 2020s norm and its defining look, how far would you go to achieve the look? And what does "clean beauty" mean for anyone who isn't blonde, thin and white?

This book takes it quite far (no spoilers!) and gives us a heroine (unnamed, we know she is Chinese American and her name means Lotus), struggling to afford her parents' care home, who gets a nice retail job at Holistik, a Goop-type of brand that offers a spa, beauty procedures, etc. The job comes with perks - beauty supplements, procedures, makeup, etc - and it gets progressively darker when the heroine starts to uncover secrets about the products and the place.

It was a nice idea, and I loved the fast pace, the atmosphere and the flashbacks to the heroine's parents, who escaped the Cultural Revolution to start a new life in America, and dedicated their lives to their daughter and their love of classical music. The chapters about them were truly moving and the author created characters it is easy to get attached to.

The last part of the book wasn't as good as the beginning, I thought - it was slightly too obvious, too gore, too easy to guess. But overall, not a bad novel.

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang is a novel that delves into themes of beauty, identity, and societal expectations, blending elements of magical realism and science fiction. It centres on a protagonist who grapples with her sense of self and how she fits into the world, particularly in relation to her physical appearance. The novel explores the pressure to conform to conventional standards of beauty and the idea of transformation, both physically and emotionally.

In this novel, we follow our main protagonist—an extremely talented pianist of Chinese descent—who dedicated her childhood to playing the piano. She was accepted into a conservatory on a talented student scholarship, where, despite her unquestionable talent, she faced bullying from her peers. She shares a very close relationship with her parents, which leads her to blame herself for a tragedy that almost takes their lives. She stops playing the piano as a form of self-inflicted punishment and works multiple jobs to care for her parents until she is invited to work for a legendary luxury company dedicated to wellness and beauty. She becomes a shop assistant at HolistiK, a branch of the company focused on organic cosmetics.

Upon joining the company, the protagonist starts taking supplements and using beauty products produced by the company. These products enjoy viral success and are highly sought after by both regular people and celebrities alike. In the beginning, the protagonist feels inferior to the women working at the company, as seemingly all of them possess otherworldly beauty but also look chillingly similar. After taking these supplements for some time, she begins to notice that her skin has acquired a glow, her hair has become full, and people start admiring her.

It is worth mentioning that the protagonist is never named, which could be done for a number of reasons: to create a sense of universal representation, allowing all readers to step into her shoes; to focus the book on the experience rather than drawing attention to the character; or it could reflect the lack of self-identity in the character. I believe the latter is most likely the case, as she is finally named by the company as a symbol of her transformation and complete belonging to the company.

In my view, the company is the true protagonist of the book, overshadowing and consuming the protagonist and everyone around it. Heading HolistiK is a visionary and eccentric executive, Victor. He is an embodiment of our society’s eagerness to look past questionable practices and statements if the company is founded by a visionary who can be seen as a misunderstood genius. But Victor uses his philanthropist genius façade to pursue his own interests and build his vision, which is not always aligned with societal morals and expectations. Victor believes that only those who can afford it can be beautiful.

The protagonist stumbles along the narrative, constantly ruminating about her past music career, people’s perception of her, and how to be liked. She has random, unprotected intimate encounters. As a reader, you sense that she is desperate to be liked and easily loses herself in others, which makes her vulnerable to manipulation. She falls for the general obsession with beauty and stubbornly follows the routines prescribed by HolistiK, not noticing the cracks in its façade. HolistiK teaches her what to fear in order to be beautiful, and it becomes her identity since she lacks one of her own.

It could have been a compelling story about the obsession with beauty and what we sometimes lose on the way to our ideal selves—how we become blindsided by impressive packaging, beautiful slogans, and empty promises. Unfortunately, the book did not live up to my expectations. It strongly feels like a debut novel. We spend disproportionately large parts of the book focusing on the protagonist’s musical career, which makes little sense, as it does not advance the plot or add depth to her personality. It serves as a basis for establishing her past and showing her passions but does little beyond that.

She remains mostly passive throughout the story, with her passive attitude becoming illogical by the end. I wanted to shake her up and force her to think.

I feel that the ending of the book and the peace the protagonist finds were logical conclusions to the story, but the book could definitely be improved with more focus and a more compelling protagonist.

How far would people go to be most beautiful? In this story, our narrator is thrown into a world that should perhaps be asking that question a lot more.
A former child prodigy, our narrator (who is interestingly never named) is headhunted for a job at the prestigious Holistik. The number one place for the rich and famous (or those who desire to be) to get the most exclusive beauty treatments on the market, or the experimental ones that claim miracles.
The world building of the unnervingly perfect world of premium beauty of Holistik is jarring in the best possible way. In a time where self confidence is actively discouraged by the capitalist hellscape we live in, reading of a ‘wellness’ company thinking of new ways to make women paranoid about their appearance was not a big jump into science fiction. The first half of the book felt bordering on reality, though ramping up to a glorious yet disgusting body horror finale.
On the whole this book was a page turner, constantly making you guess where the plot was going and what mysteries would be uncovered.
Highly recommended for fans of The Substance and…well….critics of Goop?

I believe "Natural Beauty" will be appreciated by fans of "American Horror Story" as it's a contemporary horror with a hint of social commentary, dipped in a thick sauce of absurd.

Ling Ling Huang created a universe in which she explores an immigrant identity and poverty that clashes with the glamorous world of high-end natural and yet hyper-techy beauty that seems to be going a bit too far. The story is engaging, the motivations of the protagonist understandable and the ending is strong. What I found hard to engage with were the very fragmentary descriptions of the situations that at times didn't allow me to imagine a full picture. What would work with a visual medium, such as film, where you can show without telling, doesn't work well when you need to need to paint a picture only with words at your disposal.

Wouldn't be surprised if "Natual Beauty" will be turned into a series or a film, because there's definitely a potential there.

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

Rating: 3.5 ⭐

How far would you go for perfection?

Natural Beauty takes you on the journey with a young woman who dreams of being a pianist but is forced to take a job at an elite beauty and wellness store - Holistik - when her parents become debilitated after an accident.

“Beauty has always been one of the only ways women have been able to access power, and i can’t fault any of them for wanting more of it”

At Holistik she discovers a world of bizarre procedures and creams that cater to the super elite and begins to form friendships and a sense of belonging within these new circles. However as she delves deeper into this spa and it’s treatments she discovers a dark and sinister side to it which is incredibly lucrative - will she partake or escape while she can?

This short book is a commentary around race, gender, identity, societal pressures, beauty standards and consent. The protagonist is really easy to root for, but I will say the twist did catch me off guard a bit and was quite unsettling.

Holistik takes inspiration from many celebrity beauty and wellness brands and draws on cult marketing techniques and then takes it up a notch. It mindlessly appropriates indigenous cultures and traditional practices and ingredients, morphs it into something new and slaps an expensive label on it. I think it brilliantly conveys the lengths some people will go to to match whatever beauty standard is fashionable at the time and how because standards are always changing the industry will also always be making a profit.

I read this last year and was my introduction into the lit fic horror genre and it can easily be read in one sitting - it’s also a debut, and Huangs next novel is out this year 🙂

That rare thing a literary page-turner, an atmospheric concoction of speculative fiction and muted body horror. Ling Ling Huang’s satirical take on the clean-beauty and wellness industry plays out through the experiences of a young Chinese American woman. Huang’s unnamed narrator once had a promising future as a concert pianist but unexpected trauma put an end to that. Stuck in a menial, dead-end job, she can’t believe her luck when a chance encounter lands her a retail position at an exclusive Holistik boutique. A ruthlessly upscale, health and beauty company, it’s expanded into all areas of this expanding market: from beauty enhancers to spas to R&D. The narrator’s fellow workers have a distinctive look, uniformly blonde, flawless and athletic, making the narrator wonder why she’s been selected to join their ranks. But her employment comes with conditions, not least a rigorous regime of individually-tailored supplements, pre-prepared meals, and treatments. All of which are altering her appearance and the very architecture of her body, making her less and less out of place. But there’s a whiff of scandal surrounding Holistik and its enigmatic owner, source of macabre rumours and conspiracy theories. And it’s rapidly clear there’s something exceptionally sinister afoot.

Huang’s story grew out of her own tangles with wellness culture and her narrator’s profile overlaps with Huang’s – she’s a professional violinist. Her fluid narrative is grounded in meticulous research, making her narrator’s experiences seem all too possible. Holistik’s promotion of ‘aura weigh-ins’ and ‘gratitude blessings’ reflects the pseudo-religious frameworks deployed by organisations like the notorious Goop. Holistik’s twilight gel is based on the dangerous blend of morphine and scopolamine once administered to women in childbirth. Its use of animal testing and research is extreme but - in a world where K-beauty balms routinely feature snail mucin, skinfluencers peddle hyaluronic acid serums derived from roosters and consumers snap up animal-placenta face creams- it’s also unnervingly plausible. And, in the context of American corporations, so is the insidious control exerted over Holistik’s staff.

Huang is adept at depicting America’s deep-seated inequalities, the world of privilege that co-exists with widespread poverty and precarity. All of which makes it easy to understand why her down-at-heel narrator’s lured by the promises made by Holistik’s management. Huang’s accomplished piece combines a tantalising mystery with an acute awareness of the absurdity of contemporary consumerism and wellness culture. Although it’s never fully explicit, she gestures towards established links between the industry and neofascist movements. Her narrator’s race is ostensibly a barrier to entry, her black hair, her skin colour, her Chinese name apparently bother her customers, so she’s reshaped until her East Asian heritage’s outwardly erased, rebranded as Anna. All of which underlines the pervasiveness of whiteness as the ideal, heightening the insecurities of anyone who doesn’t fit the bill - witness the extensive sales of skin whiteners. Along the way Huang brings in references to occult belief systems, biohacking and transhumanism, intersecting growth areas. Huang underlines too a gaping disconnect between self-care, forging meaningful connections and an obsession with external appearance. For me this was completely compulsive, likely to appeal to fellow fans of writers like Mona Awad and novels like Yellowface.

Rating: 4.5/5

From playing piano to selling beauty products.

Natural beauty focus on a company that sells beauty products and procedures where organic living has become almost a religion.

… and this girl just got a job at one of their shops.

Her gift is to play the piano but after her parents suffer an accident, she find a job washing dishes until she’s approached to work in this big posh company.

From day one she’s given products to use and as time goes by her appearance starts to change, but what do these products contain? What’s the magic behind them? Surely it’s not because all the ingredients are organic.

Of course, it doesn’t take long for accidents to start happening and all the secrecy surrounding the facilities becomes almost like a mission for her to unveil.

With a very clear writing style we get to ponder about getting old and being beautiful, a current theme nowadays, but the way this book approaches them ends up being very disturbing and the same time an eye opener.

It definitely gives The Substance vibes but it’s so much more than that! It’s an open letter to a society that mistreat people, animals, relies on appearance, and manipulates everything and everyone for their own benefit.

It’s a simple story that you won’t forget!

TLDR, This is honestly so good, I loved it and would absolutely recommend!

The writing is solid, at times beautiful, wonderfully descriptive, and perfectly paced. While the story follows the same character at two different periods of her life, I initially felt a dissonance between the two periods and it felt like two completely separate people rather than the one character, and then I began to understand that that is exactly what the author intended and it lends itself to the themes and the story so well.

It feels like light sci-fi/dystopia in the sense that liberties are taken with the science involved in the story but it's also so recognisable to society today in the Global North and current issues (such as the use of ozempic causing decreased bone density and procedures such as filler and veneers making everyone in Hollywood look the same, and beauty in pursuit of white centric beauty standards, and other scary stuff).

If you watched and enjoyed The Substance then you would love this, it's also reminiscent in style to a lot of recent literary 'weird books' written by women where lots of unhinged shit happens but your can't look away.

Loved this, I'm now a Ling Ling Huang stan, 5/5

A horror based around sinister goings-on in the beauty industry, with some very dark humour thrown in.
Our main character is the daughter of Chinese immigrants who were pianists and fled the country to the US in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. She is a gifted pianist herself, but when her parents are involved in a devastating accident she finds she can no longer play, and ends up working for a beauty company, who have a big focus on 'natural beauty'.
The longer she works there, the more strange and horrible things start to happen.
I really enjoyed this and read it in a day. I loved what this book had to say about modern beauty standards, and the lengths we will go to achieve this. This was my favourite quote from the book that really resonated:

'I enjoy the immense freedom that comes with being safe from desire.'

Thank you NetGalley and Canelo for this eCopy to review

"Wow, 'Natural Beauty' by Ling Ling Huang was a wild ride, and I mean that in the best way possible. It's a darkly satirical, almost surreal, exploration of beauty, identity, and the lengths people will go to achieve perfection. I was completely captivated by its unsettling atmosphere and sharp social commentary.

The story centres on our protagonist, an unnamed young woman, who finds herself working at a mysterious and exclusive wellness clinic called 'Holistic Heights.' This isn't your typical spa; it's a place where beauty treatments take on a disturbingly transformative, almost grotesque, quality. The treatments are extreme, blurring the lines between cosmetic enhancement and body horror.

I was immediately drawn into the book's unsettling atmosphere. Huang creates a sense of unease that permeates every page. The descriptions of the clinic's treatments are both fascinating and disturbing, and I found myself constantly questioning the line between beauty and monstrosity.

The protagonist's journey is a descent into a world of obsession and self-destruction. She's initially drawn to the promise of perfection, but as she becomes more deeply involved in the clinic's practices, she begins to lose herself. Huang masterfully portrays the protagonist’s gradual loss of identity and her increasing detachment from reality.

I was particularly impressed by Huang's sharp social commentary. The book satirizes our culture's obsession with beauty and youth, and it exposes the dark underbelly of the wellness industry. It made me think about the pressures we place on ourselves and others to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.

The writing is vivid and evocative, and Huang's prose is both beautiful and unsettling. She creates a dreamlike, almost hallucinatory atmosphere that perfectly complements the story's themes. The book is also very good at using food and the preparation of food, to show the characters mental state.

I'd give it a 4/5 because, while I loved the book's originality and social commentary, some of the later sections began to feel a little too surreal for me. However, the overall impact of the book was undeniable. It's a thought-provoking and darkly humorous exploration of beauty, identity, and the price we pay for perfection.

If you're looking for a unique and unsettling read that will stay with you long after you've finished, 'Natural Beauty' is definitely worth checking out.

4.5 stars

Natural Beauty is a breath of fresh air in literary horror. The main character, a daughter of immigrants and a piano prodigy, who following her parents’ life-changing added begins working at a renowned beauty wellness store. The odd demands of her new job often catch her off guard but she can’t risk losing her new increased income as needs to pay for her parents’ care. On top of dressing and acting the part, she is given a strict skin & hair care regime which has unnatural consequences. She transforms unbelievably quickly and it all gets a bit uncanny valley. As she gets pushed further into the company, a horrific base of operations is revealed and there’s no way out.

This book has so many what the fuck moments and I was hooked, this definitely broke a reading slump. I thought the backstory and motivations of the main character were very powerful and I think the author did a great job at easing the reader (and the MC) into this new world at a pace that doesn’t make you scream and run away. I think the pacing throughout was done really really well. There were a handful of side characters who blended together which got a bit confusing towards the end, but I can see how this could be intentional because of the ‘hive’ effect of the company. The main character’s transformation and the effect this has on the people around her was also perfectly staggered. The plot was compelling and I would definitely reread this.

This book does contain multiple incidents of sexual assault, which is important to the plot BUT it definitely feels gratuitous in a few instances.

An impactful horror about the insane impacts of the beauty industry and unchecked capitalism. Beautifully written, unsettling and poignant this is not to be missed.

Natural Beauty is a vivid and unsettling read that explores the toxicity of ‘health and beauty’ culture, capitalism, social pressures, and cultural identity.

I really enjoyed the connections made between music and beauty - how both industries are fuelled by perfection, exclusivity, and the pressure to conform. This gave great insight into the narrator, a pianist, and I particularly liked the exploration of her relationship with her parents and her backstory. However, as the story progresses, the narrator becomes a bit passive - she seems to easily move on from the very intense, surreal experiences happening to her without much reflection, which was frustrating at times. The side characters were described nicely, but they didn’t feel fully developed beyond their appearances and their connections to Holistik. I get that this might have been intentional, reflecting how people disconnect in their pursuit of beauty, but I still think it would’ve been nice to explore their backstories more.

The plot itself is a really interesting concept with some great dystopian elements, though as the story goes on, some of the deeper themes take a backseat to the horror aspects. The pacing also felt a little uneven, with moments where I wasn’t sure what was happening - it seemed like just as things were getting interesting, the narrator would pass out and wake up in a random place. After a while, this started to feel like a lazy plot device and made certain moments feel confusing and anticlimactic rather than suspenseful.

Despite my criticisms, Natural Beauty does a good job critiquing beauty standards and the pressure to be perfect. It looks at how capitalism drives beauty ideals, where money and power often come before ethics, and highlights the dangers of prioritising aesthetics over integrity. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Amazon.

Natural Beauty is a vivid and suspenseful horror taking the realm of luxury beauty to terrifying, and worryingly believeable, extremes.
Our protagonist begins the novel with a hopeful anticipation in the wake of scoring a dream job at Holistik, a vastly successful and elite beauty and self care corporation. Amidst the lotions and procedures and beautiful women, a sinister truth lurks tauntingly. The novel devolves into an utterly surreal, almost hallucinogenic experience and it truly satisfies the need for tension and action. A highly exciting novel from start to finish, natural beauty examines society under the microscope and unearths a deep and harrowing darkness that somehow mirrors so much of the reality that we see daily. I loved this book.

I adore literary horror that discusses the beauty industry and I had heard the MOST astounding things about this one... but unfortunately it didn't entirely land for me. I adored the concept and I found the premise so fascinating! Paired with the messiness of the protagonist and the secondary characters, it definitely made the read one that was not only fun in places but one that packed so much character analysis within it. What didn't work for me, was the pacing. This book felt so incredibly slow despite being fairly short and I found myself wanting chapters to end quicker than normal. It's such a shame because this was a big 5 star prediction for me!

My rating system:
Enjoyment: not my fave, but i never considered dnf'ing. there were aspects i loved such as the body horror, gore and the exploration of identity and obsession with beauty. loved the writing - 4
More?: i would read more from the author, synopsis dependant - 3
Criticisms: there were a few things that affected my reading experience, mostly the slow build up to a rushed ending. i wish there had been a little more fleshing out of the last quarter of the book, it felt like a lot of character development and story for a small impact. - 3
Rereadability: i can't see myself ever wanting to read this again, but i'm not fully opposed to it. - 2
Average rating: 3 stars

Natural Beauty is a cutting critique of beauty stands, consumerism, and wealth all wrapped up in an icky body horror package. Our unnamed protagonist was a pianist prodigy, but now she’s been hired at Holistik—an upmarket wellness shop and spa that has definite cult vibes. Although it takes a while for the horror elements to be introduced, I found the descent of our character into this messed up world to be incredibly gripping and the short chapters flew by. Plus, once the horror does start, the descriptions are visceral and gross without ever becoming too much.

Overall, the story felt like a fever dream and I think certain scenes towards the end are going to stay with me for a long time.

Natural Beauty written by Ling Ling Huang is a darkly funny, yet deeply unsettling exploration of consumerism, privilege, identity, self-worth and xenophobia.

Told through first-person narration, our protagonist (her name is unknown to us as readers) is a former child prodigy pianist, and an only child to Chinese immigrants, who escaped during the cultural revolution. She is living a simple life with her family in America, and her talent has allowed her a full ride at the NYC Conservatory. Following a debilitating accident where both her parents are injured, she is forced to abandon the piano and find work to support the family.

She is invited to start working at the Holistik spa, a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City, that is known for its remarkable procedures and products, and an unimaginable world of privilege.

I enjoyed this piercing, insightful and incredibly creative story that redefines wellness and beauty, and the lengths that humans will go to for the illusion of youth, or to participate in wellness culture.

With thanks to Canelo, Ling Ling Huang, and NetGalley for this e-ARC for review consideration with an honest review.

I am excited to read further writing from Ling Ling Huang!

Paperback release date: 6th March 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rep : Chinese-American, Sapphic MC
CW : Sexual assault, racism

💄Discussion of beauty standards
💸Makes fun of what rich people will do for money
🩸Cult vibes
😱Slow-burn horror

"Songs that depicted the country people often told me to return to, but that I had never seen."

"Between the two of them, they appropriate an impressive number of cultures."

What I Loved

1) The writing style was really engaging and helped get me out of a reading slump

2) This feels like a more well developed Rouge by Mona Awad. The writing felt very similar in the like off the cuff comments that are included, but this book definitely worked better. If you are a fan of Mona Awad, you definitely need to pick this up I think you'll love it (also jellyfish are also mentioned in this book which really reminded me of Rouge)!

3) I love how the main character calls out everyone's bullshit in her head such as 'I realise I should thank her for supporting the vague "arts", which in this instance is me'.

4) This style of slow-burn horror worked really well as we kept getting hints of something sinister going on and after every reveal it kept me intrigued for more, even though technically nothing had happened yet.

5) The twist had me SHOCKED I love how everything comes together at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, Canelo and Ling Ling Huang for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review