Gut healing supplements, anti-aging night cremes, and questionable wellness practices lie at the heart of youthjuice. Imagine a world where Devil Meets Prada is crossed with Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop and you’ve got HEBE, a fictional luxury wellness company run by New York City it girl Tree Whitestone. When Sophia lands herself a job on the Storytelling team at HEBE, she’s ready to embrace the cult of wellness with open arms. Living in the shadow of a beauty blogger roommate, the radiating youthful glow of the interns and employees at HEBE call out to Sophia as she tries to blend into the world of colonics, concoctions, and connection. When Tree offers Sophia a tester of HEBE’s newest moisturizing product, youthjuice, Sophia jumps at the chance to prove her loyalty. Especially when the moisturizer gives her painful (and shameful) nail-bitten hands new life. But with all things, HEBE’s glittering facade might just be hiding a darker underworld…and Sophia’s about to dive right in.
Former beauty editor E.K. Sathue takes the reader on a journey into beauty culture that is sure to delight fans of the horror genre. This campy yet cunning exploration of the body horror subgenre could be a bit of a queasy-filled journey, but ultimately the world of pseudo-wellness lures you back. Readers will relate to Sophia’s desire to balance the all-consuming need to get ahead with her moral compass. This book is great for anyone who likes a little gore with their glam.
youthjuice comes out on June 4. Request a copy here.
Happy reading!
*I received a review copy from Soho Press and Edelweiss. This is my honest review.
-Melinda
Read it or Weep 