This story lulls you in with what appears to be a sweet, healing romance but soon enough the dark undertones start rising to the surface.
Ro(semary) mThis story lulls you in with what appears to be a sweet, healing romance but soon enough the dark undertones start rising to the surface.
Ro(semary) meets the most beautiful girl in the world, an elfin cottagecore dreamgirl come to life, at the farmers market. She is smitten. She’s also recovering from a breakup from a guy who ruined her self-esteem and gave her an issue or two.
Ash is very private but allows Ro into parts of her life but Ro is consumed by wanting to know everything about her and her nosiness and insecurity and complete lack of boundaries (ugh) has her snooping where she shouldn’t be snooping . . .
I loved and adored everything about this book. It’s a lovely romance on its surface but there are sinister moments that peek through and the slow burn really pays off in the last few acts. I’ve seen too many horror films to be surprised by any of this but that didn’t stop me from loving how it all played out and finding some of the darker turns and dialogue darkly humorous. It’s everything I love in a horror/romance mashup.
If you’re wanting to do a double feature after reading this book, I’d recommend checking out (view spoiler)[Motel Hell & Boxing Helena (hide spoiler)]...more
I honestly don't know how to rate this one, so I'll fall in the middle with a 3. The descriptions are often beautifully written, nearly poetic but theI honestly don't know how to rate this one, so I'll fall in the middle with a 3. The descriptions are often beautifully written, nearly poetic but the content is incredibly cruel and difficult to read, and it left me feeling sick to my stomach in the worst way.
There are some major things here that no one is talking about that bothered me throughout the story. Especially if you are disabled, care for someone who is disabled, have an ailing parent or have empathy for those who need help. The horror in this one is 100% the people. Terrible, hateful, selfish and broken people taking out their sadness/frustration/evilness on weaker people. I don't know, maybe if I read this book at a different point in time my feelings would've been different, but I read it now when things are looking pretty bleak, and too many are selfish and I kind of wish I hadn't.
(view spoiler)[the MC thinks of her disabled mother as a bed-thing, basically a non-person, a burden and is extremely hateful and cruel and harmful towards her mother and an innocent baby, there are also mentions of multiple rapes (hide spoiler)] Be warned, if you need to be....more
This is a two timelines book and, for me, the two timelines didn’t work out very well. There was a faint tendril connecting the two that felt like an This is a two timelines book and, for me, the two timelines didn’t work out very well. There was a faint tendril connecting the two that felt like an afterthought and after the first half or so I started to lose the urge to keep going but I did. If i were able to go back in time I would’ve been better off dnf-ing because it was all a bit predictable. A three but it’s a low three. ...more
I have read 264 pages and I can’t bring myself to read another so I’m DNFing this before I lose more hours of my life.
This book (so far as I’ve read) I have read 264 pages and I can’t bring myself to read another so I’m DNFing this before I lose more hours of my life.
This book (so far as I’ve read) did not deliver me a good demon, devil, phantom, ghost or interesting character. There is a ghost cat but it’s only mentioned in passing. What a waste. The hellish trials were very meh but maybe they’re better suited to people who don’t read a steady diet of horror novels. I found myself wanting to skim them and that’s when I knew it was time to call it quits. Anyhow the romance was also very meh. The dude who is a phantom but is described in such a way as I kept picturing a sexy elf is basically there at her whim to make her life easier, give her sexy feelings and get her out of binds which endlessly annoyed me. It would’ve been nice to have her figure out one damn thing on her own. ...more
I'm not going to lie, this book tested me. I used to live for angst-filled books, the longing, the pining, oh how I LOVED it. I would've given this boI'm not going to lie, this book tested me. I used to live for angst-filled books, the longing, the pining, oh how I LOVED it. I would've given this book every single star in the sky when I was a teen and throughout my 20's too. But now I'm crabby and my patience wears thin quickly for that kind of thing and this book has that kind of thing. A lot of it. The main character is in love with his best friend, and he believes and fears he is in love with his twin sister and oh my dogs the absolute agony of it all. It's a mess and no one bothers to communicate which can be frustrating when you're in the thick of it and as grumpy about this stuff as myself.
However, I thought the writing was quite beautiful in many spots and I never wanted to quit. I was frustrated by the lack of reveals and confusion I felt and probably because of my distracted brain or just because I didn't see what came coming. I hope it all surprises other readers too. All of the things niggling at me for one reason or another came together in the end. It's a heartbreaker and a beautifully told one at that. Recommended for horror fans who don't mind a lot of pining and romance in their stories....more
What a weird and thoughtful little journey with moments of humor to break up some of the heavier plot elements. I read this book with the Horror SpotlWhat a weird and thoughtful little journey with moments of humor to break up some of the heavier plot elements. I read this book with the Horror Spotlight discord and it was definitely a good choice for a book discussion despite its small size. There’s a lot to unravel and unpack in this strange fever-dream of a book....more
This was incredibly depressing, bleak and sad. I’ve seen it described as bittersweet and sexy but it left me feeling wrung out and hopeless about the This was incredibly depressing, bleak and sad. I’ve seen it described as bittersweet and sexy but it left me feeling wrung out and hopeless about the fate of the creatures on this planet ...more
I’ve read a few fictional books recently that take the dangers of the “wellness� industry to extremes and I’m kind of loEdited to add: IT'S OUT TODAY!
I’ve read a few fictional books recently that take the dangers of the “wellness� industry to extremes and I’m kind of loving the recent genre pushback against the predatory beauty industry that profits by making people feel like absolute shit about themselves. Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom and 9 Perfect Strangers (I’ve only seen the tv adaptation which was depressing but also amazing) are some other recent pieces that tackle this subgenre. Rouge, with its dark fairytale feels and exquisitely painted mother/daughter issues, is my favorite so far.
It’s very much a sister book to Awad’s book Bunny. I’m guessing if you loved Bunny for all of its WTFery and weirdness, you’re going to love Rouge probably just as much or maybe even more. Who am I to say? It’s grounded in realism while it manages to wrap itself in a dreamlike aura (or nightmare depending on your POV) and it bounces between the two until they start to merge with an almost upsetting, off-kilter feeling that kept me on edge throughout, sort of like a David Lynchscape. It’s called “seductive horror� somewhere on the cover of my book and that’s an accurate description. You’ll either be seduced by it or you won’t. I love this kind of stuff but I know it’s not for everyone.
Mirabelle has always had a difficult relationship with her beautiful and desperately unhappy mother. When her mother dies under mysterious circumstances Mira must face down her past and look deeply into her mother’s faults as well as her own as she closes out her mother's affairs. She puts on her mama’s red shoes which lead her straight to a strange beauty treatment center run by exquisitely beautiful and very eccentric wealthy party people. She’s immediately welcomed into their world and offered coveted beauty treatments as life as she knew it slowly unravels because nothing in this world comes without a steep price. It’s a tale drenched in envy, jealousy, neglect, fear, and the dissatisfaction that comes along with wanting something that you simply cannot attain.
This book is effortlessly sinister. Everything about it is unnerving, especially the “Tom Cruise� appearances
Merged review:
Edited to add: IT'S OUT TODAY!
I’ve read a few fictional books recently that take the dangers of the “wellness� industry to extremes and I’m kind of loving the recent genre pushback against the predatory beauty industry that profits by making people feel like absolute shit about themselves. Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom and 9 Perfect Strangers (I’ve only seen the tv adaptation which was depressing but also amazing) are some other recent pieces that tackle this subgenre. Rouge, with its dark fairytale feels and exquisitely painted mother/daughter issues, is my favorite so far.
It’s very much a sister book to Awad’s book Bunny. I’m guessing if you loved Bunny for all of its WTFery and weirdness, you’re going to love Rouge probably just as much or maybe even more. Who am I to say? It’s grounded in realism while it manages to wrap itself in a dreamlike aura (or nightmare depending on your POV) and it bounces between the two until they start to merge with an almost upsetting, off-kilter feeling that kept me on edge throughout, sort of like a David Lynchscape. It’s called “seductive horror� somewhere on the cover of my book and that’s an accurate description. You’ll either be seduced by it or you won’t. I love this kind of stuff but I know it’s not for everyone.
Mirabelle has always had a difficult relationship with her beautiful and desperately unhappy mother. When her mother dies under mysterious circumstances Mira must face down her past and look deeply into her mother’s faults as well as her own as she closes out her mother's affairs. She puts on her mama’s red shoes which lead her straight to a strange beauty treatment center run by exquisitely beautiful and very eccentric wealthy party people. She’s immediately welcomed into their world and offered coveted beauty treatments as life as she knew it slowly unravels because nothing in this world comes without a steep price. It’s a tale drenched in envy, jealousy, neglect, fear, and the dissatisfaction that comes along with wanting something that you simply cannot attain.
This book is effortlessly sinister. Everything about it is unnerving, especially the “Tom Cruise� appearances
Merged review:
Edited to add: IT'S OUT TODAY!
I’ve read a few fictional books recently that take the dangers of the “wellness� industry to extremes and I’m kind of loving the recent genre pushback against the predatory beauty industry that profits by making people feel like absolute shit about themselves. Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom and 9 Perfect Strangers (I’ve only seen the tv adaptation which was depressing but also amazing) are some other recent pieces that tackle this subgenre. Rouge, with its dark fairytale feels and exquisitely painted mother/daughter issues, is my favorite so far.
It’s very much a sister book to Awad’s book Bunny. I’m guessing if you loved Bunny for all of its WTFery and weirdness, you’re going to love Rouge probably just as much or maybe even more. Who am I to say? It’s grounded in realism while it manages to wrap itself in a dreamlike aura (or nightmare depending on your POV) and it bounces between the two until they start to merge with an almost upsetting, off-kilter feeling that kept me on edge throughout, sort of like a David Lynchscape. It’s called “seductive horror� somewhere on the cover of my book and that’s an accurate description. You’ll either be seduced by it or you won’t. I love this kind of stuff but I know it’s not for everyone.
Mirabelle has always had a difficult relationship with her beautiful and desperately unhappy mother. When her mother dies under mysterious circumstances Mira must face down her past and look deeply into her mother’s faults as well as her own as she closes out her mother's affairs. She puts on her mama’s red shoes which lead her straight to a strange beauty treatment center run by exquisitely beautiful and very eccentric wealthy party people. She’s immediately welcomed into their world and offered coveted beauty treatments as life as she knew it slowly unravels because nothing in this world comes without a steep price. It’s a tale drenched in envy, jealousy, neglect, fear, and the dissatisfaction that comes along with wanting something that you simply cannot attain.
This book is effortlessly sinister. Everything about it is unnerving, especially the “Tom Cruise� appearances
Merged review:
Edited to add: IT'S OUT TODAY!
I’ve read a few fictional books recently that take the dangers of the “wellness� industry to extremes and I’m kind of loving the recent genre pushback against the predatory beauty industry that profits by making people feel like absolute shit about themselves. Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom and 9 Perfect Strangers (I’ve only seen the tv adaptation which was depressing but also amazing) are some other recent pieces that tackle this subgenre. Rouge, with its dark fairytale feels and exquisitely painted mother/daughter issues, is my favorite so far.
It’s very much a sister book to Awad’s book Bunny. I’m guessing if you loved Bunny for all of its WTFery and weirdness, you’re going to love Rouge probably just as much or maybe even more. Who am I to say? It’s grounded in realism while it manages to wrap itself in a dreamlike aura (or nightmare depending on your POV) and it bounces between the two until they start to merge with an almost upsetting, off-kilter feeling that kept me on edge throughout, sort of like a David Lynchscape. It’s called “seductive horror� somewhere on the cover of my book and that’s an accurate description. You’ll either be seduced by it or you won’t. I love this kind of stuff but I know it’s not for everyone.
Mirabelle has always had a difficult relationship with her beautiful and desperately unhappy mother. When her mother dies under mysterious circumstances Mira must face down her past and look deeply into her mother’s faults as well as her own as she closes out her mother's affairs. She puts on her mama’s red shoes which lead her straight to a strange beauty treatment center run by exquisitely beautiful and very eccentric wealthy party people. She’s immediately welcomed into their world and offered coveted beauty treatments as life as she knew it slowly unravels because nothing in this world comes without a steep price. It’s a tale drenched in envy, jealousy, neglect, fear, and the dissatisfaction that comes along with wanting something that you simply cannot attain.
This book is effortlessly sinister. Everything about it is unnerving, especially the “Tom Cruise� appearances...more
I wish I could wax poetic about this book for days but it just didn’t move me the way it has other people. It started out fantastic but then slowed toI wish I could wax poetic about this book for days but it just didn’t move me the way it has other people. It started out fantastic but then slowed to a crawl and I found it difficult to stay invested in the main character when there were so many other characters taking center stage. It was slow yet too busy and I know that makes little sense but that was my experience. ...more
This was such a good book focusing on three women who come into their powers during "the change". The less you know about it all, the better. Le4 1/2
This was such a good book focusing on three women who come into their powers during "the change". The less you know about it all, the better. Let the story unfold without getting bombarded with spoilers. They come together to investigate the mystery of the missing girls in town, girls who no one seems to care about, and wreak vengeance on the awful people who have done them wrong. It's a little long but I loved reading about this trio so much, especially Harriet who gave me even more inspiration to let my hair and garden grow wild, that I can't even complain....more
DNF I made it to 70% and found myself dreading picking it back up. I usually love carnival stories. This sounded great but it went on too many tangentDNF I made it to 70% and found myself dreading picking it back up. I usually love carnival stories. This sounded great but it went on too many tangents, had too many characters and POV's, and don't even get me started on the love triangle. This wasn't at all for me.
If you don't like me adding me DNF's you probably don't want to follow me because I'm gonna die before I get all of these books I want to read finished and more of them keep coming out every day and we are all running out of time! So I have decided to start being ruthless. And yes, for me 70% read is ruthless. Baby steps, lol....more
This book was so very somber. It's a beautifully written story with many layers but a pallor of melancholy hangs ove“The deep sea is a haunted house.�
This book was so very somber. It's a beautifully written story with many layers but a pallor of melancholy hangs over everything. I went in coldish. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. I knew it was a sad book after seeing a little discussion on the but it was the wrong book to pick to listen to on the only two sunny days we've had around here. It threw me into a bit of a funk and I had to keep switching it out for something lighter.
Anyhow, Miri's wife heads out to sea on an exploration expedition that was supposed to last three weeks. Instead it lasts six months and now nothing will ever be the same. As the story progresses we get the POV of both Miri and Leah (her wife), we're told the story of their romance, witness Miri's loneliness when Leah is away and watch as things disintegrate in so many ways. There is some subtle but also frighteningly brutal body horror here. I know that doesn't seem to make sense so you'll have to trust me on that.
As I mentioned the writing is extremely beautiful and it's very much literary fiction with a side of horror. Just be prepared to have your heart stomped upon!
Narration Notes: The narration added to the feelings of gloom, despair and sadness. It might've been easier in paper, tbh. The dual narrators do too good of a job expressing the grief that drips from the words....more
Note to self: restart w/ audible audio. Started it on Kindle, had to put it aside, forgot about it and now I can't remember jackshit about it.
I guessNote to self: restart w/ audible audio. Started it on Kindle, had to put it aside, forgot about it and now I can't remember jackshit about it.
I guess there was a reason I put this aside. . . Anyhow, here are my thoughts.
I love a dark story that takes place in an old castle, house or school where evil may still be lurking atop every ancient staircase or waiting in the forest to getcha. Some of these old places have seen some shit.
This story takes place in a university where sketchy things have happened upon its grounds. Students seem to “go missing� during the annual Black Ball (or whatever it was called - my mind is a sieve) and no one seems to give a damn. They just keep on keeping on, probably glad it wasn’t them!
Corvina was homeschooled and sheltered from society, raised by a mostly mute mother with undiagnosed schizophrenia. She is surprised when she receives an invitation to attend Verenmore (aka the haunted castle school!) and eagerly embraces her opportunity to get out and see the world. But this world is also insulated. She’s immediately told tales of its most enigmatic teacher, he of the silver eyes, the prematurely streaked hair and a reputation for screwing around with a student. She catches him playing piano as she sneaks around the castle in her nightie and starts having hot flashes (at 20!) and everything starts pulsing and going all aflutter for the very first time. She is smitten by this devil of a man and he with her. Be damned the stories! True lust will not be denied.
I think I’ve just read too many books in my life and maybe I’m just too ancient at this point to fall in love with a book like this one. It was sort of fun in its strange little way, but the story mostly felt cliche and silly when it was trying to be sexy and enigmatic. Corvina had some serious issues to deal with and Vad was super understanding and I love that for her but this guy felt like he was playing at being dark and just felt completely unserious to me. He read almost like a “What We Do In the Shadows� character without the humor of a Nandor or a Vladislav. Well, there was some unintentional humor, I suppose. Especially when Corvina puts on a coat that “broke the wind� and reminded me that I really am still twelve because I couldn’t stop snickering. And also, Vad’s favorite thing to do was to kiss her nose piercing. Is that a sexy new thing I’m missing out on? It seems a bit ick to me but again I’m probably too decrepit to understand this sort of sexiness.So nah, the sexy in this one didn’t work for me but it did try very hard and it might work for a lot of folks who like a bossy dude who likes to kiss a nostril.
Ok, I guess I better stop before someone starts yelling at me for reading a book and not loving it.
2 stars. Don’t ask me for more reasons because I do have a few more notes . . ....more
We're reading this in April on the Horror Spotlight discord. Join us!
This was a fun horror-adjacent, horror-lite read. NWe're reading this in April on the Horror Spotlight discord. Join us!
This was a fun horror-adjacent, horror-lite read. Not too spooky or too scary. It read more like a made for Netflix movie about a group of stressed out suburban moms who have an encounter with the weird. I didn't find it lol funny (but honestly, I don't find much lol funny) but it was amusing and had some good snark. I do wish the horror had been a bit heavier. There were a few things that the writer spent ages setting up that sort of fizzled when it came to the horror bits and that was a disappointment but that might just be me being a regular reader of the grotesque. I did like the found family thing and the sense of community thing between the women which doesn't really exist in too many places.
I recommend it if you're in the mood for something that won't hurt your heart or give you nightmares. It's a great choice to read in-between heavier, darker, grittier and emotionally devastating books. It'd be a great palette cleanser!
Hope you read it, hope you love/like it!
This is my personal reading experience, yours may differ! Don't come at me if it does!...more
This is what happens when you put too much pressure on a young swimmer obsessed with water and mermaids. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened IRL or maybeThis is what happens when you put too much pressure on a young swimmer obsessed with water and mermaids. I’m surprised it hasn’t happened IRL or maybe it has. It’s an unflinching look at competitive sports and all the harm it can do to a person while growing up and having to deal with periods, chronic pain, sexual misdeeds by golden boys and coaches who are way out of line. A horrific piece of dark fiction that feels very real.....more
It Doesn’t Go Away is a tense little novella filled with danger that lurks around every corner while slowly revealing some painful trauma. It’s a veryIt Doesn’t Go Away is a tense little novella filled with danger that lurks around every corner while slowly revealing some painful trauma. It’s a very creepy read and the dread hits you fast and never lets up.
A nameless narrator who calls herself “Barb� decides to hit the Appalachian Trail alone (and woefully underprepared) after a traumatic event. Are there bears on the AT? Never mind. It doesn’t matter because I’m not going even if you say no because running into a bear on a trail once in my lifetime was one time too many! Anyhow, bears are the least of Barb’s worries here. There are creepers who lurk around every corner, real or imagined, again it doesn’t matter because they’re real to Barb and a scary scenario soon becomes completely terrifying on so many levels.
I’ll be honest here and tell you that I had to put the book down for a day because something blindsided me with terrible memories. I read a lot of brutal things and there is so much trauma in horror lately that I really should’ve figured it out (apparently, I’m not always good at that!) but this one snuck up on me and reminded me of some things I had buried and I needed a little breather because I wasn’t emotionally ready to think about it. I’ll stick it down below under spoiler tags so you can be warned if you need to be warned but most people will likely see it coming before I did anyway.
I’m glad I went back in because I enjoyed the story. Barb’s spiraling thoughts, her stew of messy emotions, her desire to remain anonymous and process her trauma on her own terms, and the need to just run the fuck away felt really genuine. There was also a surprising moment that I LOVED because ICK but I won’t be a jerk and spoil. It made me laugh but it also grossed me out and you deserve to experience that moment too, haha.
Someone get me off this 3-star train. I hate writing them. People hate reading them (they make sure to tell me whenever they can). But here we are agaSomeone get me off this 3-star train. I hate writing them. People hate reading them (they make sure to tell me whenever they can). But here we are again. 3-stars means "liked it" and I did but I didn't "really like it" or "think it was amazing".
Now with that out of the way, I listened to Aesthetica on audiobook and that was a mistake. This is a story about a young woman who wants to make her fortune in sponsors with likes and comments on Instagram. The book is filled to the brim with these: ...more
I found this copy in a Little Free Library when I went to restock it. It's mine now!I found this copy in a Little Free Library when I went to restock it. It's mine now!...more
Hmmm, this is a tough one to review. It was a unique experience I will give it that! As many before me have said, despite the title and the beautiful Hmmm, this is a tough one to review. It was a unique experience I will give it that! As many before me have said, despite the title and the beautiful cover art, this book is not what I’d consider a horror novel. And my guidelines for what makes a horror novel are pretty wide open. I don’t even know if I would call it a novel actually. It reads like a collection of sometimes vaguely connected short stories.
The main story is about a former porn store turned super grisly murder site and the true crime writer currently putting all of the pieces together, gathering evidence and whatnot to create a new book. Then it switches gears and becomes the story of his previous true crime novel about a teacher and two students who do something dumb and pay the ultimate price. I was good with that. It really dug into the characters. GREAT stuff, that stuff was so interesting to me and I was enjoying the book but then there appears a chapter about a prince who becomes a king and I was a little dazed and confused by the tonal shift that left me wishing I had skipped that chapter like it was a short story I wasn’t enjoying. Then we get back to the greedy landlords and the porn shop murders and I was back in again. But then final chapter decided that it wasn't done messing with me and the POV switches to a childhood friend of the true crime writer. It gives us a different perspective on the writer but it all felt a bit scattered to me. You may think differently. I guess I prefer a more straightforward narrative in a book like this. I mean, maybe it all makes sense to someone else but I didn’t understand some of these choices that were made.
I don’t even know what to say about this one besides the fact that parts of it weren’t meant for me and other parts hooked me. In the end, after thinking about its construction, it all felt very disjoined both as a fictional true crime novel and as a collection of short stories.
My recommendation? Stick around for the true crime bits and maybe skim the king bit (if you feel the need or are getting a little bored) because it’s a book that does feel too long to me and that section, in particular, felt completely unnecessary or maybe its deep meaning just went over my head. But really you can do whatever you want, I’m not the boss of booktopia and I don’t like it when people tell me how to read, lol.
Laurie (barksbooks)
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