From Sophia Bannion's first day at HEBE, a luxury skincare/wellness company based in New York City, it's clear something is amiss. But Sophia, pushing thirty with plenty of skeletons in her closet, doesn't care. Though she leads an outwardly charmed life, she aches for a deeper meaning to her existence. She finds it all and more at HEBE, and with Tree Whitestone, HEBE's charismatic, sinister founder and CEO. Soon, Sophia is addicted to her HEBE lifestyle. But the unsustainability of HEBE's system is rapidly growing apparent, and Sophia is going to have to decide how far she's willng to go to stay beautiful forever.
This novel is entertaining and gloomy. The writing is sharp and full of scathing lines that poke fun at the wellness industry. Also, Sophia — witty, extremely self-aware, a bit of a nihilist — is a memorable character. Unfortunately, the continual descriptions of food, drinks, meetings and vaping turmeric root, and the long side chapters about Sophia’s youth, distract from the main narrative and dilute the punch of the cautionary tale at the novel’s core.
Fast-paced and scathing ... Readers are able to see the skeletons from Sophia’s past emerge, figuring out what is going on very quickly. But Sathue is not trying to obscure the twist; rather she is laying bare the chilling truth, and readers sit with that knowledge and watch the visceral horrors unfold without remorse.
Sathue’s story is bold and brash and can be extremely uncomfortable to read. Although she overuses similes, it’s a fault that can be overlooked when the plot is as audacious and thrilling as this one.
