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Rytual
Marnie Sellick is adrift when she lands a job at the coveted, mysterious beauty brand rytual cosmetica.
The enigmatic founder and CEO, Luna Peters, takes a liking to Marnie, and as the two grow closer Marnie becomes intoxicated by the life that Luna, and rytual, can offer her.
But all is not what it seems at rytual. Luna has a cult-like hold over the all-female staff, and that's not to mention what happens at their weekly Friday Night Drinks.
As Marnie edges closer to the darkness at the centre of rytual's millennial pink facade, cracks begin to show. Luna is hiding something, but will Marnie uncover the truth - and the role Luna has cast her in - before it's too late?
Both a darkly funny deconstruction of the beauty industry and a gripping examination of identity, beauty and desire, Rytual asks the what if your favourite cult beauty brand . was actually a cult?
The enigmatic founder and CEO, Luna Peters, takes a liking to Marnie, and as the two grow closer Marnie becomes intoxicated by the life that Luna, and rytual, can offer her.
But all is not what it seems at rytual. Luna has a cult-like hold over the all-female staff, and that's not to mention what happens at their weekly Friday Night Drinks.
As Marnie edges closer to the darkness at the centre of rytual's millennial pink facade, cracks begin to show. Luna is hiding something, but will Marnie uncover the truth - and the role Luna has cast her in - before it's too late?
Both a darkly funny deconstruction of the beauty industry and a gripping examination of identity, beauty and desire, Rytual asks the what if your favourite cult beauty brand . was actually a cult?
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First published May 5, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 682 reviews
June 23, 2025
I do feel like the wheels fell off a little at the end.. but I still ate it up. Culty & delish !!
June 20, 2025
if the girls from bunny worked at mecca
May 31, 2025
My book of the year (so far)!!!
Essential reading if you:
💄Are a beauty looper (level 2 and above only)
💄Have been to a Glossier store
💄Go wild for a 50% off cosmetics sale at Priceline
💄 Could pick the scent of Sol De Janeiro out of a line up
💄Happen to be named Laura
Essential reading if you:
💄Are a beauty looper (level 2 and above only)
💄Have been to a Glossier store
💄Go wild for a 50% off cosmetics sale at Priceline
💄 Could pick the scent of Sol De Janeiro out of a line up
💄Happen to be named Laura
March 26, 2025
Loved this!! It’s giving if Mecca was a cult. Really fun read that didn’t go the way I expected. Caught myself thinking about this whilst I was at work which is a great sign. Lost one star because I would have liked a little more from the ending
May 26, 2025
This book had potential to be really good but missed the mark. I must be missing something from all the high ratings. I didn’t find it overly humorous, so was surprised to see so many did. I understand the satire but didn’t actually find it funny.
I flew through it thinking there would be a plot twist - to liven it up but no - it just fell flat on its head. Quite repetitive, it was dark and frankly just strange with lots of loose ends not tied up. Had lots of q’s throughout trying to make sense of what the author was trying to get across.
I feel I’m being harsh because it did have potential.
First time reading that kind of genre - so, maybe it’s me.
I flew through it thinking there would be a plot twist - to liven it up but no - it just fell flat on its head. Quite repetitive, it was dark and frankly just strange with lots of loose ends not tied up. Had lots of q’s throughout trying to make sense of what the author was trying to get across.
I feel I’m being harsh because it did have potential.
First time reading that kind of genre - so, maybe it’s me.
July 27, 2025
What the fuck
July 1, 2025
and i've been saying this for a long time - there should be more female cults!!!!!
Read
July 18, 2025i spent $300 at mecca reading this
June 14, 2025
While this was a very easy and fun read, it rarely strayed into believable plot writing.
I think there are a lot of fun things to do with the beauty cult premise and there were signs here of that. I think this book should have taken one of two paths: (1) you can go gritty and go with a cult of obsession, crazy hours, psychosocial behaviour, bullying etc. for a gritty real take; or (2) lean into the camp horror aspects and make this a horror story to justify the fanciful elements.
Unfortunately for me this book tried to straddle a middle ground that was incredibly unbelievable. A further flaw is that I feel like Marnie is not very well fleshed out. I thought Rose would be an interesting character but was also sad that her motives and actions were also very surface level. Luna was obviously psycho but it was left to the reader to do those mental gymnastics.
I enjoyed how easy it was to read and how vivid the imagery was but would not race to read something like that again.
4/10
I think there are a lot of fun things to do with the beauty cult premise and there were signs here of that. I think this book should have taken one of two paths: (1) you can go gritty and go with a cult of obsession, crazy hours, psychosocial behaviour, bullying etc. for a gritty real take; or (2) lean into the camp horror aspects and make this a horror story to justify the fanciful elements.
Unfortunately for me this book tried to straddle a middle ground that was incredibly unbelievable. A further flaw is that I feel like Marnie is not very well fleshed out. I thought Rose would be an interesting character but was also sad that her motives and actions were also very surface level. Luna was obviously psycho but it was left to the reader to do those mental gymnastics.
I enjoyed how easy it was to read and how vivid the imagery was but would not race to read something like that again.
4/10
August 2, 2025
2/5 ⭐️⭐️
Me and this book did not vibe at all. I hated the characters (Marnie is insufferable and Luna is insane), found the plot meandering at best, the twists were ‘eh’ but surprisingly grotesque, the “smut” felt performative, and the ending does just that, end with no explanation or catharsis. I can see why some might describe this is as a feminist girlboss tale if Mecca was a cult/MLM, but it crossed so far past feminism it came out as misandrist and left a bad taste in my mouth. The only good thing is like a horrid train wreck, you couldn’t look away to see what would happen next. Bookclub should be interesting.
Me and this book did not vibe at all. I hated the characters (Marnie is insufferable and Luna is insane), found the plot meandering at best, the twists were ‘eh’ but surprisingly grotesque, the “smut” felt performative, and the ending does just that, end with no explanation or catharsis. I can see why some might describe this is as a feminist girlboss tale if Mecca was a cult/MLM, but it crossed so far past feminism it came out as misandrist and left a bad taste in my mouth. The only good thing is like a horrid train wreck, you couldn’t look away to see what would happen next. Bookclub should be interesting.
April 21, 2025
holy shit
culty, crazy and c*nty !
this is so good omg
culty, crazy and c*nty !
this is so good omg
June 22, 2025
✅ Crazy women
✅ Pacy plot
✅ Based in Aus
✅ A little steamy
Chloe Elizabeth Wilson, I’ll read whatever you write next!
✅ Pacy plot
✅ Based in Aus
✅ A little steamy
Chloe Elizabeth Wilson, I’ll read whatever you write next!
June 18, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ Was trying to be Bunny by Mona Awad but missed the mark a bit. I still enjoyed reading it :)
May 24, 2025
A wild ride start to finish - couldn’t put it down!! Loved the Melbourne setting, loved the faux feminism, corporate jokes and an important life lesson - never work for a trendy small business.
June 4, 2025
devoured 🍒💋💅🏼💄💕
ended up supporting women’s wrongs (or rights? you tell me) indeed, mine being that I haven’t watched Fight Club 🫢
ended up supporting women’s wrongs (or rights? you tell me) indeed, mine being that I haven’t watched Fight Club 🫢
August 6, 2025
Fight Club, but make it good and set it at Aesop. So damn cool. I’m gonna eat up everything Chloe writes after this.
Only for the coolest girls and gays!!
Only for the coolest girls and gays!!
August 11, 2025
Well that was fucked
June 9, 2025
2.5 rounded down
June 28, 2025
Started off strong — but then: it was not as unhinged or psychotic as I’d been led to believe. The ending felt a little premature, in that the story didn’t deliver the “deconstruction of the beauty industry” I’d been sold from the blurb nor the “gripping examination of identity, beauty and desire”.
Quite an accessible, easy read — not too deep. But also I wanna know more about the cult/cult leader aspect & her rise to power — that was lacking.
It’s giving Creamerie (girlboss feminism) and Promising Young Woman (good for her!) but without the full circle conclusion that those shows provided.
A wild ride, just not as wild as I’d hoped — I girded my loins too much.
Quite an accessible, easy read — not too deep. But also I wanna know more about the cult/cult leader aspect & her rise to power — that was lacking.
It’s giving Creamerie (girlboss feminism) and Promising Young Woman (good for her!) but without the full circle conclusion that those shows provided.
A wild ride, just not as wild as I’d hoped — I girded my loins too much.
January 27, 2025
Rytual explores what hides under the shiny veneer of a beloved beauty brand and the price some are willing to pay to be influential, as well as the obsession (and lust) that comes with idolising someone so much. I picked this up on a whim and ended up really enjoying it - in a world of girl boss influencers and MLM cults, this book feels extremely timely. The subtle way things slowly started to get weirder and weirder kept me hooked until the end.
Edit: after talking with Laura about this book, I do feel like they could’ve been better decisions made regarding the ending. The ending is decent and I’m not mad about it but after chatting about it I do feel like there was some other pretty interesting directions that the author could’ve gone in that I think would’ve given a much more satisfying conclusion.
Edit: after talking with Laura about this book, I do feel like they could’ve been better decisions made regarding the ending. The ending is decent and I’m not mad about it but after chatting about it I do feel like there was some other pretty interesting directions that the author could’ve gone in that I think would’ve given a much more satisfying conclusion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2025
*I read the advanced reader copy*
The idea is insane and has a lot of potential, but the execution didn’t do it for me. I found it hard to care much for characters and felt I was being told about relationships more than shown, which contributes to a hollow and two dimensional reading experience. I didn’t feel the pull that Marnie felt when getting swept up in this cult. Could be a personal preference but it needs more whimsy. The ending felt disjointed, and overall I felt there are points left unfinished. Perhaps this may change before publication, but unlikely?
The idea is insane and has a lot of potential, but the execution didn’t do it for me. I found it hard to care much for characters and felt I was being told about relationships more than shown, which contributes to a hollow and two dimensional reading experience. I didn’t feel the pull that Marnie felt when getting swept up in this cult. Could be a personal preference but it needs more whimsy. The ending felt disjointed, and overall I felt there are points left unfinished. Perhaps this may change before publication, but unlikely?
May 18, 2025
This takes “cult beauty product” to the extreme and will make me afraid of picking up my next Mecca Beauty Loop Box (I dropped down to level 2 this year so maybe I’ve always been a little afraid deep down).
This is a more digestible version of Rouge x Bunny by Mona Awad or Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang - I recommend this if you loved their vibes but found their plots a bit too intangible
This is a more digestible version of Rouge x Bunny by Mona Awad or Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang - I recommend this if you loved their vibes but found their plots a bit too intangible
May 7, 2025
that book felt like one entire trip….
it reminded me a lot like bunny just more messed up and with an equally ambiguous ending
it reminded me a lot like bunny just more messed up and with an equally ambiguous ending
May 16, 2025
Insane. Loved it
May 26, 2025
bitch what the fuck!!!! This spun inward with perfect momentum like a stylish A24 horror set in my actual neighbourhood with women I actually know and understand but also, bitch what the fuck!!!!!
June 1, 2025
“Awe and horror had the same aftertaste” !!!!!!! Delightful
Read
June 13, 2025I support women’s rights, but more importantly, I support women’s morally questionable skincare routines.
3.25⭐️
3.25⭐️
October 10, 2025
Oooooh I loved it!! Explored some very great themes and it lowkey reminded me of when I worked at the Mecca headquarters in Richmond for a bit, it was scarily accurate lol. I also loved how it made so many references to Melbourne. The pacing at the end was kinda fast compared to the rest of the book but I still loved it. Reminded me of Rouge by Mona Awad.
June 21, 2025
ok rant incoming that may contain spoilers BUT firstly if you had said that i’d be reading a general fiction book in 2025 i’d say you were mentally challenged let alone a general fiction book about a makeup brand cult ..
now you can’t end a book with “and then i grabbed the scissors” ok because like did she kill spencer ?? luna ?? herself ?? or did she go on a crazy RAMPAGE and take the entire cult out ?? you can’t have all that built up for me to just be SAT staring at the wall like WHAT
did i then proceed to recommend this to the random lady at the bookstore … yes
the thing is this entire plot is so plausible, like i could see myself as luna if we talk about 2021 me because would i also run a makeup brand disguised as a way to hurt men? yes of course and i wouldn’t be surprised if this was happening somewhere (hire me)
now you can’t end a book with “and then i grabbed the scissors” ok because like did she kill spencer ?? luna ?? herself ?? or did she go on a crazy RAMPAGE and take the entire cult out ?? you can’t have all that built up for me to just be SAT staring at the wall like WHAT
did i then proceed to recommend this to the random lady at the bookstore … yes
the thing is this entire plot is so plausible, like i could see myself as luna if we talk about 2021 me because would i also run a makeup brand disguised as a way to hurt men? yes of course and i wouldn’t be surprised if this was happening somewhere (hire me)
July 7, 2025
This lost me towards the end but it was still a page turner! Very relatable being set in Melbourne and I enjoyed the lighthearted stereotype jokes about well known suburbs and companies I interact with. Recommend if you need a fast paced read, especially if you’re in a reading slump. I’m really excited to see what Chloe Elisabeth Wilson comes out with for her next novel, I’ll definitely be reaching for it!
3.5/5
3.5/5
Displaying 1 - 30 of 682 reviews