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Ravishing: A Novel
A brilliant and compelling debut,
Ravishing
shines a light on the dark enticements of the beauty industry and how it capitalizes on our desire to be someone we are not.
A provocative, darkly surreal novel of two Indian American siblings caught in the clutches of a beauty tech company, Ravishing is a searing portrait of the beauty industry’s dangerous ability to change people’s relationship to their bodies and the cult-like grip it has on youth.
For teenage Kashmira, it’s painful to look in the mirror; she has her father’s face, and every feature is a reminder of his abandonment. When a friend introduces her to Evolvoir, a beauty product that changes users’ features, Kashmira is quickly hooked on how it allows her to erase the triggers of her grief. Meanwhile, at Evolvoir’s corporate offices, Kashmira’s estranged brother Nikhil first sees the product as an opportunity to make a difference and a name for himself, but is quickly mired in corporate complicity as reports surface of the product causing severe pain and persistent symptoms in some users. As chaos ensues, Kashmira is hospitalized and must negotiate the constraints of her new reality, while Nikhil uncovers a vicious truth that will force him to decide where his loyalties lie.
Perfect for fans of Gold Diggers and You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine, Ravishing is a visceral, yet immensely tender, coming-of-age story of two Indian American siblings caught in the clutches of a predatory beauty tech company, providing an illuminating portrait of the complexities of growing up brown, chronic illness, and our relationship to ourselves.
A provocative, darkly surreal novel of two Indian American siblings caught in the clutches of a beauty tech company, Ravishing is a searing portrait of the beauty industry’s dangerous ability to change people’s relationship to their bodies and the cult-like grip it has on youth.
For teenage Kashmira, it’s painful to look in the mirror; she has her father’s face, and every feature is a reminder of his abandonment. When a friend introduces her to Evolvoir, a beauty product that changes users’ features, Kashmira is quickly hooked on how it allows her to erase the triggers of her grief. Meanwhile, at Evolvoir’s corporate offices, Kashmira’s estranged brother Nikhil first sees the product as an opportunity to make a difference and a name for himself, but is quickly mired in corporate complicity as reports surface of the product causing severe pain and persistent symptoms in some users. As chaos ensues, Kashmira is hospitalized and must negotiate the constraints of her new reality, while Nikhil uncovers a vicious truth that will force him to decide where his loyalties lie.
Perfect for fans of Gold Diggers and You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine, Ravishing is a visceral, yet immensely tender, coming-of-age story of two Indian American siblings caught in the clutches of a predatory beauty tech company, providing an illuminating portrait of the complexities of growing up brown, chronic illness, and our relationship to ourselves.
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First published January 1, 2025
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About the author
Eshani Surya
2 books31 followersEshani Surya is the author of RAVISHING, forthcoming from Roxane Gay Books/Grove Atlantic. Her short stories and essays have appeared in The Rumpus, DIAGRAM, [PANK], Catapult, and Joyland, among others. Eshani was a 2022 Asian Women Writer’s Workshop mentee, a 2022 Kenyon Review Writer’s Workshop scholarship recipient, and a 2021 Mae Fellowship recipient. She holds an MFA from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Find her online at @eshanisurya.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
November 5, 2025
3.5 stars.
This was an enjoyable sci-fi thriller that explored the beauty industry and its propensity to exploit people with insecurities.
It's hard to give this a higher rating because it was a tad too older YA for me and I was expecting a more adult read. (I think this could technically be NA if publishers actually recognize that genre.)
I really liked that this novel explored the FMC's relationships with her family members. Her fraught relationship with her father really set the tone and the mood. It was easy to see how everything spiraled from there.
The author did really well with capturing a brown teenage girl's insecurities. As a brown and former teen girl myself, I could see parts of myself in her. Big ups for diverse rep.
I also liked the back-and-forth switch between Kashmira and her brother's POVs. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of this because one of the POVs would start to feel unnecessary or extraneous after a while. But Kashmira and Nikhil both had me hooked. I finished this arc in two days.
If you treat this as an older YA read, then this was a quick and entertaining sci-fi thriller. As an adult read, this was all right.
Thank you to Roxane Gay Books and NetGalley for this arc.
This was an enjoyable sci-fi thriller that explored the beauty industry and its propensity to exploit people with insecurities.
It's hard to give this a higher rating because it was a tad too older YA for me and I was expecting a more adult read. (I think this could technically be NA if publishers actually recognize that genre.)
I really liked that this novel explored the FMC's relationships with her family members. Her fraught relationship with her father really set the tone and the mood. It was easy to see how everything spiraled from there.
The author did really well with capturing a brown teenage girl's insecurities. As a brown and former teen girl myself, I could see parts of myself in her. Big ups for diverse rep.
I also liked the back-and-forth switch between Kashmira and her brother's POVs. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of this because one of the POVs would start to feel unnecessary or extraneous after a while. But Kashmira and Nikhil both had me hooked. I finished this arc in two days.
If you treat this as an older YA read, then this was a quick and entertaining sci-fi thriller. As an adult read, this was all right.
Thank you to Roxane Gay Books and NetGalley for this arc.
April 29, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for sending me a copy of this to read on my kindle.
This isn't my normal read but I've got to say I really enjoyed it!
This follows the story of Kashmira, a 17 year old who hates the fact that she looks just like her dad. The dad that left her, her mother Ami and brother Nikhil a few months prior. At a party she is introduced to a cream that change a person's physical appearance. Kashmira becomes instantly obsessed and is desperate to get her own cream to drastically change her looks. Whilst she gets addicted to using the cream, her old brother is working for Evolvoir, the company producing the cream, except he does not know that Kashmira is one of their customers.
As time goes on Kashmira becomes more and more unwell, and once Nikhil learns that she has been using the cream, is then determined to expose the company to the world.
This book did a great job in delving into the beauty world and the lengths that people will go to to change their physical appearance. It really does make you take a step back and think about the pressure that the current young population is under.
Yes there was grammatical errors, but as it is an ARC I was expecting this. All in all I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to other readers!
This isn't my normal read but I've got to say I really enjoyed it!
This follows the story of Kashmira, a 17 year old who hates the fact that she looks just like her dad. The dad that left her, her mother Ami and brother Nikhil a few months prior. At a party she is introduced to a cream that change a person's physical appearance. Kashmira becomes instantly obsessed and is desperate to get her own cream to drastically change her looks. Whilst she gets addicted to using the cream, her old brother is working for Evolvoir, the company producing the cream, except he does not know that Kashmira is one of their customers.
As time goes on Kashmira becomes more and more unwell, and once Nikhil learns that she has been using the cream, is then determined to expose the company to the world.
This book did a great job in delving into the beauty world and the lengths that people will go to to change their physical appearance. It really does make you take a step back and think about the pressure that the current young population is under.
Yes there was grammatical errors, but as it is an ARC I was expecting this. All in all I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to other readers!
October 26, 2025
Kashmira is like any other teenager - desperate to fit in - however whenever she looks in the mirror all she sees is the father who abandoned her family. Good friend, Roshin, has a solution however - a new face from a revolutionary company called NuLook which completely change her face into a look she loves.
Brother, Nikhil, has just started a job at NuLook and he too is desperate to make things up to the sister he has upset. He resolves to get her the product which will change her life.
However there are changes ahead for them both as the effects of NuLook begin to take effect for Kashmira, her friend Roshin and a popular blogger called Yukiko, that will have a devastating effect on them all.
Eshani Surya has taken an intelligent and measured look at the desire to be someone else in this digital age. Filters to make us look younger, more beautiful, less like our relatives, slimmer etc are all very well but what would you do for that effect to last into real life? And is it worth your physical health? Your relationships? Your mental health?
The characters of Kashmiri, Roshin, Yukiko and Nikhil are all likeable and believable. In fact the whole book, whilst horrifying at times, is entirely believable. The book certainly forces you to question who you really see in the mirror.
Definitely recommended.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance review copy.
Brother, Nikhil, has just started a job at NuLook and he too is desperate to make things up to the sister he has upset. He resolves to get her the product which will change her life.
However there are changes ahead for them both as the effects of NuLook begin to take effect for Kashmira, her friend Roshin and a popular blogger called Yukiko, that will have a devastating effect on them all.
Eshani Surya has taken an intelligent and measured look at the desire to be someone else in this digital age. Filters to make us look younger, more beautiful, less like our relatives, slimmer etc are all very well but what would you do for that effect to last into real life? And is it worth your physical health? Your relationships? Your mental health?
The characters of Kashmiri, Roshin, Yukiko and Nikhil are all likeable and believable. In fact the whole book, whilst horrifying at times, is entirely believable. The book certainly forces you to question who you really see in the mirror.
Definitely recommended.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance review copy.
July 12, 2025
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC. /sarcasm
This book is so. bad. The writing sounds like someone is just saying “and then this happened…and then this other thing happened…and then she went over there…and then…” just like a constant narration without any introspection or creativity. But then she wrote a make out scene where one dude “filled his mouth” with his tongue, “even the space behind the molars” and I’m sorry but WHAT. Oh and there were multiple descriptions of people shitting with more lurid detail than the sex scenes. Seriously, “she thrust, and thrust again” was talking about SHITTING. I kept reading parts out loud and no one believed this was a real book. What the hell. Roxane Gay your name is better than this drivel.
Edited to add that this is a real review for the book “Ravishing” by Eshani Surya. I received an email from Good Reads saying this review seemed to be “in the wrong place” and that they would take it down it if I don’t move it to the right book. So, to be clear: “Ravishing” is the shit book (pun fully intended) that I read. No one is sadder about that than I.
This book is so. bad. The writing sounds like someone is just saying “and then this happened…and then this other thing happened…and then she went over there…and then…” just like a constant narration without any introspection or creativity. But then she wrote a make out scene where one dude “filled his mouth” with his tongue, “even the space behind the molars” and I’m sorry but WHAT. Oh and there were multiple descriptions of people shitting with more lurid detail than the sex scenes. Seriously, “she thrust, and thrust again” was talking about SHITTING. I kept reading parts out loud and no one believed this was a real book. What the hell. Roxane Gay your name is better than this drivel.
Edited to add that this is a real review for the book “Ravishing” by Eshani Surya. I received an email from Good Reads saying this review seemed to be “in the wrong place” and that they would take it down it if I don’t move it to the right book. So, to be clear: “Ravishing” is the shit book (pun fully intended) that I read. No one is sadder about that than I.
November 1, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Roxane Gay Books for an advanced copy of Ravishing by Eshani Surya in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Ravishing by Eshani Surya is a debut coming of age novel that highlights the dark side of the beauty industry. I was intrigued by the premise: Kashmira, a 17-year old Indian American young woman unhappy with her appearance, jumps at the chance to use a new personalized beauty product that changes your features using nanotechnology. Before Kashmira can find acceptance within herself though, the product causes severe gastrointestinal distress and she develops a chronic inflammatory disease.
Despite the intriguing premise, the novel was a disappointment to me. I struggled with the pacing and did not feel an emotional connection to the poorly developed characters. The writing style lacked depth except when the author repeatedly and exhaustively detailed Kashmira’s explosive bowel movements. And although I am aware that this was not a final copy, the pervasive grammar errors and typos were distracting to me as I was reading. I am rating it 2/5⭐️ because I did finish it. But this is not a novel that I would recommend to my friends.
Ravishing by Eshani Surya is a debut coming of age novel that highlights the dark side of the beauty industry. I was intrigued by the premise: Kashmira, a 17-year old Indian American young woman unhappy with her appearance, jumps at the chance to use a new personalized beauty product that changes your features using nanotechnology. Before Kashmira can find acceptance within herself though, the product causes severe gastrointestinal distress and she develops a chronic inflammatory disease.
Despite the intriguing premise, the novel was a disappointment to me. I struggled with the pacing and did not feel an emotional connection to the poorly developed characters. The writing style lacked depth except when the author repeatedly and exhaustively detailed Kashmira’s explosive bowel movements. And although I am aware that this was not a final copy, the pervasive grammar errors and typos were distracting to me as I was reading. I am rating it 2/5⭐️ because I did finish it. But this is not a novel that I would recommend to my friends.
June 5, 2025
A big thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic/Roxane Gay Books, and the author for an ARC of this book!
Ravishing is a wonderful book from debut author Eshani Surya. I've heard people describe this book as "a 'Black Mirror' episode meets 'The Substance (2024)' " and I'm inclined to agree, although I think it's a more optimistic bildungsroman take on the subject matter. It circles around siblings Kashmira and Nikhil as the navigate the world after their toxic father files for divorce and leaves. Kashmira, a teenager, is dealing with the crippling insecurity and self hatred of being a teenager, while Nikhil is getting acclimated to his life as a new hire for the beauty company Evolvir. When a new beauty product by Evolvir is introduced to Kashmira that promises to completely re-do the structure of her face, she begins to constantly use the product, unknown to her that the product will change more than just her face.
The premise of this book had me hooked when I saw it on NetGalley, so naturally I had to check it out. I think the way that Surya weaves multiple topics together - such as parental abuse, teenage angst, racial intersectionality, colorism, the world of social media, and the reckless abandon of today's billion dollar tech and beauty industry - was endlessly compelling to me. The siblings' motivations for getting involved with Evolvir felt so real and empathetic, with both of them trying to move forward in the world while being held back by their past. Another thing that stuck with me was how believable Eshani Surya wrote the digital landscape. Most authors try to either sidestep social media or write it with a dystopian technocratic twinge that mischaracterizes it completely - but Surya is different. She illustrates the isolating and simulated world of her Instagram, Slack and TikTok-likes, while also acknowledging the very real emotions behind its users. Nikhil's work group chats feel like chats I'd see in a Discord somewhere, and Yukiko is an outstanding interpretation of the beauty guru influencer.
The rising action of Kashmira's developing dependency on Evolvir's new product, NuLook, and Nikhil's feverish defense of his company's services had me hooked, almost to the point of un-put-downable, but after the 50 percent mark, I think it sort of spins its wheels in place, and that's where it began to lose me a little bit and I started to skim. Of course, it's not without reason - a pivotal event occurs that makes brother and sister reevaluate their priorities, and it's warranted - but the prose and constant documentation of circumstantial minutiae starts to feel bloating to the characters and the falling action.
I think with a little fat-trimming after the 50% mark, it'd be a perfect novel, but it's still a solid read in its current state. Look for this book when it comes out in November if you like speculative fiction about the current day!
Ravishing is a wonderful book from debut author Eshani Surya. I've heard people describe this book as "a 'Black Mirror' episode meets 'The Substance (2024)' " and I'm inclined to agree, although I think it's a more optimistic bildungsroman take on the subject matter. It circles around siblings Kashmira and Nikhil as the navigate the world after their toxic father files for divorce and leaves. Kashmira, a teenager, is dealing with the crippling insecurity and self hatred of being a teenager, while Nikhil is getting acclimated to his life as a new hire for the beauty company Evolvir. When a new beauty product by Evolvir is introduced to Kashmira that promises to completely re-do the structure of her face, she begins to constantly use the product, unknown to her that the product will change more than just her face.
The premise of this book had me hooked when I saw it on NetGalley, so naturally I had to check it out. I think the way that Surya weaves multiple topics together - such as parental abuse, teenage angst, racial intersectionality, colorism, the world of social media, and the reckless abandon of today's billion dollar tech and beauty industry - was endlessly compelling to me. The siblings' motivations for getting involved with Evolvir felt so real and empathetic, with both of them trying to move forward in the world while being held back by their past. Another thing that stuck with me was how believable Eshani Surya wrote the digital landscape. Most authors try to either sidestep social media or write it with a dystopian technocratic twinge that mischaracterizes it completely - but Surya is different. She illustrates the isolating and simulated world of her Instagram, Slack and TikTok-likes, while also acknowledging the very real emotions behind its users. Nikhil's work group chats feel like chats I'd see in a Discord somewhere, and Yukiko is an outstanding interpretation of the beauty guru influencer.
The rising action of Kashmira's developing dependency on Evolvir's new product, NuLook, and Nikhil's feverish defense of his company's services had me hooked, almost to the point of un-put-downable, but after the 50 percent mark, I think it sort of spins its wheels in place, and that's where it began to lose me a little bit and I started to skim. Of course, it's not without reason - a pivotal event occurs that makes brother and sister reevaluate their priorities, and it's warranted - but the prose and constant documentation of circumstantial minutiae starts to feel bloating to the characters and the falling action.
I think with a little fat-trimming after the 50% mark, it'd be a perfect novel, but it's still a solid read in its current state. Look for this book when it comes out in November if you like speculative fiction about the current day!
May 12, 2025
I read this in a span of 24 hours. Ravishing is stunning. And a DEBUT at that? Surya promises to be a literary talent. Surya peels back our obsession with beauty in such a unique way - how beauty can tell a story of the trauma we hold and how our desperate need to unwind that can unwind ourselves as well.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Ravashing is set to publish in Nov. 2025.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Ravashing is set to publish in Nov. 2025.
December 8, 2025
Well-intentioned, but the writing was a struggle to get past. Part young adult coming of age and part family drama, Ravishing has a cosmetic face-shifting drug, fraught familial relationships, and a vexing cast of characters. Kashmira, an Indian American teenager, struggles with a face that looks too much like her absentee father, on top of years of manipulation and emotional abuse, and ends up being overly reliant on a face-shifting cream, produced by the company her estranged brother, Nikhil, works at.
The execution feels a bit middling compared to the book's ambitions, Surya definitely has a lot to say about the predatory nature of the beauty industry, how it takes advantage of young women, and young women of color especially. However, the delivery felt a bit disjointed, especially at the beginning. You get Nikhil making impassioned speeches about the necessity of face-shifting as a tool for mental health, something he (wrongfully) felt was correct, yet the dialogue never hit home for me, his speeches, at their worst, felt like a poorly thought-out tumblr thinkpiece, and at their best, was him apologizing. The confrontation scenes also lacked emotional gravitas, like the one between Kashmira and Sachin, this guy-she-likes who, in his concern for her, oversteps some boundaries, potentially ruining their relationship. I thought I'd feel something, reading that scene, but alas... I also personally did not mind how graphic the descriptions of illness was, but the over-description of Evolvoir's digital interface did leave me scratching my head.
Maybe one thing I liked was how Surya incorporated a start-up business' internal politics into the story, showing how the grow-at-any cost philosophy starts with leadership, molds the corporate structure and company culture, and treats customer concerns as collateral damage. The emotional beats also felt better at the last part, but I'm not sure how much of that was impacted by my desire to just finish the book.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the eARC. This is an honest review.
The execution feels a bit middling compared to the book's ambitions, Surya definitely has a lot to say about the predatory nature of the beauty industry, how it takes advantage of young women, and young women of color especially. However, the delivery felt a bit disjointed, especially at the beginning. You get Nikhil making impassioned speeches about the necessity of face-shifting as a tool for mental health, something he (wrongfully) felt was correct, yet the dialogue never hit home for me, his speeches, at their worst, felt like a poorly thought-out tumblr thinkpiece, and at their best, was him apologizing. The confrontation scenes also lacked emotional gravitas, like the one between Kashmira and Sachin, this guy-she-likes who, in his concern for her, oversteps some boundaries, potentially ruining their relationship. I thought I'd feel something, reading that scene, but alas... I also personally did not mind how graphic the descriptions of illness was, but the over-description of Evolvoir's digital interface did leave me scratching my head.
Maybe one thing I liked was how Surya incorporated a start-up business' internal politics into the story, showing how the grow-at-any cost philosophy starts with leadership, molds the corporate structure and company culture, and treats customer concerns as collateral damage. The emotional beats also felt better at the last part, but I'm not sure how much of that was impacted by my desire to just finish the book.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the eARC. This is an honest review.
June 18, 2025
If you had the ability to use a cream that had the ability to change your appearance would you use it? This is the interesting question at the heart of Ravishing.
Eshani Surya's novel focusses on the experiences of Kashmira, a 17 year old girl living in Jersey. Her Indian heritage creates a complex dynamic, living the US with her father very much wanting to quash part of their heritage. A difficult home life with her father leaving has led to very complex and difficult emotions for Kashmira to manage. As she resembles her father her own face is a constant reminder of the trauma she has experienced.
This is where thinking about using a face cream to help you change your appearance makes you think about it in a new way. This isn't necessarily about vanity but could be used to help people with trauma. Would that be a good thing to do?
On the flip side of the narrative, Nikhail, Kashmira's brother works for the start up company that creates this product. The interesting part of this is that he soon believes that the product could be a force for good for people like his sister and others, particularly when there is such limited access to healthcare. This is where the story got me, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. A product that has the ability to completely redesign a person's face could have positive impacts; but could it really be a replacement to proper mental health support?
Surya describes start up culture with the idea of progress and fast-pace movement for rapid growth in a company well. The book and the concept of the cream product has ethical ramifications. I like how the book doesn't completely focus on a company reaching the "bottom line" but it does highlight how a company can develop quickly without necessarily thinking about the ramifications of a product. Just because you can, does it mean you should?
As you can imagine there are consequences to using the product. Kashmira starts to develop health symptoms that are concerning. Being a 17 year old girl, naturally she doesn't immediately halt using this product. We know that teenagers are at a vulnerable age, so they don't necessarily make the best choices for the long term. With her family life being a complex dynamic with an absent father and a mother that is emotionally absent, Kashmira is acting completely unsupervised. As an adult we all would say that she should speak to her mother about her health, but the reality of being 17 means that she doesn't. This is where I admire Surya's writing. Her portrayal of Kashmira is realistic - the insecurity of a teenage girl is apparent, which you empathise with.
The premise of the book interested me and it didn't disappoint. Surya's portrayal of the teenage experience highlights how beauty standards and parental expectations can be dangerous. She reflects the BAME experience in a poignant way highlighting how generational trauma can have lasting impacts manifesting in unexpected ways.
Eshani Surya's novel focusses on the experiences of Kashmira, a 17 year old girl living in Jersey. Her Indian heritage creates a complex dynamic, living the US with her father very much wanting to quash part of their heritage. A difficult home life with her father leaving has led to very complex and difficult emotions for Kashmira to manage. As she resembles her father her own face is a constant reminder of the trauma she has experienced.
This is where thinking about using a face cream to help you change your appearance makes you think about it in a new way. This isn't necessarily about vanity but could be used to help people with trauma. Would that be a good thing to do?
On the flip side of the narrative, Nikhail, Kashmira's brother works for the start up company that creates this product. The interesting part of this is that he soon believes that the product could be a force for good for people like his sister and others, particularly when there is such limited access to healthcare. This is where the story got me, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. A product that has the ability to completely redesign a person's face could have positive impacts; but could it really be a replacement to proper mental health support?
Surya describes start up culture with the idea of progress and fast-pace movement for rapid growth in a company well. The book and the concept of the cream product has ethical ramifications. I like how the book doesn't completely focus on a company reaching the "bottom line" but it does highlight how a company can develop quickly without necessarily thinking about the ramifications of a product. Just because you can, does it mean you should?
As you can imagine there are consequences to using the product. Kashmira starts to develop health symptoms that are concerning. Being a 17 year old girl, naturally she doesn't immediately halt using this product. We know that teenagers are at a vulnerable age, so they don't necessarily make the best choices for the long term. With her family life being a complex dynamic with an absent father and a mother that is emotionally absent, Kashmira is acting completely unsupervised. As an adult we all would say that she should speak to her mother about her health, but the reality of being 17 means that she doesn't. This is where I admire Surya's writing. Her portrayal of Kashmira is realistic - the insecurity of a teenage girl is apparent, which you empathise with.
The premise of the book interested me and it didn't disappoint. Surya's portrayal of the teenage experience highlights how beauty standards and parental expectations can be dangerous. She reflects the BAME experience in a poignant way highlighting how generational trauma can have lasting impacts manifesting in unexpected ways.
April 2, 2025
Kashmira looks just like her father, and there’s nothing she hates more about herself. She can’t stand to look in the mirror because all she sees is her father staring back at her.
When she finds out about a new beauty product that can completely change your appearance, she instantly knows—this is exactly what she needs. But what if it isn’t as safe as it seems? Would you be able to give it all up?
Ravishing deals with so many different topics: culture, family trauma, abandonment, the struggle to accept yourself, and much more. I love how layered and complex it is.
It did take me a little while to read because of the change in POV with each chapter (I’m usually not the biggest fan of that). I think I would've liked it more if it had just been Kashmira's POV instead, because all those chapters really had me hooked.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the e-arc
When she finds out about a new beauty product that can completely change your appearance, she instantly knows—this is exactly what she needs. But what if it isn’t as safe as it seems? Would you be able to give it all up?
Ravishing deals with so many different topics: culture, family trauma, abandonment, the struggle to accept yourself, and much more. I love how layered and complex it is.
It did take me a little while to read because of the change in POV with each chapter (I’m usually not the biggest fan of that). I think I would've liked it more if it had just been Kashmira's POV instead, because all those chapters really had me hooked.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the e-arc
November 4, 2025
“Whole and joyful enough to enjoy the uncertainties.”
A special thank you to Net Galley & Grove Atlantic Books for allowing me access to an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Ravishing by Eshani Surya!! It’s an absolute privilege to receive an ARC & I’m so honored to be able to share a honest review in exchange. Thank you to Roxane Gay for bringing this book to my radar in her substack!
publication date: november 11th, 2025
review: ★ ★ ★ ★.7 (11/03/2025)
The book is set in a near future, clear with the mentions of AI and beauty tech. Ravishing also hits on big issues like the affordability crisis, therapy expenses, expectations placed on marginalized communities, chronic illness, clout chasing, abuse reactions, generational trauma, performative care, Indian diaspora, etc.
This allowed it to raise A LOT of great questions and encouraged some self-reflection. And having a loved one with ulcerative colitis made this a more insightful read.
I mentioned this in prior reviews but I adore mixed mediums in books, so the addition of Evolvoir Ad campaigns and articles published. It is a creative way to showcase how perspectives and information in a more neutral way without taking away from the main prose.
I love the parallel narratives of 17 year old Kashmira & Nikhil, her brother, a corporate employee at Evolvoir. It showed the differences how they are haunted by their father, grieving someone who is still alive but gone all the same. This was another aspect that kept me hooked, along with the romance subplot for both narratives.
I saw myself in Kashmira but more in Nikhil, I think it was the older sibling burden weighing heavy & the need to succeed and fulfill one’s potential. I also loved how Nikhil is hyperaware (and also not). Additionally, as a business student at university, it was fascinating to see corporate life at Evolvoir.
It made it more realistic to have misinterpretations as a key conflict point, though this may not be for everyone. I also enjoyed the use of retrospective thoughts and it was a nice touch… until it felt overdone since some moments weren’t as monumental as it presented originally. There is also some gore to be warned of.
A special thank you to Net Galley & Grove Atlantic Books for allowing me access to an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Ravishing by Eshani Surya!! It’s an absolute privilege to receive an ARC & I’m so honored to be able to share a honest review in exchange. Thank you to Roxane Gay for bringing this book to my radar in her substack!
publication date: november 11th, 2025
review: ★ ★ ★ ★.7 (11/03/2025)
The book is set in a near future, clear with the mentions of AI and beauty tech. Ravishing also hits on big issues like the affordability crisis, therapy expenses, expectations placed on marginalized communities, chronic illness, clout chasing, abuse reactions, generational trauma, performative care, Indian diaspora, etc.
This allowed it to raise A LOT of great questions and encouraged some self-reflection. And having a loved one with ulcerative colitis made this a more insightful read.
I mentioned this in prior reviews but I adore mixed mediums in books, so the addition of Evolvoir Ad campaigns and articles published. It is a creative way to showcase how perspectives and information in a more neutral way without taking away from the main prose.
I love the parallel narratives of 17 year old Kashmira & Nikhil, her brother, a corporate employee at Evolvoir. It showed the differences how they are haunted by their father, grieving someone who is still alive but gone all the same. This was another aspect that kept me hooked, along with the romance subplot for both narratives.
I saw myself in Kashmira but more in Nikhil, I think it was the older sibling burden weighing heavy & the need to succeed and fulfill one’s potential. I also loved how Nikhil is hyperaware (and also not). Additionally, as a business student at university, it was fascinating to see corporate life at Evolvoir.
It made it more realistic to have misinterpretations as a key conflict point, though this may not be for everyone. I also enjoyed the use of retrospective thoughts and it was a nice touch… until it felt overdone since some moments weren’t as monumental as it presented originally. There is also some gore to be warned of.
December 4, 2025
4.25⭐️
For fans of dystopian skin care/beauty industry literary fiction, this novel is an incredible addition to this subgenre and expands on it in new and exciting ways to discuss the complexities of growing up brown, how trauma is passed down in a family, gaps in community healthcare, girlhood, queerness, and how trauma can contribute to chronic illness.
In this book, our main character Kashmira is dealing with a father who abandoned her and her brother and their mother, and instilled a subconscious internalized hatred of who they are in them growing up. In dealing with this trauma while in high school, she is introduced to a skincare product that allows you to change your features, which she wants to use to erase any trace of her father from her appearance, as well as her life. In a second POV, we follow her estranged older brother Nikhil who actually works for this skincare company who’s dealing with his trauma, handling a budding queer office romance, and trying to expand the reach of the skincare to make it more accessible to people of color and groups typically marginalized from the healthcare industry. As Kashmira begins using the product, she ends up getting sicker and sicker, and Nikhil is uncovering the dark underside to this company.
The writing style of this book is really quick-paced and entertaining, and really allowed us to be in the minds of both Nikhil and Kashmira, making each POV interesting to follow, and they each had their own distinct voices. The supporting characters also added a beautiful layer to this book that made both of our main characters more sensitive and empathetic and helped facilitate their growth.
If you’re looking for a book that discusses trauma, chronic illness, healthcare disparities, and dystopian skincare- this is absolutely the book for you!
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.
For fans of dystopian skin care/beauty industry literary fiction, this novel is an incredible addition to this subgenre and expands on it in new and exciting ways to discuss the complexities of growing up brown, how trauma is passed down in a family, gaps in community healthcare, girlhood, queerness, and how trauma can contribute to chronic illness.
In this book, our main character Kashmira is dealing with a father who abandoned her and her brother and their mother, and instilled a subconscious internalized hatred of who they are in them growing up. In dealing with this trauma while in high school, she is introduced to a skincare product that allows you to change your features, which she wants to use to erase any trace of her father from her appearance, as well as her life. In a second POV, we follow her estranged older brother Nikhil who actually works for this skincare company who’s dealing with his trauma, handling a budding queer office romance, and trying to expand the reach of the skincare to make it more accessible to people of color and groups typically marginalized from the healthcare industry. As Kashmira begins using the product, she ends up getting sicker and sicker, and Nikhil is uncovering the dark underside to this company.
The writing style of this book is really quick-paced and entertaining, and really allowed us to be in the minds of both Nikhil and Kashmira, making each POV interesting to follow, and they each had their own distinct voices. The supporting characters also added a beautiful layer to this book that made both of our main characters more sensitive and empathetic and helped facilitate their growth.
If you’re looking for a book that discusses trauma, chronic illness, healthcare disparities, and dystopian skincare- this is absolutely the book for you!
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.
November 14, 2025
The story, and the way it's written, is just so incredibly gripping.
An unmistakably familiar and poignant tale about some realities of being a woman and the health and beauty industry. It also touches on familial love and dysfunction and growth through that.
Maybe less highlighted is the way the author explains and describes the link of stored trauma and these chronic illnesses.
“The idea of thoughts coming into the body, not passing through. The idea, then, of them being absorbed into the body, staying there, stuck, until the colon rebels and forces everything out.”
The descriptions of chronic illness and the breakdown of the body so realistic and so unfortunately familiar for many.
An unmistakably familiar and poignant tale about some realities of being a woman and the health and beauty industry. It also touches on familial love and dysfunction and growth through that.
Maybe less highlighted is the way the author explains and describes the link of stored trauma and these chronic illnesses.
“The idea of thoughts coming into the body, not passing through. The idea, then, of them being absorbed into the body, staying there, stuck, until the colon rebels and forces everything out.”
The descriptions of chronic illness and the breakdown of the body so realistic and so unfortunately familiar for many.
May 7, 2025
I received an ARC for this book from NetGalley for free.
I really enjoy book that deal with beauty industry and the dark side of it, so when I saw this was about face altering cream I thought it would be straight up my alley. In a sense it was but it also left me wanting more. The story was interesting but I found the writing style didn't really make me wanna pick up the book and I felt like the story could have been streamlined more.
Overall a positive reading experience and I'm interested to see what the author comes up with in the future.
I really enjoy book that deal with beauty industry and the dark side of it, so when I saw this was about face altering cream I thought it would be straight up my alley. In a sense it was but it also left me wanting more. The story was interesting but I found the writing style didn't really make me wanna pick up the book and I felt like the story could have been streamlined more.
Overall a positive reading experience and I'm interested to see what the author comes up with in the future.
September 7, 2025
I had high hopes for this one--debut author with an interesting sci-fi concept rooted in the shifting identities of young women in a world of social media and societal pressures of "beauty." And the involvement of Roxane Gay set my expectations even higher.
Sadly, for me, the execution just wasn't there. The writing felt clunky and undeveloped--from very awkward romantic scenes to the flat emotions and relationships. At times, this also felt like a YA read, though it wasn't marketed as such. Given the lack of emotional connection, I never fully bought into the "trauma" that the young female character faced--a father who treated her so badly that it was worth almost killing herself to not look like him. I also had a lot of trouble suspending disbelief on the brother's outsized influential role at a tech company after only 2ish months post-college.
Two stars for the bold attempt, but couldn't justify more given the disappointing execution.
+++
Thanks to Net Galley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
Sadly, for me, the execution just wasn't there. The writing felt clunky and undeveloped--from very awkward romantic scenes to the flat emotions and relationships. At times, this also felt like a YA read, though it wasn't marketed as such. Given the lack of emotional connection, I never fully bought into the "trauma" that the young female character faced--a father who treated her so badly that it was worth almost killing herself to not look like him. I also had a lot of trouble suspending disbelief on the brother's outsized influential role at a tech company after only 2ish months post-college.
Two stars for the bold attempt, but couldn't justify more given the disappointing execution.
+++
Thanks to Net Galley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
March 20, 2025
Insidious and twisted, this is a stunning debut that offers a clever, biting critique on the perils of the beauty industry.
Focused on siblings Kashmira and Nikhil, it offers a dual perspective on the growing beauty brand Evolvoir and the emerging controversies associated with it.
What if you could change your face without surgery? That's what Evolvoir promises with its cream, something that Kashmira falls prey to in a desperate bid to disassociate herself from her estranged father. On the other side, Nikhil is newly recruited to be a part of Evolvoir and promotes it heavily, only to find it has unexpected consequences.
I thought this was a brilliant novel, written with an elegant argument, and I found it reminiscent of Uglies by Scott Westerfield with the added pressure of growing up as an Indian-American. It's the kind of book that will stay with you, long after reading.
....
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
Focused on siblings Kashmira and Nikhil, it offers a dual perspective on the growing beauty brand Evolvoir and the emerging controversies associated with it.
What if you could change your face without surgery? That's what Evolvoir promises with its cream, something that Kashmira falls prey to in a desperate bid to disassociate herself from her estranged father. On the other side, Nikhil is newly recruited to be a part of Evolvoir and promotes it heavily, only to find it has unexpected consequences.
I thought this was a brilliant novel, written with an elegant argument, and I found it reminiscent of Uglies by Scott Westerfield with the added pressure of growing up as an Indian-American. It's the kind of book that will stay with you, long after reading.
....
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
August 12, 2025
I love a critique of the beauty industry through body horror, and RAVISHING absolutely has that, but it's even more than that. RAVISHING deals with growing up brown in America and the pressures it puts on kids. From their peers, social media, and even their family. It's about figuring out who you are when your life as you know it implodes. It's about siblings and what you will do for your family. It's about our health care system and living with a body that sometimes fights against you. Eshani Surya covers so much in this debut novel with an immense amount of grace and empathy while still making sure the readers laugh, cry, and have characters to root for.
This is a debut you'll definitely not want to miss.
This is a debut you'll definitely not want to miss.
September 11, 2025
I never used the phrase tour de force before but now feels like the time. This book is so so good and I recommend it it everyone who will listen.
It's real and raw and readers will be able to see themselves in both Nikhil and Kashmira in how our brains respond in different ways to unfair circumstances.
There are terrible and cruel moments and sweet and heartening too
Set in a present where a startup has created a cream that can make you look like anything you want, how far would you go to repress or enhance reminders of you and your people?
Great representation throughout of mental health, search for cultural identity and
It's real and raw and readers will be able to see themselves in both Nikhil and Kashmira in how our brains respond in different ways to unfair circumstances.
There are terrible and cruel moments and sweet and heartening too
Set in a present where a startup has created a cream that can make you look like anything you want, how far would you go to repress or enhance reminders of you and your people?
Great representation throughout of mental health, search for cultural identity and
May 25, 2025
Ravishing by Eshani Surya is a brilliant debut novel about an Indian American young woman who wants to change the way that her face looks. She gains access to a new beauty product that allows her to achieve this goal. However, the product causes horrible side effects. Ravishing covers so many issues including race, body image, health and family relationships. The character development is exquisite and I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and Roxanne Gay books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and Roxanne Gay books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2025
A really incredible book layered with lots of complex topics including family, identity, technology, and illness. Very well written, containing lots of captivating imagery and thought-provoking ideas. A fantastic and engaging debut—definitely looking forward to reading more by Eshani Surya!
March 18, 2025
Much needed book. I found this novel healing in many ways and couldn't put it down!
April 3, 2025
Hi! I wrote her and hope you enjoy! xx
May 21, 2025
A great read that will appeal to all ages and lovers of twisty novels and pop culture.
Loved it!
Loved it!
April 13, 2025
Ravishing is an excellent debut novel about the struggles and lengths women, specifically brown and Black women, may go through to fit into a society where beauty is largely defined through a white supremacist lens.
Kashmira is a teen in New Jersey who has largely been alienated from her South Asian classmates because her father Vinod has demanded complete assimilation of his family. Her brother Nikhil has left home for NYC and her mother has crumbled under the demands of their father. After Vinod leaves the family, the rest of the family is left trying to figure out who they are. In the meantime, Kashmira wishes she did not look so much like Vinod and her wish may come true after her friend who she recently reconnects with, Roshni, tells her about a new skin cream that can dramatically alter a user's facial structure. Unknown to Kashmira and Roshni, Nikhil works for this company.
While the book centers on a product with capabilities to dramatically change the appearance of a wearer (to the point where Kashmira becomes unrecognizable), it's not a body horror like The Substance. While the cream has horrific side effects, the primary focus of the story is Kashmira's alienation from her family/culture and Nikhil's difficulty in becoming his own person and connecting with others. The chapters alternate between Kashmira and Nikhil's perspectives with some brief sections from the perspective of an influencer Yukiko who popularizes the product online in addition to excerpts from press about the product.
The science aspect of this story doesn't entirely make a lot of sense, however I didn't find that a major detraction since those details weren't really relevant to the main point of the story. I liked that the book covered both the perspective of a young woman who is struggling on a personal level (Kashmira) and also the perspective of those who are trying to address these issues from a capitalistic/assimilationist perspective (Nikhil and his co-workers). The character of the blogger was interesting as well, however I wish she existed as more of her own person than just someone for Nikhil to work out his issues through.
Some of the ending dragged a little bit as those chapters each ended like they were wrapping up the story and they weren't, however overall I felt like the book flowed well.
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic/Roxane Gay Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.
Kashmira is a teen in New Jersey who has largely been alienated from her South Asian classmates because her father Vinod has demanded complete assimilation of his family. Her brother Nikhil has left home for NYC and her mother has crumbled under the demands of their father. After Vinod leaves the family, the rest of the family is left trying to figure out who they are. In the meantime, Kashmira wishes she did not look so much like Vinod and her wish may come true after her friend who she recently reconnects with, Roshni, tells her about a new skin cream that can dramatically alter a user's facial structure. Unknown to Kashmira and Roshni, Nikhil works for this company.
While the book centers on a product with capabilities to dramatically change the appearance of a wearer (to the point where Kashmira becomes unrecognizable), it's not a body horror like The Substance. While the cream has horrific side effects, the primary focus of the story is Kashmira's alienation from her family/culture and Nikhil's difficulty in becoming his own person and connecting with others. The chapters alternate between Kashmira and Nikhil's perspectives with some brief sections from the perspective of an influencer Yukiko who popularizes the product online in addition to excerpts from press about the product.
The science aspect of this story doesn't entirely make a lot of sense, however I didn't find that a major detraction since those details weren't really relevant to the main point of the story. I liked that the book covered both the perspective of a young woman who is struggling on a personal level (Kashmira) and also the perspective of those who are trying to address these issues from a capitalistic/assimilationist perspective (Nikhil and his co-workers). The character of the blogger was interesting as well, however I wish she existed as more of her own person than just someone for Nikhil to work out his issues through.
Some of the ending dragged a little bit as those chapters each ended like they were wrapping up the story and they weren't, however overall I felt like the book flowed well.
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic/Roxane Gay Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.
April 17, 2025
3.5 stars.
This was an interesting story. I really like the premise and themes (and this book covers a lot - self-image/identity, the beauty/tech industry, race, family, embracing culture versus assimilating, chronic illness, grief, generational trauma, self-acceptance, friendship, coming of age, and more). I struggled a little with the beginning, but really enjoyed the end.
In terms of the beginning, I was having trouble fulling immersing myself/connecting with the story. I think I wanted more on Vinod. Right away, we're introduced to the fact that he has left the family and filed for divorce, and that Kashmira struggles when she looks in the mirror and sees his face. Instead of having this told to us right off the bat, I wanted to see it play out - maybe a few scenes at the start that lead up to when he abandons the family, a few moments examining the family ties, rather than just spelling it out. I felt distant from this conflict at first because I felt distant from what really went down in the family.
Over the course of the story, there are flashbacks that fill in some of the gaps, and I appreciated those. However, I still think having a few scenes in the present moment, rather than looking back, would have decreased the distance that I felt.
I really enjoyed the sections of the book that focused on chronic illness. The depictions of the character's mental and physical state were vivid, resonant, and impactful. I also enjoyed the character growth of several characters that happened in this section. I loved seeing them grieve and grow together, making a place for their changing selves in a changing world.
I also liked that we got to see two sides of Evolvoir - the consumer side, through Kashmira's point of view, and the behind-the-scenes side, through Nikhil's point of view. It was also interesting to see how they both grappled with their relationship to their father in different ways.
Overall, Ravishing is a compelling read, although it took awhile to draw me in. I would recommend to people who want to read a Black Mirror-esque take on the beauty industry, stories that closely examine chronic illness, or stories that take a close look at personal identity in the midst of familial, cultural, and societal expectations.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was an interesting story. I really like the premise and themes (and this book covers a lot - self-image/identity, the beauty/tech industry, race, family, embracing culture versus assimilating, chronic illness, grief, generational trauma, self-acceptance, friendship, coming of age, and more). I struggled a little with the beginning, but really enjoyed the end.
In terms of the beginning, I was having trouble fulling immersing myself/connecting with the story. I think I wanted more on Vinod. Right away, we're introduced to the fact that he has left the family and filed for divorce, and that Kashmira struggles when she looks in the mirror and sees his face. Instead of having this told to us right off the bat, I wanted to see it play out - maybe a few scenes at the start that lead up to when he abandons the family, a few moments examining the family ties, rather than just spelling it out. I felt distant from this conflict at first because I felt distant from what really went down in the family.
Over the course of the story, there are flashbacks that fill in some of the gaps, and I appreciated those. However, I still think having a few scenes in the present moment, rather than looking back, would have decreased the distance that I felt.
I really enjoyed the sections of the book that focused on chronic illness. The depictions of the character's mental and physical state were vivid, resonant, and impactful. I also enjoyed the character growth of several characters that happened in this section. I loved seeing them grieve and grow together, making a place for their changing selves in a changing world.
I also liked that we got to see two sides of Evolvoir - the consumer side, through Kashmira's point of view, and the behind-the-scenes side, through Nikhil's point of view. It was also interesting to see how they both grappled with their relationship to their father in different ways.
Overall, Ravishing is a compelling read, although it took awhile to draw me in. I would recommend to people who want to read a Black Mirror-esque take on the beauty industry, stories that closely examine chronic illness, or stories that take a close look at personal identity in the midst of familial, cultural, and societal expectations.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!
November 3, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded down.
Seventeen year-old Kashmira wants more than anything to forget her father, who abandoned her family, but every time she looks in the mirror, she sees him in her own features. When a friend offers her a new cosmetic from Evolvoir which can literally change her face, Kashmira thinks she's finally found a way to become the person she's always wanted to be.
Unbeknownst to Kashmira, her older brother Nikhil is now working for Evolvoir, hoping to make their products more accessible to people like Kashmira who want to use their products for mental health reasons. But, as Kashmira becomes incredibly ill, she and Nikhil must reckon with the product's true cost.
In an age of self-optimization, Ozempic, and underage plastic surgery, the Ravishing addresses so many of the ills of our society: shady tech startups that proport to solve all our problems, unachievable beauty standards, and racial capitalism. The plot of this book, while quite predictable, was still enough to hold my attention. As a girl who was raised being told she looked just like her awful father, I identified with Kashmira. I also think the split perspective between Kashmira and Nikhil worked well, though I do wish we got a little deeper with both of them. In fact, though I did like this book, my main issue is that it stayed on the surface quite a bit.
Many people have compared this book to The Substance, which is funny to me because it never approached the level of body horror for me. It seems a few of the goodreads reviewers were disturbed by some of the bodily elements of this story--namely, Kashmira's ulcerative colitis. I've read much grosser and more intense descriptions, so I don't really see from where this critique stems. Really, this book lands somewhere in no-man's-land. I wish the author had leaned more deeply into the body horror of it all, as well as the reasons someone might want to change their face, their body, their appearance. It's interesting to me that this book didn't really examine colonialism and beauty standards, colorism, etc. The description of the book suggested that it would; however, I again found myself wishing the author would push a little more and go a little deeper.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Roxane Gay Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Seventeen year-old Kashmira wants more than anything to forget her father, who abandoned her family, but every time she looks in the mirror, she sees him in her own features. When a friend offers her a new cosmetic from Evolvoir which can literally change her face, Kashmira thinks she's finally found a way to become the person she's always wanted to be.
Unbeknownst to Kashmira, her older brother Nikhil is now working for Evolvoir, hoping to make their products more accessible to people like Kashmira who want to use their products for mental health reasons. But, as Kashmira becomes incredibly ill, she and Nikhil must reckon with the product's true cost.
In an age of self-optimization, Ozempic, and underage plastic surgery, the Ravishing addresses so many of the ills of our society: shady tech startups that proport to solve all our problems, unachievable beauty standards, and racial capitalism. The plot of this book, while quite predictable, was still enough to hold my attention. As a girl who was raised being told she looked just like her awful father, I identified with Kashmira. I also think the split perspective between Kashmira and Nikhil worked well, though I do wish we got a little deeper with both of them. In fact, though I did like this book, my main issue is that it stayed on the surface quite a bit.
Many people have compared this book to The Substance, which is funny to me because it never approached the level of body horror for me. It seems a few of the goodreads reviewers were disturbed by some of the bodily elements of this story--namely, Kashmira's ulcerative colitis. I've read much grosser and more intense descriptions, so I don't really see from where this critique stems. Really, this book lands somewhere in no-man's-land. I wish the author had leaned more deeply into the body horror of it all, as well as the reasons someone might want to change their face, their body, their appearance. It's interesting to me that this book didn't really examine colonialism and beauty standards, colorism, etc. The description of the book suggested that it would; however, I again found myself wishing the author would push a little more and go a little deeper.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Roxane Gay Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
March 14, 2025
A sharp and unsettling critique of the beauty industry’s cult-like hold on youth, and homogeneity, Ravishing is a novel that lingers long after the final page. Eshani Surya weaves a dark, surreal story of identity, technology, and the cost of transformation, exposing how deeply beauty standards can shape and break a person’s sense of self.
Kashmira’s father abandoned their family and distanced her from their Indian heritage, forbidding her from even making Indian friends. Instead of keeping her away, his rejection fuels her obsession with what she was denied. When Evolvoir, a revolutionary new beauty product that can physically alter a person’s features, hits the market, Kashmira sees it as a way to erase the parts of herself that remind her of him and does whatever it takes to get her hands on it.
Her estranged brother, Nikhil, approaches Evolvoir from the corporate side, convinced that changing one’s face could offer an escape to those who cannot afford mental health care. Instead of seeing it as a temporary fix, he views it as a radical form of self-determination, a way for the underprivileged to reclaim control over how they are seen.
But as secrets emerge about Evolvoir’s true effects, the siblings are forced to question everything: Who controls beauty? Who decides whose face is acceptable? And what happens when a person no longer recognizes themselves?
Surya’s prose is razor-sharp, peeling back the glossy promises of the beauty industry to reveal its predatory core. This isn’t just a story about self-image, it’s about power, capitalism, and the way beauty tech exploits vulnerability.
Disturbing, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down, Ravishing is a modern horror story wrapped in the seductive language of self-improvement. A must-read for anyone fascinated by the intersection of beauty, technology, and control.
Thank you netgalley!
#Ravishing #EshaniSurya #DystopianFiction #groveatlantic #roxannegaybooks
Kashmira’s father abandoned their family and distanced her from their Indian heritage, forbidding her from even making Indian friends. Instead of keeping her away, his rejection fuels her obsession with what she was denied. When Evolvoir, a revolutionary new beauty product that can physically alter a person’s features, hits the market, Kashmira sees it as a way to erase the parts of herself that remind her of him and does whatever it takes to get her hands on it.
Her estranged brother, Nikhil, approaches Evolvoir from the corporate side, convinced that changing one’s face could offer an escape to those who cannot afford mental health care. Instead of seeing it as a temporary fix, he views it as a radical form of self-determination, a way for the underprivileged to reclaim control over how they are seen.
But as secrets emerge about Evolvoir’s true effects, the siblings are forced to question everything: Who controls beauty? Who decides whose face is acceptable? And what happens when a person no longer recognizes themselves?
Surya’s prose is razor-sharp, peeling back the glossy promises of the beauty industry to reveal its predatory core. This isn’t just a story about self-image, it’s about power, capitalism, and the way beauty tech exploits vulnerability.
Disturbing, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down, Ravishing is a modern horror story wrapped in the seductive language of self-improvement. A must-read for anyone fascinated by the intersection of beauty, technology, and control.
Thank you netgalley!
#Ravishing #EshaniSurya #DystopianFiction #groveatlantic #roxannegaybooks
March 26, 2025
Kashmira and Nikhil are both trying - in their own ways - to deal with the fallout of their father leaving the family. Nikhil is angry and has given up on him, but Kashmira can’t seem to escape thinking about her dads absence. Even when she looks in the mirror, all she sees are the features that he passed down to her.
Ravishing is a really interesting critique of the beauty industry and its tendency to prey on vulnerable communities. It explores the interaction between outer beauty and mental health, as well as grief, cultural identity and capitalism.
I thought all of the characters were really well written and their motivations were clear. Vinod, and the ways that Kashmira and Nikhil differed in their understanding of him, felt particularly real and I think Eshani Suryas writing really shined in scenes where the characters were trying to make sense of Vinods place in their lives.
While I liked Nikhil as a character, his chapters started to feel slightly repetitive by the end of part 1. It sometimes felt like the story would get paused to visit him at his office for a chapter and I would’ve preferred to have stayed in Kashmiras perspective instead. The change in pace between perspectives felt a bit jarring at times.
I really liked the discussions on how companies use performative activism to make a profit. It was really interesting to see the difference between Nikhil who genuinely thought he was doing a good thing, and the company itself that only cared about the profits they would make from the campaign.
If you are a fan of dystopian and feminist fiction, definitely give this a read. Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Ravishing is a really interesting critique of the beauty industry and its tendency to prey on vulnerable communities. It explores the interaction between outer beauty and mental health, as well as grief, cultural identity and capitalism.
I thought all of the characters were really well written and their motivations were clear. Vinod, and the ways that Kashmira and Nikhil differed in their understanding of him, felt particularly real and I think Eshani Suryas writing really shined in scenes where the characters were trying to make sense of Vinods place in their lives.
While I liked Nikhil as a character, his chapters started to feel slightly repetitive by the end of part 1. It sometimes felt like the story would get paused to visit him at his office for a chapter and I would’ve preferred to have stayed in Kashmiras perspective instead. The change in pace between perspectives felt a bit jarring at times.
I really liked the discussions on how companies use performative activism to make a profit. It was really interesting to see the difference between Nikhil who genuinely thought he was doing a good thing, and the company itself that only cared about the profits they would make from the campaign.
If you are a fan of dystopian and feminist fiction, definitely give this a read. Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
November 12, 2025
Kashmira is having a hard time. She's in high school and after her controlling father left, the family has fallen apart. Her mother stays passive, now depending on Kashmira's older brother, Nikhil, to make the decisions once monopolized by her husband. Nikhil has moved out, now living in New York, but they're not speaking to each other. And Kashmira both misses and hates her father, and every time she looks in the mirror, she sees how much she resembles him. She hates her face. Then, at a party, a friend shows her her new face cream, one filled with personalized nano particles that rearrange her features into the face she designed herself. Kashmira sees that her solution is in that very expensive bottle of cream, her ticket to look less like her father (and herself) and thereby be able to enjoy life. So her friend happily helps her access the cream, and Kashmira begins a new life--from sleeping with the hot guy to taking up dancing. But such dramatic change comes with a high price.
This novel covers a lot of ground, from complex family dynamics, to living as a hyphenated American, to the success at all costs approach of modern businesses. For all that's going on, Surya keeps things moving and the writing is very good for a debut novel. There's also some very interesting ideas about how stress manifests itself in our bodies and the character of Kashmira is well-crafted -- she's very much a teenager, with all the self-absorption of that age, acting recklessly and also capable of insight. I enjoyed this introduction to Surya's writing and look forward to her next book.
This novel covers a lot of ground, from complex family dynamics, to living as a hyphenated American, to the success at all costs approach of modern businesses. For all that's going on, Surya keeps things moving and the writing is very good for a debut novel. There's also some very interesting ideas about how stress manifests itself in our bodies and the character of Kashmira is well-crafted -- she's very much a teenager, with all the self-absorption of that age, acting recklessly and also capable of insight. I enjoyed this introduction to Surya's writing and look forward to her next book.
November 15, 2025
Ravishing is an unsettling look at beauty, belonging, and the quiet ways people try to make themselves worthy of love, both from others and from themselves. It starts slowly, laying a lot of groundwork around Evolvoir’s too-good-to-be-true product and Kashmira’s fraught relationship with her own reflection, and I’ll admit I wasn’t sure I’d stick with it at first. I would’ve preferred some of this backstory woven throughout the narrative instead of front-loading it.
The familiar “mysterious beauty product with a dark side” trope is here, but what stands out is the perspective. This isn’t another story about white women chasing some unattainable beauty or health standard. It’s about an Indian-American teen who sees her absent, abusive father in her own face and can’t bear it. That internal conflict, combined with an estranged brother working inside the very company she turns to, makes the emotional stakes sharper and more complicated. Neither sibling realizes how tangled they are in each other's choices; Kashmira getting the product because of a friend's account before gaining access because of Nikhil's aggressive press to make the product more accessible to certain audiences. His initial idealism and later moral reckoning raises interesting questions about complicity, loyalty, and the ethics of fixing a system you know is doing harm to people, even if it is a small percentage of them.
With Kashmira, we get to ask ourselves questions about empathy, identity, acceptance, and the things we'll put ourselves through to feel a certain way. The book does a good job of capturing her turmoil before, during, and after using the product, so I only wish the corporate tension had been given more attention after the story did find its rhythm.
The familiar “mysterious beauty product with a dark side” trope is here, but what stands out is the perspective. This isn’t another story about white women chasing some unattainable beauty or health standard. It’s about an Indian-American teen who sees her absent, abusive father in her own face and can’t bear it. That internal conflict, combined with an estranged brother working inside the very company she turns to, makes the emotional stakes sharper and more complicated. Neither sibling realizes how tangled they are in each other's choices; Kashmira getting the product because of a friend's account before gaining access because of Nikhil's aggressive press to make the product more accessible to certain audiences. His initial idealism and later moral reckoning raises interesting questions about complicity, loyalty, and the ethics of fixing a system you know is doing harm to people, even if it is a small percentage of them.
With Kashmira, we get to ask ourselves questions about empathy, identity, acceptance, and the things we'll put ourselves through to feel a certain way. The book does a good job of capturing her turmoil before, during, and after using the product, so I only wish the corporate tension had been given more attention after the story did find its rhythm.
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