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A Cure for Ugly
In a world where beauty is currency and self-image is everything, A Cure for Ugly delves into the dark side of obsession with perfection and the hidden cost of attaining it.
John, a man lost in his own insecurities, finds himself manipulated into taking a mysterious drug known as Upgrade. Promised a new lease on life, he becomes the ultimate experiment, slowly morphing into something unrecognizable—both physically and mentally.
As the truth about the drug, its creators, and its life-altering effects begins to surface, John must grapple with his choices—and the terrible consequences of a society that trades morality for beauty and eternal life.
A Cure for Ugly is a gripping exploration of the dangers of unchecked ambition, the fragility of identity, and the lengths people will go to in their pursuit of perfection. In a world that values appearance over substance, who will be left standing when beauty comes at the cost of humanity?
John, a man lost in his own insecurities, finds himself manipulated into taking a mysterious drug known as Upgrade. Promised a new lease on life, he becomes the ultimate experiment, slowly morphing into something unrecognizable—both physically and mentally.
As the truth about the drug, its creators, and its life-altering effects begins to surface, John must grapple with his choices—and the terrible consequences of a society that trades morality for beauty and eternal life.
A Cure for Ugly is a gripping exploration of the dangers of unchecked ambition, the fragility of identity, and the lengths people will go to in their pursuit of perfection. In a world that values appearance over substance, who will be left standing when beauty comes at the cost of humanity?
157 pages, Hardcover
Published April 21, 2025
1 person is currently reading
186 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 17, 2025
Thank you to the author for a free copy for an honest review.
A Cure For Ugly could be described as ‘Death Becomes Her’ meets ‘The Substance’ meets ‘wonderfully gay’. It’s a queer body horror about a man who takes a substance called Upgrade to transform his appearance, but it comes with a price attached.
I enjoyed this a lot! The commentary on the superficialism and the hyper-focus on sex, youth and hook-up culture in the queer scene felt well written - and as a gay man in his 30s myself - I could relate to the main character’s insecurities. There were plot twists I didn’t expect, and an ending that I didn’t see coming, which elevated this for me beyond the few body horrors I’ve read.
Be warned: this book is graphic in every sense of the word. There was one scene involving an old man in a nightclub that made me retch. The horror is visceral and gruesome, and the ‘romance’ is spicy and explicit. If you have a weak stomach or a bit of MLM action isn’t for you, I would recommend you find your body horror stories elsewhere.
My criticisms would be that the dialogue was a little stiff in places - but that doesn’t detract from the overall reading experience. The book also packs a lot into its pages, and while I think a novella was the right decision for this story, I think an extra 20 pages could have let it breathe more.
Overall, I’m glad I read this and would read more by the author in future.
A Cure For Ugly could be described as ‘Death Becomes Her’ meets ‘The Substance’ meets ‘wonderfully gay’. It’s a queer body horror about a man who takes a substance called Upgrade to transform his appearance, but it comes with a price attached.
I enjoyed this a lot! The commentary on the superficialism and the hyper-focus on sex, youth and hook-up culture in the queer scene felt well written - and as a gay man in his 30s myself - I could relate to the main character’s insecurities. There were plot twists I didn’t expect, and an ending that I didn’t see coming, which elevated this for me beyond the few body horrors I’ve read.
Be warned: this book is graphic in every sense of the word. There was one scene involving an old man in a nightclub that made me retch. The horror is visceral and gruesome, and the ‘romance’ is spicy and explicit. If you have a weak stomach or a bit of MLM action isn’t for you, I would recommend you find your body horror stories elsewhere.
My criticisms would be that the dialogue was a little stiff in places - but that doesn’t detract from the overall reading experience. The book also packs a lot into its pages, and while I think a novella was the right decision for this story, I think an extra 20 pages could have let it breathe more.
Overall, I’m glad I read this and would read more by the author in future.
July 20, 2025
10⭐️. think is book is positively wonderful.
January 21, 2026
Great story, very relatable to queer people, especially millennials. You feel as if the author has used personal experiences of dating and relationships in the gay world, into the story. Some of the anecdotes were shockingly hilarious.
The dialogue is similar to how I talk to my queer friends - although some plot pointed sentences need to be added to help us keep up with the story.
The sex scenes were very well written, as was the horror. Some of the gore genuinely makes you retch. The final scenes are worth a read on its own.
I didn't see the end coming and have read and watched A LOT of horror. I liked the open ending and it feels like there could be more from this universe.
As a first novel from this author, I really look forward to more stories to get engrossed in.
The dialogue is similar to how I talk to my queer friends - although some plot pointed sentences need to be added to help us keep up with the story.
The sex scenes were very well written, as was the horror. Some of the gore genuinely makes you retch. The final scenes are worth a read on its own.
I didn't see the end coming and have read and watched A LOT of horror. I liked the open ending and it feels like there could be more from this universe.
As a first novel from this author, I really look forward to more stories to get engrossed in.
September 19, 2025
I really appreciate what this book wanted to be but it ended up being sex scenes for 50% of the book and then the other 50% felt like we were trying to cram 150% of plot in.
I will give it credit that when crazy shit started happening I was captivated, but mostly because there was so much going on without any breathers in between, I wanted to keep reading and see how things tied up. The ending felt extremely clumsy and messy.
I went in to this expecting a commentary on societies beauty standards but unfortunately this book could have used about 50 more pages to explain what the hell even happened
I will give it credit that when crazy shit started happening I was captivated, but mostly because there was so much going on without any breathers in between, I wanted to keep reading and see how things tied up. The ending felt extremely clumsy and messy.
I went in to this expecting a commentary on societies beauty standards but unfortunately this book could have used about 50 more pages to explain what the hell even happened
January 2, 2026
From the first pages the author grabs your hand and drags you through ham-fisted plot and laughable dialogue. Nothing is shown; everything is told. Several times characters give monologues of exposition just because another character asks them a question. Like the rest of the plot, the sex scenes are rushed and at times absurd in their mechanics. The foreshadowing is so obvious that no suspense was ever built.
*spoilers below*
As poorly written as it all is, I could almost give the author a pass for this being their first novella if their fat phobia wasn’t so loud. To think that the most horrific thing that could happen to a person would be that they get fat? The descriptions of Caleb’s new fat body are degrading and written to sound gross to justify that he’d want to give himself surgery to cut everything off.
Bottom line, don’t waste your time. It deserves zero stars but its only saving grace is that it’s short.
*spoilers below*
As poorly written as it all is, I could almost give the author a pass for this being their first novella if their fat phobia wasn’t so loud. To think that the most horrific thing that could happen to a person would be that they get fat? The descriptions of Caleb’s new fat body are degrading and written to sound gross to justify that he’d want to give himself surgery to cut everything off.
Bottom line, don’t waste your time. It deserves zero stars but its only saving grace is that it’s short.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews