Ravenous

by Sara Cooper

Genres: Horror

Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 13, 2026

About the author

Sara Cooper (she/her) is a novelist and playwright-lyricist. Sara writes incisive, feminist stories about women navigating the pressures of contemporary culture, particularly consumerism, wellness culture, and the performance of perfection. Her works are unflinching deep dives into the ills and inequities of American society, especially in regards to misogyny, capitalism, and the commodification of American body and mind.

Sara has received awards and honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, American Theatre Wing, New York State Council on the Arts, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and ASCAP, and she holds an MFA from New York University’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. She currently teaches at Purchase College and New York University.

Reviews

[Ariel Pattee]

This book is definitely a satire on tik tok overconsumption influencer culture. Lots of live streaming product unboxings and online shopping to fill the void of emptiness and depression. Our main character Breigh is pregnant and you can tell right away that she cares more about the views and content the baby will give her, than actually caring about her baby. There is also a lot of commentary on women’s bodies and eating disorders while pregnant.

Reading the synopsis it reminded me of recent books I’ve loved like Trad Wife and Julie Chan is Dead, so I thought I was going to love this, but unfortunately it did not meet my expectations. About 25% into the book I made the choice to stop reading, the writing style was mainly the reason. I felt like the writing was very stream of consciousness, which I tend to not like. Breigh was almost a caricature of influencer culture, and she didn’t feel like a real person to me. I honestly felt like I was reading the inner mind of someone who is high on cocaine, which could definitely appeal to readers who like a chaotic voice.

[Kiera Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Holy moly this was the most insane fever dream I read it in one sitting. The stream of consciousness of our main character Breigh is absolutely unhinged and I was obsessed.

This book was chaotic and the satirical dialogue was some of the best I’ve read in a good while. Breigh’s descent into madness and being under the influence of social media was incredibly convincing and so well written I was hooked until the last word.

[gabbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Momfluencers today have already unboxed everything imaginable. Except maybe the baby itself.

”This book is such a vibe. “Omigosh,” I say as I read the first page. “Obsessed. Literally, holy grail of psychological fiction.” My heart is racing, my eyes scanning the page with an avaricious, hungry reverence. "It's giving dark academia slow burn enemies-to-lovers spicy romantasy morally grey shadow daddy sapphic BookTok crying cottage core villain era found family trauma dumping chosen one literary fiction adjacent cozy gothic emotional damage atmospheric denouement marginalia slay!!!"
I am sweating, hungry, turning pages with something close to devotion. I am a five-star review happening in real time. I am—”

That’s more or less how reading the book felt. It’s also basically exactly how the book starts (except Breigh is opening boxes, not reading a book). It’s thought-provoking brain rot. Bet you never thought you’d see those words in the same sentence.

Breigh, an elder millennial, earns her keep by unboxing products for a livestream crowd. Now, at only 27 weeks pregnant, she thinks of a plan to go viral: unbox the baby live! Of course! She's a pioneer. She just has to do it before pregnancy ruins her camera-ready looks. Welcome to #LiveBirth.

The story unfolds in a stream of consciousness, racing at the manic pace of Breigh’s thoughts. The writing is feverish, dazzling, almost delirious. It uses this rapturous, divine fervor about things that are completely vapid. A skincare routine feels like spiritual ascension. Like watching a high-church mass, but instead of a priest, you have a woman unboxing a dermaplaning tool.

Breigh is experiencing a simultaneous awakening and a descent; she is becoming more and less sane at the same time, finding flashes of clarity even as she slips deeper into paranoia.

Beneath the glittering surface lies a real story that is actually pretty devastating. Breigh’s life is a performance, and it doesn’t end when the cameras are off. While she (presumably) looks like she has her shit together on the outside, her inner world is a chaotic wasteland of isolation, cynicism, and denial. It’s a brutal look at body dysmorphia, internalized misogyny, and the desperation to be thin and beautiful at any cost. Apparently, even babies prefer symmetrical faces? We just can't win, can we? It’s a Sisyphean chase for validation, filling an existential void with everything from skincare to sex to food and starvation.

“Show me something worth living for. I’m starving. I’m digesting myself and finding that, though I am vast, I am startlingly light.”

This book has moments that really made me stop and question my habits. Or rather, question how broken the systems are and how much we are lied to by the corporations. I had to Google some of the claims and they turned out to be true. Like that only 9% of the world’s plastic is actually recycled, what?? God dammit!! Here I am thinking I’m helping by recycling, and they’re just lying to me? There’s also a part that discusses consumption and how the companies are “robbing us blind, and we are purchasing the privilege. We call spending self-care. We call shopping therapy.” GOD DAMMIT!! Even when we tell ourselves we are winning, even when we tell ourselves we beat the system, it’s because they designed it to make us feel that way!!

I don’t think this is a book for everyone. But if this book is for you, it will really hit. It’s funny, it’s vapid, it’s satirical, it’s poignant, it’s thought-provoking. It’s a dazzling portrait of modern life that leaves you feeling a bit like you’ve been unboxed yourself.

A big thanks to NetGalley, Columbia University Press/Roseway Publishing and Sara Cooper for the ARC!

[Rea ♡ㅤ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Roseway Publishing, and Sara Cooper for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

5/5⭐️!


This book?! Like, Slay. Bet. Chef's kiss. Honestly?! Bury me with it. Yes. Obsessed! Its giving. Old-money quiet-luxury core. Corporate-baddie corecore. Like!! Omigosh!! TikTok ambassador, send me more galaxies. TJ Maxx jam packed aisles at Christmas time type vibes. You need this new cup! New Tote! New design! Bows! Avocado toast low fat carb free gluten free super dewy hydro cream clean girl unboxing! Classic short Uggs in everyone's favorite (sand)!!

If this triggered your fight or flight response, or piqued your interest, you'll probably love this just as much as I did. I'll be thinking about this one forever. Overconsumption and chronically online meets weird girl lit fic. It hits.

Breigh, wannabe millennial momfluencer, is pregnant with her first baby, and she is a disaster. She is hyper-focused on her content, branding, livestreams, appearance, and weight, to the point of insanity. She is desperate to perfectly portray her life to her following. To keep growing her following. More brand deals, more unboxings. The only joy she seems to feel in the book is the spiritual high she gets from consuming. The book is all in her point of view. No separate chapters, just one long, 280-page stream of absurd consciousness. Breigh spends most of the book speaking mentally, sometimes audibly, to the baby in her stomach. We're talking Lady Jessica from Dune 2, talking to her unborn baby.

Breigh and her baby, unbeknownst to her husband, decide that the best content they could make would be a #LiveBirth! An unboxing! A real, raw, unboxing of her own baby, live streamed right to you. Yes. Obsessed!! It doesn't matter that she's only 27 weeks along! She can make it happen. For content.

This book had me HOOKED from the beginning, all the way to the shocking end. The writing style is constant, flowing, and overstimulating in the best way. Sara Cooper calls out influencer culture and the world's obsession with 'more' in the most satirical way possible. The only way brain rot makes you smarter is if it's satirical! If you can read through the mania for the deeper meaning, you'll hopefully find this eye opening to the culture the world is sadly creating. Hopefully it makes you stop and think for a while. Hesitate before buying your 8th limited edition insulated 200oz cup. A new iPad, in a new color which the case covers anyways.

I hope you'll all be tripping over your cryptocurrency to get this book when it comes out on 8/13. Hype, thou art built.

[Ocean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh how I wanted to love this book ! On paper it was everything I love a feminist critic of overconsumption, the beauty and social media obsession with a dash of horror. Yet while this wasn’t a bad book per say, I didn’t find it very enjoyable. We are thrown into the main character’s tornado of manic thoughts from the very beginning, and it becomes quickly apparent that she (Breigh) is not doing so well. Her husband has bought them a house before the imminent arrival of her baby, but all she can focus on is her social media platforms and going viral. She tries to project this perfect appearance from her house to her body which is rapidly transforming due to her pregnancy. Instead of accepting it, she’s starving herself and or binging then making herself sick to be remain as thin as possible. She exhibit signs of PICA, (eating non consumable foods) and her mood depends entirely on the number of views on her constant livestreams where she unboxes items she doesn’t even like. Trying to monetize everything, she decides without informing her partner that she is going to birth her child on air before the due date thanks to some holistic herbal treatment all the while starting to suspect her husband of having an affair which she has zero proof about.

While the stream of consciousness lends itself perfectly to making the story feel frenetic and vivid with a narrator as vain and superficial as Breigh is, it also missed the chance to dig deeper into how one can become so self obsessed. The ending was very entertaining but still I felt like this book missed the mark, and I don’t think I can rely on one scene to make it all worthwhile. The writing wasn’t excellent and again, I think it’s due to being constantly in Breigh’s head whose vocabulary isn’t that extensive.

If you think you’d enjoy a fast paced, very modern, satirical horror about the unraveling of a young woman’s sanity look no further. I’m sure this book will find its people. I just tend to enjoy a deeper psychological dive and this one didn’t stick with me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Roseway Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book!

[Rat Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Roseway Publishing for this arc.

Absolutely bonkers, fast paced and full of satire and internet culture, “Ravenous” is an unhinged influencer joy ride that will have you chomping at the bit!

Breigh (not Bree!) is an elder millennial influencer who is obsessed with being relevant and going viral. The only downside is, she’s pregnant and that is so not hot.
Before the baby destroys her figure she hatches a new plan to keep her body attractive AND get views! Introducing… #LiveBirth. Yes, you heard that right.

A descent into madness that sheds light on the toxicity of consumerism, the psychological impact of social media and the reality of influencer culture - “Ravenous” is completely wild but also way too on the nose for its own good!

[literarybound · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Roseway Publishing for providing me with this ARC.

We find here a delicious, turbo fast-paced and character-driven novel sprinkled with delightful stream-of-consciousness.
She — Breight, is this gorgeous famous elder millennial influencer — a pioneer.
She is tired of her 27 weeks pregnancy (yes, 27) and creates this brilliant marketing plan to deliver — unbox — the baby #LiveBirth. We follow her entering into complete madness, obsession and whothefuckknowswhat.

The author’s satire of our current world situation is on point and hilarious. If you love an unreliable character, this will be your next favourite read.

Themes: feminism, unreliable character, mental illness, obsession, horror, stream-of-consciousness, consumerist, manipulation, satire of consumerism, social media.

(I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Roseway Publishing in exchange for an honest review.)

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

O. M. G.

What a strange, strange novel. How to even describe it? It's almost a think piece that goes on a bit too long. Yet it keeps working somehow.

A lot of social commentary ... swiftly and somewhat superficially sped by the reader, kind of like an MIA lyric. But you never know where it's going. That's the meta-level point, I think, Or one of them.

The ending comes out of nowhere. Then again, it's just right.

I'm being obtuse but this is honestly a difficult book to describe. It's whiplash, zany, all over the place, and a deeply sad rendering of the end of the modern millennial.

Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia University Press | Roseway Publishing for the advance copy.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolutely WILD ride. It’s fast paced and the pov narration makes it easy to follow. Very relevant with our influencer culture today.where we stream and monetize anything and everything. Breigh hustles like no other. I was so entertained by this book and as a millennial I found it terrifyingly relatable but also eye opening. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Gina L · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sounded like something I was going to love; An unhinged female finally snapping and commentary on influencer culture. However, there was just something about the way it was written that I just couldnt gel with and it was a little too manic to the point that I feel like I couldn't enjoy it because half the time I had no idea what was going on.

[Corrie Liotta · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me feel dumber. I love a frenetic fever dream, an unreliable narrator, an unlikeable female character. This was not that. I know it’s satirical, but I don’t believe these characters and, even in her rare moments of clarity, it feels completely unlikely that a character this shallow could manage a spare thought about climate change and fascism. Not for me!

[carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel that addresses the dangers of influencer culture in a fun, satirical, and unhinged way! This book is truly funny, and here is the best dialogue from the book:

“I’m cosplaying Elizabeth Holmes.

Who?

She’s in jail. It doesn’t matter. She was extremely convincing.”

[Molly Beardslee · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

That was a wild ride, left me thinking what just happened the whole time. Was not a good bedtime book, was really overstimulating.