Ravenous

by Sara Cooper

Breigh is a hot elder millennial who is obsessed with the brands she is ambassading for. Her policy is YES, and her livestreams are viral. But she’s pregnant now, and her body’s changing. It's not that she's hungry. She's definitely not depressed. She just sometimes eats boxes of makeup before passing out.

Daddy’s bought a brand-new home for Breigh and Baby, complete with a Greenguard Gold-certified, twice-imported velvet infant chaise — but is he cheating on her with a hotter, younger coworker? Breigh has to get Baby out before it ruins her. She has to create more and better content than the other Momfluencers. She has to unbox something new. She has to unbox … Baby! Baby approves of her seven-step marketing plan. Welcome to #LiveBirth.

Breigh’s increasingly unhinged life reflects her generation’s anxieties around psychological manipulation through social media platforms. Multi-award-winning author Sara Cooper presents a wild debut novel in this incisive satire of consumerism, performative femininity, and social media.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Literary Fiction

286 pages, Paperback

Published August 13, 2026

About the author

Sara Cooper is a novelist and playwright-lyricist whose work blends dark humor, psychological insight, and sharp cultural critique. Her debut novel RAVENOUS was a finalist for the 2025 Tucson Festival of Books Literary Awards and will be published August 13, 2026 by Fernwood Publishing, Roseway imprint. Her second novel, DEAD CENTER, is under contract for publication in Spring 2027. In theatre, Sara’s work 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. Sara currently teaches at Purchase College and NYU.

Reviews

[Aleena]

Omigosh. What the actual f*k did I just read.

Obsessed.

[Ariel]

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.

[mood_reading_menace]

That was a hell of a dermaplaner. Yes, mama. Obsessed.

[Alex]

completely batshit crazy. insane stream of consciousness writing (I think???). completely deranged and unhinged woman so obvs I loved it

[imogen]

this was incredibly extreme - not in its content but in its writing. it doesn't build to a point of craziness, it begins there. breigh is a mother to be who is trying to control everything in her life and has clearly suffered a psychotic break. i think this book could've been so much better if we had seen breigh before she started hallucinating and plotting, but as we meet her that way it just feels like a ridiculous, wild ride. it made me physically anxious at times. i think if you want a book like 'nightbitch' or 'boy parts' without any of the subtlety, this is for you.

[Anna]

”The carnage of my rampage lies before me, a cardboard wasteland of dilapidated dreams, an asteroid-sized crater of misery where my manic delight once lived”.

Omigosh.

Ravenous is first class weird girl-lit. I savoured every fxxing sentence of this rollercoaster on speed novel.

Weird girl-lit is one of my all favourite genres and combined with horror my black readerheart’s somersaulting.

Sara Cooper have done an amazing job writing this firecracker of novel. Is it satire? Is it real? Balancing on the thin rope of the human need to be seen, to make an imprint in the world before our time is up. About the human hunger in a world spinning faster for each day and if no one sees you - do you even exist?

Omigosh. Highly recommend. Obsessed. Chef’s kiss👌🏻🖤 … ”I’m not myself. I need to unbox something”

[Leah]

The writing was extremely clever and filled with many laugh-out-loud quips. For that, it’s five stars. But boy howdy is this book relentless. All gas, no brakes. At times I thought- what is the point anymore? But the one-liners are so fucking good, it doesn’t matter what the plot is really. I also loved the constant vomiting. A really good bit.

[Rat Queen]

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!

[whatzoreads]

For the girls with a parcel arriving tomorrow who absolutely did not need to read this.

Ravenous by Sara Cooper got me in a full menty b spiral. The math is finally mathing…
We are literally fully consumed by the consumerism and yet starved. Our brains instantly spawning a new hyper-fixation the second a package arrives.

OUT FOR DELIVERY: Me tracking the Evri driver like he’s transporting a donor organ.

DELIVERED: 5 seconds of joy. And somehow, almost immediately the dopamine leaves the chat. I am back in the trenches.

Sara Cooper has clocked my tea, called me broken, and left me for dead. Ravenous has understood something about consumer culture that made me feel personally attacked. We’re not buying products. We’re buying better versions of ourselves. Every product arrives with an imaginary woman attached. Prettier. Thinner. Happier. More organised. More desirable. More successful. More. Sara Cooper takes that idea, throws it directly into the terminally online brain of pregnant millennial influencer Beigh (with one e), and proceeds to make it increasingly grotesque.
One e Breigh is both the dealer and the addict. She’s literally running a pyramid scheme of fake happiness, buying the delusion just to resell it to the next insecure girlie on her feed. There’s something so brilliantly nasty about the double standard Sara Cooper clocks. Society literally screams “buy more, want more, expand your horizons!” but the second a woman actually shows she’s hungry, they label her as unhinged and greedy.

The modern female checklist is a literal simulation:
Be ambitious, but don’t look greedy.
Be beautiful, but look effortless.
Be successful, but don’t look like you worked for it.
Want more. Just never, ever look ravenous.
The system requires your hunger, but it absolutely despises your appetite.

The way Breigh literally starts eating the makeup she’s unboxing is so gross but absolutely brilliant. Sara Cooper takes the clean girl aesthetic, smashes the mirror, and makes hunger physically visible. It’s disgustingly honest.
And then comes #LiveBirth.
The ultimate unboxing video. Absolutely deranged.

The prose is giving a literal 14-hour screen time panic attack, and I am completely obsessed. It’s frantic and overstimulated, mimicking Breigh’s brain slipping into the void. It literally reads like a mind that has been frying on TikTok for 72 hours straight. I know some people find the formatting exhausting, but for me, the mental fatigue was the experience. You are meant to feel the burnout.

Breigh is unhinged, narcissistic, an insufferable nightmare… I would literally die for her.

Beneath all the chaos and influencer brain rot, Ravenous left me with one genuinely uncomfortable thought actively keeping me awake at night. What if nothing ever makes us feel full because we’re not supposed to?
A satisfied woman stops clicking. A woman who believes she has enough stops buying. The second a woman likes herself, the entire economy collapses.

Ravenous is nasty, chaotic, funny as hell, and absolutely understood the assignment.

Thank you @NetGalley @ColumbiaUniversityPress for the advanced reader copy. These are my honest thoughts.

5 stars. Ohmigosh. Obsessed.

[Krys C]

⭐ (3.5)

This book is... absolutely unhinged.

Imagine if influencer culture, pregnancy anxiety, capitalism, parasocial relationships, and body horror all climbed into a blender, hit "purée," and somehow produced a novel. That's Ravenous.

Breigh is the kind of character you spend the entire book wanting to shake while also feeling deeply sorry for. Every decision she makes is driven by algorithms, sponsorships, and the need to stay relevant, and watching her unravel is equal parts horrifying and weirdly hilarious.

The satire is razor-sharp, and Sara Cooper clearly understands how exhausting online performance has become. There were moments where I laughed out loud, moments that made my stomach turn, and several where I just stared at the page thinking, "Did that really just happen?" The relentless chaos started to lose a bit of its impact by the final stretch. Even so, I had a great time reading something this original.

If you like your horror weird, your satire biting, and your protagonists delightfully chaotic, you'll probably eat this one up. (Unlike Breigh... maybe don't eat the makeup.)

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!)

[Karen]

OH MY GOD!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an advance copy of this book

This book was a wild ride. There are so many niche references to such a wide array of topics along with really good satire commentary. I LOVED the stream of consciousness style of writing for this book. Oh my god, please read this book I beg you. There are so many good quotes, I wish I could list them all here

[Szarygolab]

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

yes, obsessed!!

unhinged unreal batshit crazy
po prostu rollercoaster przeczytałam praktycznie całą na raz

i cytując główną bohaterkę

Slay. Bet. Chef's kiss. Fire. Honestly?! Bury me with it. I mean, this is next level, game-changer, must-have, life-saver. It's giving old-money quiet-luxury corporate-baddie tomatogirl summer patchouli Wes Anderson goddess trashbag indigo baby corecore divinity oolong tamtam crwth hallux interrobang goodness!!

[nicolealese]

wtaf 😂

[Shae Bentley]

4⭐️ - Okay, don't get me wrong, this book is absolutely insane... but it's also kind of brilliant?! Ravenous is what happens when influencer culture, consumerism, pregnancy anxiety and body horror all get thrown into a blender and somehow come out as a book. 😂 We follow Breigh, a pregnant influencer who is completely obsessed with staying relevant, chasing the next sponsorship, unboxing the next product and turning every moment of her life into content. The more desperate she becomes for attention and validation, the more unhinged things get.

This book is absolutely ridiculous and I loved how committed Sara Cooper was to the madness. The stream-of-consciousness writing style completely puts you inside Breigh's head and let me tell you... it's a LOT. She's frustrating, selfish, deranged and honestly pretty exhausting, but that's what made her such a fascinating character to follow. The satire on influencer culture was brilliant, especially with Breigh treating pregnancy, motherhood and even her own body as something to be consumed and monetised. There were moments where I was laughing, moments where I felt genuinely uncomfortable and plenty of times where I just sat there thinking, "what on earth did I just read?"

I think this one will definitely be divisive because Breigh's voice is intentionally absurd and over-the-top, but I had such a good time with it. It's weird, gross, darkly funny and completely unlike anything I've read before. This was such an original and memorable (but freaking weird?!) horror read. Sara Cooper absolutely nailed the uncomfortable side of living in a world where everything can become content and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the ARC.

[Brittany | Lady in Read]

Breigh is an "Elder Millennial" mom-to-be with her own mommy issues, abandonment issues, self-esteem issues, and probably 65 other issues wrapped up in a malnourished body draped in every name-brand item that exists. The novel is written as Breigh's stream of consciousness, and that’s the only way this book should exist because all we are supposed to care about is what Breigh thinks FOR FUCKS SAKE. So SHUT UP and listen.

Reading this book was literally exhausting. Because when you’re in it, you’re IN IT. And you’re going 100 mph because SHE’S going 100 mph. You don’t stop. You don’t breathe. You don’t blink. Because she doesn’t, doesn’t, doesn’t. I drank a THC seltzer while reading one night, and I started crying because I couldn’t keep up with how fast she was speaking. I think that says more about me, but I digress.

Breigh is a paradox of a woman: she wants every expensive, popular, indulgent THING while simultaneously recognizing the vapidity of it all. She’s so terrified of becoming her mother so she over-corrects into mania. She will never break the cycle, though, because she cannot just stop. She isn’t just some psycho millennial. She’s smart and aware. She just cares too much about STUFF filling her up and her debilitating need to be seen - and that’s why (among a brazillion other reasons) she is relentlessly unlikeable and painfully frustrating. In fact, every single character is awful, and I’m so so so here for it.

I love books like this, and I love Sara Cooper, because as frustrating as these characters were, Cooper made the whole experience wildly entertaining. I laughed out loud at almost every page and not because it was a lighthearted romp about silly women and their silly wants. Breigh represents a type of person who can't see beyond themselves, and what she says and what she does are so unhinged that you have no other choice but to laugh.

I'm buying this book immediately, and you should too. O B S E S S E D.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Roseway Publishing, and Sara Cooper for this eARC. This review contains my honest, authentic thoughts and opinions.*

[Jarrahlee Hurrell]

This is such a wild and anxiety inducing story. Our pregnant FMC is an influencer trying to be more, have more followers, go viral. Breigh has such a toxic relationship with everyone around her and tries to gain love from those online interactions.

You feel her self loathing, body dysmorphia, and stress in the writing style of this book. It’s chaotic and messy, giving you a glimpse into her brain. I felt the anxiety for myself. Breigh is constantly talking to her unborn baby, which just adds to her unhealthy mental state.

To me, this is message about how the world is messing with women. The unhealthy relationships we have with bodies, socials, and men trying to fit us into a box (that no one even wants). I think this did an amazing job of giving the reader a glimpse into an absolutely unhinged and unhealthy brain. Some conversations had me so confused. 😂

Thankyou to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for this advanced reading copy.

[Lili Hill]

This book is a wild rabbit hole to dive into. It is heavy with obsession, psychological horror, body horror, and set in modern times. I devoured it in one night because it chronicles a trainwreck you just can't look away from. Breigh is driven by desire for fame, collecting likes, gaining views, and she'll stop at nothing to secure top spot. Thank-you, Columbia University Press and Sara Cooper, for this complimentary copy. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

[Sarah Safivand]

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC copy.

I loved this hot mess of a protagonist, Breigh. She is pregnant and chronically online, constantly unboxing products and living for the next dopamine hit. This book is clearly a satire on the brainrot TikTok culture, but what makes it more delightful is that Breigh has some moments of clarity, but just can't seem to follow through. It's written in a stream-of-consciousness, which may be off-putting for some readers, but it's worth sticking around for.

[Chantelle]

Oh how I love you weird girl lit, this was a wild and unhinged experience but I had the best time of my life

[Lexi Brethauer]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-ARC!

I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts into words because the book constantly kept my head spinning and never gave me a chance to think, which was great! It was hard to put down, made me laugh out loud, and gave me whiplash (in a good way!!!!!)

A caricature of influencers, satirical, stream of consciousness writing, unreliable narrator, descent into madness, fast paced - it was a lot of fun.

[Melissa]

So, this felt like sticking a fork into an electrical socket.....
I mean that in the best way, honestly, I'm OBSESSED (iykyk)

This was a riot of a book, so fast paced that it felt at times like I had whiplash reading it. I mean that in the best way, honestly. I'M OBSESSED.

I honestly dont want to give too much away, I would reccomend everyone go into this as blind as possible. Like I did. I have no regrets. This was satire at its finest,  observing a world so convuluded with image and influencer culture. My only real critique isnt even about the book itself, but more about the ARC's formatting which made it a bit hard to read at first.

Very high 4 stars, maybe even a 5. I am obsessed after all. 

[Anna W]

Breigh is a 38 year old, pregnant, influencer trying to stay relevant and find validation through social media. She is addicted to likes, comments, and has attached her entire self worth to her online persona. But what do people online want to see, how does she keep them obsessed and differentiate herself from other influencers? By being thinner, more extravagant, and doing things on camera that others haven't or wouldn't do, obviously.

This book was frenetic to the nth degree, beginning with the energy at 10 and tries to ramp up but it starts so high already that the experience was exhausting. We open in Breigh's erratic ramblings and the stream of consciousness continues throughout. As the situation devolves, we start losing segments of time and grasp on reality.

I do like satires, but I tend to like when they ride the line between believable and not. This one was dialed all the way up and likely deliberately given the cultural topics it's trying to address. It will be the right book for some, not me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Roseway Publishing, and Sara Cooper for the advanced ebook copy.

[Lexi]

Aptly named, Ravenous follows Breigh, an elder millennial influencer who is not yet in her third trimester, much to her dismay. She is insatiable, needing more. More DMs, more things, more attention, more validation, more more more. She is the queen of unboxing and is desperate to up the ante. Unboxing her baby? Oh my god. Let's do it. Obsessed.

Breigh's charm was in her inner discordance. Whether she believes the things she says is up for debate. This novel is written as a stream of consciousness, and Breigh's consciousness is chaotic. Can chaos spiral into chaos? I guess so!

As our unreliable, infuriating, narcissistic guide to #LiveBirth, some will love Breigh because they hate her, and some will hate her because they hate her. It all feels intentional, though, speaking to the novel's central themes of consumerism, the performative nature of influencing and content creation, and its interrogation of which parts of us we will give, sell, unbox, just to take more.

Quite intentionally, I assume, Ravenous frustrated me. Breigh's dysregulation created emotional whiplash, and, in her mind, I struggled to discern what was really going on. Some scenes felt stiff, others dizzying. It was a feverish read, as in I felt I understood most of it, but not well enough to describe it to someone else.

Readers who enjoy turbulent female characters, satirical novels about social media consumption and influencing (momfluencing?) or books that are just weird... this one's for you!

[Nikki Reads]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ravenous follows a 38 year old social media influencer whose carefully curated online life masks a growing sense of emptiness. She then becomes obsessed with live-streaming the birth of her child, and we see her descend into a social media psychosis.

This was such a refreshing direction for psychological horror. Sara Cooper delivers a deeply unsettling character study of a woman who has become so consumed by the version of herself she presents online that she's completely disconnected from who she really is.

What stood out to me most was how authentically the book explored unhealed mother trauma and the lasting ways it shapes identity, relationships, and self-worth. The intrusive thoughts felt raw and believable, making it impossible not to get inside the protagonist's head. Watching her unravel was equal parts heartbreaking and disturbing.

I absolutely loved this book. It's sharp, unsettling, and incredibly relevant in an age where so much of our lives are curated for strangers. Beneath the psychological horror is a powerful story about identity, loneliness, and the hunger to be seen, even when you've lost sight of yourself.

[Lexi]

Thank you to NETGALLEY the author and publisher for the arc. I loved this we start the story with our pregnant mc and she is hungry and does everything well …. Ravenously. She viciously rips open gifted pr boxes, manically doomscrolls and fervently online shops while also viciously and violently ripping her own self apart. She compares herself to another influencer Astrid , whom she sees as having the perfect life and face . She does everything hungrily, but denies herself food. Throughout the story, she name drops brands and products that she has. Presenting an image of wealth, health and happiness while inside being empty. This is top notch satire. Stepford wife style momfluencers. I hated everyone but also loved everyone
A spiraling fever, dream of excitement. She starts having conversations with her unborn child and the ending is THE SUBSTANCE levels of fucked up. I tore through this ravenously

[Ana]

I absolutely devoured this book. It’s one of my favorite reads of the year.

The way Sara Coopers draws you into the protagonist’s psychosis is incredible—you become so immersed in her distorted reality that it’s impossible to look away.

Dark, unsettling, and completely absorbing. I couldn’t put it down.

[Kiera Murphy]

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.

[b00krabbit]

[arc review coming shortly]

[LX]

Thank you for the e-proof!

This was just a wild ride loooool hope ideas like this for content never finds me

[jess.readstoomuch]

Ravenous was not what I was expecting. The plot seems great but I don't think I gelled well with the writing style. It's very frenetic and relentless which kinda hurt my brain to read. I really tried my best with this book and I'm so so gutted that this book wasn't for me. It's definitely a me problem though, not the book 😭

I'd definitely urge you to read the book for yourself 🖤 If the writing style worked better with my brain, I'd be all over this book. The concept is honestly just chefs kiss. It's just a shame my brain isn't 😂

Rated 3 stars for neutrality.

✨️ Publishes August 13th 2026 ✨️