What do you think?
Rate this book
Thin Is In
The most beautiful thing a girl can be is hollow.
In the not-so-distant future, beauty has been redefined. Emaciated girls drift through school hallways like angels, adored for their fragile bones, sunken faces, and bodies carefully remade by Beautithin.
Jack goes along with the new beauty standard, seeing it as harmless. Then his mother enrolls his six-year-old sister, Gabby, in the program.
The corporation promises perfection. The media calls it empowerment. Health authorities call it a valid lifestyle. Politicians clear every law standing in the way. Just three surgeries. A lifetime of brittle bones. A body remade into something beautiful.
But as Jack watches Gabby waste away pound by pound, he realizes the danger is not hidden in the surgery rooms. It is in the smiles. The praise. The doctors, teachers, influencers, and parents who have already decided this is what little girls are supposed to be.
If Jack waits for the world to call it wrong, there may be nothing left of his sister to save.
In the not-so-distant future, beauty has been redefined. Emaciated girls drift through school hallways like angels, adored for their fragile bones, sunken faces, and bodies carefully remade by Beautithin.
Jack goes along with the new beauty standard, seeing it as harmless. Then his mother enrolls his six-year-old sister, Gabby, in the program.
The corporation promises perfection. The media calls it empowerment. Health authorities call it a valid lifestyle. Politicians clear every law standing in the way. Just three surgeries. A lifetime of brittle bones. A body remade into something beautiful.
But as Jack watches Gabby waste away pound by pound, he realizes the danger is not hidden in the surgery rooms. It is in the smiles. The praise. The doctors, teachers, influencers, and parents who have already decided this is what little girls are supposed to be.
If Jack waits for the world to call it wrong, there may be nothing left of his sister to save.
244 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2026
About the author
Jeremiah White
2 books6 followersJeremiah White writes disturbing speculative horror about bodies, institutions, survival, and the human cost of normalized cruelty.
https://jeremiahwhitebooks.com/
https://jeremiahwhitebooks.com/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 17, 2026
ARC read, full disclosure I did DNF
Absolutely sickening read, even the first chapter had me queasy. As someone who has recovered from anorexia binge/purge subtype, I was very interested in the concept. I loved the universe. I really enjoyed the doublethink the main character had about his girlfriend and other women vs his sister that many men expirience under patriarchy, I thought that was a great touch and made the universe much more realistic.
The reason I had to DNF is I was unsettled by the undertones as a queer reader. In a universe that covers what it would be like if anorexia was treated not as a medical issue there is bound to be some uncomfortable stuff but there is a lot of stuff surrounding medical care bringing out the true self, “seraphobia” including how not wanting sex with them is seraphobic, and the classic mother who is pushing an identity on her child by “seeing signs” in childhood can be and was uncomfortable to read as a queer person who hears the “well if we treat trans people why shouldn’t we just treat anorexics with weight loss” and talk of parents “pushing identities on their kids” often, I don’t know if this is the authors intention but there was some aspects (seraphim pride flag was particularly egregious) that made this very uncomfortable for me and ultimately made me decide I couldn’t go on, I did skip forward and saw it gets more overt over the course of the book, some of the things said are just regular transphobic talking points word for word. I don’t really mind if this was the intention but a warning would have been great.
Absolutely sickening read, even the first chapter had me queasy. As someone who has recovered from anorexia binge/purge subtype, I was very interested in the concept. I loved the universe. I really enjoyed the doublethink the main character had about his girlfriend and other women vs his sister that many men expirience under patriarchy, I thought that was a great touch and made the universe much more realistic.
The reason I had to DNF is I was unsettled by the undertones as a queer reader. In a universe that covers what it would be like if anorexia was treated not as a medical issue there is bound to be some uncomfortable stuff but there is a lot of stuff surrounding medical care bringing out the true self, “seraphobia” including how not wanting sex with them is seraphobic, and the classic mother who is pushing an identity on her child by “seeing signs” in childhood can be and was uncomfortable to read as a queer person who hears the “well if we treat trans people why shouldn’t we just treat anorexics with weight loss” and talk of parents “pushing identities on their kids” often, I don’t know if this is the authors intention but there was some aspects (seraphim pride flag was particularly egregious) that made this very uncomfortable for me and ultimately made me decide I couldn’t go on, I did skip forward and saw it gets more overt over the course of the book, some of the things said are just regular transphobic talking points word for word. I don’t really mind if this was the intention but a warning would have been great.
July 30, 2026
Holy canole! I just finished this and absolutely had to write out my feelings from this journey while they are still raw!
This book is extreme, in a different way. Imagine living in a society that praised and encouraged girls to have eating disorders. Encouraged them to completely destroy their bodies and whatever futures they might have had all for the sake of what they deem as "beautiful. "
Growing up as a kid in the 90s, this book cozied up to my childhood memories effortlessly. Back then, girls had standards and unrealistic expectations to adhere to in order to be considered pretty and popular. Im sure it's still a problem today. Society is wrong for shaming people about the body they were born with instead of teaching them to embrace it. The only difference between real life and this story is that the story only had one single scrutiny for girls, albeit a doozy!
The range of emotions I felt while reading this was nothing short of a perfect storm. Feeling for these girls who are lied to and discarded at the drop of a hat had me both gnashing my teeth and feeling such a deep sadness.
Watching Jack's journey from never questioning society to finally seeing just how twisted and wrong it treats girls was an amazing experience! I can honestly say that the last 20% of this book had me riveted and unblinking. By the end, I'm not ashamed to say that I literally cried.
Anyone who has ever been body shamed will feel a connection to this story. And I'm not just talking about girls. EVERYONE of any gender are subject to being shamed for something that is a part of them. Not all of us had people like Jack around to help protect us from the ugly world. Im so bummed I finished the story already! I will have to read it again many times over. I have no doubt that I will unpack even more with each read!
Bravo! Well done!
This book is extreme, in a different way. Imagine living in a society that praised and encouraged girls to have eating disorders. Encouraged them to completely destroy their bodies and whatever futures they might have had all for the sake of what they deem as "beautiful. "
Growing up as a kid in the 90s, this book cozied up to my childhood memories effortlessly. Back then, girls had standards and unrealistic expectations to adhere to in order to be considered pretty and popular. Im sure it's still a problem today. Society is wrong for shaming people about the body they were born with instead of teaching them to embrace it. The only difference between real life and this story is that the story only had one single scrutiny for girls, albeit a doozy!
The range of emotions I felt while reading this was nothing short of a perfect storm. Feeling for these girls who are lied to and discarded at the drop of a hat had me both gnashing my teeth and feeling such a deep sadness.
Watching Jack's journey from never questioning society to finally seeing just how twisted and wrong it treats girls was an amazing experience! I can honestly say that the last 20% of this book had me riveted and unblinking. By the end, I'm not ashamed to say that I literally cried.
Anyone who has ever been body shamed will feel a connection to this story. And I'm not just talking about girls. EVERYONE of any gender are subject to being shamed for something that is a part of them. Not all of us had people like Jack around to help protect us from the ugly world. Im so bummed I finished the story already! I will have to read it again many times over. I have no doubt that I will unpack even more with each read!
Bravo! Well done!
July 12, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Author
It was very easy to immerse myself in the world and I quickly understood how this society functions. Information is revealed gradually, chapter by chapter, without ever feeling like an exposition dump. With every new chapter, we learn more about how deeply Seraphim ideology has embedded itself into every aspect of society: schools, media, medicine, advertising and everyday life.
The worldbuilding was one of the strongest aspects for me. Seraphim have their own seating, parking spaces, social rules and much more. Combined with the heavy religious symbolism surrounding them, it creates a society where beauty is no longer just an ideal but something treated as sacred. It made the setting feel incredibly believable and immersive. At the same time, it was unsettling to see how normalized censorship had become, with medical terminology being redefined and critical information deliberately suppressed.
Gabby absolutely broke my heart. She is a innocent 6 year old who only wants to make her mother proud and has no real understanding of what is happening to her. Her exhaustion, hunger, increasing weakness and even her excitement at the possibility of eating ice cream again one day affected me more than many of the actual horror scenes.
Karen is the personification of the society itself. She perfectly illustrates how deeply people have been manipulated into accepting the Seraphim ideology. She believes that Gabby will only truly become someone worthy once she fully becomes a Seraphim. An “angel”. Because of that, she prioritizes the promises of beauty, perfection and “ascension” over her own daughter’s needs and happiness, convinced that every sacrifice is worth it. That made her one of the most unsettling characters in the novel.
What I found particularly compelling was watching Jack’s worldview slowly fall apart. His experience with a Seraphim sets everything in motion and from that point onward all the pieces start falling into place. He gradually begins questioning things he had previously accepted without hesitation.
The body horror is intense at times and can be genuinely uncomfortable to read, but for me it always served a purpose. It never felt shocking purely for the sake of being shocking. Instead it highlighted the fragility of the Seraphim and exposed the reality hidden beneath the ideology.
I also liked the ending. It’s not a traditional happy ending, but it felt satisfying to me.
Overall, Thin is In is a very effective dystopian critique of beauty standards, manipulation, ideology, and how difficult it can be to question a system when you’ve been taught your entire life that everyone around you believes in it.
One thing I especially appreciated is that this book is genuinely depressing in the best possible way. It feels heavy, but never hollow. The horror isn’t empty shock value; it always has a purpose. It stayed with me long after I finished reading and I found myself thinking about it even after I had put the book down. For me that’s always a sign that a book has done something right.
Many thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4,5/5⭐️
It was very easy to immerse myself in the world and I quickly understood how this society functions. Information is revealed gradually, chapter by chapter, without ever feeling like an exposition dump. With every new chapter, we learn more about how deeply Seraphim ideology has embedded itself into every aspect of society: schools, media, medicine, advertising and everyday life.
The worldbuilding was one of the strongest aspects for me. Seraphim have their own seating, parking spaces, social rules and much more. Combined with the heavy religious symbolism surrounding them, it creates a society where beauty is no longer just an ideal but something treated as sacred. It made the setting feel incredibly believable and immersive. At the same time, it was unsettling to see how normalized censorship had become, with medical terminology being redefined and critical information deliberately suppressed.
Gabby absolutely broke my heart. She is a innocent 6 year old who only wants to make her mother proud and has no real understanding of what is happening to her. Her exhaustion, hunger, increasing weakness and even her excitement at the possibility of eating ice cream again one day affected me more than many of the actual horror scenes.
Karen is the personification of the society itself. She perfectly illustrates how deeply people have been manipulated into accepting the Seraphim ideology. She believes that Gabby will only truly become someone worthy once she fully becomes a Seraphim. An “angel”. Because of that, she prioritizes the promises of beauty, perfection and “ascension” over her own daughter’s needs and happiness, convinced that every sacrifice is worth it. That made her one of the most unsettling characters in the novel.
What I found particularly compelling was watching Jack’s worldview slowly fall apart. His experience with a Seraphim sets everything in motion and from that point onward all the pieces start falling into place. He gradually begins questioning things he had previously accepted without hesitation.
The body horror is intense at times and can be genuinely uncomfortable to read, but for me it always served a purpose. It never felt shocking purely for the sake of being shocking. Instead it highlighted the fragility of the Seraphim and exposed the reality hidden beneath the ideology.
I also liked the ending. It’s not a traditional happy ending, but it felt satisfying to me.
Overall, Thin is In is a very effective dystopian critique of beauty standards, manipulation, ideology, and how difficult it can be to question a system when you’ve been taught your entire life that everyone around you believes in it.
One thing I especially appreciated is that this book is genuinely depressing in the best possible way. It feels heavy, but never hollow. The horror isn’t empty shock value; it always has a purpose. It stayed with me long after I finished reading and I found myself thinking about it even after I had put the book down. For me that’s always a sign that a book has done something right.
Many thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4,5/5⭐️
July 15, 2026
Reality has always been horror’s greatest inspiration.
Thin Is In brings us into a universe where the epitome of beauty revolves around becoming closer to gods than humans in the form of “Seraphim”. It’s a world where companies profit from women s suffering in the pursuit of perfection, hiding not only the truth behind the beautithin procedures but also erasing every girl unfortunate enough to reach ascension. We follow Jack as he begins to uncover the ugly reality behind these regimens when his six year old sister, Gabby, starts her own journey to become a Seraphim.
I really enjoyed how the author took a very real fear and built an entire world around it. Turning an eating disorder into a literal religion and the symptoms of starvation into rites of passage, like wings and angel down, was both creative and disturbing. You’re thrown right into this world from the very first chapter, and it gives you just enough to understand what’s happening while leaving you wanting more.
Although Jack definitely had his moments that left me shaking my head, I appreciated how realistic he felt. He’s a teenage boy, so it made sense that he didn’t fully understand the gravity of becoming a Seraphim until he was watching it happen to Gabby. I would’ve been more concerned if he always knew the right thing to say or made the smartest decision every time. My only gripe is that I wish some of the dialogue, especially between Jack and his girlfriend, felt a little more natural.
There were so many beautifully graphic scenes that completely caught me off guard. The ending was bittersweet, and I was satisfied with how it wrapped everything up.
I was in a reading slump when I came across the cover and synopsis on Reddit, and this book pulled me right out of it. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have been given the opportunity to read an advanced copy.
If you enjoy dystopian horror or stories that take real fears and push them to terrifying extremes, I’d definitely recommend giving Thin Is In a read.
Thank you to the author for the ARC! All opinions are my own, and I received no financial compensation.
Thin Is In brings us into a universe where the epitome of beauty revolves around becoming closer to gods than humans in the form of “Seraphim”. It’s a world where companies profit from women s suffering in the pursuit of perfection, hiding not only the truth behind the beautithin procedures but also erasing every girl unfortunate enough to reach ascension. We follow Jack as he begins to uncover the ugly reality behind these regimens when his six year old sister, Gabby, starts her own journey to become a Seraphim.
I really enjoyed how the author took a very real fear and built an entire world around it. Turning an eating disorder into a literal religion and the symptoms of starvation into rites of passage, like wings and angel down, was both creative and disturbing. You’re thrown right into this world from the very first chapter, and it gives you just enough to understand what’s happening while leaving you wanting more.
Although Jack definitely had his moments that left me shaking my head, I appreciated how realistic he felt. He’s a teenage boy, so it made sense that he didn’t fully understand the gravity of becoming a Seraphim until he was watching it happen to Gabby. I would’ve been more concerned if he always knew the right thing to say or made the smartest decision every time. My only gripe is that I wish some of the dialogue, especially between Jack and his girlfriend, felt a little more natural.
There were so many beautifully graphic scenes that completely caught me off guard. The ending was bittersweet, and I was satisfied with how it wrapped everything up.
I was in a reading slump when I came across the cover and synopsis on Reddit, and this book pulled me right out of it. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to have been given the opportunity to read an advanced copy.
If you enjoy dystopian horror or stories that take real fears and push them to terrifying extremes, I’d definitely recommend giving Thin Is In a read.
Thank you to the author for the ARC! All opinions are my own, and I received no financial compensation.
July 17, 2026
Maybe I'm biased because I've been on a weight loss journey for the last few years but this book really taps into the deep psychological torment that skinny culture, diet culture and social media all enact upon us, making us into different versions of ourselves, chasing an unrealistic ideal at times.
I really enjoy the story and the tormented characters. The world building is also very fun in this novel. Highly recommended for a twisted and messed up ride!
I really enjoy the story and the tormented characters. The world building is also very fun in this novel. Highly recommended for a twisted and messed up ride!
July 14, 2026
Was thrilled to receive this horrific-but-great book as my very first ARC review.
The premise is fascinating and timely: a world in which anorexia has been repurposed as not just the ultimate beauty standard but with deep systemic support behind it. The world, which was similar to ours, was easy to understand and immerse into.
The components of the Seraphim were bone-chilling; specific features like the wings, the lanugo, and other side effects definitely served to further White's purpose with this book.
In all, I enjoyed it, it has stayed with me in the weeks since I read it and I hope that even just one person can read this book and find it useful.
3.5 stars rounded up.
The premise is fascinating and timely: a world in which anorexia has been repurposed as not just the ultimate beauty standard but with deep systemic support behind it. The world, which was similar to ours, was easy to understand and immerse into.
The components of the Seraphim were bone-chilling; specific features like the wings, the lanugo, and other side effects definitely served to further White's purpose with this book.
In all, I enjoyed it, it has stayed with me in the weeks since I read it and I hope that even just one person can read this book and find it useful.
3.5 stars rounded up.
August 13, 2026
Review of Thin Is In
Thin Is In takes one of society’s ugliest obsessions and pushes it to a horrifying extreme. In this dystopian world, starvation is not merely normalized—it is celebrated, institutionalized, and transformed into an ideal that girls are expected to pursue regardless of the damage it causes. That premise alone is disturbing, but what makes the novel effective is how uncomfortably recognizable its underlying attitudes feel.
The body horror is graphic and unsettling, but it serves a clear purpose. The physical transformation of the Seraphim becomes a brutal reflection of what happens when appearance is valued more highly than health, individuality, or humanity. The imagery is difficult to forget, particularly because the story never allows the consequences of this culture to remain abstract.
Jack’s development gives the novel much of its emotional weight. Watching him gradually question beliefs he once accepted without hesitation adds an important human dimension to the horror and makes the later portions of the book especially compelling.
At times, the social commentary is very direct, and some readers may wish the story trusted its imagery to speak for itself more often. Even so, the message lands with considerable force.
This is an intense, upsetting, and thought-provoking piece of body horror about conformity, beauty, shame, and the damage caused when cruelty becomes culturally acceptable. It is not an easy read, but it is certainly a memorable one.
Thin Is In takes one of society’s ugliest obsessions and pushes it to a horrifying extreme. In this dystopian world, starvation is not merely normalized—it is celebrated, institutionalized, and transformed into an ideal that girls are expected to pursue regardless of the damage it causes. That premise alone is disturbing, but what makes the novel effective is how uncomfortably recognizable its underlying attitudes feel.
The body horror is graphic and unsettling, but it serves a clear purpose. The physical transformation of the Seraphim becomes a brutal reflection of what happens when appearance is valued more highly than health, individuality, or humanity. The imagery is difficult to forget, particularly because the story never allows the consequences of this culture to remain abstract.
Jack’s development gives the novel much of its emotional weight. Watching him gradually question beliefs he once accepted without hesitation adds an important human dimension to the horror and makes the later portions of the book especially compelling.
At times, the social commentary is very direct, and some readers may wish the story trusted its imagery to speak for itself more often. Even so, the message lands with considerable force.
This is an intense, upsetting, and thought-provoking piece of body horror about conformity, beauty, shame, and the damage caused when cruelty becomes culturally acceptable. It is not an easy read, but it is certainly a memorable one.
August 30, 2026
Great book, awesome body horror scenes. I really enjoyed the plot and all the characters especially Jack and Gabby :) I am glad I found this book from Reddit, very interesting premise and good writing. Very interesting idea and also prevalent with today’s beauty standards lol, I could totally see something like this happening in the future. Awesome book !!
July 14, 2026
ARC review
The strongest point of this book is its premise, I'm always excited to read about dystopian alternative realities that can be crafted out of the worst of humanity.
I might be entirely wrong and have misread the tone of this story, in which case I apologize.
The book centering around society's obsession with weight loss, and its perceived connection with beauty and purity, gave me the impression that the constant objectification of little and teenage girls' bodies served an expository purpose; beauty standards affected the opinions of not only proponents of the Beautithin program, but also those that are less enthusiastic about it.
Jack's contradictory values seemed to be a striking example of this exposition, especially since he is a teenage boy forming his views about the world. We see a lot of that behavior in real life, where blatant disrespect of girls/women is "fair" until it's the person's sister.
Now, I cannot say for sure whether that was intentional or not.
I think that the premise can yield much more, I apologize if the narration went over my head. I am grateful to have taken part in reading an early copy of the book, wishing the author all the best.
The strongest point of this book is its premise, I'm always excited to read about dystopian alternative realities that can be crafted out of the worst of humanity.
I might be entirely wrong and have misread the tone of this story, in which case I apologize.
The book centering around society's obsession with weight loss, and its perceived connection with beauty and purity, gave me the impression that the constant objectification of little and teenage girls' bodies served an expository purpose; beauty standards affected the opinions of not only proponents of the Beautithin program, but also those that are less enthusiastic about it.
Jack's contradictory values seemed to be a striking example of this exposition, especially since he is a teenage boy forming his views about the world. We see a lot of that behavior in real life, where blatant disrespect of girls/women is "fair" until it's the person's sister.
Now, I cannot say for sure whether that was intentional or not.
I think that the premise can yield much more, I apologize if the narration went over my head. I am grateful to have taken part in reading an early copy of the book, wishing the author all the best.
Review of advance copy received from Author
What if eating disorders were the ultimate form of beauty?
This is the question that sparks this novel, and the author answers it with brutal, unflinching honesty. In a world that praises thinness above all else, the author spares nothing in showing a society where destroying oneself in the pursuit of impossible perfection isn’t just encouraged, it’s revered and protected by law.
Thin Is In takes place in the near future, where anorexic bodies aren’t just praised or coveted, but worshipped as literal deities. Beauty isn’t just an ideal in this book, it’s religious transcendence.
“Seraphims” are the anorexic women and girls who are revered to the extreme. Anorexia is quite literally canonized. The religious symbolism is the backbone of this text: angel imagery, “wings,” divine perfection. Horrific medical procedures used to achieve this ultimate transformation are cloaked in heavenly, pure language to hide the truth: there’s nothing divine about dying for an impossible and unreachable standard. The author further drives this point home by showing that to attain this warped sense of divinity is to lose one’s humanity. Seraphims literally look and seem inhuman: rotting teeth, fetid breath, and acidic body fluids capable of causing chemical burns. While this is quite obviously artistic liberty, the metaphor hits home, not with a pat on the arm, not by letting up, but by grabbing the reader by the throat and refusing to let go until the very end.
What I especially appreciated was the horrific atmosphere and effective use of body horror. Body horror is not used as padding here; it’s used as effective, if occasionally heavy-handed, social commentary on the cost of pursuing unattainable beauty standards.
The book did struggle somewhat in its execution. The author relies on heavy-handed exposition at several points, over-explaining certain ideas while trusting the reader at others, instead of letting the horror speak for itself throughout. When the novel trusts its imagery, the horror speaks for itself: loudly and unmissably.
Jack, the MMC, seems to function more as a thematic device than a fully fledged character. Much of the dialogue, especially from Jack and his fellow teenagers, felt more like caricature than authentic conversation. This may well have been the author’s intention, but it detracted from the experience, if only slightly. The pacing also felt uneven at times, with the ending feeling somewhat compressed and rushed.
Ultimately, Thin Is In succeeds because it transforms eating disorders into visceral body horror through striking religious imagery that exposes the horrors of beauty culture. The novel occasionally undercuts its own power with heavy-handed exposition and moments that strain plausibility, but these flaws never erase its impact.
As someone with a history of atypical anorexia, this book not only validated my own experiences, but also drove home just how fortunate I was to have clawed my way toward recovery with the help of my very own Jack, who quite literally saved my life. Many others are not as lucky, as the novel so heartbreakingly illustrates.
Readers who enjoy body horror with a clear thematic purpose and unapologetically direct social commentary will likely find Thin Is In a compelling, deeply unsettling read.
A huge thank you to the author for the ARC. This review reflects my honest opinions, and I received no compensation for it. I look forward to reading more of his work.
This is the question that sparks this novel, and the author answers it with brutal, unflinching honesty. In a world that praises thinness above all else, the author spares nothing in showing a society where destroying oneself in the pursuit of impossible perfection isn’t just encouraged, it’s revered and protected by law.
Thin Is In takes place in the near future, where anorexic bodies aren’t just praised or coveted, but worshipped as literal deities. Beauty isn’t just an ideal in this book, it’s religious transcendence.
“Seraphims” are the anorexic women and girls who are revered to the extreme. Anorexia is quite literally canonized. The religious symbolism is the backbone of this text: angel imagery, “wings,” divine perfection. Horrific medical procedures used to achieve this ultimate transformation are cloaked in heavenly, pure language to hide the truth: there’s nothing divine about dying for an impossible and unreachable standard. The author further drives this point home by showing that to attain this warped sense of divinity is to lose one’s humanity. Seraphims literally look and seem inhuman: rotting teeth, fetid breath, and acidic body fluids capable of causing chemical burns. While this is quite obviously artistic liberty, the metaphor hits home, not with a pat on the arm, not by letting up, but by grabbing the reader by the throat and refusing to let go until the very end.
What I especially appreciated was the horrific atmosphere and effective use of body horror. Body horror is not used as padding here; it’s used as effective, if occasionally heavy-handed, social commentary on the cost of pursuing unattainable beauty standards.
The book did struggle somewhat in its execution. The author relies on heavy-handed exposition at several points, over-explaining certain ideas while trusting the reader at others, instead of letting the horror speak for itself throughout. When the novel trusts its imagery, the horror speaks for itself: loudly and unmissably.
Jack, the MMC, seems to function more as a thematic device than a fully fledged character. Much of the dialogue, especially from Jack and his fellow teenagers, felt more like caricature than authentic conversation. This may well have been the author’s intention, but it detracted from the experience, if only slightly. The pacing also felt uneven at times, with the ending feeling somewhat compressed and rushed.
Ultimately, Thin Is In succeeds because it transforms eating disorders into visceral body horror through striking religious imagery that exposes the horrors of beauty culture. The novel occasionally undercuts its own power with heavy-handed exposition and moments that strain plausibility, but these flaws never erase its impact.
As someone with a history of atypical anorexia, this book not only validated my own experiences, but also drove home just how fortunate I was to have clawed my way toward recovery with the help of my very own Jack, who quite literally saved my life. Many others are not as lucky, as the novel so heartbreakingly illustrates.
Readers who enjoy body horror with a clear thematic purpose and unapologetically direct social commentary will likely find Thin Is In a compelling, deeply unsettling read.
A huge thank you to the author for the ARC. This review reflects my honest opinions, and I received no compensation for it. I look forward to reading more of his work.
Review of advance copy received from Author
BUMP for release day today, July 14th! Make sure to check it out on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited! ❣️
I received an ARC from the author via a subreddit; I was paid nothing and nothing is expected of me beyond my honest opinion, which is featured below. (my reddit username is @ZomBie_Blood.ink)
Review originally posted July 11th, 2026.
A desolate future where a race of Angels are accepted, celebrated, envied as a higher class of being and groomed from a young age to be perfect; the seraphim are the embodiment of perfection and beauty, and the ethereal girls are treated as goddesses among mortals.
In reality, among the blocked web pages, redacted testimony, false flags of perfection, the truth lurks just below the surface.
anorexia nervosa
What once was a deadly mental illness has been rebranded as a higher calling, and teenage Jack's girlfriend, as well as his six-year-old sister are undergoing their transformations, and as he tries to be supportive, he is met with the harsh reality of what the seraphim really are, and what the corporation handing all of their care are really doing.
But is he too late to save them?
This book was so good. I read a short synopsis posted by the author in the r/ExtremeHorrorLit subreddit and I knew I had to throw my hat in the ring. I've struggled with ED on and off for years, and reading my trauma is and always has been cathartic for me, and it was written as an action-packed thriller but also a meloncholic, sad story where you may not be able to save who you love from themselves. And sometimes that's the most horrible thing you can imagine.
The writing was good, could have used another round of editing, but all in all it's a great book.
I'd be on the lookout for anything from this author in the future.
I will bump this review when the book publishes on Amazon on Kindle and KindleUnlimited on July 14th! Leave a review for this one, the author is out here doing the work to gain your readership and he seems like a nice dude. Give him a follow for his new works and shout out this book when it releases!
This same review will be posted to the book's Amazon page upon it's publication; I am the one posting it and these are my opinions and they do not reflect those of the author or publisher.
I received an ARC from the author via a subreddit; I was paid nothing and nothing is expected of me beyond my honest opinion, which is featured below. (my reddit username is @ZomBie_Blood.ink)
Review originally posted July 11th, 2026.
A desolate future where a race of Angels are accepted, celebrated, envied as a higher class of being and groomed from a young age to be perfect; the seraphim are the embodiment of perfection and beauty, and the ethereal girls are treated as goddesses among mortals.
In reality, among the blocked web pages, redacted testimony, false flags of perfection, the truth lurks just below the surface.
anorexia nervosa
What once was a deadly mental illness has been rebranded as a higher calling, and teenage Jack's girlfriend, as well as his six-year-old sister are undergoing their transformations, and as he tries to be supportive, he is met with the harsh reality of what the seraphim really are, and what the corporation handing all of their care are really doing.
But is he too late to save them?
This book was so good. I read a short synopsis posted by the author in the r/ExtremeHorrorLit subreddit and I knew I had to throw my hat in the ring. I've struggled with ED on and off for years, and reading my trauma is and always has been cathartic for me, and it was written as an action-packed thriller but also a meloncholic, sad story where you may not be able to save who you love from themselves. And sometimes that's the most horrible thing you can imagine.
The writing was good, could have used another round of editing, but all in all it's a great book.
I'd be on the lookout for anything from this author in the future.
I will bump this review when the book publishes on Amazon on Kindle and KindleUnlimited on July 14th! Leave a review for this one, the author is out here doing the work to gain your readership and he seems like a nice dude. Give him a follow for his new works and shout out this book when it releases!
This same review will be posted to the book's Amazon page upon it's publication; I am the one posting it and these are my opinions and they do not reflect those of the author or publisher.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thin Is In reads like a deranged fever dream that very well could be based in reality.
The book is taking place in a chilling dystopian world where “certain special” girls are forced to begin the Seraphim Regimen from a young age, transforming them into angel-like figures whose impossible beauty comes at a horrifying cost. As they waste away from starvation, the company keeps them alive through invasive Beautythin procedures, removing parts of their bodies and organs so they can continue existing in a fragile, almost saintly state. The horror lies not only in the graphic body horror but in how believable this world feels, serving as a disturbing reflection of society’s obsession with beauty and perfection.
The story takes a dramatic turn when the protagonist’s younger sister is selected to begin the Beautythin procedures. Desperate to save her, he begins investigating the company behind the Seraphim Regimen, uncovering the disturbing reality hidden beneath its polished image and carefully crafted propaganda.
The body horror is vivid and, at times, incredibly graphic. One particular scene involving a Nirvana song was especially unforgettable and I found it campy, shocking and memorable at the same time. While the horror leans more toward unsettling imagery and social commentary than traditional scares, the novel raises compelling questions about beauty standards, exploitation, and the dangers of normalizing harmful ideals.
Readers who enjoy dystopian fiction, body horror, and thought-provoking social commentary will likely appreciate this dark and imaginative take on beauty culture.
Please check your triggers, especially if you’re sensitive to mentions of being thin/ chubby, excessively losing weight, body image, etc.
Thanks to the author for the copy of the book pre-release, I really enjoyed reading it and looking forward to reading more from you!
The book is taking place in a chilling dystopian world where “certain special” girls are forced to begin the Seraphim Regimen from a young age, transforming them into angel-like figures whose impossible beauty comes at a horrifying cost. As they waste away from starvation, the company keeps them alive through invasive Beautythin procedures, removing parts of their bodies and organs so they can continue existing in a fragile, almost saintly state. The horror lies not only in the graphic body horror but in how believable this world feels, serving as a disturbing reflection of society’s obsession with beauty and perfection.
The story takes a dramatic turn when the protagonist’s younger sister is selected to begin the Beautythin procedures. Desperate to save her, he begins investigating the company behind the Seraphim Regimen, uncovering the disturbing reality hidden beneath its polished image and carefully crafted propaganda.
The body horror is vivid and, at times, incredibly graphic. One particular scene involving a Nirvana song was especially unforgettable and I found it campy, shocking and memorable at the same time. While the horror leans more toward unsettling imagery and social commentary than traditional scares, the novel raises compelling questions about beauty standards, exploitation, and the dangers of normalizing harmful ideals.
Readers who enjoy dystopian fiction, body horror, and thought-provoking social commentary will likely appreciate this dark and imaginative take on beauty culture.
Please check your triggers, especially if you’re sensitive to mentions of being thin/ chubby, excessively losing weight, body image, etc.
Thanks to the author for the copy of the book pre-release, I really enjoyed reading it and looking forward to reading more from you!
Review of advance copy received from Author
People have been co-opted into believing that young girls should become "seraphim" a euphemism for anorexia and society has completely catered to their sadistic whims by accommodating and normalizing this sickness.
If you are a horror fan with particular interest in body horror, then this story should appeal to you. I could not put this one down and finished it in a day. Plenty of blood and gore if that's your thing. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy!
Thanks to the author for the ARC! I look forward to reading more!
If you are a horror fan with particular interest in body horror, then this story should appeal to you. I could not put this one down and finished it in a day. Plenty of blood and gore if that's your thing. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy!
Thanks to the author for the ARC! I look forward to reading more!
Did Not Finish
October 4, 2026This one was a DNF for me.
The first 5 chapters felt like a slog and didn’t grab me at all..
The first 5 chapters felt like a slog and didn’t grab me at all..
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews