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Aesthetica
In a debut novel as radiant as it is caustic, a former influencer confronts her past—and takes inventory of the damages that underpin the surface-glamour of social media.
At 19, she was an Instagram celebrity. Now, at 35, she works behind the cosmetic counter at the “black and white store,” peddling anti-aging products to women seeking physical and spiritual transformation. She too is seeking rebirth. She’s about to undergo the high-risk, elective surgery Aesthetica™, a procedure that will reverse all her past plastic surgery procedures, returning her, she hopes, to a truer self. Provided she survives the knife.
But on the eve of the surgery, her traumatic past resurfaces when she is asked to participate in the public takedown of her former manager/boyfriend, who has rebranded himself as a paragon of “woke” masculinity in the post-#MeToo world. With the hours ticking down to her life-threatening surgery, she must confront the ugly truth about her experiences on and off the Instagram grid.
Propulsive, dark, and moving, Aesthetica is a Veronica for the age of “Instagram face,” delivering a fresh, nuanced examination of feminism, #metoo, and mother-daughter relationships, all while confronting our collective addiction to followers, filters, and faux realities.
At 19, she was an Instagram celebrity. Now, at 35, she works behind the cosmetic counter at the “black and white store,” peddling anti-aging products to women seeking physical and spiritual transformation. She too is seeking rebirth. She’s about to undergo the high-risk, elective surgery Aesthetica™, a procedure that will reverse all her past plastic surgery procedures, returning her, she hopes, to a truer self. Provided she survives the knife.
But on the eve of the surgery, her traumatic past resurfaces when she is asked to participate in the public takedown of her former manager/boyfriend, who has rebranded himself as a paragon of “woke” masculinity in the post-#MeToo world. With the hours ticking down to her life-threatening surgery, she must confront the ugly truth about her experiences on and off the Instagram grid.
Propulsive, dark, and moving, Aesthetica is a Veronica for the age of “Instagram face,” delivering a fresh, nuanced examination of feminism, #metoo, and mother-daughter relationships, all while confronting our collective addiction to followers, filters, and faux realities.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 22, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 881 reviews
November 9, 2022
valley of the dolls but for people who know who caroline calloway is
November 3, 2025
Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom is a powerful debut novel!
Social media does crazy things to people in their drive to gain followers. Nineteen-year-old Anna's insatiable drive to be an influencer takes her from her mother's home in Houston to the unknown of L.A. and directly into the clutches of sex, drugs, and addiction.
Anna refers to herself as a model, but is it really modeling or something else? Is her boyfriend really her manager or is he something else? There's Botox, breast implants, and multiple cosmetic surgeries. "It'll make you look younger and more salable" they tell her!
She's obsessed with everything about the life she's enters. It's like the air she needs to breathe. As she shares her life on social media her followers continue to increase exponentially. Tick, tick, tick... Then something happens that rattles her world...
This story is told in two timelines in the first-person voice of Anna:
- Nineteen-year-old Anna as the social media influencer
- Thirty-five-year-old Anna remembering her past
This is a powerful debut novel. It's raw and ugly, honest and frightening, and you have a good sense that the author does not want to hold anything back. Her writing is beautifully descriptive and the topics are dark and edgy.
The audiobook narrated by Chelsea Stephens is an enlightening listening experience where you hear what feels like an authentic voice of Anna telling her story. The narrator does an amazing job!
A memorable story and listen that, perhaps, everyone should read or listen to as a reflection of the times we live in. I know I will definitely be looking forward to what this talented author comes up with next and I highly recommend this audiobook to one and all! 4.25 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, HighBridge Audio and Allie Rowbottom for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
Social media does crazy things to people in their drive to gain followers. Nineteen-year-old Anna's insatiable drive to be an influencer takes her from her mother's home in Houston to the unknown of L.A. and directly into the clutches of sex, drugs, and addiction.
Anna refers to herself as a model, but is it really modeling or something else? Is her boyfriend really her manager or is he something else? There's Botox, breast implants, and multiple cosmetic surgeries. "It'll make you look younger and more salable" they tell her!
She's obsessed with everything about the life she's enters. It's like the air she needs to breathe. As she shares her life on social media her followers continue to increase exponentially. Tick, tick, tick... Then something happens that rattles her world...
This story is told in two timelines in the first-person voice of Anna:
- Nineteen-year-old Anna as the social media influencer
- Thirty-five-year-old Anna remembering her past
This is a powerful debut novel. It's raw and ugly, honest and frightening, and you have a good sense that the author does not want to hold anything back. Her writing is beautifully descriptive and the topics are dark and edgy.
The audiobook narrated by Chelsea Stephens is an enlightening listening experience where you hear what feels like an authentic voice of Anna telling her story. The narrator does an amazing job!
A memorable story and listen that, perhaps, everyone should read or listen to as a reflection of the times we live in. I know I will definitely be looking forward to what this talented author comes up with next and I highly recommend this audiobook to one and all! 4.25 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, HighBridge Audio and Allie Rowbottom for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
October 26, 2022
Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom takes a sharp look at the dark side of social media.
While Anna waits to go under the knife to reverse all of her past cosmetic procedures, she reflects on her short stint as a social media influencer. Anna is 35 and works at a cosmetics store, but when she was 19, she moved to LA to try to make a name for herself. She didn’t expect the industry to use her and throw her out just as quickly.
The surgery Anna’s waiting to receive is called Aesthetica. In a single procedure, her surgeon will reverse all her Botox, fillers, nose jobs, everything. The surgery is high-risk, and there are no guarantees she will survive it.
Disillusioned with the beauty world, Anna wants to revert to her true self and believes this procedure will set her on that path.
This literary fiction book has beautiful and evocative writing. The author discusses the compulsion to chase more likes, followers, and brand deals when Instagram was at its peak. It explores societal beauty standards, feminine rage, and abuse of power imbalances.
It would have been easy for the author to have been over-critical of Anna. Fortunately, she approached her with sensitivity and nuance.
This book is an incredible debut, and I cannot wait to see what else the author has in store.
Thank you to Soho Press for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
While Anna waits to go under the knife to reverse all of her past cosmetic procedures, she reflects on her short stint as a social media influencer. Anna is 35 and works at a cosmetics store, but when she was 19, she moved to LA to try to make a name for herself. She didn’t expect the industry to use her and throw her out just as quickly.
The surgery Anna’s waiting to receive is called Aesthetica. In a single procedure, her surgeon will reverse all her Botox, fillers, nose jobs, everything. The surgery is high-risk, and there are no guarantees she will survive it.
Disillusioned with the beauty world, Anna wants to revert to her true self and believes this procedure will set her on that path.
This literary fiction book has beautiful and evocative writing. The author discusses the compulsion to chase more likes, followers, and brand deals when Instagram was at its peak. It explores societal beauty standards, feminine rage, and abuse of power imbalances.
It would have been easy for the author to have been over-critical of Anna. Fortunately, she approached her with sensitivity and nuance.
This book is an incredible debut, and I cannot wait to see what else the author has in store.
Thank you to Soho Press for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://booksandwheels.com
April 9, 2023
Confession: Most of this novel tells a very predictable story that remixes current cultural discussions, from Kim Kardashian's manufactured body to structural abuse à la Harvey Weinstein on to female enablers like Ghislaine Maxwell, but there is a very, very interesting discussion about female empowerment wrapped up in this, and I was intrigued. In the first storyline, 19-year-old narrator and protagonist Anna Wrey emancipates herself from her old-school feminist mother and dives into neo-feminism: She wants to become Insta-famous, and she is willing to manipulate her looks accordingly, because, you know, her body, her choice. As she is naive and attention-hungry, she gets trapped by a ruthless manager/pimp. After ca. 25%, an alternating storyline sets in, in which 35-year-old Anna, who left her Insta-life behind and is now a worker at Sephora, tries to undo her surgeries and instead aims to look like a woman her age: This procedure is the title-giving, life-threatening Aesthetica. If my math is correct, this part of the story takes place in 2033, so to envision a procedure like that might be prophetic.
The silly young woman desperate for likes is not all that interesting, the point here is that Rowbottom questions whether some renditions of so-called female empowerment aren't just re-packaged capitalist ads, rooted in misogyny - and what it means if women decide to take part in this game. And it's not that her novel isn't sex positive: There is a scene in which she shows Anna wanting to join a sex party, and wanting to join a threesome - this is here exploring her sexuality, being held back by her (male!) manager. But more and more, Anna plays into a sexualization that is imposed on her, trying to look the Insta-model part, giving up on her agency - and mostly, she decides to do that. Welcome to the heart of a messy discussion that needs to be had.
The complexity is enhanced by juxtaposing Anna with her old-school feminist mother, a woman she first looks down upon because, as Anna figures, she does not understand that it is fun to play the role social media expects a woman to play if she wants to be successful: Fame, money, parties are waiting as a prize. Turns out: It's not that fun. And then there's Anna's friend Leah who has moved to Australia, and who as a runner struggles with her body image in different ways. Social media, the societal gaze and dysphoria are major themes here.
So I read the book almost in one sitting, because it's a page turner and intelligently conceived - on an aesthteic level (haha, see what I did there?! sorry), it might not be super-innovative, but it is certainly well written with a trance-like atmosphere that smartly mirrors the many, many drugs consumed, and it should get some attention from the Women's Prize and the Tournament of Books.
The silly young woman desperate for likes is not all that interesting, the point here is that Rowbottom questions whether some renditions of so-called female empowerment aren't just re-packaged capitalist ads, rooted in misogyny - and what it means if women decide to take part in this game. And it's not that her novel isn't sex positive: There is a scene in which she shows Anna wanting to join a sex party, and wanting to join a threesome - this is here exploring her sexuality, being held back by her (male!) manager. But more and more, Anna plays into a sexualization that is imposed on her, trying to look the Insta-model part, giving up on her agency - and mostly, she decides to do that. Welcome to the heart of a messy discussion that needs to be had.
The complexity is enhanced by juxtaposing Anna with her old-school feminist mother, a woman she first looks down upon because, as Anna figures, she does not understand that it is fun to play the role social media expects a woman to play if she wants to be successful: Fame, money, parties are waiting as a prize. Turns out: It's not that fun. And then there's Anna's friend Leah who has moved to Australia, and who as a runner struggles with her body image in different ways. Social media, the societal gaze and dysphoria are major themes here.
So I read the book almost in one sitting, because it's a page turner and intelligently conceived - on an aesthteic level (haha, see what I did there?! sorry), it might not be super-innovative, but it is certainly well written with a trance-like atmosphere that smartly mirrors the many, many drugs consumed, and it should get some attention from the Women's Prize and the Tournament of Books.
September 28, 2022
4.5 rating .... I want to gather my thoughts -- I'll review in a day to two.
I’m back!!!!
It didn’t take long to realized this is an important— cautionary tale —a very ambitious—uncompromising—book……
…..indefatigable—extremely persistent—exhibiting enthusiasm for calling out the reality on the gloomy-dismal sides of social media, instagram influencers-plastic surgery, sexual assault, and being objectified.
And for a side dish …. a mother has a terminal illness.
Allie Rowbottom couldn’t have done a better job taking on these very real - contemporary complex issues.
I’m seventy years old — very removed from my teen years—a time when we never even heard of the words SOCIAL MEDIA.
But….following this story — a young 19 year old girl — Anna — (alternating her mid- 30 years) — who leaves her home — Houston — with aspirations of being a STAR INSTAGRAM SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER—- WOKE ME UP!
I’m glad I read this book …..it’s grueling — dark — devastating at times….but the quality of storytelling truth is a propelling force.
But be aware ……it gets bleak…..
with explicit-sexual details, an abusive manager, (JAKE), sex parties, drugs, (lots of vape sucking, cocaine), surgery dangers, brutal observations, girls tweaked into fantasies, self- destruction, and “OMG, ANOTHER POST”!
The negative effects on Teens from heavy social media use — especially girls — include depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, lower self-esteem, social isolation, poor concentration, decreased activity, sleep disruptions, body dysmorphia, unhealthy habits, triggering comparisons with others, rumor spreading, exposure to bullying, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure, etc.
These themes are explored brilliantly and experientially.
Sample — G rated —prose:
“Uh, you need a wax, I said, trying out a new voice”
“Her face flushed. Well obviously, she said. I buried myself in my phone. She disappeared into the bathroom, emerged in a towel. Later, while brushing my teeth, I spotted curlicued black hairs crowding the blades of her razor like weeds pushing through the shutters of a boarded-up house and felt angry in a way that made me want to be even meaner. I was harsh but she was clueless. How was she still such a little girl? Why was it my job to explain bikini lines and make up application, lessons of womanhood her own mother died too young to impart. I learned them from YouTube, Instagram, and though my mother said she wanted instruction too, she never stuck with the routines I prescribed. Contouring and Gua Sha massage, retinol and ten step serum routines, all abandoned, as if she thought learning to care for herself would rob her own mom of the chance to rise from the dead and teacher her”.
“Baby? The waxist wanted answers”.
“Okay, I said”.
“She puffed cold powder onto my crotch. Baby, she said,
You go now”.
“I dressed, bare skin behind my clothes like a secret, safe with me, a pulled together girl, all the mess shorn off. A girl wise enough to identify the Ness in the first place, and to fix it. I tipped using a formula my mother taught me (move the decimal point, the double it), called a car and walked out into Los Angeles. Ash on the air, and fire”.
“I took photos for my feed, captured the LA light, the Spanish style mansions, winding wrought iron, ocean on the air, which cooled at night to a deep desert chill I never felt before. All of it was so new, so utterly unlike Houston, my mother, the stale and humid library where she worked, the chronic complaints she made about her body—it’s size and shape and ailments—always searching for something to cure. I turned the camera to my face and spoke as I walked. Gonna to be a big staaaah, I said and smooched the lens”.
“The real world, shrunken by lack. But technology was wide open. It was where the money was. Influencers with one hundred followers earned a thousand dollars a post, easy. Two hundred thousand followers equaled paid vacations to five-star resorts. almost foolish, to want to do anything else”.
Ha…..you think?
Wait until YOU enter this world in ‘Aesthetica’……(if you dare)…
There is a lot more going on - with prime plots - sub-plots - a mother-daughter relationship- a childhood friend, fear, regret, manipulation, hopelessness, hopefulness…..
Propulsively vigorous in nature…..
In other words: it’s fricken-awakening-amazing!
Must have taken guts to write: congrats to Allie Rowbottom….. incredibly brave writer.
I’m back!!!!
It didn’t take long to realized this is an important— cautionary tale —a very ambitious—uncompromising—book……
…..indefatigable—extremely persistent—exhibiting enthusiasm for calling out the reality on the gloomy-dismal sides of social media, instagram influencers-plastic surgery, sexual assault, and being objectified.
And for a side dish …. a mother has a terminal illness.
Allie Rowbottom couldn’t have done a better job taking on these very real - contemporary complex issues.
I’m seventy years old — very removed from my teen years—a time when we never even heard of the words SOCIAL MEDIA.
But….following this story — a young 19 year old girl — Anna — (alternating her mid- 30 years) — who leaves her home — Houston — with aspirations of being a STAR INSTAGRAM SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER—- WOKE ME UP!
I’m glad I read this book …..it’s grueling — dark — devastating at times….but the quality of storytelling truth is a propelling force.
But be aware ……it gets bleak…..
with explicit-sexual details, an abusive manager, (JAKE), sex parties, drugs, (lots of vape sucking, cocaine), surgery dangers, brutal observations, girls tweaked into fantasies, self- destruction, and “OMG, ANOTHER POST”!
The negative effects on Teens from heavy social media use — especially girls — include depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, lower self-esteem, social isolation, poor concentration, decreased activity, sleep disruptions, body dysmorphia, unhealthy habits, triggering comparisons with others, rumor spreading, exposure to bullying, unrealistic views of other people’s lives and peer pressure, etc.
These themes are explored brilliantly and experientially.
Sample — G rated —prose:
“Uh, you need a wax, I said, trying out a new voice”
“Her face flushed. Well obviously, she said. I buried myself in my phone. She disappeared into the bathroom, emerged in a towel. Later, while brushing my teeth, I spotted curlicued black hairs crowding the blades of her razor like weeds pushing through the shutters of a boarded-up house and felt angry in a way that made me want to be even meaner. I was harsh but she was clueless. How was she still such a little girl? Why was it my job to explain bikini lines and make up application, lessons of womanhood her own mother died too young to impart. I learned them from YouTube, Instagram, and though my mother said she wanted instruction too, she never stuck with the routines I prescribed. Contouring and Gua Sha massage, retinol and ten step serum routines, all abandoned, as if she thought learning to care for herself would rob her own mom of the chance to rise from the dead and teacher her”.
“Baby? The waxist wanted answers”.
“Okay, I said”.
“She puffed cold powder onto my crotch. Baby, she said,
You go now”.
“I dressed, bare skin behind my clothes like a secret, safe with me, a pulled together girl, all the mess shorn off. A girl wise enough to identify the Ness in the first place, and to fix it. I tipped using a formula my mother taught me (move the decimal point, the double it), called a car and walked out into Los Angeles. Ash on the air, and fire”.
“I took photos for my feed, captured the LA light, the Spanish style mansions, winding wrought iron, ocean on the air, which cooled at night to a deep desert chill I never felt before. All of it was so new, so utterly unlike Houston, my mother, the stale and humid library where she worked, the chronic complaints she made about her body—it’s size and shape and ailments—always searching for something to cure. I turned the camera to my face and spoke as I walked. Gonna to be a big staaaah, I said and smooched the lens”.
“The real world, shrunken by lack. But technology was wide open. It was where the money was. Influencers with one hundred followers earned a thousand dollars a post, easy. Two hundred thousand followers equaled paid vacations to five-star resorts. almost foolish, to want to do anything else”.
Ha…..you think?
Wait until YOU enter this world in ‘Aesthetica’……(if you dare)…
There is a lot more going on - with prime plots - sub-plots - a mother-daughter relationship- a childhood friend, fear, regret, manipulation, hopelessness, hopefulness…..
Propulsively vigorous in nature…..
In other words: it’s fricken-awakening-amazing!
Must have taken guts to write: congrats to Allie Rowbottom….. incredibly brave writer.
June 2, 2022
I want Sofia Coppola to adapt this lol
January 30, 2023
Not very taken with this one, to be honest. Made me want to reread Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino instead. The characters are flat, and everything is so on the nose it feels didactic. There are a couple of lines here that encapsulate what it’s like to be a woman, sure — but aren’t there always?
A quick perusal of Rowbottom’s Instagram account shows that she divulged her skincare routine with Glamour as part of promoting this book. I can’t and won’t fault her for that (I love skincare talk too), but it does seem a little silly in light of the book’s content. More than that, I don’t really know what the book’s thesis is supposed to be. That it’s hard to be a woman? That beauty is its own prison? Ok, but what about it?
Quite frankly, it’s not very interesting for me to read a white, conventionally attractive woman write about another white, conventionally attractive woman’s struggle to cling to beauty. And I know no woman is immune to its mythology, but surely, there has to be something more substantial to say at this point. I saw someone compare this to My Life of Rest and Relaxation — a book I admittedly must reread — but I must say I got far more out of it because it was aware of its own hollowness. This doesn’t seem to ring true for Aesthetica.
And I know it must seem dicey for me to say this about a novel dealing with sexual assault — but to me, the #MeToo inclusion feels like it’s thrown in there as an afterthought, as if to check one more gendered problem off the list. Aesthetica is so concerned with being a book about contemporary womanhood that, to me, it becomes a book about almost nothing at all.
A quick and easy read, but not really one I’d recommend.
A quick perusal of Rowbottom’s Instagram account shows that she divulged her skincare routine with Glamour as part of promoting this book. I can’t and won’t fault her for that (I love skincare talk too), but it does seem a little silly in light of the book’s content. More than that, I don’t really know what the book’s thesis is supposed to be. That it’s hard to be a woman? That beauty is its own prison? Ok, but what about it?
Quite frankly, it’s not very interesting for me to read a white, conventionally attractive woman write about another white, conventionally attractive woman’s struggle to cling to beauty. And I know no woman is immune to its mythology, but surely, there has to be something more substantial to say at this point. I saw someone compare this to My Life of Rest and Relaxation — a book I admittedly must reread — but I must say I got far more out of it because it was aware of its own hollowness. This doesn’t seem to ring true for Aesthetica.
And I know it must seem dicey for me to say this about a novel dealing with sexual assault — but to me, the #MeToo inclusion feels like it’s thrown in there as an afterthought, as if to check one more gendered problem off the list. Aesthetica is so concerned with being a book about contemporary womanhood that, to me, it becomes a book about almost nothing at all.
A quick and easy read, but not really one I’d recommend.
October 21, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Literary Fiction
The story is about social media and how it influences a person’s life when he decides to become an influencer with a big following. This is about living a double life. A life that one will demonstrate to his followers and his actual life. What happens when a person is lost between their real identity and a fake identity? This is the story that Aesthetica tries to tell.
At 18 years old, Anna moves to Los Angeles, where she tries to grow a big following on Instagram. This kind of glamorous lifestyle leads to lots of plastic surgery. Once in her 30s, Anna decides to regain her true self and undo all the cosmetic procedures that she has done on herself. But will that work? What are the consequences? That you have to read.
The writing style was really good, and the subject of the story is something very relevant. It is really sad to see how many celebrities lose themselves and just live a life that depends on the number of clicks and views. And the most pitiful thing is the people who follow these celebrities and try to copy them. This story tells a lot about that, and it is also about a person who tries to regain his identity after many years of being lost over insignificant things. The story is quite entertaining, but it does come with several trigger warnings, so be careful.
Many thanks to the publisher, Soho Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.
Genre: Literary Fiction
The story is about social media and how it influences a person’s life when he decides to become an influencer with a big following. This is about living a double life. A life that one will demonstrate to his followers and his actual life. What happens when a person is lost between their real identity and a fake identity? This is the story that Aesthetica tries to tell.
At 18 years old, Anna moves to Los Angeles, where she tries to grow a big following on Instagram. This kind of glamorous lifestyle leads to lots of plastic surgery. Once in her 30s, Anna decides to regain her true self and undo all the cosmetic procedures that she has done on herself. But will that work? What are the consequences? That you have to read.
The writing style was really good, and the subject of the story is something very relevant. It is really sad to see how many celebrities lose themselves and just live a life that depends on the number of clicks and views. And the most pitiful thing is the people who follow these celebrities and try to copy them. This story tells a lot about that, and it is also about a person who tries to regain his identity after many years of being lost over insignificant things. The story is quite entertaining, but it does come with several trigger warnings, so be careful.
Many thanks to the publisher, Soho Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.
September 7, 2022
Punchy, intense, wonderfully written, and very now, in the best sense of the word.
November 22, 2022
In the near future, a woman in her thirties prepares to undergo ‘Aesthetica’, a revolutionary cosmetic procedure that claims to undo the effects of all previous plastic surgeries. In flashbacks to the late 2010s, she’s a teenager, newly arrived in LA and all too willing to be inducted into a world of sleazy parties, Botox and boob jobs by a man who promises to make her famous. Aesthetica is compelling, but it’s lightweight; it doesn’t quite feel like we learn enough about Anna’s brush with fame to make it a proper driving force for the plot, although her relationship with her mother is well-drawn. The last chapter would make an excellent short story in its own right, and is stronger as a self-contained narrative than Aesthetica is as a whole. As a novel about influencers, online fame and the exploitation therein, I didn’t think it was as nuanced as Louise O’Neill’s Idol, which offers a less ‘literary’ but more complex examination of the same themes.
I received an advance review copy of Aesthetica from the publisher through Edelweiss.
TinyLetter | Linktree
I received an advance review copy of Aesthetica from the publisher through Edelweiss.
TinyLetter | Linktree
December 14, 2022
1½⭐
MOODS
➨ If you like books that feel like one long acid trip
➨ Social Media and everything that comes with it...the pretty and the ugly
➨ So many fucking emojis
I think this was supposed to be really deep. Diving way, way down into the abyss of social media, body modifications, drugs, sex, dying mothers, and dying friendships. At three-quarters into this, I read the blurb because I wasn't even sure what the story was supposed to be about. Apparently...it has dual timelines. I had no clue.
It also may be better in book format over audio format...because she literally reads off every emoji in this book. Let's say you have all these emojis on a post...😻💯💙💞🖤💜💖😉💯🔥🔥🔥🔥 she would read each one off...cat eye emoji, 100 emoji, blue heart emoji, revolving heart emoji, black heart emoji, purple heart emoji, sparkling heart emoji....etc, etc. This reading of the emojis happens constantly throughout the entire book. It was maddening. Overall...I believe I can sum up my feelings about this book in one emoji, 🖕.
MOODS
➨ If you like books that feel like one long acid trip
➨ Social Media and everything that comes with it...the pretty and the ugly
➨ So many fucking emojis
I think this was supposed to be really deep. Diving way, way down into the abyss of social media, body modifications, drugs, sex, dying mothers, and dying friendships. At three-quarters into this, I read the blurb because I wasn't even sure what the story was supposed to be about. Apparently...it has dual timelines. I had no clue.
It also may be better in book format over audio format...because she literally reads off every emoji in this book. Let's say you have all these emojis on a post...😻💯💙💞🖤💜💖😉💯🔥🔥🔥🔥 she would read each one off...cat eye emoji, 100 emoji, blue heart emoji, revolving heart emoji, black heart emoji, purple heart emoji, sparkling heart emoji....etc, etc. This reading of the emojis happens constantly throughout the entire book. It was maddening. Overall...I believe I can sum up my feelings about this book in one emoji, 🖕.
March 27, 2022
This book. This book. I want everyone to read this book. This is my number one favorite thing I've read this year, and it's so beautifully wrought. So propulsive and such a deep commentary on our on screen lives, and the real life ramifications of that. I've never read a book that explores these themes that feel so timely yet so timeless. I loved it. This is one I'l re-read again and again.
January 15, 2023
“Every mirror is an illusion. The only one I want is the one my mother offered, a vision of myself through her eyes.”
punchy and frustrating. the synopsis of the novel sounded fascinating to me, and i was hoping that it would delve really deep into its themes of social media and self-image, but i found it severely lacking in terms of depth. so many of the observations here felt so shallow and like surface-level feminism; we got a lot of waxing poetic about the book's different themes but they didn't feel really well-integrated into the happenings of the plot, they just popped up and they didn't feel that insightful to me. also, soooo much telling rather than showing towards the end of the novel, i wanted more of anna's downfall in actual scenes and not just "so i stopped getting sponsorships yada yada yada" summary. the best parts of this book were by far the scenes w her mom and leah; those scenes were well-written and actually did a nice job illuminating the themes of the novel. needed more of those and less of the overall superficiality of this book! also as an aside. so many fucking brand names dropped in this book and yet for some reason a store that is clearly sephora is cheekily referred to as "the black and white striped store". why.
2.5 stars
punchy and frustrating. the synopsis of the novel sounded fascinating to me, and i was hoping that it would delve really deep into its themes of social media and self-image, but i found it severely lacking in terms of depth. so many of the observations here felt so shallow and like surface-level feminism; we got a lot of waxing poetic about the book's different themes but they didn't feel really well-integrated into the happenings of the plot, they just popped up and they didn't feel that insightful to me. also, soooo much telling rather than showing towards the end of the novel, i wanted more of anna's downfall in actual scenes and not just "so i stopped getting sponsorships yada yada yada" summary. the best parts of this book were by far the scenes w her mom and leah; those scenes were well-written and actually did a nice job illuminating the themes of the novel. needed more of those and less of the overall superficiality of this book! also as an aside. so many fucking brand names dropped in this book and yet for some reason a store that is clearly sephora is cheekily referred to as "the black and white striped store". why.
2.5 stars
January 24, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Soho Press
Pub. Date: Nov. 22, 2022
“Aesthetica” is both a cautionary tale and a contemporary horror-like story with a “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?” theme making me grateful that social media did not exist when I was in my teens. In the near future, 2032, a 35-year-old woman, Anna Wrey, is in Los Angeles lounging by a hotel pool, reflecting on her first cosmetic procedure back in 2017. The next day, she will have a radical, elective, and dangerous surgery called "Aesthetica," which claims to undo all of her cosmetic surgeries. Her goal is for her 35-year-old body to look as it should in hopes that it will reflect how she feels on the inside, making her a whole person, no longer a funhouse mirror—a fascinating concept to explore. As social media grips the world, the author asks if someone devoted to looking sexy and gaining fame can change. Moreover, is it their fault if they cannot?
The author nails the desire to emulate a reality star’s life. Think Kim Kardashian. As the hours pass at the pool, Anna's mind wanders back in time, recalling her youth. In flashbacks, we see her as a teenager who had just moved to Los Angeles to become an Instagram celebrity. The reader can feel her urgency. The more followers she has, the closer she gets to stardom. Rowbottom is good at building suspense and keeping the reader engaged throughout the novel, especially as Anna begins a relationship with a pimp-like man who promises to make her famous by introducing her to a world of seedy gatherings, Botox, fillers, boob jobs, waist reduction surgeries, and butt enhancers, which leaves her with a pain med addiction. I wish the author had gotten into why so many practice this unhealthy behavior. Then again, Rowbottom is an author and not a shrink.
Anna’s Liberian mother has a terminal illness. Anna goes back and forth from visiting her dying mom in the hospital to sex parties. She wants to stay with her mom until she has passed but cannot bring herself to take time off from Instagram. These scenes had such a heavy weight to them that I had tears in my eyes for both mother and daughter. Shrewdly, the author has made Anna’s mother a feminist, the opposite of her daughter, implying that she should be aware of ludicrous beauty standards. Yet, she often complains about her body’s size and shape. This is smugly in Anna’s mind as she “turned the camera to my face and spoke as I walked, Gonna be a big staaaah, I said and smooched the lens.”
I am sure that the theme of how far we will go to feel beautiful, even if it means losing ourselves in the process, must have been covered in other contemporary literature. However, I have never read them in either a novel or a nonfiction format. The subject matter is fresh to me. This may be the reason why I am so impressed with this author. The book is not without flaws. I expected the ending to have the same vivid imagery as the rest of the tale. It did not. My ultimate feeling was that I missed some parts. Still, I now want to read the author’s memoir, “Jell-O Girls.” I recommend this debut novel that forces us, like Anna’s mother, to realize whether we like it or not society’s glare on our appearance influences all of us.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://books6259.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com
https://twitter.com/NeesRecord
https://www.amazon.com
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/c...
Publisher: Soho Press
Pub. Date: Nov. 22, 2022
“Aesthetica” is both a cautionary tale and a contemporary horror-like story with a “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?” theme making me grateful that social media did not exist when I was in my teens. In the near future, 2032, a 35-year-old woman, Anna Wrey, is in Los Angeles lounging by a hotel pool, reflecting on her first cosmetic procedure back in 2017. The next day, she will have a radical, elective, and dangerous surgery called "Aesthetica," which claims to undo all of her cosmetic surgeries. Her goal is for her 35-year-old body to look as it should in hopes that it will reflect how she feels on the inside, making her a whole person, no longer a funhouse mirror—a fascinating concept to explore. As social media grips the world, the author asks if someone devoted to looking sexy and gaining fame can change. Moreover, is it their fault if they cannot?
The author nails the desire to emulate a reality star’s life. Think Kim Kardashian. As the hours pass at the pool, Anna's mind wanders back in time, recalling her youth. In flashbacks, we see her as a teenager who had just moved to Los Angeles to become an Instagram celebrity. The reader can feel her urgency. The more followers she has, the closer she gets to stardom. Rowbottom is good at building suspense and keeping the reader engaged throughout the novel, especially as Anna begins a relationship with a pimp-like man who promises to make her famous by introducing her to a world of seedy gatherings, Botox, fillers, boob jobs, waist reduction surgeries, and butt enhancers, which leaves her with a pain med addiction. I wish the author had gotten into why so many practice this unhealthy behavior. Then again, Rowbottom is an author and not a shrink.
Anna’s Liberian mother has a terminal illness. Anna goes back and forth from visiting her dying mom in the hospital to sex parties. She wants to stay with her mom until she has passed but cannot bring herself to take time off from Instagram. These scenes had such a heavy weight to them that I had tears in my eyes for both mother and daughter. Shrewdly, the author has made Anna’s mother a feminist, the opposite of her daughter, implying that she should be aware of ludicrous beauty standards. Yet, she often complains about her body’s size and shape. This is smugly in Anna’s mind as she “turned the camera to my face and spoke as I walked, Gonna be a big staaaah, I said and smooched the lens.”
I am sure that the theme of how far we will go to feel beautiful, even if it means losing ourselves in the process, must have been covered in other contemporary literature. However, I have never read them in either a novel or a nonfiction format. The subject matter is fresh to me. This may be the reason why I am so impressed with this author. The book is not without flaws. I expected the ending to have the same vivid imagery as the rest of the tale. It did not. My ultimate feeling was that I missed some parts. Still, I now want to read the author’s memoir, “Jell-O Girls.” I recommend this debut novel that forces us, like Anna’s mother, to realize whether we like it or not society’s glare on our appearance influences all of us.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://books6259.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com
https://twitter.com/NeesRecord
https://www.amazon.com
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/c...
April 25, 2023
Someone get me off this 3-star train. I hate writing them. People hate reading them (they make sure to tell me whenever they can). But here we are again. 3-stars means "liked it" and I did but I didn't "really like it" or "think it was amazing".
Now with that out of the way, I listened to Aesthetica on audiobook and that was a mistake. This is a story about a young woman who wants to make her fortune in sponsors with likes and comments on Instagram. The book is filled to the brim with these: 💖😻❤️😍🥰 glitter-heart emoji, heart-eyed cat emoji, red heart emoji, smiling heart-eye emoji, face with hearts emoji.
Was that fun reading? If it was you might like this audiobook because that's just a little taste of what is in store for you. If it was annoying, you might not like that about this audiobook. I love using and abusing emoji's, so I have nothing against them but having each and every one described was tedious. The narrator was otherwise wonderful. I don't know who made the decision to describe each emoji, but man how I wish they hadn't.
Anyhow, this is a decent story about the obsession with photoshop that leads women to modify their faces and bodies to disturbing levels to stay relevant and on top of that big pile of likes. It's a dark and disturbing journey about a young woman who gets taken advantage of in the worst of ways and who, now that she's 35, wants to undue everything she's done with a procedure called "Aesthetica" which claims to return people to their pre-surgery days and make them look as nature intended. The timeline flips around so we get to see all of the shady things that happen in real-time.
It's a scathing and timely look at internet obsessions and unobtainable and ever changing beauty standards and the harm they can potentially do. And honestly how unimportant it all is the scheme of things.
Recommended but maybe read it in paper or you might find yourself with a new hatred for the innocent emoji and skipping ahead when they make their many appearances.
Now with that out of the way, I listened to Aesthetica on audiobook and that was a mistake. This is a story about a young woman who wants to make her fortune in sponsors with likes and comments on Instagram. The book is filled to the brim with these: 💖😻❤️😍🥰 glitter-heart emoji, heart-eyed cat emoji, red heart emoji, smiling heart-eye emoji, face with hearts emoji.
Was that fun reading? If it was you might like this audiobook because that's just a little taste of what is in store for you. If it was annoying, you might not like that about this audiobook. I love using and abusing emoji's, so I have nothing against them but having each and every one described was tedious. The narrator was otherwise wonderful. I don't know who made the decision to describe each emoji, but man how I wish they hadn't.
Anyhow, this is a decent story about the obsession with photoshop that leads women to modify their faces and bodies to disturbing levels to stay relevant and on top of that big pile of likes. It's a dark and disturbing journey about a young woman who gets taken advantage of in the worst of ways and who, now that she's 35, wants to undue everything she's done with a procedure called "Aesthetica" which claims to return people to their pre-surgery days and make them look as nature intended. The timeline flips around so we get to see all of the shady things that happen in real-time.
It's a scathing and timely look at internet obsessions and unobtainable and ever changing beauty standards and the harm they can potentially do. And honestly how unimportant it all is the scheme of things.
Recommended but maybe read it in paper or you might find yourself with a new hatred for the innocent emoji and skipping ahead when they make their many appearances.
December 18, 2022
أكثر رواية قرأتها بنهم هذه السنة
ولكن النهم كان للموضوع، الرواية جيدة لكن ليست متقنة
أردت أن أقرأ مثلها لدرجة أنني قررت أن أجوجل الأمر، كتبت "رواية عن السوشال ميديا"
ولم أحصل على شيء
كما توقعت
قلت سأقع على "رواية عن السوشال ميديا" حين لا أتوقع، مثلما حدث معي أكثر من مرة، أموت وأنا أبحث عن رواية وأجدها صدفة حين أفقد الأمل
وماذا يعني عن السوشال ميديا؟
رواية عن جنون مواقع التواصل، عن هوس الجمال، الإدمان، البهدلة، أن أرى هؤلاء "المؤثرين" "صانعي المحتوى" أصحاب الملايين من المتابعين و الدولارات يتهزأون، سعادتهم قناع يخفي ناس في أحسن الأحوال عاديون
وأفضل أن يكونوا مهزوزين عديمي الثقة😈😈
وأن يكون ثمن النجاح تدمير الحياة
وحصلت على هذا😀
اعتدنا على أن عمليات التجميل ابتعاد عن الذات الأصلية، هنا الكاتبة تسأل إن كان الأمر عكس هذا، ماذا لو كان اقترابا من الأصل؟ وما الذي يعنيه الأصل؟ هل الطبيعي جيد فعلا؟
آنا في الثامنة عشرة، تبدأ طريقها لتصير مشهورة على الإنستجرام، عمليات تجميل، مخدرات، حفلات. بعد خمسة عشر عاما تحجز عملية جراحية لإزالة كل ال��مليات السابقة لتعود إلى ذاتها الطبيعية، كل هذا يتداخل مع علاقتها بصديقتها ومرض أمها
لكن كما قلت الرواية ليست متقنة، فكرة عظيمة لكن تنفيذ ليس كذلك
وهذا أسوأ ما يمكن أن يحصل للكاتب قبل القارئ
ولكن النهم كان للموضوع، الرواية جيدة لكن ليست متقنة
أردت أن أقرأ مثلها لدرجة أنني قررت أن أجوجل الأمر، كتبت "رواية عن السوشال ميديا"
ولم أحصل على شيء
كما توقعت
قلت سأقع على "رواية عن السوشال ميديا" حين لا أتوقع، مثلما حدث معي أكثر من مرة، أموت وأنا أبحث عن رواية وأجدها صدفة حين أفقد الأمل
وماذا يعني عن السوشال ميديا؟
رواية عن جنون مواقع التواصل، عن هوس الجمال، الإدمان، البهدلة، أن أرى هؤلاء "المؤثرين" "صانعي المحتوى" أصحاب الملايين من المتابعين و الدولارات يتهزأون، سعادتهم قناع يخفي ناس في أحسن الأحوال عاديون
وأفضل أن يكونوا مهزوزين عديمي الثقة😈😈
وأن يكون ثمن النجاح تدمير الحياة
وحصلت على هذا😀
اعتدنا على أن عمليات التجميل ابتعاد عن الذات الأصلية، هنا الكاتبة تسأل إن كان الأمر عكس هذا، ماذا لو كان اقترابا من الأصل؟ وما الذي يعنيه الأصل؟ هل الطبيعي جيد فعلا؟
آنا في الثامنة عشرة، تبدأ طريقها لتصير مشهورة على الإنستجرام، عمليات تجميل، مخدرات، حفلات. بعد خمسة عشر عاما تحجز عملية جراحية لإزالة كل ال��مليات السابقة لتعود إلى ذاتها الطبيعية، كل هذا يتداخل مع علاقتها بصديقتها ومرض أمها
لكن كما قلت الرواية ليست متقنة، فكرة عظيمة لكن تنفيذ ليس كذلك
وهذا أسوأ ما يمكن أن يحصل للكاتب قبل القارئ
November 15, 2022
4.5 stars Boobs, botox, and becoming an insta star. I absolutely loved this book that wasn't afraid to look at the realistic side of what it takes to become an influencer. An LA fairytale gone wrong but also a great coming of age to discovering oneself story.
February 12, 2024
Let me just start off by saying, why do people think women specifically think that they need a guy to make them "powerful"?! Literally all Anna did was make people think she's just a pick me girl. When really all she is trying to do is to become "powerful" and have a good social media life.
Character Thoughts:
* Anna: Could see her point of view but she went about it the wrong way
* Jake: Manipulator who used Anna for his job. Who knows if their "love" was even real. 🤷
* The Mom: OMG!!! The mom pissed me off for a good bit because she kept spamming her daughter on social media and after a while it's like ok clearly Anna sees your messages. What was kind of funny was when Anna was yeah I'm going to call my mom, calls her the mom doesn't pick up, mom calls back and then Anna doesn't pick up. Like what is happening.
I wanted to read this because I'd read the book description online and I wanted to know how good it was. TBH it didn't live up to my expectation sadly but it was still good.
Character Thoughts:
* Anna: Could see her point of view but she went about it the wrong way
* Jake: Manipulator who used Anna for his job. Who knows if their "love" was even real. 🤷
* The Mom: OMG!!! The mom pissed me off for a good bit because she kept spamming her daughter on social media and after a while it's like ok clearly Anna sees your messages. What was kind of funny was when Anna was yeah I'm going to call my mom, calls her the mom doesn't pick up, mom calls back and then Anna doesn't pick up. Like what is happening.
I wanted to read this because I'd read the book description online and I wanted to know how good it was. TBH it didn't live up to my expectation sadly but it was still good.
December 2, 2022
Allie Rowbottom's debut is a searing look at the pressures of social media and beauty standards for women.
Ever since Anna was young, she wanted to be beautiful and famous. As she grew into her teen years, she realized that her best bet was to become an influencer on social media. She was constantly obsessed with photos, angles, likes, and followers.
After graduation from high school, she moves to Los Angeles and really ups her social media game. She quickly catches the attention of Jake, who is handsome and well-connected, and he becomes her boyfriend and manager of sorts. And little by little, she finds she needs to change herself to be what the public wants, so she becomes obsessed with plastic surgery.
The book alternates between Anna at 19 and Anna at 35, barely recognizable because of all the surgeries, procedures, and fillers she’s had through the years. Gone are the days of influencing; she now works at the cosmetics counter of a store that sells anti-aging products.
Anna is about to have revolutionary surgery called Aesthetica, which will reverse all of her past surgeries and procedures and return her face to what it should look like for a woman her age. She hopes it will help her find her true self again—if she survives the risky surgery. At the same time, she’s being asked to speak out against Jake, who has also remade himself as an adventure-seeking family man despite all of his transgressions through the years.
This is a really powerful book. It’s not a happy one, necessarily, but it definitely made me think about the unrealistic pressures social media and fame put on people, especially women.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
Ever since Anna was young, she wanted to be beautiful and famous. As she grew into her teen years, she realized that her best bet was to become an influencer on social media. She was constantly obsessed with photos, angles, likes, and followers.
After graduation from high school, she moves to Los Angeles and really ups her social media game. She quickly catches the attention of Jake, who is handsome and well-connected, and he becomes her boyfriend and manager of sorts. And little by little, she finds she needs to change herself to be what the public wants, so she becomes obsessed with plastic surgery.
The book alternates between Anna at 19 and Anna at 35, barely recognizable because of all the surgeries, procedures, and fillers she’s had through the years. Gone are the days of influencing; she now works at the cosmetics counter of a store that sells anti-aging products.
Anna is about to have revolutionary surgery called Aesthetica, which will reverse all of her past surgeries and procedures and return her face to what it should look like for a woman her age. She hopes it will help her find her true self again—if she survives the risky surgery. At the same time, she’s being asked to speak out against Jake, who has also remade himself as an adventure-seeking family man despite all of his transgressions through the years.
This is a really powerful book. It’s not a happy one, necessarily, but it definitely made me think about the unrealistic pressures social media and fame put on people, especially women.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
November 27, 2022
Big thanks to the publisher for the ARC!
Aesthetica is an über-modern exploration of social media (namely Instagram) and the grip it has on people, those who look to use it to fill holes in their lives, and the long-standing effects it has both physically and psychologically. What really carries this novel is its razor-sharp examination of our main character, a famous Instagram influencer, and how it feels when that fame is long over. And what exactly is the Aesthetica? A new sort of surgery, with risks involved…
Certainly one of my favorite books of the year, this is a hip and dark and upsetting and smart novel, and I’ll surely check out future releases from this author.
Aesthetica is an über-modern exploration of social media (namely Instagram) and the grip it has on people, those who look to use it to fill holes in their lives, and the long-standing effects it has both physically and psychologically. What really carries this novel is its razor-sharp examination of our main character, a famous Instagram influencer, and how it feels when that fame is long over. And what exactly is the Aesthetica? A new sort of surgery, with risks involved…
Certainly one of my favorite books of the year, this is a hip and dark and upsetting and smart novel, and I’ll surely check out future releases from this author.
November 24, 2022
It's boring, and then just when things start happening it ends.
I liked the exploration of the main character's friendship with her childhood friend, and how they've grown apart but are still in many ways a part of each other, but other than that there was nothing in here for me.
I liked the exploration of the main character's friendship with her childhood friend, and how they've grown apart but are still in many ways a part of each other, but other than that there was nothing in here for me.
April 19, 2023
Full review to come.
3 ⭐️
3 ⭐️
March 23, 2023
I loved this. Aesthetica deals a lot with the pressure to conform to standards set on social media, controlling older men, the aftermath of assault, and coming of age on the internet. When Anna was 19 she was desperate to become a famous Instagram influencer. When she moves out to LA her boyfriend/manager Jake and others convince her to start getting different cosmetic procedures, from botox to filler to a breast augmentation. Later, at 35 years old Anna is about to undergo a very risky procedure called Aesthetica that will reverse all her previous surgeries to make her look how she would’ve if she never had any work done.
This book had a very specific voice, I really enjoyed Allie Rowbottom’s writing. It definitely put me in Anna’s mindset in these two different points in her life. She’s not always a likeable character and doesn’t always make the best decisions, but I felt like that’s what made her seem so real. On top of the plot about social media and cosmetic surgery, there’s also an interesting story about Anna’s relationship with her mother as well as a childhood friend Leah who she’s lost contact with.
There’s a lot of commentary in here about social media, changes in beauty standards, and the unrealistic expectations put on people to conform to them. The book can be hard to read at times, especially when it’s getting into the way that Anna is treated by Jake and other older men. But I never felt like it was gratuitous with what it portrayed on the page. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Allie Rowbottom. She has a unique style and thought-provoking stories.
This book had a very specific voice, I really enjoyed Allie Rowbottom’s writing. It definitely put me in Anna’s mindset in these two different points in her life. She’s not always a likeable character and doesn’t always make the best decisions, but I felt like that’s what made her seem so real. On top of the plot about social media and cosmetic surgery, there’s also an interesting story about Anna’s relationship with her mother as well as a childhood friend Leah who she’s lost contact with.
There’s a lot of commentary in here about social media, changes in beauty standards, and the unrealistic expectations put on people to conform to them. The book can be hard to read at times, especially when it’s getting into the way that Anna is treated by Jake and other older men. But I never felt like it was gratuitous with what it portrayed on the page. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Allie Rowbottom. She has a unique style and thought-provoking stories.
March 22, 2023
This book was totally weird but I was into it. Lots of trigger warnings (more than I can remember/list) but if you’re a sensitive reader this one isn’t for you. A deep look into the dangers of social media influencing, loss, and abuse. I wouldn’t recommend to everyone but those who I know will like it will probably actually love.
January 6, 2023
Dan Bilzerian you will pay for your crimes IN HELL
October 24, 2022
Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom. Thanks to @sohopress for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Anna was a popular influencer at 19. She got caught up in the world of beauty perfection portrayal. Now at the age of 35, she is about to undertake a controversial surgery to reverse all procedures she’s had. Meanwhile, her ex-manager/boyfriend is rebranding himself and journalists are prepping to take him down.
I loved this book! I really enjoyed the author’s note that came with my Arc explaining her background with beauty ideals and hope the final version will include that! I read Aesthetica is one day. It is a very easy read where the pages just fly. I felt and emphasized with the main character so much. We are all familiar with how beauty standards have changed, and will continue to change, but this story really smacks you in the face with it.
“I dream, as I often do, of meals I don’t mean to eat, drugs I didn’t mean to swallow, faceless men I didn’t want to f**k. Even in sleep, I open my mouth and scream.“
Aesthetica comes out 11/22.
Anna was a popular influencer at 19. She got caught up in the world of beauty perfection portrayal. Now at the age of 35, she is about to undertake a controversial surgery to reverse all procedures she’s had. Meanwhile, her ex-manager/boyfriend is rebranding himself and journalists are prepping to take him down.
I loved this book! I really enjoyed the author’s note that came with my Arc explaining her background with beauty ideals and hope the final version will include that! I read Aesthetica is one day. It is a very easy read where the pages just fly. I felt and emphasized with the main character so much. We are all familiar with how beauty standards have changed, and will continue to change, but this story really smacks you in the face with it.
“I dream, as I often do, of meals I don’t mean to eat, drugs I didn’t mean to swallow, faceless men I didn’t want to f**k. Even in sleep, I open my mouth and scream.“
Aesthetica comes out 11/22.
April 27, 2023
This book is a dark but insightful look at the way social media, capitalism and misogyny intertwine to create inhospitable but profitable industries, and the way that people are consumed by the pursuit of beauty. I loved this book- it's sly, and deep, and funny, while being emotional and true- every single behavior and conversation in the book is believable and real. The passages about being washed clean and reborn by the Aesthetica procedure were some of the best I've read all year.
Highly, highly recommend if you have any interest in the rise of Instagram face, body dysmorphia, capitalism and social media, and the performance of gender in a slim package that isn't didactic in the slightest.
Highly, highly recommend if you have any interest in the rise of Instagram face, body dysmorphia, capitalism and social media, and the performance of gender in a slim package that isn't didactic in the slightest.
December 14, 2022
There is a real talent here for effective and gut-wrenching scenes, but it's not enough to create a good read. The narrator is wholly unlikeable, never learning from any of her past mistakes (never really seeing any of her actions as mistakes even). Even at the very conclusion of "Aesthetica", where she decides to finally tell her MeToo-style story to a reporter, she describes it as something she can rebrand herself with, her ultimate goal not reading as very altruistic. Flawed narrators can be compelling, but not where there's nothing beyond shallowness and deep unlikability in every step of the way.
December 6, 2022
Do I connect to any of the themes of this book? Not really. Do I care about the world of Instagram, influencers, plastic surgery? Definitely not. But do I support slightly unhinged female attempted-murderers? Yes, absolutely.
January 3, 2023
"As a girl, I wanted to be discovered. Fifteen years later, as a thirty-five-year-old woman, I want to undo the past and disappear."
Almost everyone I know is on social media. They live and breathe it. As soon as people wake up, they are on their phones looking at posts. It's kind of depressing but I can't fault people for it. We are all addicted and it consumes us.
Allie takes us further into the mind of someone who wants the glitz and glamour of being famous on social media. How they will do anything to please their followers or to get just one more follower. When you become addicted it takes over your life and that's all you can think about. How far would you go for a few more followers? A collaboration contract? The perfect face/body? Is selling your soul to the social media lords (the devil) worth it?
Okay, so wow! I knew that this book was going to be something that I couldn't get enough of and I was right. I didn't want it to end but I couldn't put this one down. I love when books capture you in their clutches and it's all you can think about. This was such an amazing read. Deep hitting and important. Loved every page.
Anna was such a great character. She didn't always make the best decisions but she owned up to a lot. Some situations were a lot harder to swallow for her but she rights her wrongs and becomes a better person for it. Her character was strong from the start and you easily connect with her. We all don't agree with what she has done in her life but we have all made mistakes that have cost us. Anna was a phenomenal character and I would definitely call her a friend.
Aesthetica was a powerhouse of a book. One that I can find myself reading over and over again without getting bored. If Bret Ellis wrote fiction for the modern social media fueled world, then this would be his book. It was that damn good and I can't get enough.
Almost everyone I know is on social media. They live and breathe it. As soon as people wake up, they are on their phones looking at posts. It's kind of depressing but I can't fault people for it. We are all addicted and it consumes us.
Allie takes us further into the mind of someone who wants the glitz and glamour of being famous on social media. How they will do anything to please their followers or to get just one more follower. When you become addicted it takes over your life and that's all you can think about. How far would you go for a few more followers? A collaboration contract? The perfect face/body? Is selling your soul to the social media lords (the devil) worth it?
Okay, so wow! I knew that this book was going to be something that I couldn't get enough of and I was right. I didn't want it to end but I couldn't put this one down. I love when books capture you in their clutches and it's all you can think about. This was such an amazing read. Deep hitting and important. Loved every page.
Anna was such a great character. She didn't always make the best decisions but she owned up to a lot. Some situations were a lot harder to swallow for her but she rights her wrongs and becomes a better person for it. Her character was strong from the start and you easily connect with her. We all don't agree with what she has done in her life but we have all made mistakes that have cost us. Anna was a phenomenal character and I would definitely call her a friend.
Aesthetica was a powerhouse of a book. One that I can find myself reading over and over again without getting bored. If Bret Ellis wrote fiction for the modern social media fueled world, then this would be his book. It was that damn good and I can't get enough.
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