Melissa ~ Bantering Books's Reviews > Rouge

3.5 stars

“Mirror, mirror on the wall …”

Rouge has me all in a tizzy. I’m so conflicted over how to rate it.

The problem is that I wanted to love it more than I did. And my want-to-love-it is fighting to take control of my review.

Mona Awad's latest is my first foray into her writing: a dark, trippy fairy tale about a woman who loses her mother and then spirals down a dangerous path in search of youth and beauty. Reading very much like a fever dream, the story is filled with gorgeous red, white, and black imagery, and there are shades of Snow White and even Tom Cruise (but not really) in its pages.

Throughout the book, Awad fiercely attacks the beauty industry and the pressure it places on women to look younger and be our most beautiful selves. And she makes us question: how much are we willing to sacrifice in order to meet these unreasonable standards?

And Awad handles it so well. Her jabs hit the target, and she’s unapologetic while making them. But as I mentioned above, much of the narrative is written as a surreal, druggy dream, and what happens inside of these dreams isn’t always interesting. Parts feel repetitive and I was bored at times, even though I wanted not to be, more than anything.

I was also looking for a more intricate and nuanced approach to the story and its themes. By the last chapter, Awad spells most everything out, what happens and why, and there isn't much left for us to piece together on our own.

The ending is killer, though. Even without the depth and complexity I craved, if Awad had given us more of what's in the last 50 pages – emotion, horror, and thrills – then I wouldn’t be stuck on a 3.5 star rating.


My sincerest appreciation to Mona Awad, S&S/Marysue Rucci Books, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.