Today, I’m super excited to be reviewing Gorgeous Gruesome Faces by Linda Cheng. Thank you to Hachette Children’s Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
From just the comparison titles for this book, I was hooked. “Yellowjackets meets She Is a Haunting” – I mean, what more could you possibly ask for? Then that stunning cover burst onto the scene and I knew I needed this book in my life.
This review originally appeared on The Nerd Daily.
After a shocking career-ending scandal, eighteen-year-old Sunny Lee spends her days longing for her former popstar life and cyberstalking ex-groupmate Candie.
They were inseparable – before leaving tragedy and heartache in their wake. Now Candie is chasing stardom in a new K-pop competition, and Sunny can’t resist joining her. Finally, they can confront their past, like what happened that horrible night their third groupmate jumped to her death. And whether the dark, otherworldly secrets they keep had something to do with it . . .
But when Sunny is haunted by terrifying visions, gory injuries start happening to competitors – followed by even stranger mutilations. It’s a race to survive the deadly carnage in this spellbinding sapphic thriller that will have you screaming and swooning for more.
Publication Date: 9th November
TW: death, murder, violence, suicide, self-harm, revenge porn, gore, violence, grief
My Thoughts:
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is a nightmare dressed as a daydream – specifically the dream of glamour and fame.
This is a truly arresting book. It stopped me dead in my tracks and took over my brain completely. It is a sapphic Young Adult horror dripping with blood, sweat and tears in a very literal sense. It has sequences that burrowed their way into my head and have not left since. Cheng excels at creating this atmospheric, suspenseful tone that oozes unease and tension. Every page feels like a knife edge. Right from that opening scene, you know this is not going to be a book that holds back.
Sunny is a brilliant protagonist. Instantly, her voice is so fragile and endearing, while there is also the sense of more than a few buried secrets hidden within her narrative. She had the fall from grace and superstardom. Trying to piece her life back together and live up to the harsh expectations placed upon her by her mother is tough. This training camp appears as a lifeline for her, but what is she truly willing to sacrifice to reach the top again? That question of what lengths you will go to in order to achieve what you want is a central one of the book. Cheng leaves us in messy ethical territory often, with clear-cut answers not quite surfacing. This is a book revelling in the darkness between and the simmering rage of it all.
The focus on the K Pop stardom machine is fantastic. Cheng infuses the story with an excellent exploration of the commercial machine exploiting these young people for their glimpse of stardom. All of the fantastical elements are well-executed, but could also double for the trauma inflicted on our characters. We explore this concept of celebrity culture, particularly Idol culture, through two timelines – the band and TV show and the present day training camp. Sunny, Candie and Mina all experience very different impacts of this culture and watching that unfold was fascinating, but also nauseating. There is a particular scene about midway through that really cements the real-life horrors Cheng is weaving into the more conceptual ideas and classic conventions of the genre. Trying to unpick the truth of what really happened between those three was something that kept me absolutely glued to the pages. I also think Cheng captured that essence of teenage friendships so well, particularly in this unique pressure cooker of a situation. When you add in complex dynamics and the exploring of sexualities as well, it builds a vivid and nuanced picture that is not quite as you first expected. Cheng delves into some heavy and impactful issues, so please check trigger warnings before reading. However, these felt like they were handled with sensitivity and care.
It all builds into an explosive final third, where the action is top notch and the twists come thick and fast. You have the past and the present collide in spectacular ways, which also nod to the throughline of battling your own traumas. It leaves you with more than a few questions, which I would expect to be explored further in the sequel. That ending was fantastic and Cheng’s continuation is a must-have for me.
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is a fantastic exploration of the true cost of fame, where there will be blood.
A Short Book Lover 
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