Although this book has an intriguing storyline and themes, it still didn't grab me as I hoped it would. Maybe it's because Anna's world seems so bleak and it takes a while to form sympathy for her character?

Thirty-five-year-old Anna is sitting by a hotel pool, the day before her surgery. This revolutionary procedure called "aesthetica" will reverse all of the previous plastic surgery she's had done while also making her look as old as she really is. As she sits, she recollects her time as an Instagram model and all the abuse, sexualization, harm, and emotional toil that came with it. Her main relationships are with Jake, her manipulative handler; her feminist mother who's fallen on hard times; and her old best friend Leah, who's anorexic. This novel is an intriguing mix of intense/dark situations; blistering commentary on social media, sexism, fame, and women's bodies; and a not-so likable main character. I couldn't warm to Anna--the old or now version. All the plot points and the character relationships seemed choppy--maybe to reflect the rapid pace & superficiality of social media? I couldn't emotionally connect to these truncated narrative beats, and my enjoyment of this novel suffered for it.