Review: Every Exquisite Thing by Laura Steven

A boarding school for the teenage elite, young, and beautiful. And murder.

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@shereadsbooks.sometimes

Dates read: 05/03/25 to 15/03/25

Word to describe: Enticing

Star rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Thriller, Classic Reimagined.

Trigger Warnings: As always take care when reading and consider these warnings before reading the book. Eating disorders, starvation, body image issues, alopecia, self harm, physical bodily harm, mention of alcohol and drug abuse, mention of child neglect, student-teacher relationship where both parties are adults, murder, aggravated assault, forced nudity, depression, suicide, mention of suicide, mention of post-natal depression, mention of homophobia towards a main character.

Another BorrowBox audiobook that I absolutely devoured. You really cannot go wrong with library loaned audiobooks who doesn't love a free best-seller (and remember supporting your local libraries helps to keep them running!).

Every Exquisite Thing follows Penny Paxton, young daughter of a world famous supermodel, an aspiring actress and student at the prestigious Dorian Drama School. She is beauty obsessed and a character with a strong moral compass, thanks to her mothers ever-wavering moral compass. Penny embodies the turmoil of emotion every teenage girl goes through. Am I enough? Am I pretty enough? Skinny enough? Liked enough? Her journey with body dysmorphia was very well written and emotive. Every Exquisite Thing captures the reality of eating disorders and body image issues that plague the young people of today who have been taught their value lies within their appearance.

When Penny finds herself losing the role as Lady Macbeth in her elite schools production to what she views as a better version of herself (skinnier with an outgoing fashion sense and a take no prisoners personality) Davina. She questions how she could've lost the role and becomes entrapped in vicious rumours surrounding new girl Davina. Fuelled by the motivation of hearing her emotionally distant mother tell her she's proud Penny blackmails Davina and her supposed student-teacher relationship, and, in turn, wins her rightful part of Lady Macbeth.

Along the way Penny has her portrait taken by the elusive masked painter with the promise of eternal youth and beauty, captured in the exact state she was in the moment the painting was performed. As the story continues we see Penny's body image issues take centre stage as well as her indescribable envy of antagonist Davina. Her hunger grows and instead of starving herself Penny indulges and is left in a perpetual state of hunger and cold with no escape from either. Penny then finds herself centre stage in a murder mystery when several of the masked painters subjects turn up dead and strange cuts appear across her own body.

I was so enthralled with this book from beginning to end. The writing style is of descriptive and visionary that I could see myself being a part of the cast of characters looking over their shoulders and envisioning every moment. Each character is unique and flawed and I love the emphasis on body issues and overcoming the fear of rejection by peers. The murder mystery was a brilliant twist in this classic inspired novel that had me counting down until I was next driving to be able to enjoy more of the story.

There were many favourable parts of this book. Penny healing from childhood trauma, the bisexual representation in Davina, the alopecia representation which is so rare in books!, the classic Queen B rivalry turned friendship that was so natural, the wholesome friendships between Penny and her housemates. I could keep going but you get the point.

The ending was equally enjoyable with a plot twist that surpassed my expectations (I could not guess who the killer was the entire time and that twist just served its purpose in blowing my mind). The story wrapped up nicely with an open ending for interpretation by the readers. After stalking the authors Goodreads profile it doesn't like look Every Exquisite Thing will be getting a part two any time soon but I hope it does!