Caroline Glenn is a screenwriter by trade and I think it shows. Cruelty Free is a novel that would make far more sense as a darkly-comedic show in the style of Dexter. A different name off of the revenge list every episode with the interpersonal and career drama building in the b plot. As a novel, it falls flat in many ways. It's characters are not just unlikeable, but boring. The structure is inconsistent which is a huge factor in the pacing feeling clunky. The central mystery is interesting, but ultimately leaves the reader feeling frustrated. And the horror elements exist more for shock factor than for substance.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. The beauty industry, Hollywood, a mother's grief, and the ethics of true crime are rich wells to draw from in crafting a story, and I would've really appreciated if we hit on any one of those points with real depth and nuance. A sapphic romance between two serial killers sounds great on paper, but then you read the novel and one of them dresses and acts like a high schooler trying to cosplay as a cartoon character and the romance cannot be compelling because she doesn't feel like she responds to anything consistently or emotes in a way that gives any insight to her as a three dimensional character. Aside from Maya, not a single relationship between Lila and any other character felt like it mattered. Every single one was subject to being completely rewritten for a new scene if it would make for a more interesting twist.

Lastly, I'd be remiss not to mention the fact that in the early copy of this novel that I received in exchange for my honest review, the love interest Sylvie compares herself and LIia to Jeffery Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell. It's played for comedy, Sylvie is pouting because she wants to be Epstein and not Ghislane. This is horrific and honestly reason enough for me to give this book a 1 start, even if the writing hadn't been terrible. These are real people who did innumerable harm to women and girls, it is deeply inappropriate and irresponsible to use it as a joke for your serial killer slasher fantasy.

I cannot in good faith recommend that anyone read this book. Its humor is dated and flawed, its gore is baseless and only added for shock value, and it doesn't stand meaningfully on any of the themes it posits. I will not be reading any Caroline Glenn projects in the future, and it will honestly change the way I view any film and tv work she has been a part of as well. A very disappointing book that dare I say feels a bit like a cash grab competing for how many trendy topics it could include without actually having any strong emotional reasoning for any of them.