Eternal Beauty by Ashley Fontainne and Andrea Emmes is a haunting supernatural thriller that spans over a decade. We find ourselves following three lives entangled by grief, obsession, and a darkness that won’t stay buried. Told in gripping first-person narratives, the story weaves the perspectives of Bridget, a grieving girl seeking meaning; Claire, a woman desperate to reclaim perfection; and Barbara, a charismatic influencer hiding devastating secrets. As Celtic mythology seeps into their modern world, the lines between illusion and truth begin to dissolve. Bridget finds comfort in Barbara’s alluring online presence. Claire, consumed by revenge and vanity, spirals deeper into dangerous choices. And Barbara’s glamorous façade conceals a storm of pain and manipulation. This chilling tale of identity, trauma, and the masks we wear (both digital and real) builds to a nerve-shredding climax where beauty can be deadly and not all monsters hide in the dark.

Author duo Ashley Fontainne and Andrea Emmes really know how to tailor this genre to their audience, crafting an unforgettable YA thriller that shows all the fears of youthful uncertainty, takes readers of all ages back to those terrifying times, and then adds a whole load of new horror stakes. I loved the emotional narration so that we feel each person’s spirit and the pain they’re going through. These different layers of storytelling offer readers a psychological horror story that keeps you flipping pages frantically to see what will happen next. As someone who grew up surrounded by Celtic folklore, I thought the parallels and horror elements reshaped from mythology were impressively shifted into new contexts and put to great use in this timely exploration of online personas and buried trauma, making everything fresh and relevant for teenagers now. Overall, Eternal Beauty is a fascinating and accomplished read that I would not hesitate to recommend.

Eternal Beauty by Ashley Fontainne and Andrea Emmes follows Claire Foster, who wakes up in a hospital with severe burns and no clear memory of the fire that killed her parents. As she struggles with hallucinations, gaps in her memory, and psychological distress, she begins to suspect that the fire—and her past—hold darker secrets than she was told. Meanwhile, Claire reconnects with Barbara O’Malley, a charismatic wellness influencer who takes an intense interest in her recovery. As their relationship deepens, Claire becomes entangled in Barbara’s mysterious world of alternative treatments and bizarre rituals tied to age, identity, and transformation. Claire’s efforts to understand what happened the night of the fire lead her to Bridget Higgins, a grieving teen creator who unknowingly holds a key to the truth. As Claire investigates, she’s drawn into a disturbing scheme involving manipulation, revenge, and a plan that could change her life—and someone else’s—forever.

Eternal Beauty by Ashley Fontainne and Andrea Emmes is a spectacular, genre-blurring novel that thrives on the first-person points of view of all three women: Claire, Barbara, and Bridget. The writing is well done and meshes together trauma, identity, and the seductive power and pitfalls of womanhood. Fontainne and Emmes don’t shy away from the tough stuff, and through different lenses, readers get a textured tour of grief, abuse, mental illness, and body image, which is uncomfortably relatable. What sets this book apart is its refusal to conform to easy tropes; it’s messy, raw, and unapologetically horrifying. Every chapter feels like peeling back another layer of how everything between these three women ties together. I appreciate that the horror and paranormal elements are organically revealed with skill rather than shock. It’s a slow burn that rolls into a smoulder and a fiercely original and hauntingly beautiful read. Very highly recommended.