Every Exquisite Thing
A YA horror-thriller-romance retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates, with a never-before-seen bonus chapter!
Penny Paxton is the daughter of an icon. Her supermodel mother has legions of adoring fans around the world, and Penny is ready to begin her journey to international adoration, starting with joining the elite Dorian Drama School. When Penny’s new mentor offers her an opportunity she cannot refuse, to have a portrait painted by a mysterious artist who can grant immortal beauty to all his subjects, Penny happily follows in the footsteps of Dorian’s most glittering alumni, knowing that stardom is sure to soon be hers. But when her trusted mentor is found murdered, Penny realises she’s made a terrible mistake – a sinister someone is using the uncanny portraits to kill off the subjects one by one. As more perfectly beautiful students start to fall, Penny knows her time is running out . . . A seductive and searing exploration of beauty, identity, and what the pursuit of perfection can truly cost.
- Pages
- 326
- First published
- 2023
- Language
- English
- Edition
- Ebook
More editions
▾
Pick a cover to preview.
Shelved by 6 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished August 7, 2026
Finished August 18, 2026
This didn’t really hold my attention until I was like halfway through the book. The premise was really interesting. I think by the nature of the characters purposefully being flawed I didn’t love them like I wanted to. I also just didn’t feel fully immersed into the story or connected which has been a theme for me with this author. I do enjoy the writing and the premises though so I’m going to keep reading until I find one that I connect with.
Finished August 19, 2026
★★★☆☆ Every Exquisite Thing had a premise that immediately caught my attention—a sapphic retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray. I've never read the original, but after finishing this, I actually find myself curious to pick it up and see if I connect with that story more. Unfortunately, I struggled with the direction of this one. It felt like the story kept introducing things that seemed incredibly important, only to move on before they were fully explored. We're introduced to a school that feels like it should play a major role, but we barely scratch the surface of it. An antagonist is introduced as a rival through a play, only for that thread to fizzle out. Then the focus shifts toward the main character and her mentor, a portrait meant to preserve eternal youth and beauty, before the killings begin. All of these ideas were interesting, but they needed more room to develop. Because of that, the story often felt uneven. I kept having moments of “Oh, this is the heart of the story,” only for the narrative to shift directions again. I think that also contributed to the pacing feeling a little strange. We spend a lot of time inside the main character's self-loathing without getting as much of the world around her as I wanted. I don't mind a toxic character or a sad girl—in fact, I usually love them—but the story needed more beyond that. Laura's writing is beautiful, and I really loved the atmosphere and the idea behind this story. Unfortunately, I had a similar experience with Our Infinite Fates: beautiful writing paired with a story that felt like it wasn't quite sure where it wanted to go. I also never became particularly invested in the characters, which made the weaker parts of the story stand out more. Ultimately, I think the heart of a good story is here, but the execution needed more focus and development. There were so many interesting ideas that I wish had been given the space to fully become something. This wasn't a bad book, and I would never want my rating to discourage someone from reading something they think they'll genuinely enjoy. For me, though, it landed at three stars because I could see the potential more clearly than I could see the finished story.
- darkemotionaltensemysteriousMedium-paced
Started August 3, 2026 · Finished August 7, 2026
I was not a fan of The Picture of Dorian Gray... this was a really well done retelling that I loved. Something I was not a fan of was the 2nd end... it felt incomplete like cliff hanger and there should be a sequel, which I would absolutely read.
Started August 5, 2026 · Finished August 7, 2026
