The acclaimed author of the “disorienting, creepy, paranoia-inducing” (Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World) A History of Fear returns with a spine-tingling new thriller about a weight loss treatment with potentially murderous side effects.

Retail worker Emmett Truesdale has never fit the Southern California mold of six-pack, suntanned masculinity. Over three hundred pounds, he carries the weight of his childhood trauma and millennial ennui around his waist and in his soul. After trying every diet under the sun, he remains stuck—in his dead-end job, in love, and in his body.

Desperate for help, he enrolls in a clinical trial for a new weight loss product called Obexity. The treatment is as horrifying as the results are miraculous and as Emmett sheds pounds at superhuman speed, every part of his life improves overnight.

Unfortunately, Obexity comes with some killer side effects, including lost stretches of time and overwhelming cravings. Worse, people who were cruel to him have started disappearing and when the police warn of a cannibalistic killer on the loose, he fears that Obexity is turning him into a monster. But how can he give it up now that people are finally starting to treat him like he’s human?

Nerve-racking, sinister, and at times surreal, Nothing Tastes as Good is an unputdownable thriller that combines The Substance with the best of Stephen King and keeps you guessing until the final page.

I’d heard nothing but positive buzz for this book, which made it an automatic add to my BOTM box this month.

Emmett is a retail worker in Southern California. He’s over 300 pounds and doesn’t fit the California ideal of six-pack, suntanned masculinity. He’s tried every diet imaginable. Nothing works. He’s stuck in his dead-end job, stuck in his love life, and stuck in his body. When he gets the chance to enroll in a clinical trial for a new weight loss drug called Obexity, he takes it. The results are miraculous. He starts shedding pounds at an impossible rate. His life improves overnight. But the drug comes with some serious side effects. Lost stretches of time. Overwhelming cravings. And people who were cruel to him start disappearing. The police are warning about a cannibalistic killer on the loose, and Emmett starts to fear the drug is turning him into a monster. But he can’t give it up now. Not when people are finally treating him like he’s human.

This was a tough read, and I immediately liked Emmett. I really felt for him. His struggles with his weight were real and portrayed with complete honesty, but also handled in a way that didn’t feel exploitative. I especially loved the blend of social commentary and horror. The book has a lot to say about how we treat people based on their bodies, the pressure to conform to impossible standards, and what we’re willing to sacrifice to be accepted. And it wraps all of that in a genuinely creepy body horror story. The drug has some very awful and deadly side effects, and watching Emmett grapple with what’s happening to him was both terrifying and heartbreaking.

I understood Emmett because I’ve had my struggles with weight myself throughout my life. Gay men tend to be very critical of anyone who doesn’t have perfect skin and a six-pack. Unless you spend hours in the gym and even more time in front of a mirror gazing at your ripped abs, you’re immediately “less than” in many gay men’s eyes. Body image is a huge issue, and I felt everything that Emmett was going through. I also understood how easy it was for him to turn to the clinical trial of the weight loss drug. When you’ve tried everything and nothing works, when you’re desperate to be seen and valued, you’ll take risks you know you shouldn’t. I also completely understood why Emmett continued taking the drug even after he realized what it was making him do. Looking good and social acceptance are appealing. Especially when you’re getting all the attention both in person and by way of social media likes. That validation is intoxicating. And when you’ve been held down for so long simply because of how you look, giving it up feels impossible.

This was an easy five-star read for me until the end. I felt like the ending turned a little, dare I say, comic bookish and kind of ruined it for me. Without spoiling anything, the final confrontation felt a little too “Hulk Smash” to me. It took too big of a swing when I wanted it to stay grounded, and after such a strong, emotionally resonant build, that shift deflated the impact for me.

Still, it’s not an awful read and has a lot to say. The first 90% is powerful. The character work is excellent, the horror is effective, and the commentary on body image, fatphobia, and the lengths people will go to be accepted is sharp and necessary. This is one I’ll be thinking about for a while, even if the ending didn’t land the way I hoped.

If you’re drawn to body horror with social commentary, stories about the pressure to conform to beauty standards, or books that tackle fatphobia head-on, this is worth your time. Just know the ending might not stick the landing for everyone.

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