Eternal Glow - Heather Gay
ETERNAL GLOW
HEATHER GAY
*****
When a Mormon wife undergoes a new beauty procedure, the cost of perfection proves all too high, in this thriller from the reality TV star and bestselling author.
Celeste built herself up from ridiculed outsider to pillar of the local Mormon mom group. Even among these perfectly polished and affluent women, her life appears utterly flawless, but the competition is stiff and the fall from the top is a long one. When Celeste’s husband is suddenly laid off and her credit cards are maxed out, her pristine façade quickly begins to crumble.
Desperate to conceal her darkening undereye bags and escape the mockery of her past, Celeste is eager for a quick fix. And her prayers are answered when she’s invited to participate in the ultra-exclusive beta testing of a mysterious procedure. Known as the “Eternal Glow,” it’s guaranteed to be the hottest new beauty trend. After agreeing to tell no one about the treatment, Celeste receives the full VIP experience and is completely transformed free of charge.
Now back on the scene with an enviable glow-up, Celeste receives all the admiration she’s been missing. Her husband dotes on her again, and her renewed social standing has landed her the keynote speaker position at the upcoming Women’s Conference. But then gruesome side effects begin to deform her face, and soon Celeste suspects a shadowy figure of stalking her every move. As she clings to the last vestiges of her dream life, one thing becomes painfully clear: her “quick fix” comes at an unholy cost.
Blending campy body horror with satire and a deliciously unexpected twist, this chilling thriller from the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star and New York Times–bestselling author of Bad Mormon is perfect for fans of The Substance and Big Little Lies.
MY REVIEW
*****
It’s spooky season on Kindig Blog, and I was so excited for my first October horror release to read – Eternal Glow.
Celeste and her friend group of Mormon wives are obsessed with their looks; a nip here, a tuck here - just don’t admit it wasn’t quite what God gave you! Struggling to keep up with her dwindling family finances, Celeste tries a brand-new procedure from a mysterious new company; Eternal Glow – what could possibly go wrong?
I will say that I hadn’t seen Real Housewives or read either of Heather Gay’s memoirs going into reading this book. I do really enjoy body horror as a genre though, and this book had it’s hooks in me in all the right ways from the beginning. It reminded me of The Substance in places, and I enjoyed the Mormon angle to the plot as well which really upped the stakes for Celeste and provided some funny ironic moments. Heather Gay has lived in experience of being part of the Church of the Latter-Day Saints and this really came through in her writing. Although Celeste is vain, you can see where the pressure she feels has come from and she feels realistic and relatable, although she does start making some crazy/silly decisions later in the plot.
The book is well-paced and I was gripped throughout, wondering what had happened during the procedure and how things were going wrong. I enjoyed the reveal, but it did feel a touch far fetched and left me with a few questions that weren’t resolved. I loved the ending twist for its shock factor alone though - it’s exactly how I love to see horror stories wrap up!
Overall, Eternal Glow is body-horror done well – intriguing, twisty and perfect for a Halloween read in 2026 - when the topics of aging, vanity and celebrity are so prevalent in society. Thank you to NetGalley & Podium Entertainment for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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