The story of ; is wellness fake? Rhoda certainly hopes not. The extreme creator of radical, daughter of an entrepreneur fraudster, with big dreams and promises to fill. However, you know with a title like snake oil you’re probably looking at a fraud. I get influence of Elizabeth smart. 

With multiple points of view, I enjoyed Cecilia- the bottom of the totem pole employee who probably sees and understands the most. I loved Cecilia’s pov; “that if she had tried harder, she might have cured herself. That illness doesn’t work that way”, which really sums up the dismissive way the wellness industry can be.

This loses quite a bit of steam in the back half of the story but that happens when the most interesting POV is dulled. This reminds me of Darby Kane’s writing, which isn’t necessarily my favorite. The real opportunity here was Dani and Rhoda, as two different POVs, they were too similar.

I would have appreciated either one more good idea for the story, just keep the plot moving. Or some editing down. Not everything needs to be over 300 pages. If you are looking for a novel about wellness community, there have been better. Natural Beauty, by Ling Ling Huang is a good example.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner books for access to an early release copy.