Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas is a chilling and unsettling look at diet culture wrapped in a disturbing horror story that feels uncomfortably close to reality. Emmett Truesdale has struggled with his weight his entire life, and living in image-obsessed Southern California only magnifies every insecurity. After years of failed diets, social rejection, and feeling like he will never measure up, Emmett enrolls in a clinical trial for a revolutionary weight-loss drug called Obexity. The results are immediate and dramatic—pounds drop quickly and for the first time people begin to see him differently. But the miracle treatment comes with side effects that no one fully understands, and with enormous money and reputation riding on the drug’s success, some consequences are quietly pushed aside as Emmett’s transformation takes a far darker turn.
This novel feels painfully real. Beneath the body horror and moments of gore is a heartbreaking exploration of diet culture, social media pressure, and the cruel expectations placed on bodies in our society. My heart genuinely broke for Emmett. All he wanted was to feel comfortable in his own skin and be accepted for who he was. Even as he begins achieving the results he thought he wanted, he remains trapped in the same emotional isolation. The structure of the book adds another layer of immersion with the inserts from Emmett’s blog posts, social media updates, and the clinical notes tracking his progress. Watching the numbers on the scale drop while simultaneously seeing the shifts in his physical, mental, and emotional state was both fascinating and disturbing, and the small satirical jabs at diet culture (EmaC-8 and more) along the way were brilliantly done.
After speaking with Dumas at Bouchercon and reading the author’s note at the end (which is absolutely worth your time), it becomes clear that there is a deeply personal element woven into this story. That authenticity shines through on every page. This is horror that is disturbing, a little gory, and thought-provoking in equal measure, forcing readers to confront the uncomfortable reality of how much value our culture places on appearance and acceptance. And just when you think everything has wrapped up neatly, Dumas delivers a final twist that lands perfectly. If you enjoy horror that unsettles you while also giving you something meaningful to think about long after the last page, this one is definitely worth picking up.
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