A disgraced movie star returns to Hollywood 10 years after the kidnapping of her young daughter intent on seeking revenge, for fans of Monika Kim and Rachel Yoder.
Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Cruelty Free by Caroline Glenn, which is out now.
Ten years ago, Lila Devlin was an A-list actress with a movie star husband and a beautiful baby girl, Josie. When Josie was kidnapped out of her home and never seen again, Lila’s previously pristine public image twisted into that of an Unfit Mother. Driven mad by the hungry press, incompetent cops, and relentless true crime–obsessed “fans,” she disappeared into anonymity.
Now, Lila Devlin returns to LA with a grand vision for a radical new skincare brand to reinvent herself and honor Josie’s legacy. She’s prepared to move into the next chapter of her life with forgiveness in her heart, when an encounter with a parasitic blogger ends with him dead. Lila suddenly discovers forgiveness isn’t nearly as satisfying as a body hitting the floor.
With the help of her devoted publicist Sylvie, Lila begins a relentless, blood-soaked hunt through LA. Giving her skincare the edge it needs, they introduce a secret ingredient—revenge-sourced—from the bodies piling up. But as the company’s success skyrockets and Lila begins unraveling the truth behind her daughter’s kidnapping, her murderous side hustle threatens the life she’s painstakingly rebuilt.
Both a striking portrayal of grief and womanhood, and a twisting, cynical satire on celebrity and toxic beauty standards, Cruelty Free is an ambitious debut from a talented star on the rise.
Chapter Two
Cara selected some trendy lunch spot on fairfax where bottled water cost ten dollars and the carb-heavy dishes on the menu were so detailed you could practically hear it whispering, Are you sure you want to do that? The host led Lila through a maze of crowded tables onto a quiet back patio. The diners wore hats and sunglasses to block the sun and any unwanted stares. She felt naked under their gaze.
Though she was in her late forties now, Cara Donaldson looked anywhere between thirty and fifty, depending on where the filler had set in her face that day. Her dark hair fell stick-straight in a flattering center part against her high forehead. It was the same haircut she’d had when Lila started working with her. She’d probably emerged from the womb with curtain bangs.
Lila swallowed and took a cautious step toward her. “Cara?”
Cara removed her sunglasses to get a good look. “Holy shit, you’re really here.”
“It’s good to see you,” Lila said, watching Cara appraise her, trying to hide the rows of goose bumps that leapt up on her forearms. Lila wondered if Cara could smell the death on her.
“Can I hug you? Is that okay?” Cara asked, her arms already out. “Of course! You don’t have to ask.” Lila laughed.
Cara chuckled. “Girl, that’s how I know you’ve been out of this industry for a long time.”
Even as the waiter came over and took their drink orders, Cara didn’t stop staring, eyes constantly flicking over Lila with tiny discoveries.
“I just can’t believe it. You’re a brunette now. I didn’t even recognize you. I mean, you look amazing, but, like you grew up,” Cara said.
She devoured the softness of Lila’s stomach, the flabbiness of her arms. Lila could feel her excitement that she had kept herself together where the movie star had let go.
“The red didn’t fit me anymore,” Lila said.
“Nooooo, it was so pretty,” Cara whined. “I don’t even know where to start. Where have you been? You went completely off the grid.”
“Traveling all over Europe, Asia. I was pretty lost when I left,” Lila admitted.
“Wow, I thought when you said you were going east, you were talking about Boston. I didn’t realize you literally meant, like, another continent,” Cara said in awe. “Did it are you better?”
“I really am.”
“That’s amazing. You deserve that more than anyone,” Cara said. “Thanks. Lot of soul-searching. I wanted to apologize to you for how abruptly I left—”
Cara waved her hand. “In the moment, was it a little jarring? Sure. But it all worked out.”
The server came and took their orders.
“Bet it’s nice to be able to order a Cobb salad again,” Cara said. “I mean, I like Asian food, but……………………………… God.” All her teeth were the same, uncannily large length. Veneers.
When the server had gone, Cara took a big sip from her Arnold Palmer and clasped her hands together. “So, what made you come back?” she asked.
Lila took a deep breath. “I want to start a beauty brand.” “That’s so random,” Cara said.
It only felt random to Cara because she hadn’t lived it. The press mocking Lila’s acne breakouts and her pug nose. The studio execs encouraging her to drop two sizes. They’d given her a career for being beautiful only to claw her to pieces as ugly. At her lowest, she would have believed it had it not been for Josie. One afternoon Lila found her with lipstick smeared all over her face. Beautiful like Mommy! she’d said. Josie was untainted and genuine because she was too young to be any other way. And Lila had burst into tears because it had taken a toddler to put her back together.
“I want to create a beauty brand that stands on the sole ideal of self-compassion in my daughter’s honor. I want to help people feel comfortable in their own skin,” Lila said. And Josie’s spirit would live through every dab of skin cream to make people feel less alone. “I took chemistry classes when I was away. It started as a way to just turn my brain off, but I learned a lot. I know how to make these products by hand.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot you were a science nerd.” Cara pursed her lips. “It’s not difficult; it’s a lot like baking,” Lila said. “Here.”
She removed a small bottle of skin cream she’d made in her kitchen the night before. “Very simple, five ingredients, but it works great.”
Cara nodded politely. “How can I help? Can I offer some advice, or . . .”
“I want to talk to you about becoming my partner. I don’t think there’s a better person for the job. It would be a fifty-fifty split; I would handle the product and you would take care of the publicity,” Lila said.
Before Cara could respond, the server returned with their salads. “Ugh, I’m starved. One second,” Cara said, and took a big bite.
Lila watched Cara chew on a piece of lettuce with her giant teeth. She looked like a horse grazing. “A lot of people try to launch these brands without knowing what they’re doing. I know every recipe, every ingredient. There was this local university that had amazing seminars on cosmetic science.”
Cara swallowed and pouted. “Lila, I so love the idea; it’s so noble. And I’m so flattered you thought of me. But I just don’t have the bandwidth right now for a project of that scope.”
Until now, Lila hadn’t realized she was expecting Cara to just say yes. “I’m sure we could come to a reasonable compromise.”
Cara shook her head. “I don’t think it’s possible. A lot has changed since we worked together. I have my own firm now. Our clientele is A-list, so they’ll notice if my attention isn’t solely on them.”
“I’m willing to use my image to market the product. I was at that level—”
“But you aren’t. Anymore.” Cara’s smile dripped with pity. “And I mean, look at you! You’re all the better for it! I love how passionate you are, but it’s just not a great idea to launch another beauty brand right now. Everyone’s already done it. The market is oversaturated, and people are over it. To cut the noise, you have to really be, you know, someone.”
Lila recognized the look on her face, though she hadn’t seen it in a very long time. When Lila first was coming up as an actress, she saw it all the time. Who did she think she was? How did a poor kid from Boston with an addict father and no formal training get a starring role in a prestige movie? She wasn’t pretty enough, wasn’t thin enough, wasn’t talented enough. She had to be special, but the special kind of special everyone else was.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lila said, picking up her fork. She’d find someone else; she just hadn’t described her vision well enough.
Cara tapped her chin. “You know what? I actually might know someone—she interned for me back in the day, and now she’s started her own company. I’ve gotten drinks with her a few times, and she’s hungry for work. Said she wants to model her career after mine, so it might just be the next best thing!”
“Thank you,” Lila said.
Cara squeezed her hand. “Girl, I got your back!”
When she returned home, Lila googled the contact Cara had given her: Sylvie Lightly. The name did ring a tiny bell. Lila clicked through her professional website. Her work history was odd—high-profile celebrity firms in the late 2010s, and then after 2019, mostly dog food brands. What happened?
Lila went back to the Google search and scrolled through associated news articles. On the second page, as if buried, was a 2019 article from The New York Times: “Lightly Pleads Guilty in Crash That Injured 20 at Hollywood Nightclub.”
“What the fuck?” Lila said out loud.
The article described Sylvie’s blossoming career in PR before one October night when she got into an argument with a bouncer who wouldn’t let her into a nightclub. Furious, she got into her Tesla and proceeded to back it over the crowd of people in line at the entrance. Allegedly, she could be heard screaming, “You’re not the only one who can play God.”
Sylvie was adamant that it was an accident and that she’d said no such thing. No one was killed, but ten people sustained injuries. She pleaded guilty to a felony charge of leaving the scene of a crash and a misdemeanor charge of criminally negligent assault. Further research revealed she served only thirty days.
She must have been blacklisted, Lila thought, fuming. It was an unmistakably Cara thing to suggest she attach herself to an insane person.
Lila would find a partner herself. Someone out there would take a chance on her. She still had her old phone full of industry contacts. If Lila had to go down it one by one, she would. Under no circumstances would she ever submit to the likes of someone like Sylvie Lightly.
From CRUELTY FREE by Caroline Glenn. Copyright © 2026 by Caroline Glenn. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
