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hjb_128's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Infertility and Infidelity
yourbookishbff's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I LOVED this hot mess of a love triangle. For historical romance readers, I would highly recommend this to lovers of Sherry Thomas. We have a cast of deeply flawed and self-absorbed characters caught between naivete and cynicism and heartbreak and hope. Nothing actually happens, except they ruin their lives and break each other's hearts. If you love character-driven historical fiction with a strong romantic through-line (and a happily-ever-after) and don't mind messy, often unlikeable people, this is a compelling and honestly gripping read (again, this is largely plotless, but if you love character work, this is delicious).
Be warned, romance readers, this is a heady love triangle, with a slow-paced build in the first half, some repeated light infidelity (betrothals in historical romance often feel more transactional, but I do know crossing even this line is a deal-breaker for some in Romancelandia, and I get that!). We also have a capital-V-villain/Other Woman with a dedicated POV throughout - again, a choice not all romance readers will care for, but I loved it.
I would also note how timeless and ethereal this feels. It's set in an imagined city that draws on the structure of European aristocratic society and la Belle Epoque era (though it feels really worldless in a lot of ways). I loved this decision to deny the reader a sense of being truly historically grounded, as it makes the romance feel that much more consuming and isolating. And the light touch of magical realism (the characters each have telekinetic abilities in a world where this is rare but not unheard of). This cemented Silvia Moreno-Garcia for me, looking forward to reading more of her backlist!
Note for audio readers: I loved the narration by Imani Jade Powers and how it brought to life Silvia Moreno-Garcia's vivid scene-setting and prose.
Be warned, romance readers, this is a heady love triangle, with a slow-paced build in the first half, some repeated light infidelity (betrothals in historical romance often feel more transactional, but I do know crossing even this line is a deal-breaker for some in Romancelandia, and I get that!). We also have a capital-V-villain/Other Woman with a dedicated POV throughout - again, a choice not all romance readers will care for, but I loved it.
I would also note how timeless and ethereal this feels. It's set in an imagined city that draws on the structure of European aristocratic society and la Belle Epoque era (though it feels really worldless in a lot of ways). I loved this decision to deny the reader a sense of being truly historically grounded, as it makes the romance feel that much more consuming and isolating. And the light touch of magical realism (the characters each have telekinetic abilities in a world where this is rare but not unheard of). This cemented Silvia Moreno-Garcia for me, looking forward to reading more of her backlist!
Note for audio readers: I loved the narration by Imani Jade Powers and how it brought to life Silvia Moreno-Garcia's vivid scene-setting and prose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Classism, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts
theotheleo's review
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Very good but too slow until the last 50ish pages
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Sexism
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy
deluna's review
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Outing
alicelalicon's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Bullying, and Classism
esme_may's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Such a good read! Not without its flaws (a little slow paced at first) but the author can really write a good sentence. Found myself underlining things all over the place! Going to read more from her for sure. The more I think about this book the more I like it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Alcohol, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
taliatalksbooks's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was well written, but overall, a pretty run of the mill romance, at least for me. I could see the elements that tried to make this unique, but I felt like these fell a bit short. I did love the uniqueness of Nina, and the messaging behind the story, but even as someone who doesn’t read a lot of romance, I feel like I’ve read this story before. If you’re a fan of romance, especially one that takes place in high society, then I think this would be a very fitting read, for me, however, it lacked unique qualities that were used to its advantage (it certainly had unique qualities, but I feel like these were under utilized in favor of tropes). I will say that the cover of this novel is fascinating and captivating, and maybe if I was a bigger fan of romance as a main plot, this would have faired a lot better. Alas, stepping out of my comfort zone didn’t yield the intended result, but I look forward to reading more romance in the future to see if I can be persuaded.
Content Warnings
Minor: Infidelity
sarasreadingnook's review against another edition
4.0
Another amazing book by one of my favourite authors!
I enjoyed the drama of it all so much, the story, and loved the second half of the book, especially! There are some amazing elements introduced into the book.
This book was very entertaining and special to read - I highly recommend it if you are looking to read some high quality drama and passion-filled content!
Themes: beauty, materialism, privilege.
I enjoyed the drama of it all so much, the story, and loved the second half of the book, especially! There are some amazing elements introduced into the book.
This book was very entertaining and special to read - I highly recommend it if you are looking to read some high quality drama and passion-filled content!
Themes: beauty, materialism, privilege.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Gun violence, Gaslighting, and Bullying
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, and Infidelity
sofipitch's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I enjoyed this book, in a lot of ways it had all the drama of a romance but when Hector and Nina are together they are a genuinely good and healthy couple. Their romance is very realistic in that sense
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Infidelity
corar's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Gun violence, Sexism, and Infidelity
Minor: Infertility and Sexual content