Scan barcode
A review by imme_van_gorp
Beautiful Adam by Laura Lascarso
5.0
|| 5.0 stars ||
Oh my, I genuinely loved this book. I am honestly obsessed with it. Perhaps not quite as obsessed as Cassius was with Adam, but still… I’m pretty goddamn obsessed.
This is a contemporary retelling of [b:The Picture of Dorian Gray|5297|The Picture of Dorian Gray|Oscar Wilde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546103428l/5297._SY75_.jpg|1858012] and it was done incredibly well. It truly captured the idea of vanity and obsession, and these themes were consistently developed throughout. The writing was more than great.
The story focuses on a ditzy, easy-going, gullible beauty named Adam, who is trying to make it in Hollywood, and the influential man who becomes completely obsessed with him, named Cassius.
They get involved with each other, and a lot of questionable yet intriguing things start to happen within their relationship as well as with Cassius’ efforts to help Adam’s career along. Cassius is ruthless and cut-throat when it comes to making Adam happy and making him his: he is basically willing to do absolutely anything. And some of it is truly… intense.
Their characterization was also incredibly strong.
Adam’s narcissism coupled with his body-dysmorphia, eating disorder and self-image issues were poignant and very interesting. He is seen as dumb, but to me it seemed more like he just has blind-faith in Cassius to have his best interest at heart, and also like he simply doesn’t care about much of anything as long as he is praised, adored and complimented. He is such a unique and troublesome character.
Another incredibly unique but troublesome character is Cassius with his sociopathic and obsessive personality. He was written incredibly well and his general disregard for morality was awesome without ever becoming over-the-top. He felt real and I loved seeing his brain at work. His wit and sarcasm were top-notch as well.
So, yea, although neither of these two characters can be described as likable or good people, I absolutely loved reading about them. They were truly amazing characters.
Now, when it comes to the romance I was definitely pleasantly surprised. I was expecting to hate it at least a little, or maybe be irked by Cassius’ domination of Adam, but I did not feel any of that at all. Everything between them felt natural somehow, even though it was sick, depraved, controlling and all-consuming. The co-dependency felt adequately balanced between the two of them, and their relationship was just incredibly addictive to read about.
Cassius’ complete adoration, devotion and obsession for Adam had me thoroughly invested, and I couldn’t help but love the way he gave Adam all of his time, money, attention and affection. It was unconventional and insane, but it worked. I believed in their relationship enough for me to love each and every single thing about it, even when it included things that I would otherwise probably hate.
The plotline was also really good. It’s engaging, shocking, dark, intriguing, intense and absolutely never boring. I’m not going to go into it too much, but I definitely didn’t have any complaints on this front either.
Long story short, this story will not be for everyone, but I loved it. I am super happy I read it and I wish I could read a sequel about Adam and Cassius, because I am desperate to read more. I don’t think I’d ever get sick of their personalities or their dynamic.
'Monsters & Mayhem' series:
3. Death's Bloom - 1.0 star
4. Beautiful Adam - 5.0 stars
8. On Edge - 3.5 stars
Oh my, I genuinely loved this book. I am honestly obsessed with it. Perhaps not quite as obsessed as Cassius was with Adam, but still… I’m pretty goddamn obsessed.
This is a contemporary retelling of [b:The Picture of Dorian Gray|5297|The Picture of Dorian Gray|Oscar Wilde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546103428l/5297._SY75_.jpg|1858012] and it was done incredibly well. It truly captured the idea of vanity and obsession, and these themes were consistently developed throughout. The writing was more than great.
The story focuses on a ditzy, easy-going, gullible beauty named Adam, who is trying to make it in Hollywood, and the influential man who becomes completely obsessed with him, named Cassius.
They get involved with each other, and a lot of questionable yet intriguing things start to happen within their relationship as well as with Cassius’ efforts to help Adam’s career along. Cassius is ruthless and cut-throat when it comes to making Adam happy and making him his: he is basically willing to do absolutely anything. And some of it is truly… intense.
Their characterization was also incredibly strong.
Adam’s narcissism coupled with his body-dysmorphia, eating disorder and self-image issues were poignant and very interesting. He is seen as dumb, but to me it seemed more like he just has blind-faith in Cassius to have his best interest at heart, and also like he simply doesn’t care about much of anything as long as he is praised, adored and complimented. He is such a unique and troublesome character.
Another incredibly unique but troublesome character is Cassius with his sociopathic and obsessive personality. He was written incredibly well and his general disregard for morality was awesome without ever becoming over-the-top. He felt real and I loved seeing his brain at work. His wit and sarcasm were top-notch as well.
So, yea, although neither of these two characters can be described as likable or good people, I absolutely loved reading about them. They were truly amazing characters.
Now, when it comes to the romance I was definitely pleasantly surprised. I was expecting to hate it at least a little, or maybe be irked by Cassius’ domination of Adam, but I did not feel any of that at all. Everything between them felt natural somehow, even though it was sick, depraved, controlling and all-consuming. The co-dependency felt adequately balanced between the two of them, and their relationship was just incredibly addictive to read about.
Cassius’ complete adoration, devotion and obsession for Adam had me thoroughly invested, and I couldn’t help but love the way he gave Adam all of his time, money, attention and affection. It was unconventional and insane, but it worked. I believed in their relationship enough for me to love each and every single thing about it, even when it included things that I would otherwise probably hate.
The plotline was also really good. It’s engaging, shocking, dark, intriguing, intense and absolutely never boring. I’m not going to go into it too much, but I definitely didn’t have any complaints on this front either.
Long story short, this story will not be for everyone, but I loved it. I am super happy I read it and I wish I could read a sequel about Adam and Cassius, because I am desperate to read more. I don’t think I’d ever get sick of their personalities or their dynamic.
'Monsters & Mayhem' series:
3. Death's Bloom - 1.0 star
4. Beautiful Adam - 5.0 stars
8. On Edge - 3.5 stars