Can Silvia do no wrong?!

I have loved her last books and this was no different

Again, it draws you in like a good soap opera does and I found myself completely engrossed in the storyline and found it difficult to put down

If you loved Mexican Gothic then you will love this too

I guess I would describe this book as historical fiction with quite a lot of romance and a little bit of the supernatural.  It also kind of reads like a soap opera, which is fine but not really my cup of tea, unfortunately.

I read this author's Mexican Gothic and although I didn't love it that book had some very interesting ideas and I really wanted to give another of the author's books a go as they sound so wonderful in the blurb.  Sadly I have come to the conclusion that this is not an author for me. However, I am giving this new book 4 stars on NetGalley because it would certainly recommend it to fans of romance novels and also young adult readers. 

Thank you NetGalley and Quercus for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I really don't like the miscommunication trope! The prose is, as always, gorgeous but unfortunately it wasn't enough. The plot is reminiscent of classic historical romances with loads of drama but sadly it wasn't for me.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

First off, this book was a brilliant change of pace from what I've been reading recently. It reminds me a lot of Bridgerton with just an abundance of drama and parties, but also a magical element.

The book is about a girl named Nina who comes to Loisail to join the Grand season of parties and balls in the effort of finding herself a suitor. She becomes entranced with Hector, a performer with telekinesis like her own and while her love for him goes deeper, so does the secrets and betrayals that threaten to end their courtship.

This story is one of identity, innocence, love, and the way the decisions around you shape the person you become.

The characters were incredibly complex, for each you had varying feelings for. They were not equally good or bad and for once a characters naivety and innocence do not lead them to be coddled or for them to somehow always make the right decisions, nor is this character seen as perfect. I like that it's realistic, that particular aspects of a person do not make them the villain or the hero and you don't know who you want to get together until the story unfolds. It helps bring the characters off the page and make them real people.

The telekinesis was subtle there was little focus on it unless it became apparent and little exploration about its origins. I enjoyed this, it worked well with the content of the story and kept the focus on other things while still adding a little bit of magic to the story.

The plot itself was full of secrecy and deception. You find yourself drawn in and rooting for different characters as the book plays out but you also understand decisions made and how each person is. Reputation in this book is everything and scandal is the weapon that everyone seems to be using.

Overall, I enjoyed this, it was lush, fun and just as romantic as I hoped. I need to read more books with drama and love like this one. I would absolutely recommend this book.

I haven't read Silvia Moreno-Garcia's other novels (although I've heard great things about Mexican Gothic) and romance isn't usually my genre of choice, but I was completely enchanted by this classic love story with a twist.

Endearingly youthful Nina Balleiu is thrust into the heart of the glamorous aristocracy of post- industrial France where she struggles to adapt to the rules and games of this Austen-esque society. Here, the power lies with those with wealth and good breeding, known as 'the beautiful ones', and Nina's cousin Valerie is the epitome of it all. But this dazzling world Moreno-Garcia creates has a unique feature, as some individuals have telekinetic abilities and can move objects at will. When Nina meets stoic and reserved Hector Auvory, a performer who shares her telekinetic talent, she believes this is her chance for the fairy tale love story she's read about in books. But the course of true love never did run smooth and Hector is haunted by a past that he just can't leave behind.

This was an achingly genuine and beautiful love story. The characters of Nina and Hector feel so authentic and well realised, their yearning, pain, and passion made tangible by Moreno-Garcia's masterful writing. Her beautifully crafted descriptions and smooth prose curl around you, gently drawing you into the story until you're utterly enthralled.

In the lives of Nina and Valerie we can see both struggling with the choice between conformity and freedom, loyalty and passion, forced to decide if following their hearts is worth the risk of scorn and shame from a society where they are treated as little more than objects and a woman's reputation can shatter with a gust of wind. While Moreno-Garcia does not make any overt social commentary, you can't miss the subtle highlighting of the inequality of the male and female positions in this world.

This novel is predominantly character driven and though it is of a slower pace it certainly does not lack drama. The action and tension is frequently undercut by humour which keeps the novel balanced and, while definitely not light-hearted, stops things becoming morose and dragging.

To summarise, Pride and Prejudice meets Bridgerton meets Les Miserablés in a uniquely magical world not too far from our own; And though the setting and the time period might be somewhat abstract for us, the characters' struggles, desires and love is something we can all relate to.

Whether you're already a fan of Moreno-Garcia or have yet to try her novels, I'd definitely recommend this read!

After Mexican Gothic, I had to read this!!

Antonina is in an uncertain situation, sent to the city of Loisail to stay with her cousin and his wife as she prepares for her first grand season where she will possibly find a husband. But this world isn't for her. Drawn to Hector Auvray, a man who seems to share the same telekinetic abilities as herself, she begins to hone her skills and find solace in his company. But, Hector has a secret and her imminent marriage threatens to ruin everything.

This is a gorgeous written work of art and sweeping historical epic.

This novel is a romance with a fantasy edge with beautiful almost poetic prose. It was a slow burn, but the language is so beautiful you don't really mind.

I will definitely be reading the next thing that Silvia writes! Very much enjoyed.

After reading and loving Mexican Gothic last year I knew I would read anything else written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, regardless of the genre.

This book lives up to the name. It is beautiful. Beautifully written with a beautiful romance.

The Beautiful Ones tells the story of the beautiful people, the elite of Loisail who live luxurious lives of leisure and thrive off gossip and societal placing. A telekinetic young woman named Nina meets a man named Hector whom she falls for immediately but doesn’t realise is actually in love with someone else and is using her to try get to them.

This is a heartwarming, romantic read which explores the pressures of societal standing and class versus true love and the consequences of foolish actions. Complicated relationships are a major focus here too. The pressures women are forced to bend to in order to live a life others approve of is also examined.

Many of the characters in this novel are selfish, self-absorbed, materialistic and overall quite unappealing but thankfully Silvia writes in such a beautiful way, making all she writes about rather magical and unique. The exceptions were Nina and Hector who are complicated yet authentic. They are not fickle as the other characters are.

This has a rather slow pacing which I did find a bit too slow at times but it picked up towards the end and it wrapped up nicely for me. Overall a really lovely read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was an utter delight- Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes characters so well that you can’t help but be drawn utterly into their world, and best of all they are as complicated and full of unexpected surprises as the plot, so you never quite know what’s going to happen until the very last page. I devoured this in just three days, which frankly m, taking pandemic brain into account, is a minor miracle. I was totally transported. Thank you!

I had to sit on this review for a little while because I have such mixed emotions. Firstly, the writing in this book was absolutely beautiful. The descriptions, the imagery, the world - beautiful. I first heard about Silvia Moreno-Garcia when Mexican Gothic was released (which I haven’t yet read, but it is high up on my TBR pile!). From what I understand, Silvia’s books are all quite different, but given how much I loved her style of writing, I will definitely be picking up more of her books in future. There was a lot that I liked in The Beautiful Ones and a lot I disliked. The characters illicit strong emotions - there were many characters I absolutely loved and others I loathed. Nina’s character was a favourite of mine but others (Valérie Beaulieu I’m looking at you) I passionately hated. Ultimately, what brought my rating down was that I felt the story was at times quite slow and I felt like I was dragging myself through the pages. I also felt the ending was easily predicted and for me, fell a little flat. I think there will be a lot of people that really love this book but this time for me it felt just short. I will however be really really looking forward to other Silvia Moreno-Garcia books in future!

Review posted on Goodreads and Instagram. Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNJPs4Anp7C/

The Beautiful Ones demonstrates how deftly Silvia Moreno-Garcia can dive from one genre to another, a dexterity that's all the more admirable given how astoundingly authentic-feeling and artfully devised her descriptions always are, whether she's dealing with the gilded dramas and decor of the genteel or the dead-eyed gruesomeness of the gothic. Moreno-Garcia here paints primness and propriety in tandem with paranormal tricks and psychic powers, ending up as an engrossing high-society historical romance exploring the entanglements of a heartbroken rags-to-riches psychokinetic performer, a hateful string-pulling sycophant of a socialite, and the honest-minded silk stocking relation she tries to thwart and exploit at every turn. Moving through a convoluted chain of actions and misconducts accommodating class condescension, compelled mingling and match-making, and cruel manipulations and machinations in a manner akin to any Austenlike classic, The Beautiful Ones is charitable with conferring charm, complexity and moxie to its main characters and makes sure they measure up to their moral crises with congenial absolution by the completion of their arcs.

Thank you to Quercus Books/Jo Fletcher Books for kindly passing on this arc! 💫

Nina arrives in Loisail for her first Grand Season, sponsored by her cousin and his wife. She's long had difficulties fitting in, what with her uncontrolled telekinesis powers causing her considerable difficulty. She might have hoped for things to be better in the city but she feels more an outsider than ever and the attempts by her cousin's wife Valerie to mold her into a Beautiful One cause her more misery than ever.

It's at a party that she meets the famous Hector Auvray, an entertainer with powers like hers. She recognizes him from a photograph and immediately forms an attachment, Hector, however, is only there to see Valerie, who abandoned an engagement formed between them ten years ago to marry Nina's cousin. He uses his new connection with Nina in order to get closer to Valerie. Meanwhile, there's Valerie working behind the scenes to manipulate those around her to her satisfaction. With time, some harsh truths emerge, causing pain and sadness for those involved.

I wasn't initially taken with the story, perhaps while I was orienting myself in the universe created. There's an historic European feel to the place with a slight magical element creating the fantasy part. But the magic doesn't seem to be the focus here. It's more about being an outsider and being forced or trying to fit in.

I did eventually get quite involved in the story and enjoyed it thoroughly. What stood out by the end was how the story seemed to be more about Valerie and the woman she became after being forced to marry in order to save her family. One can sympathize with her on that part, but she is shown to have turned into a cruel and hateful monster of a person, well beyond any wrongs done towards her.

Nina is both naive and knowing at the same time. By virtue of her special ability, she matured into a smart young woman and understands the world quite well in a very academic way. But she is quite naive about some of the finer social points, particularly as they relate to men. Her knowledge has been gleaned from the romance novels she has read, which don't seem to provide much useful guidance for her situation.

Meanwhile, Hector has idolized Valerie for such a long time that he fails to acknowledge she is flawed and this leads him to grow old and bitter before his time. His interactions with Nina do bring some pleasure to his life although he doesn't appreciate it for what it is.

As I mentioned above, this was a really good read and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in character-driven stories. I give this a solid four stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Jo Fletcher books for sharing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

I had so much fun reading this and could not put it down. It’s filled with delicious drama and messy characters that even at their most self-destructive you will love.

Hector is a famous telekinetic who was once engaged to the beautiful and intense Valerie. But when he left to build his fortune as a performer, she was forced to marry a rich man to save her noble but poor family. Ten years later he comes back and, in a bid, to be near Valerie he courts her cousin Nina a telekinetic like him and a romantic young woman on her first Grand Season.
I loved how complicated all the characters were. Hector is a self-destructive romantic who’s been a shell of a man ever since Valerie dumped him. For almost a decade he is solely driven to prove himself to Valerie, building his fortune to fuel his desperate dream to run away with her. His decision to court Nina thinking he could keep it up for a year then easily untangle himself is an objectively terrible one, but my god was it entertaining. What I liked most about this farce of a courtship were the times that Nina managed to charm Hector which was a mean feat since he often forgot she was there as he moons over Valerie.

Nina is another romantic like Hector and has been dreaming of a whirlwind romance like that in the books she reads. She is sent by her family to start her first Grand Season under the guidance of her cousin’s wife Valerie. Nina struggles under Valerie’s harsh critiques as she fails to act like a ‘proper’ lady, more interested in studying beetles and learning to control her telekinesis with Hector. Hector and Nina fit so well together, and I was rooting for them so hard throughout the book.

Now Valerie is the true star of the show. Beautiful, cruel, and deeply possessive Valerie made for an excellent antagonist. She is so well fleshed out in her motivation and personality that while I didn’t want her manipulations to work, I could understand and sympathise. Valerie comes from a family that has little but blue blood to their name and all hope to regain the wealth they once had falls on Valerie's shoulders. An intense summer fling that ends in a secret engagement to a penniless performer will not save her family. So, when a wealthy man proposes to her she is pushed down the aisle, sacrificing herself for her family name. As Hector courts, Nina, Valerie’s possessiveness spins out of control and we get these beautiful lines demonstrating how deep it goes, “As though she were a goddess, he built a temple to her every morning and knelt before her, supplicating. She rewarded him, once in a while, with a smile or a touch of her hand, a kiss on the lips. But even when she gave nothing, he was happy because she was everything.” She wants Hector to be forever alone and devoted to her even though she married someone else, she can’t stand him finding someone else and it’s all so entertainingly twisted.

Valerie is a great depiction of internalized misogyny and you see this in the way she treats Nina. She hates Nina for having the opportunities she was denied due to the circumstance of her family. Her logic is that if she couldn’t marry the man she wanted and was forced to be with someone who while not cruel did not give the passion she wanted and had found with Hector, then why should Nina? She wants to inflict all the cruelties she endured onto Nina and Hector, if she is miserable then they should be too. Valerie is a massive bitch, but she was so much fun to read and I loved her pov sections as she gets more and more vicious.

Overall, this was an amazing vague historical romance with an added touch of magic. The drama of it all will keep you hooked! If you are looking for some good historical romance after binging Bridgton, then I highly recommend The Beautiful Ones which in my opinion is a lot better.

Thanks to Quercus for sending me a free proof in exchange for an honest review.

The Beautiful Ones is intensely character driven. Balancing fantasy and romance, it's a story which asks us if we can make peace with the past. When we're confronted with the ghosts of our past, do they have a hold on us? How can we break their hold? Do you ever have a character that infuriates you so much, but the author writes them so well you understand them? That was me and The Beautiful Ones. If you're a fan of love triangles, yearning, and forgiveness, you have to read this one!

I really enjoyed The Beautiful Ones, it felt like a very decadent period drama but with fluid writing which made it a joy to read. It was unexpectedly more romantic than magical, but this was not unwelcome. There was just enough of a smattering of magic to keep the plot from being too predictable and stale. It was very character driven and quite slow paced but not unenjoyably so.

There were some heartbreaking moments, and plenty of times I wanted to give Henry a piece of my mind! Nina was a delight, it's refreshing to see a female character with a strong sense of self in historical fiction. Even though she falters, you know she'll eventually make the right choice for herself. Viviene was the perfect proverbial bad apple, beautiful on the outside but rotten to the core. The characters were all complex and well thought out, all of them their own worst enemies in one way or another with an arc that kept me invested.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia did an astounding job of bringing the setting to life, it felt like you could step into the book and out into the streets of Loisail. The prose was encapsulating and beautiful.

The Beautiful Ones is the perfect portrayal of the problem with choosing conformity over love, of picking looks and notarity over character and how that will slowly eat away at a person over time. A delightful love story with a magical twist and a captivating historical setting. It is clear that the author has a talent for storytelling across all genres and I'm looking forward to picking up more of her work in future.

What a STUNNER.
I was lucky enough to be approved for an ARC of this beautiful book ahead of it's reprint on April 27th.
I read Mexican Gothic last month and thought this book would be something similar but it's really not, Moreno-Garcia is so so capable of genre flipping.
The Beautiful Ones tells the story of Antonina, or Nina, and is set in a fictional high society in what felt like a Monte Carlo type town. Nina is not as prim and proper as the rest and has a touch of telekinesis that makes her an outsider and "unladylike".
The story is slow, brooding, character driven and so immersive. The narrative is so fluid and stunning I struggled to put this one down.
Nina is being displayed for courtship to marry an equally wealthy family but ultimately this story is about choosing between marrying for love or money.

Absolutely recommend you read this when it comes out, what a beautiful book and a stunning cover.

This follows Nina who has just arrived in the city of Loisail for her first season in the hopes of finding love and marrying. She is sent to live with her cousin and his wife Valerie, who oversees Nina as she attends events and balls, mingling with men in society. Nina is telekinetic and has trouble controlling it. She meets Hector who is a telekinetic performer who she has admired, and she instantly drawn to him. Hector doesn’t look at Nina with disdain because of her ability but rather encourages her and helps her improve her skills. Nina seems to be falling for Hector; however, Hector hasn’t let Nina know his true intentions.

The Beautiful intrigued me as I have always wanted to read from Silvia Moreno-Garcia and this one sounded like something I would really enjoy. I enjoy romance and things with a slight magical touch, not full fantasies. However, this really did not work for me. The story is very slow, and I didn’t care much for the romance, characters or plot. I felt like the plot was repetitive and it didn’t have enough of a pay off for me. Also, I am not one that loves fantasy, but the inclusion of the magical element of telekinesis seemed pointless and seemed only as a device to provide Nina and Hector with something to have in common that they could bond over. As apart from that I felt like there was nothing romantic or appealing about their relationship, and as a romance you want to be rooting for these characters to be together. I just didn’t see it.

I thought this was well written, and I will still give the author a second chance. But I did not see the chemistry between any of the characters, and I was never intrigued but rather bored throughout. Disappointed with this one!

The story is a mixture of historical-fiction, romance, and a bit of magical realism. It was definitely different, for lack of a better explanation.

Hector is on a mission to find his long-lost love, the women he loves with all his heart and soul. He is, in the meantime, acquainted with the young Nina, who ends up being a much bigger part of his life than he envisioned. Hearts are broken, plans veer of course and new bonds are formed.

1. Though the story is slow-paced, the writing flowed beautifully, and it was easy to get through this book in less than 24 hours. The writing alone is enough to convince me to read the rest of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books.

2. The romance here felt very subtle, but a fair bit of drama surrounded our main characters.

3. This is that old-world kind of atmosphere, which I really like. Carriages, gowns, courtship, chaperoned dates.

4. Characters:

Hector was... a gentleman. He had this aura of melancholy throughout most of the book. I liked him, but he somehow felt like a...boiled chicken leg. I kept screaming internally, ''PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER MAN!''

My highlight was Nina. She was quirky, fun, different, someone who challenged the privilege that comes with gender roles in their society, someone who, though a bit naive, wears her heart on her sleeve and has the guts to follow her heart.

Now, Cruella de Vil. Oops, I mean, Valerie. Golly, how could I have mixed the two up. I think I never hated a character more than Valerie. Well, maybe Umbridge in HP, but Valerie comes pretty close. She was refined and noble. She had it all - the looks, the jewels, a husband, a reputation and education. I mean, the only thing she didn't have is a bloody heart and soul, no biggie. A vicious, cruel, conniving snake. She had to have everything, and every bit of everything and everyone. I hated the way she perceived others. To her, everyone was an idiot, a peasant, a cow, a whore. I have so much to say about this woman, but I will stop here.

The good thing I wasn't bored for one second of this story, although at times I could hear in my mind... ''TELEVISA PRESENTA''. It was too much for me, but I can see how someone would like it. It definitely doesn't leave a lot of space for yawning.

I really liked Mexican Gothic, Moreno-Garcia's previous novel, but I am not quite sure which side of the nominal genre divide she comes from. Was she a novelist playing with the gothic and horror, or a genre writer playing in a crossover friendly bit of literature? This is a nonsense question of course, though certainly not one that The Beautiful Ones was going to clear up (and yes the Suede song lived with me for days). For The Beautiful Ones is a solid historical romance, all coming out, and doing the season, and the Beautiful Ones bullying the not so beautiful ones, those who come from the country, those who have made their money independently, those who have various degrees of telekinesis. Because while it reads like a bit of historical fiction, this country and city doesn't exist, and yes, our hero and heroine can move things with their mind. Its the tiniest piece of pixie-dust on an otherwise enjoyably straight romance. It affects the story slightly, but has no significant world-building difference than if the lead characters both shared an interest in steam engines.

But here's the thing, that lightest dusting of fantasy (and it is treated in a very mundanely open way) was still enough to intrigue me past page ten, and then the character work did the rest of the heavy lifting. This might be pastiche, but whilst the beats of the story are standard (from the spurned lover to the money grubbing suitor), Moreno-Garcia blows more than enough life into them. And so the question lies, what is the point of the light fantasy, what is it for? Its an interesting question, that in this substitution for a type of Regency France (I know that didn't exist but that's what is being aimed for), the female characters are still tied to the mores of the Earth dating scene. Men own property, matches are made for property and family. But this one thing, the ability to independently move matter with your mind, does give our heroine a tiny amount of agency she wouldn't otherwise have in a key scene.

I enjoyed The Beautiful Ones as another exercise in playing in a well trodden sandbox with a twist. And even though whilst I was reading it I was waiting for the fantasy to open out a touch, to move the mental manipulation beyond the theatre*, the more I think about it, its very mundanity is the secret here. Trained, and with her own power, a female character suddenly has more agency than she would have had. And there is the question, are the Beautiful Ones the society set, or those who are free to be themselves?

This was such a disappointment! Over the past few years, I have been hearing fantastic things about this author’s other books, so when I saw this one, I knew I had to give it a go! Unfortunately, I really didn’t enjoy it.

This was pitched as a ‘sweeping romance rich with love and betrayal, with more than a dash of magic’, but for me the romance was not there at all. The couple had no chemistry, and personally I feel their relationship was pretty toxic. It was initially based on lies, which is something I struggle to overlook, and it didn’t help that I found the characters flat, boring and largely unlikeable.

The writing was also lacking for me. There was so much telling and not showing, and while it did improve as the book went on, it almost felt like the author was rushing through all the build-up just to get to a somewhat enjoyable conclusion. However, although I did appreciate the ending, as it was such a struggle to get through the first 75% of the book, it couldn’t cancel out all the other issues I had.

I also didn’t understand the purpose of the magic. In this book, people with magic are ostracised by society, and while I thought it might have been a metaphor for something like disability (although I can’t be sure), if that was the intent, I would have preferred if it was more explicit and addressed on the page. Other than that, the magic didn’t seem to serve any real purpose.

Despite my criticisms, I do think this book could work for readers who are looking for something different from the typical happily ever after. The romance was complicated and messy, and perhaps more realistic, and the author was able to capture the historical setting really well. There was also some intrigue and drama. Ultimately, however, it wasn’t for me.


Content/Trigger Warnings: betrayal, bugs, suicidal ideation, injury, blood, anxiety and panic attack, mention of poverty