I have Dutton Books to thank for putting this on my radar and @suethebookie for adding a trusted referral to it. I am embarrassed to say I probably would have skipped this otherwise, but thankfully I didn’t and I’m going to do my best to convince you all to pick this one up!

Whether you’re into following real life princesses or not, you probably have at least a vague idea of some of the very real downfalls of being part of a modern monarchy. (Think Diana & Megan Markle.) Yes, it looks glamorous and fun, but then there is reality. TFOSB deals with that very real reality. We meet Caroline or Caro, who is an Olympic marathon athlete who has a career ending injury. Fast forward some time and she marries a prince. What follows is a completely engrossing, harrowing and alarming account of her life. I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic the writing and storytelling is. I FLEW through this book. Could not turn the pages fast enough. It was all I thought about for the few days that I had the pleasure of reading it. Besides the book being fabulous, it was also nice to read a book that I didn’t feel I had read before. I am so grateful to have read it and I know this will definitely make it on my top books of 2022 list. It was that good. Barbara Bourland is now an auto buy author for me. 🏆🏆

Review Date: 07/25/2022
Publication Date: 07/19/2022

i've been gradually reading this over the past few weeks which has meant caroline has cemented herself in my mind as a real princess of a far off land. i was invested in her running career, her family, and the way her life changed slowly and then all at once after she marries finn, the prince of lucomo. really enjoyed this!!!!

When I was a young girl, I believed that the life of a princess would be the best life one could ever live. As I grew up, as I grew older, I began to see through the gauzy veil that’s thrown over the eyes of little girls. In my more mature years, I finally began to see the truth.
Princess Diana was my first difficult lesson in the art of being a princess. And Princess Charlene; surely now we’re keen enough to read between the lines. And history, when it actually tells the bare truth, is riddled with women who were destroyed after serving their purpose of providing an heir.
Barbara Bourland takes this taboo subject and writes a heartbreaking story from Caroline, who at one time was a record-breaking long-distance runner. Caroline talks to us throughout the book; about her childhood, her dreams, the accident that ruined her career, and how she met Finn as they were both recovering. As Caroline talks, we see her slowly being reshaped; her image first, her lifestyle, and her new royal family. The gauntlet her soon-to-be mother-in-law runs Catherine through is enough to give her fair warning, but Caroline sees no other choice.
With parallels to actual historical princesses, this book of fiction seems so natural, so exposed; euphoric happiness at one moment and dark depression the next. After the last page, you’ll have to remind yourself that Caroline is a figment of the author’s mind. But truly, is she?
Thanks so much to Penguin Group- Dutton for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I started and stopped this book too many times and finally just quickly finished it to be done. What this woman gave up to become a princess/brood mare was unforgiveable and then to literally to held prisoner. The book starts off with her escape attempt and left me questioning if she was thinking about her children at all. This book was really slow but has so many good reviews I have to wonder if I was reading the same book.

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into with this book. The cover elicited almost this mystical retro feel and the concept intrigued me. It was giving TJR protagonist in the most basic terms. I haven't yet read any of Bourland's other books but I think I must now because of how incredible this book it.
It's a woman's decent into madness, a gilded cage, a story you already (think) you know the ending too. You start out seeing Caroline trying to run away and then her journey into the lions den.
It's heartbreaking, it's shocking, and yet you want to root for Caroline. You want to help her and hug her even at her worst, especially then when she is the most falsified and the most trapped.

I truly loved this book and the story therein and plan on purchasing a copy for myself.

Who ever thought that the life of a princess is like a storybook. This book explores that and much more. Interesting book, not quite what I thought it would be.

LOVED LOVED LOVED -what a fantastic story! I was hooked from the beginning and just absolutely loved the direction this went.

Captivating and engrossing - the kind of awful thing where you can't look away, I couldn't stop reading.
I found the protagonist, ex international athlete Caroline, rather narcissistic.
She was convinced she was special:
At 11 years old, she was a fast long distance runner, won all kinds of awards & was the fastest woman in the world in her early 20's. After her fall during a race (which ended her career as a runner) a plastic surgeon reconstructed her face, making her very beautiful. Men apparently couldn't keep their hands off her and she was traumatized by their attention. She was attracted to Finn, the prince of a small, yet wealthy European country, because he was special, too. Guards trailed him and people played up to him. Caroline manipulated her way to be in the same place as Finn, to attract him, yet make him chase her. She then extracts a promise of marriage from him, she can't risk sleeping with him because she knows she only has her beauty and unavailability to make her special. As an ex athlete, who is disabled & uneducated, she didn't have much luck having a career in the real world.
Caroline loves how protected she feels when she visits his palace and she makes a deliberate effort to be married to Finn, apparently without researching what it is really like to be royalty and not to have a private life. So, I had a hard time feeling badly for her when she decided she did not want to live according to the palace rules.
Overall, it was a good read - the narrative is so realistic that I kept thinking I was reading nonfiction and the ending has an awesome twist!

Thank you Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing an e-Arc for an honest review.

This book took me quite a while to get through being that the pace was slow and its also not a genre I usually read. It is beautifully written and broke my heart to read about Caroline's journey from Olympic gold medalist to Princess. She mentions at the beginning of the book while she is living in Lisbon that her time there was the only time she every truly lived for herself and chose what she could do with her body. From a young age she ran and trained to become an athlete thus giving her body over to training and her country when she became an Olympian. Then after marrying into a royal family she gave her body to be used a brood mare to produce perfect children and to be trapped behind the gilded bars of royalty.

We read and watch fairytales and are shown the beauty and the elegance of these things as children. And we dream of strong princes coming to sweep us away and all of our problems with it. But as Caroline points out "The force of such beauty is meant to destabilize a person." I definitely felt destabilized while reading this book but I gathered that that was the intent.

Unfortunately - sometimes my experience reading a book is impacted by my expectations going in. I had seen some amazing reviews for The Force of Such Beauty before I started and think I came in with expectations too high.

This is the story of Caroline - a South African athlete who falls in love and marries the prince of a small country - and then learns being a princess isn’t at all what she thought it would be. It was a compelling read and definitely interesting to think about the parallels between the story and real life figures. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn’t go in with such high expectations.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I felt claustrophobic or smothered through much of this book, but this is because the writing is so good. It does a great job highlighting the darker side of monarchies. I love reading about independent women, so this was right up my alley.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I'm so sorry but I just didn't like this book. I read almost 70% before stopping. It was well written but I just can't make myself like books about athletes. No matter what I always end up hating them.

This book is truly written well and the descriptions are very well done but it's just not for me.

Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow- loved this book! Gorgeous writing and I felt the author really captured the heart of an athlete. When she becomes a reluctant princess, she regrets her choices and tries to escape the kingdom. I really liked this complicated story. The ending took me by surprise!

Olympic gold medalist Caroline is the fastest woman on earth. When her body gives out, she falls mid-run, breaking both her hip and face. She is sent to a high priced recover center where she meets Finn, a prince. When they reconnect two years later, he sweeps her off her feet and they quickly marry. However, life as a princess is not all that it seems. Caroline is meant to be a decoration, one with flawless beauty, who never complains or expresses an opinion.

While the beginning of the book was pretty slow, it picked up a bit after the wedding. Caroline was a well developed and mult-dimensional character. I found myself sympathizing with her and looking for an escape route. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

"The force of such beauty is meant to destabilize a person. I was no exception."

Doesn't everyone at one point in their life wonder what it'd be like to be royalty?!

The Force of Such Beauty by Barbara Bourland is The Princess Diaries meets Meghan Markle. A fictionalized portrayal of what happens when an Olympic winning athlete has an accident and needs a new career choice. Princess of a small European nation sounds idyllic and so Caroline pursues perfect Prince Finn only to later realize the monarchy is a prison she'll never escape from. In fact this book begins with a failed escape attempt.

I absolutely loved this novel! Caroline bears a marked similarly to Princess Charlene of Monaco which I found really interesting because everyone thinks happily ever after begins after the royal wedding, but that's actually where all bodily autonomy ends. It was fascinating to peek behind the royal curtains and see Barbara Bourland rip the monarchy to shreds. Being a princess is exhausting and darker than you'd think. If The Force of Such Beauty is to be believed it's like accidentally joining a cult that you can't leave and being forced to recruit for it while faking happiness.

Highly recommend reading this one- it's out now and it's one of my favorite books I've read this year! Thanks to @duttonbooks and #netgalley for my advance copy!

What a fascinating read. Bourland takes the idealistic children's dream of becoming a princess, and turns it on its head, showing what a nightmare it could become. Her use of language is fascinating, as early on she uses terms related to prisons, just to put you on edge. My favourite part of the novel, however, was when it took a turn into magical realism... it was truly breathtaking. I would absolutely recommend!

An enjoyable read that held my attention from the first page to the last. While it is a work of fiction, it's easy to identify some true life personalities that have lived through similar trials and tribulations. Popular o[inion says the life of a princess is wonderful, no cares or worries. In real life, no one, including a princess, lives a trouble free life.

The story is excellent. The characters are memorable. Schedule your next reading marathon soon.

Have you read any of Barbara Bourland’s books before? She has a way with words and I’d have to say The Force of Such Beauty is my favorite! Anyone into stories about royalty or princess will love this story. Barbara really paints a picture of what it may be like for someone married into a family with secrets, demands, and expectations.
Caroline grew up traveling around the world for races. As an athlete running was her life and the thing she thought she’d do forever, until a terrible accident took it all away. In rehab Caroline meet a quirky yet unforgettable man who helped her come to terms with her life. The two went their separate ways but Finn always reached out to let her know he was thinking of her.
After the death of her mother Finn flew her out to be with him and the two fall madly in love. Finn showers her with gifts of clothing and a beautiful ring that goes on the very perfect finger. Caroline and Finn decide to wed quickly but Finn explains there are steps to be taken, expectations of the couple that must be seen to before they can become a couple.
At first Caroline is so overwhelmed with love, want, and the need to become one that she doesn’t notice things that aren’t quiet right. When she allowed Finn into her life she had lost so much already and all she asked of him was just to be her person forever. Unfortunately as time goes on Caroline realizes Finn will uphold his promise, but Caroline will learn for her there’s no choice but to stay.

I liked this book but seem to be in the minority that did not think it was great.
I was interested in the main character because of her athletic background. Her romance with the prince was brief and underdeveloped. He needed a wife and heirs and, well, she got to become a princess. So they hurried up and got married after she was thoroughly prodded by an OBGYN. The similarities to Monaco were too obvious. I rolled my eyes when I read that the nationality of the people was "Lugasque" (or some blatant copy of Monégasque). The author could have been more creative. I felt as though I was reading a fictionalized story based on a real person's life. It was too thinly veiled to be taken seriously.
Caroline (the main character) is apparently a stand-in for Charlene, who married Albert of Monaco. However, I was thinking of Grace Kelly, who is probably too old school to appeal to the target audience for this novel. The ending was particularly reminiscent of the fate of Grace Kelly. I also felt the ending was too abrupt, underdeveloped and unsatisfying. I guess it is supposed to leave the reader wondering what really happened to poor Caroline. Caroline may have been an amalgamation of many modern day women who married into royal families and were disillusioned with the reality did not live up to the fairytale.
This main character's suffering was particularly depressing. I guess that was the point.
This book is a decent read, but it felt very unoriginal.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

THE FORCE OF SUCH BEAUTY is a modern day revision of the fairy tale that suggests growing up to be a princess is a good thing; in any way at all. It may also be a thinly veiled fiction of the current Princess of Monaco, who seems quite at odds with her marriage and public role. In both cases, the book is engaging, fast and impossible to put down. In this romance, the happily ever after looks nothing at all like the fairy tales of old; and there is no possible escape for an unhappy princess. I could not stop reading this book once I began it; it was just that good. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.