The Beautiful People reads like a contemporary novel and it will suck you right into the glittery world of West Palm Beach and the celebrities that live there. I loved that the story centered around prominent figures in history including famed photographer Slim Aarons and designer Lilly Pulitzer, while weaving a beautiful story of romance, friendships, careers, and much more. The Beautiful People is a wonderful example of a lively, engaging historical novel, and I loved every minute reading this story.

Thank you HTP Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receiving this book for an honest review.

Living in Florida close to Palm Beach, I was interested in reading about Palm Beach in the 60's. Palm Beach in the 1960s?
I enjoyed how the author interviewed real people to get write this story. The description of everything from food to clothing had me transported tot that time. I cannot picture all of this while driving through Palm Beach and understanding the history.

A fun historical fiction novel set in 1960s Palm Beach. A young, failed debutante becomes a photographers assistant mixing and mingling with the jet setters.

Palm Beach in the 1960s? Yes please! Gable's historical fiction novel fully delivers on all of the glam, the money and the drama I associate with that place and time. She beautifully interweaves the stories of real people with fictional Margo's and the descriptions of everything from the food to the clothes made me feel like I was there.

Thanks to Harlequin for the copy to review.

This is an easy read, likely to appeal to fans of historical romance. The settings and details about fashion and other goods are sure to delight readers who like that focus on small details.

A light, easy, historical fiction beach read.

Overall I enjoyed it, but I didn't find myself getting lost in the book. I was hoping to have that 'get lost in the pages' feeling.

Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House Publishing for my DRC.

Margo, a failed debutante not wanting to be destitute, begins employment as an assistant to a well-known photographer. Set in the 1950-1960s, this historical fiction story was full of characters not meant to be the most liked and was a great satire of the rich and famous. AS with any historical fiction, I was fascinated with the details the author included from the time: props, fashion, dialogue, scenery. To me, The Beautiful People is very reminiscent of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Everybody Rise.

This was a fun historical fiction set in the 1960s in Palm Beach.

Margo is a socialite wannabe whose engagement has been called off and she feels she has shamed her family. She gets a job as a photography assistant for famous photographer, Slim Aarons, which opens her up to a whole different world.

She meets and befriends fashion designer and socialite Lily Pulitzer and her husband. Some drama ensues.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for this eARC.

The Beautiful People was a fascinating look at Palm Beaches in the 1960's. I loved reading about Lilly Pulitzer as I love her clothes. I was disappointed that Zuzek wasn't included as a character. I found this a bit slow at the beginning, but by 20% of the book I was hooked. I couldn't put the book down after that. This would be an interesting read for a book club, or a perfect summer read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free advanced reader's copy. All opinions shared are my own.

Such a great Summer read! I was totally hooked and was so excited to share this book with my mom. She also loved it and it was the perfect read after spending time in Palm Beach over the Winter.

Not my typical read but I did enjoy. The setting was great and the characters were well developed. A pleasant surprise.

* Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing/ Graydon House, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. *

4.5 ★

When I started reading The Beautiful People, I felt like I was transported to 1960. I liked that it was set in Palm Beach, Florida, where I used to live, so I was already familiar with the area and how it dealt with photography. I am not a professional photographer, but I love photography. I've read some historical fiction, but none of them related to photography. One of the things I liked best about this book was how unusual it was from others I'd read, and practically every page kept me wanting more and wondering what would happen to Margo next. I found myself embarking on excursions together with Margo and Slim Aaron.

I was curious to see how long Margo would last as an assistant. Slim Aaron was first hesitant to have her as his assistant, and I wondered if Margo could endure him. Margo appeared to pick up on what he wanted quickly and being Slim Aaron's assistant transformed her into an entirely different person. When I first started reading The Beautiful People I didn't think I'd be able to relate to Margo, but she ended up being one of my favorite characters. I was curious to know how the story might end for Margo.

Lily was a character I was unsure about. I was grateful for the bond she developed with Margo; she was the friend Margo needed. However, I disagreed with how she handled others at the same time. There was something about her I disliked. I didn't know if Lily and Margo's friendship would last, but I hoped it would. The book's title, The Beautiful People , immediately caught my curiosity. The title was a perfect match given Margo's role in the story. The descriptions in the novel were delightful and made me wish I was there with Margo; I quickly fell in love with the surroundings and the characters.

I came upon Michelle Gable's works but haven't got the chance to read them. Now I wish I had read her books earlier. I'm delighted I had an opportunity to explore her world in <b>The Beautiful People</b>, and eager to see what awaits us next.

Happy to include this title in “Dive In,” a recent round-up highlighting a variety of summer reads, in the Books section of Canadian national culture and lifestyle magazine Zoomer. (see column and mini-review at link)

Thank you HTP Books / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced e-copy of The Beautiful People in exchange for my honest review.

This is the fourth book I’ve read by Michelle Gable and I just love her writing style. She does historical fiction in such an engaging way – you are immediately transported to the setting of her books and I love it! This time we head to Palm Beach and I not only enjoyed the story but learned so much!

This is the type of book that will have you soaking up all the drama that ensues as much as googling all the people mentioned…it was such a fun book and the perfect palate cleanser after some of the heavy thrillers and crime fiction I had been reading. I am ashamed to admit I had never heard of photographer Slim Aarons before reading this but I loved exploring his photos online. And I loved learning about Lilly Pulitzer – I had heard of the brand but not the woman behind the brand and that was quite neat getting her story! This is why I love reading historical fiction…I always learn something and then end up doing my own digging!

This story was so good and I cannot wait to see what Michelle Gable brings us next! This is definitely a fun one to throw in your beach bag this summer if you haven’t already picked it up!

If you've ever wondered what life was like for the rich people in the early 60s, this book is full of insight into their jet set lifestyles. It takes place in Palm Beach where only the richest people stayed for the 'season'. Not only are there some well written characters - but there are also brief mentions of other popular people in the 60s -- Jackie Kennedy, Truman Capote, a host of Vanderbilts. Beautiful people in beautiful places.

Margo's main goals in life are to marry a rich man and to stay away from her disinterested mother in San Francisco. She almost has the first goal in her grasp but her rich boyfriend breaks the engagement at a wedding attended by many of their friends. She really had to look at her life -- she WAS in Palm Beach but she had no money and no job and not much training to do any job. Her rich friend makes arrangements for her to go to work as an assistant for Slim Aarons, who was a well known photographer of the stars. Through her work with him, Margo is able to meet many rich and famous people -- including Lily Pulitzer who becomes a real friend and mentor. Just as she begins to think that the life of the rich is within her grasp, she gets entangled in a web of lies and has to decide if living her dream of being rich and famous is worth ignoring her own morals.

Margo was a well written character and it was interesting to see her grow up during the course of the book. At first she is only interested in being rich, but as she begins to enjoy photography and being responsible for herself, she starts to wonder if living the high life is what she really wants. Some of the rich and famous in this book -- especially Lily Pulitzer come off as being pretty shallow and egotistical. Despite that, it was interesting to read about her transformation to a famous dress designer. I enjoyed goggling some of her dresses and the material patterns that she designed plus I spent some time goggling the photos of Slim Aarons. Some of his photos of famous people are well known and still available to purchase.

I thought that this was a very enjoyable book. Not only is it a coming of age story for Margo but it's also a peek into the lives of the rich and famous and being reminded that having money doesn't buy a person happiness.

What a perfect summer read. Filled with eclectic characters who are mostly based on real people in history. I love learning stuff from reading fiction and this novel gives it up in spades. Exotic locales, famous people, and lots of secrets. Yum!

A fun and sharp but light piece of historical fiction, and—HOORAY—not a romance disguised as women’s historical fiction, as the majority of books in this subgenre seem to be.

This is set in a location and time period that I know very little about, so this was informative in addition to being entertaining for me. It focuses mostly on the work of Slim Aarons and on his wealthy clientele, including the troubled but colorful Pulitzers and the rest of the Palm Beach set.

Gable really made this book feel like a Slim Aarons photo: Gorgeously atmospheric and delightfully frothy while still maintaining quality. Perfect poolside reading for those seeking slightly elevated beach reads.

I enjoyed this historical fiction based on Lily Pulitzer and others. It was a different type of historical fiction; it didn't focus on wars and things like that, but it still incorporated accurate details of the time period.


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

What an exceptional book! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read of ARC. I enjoyed following Margo on her journey through Palm Beach society. Slim almost seemed like an unlikely father figure at times, although very tough. And those Pultizers, wow! A quick and very enjoyable read!

I really wanted to enjoy this book because I love historical fiction but I felt like it was a little too slow for me as things were building up. I did like the writing style though.