TL;DR: Did you watch Bridgerton on Netflix and love it? Craving more nineteenth century high society romance and intrigue? With a touch of magic? THEN READ IT. My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a bit confused when I discovered this book, since it seems like a reprint of a book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia that was published in 2017. The new cover is gorgeous and immediately grabbed my attention.

I was unsure about picking this one up for a couple of reasons though. One, the only book of Moreno-Garcia’s that I’d read to date was her 2019 release, Gods of Jade and Shadow. It was a very cool concept and an enjoyable read, but a solid 3/5 for me. And two, this seemed way heavier on the romance than the fantasy, and I am not a frequent romance genre reader. And yet, I am SO glad I read this book. It was light-hearted, sweet, and entertaining. The characters were worth getting invested in, with the villains just as delighting to read as the protagonists.

Moreno-Garcia seems to be comfortable in many genres, and I’m all the more excited to read Mexican Gothic, for which she’s received a lot of acclaim, and Signal to Noise, which has been waiting on my kindle for at least a year.

I’m serious about the Bridgerton connection. If you loved the secret keeping, angst, and will-they-won’t-they dynamic between Daphne and Simon, you’ll have a blast with The Beautiful Ones. On the flip side, if you’re a hardcore fantasy fan, you’ll probably be let down. Both Hector and Nina are psychokinetic, but their powers are immaterial to the plot. It’s a fun, whimsical element in the story, but it’s only one of several reasons that Hector and Nina come together.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is how it depicts attraction. The description that the leading man, Hector, gives for his eventual love interest at the start of the novel is not exactly flattering. I know that in my own personal life there are some people I am immediately attracted to, and then there are those who become incredibly attractive to me the more I interact with them. It was quite fun and charming to see this evolution unfold in writing, as Hector looks beyond Nina’s failures of social grace and becomes more and more enamoured with her as a unique individual. In contrast, we see how the past object of Hector’s affections becomes uglier and uglier to him as she reveals her serious character flaws.

The dynamic between the two women in the story, Nina and Valerie, was also really compelling. Both brush up against the ways that their society limits the possibilities for women to find happiness, but they respond in very different ways. Valerie encapsulates the idea of a patriarchal bargain, strategizing within the constraints of society to lay claim to whatever power she can, even though it comes at the expense of other women, like Nina. Valerie feels personally affronted that Nina may ascend this hierarchy and find happiness without having to make the same sacrifices that she did. This dynamic makes Valerie an excellent villain, because while her attitude and actions are completely reprehensible, it is hard to deny the injustices of the context in which they develop.

That said, there were aspects of this love story that I found frustrating. Hector’s cowardice became tedious. It would be great to see more male romantic leads better able to communicate their feelings. That said, Nina’s tenacity more than makes up for it. She is unfailingly willing to make herself vulnerable in front of others. Other characters tried to dismiss this as youthfulness or stupidity, but really, it’s courage. The kind that is so, so hard to have when building intimate relationships.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for giving me advance access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a fantasy world very much like La Belle Epoque, The Beautiful Ones is a romance with touches of magic and a fairytale feel. Nina, a girl making her debut in society, lives with her cousin Gaetan and his wife Valerie in the fictional city of Loisail. Valerie is proper and exacting in her social interactions, she knows which fork to use and which styles to wear, and she has her work cut out for her with Nina, a bumpkin who doesn't know how to fit in. Also, Nina is telekinetic, which is a rare ability in this world, and a little bit shameful for a society girl.

When Nina attracts the attention of Hector Auvray in Loisail, things get complicated. Hector is a performer, he is telekinetic and he performs a magnificent show where he uses his talent to walk on mirrors and spin a shark tank in the air. Nina has read his name in books while researching her own talent. Unfortunately she is unaware that Valerie and Hector have their own history.

This book reminded me a little of Austen, because of the manners and the family dynamics with The Beautiful Ones being old titled families, some of whom are very broke-- like Downton Abbey. Valerie also reminded me of a mix of Miss Havisham and her charge, Estella. I think readers who enjoyed the romance aspects of Gods of Jade and Shadow will enjoy this. If you're a romance reader who wants to know if this is a REAL romance.... *SPOILER* there is a HEA! TW for light cheating. *END SPOILER*

I really enjoyed reading this book, it's a bit of a slow burn which I love, I had a hard time putting it down and definitely had a book hangover. Mexican Gothic was my favorite book last year, I am a huge fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing I love her protagonists, and Nina has all the characteristics I have loved in her other characters-- she's feminine, smart, and although she makes mistakes she never berates herself, she learns her lessons and focuses on what she wants. She never apologizes for who she is. And she collects insects! So if you are a fan of her other books I think you'll love this one. If you disliked her other books but you love Austen and romance, you might give it a try because it definitely has much more romance than her more recent books.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC. My opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. Silvia Morena Garcia has such a knack for pulling the reader in and keeping them captivated from start to finish, and I love that each book she writes is different in tone, structure, setting, etc. I love it when an author keeps me on my toes like she does!

This story was smooth from start to finish. It was interesting and engaging, and I really enjoyed the story as a whole. I liked the delicacy of the romance in the book. It didn’t overpower the entire storyline, but it was always there. The main characters have some quirk to them, and I loved their vices and desires as they became more and more apparent. I liked the balance of magical elements, romance, and character development very much! I also think this book hits a nice balance between character and plot driven elements.

Overall, very well-done!

I absolutely love Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing and this book was no different. The Beautiful Ones has gothic/historical romance feels with a dash of supernatural power. The story in engaging from page one and sinks deeper and deeper into this dark but airy world of high society. Hector, our main character, has tied to high society and to telekinesis but due to his male privilege, he is able to keep a good social standing. Nina, our other main character, is young and also has telekinesis but she is looked down on because she is not a "proper" young lady. I liked these two from the beginning and the beauty of SMG's writing is that they grow together and apart. I think that the real winner of the whole book is Valerie. She is not a nice person but I weirdly liked her. She is conning and just plan evil but I honestly don't blame her. Hector nor Gaetan are deserving of her manipulative ways but it works! SMG is an auto-buy for me and I am so happy that I was able to read The Beautiful Ones.

Shout out to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review.

The Beautiful Ones is a novel of manners (think Austen) told from 3 different points of view. However it is set in a fictional world with just a hint of magic, The story, plot, and pacing were excellent, but there was little world building. Very different from Mexican Gothic.

The Beautiful Ones‘ upcoming publication is a historical fantasy re-release by author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and it’s a worthy addition to your stack of beach reads this summer. Set in fictional Loisail, this story follows headstrong Nina, the elusive Hector, and the beautiful, embittered Valérie. Nina and Hector are from vastly different backgrounds but share the same mysterious gift— while Valérie is part of the eponymous Beautiful Ones. As the story unfolds, we see their past and current motivations intertwine in more ways than one— with far deeper scars than the love triangle trope might suggest.

In the author’s signature style, the writing in The Beautiful Ones drips with expertly woven imagery. The story features a stunningly fleshed-out setting that you can see, feel, even smell — Moreno-Garcia’s imagination jumps off the pages. The dialogue is expressive and engaging, bringing life to the characters and artfully communicating their emotions— showing us and not just telling us.

I appreciated the exploration of class divide and social norms in The Beautiful Ones, notably how Moreno-Garcia presented these ideas across three discrete points of view. We see how the conventions of society uniquely stifle each character. Ultimately, a desire for autonomy over their life drives each character’s actions through the plot.

The Beautiful Ones is only the second book I’ve read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but I’m sensing a theme here: While Mexican Gothic and The Beautiful Ones offer wildly different narratives, she uses a motif of how duty and desire could be twisted, morphing into something sinister that threatens to destroy anything in its way. Moreno-Garcia’s writing casts a spell over the reader, whispering lyrical claim to deeper, darker emotions— while maintaining a gaze firmly fixed on the plot’s meaningful advancement.

I enjoyed this story, and I recommend The Beautiful Ones to fans of Romance and Historical Fantasy books where the plot plays the starring role (rather than the intrigue). And if you’re a proper Historical Romance fan, you may also enjoy this tale. But FYI, this is very much smut-free, so no bodice ripper here 🔥.

I received an eARC of this book to review and provide my honest opinion. Thank you to Tor/Forge for the digital copy.

An Austen-like love story with modern twists and a heroine that you’ll love to root for.

SYNOPSIS
Hector is a world renowned performer, famous for his telekinesis talent. We see him coming back into high society, searching for a ten year gone lost love- Valerie - and finding instead her husband’s young cousin, Nina. Nina also has the talent and she’s a fumbling 19 year old who speaks her mind and enjoys bugs over jewelry. As Hector uses Nina to get to Valerie, something new and much more real develops. There’s plotting, heartbreak, frustration and the quiet friendship that exists in true love.

THOUGHTS
I was surprised by this new book of Moreno Garcia’s - it was much more love story than I expected, and I felt as if I was reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time again. There was the calm of quiet and solid love, the frustration and anger at crossed wires and stubborn feelings and the whimsy of society life compared to the realness of the countryside. The very very slight addition of magic (or really just telekinesis only) was a nice little modern twist but I wasn’t sure how effective it was. It truly only played a part in signifying lower status and in bonding Nina and Hector. I felt like there was a missed opportunity to open that world up more instead of making it just one more known fact of this society. Regardless, I sped through this, pulled along by my utter frustration at Hector and Nina for not seeing what was there in front of them and by my complete adoration of Nina as a character. Its a story that will leave you wrapped around it’s finger and remind you of the magic of the classic push and pull love stories we never forget.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia again demonstrates how well she can tackle diverse subject matter and style in The Beautiful Ones.

This is far less dark than much of her other work, and is best described as a justice-is-served style fairy tale, in which the nice gal wins, the villain gets exactly what’s coming to them, and loads of angst and uncertainty preclude much in the way of action.

Moreno-Garcia, predictably, has no problem taking this kind of relatively low-stakes, caper romance and turning it into something fun, sharp, and compelling.

The story is sort of a spin on Cinderella, if Cinderella had some problematic fairy godmother-like magical powers and was the oddball rather than poor relation. It’s probably best classed as a happily ever after romance, though that feels like an oversimplification and doesn’t do justice to Moreno-Garcia’s wit and clever reinterpretation of a familiar topic.

I personally prefer the author’s darker stuff, as I feel it gives more opportunities for her to showcase her tremendous talent, but this is a fun, satisfying read and is far smarter and funnier than your typical fairy tale romance.

I wish we’d been treated to some sort of magicians’ duel or at least been allowed to see Nina put her skills to more frequent use, but she does come up big in this regard when it really counts, and that paves the way for the ending the reader wants.

I had no idea this was a reprint, but I really loved it nonetheless! Such effortless style and great character development. I'm a romantic at heart and Nina and Hector's relationship really struck me, it was about the growth and the generosity.

While I had such high expectations because I love this author, it just didn't live up to the hype for me. I honestly dread when I start to not like characters in books, and I really only like Nina the main character. Everyone else I didn't care for or just genuinely didn't like. I think this was a somewhat slow book and it felt like nothing happened for a lot of the book. I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't get into the story and world.

I think one of the big questions I have is why does magic have to be involved. Nina is telekinetic and there really is no point to have magic in this book. I think it is only in this book because Hector is also telekinetic and that is what draws them together, other than that nothing happens with the magical aspect.

I think back to Mexican Gothic which I loved and devoured in one sitting and while the writing is similar this one just did not have the same energy. It just felt drab and it didn't make me want to pick it up.

I am still going to read the author's other books, I think this one was just not for me to be honest.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I wanted to love this. It sounded like it was up my alley, but sadly I DNF around 30% mark. I loved Mexican Gothic but The Beautiful Ones was just a bit too slow for me. Silvia's writing is descriptive and well thought out, but just wasn't gripping me in the way her previous work did. Silvia herself posted on Goodreads and warned that this book was nothing like Mexican Gothic. It wasn't a bad book. Just not every story is for everyone. I give it 🌟🌟 2/5 stars.

Review posted on Instagram username: booknookcook04

This was magical and enchanting. I loved the setting and the premise. It had the right touch of magic to keep me engaged. I wish the pace was a little slow for my taste, but the plot was good. I wouldn’t call this a beach read. I think this would be great for book clubs. It has so many wonderful discussion elements.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has incredible range in her writing, but The Beautiful Ones was not the sweeping romance I was expecting.

Young Nina was taken in by her cousin and his wife, Valerie, to debut for the season. While she had no interest in parties and beautiful gowns, Valerie was determined to make a match for Nina. When Nina stumbled upon Hector while at a party, the two drummed up an interesting friendship. Little did Nina know, Hector was using Nina to get close to Valerie, the woman he had loved a decade ago.

The Beautiful Ones sounded like a beautiful and sweeping romance but the execution was poor. I enjoyed the French-inspired world, but the magic and telekinesis were barely addressed. It was those aspects of the world that I thought could have been expanded upon. The character themselves served a purpose, but they were one-dimensional. Nina was the naïve country girl who would rather chase butterflies and collect other insects. She was likable and I enjoyed the chapters told from her perspective, but she lacked depth. Valerie could have been the most complex character but instead, she was portrayed as a cartoony villain. The romance between Nina and Hector could be described as slowburn but I never believed that the attraction went both ways.

The Beautiful Ones didn’t work for me as an epic romance but other readers who don’t need complex characters might find themselves at home in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s words.

The story. The characters. The detail. The cover. I loved it all. This book is going to be so popular. It's the perfect mix of action, drama, and special powers.

Set in a fictional world, similar perhaps to late 19th century France, The Beautiful Ones is a romance book with a spark of magic, compelling characters, and the most despicable and horrible villain I have ever read in a book.
This is the fourth book that I read by this author and I have to say that I love her writing style, and the versatility that Silvia has to write different genres.
AMAZING BOOK HIGHLY RECOMMEND🙌
4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Thank you so much to Macmillan -Tor for this Arc in exchange for a honest review.

"You’ve come to toy with us. Feel free to toy with her. But you’ll find I am not a piece you can slide across your board.”

This story follows Hector Auvray, an entertainer returning home to try and win back his beautiful first love, Valerie Beaulieu. Valerie had ended their secret engagement so she can marry into the wealthy Beaulieu family. Hector begins to 'court' someone within the Beaulieu family, Nina Beaulieu, as a way to get closer to Valerie. **This is a tale of love, betrayal and the struggle between conformity and passion, set in a world where scandal is a razor-sharp weapon.

This was historical fiction with romance and a splash of fantasy. There is telekinesis in this books but the story doesn't put much focus on those aspects. You get to read through the perspective of these three incredibly flawed and complex characters as you watch their romance and lives unfold. I loved getting to see these characters develop and also show their true colours. I loved Nina, she was wild, honest and youthful, and I felt so protective over her.

As someone who enjoys a great antagonist, I am very pleased with the ones in this story. They were just so good, I loved and really really hated them. I usually don't often read books like this, especially ones with 'drama and scandals,' but I honestly enjoyed it. Overall it was very beautifully written and I was completely invested despite the pacing. I think this book was way better than Mexican Gothic and I was very satisfied with how it ended.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.*

dnf @50%

I received an arc of this book and was thrilled to get the latest Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Mexican Gothic was one of my top reads in 202o. I feel like this must have been a pet project for Moreno-Garcia, maybe something she's had cooking up for awhile but needed to make sure she dropped a few money makers before sharing with the world.

I can not say the same about The Beautiful Ones, which is tonally much different than Mexican Gothic. My primary issue was how much of this already snail-paced plot hinged on a love triangle between our three main characters that is largely based on bitterness and deception. I just struggled to root for any of the characters and found their issues petty and hard to empathize with.

I can maybe see this appealing to fans of slow historical romance (not slow burn, just SLOW) or people who really like love triangles. The writing is beautiful because Moreno-Garcia is a legend, but this one didn't do it for me.

I went into this boon expecting it to be perfect. Normally this is not something one would recommend, considering the obvious. However, it’s absolutely a sure bet when it comes to Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

The Beautiful Ones is honeyed tea and summer heat. It’s the sticky comfort of a hot day and a breeze on your neck.

Nina is to spend her first great season with her cousin and his wife, learning the tools of the trade in order to find herself a husband that high society deems worthy, but she’d much rather spend her time quietly learning, reading books, exploring life and nature around her.

Hector is a man jaded yet devoted. He’s built himself from the ground up, becoming one of the worlds most famous performers of the magus nature. He’s dedicated his life to proving the woman who left him wrong, and he’s finally come to make that promise to himself come true a decade later.

I love this book. It’s fun, exciting, soft at times and will have you cursing the characters at others. I think we all feel relatable to Nina, and it’s hard not to be so completely charmed by her. Hector is much the same, though there are definitely more times that I wanted to shake him by his lapels.

Not a single thing didn’t work for me when it came to this book, which also might be something one shouldn’t say in a review. But it’s perfect, and I love it, and I’ll come back to it again and again, on warm summer days with a cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy of this book.

[Review is scheduled to post on April 14, 2021]

I don't read a lot of romance: I picked this book up solely because it's written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia... and I think I want/need more romance in my life now???

The Beautiful Ones is a beautiful story of love and betrayal, of innocence and depravity, of conformity and passion, of youth and adulthood, of privilege and entitlement. Fast paced and instantly engaging, this book is told in the third perspective of three main characters who are inextricably linked and made me feel so many varying emotions while reading it.

"She existed and colored the city for him, lit it brighter than the elegant iron lampposts."

The book may be titled The Beautiful Ones, but the story highlights how insidiously ugly a world of privilege is. The rules and regulations of the Beautiful Ones are always top-of-mind for our characters. Class, privilege, and status are all at the forefront; each character's place within society and how the adhere to the rules are an undercurrent for all of their actions.

"In Loisail, certain things were not said out loud. Secrets were written in the movement of a fan or the gestures with a glove. Innocent words hid the sharpness of knives."

This is primarily a romance novel; the fantasy elements are important to the characters and the way society sees them, but the magic is not the main focus or driver of the story. This is a great book for readers who are hesitant to fantasy as it's light on the worldbuilding as it's similar to a tangible part of history. I liked that Loisail and the world in general largely feels like our world about 100 years ago; the motorcar and camera are recent inventions and in many ways the technological advances mirrors the telekinetic abilities developed. (It makes me think of "Heroes" and how humanity could just be evolving.)

Believe me when I say that I've never been so fully invested in a cast of POV characters with such an array of emotions. The way my feelings changed for each of them as the book continued? That's the mark of amazing character arcs and development. I could pen countless paragraphs about Nina, Hector, and Valérie but I think this is a book where it's best to go in as blind as possible so I'm keeping it spoiler-free. (I might have to write a spoiler essay about this one, friends!) But I absolutely love how every action each character makes is informed by a thousand tiny bits of their personality; each character is three-dimensional and as real as you or me.
"I am glad of who I am now. You don't know that when you begin a journey, and looking back the picture is not always pretty, but I wouldn't take any of it back."

One of the things I love so much about this book is it captures the unique and all-encompassing feeling of first love and shows different perspectives on it through time. How it shapes the characters and how that youthful innocence can be lost if we succumb to the pressures of society to conform. There's sadness in it, but there's also a lot of hope that passion can be found again once we let go of the echoes.

"Desire was not passion and passion was not love."

I am not a well-read romance reader, but The Beautiful Ones makes me want to become one. This book captures the high society romance hijinks of regency romance (courting and escorts and debuts) and tore at my heartstrings. I screamed, I scolded, and I cried. Oh, how I cried... I spent the last 15% of the book with terrified tears leaking from my eyes and me wondering what happened to me. Not only do I highly recommend reading The Beautiful Ones, but also all of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work. Everything she writes is different yet so inherently hers; she is a master of genre and emotion, and is an insta-buy author for me.

Content warnings: age gap (unsure of Hector's age but my guess is mid-late 20s), betrayal, suicidal thoughts referenced

eARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley for review. This does not impact my opinion or content of my review. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and subject to change upon final publication.

This is my first book by this author and not the last!

I loved that the story took us back to a historical time and she explained the traditions and culture so beautifully you became a part of them.

The story itself has different points of view because it’s more than just Nina’s and Hector’s story. It’s also Valeries! We learn that Hector and Valerie have a history that Nina might not be able to overcome! Especially when Valerie will stop at nothing to gain for herself and her family!

I will say justice is served beautifully at the end and the true hero in my eyes because of his patience and love of family is Nina’s cousin Gaetan!

There are many different secondary characters in the book but none shine brighter than Nina and her authentic outlook on life. She truly is herself and though she tries to blend in she is just her and it’s that natural beauty and curiosity that draws Hector to her!

A very lovely story! Thank you to Thank you to Tor (via NetGalley) for the ARC in return for my honest review!