Danielle Steel has outdone herself. This was an emotionally, beautiful story. I couldn't put down my Kindle once I started reading the first chapter.

Veronique Vincent, 22 years old, is one of the worlds biggest supermodels, yet she doesn't act like one. She's kind to everyone, she's not a diva, and everyone loves to work with her. She's an consummate professional, she's sought after by every major fashion designer, and has been on every fashion magazine. Never late to a photo shoot or a fashion show and in lieu of late night partying, she prefers a good nights sleep. She doesn't trade on her gorgeous face for anything, in fact, she wants little to do with the glamorous life that comes with her job when she's not working. She'd rather spend time with her mother at home or with her sweet boyfriend rather than attending lavish parties. Raised by her single mother after her father died when she was only a baby, her mother's her best friend. They vacation together when they aren't spending down time in their home in Paris.

After Fashion Week in Paris ends, the mother-daughter duo decide to take a short trip away. But when terrorists bomb the airport in Brussels, leaving Vero an orphan with massive injuries leaving her in a coma for three months; her life as she knows it is over. Twenty-six surgeries later, with pieces of shrapnel still inside of her body, one side of her face permanently disfigured, she now faces a new reality. The life she used to live is over, forcing herself into seclusion. The only person there for her is her mom's law partner, who is the executor of her estate. That's when Vero receives a letter from her mother that alters her world even more.

After being released from the hospital after six months of treatment, it's now up to her to find some light at the end of a dark road and to eventually find some solace.

A very moving book. A definite must read!!

Veronique Vincent is a beautiful fashion model in Paris. At age 22, she has become tops in the business and is always in demand. Her mother is a single woman who raised Veronique well telling her that her father died shortly after she was born.

After the craziness of Fashion Week in Paris, Veronique and her mother decided to fly to Miami and a long weekend. Veronique’s boyfriend, Cyril, offers to take them to the airport and get their luggage in for them. That’s when a bomb explodes instantly killing Cyril and her mother and leaving Veronique critically injured. After many days in a coma and many surgeries, she is left with a scarred face and shrapnel throughout her body. She spent months in the hospital and is soon to be released. Her mother had left her a large amount of money and her apartment.

Grieving the loss of her mother, Veronique is finally released from the hospital with her face body scarred on one side. No way can she be a model again. She doesn’t know what to do with her life. But a letter left for her by her mother reveals a huge secret that she has kept from her.

A friend suggests she see a great plastic surgeon in New York. So, she heads that way to see if they can do a better job of the scars on her face. There, she finds true kindness and a reason for her to carry on.

Oh my, once again, Danielle Steel has penned an incredible book of bravery and caring. I was quite taken with this story and tried not to give out any spoilers. Suffice to say, this is a magnificent story that I hope lots of readers will enjoy.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Beautiful is a wonderful book. The book introduces you to Veronique Vincent. A beautiful and much sought after top model at age twenty-two. Experienced and gorgeous to boot, all the top designers love working with her. Veronique has the world by the tail but in one day, she loses her mother and boyfriend and her gorgeous looks.

How does Veronique rebuild her life? You must read the book to find out.

As always, Danielle Steel is a masterful storyteller and the book will keep you engaged.

Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishing for allowing me the opportunity to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Beautiful by Danielle Steel has Veronique Vincent, an in-demand model, getting caught in an explosion at Brussels Zaventem Airport. Veronique survives the bombing, but she has severe damage that includes her face. Her mother and boyfriend do not survive. After spending months in the local military hospital undergoing numerous surgeries, Veronique is released. Veronique must decide what she is going to do with her life now that she can no longer model. Her mother left her a letter that reveals some surprising news. Veronique has some important decisions to make. Beautiful is a story about a woman who suffers a terrible tragedy and how she manages to overcome it. I thought Beautiful was well-written with steady pacing. Danielle Steel handles a difficult subject beautifully. A terrorist attack forever alters Veronique Vincent’s life plus she loses the person closest to her in the world, her mother. With Veronique’s face forever changed, she can no longer model. Modeling has been her world for the last four years. Veronique needs to discover who she is who she and how to move forward without her mother as well as her career. Veronique also learns that her mother told her a lie about something significant and she needs to decide if she will act on the news. Beautiful is an emotional story. Veronique goes on a journey of self-discovery. She finds a way to turn devastation into something wonderful. People focus too much on outer beauty which can fade, but inner beauty lasts forever. I like that we get to see something good come from a tragic event. I enjoyed reading Beautiful. It is an emotional novel that left me feeling hopeful. Beautiful is a touching tale with an in-demand model, haute couture clothes, plethora of parties, a terrorist attack, a series of surgeries, a surprising secret, inward reflection, and shifting gears for a helpful future.

At the start of Beautiful, twenty-two year old Veronique Vincent’s life takes a horrific turn. While in the Belgian airport, there is a terrorist attack which kills her mother and the man she is dating. Originally thought by the rescuers to have been killed, she survives but has sustained critical internal and external injuries. The damage to her face abruptly ends her career as one of the world’s most beautiful models. Her famous face will never grace the covers of the fashion magazines again. Lost without her mother, Veronique has to find a way to rebuild her life. A letter left by her mother, to be opened upon her death, provides some shocking information that sends Veronique from Paris to New York City.

Famous for creating strong, heroic female characters, author Danielle Steel has done it again. This time, the subject of beauty is addressed. How does someone move forward after losing the beauty that had defined them? Can inner beauty replace what physical beauty may have been lost? The author based this story on the real-life 2016 terrorist bombings at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem and the Maalbeek metro station. It’s a relative short, fast-paced book that offers a heartfelt story. I enjoyed it.

Beautiful was so interesting I read it in one sitting. It included some of Danielle Steel’s trademark calling cards but this one actually captured my heart. A young beautiful model searches for the meaning of life after a tragedy and actually reiterates for the reader that someone’s beauty is actually found within. I loved her reawakening and the path she was on to find a new direction in her life. My favorite setting was the hospital in Angola and their connection with HALO. Such a worthwhile organization to promote within the pages of this book. Even more powerful would have been a link to HALO if people felt the need to donate to an incredible organization.
Many many thanks to Danielle Steel for taking me on this journey, Random House, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this soon to be published book.

Beautiful by Danielle Steel. Beautiful is an amazing story. Written about a lady’s experience after a terrorist attack that kills her mother. She is one of the top models in the country and half her face is destroyed. How would you handle it?

Four and a half stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒

Beautiful by Danielle Steel is a fast-paced book about one woman who has it all.
But, when a woman whose whole life is based on her beauty, what happens when she loses it all?

Veronique Vincent is an international model who is at the top of her game. She travels the world as one of the most sought-out models in the world. She loves her life and knows she can’t be a model forever. Her mother has managed her career and saved her money and invested it wisely. Veronique’s best friend is her mother, who is a successful lawyer and also lives in Paris.

When she travels to Brussels with her mother, a tragedy ensues that changes her life forever. How can Veronique move on without all that she has held so dear all her life?

This book started off quickly and I was drawn into this world immediately and read this book all in one sitting. In previous Danielle Steel books, she starts off a bit slow with an info dump, but this didn’t happen in this book. There are only a few characters in this book, but they are all well developed and interesting. The story never dragged, and I enjoyed the author’s descriptions of Paris and Angola.

There is a little bit of romance in this book, but it’s mostly about Veronique and her journey as she adjusts to her new life.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Reading a Steel novels doesn’t require any effort. Although the subject matter of Beautiful is quite serious, readers will know it all works out in the end. Veronique’s face has been her fortune. Until the terrorist attack which cost her her mother, friend, and her face. Now she embarks on life after and deals with all the fallout. The ending was a little different than a typical DS novel.
It wasn’t a favorite of mine, but it’s a decent read.

Veronique is a world famous top model who has made an extremely successful career from being beautiful. She has been admired for her beauty her entire life and while she works hard, she also finds it exhausting. She is very close to her mother and didn't get to know her father as he died when she was a baby. When her mother suggests a mini vacation at the end of fashion week, Veronique agrees happily and they meet up at the Brussels station where they are tragically caught in an act of terrorism that takes the life of her mother and boyfriend and leaves her extremely damaged and scarred and subject to many months of surgeries and recovery and leads to the end of her career as she knows it.
While going through her mothers estate, she finds out that her father is very much alive and living in NYC and has been in contact with her mother all her life. He is a famous politician and her mother left him to have his success because a child out of wedlock would have been bad for his career. When she goes to New York to meet him finally, she meets a plastic surgeon who helps her feel better about her scars and tells her about the work he does in Africa with children who are injured by mines and such and don’t have access to the care they need if the volunteers don’t come and work with them. Veronique decides that she wants to make her life have some meaning, and heads DI Africa as well and lives her life with sympathy and compassion and while there finds love as well.
There’s so much to be said about inner beauty and this story totally validates it. Beauty fades but character lasts forever. Veronique turned something horrific and tragic into self discovery and worth, from devastation to hope.
Thanks to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Beautiful by Danielle Steel

Published: April 19, 2022
Delacorte Press
Pages: 235
Genre: Women’s Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors, with nearly a billion copies of her novels sold. Her recent international bestsellers include Against All Odds, The Duchess, and The Right Time. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; and the children's books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood. Danielle divides her time between Paris and her home in northern California.

“What else is there to say?”

Véronique Vincent had spent the last four years as one of the most sought-after supermodels. Every designer wanted her in their runway shows and as the face of their latest campaigns. When a tragedy leaves Véronique scarred, she has to figure out how she continues living when the life she had is over.

This was my first ever Danielle Steel novel, and I can see why she has amassed such an intense following. She brings a story to a life filled with raw emotion, civic characters, and in-depth descriptions.

There weren’t a lot of characters with significant roles, mostly just Véronique, but I enjoyed the role each character played. Véronique was such a beautifully tragic character.

She starts as rather apathetic. She’s gorgeous, with a face that everyone notices. She inspired photographers, traveled the world walking in fashion shows, and photographed for Vogue magazine.

After the attack, Véronique is left with terrible scars she can’t hide. She’s told they may fade with time but will always be there. Now she doesn’t know how to move forward.

Having spent so much of her life being seen and being declared a beautiful face- her world has shifted significantly. More than the scars on her face, Véronique has to learn how to live with the wounds in her heart.

This is a beautiful representation of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and true beauty. Second chances are a huge theme, and I loved how the story unfolded. The way feelings were described helped put you in Véronique’s position, making the pain palpable.

A slow burn, this novel truly explores what beauty is, what love means. And how to keep moving forward when all you want to do is collapse. Powerfully written, with so many beautiful moments, Beautiful will break you heart.

5 star fiction that reads like a true life story. A beautiful book about real beauty. Real life. Real love. Real strength. About life changing reality. About what really makes a person beautiful, truly beautiful. Timely and relevant, a story about dealing with the realities and the aftermath of a terrorist attack. This was my 145th Danielle Steel book with 2 more advanced copies waiting to be read! I've always been a DS fan but I haven't loved all of her books. But I have to say, lately she is on fire! A quote from the book "I want to do some good and put some love back in the world instead of all that hate". Wouldn't it be beautiful if we all lived our lives that way?! Beautiful is truly one of my favorite DS books❤️

I just love this authors books and this did not disappoint. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. Can’t wait for more!

Always feel so lucky to get selected for her books. This was a well written story about Ve'ronique, as top model who is insured in a bombing. A tragic and beautiful story and you can relate to the character. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review.

I love Danielle Steel and read her newest novel Beautiful synopsis unread. She can always be counted on to create a story that is endearing and addictive. Beautiful touched my heart. A young model at the top of her game. A horrible event takes place and she is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Losing the ones she loves the most and finding herself alone and scarred emotionally and physically. Through it all, she finds a way to give back to those less fortunate than she is. A heartbreaking and redeeming story that will live inside your mind long after the story ends.

Beautiful
by Danielle Steel
Pub Date: April 19, 2022
Random House
Thanks to the author, Random House, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Beautiful Veronique, a top fashion model, faces a frightening injury when she and her beloved mother are caught in a terrorist bombing in Brussels. Despite surviving, her beauty is a fatality when she is painfully scarred on her face and body. She has lost it all, her mother, her beauty, and her career, but not her determination.

But, after her mother’s death, she finally learns the identity of her father and comes to a shocking and sweet discovery about love and family. She also becomes involved in helping others, through a fluke connection with her surgeon. I found myself teary as I made the journey with Veronique from devastation to hope.

This novel teaches the value of compassion and inner beauty.
4 stars

What a tragic story when terrorists blow up the airport in Brussels and not only does Veronique lose her mother and boyfriend, but her entire life changes in an instant. She has to learn to start over and remake herself into what she wants her new life to be. I really enjoyed reading this, it'd be a great weekend read. If I get emotional while I read, it's a good book and I cried many times while reading this one! Always love reading Danielle Steel novels!

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

A few years ago, I rediscovered Danielle Steel's books. Beautiful is my favorite recent book written by Ms. Steel. The novel's main character is Veronique Vincent a glamorous couture fashion model who survives a terrorist attack in an airport in Brussels. Her face is severely scarred, her mother has died in the attack, and her boyfriend also dies. This story is about Veronique overcoming the loss and defeat of tragedy and learning the true meaning of life.......what is important is the beauty inside a person. This beauty shines through. She also reinvents herself by helping victims of landmines in Africa. I absolutely devoured this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Beautiful is a book that stands out from all the rest. It hits topics that many feel ashamed to talk about.
This book takes a tragedy and turns it into something beautiful that everyone should remember.
Never stop loving yourself even if you aren't who you were before.
You are more than just the scars that life has placed upon you.
It is a book about a model whose life changes in an instant.
Scars change her life and her path but regardless of that she finds another purpose.
Maybe the one she should have had all along.
Danielle Steele is an incredible author and this book is just another example of it.
So glad I got a chance to read it.
Everyone should read this book, if just for the perfect lesson it teaches. Love yourself no matter what.

Classic Danielle Steel. And I think my favorite so far. This story is about a beautiful young model at the very peek of her career, celebrated for her striking features, her gorgeous figure, her blinding smile. Every girl wants to be her. Every guy wants to be with her. She has everything she could ever want; money, clothes, adoration, and a mother she loves beyond else. But all that changes, in a minute, in a heartbeat. Suddenly disfigured, she loses not only her face, but her whole life, her whole identity, everything as she knows it. Those she loves most are also gone, and in this aimless new world she finds herself in, she realizes she must move forward alone.
This book is all about hard life and what it means to rise above it, and to find one’s own true beauty. My favorite quote? “There were so many beautiful women in the world who didn’t have pretty faces.” This, after Veronique’s agent ironically tells her (before) that without her face she would be nothing.
Well. This book proves that the beauty of a woman, of a person, is truly what shines from within. The gift of goodness. Of love. Of caring and helping others. And accepting our own flaws, whatever those may look like.
Danielle Steel is at her finest here. As her words slip across the pages, we learn the lesson of accepting true beauty; our own and that of others. To embrace who we are, to be one with our own skin. And to remember, to those who love us most, we will always be… Beautiful.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, NetGalley, and especially Danielle Steel for allowing me early access to this wonderful book in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed it very much.