A Beautiful Rival imagines the story of two incredibly driven women, who achieved extraordinary success given their time and paved the way for a new category of beauty. They were rivals, but at the same time they had so much in common.

NYC, 1915. When we meet Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, they are already successful, and rivals. Through their stories we get to know the historical background of how they had to convince women that make up was something that they needed, rather than view it as vulgar.

In both cases, they allow us into their personal world, which doesn’t look as strong as what they achieved career and money wise. For Helena, it’s her questionable marriage and suspicion of her husband being unfaithful. For Elizabeth, it’s her giving herself a chance at love and getting married even if it misses that passion she wishes for. Especially, when pre-naps are good option, if marriage fails, he walks away without a penny.

With success come some cravings. For Elizabeth, it’s the invitation of influential women of NYC. Them being her clients is one thing. Them inviting her to their world, that’s another thing. For Helena, it seems to be more personal, having that successful relationship with her husband. She just needs to complete her expansion plans in NYC, as the US market is the biggest in the world, in order to return to Europe.

This fascinating story is vividly presented through showing feelings, and told with crisp prose and sprinkled with humor. The two rivals while revealing their stories, they pull the reader engagingly into the world of success and passion.

The infamous rivalry, which included stealing employees, copying each other’s products, planting spies, and more, is well-pronounced in this story. Their bitterness and ambitions are alive, and with their honest feelings, it makes this story feel very real.

3 1/2 stars, highly enjoyable & interesting historical fiction

I knew nothing about this rivalry & it was very interesting to see how makeup and skin care developed with these 2 pioneers in the field.

A Beautiful Rival by Gill Paul was an absolutely delight. About a year ago, I listened to a podcast about the founding women of the American cosmetics industry. It was absolutely fascinating—so when I read the description of ABR, I couldn't click "request" fast enough. Paul vividly reimagines a bygone era and the personalities that have become billion-dollar brands but were once real women, fighting to carve their places in the world. Highly recommend!!!

I found A BEAUTIFUL RIVAL to be supremely entertaining. The writing is both elegant and evocative. I had no idea about Helena and Elizabeth being such competitive rivals, but their race to success makes for a terrific story.
The author also does a wonderful job at addressing the social issues of the time. She does not skip over the impact of the world wars and society's unfortunate prejudices.

This novel would be great for bookclubs.

Received complimentary copy; all opinions are my own.

A Beautiful Rival
Gill Paul
Pub Date: Sept. 5: 2023
William Morrow
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Paul has written 12 historical novels. This being the first one of hers I have read. This was a fascinating book about two giants in the cosmetic industry. I recommend this for book clubs,
5 stars

This book is based on true events with Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. This book was very good and well researched. I was simply fascinated by the story. I really enjoyed this book.
I just reviewed A Beautiful Rival by Gill Paul. #ABeautifulRival #NetGalley
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An excellent historical fiction novel of 2 of the giant cosmetic queens and their rivalry. This book was very easy to follow and very informative.
The writing was well done and I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys this genre.

This was a fascinating and enjoyable novel about 2 giants in the cosmetics industry, Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, and American culture during the first half of the 20th century. Personally, I’ve long been interested in their story. Going to college, I spent time staring at Rubinstein’s magnificent penthouse, but never knew the full backstory until now.

As we learn about these women, we are also exploring the societal changes during that period of time. Both women lived through the 2 great wars and we witness the effects via their stories. Rubinstein, as a Jew, was affected by the vitriol of Antisemitism that was very much a part of America during her life.

The author also explored their passions, Rubinstein as a great art collector and Arden as a passionate horse owner. The author also explored women’s issues, especially concerning business and relationships with men.

I will remind all my readers that this is a very compelling novel that can be enjoyed and discussed by book groups. Thank you Netgalley for this book I really loved!

This is a historical fiction account of the lives of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein. The two were rivals in the cosmetic field.

The story of their lives is well researched. At times I found myself losing focus in the book. That said, it is a good book