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.

Review will be posted on 5/9/24

Margo Hightower has to rebuild her life after things fell apart with he fiancé. It doesn't seem like a daunting task, but this is 1960s Florida, and Margo built her life around her upcoming marriage. Thankfully, she gets a job with Slim Aarons, the well known and talented photographer. He is known to take memorable photos of the socialites in Florida, which means he runs with their inner circle. Well, now Margo does too. As Margo tries to navigate this difficult new world, she befriends Lilly Pulitzer, the queen bee of Palm Beach. But this is Lilly before she becomes the world renowned fashion icon. This is Lilly, an heiress, but also someone who sells juice. Slowly Margo must carve out a new life for herself in Palm Beach if she can survive! The Beautiful People by Michelle Gable is a fun romp through the Jet Set culture of Palm Beach in the 1960s with many cameos from interesting people of the time like Jackie Kennedy and Truman Capote.

If you love historical beach reads that are light and will transport you to a different time, look no further. The Beautiful People was just the beach read I was looking for and I enjoyed learning more about not only Slim Aarons, but also Lilly Pulitzer. I had no idea Lilly started off selling juice and she didn't give me any preppy vibes at all, she seemed more free and bohemian than I imagined. It was interesting to learn how she came up with her prints and simple shift dresses and I thoroughly enjoyed all the different famous people that Margo and Lilly would run into in Palm Beach. While The Beautiful People wasn't my favorite of Gable's novels, it was most definitely an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon and I was rooting for Margo to find her way in this new-to-her world. If you enjoy Palm Royale on Apple TV, The Beautiful People pairs perfectly with the show!

It’s 1961 and Margo Hightower believes her wedding will be next, she has plans marry a rich man and live happily ever after. Instead she’s gets dumped and her mom is selling the house because her stepfather is being investigated by the FBI. Lost and confused on what to do next her friend helps her land a job with Slim Aarons as his assistant. Slim Aaron takes pictures of celebrities and high society people and most of them live in the exclusive suburb of Palm Beach, Florida.
Slim keeps Margo busy they travel all over taking photos, Acapulco, Austria, Kashmir, New York and even attend infamous parties. At the shoots Margo meets Lilly and Peter Pulitzer, Wendy Vanderbilt, Jackie Kennedy, Julia and Enrique Rosseaux. Margo finds herself getting closer to Lilly Pulitzer and being taken under her wing. She begins to admire Lilly’s and Peter marriage they seem perfect for each-other. She even helps in Lilly’s store Via Mizer where Lilly makes bright and colourful dress to hide the stains of the orange juice she makes from Peters Orchard.
Slim and his wife Rita told Margo to be careful, friendships and loyalties change in Palm Beach with just a snap of a finger. When Margo uncovers a secret that can change everything she doesn’t know what to do, if she tells she knows that many lives will be changed. I absolutely loved this book and I found myself googling all the people named in the book! It’s a must read!!

Michelle Gable's newest novel, The Beautiful People, is a story filled with the glamour and scandal of Palm Beach in the 1960s. When Margo Hightower gets a job as an assistant to famous photographer Slim Aarons, she has no idea what she is doing but the chance to hob-knob with the power players of the time is too good to pass up. When she becomes friendly with Peter and Lilly Pulitzer, Margo begins to realize there might be something behind Slim's attitude to stay "on the sunny side of the street"

Gable's vibrant imagery of both the Florida surroundings and Lilly Pulitzer's famous fabric selections make this novel an easy read to get immersed in from the start. While the author incorporates both real life historical figures and imaginary characters, many of the plot points are real and I found myself continuously googlings various Getty images and looking up who these industrialist, politicians and socialites were.

My sister highly recommended this book, and I was so excited when I was given an ARC. As a big fan of Lilly Pulitzer, the brand, today, I loved learning the backstory beyond the usual story about how she designed dresses to hide juice from her juice stand. I also loved how immersed I felt within the world of Palm Beach during the 1960s and learning about Slim Aarons, whom I had not heard of before reading the book. All that said, there was just something off for me with the pacing of the book. There were times when I would read through many chapters quickly, and others when it felt more like a slog and hard to keep track of all the characters and names. Nevertheless, I would recommend it!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Beautiful People is a cute little read about Hollywood people gone wrong!!!!!!! It is a delightful little read & you will power right through it.

This book dives into the lifestyles of the "it" people of Palm Beach during the 1960s in fictional style. Unfortunately, I found I didn't care too much about these characters, many of which are real or based on real people. This made the book kind of blah for me. However, if you're into the people of this time period, it may be the book you're looking for.

3.75 stars

If you're looking for a lighter, 1960s Palm Beach take on The Devil Wears Prada, this is the book for you. Margo, a young socialite, ends up stranded in Palm Beach after her boyfriend who she thought was about to propose dumps her instead. Thanks to a friend of a friend, she ends up with her first job, as an assistant to famous photographer (and real-life person) Slim Aarons. As Margo learns the ropes of photography and being a working woman, she's also thrust into Palm Beach high society, which is vastly different from any city she's been in before. The king and queen of the jet set are Lilly and Peter Pulitzer (yes, those ones), and Margo finds herself getting closer to both of them.

I didn't know much about Lilly Pulitzer as a person, so this entire story was new information for me, and I was thoroughly absorbed in it. I'd recommend not looking up anything about the real people involved until after you read, so you can be surprised by things like I was. I liked that the author chose to tell the story through the eyes of Margo, an outsider, instead of through Lilly or Peter themselves. But my favorite part was getting to look up all the photographs Slim actually took of these people during this time period---they're beautiful and fun images, and exactly how I imagined things while reading---a very cool supplement to the reading experience. This would be a great beach or poolside read, and is a great option for historical fiction that's a little lighter than the genre's usual war-focused stories. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

** Thank you to Netgalley and the book publisher for this e-ARC & this is my honest book review **

I was very interested in reading this book and I was really excited that I got an copy of it. While reading, the main character -- Margo grew on me and I did felt sorry for her on what happened to her but I was happy that she turned it around being a assistant to a photographer. Besides Margo growing on me, I also liked other character Rita -- who's Slim's wife. Overall, I really did enjoy reading this book and I do recommended it anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction and women's fiction. 4/5

This book is easy and breezy just like a Lilly Pulitzer dress. A fun peek into the Palm Beach lifestyle of the early 60's.

This historical novel is set in the early 1960s, mostly in Palm Beach, Florida. Main character Margo is a down on her luck former debutante, dumped while at a wedding in Palm Beach - but finds a job as an assistant to photographer Slim Aarons, a renowned photographer who takes pictures there and around the world of the high society set. Margo finds herself simultaneously drawn to but still on the outside of the world, especially getting to know budding fashion mogul Lilly Pulitzer and her husband Peter.

I really enjoyed this one - so nice to read a historical novel that is not only not about war, but that’s more on the fun side, with a setting and characters that just exude glamour and cool. Margo is fictional, but most of the characters around her are real people, and I enjoyed the author’s note both before and after talking about them, plus my own Google deep dive afterwards. I had vaguely heard of Slim Aaron’s but never had seen his pictures, and now I’m kind of obsessed with them!

I am a big fan of Michelle Gable, and have read all 6 of her previous books, and this was another good one. If you’ve never read her, I’d say if you enjoy Beatriz Williams’ books you would enjoy hers too.

I just finished reading “The Beautiful People” by Michelle Gable. This book follows a young woman finding her way in life and getting “close” with the elite people in Palm Beach while helping with Slim Aarons to photograph different beautiful people in beautiful places. Recently the Palm Royale show was released. After watching the show and seeing the fashion, it made this book so enjoyable for me. I like that the author included a mix real life people and events with some fictional aspects.

If you have ever wondered how the jet set lived in the late 50’s and 60’s this is the book for you. I personally loved every bit of it! The story follows a young girl Margo working and finding her way among the elite. Lilly Pulitzer, Kennedy, Vanderbilt, Slim Aarons and the list goes on. This would be a good beach vacation book. Set in Palm Beach, It’s a light read with wonderful tidbits from the past and a sweet heartfelt ending.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing & Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Unfortunately this fell a little flat for me. I think this was a very well written novel, but just not something that is up my alley

This book was fine; predictable in some ways, but still kept me entertained. I liked that the author weaved real people with fictional characters and there were real stories weaved with fictional stories.

Let's go back to the 60's, shall we? (I was born in 1963) Taken place in fancy Palm Beach, FL (where I actually lived in Hobe Sound in the 80's and they even made reference to Hobe Sound which I was shocked because Hobe Sound is so small), this book was a slow burn for me. Margo was hired as Slim's photographer and he hung out with all the elites from Palm Beach. The Vanderbilts, The Kennedy's, The Pulitzer's .. etc. Finding herself homeless from San Francisco, she was grateful she got a job as a hot shot photographer. She had a lot to learn but enjoyed meeting all of the celebrities and travelling all over the world with Slim. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.