I will begin my review with a note that this is the debut work for the author Gary Baum. He’s listed as being an acclaimed reporter, and I feel like that piece of this shows through. But you must be willing to get through some dense prose to get to the heart of the story. There were moments where I was thinking, “There are so many words here. This sentence could be cut into a quarter and still get at the same meaning,” and I don’t necessarily love a book like that.

Dr. Roya Delshad is like a Robinhood of plastic surgery. When she realizes she can help women with lesser means get the body of their dreams through some *tiny* insurance adjustments, she becomes a hero. Until the insurance companies find out.

Now, Roya is serving her sentence in prison, and reporter Wes Easton sees the perfect opportunity to help her tell her side of the story. He convinces Roya to let her ghostwrite a memoir. Roya is determined to clear her name – but Wes is torn when it comes to deciphering fact from fiction.

I almost wish this had just been the memoir side of the story. I understand why Wes’ chapters were important for the plot, but I found them to be redundant and unnecessary. I think I would have enjoyed this one more had it just been Roya’s rise and fall story, rather than being something dual POV, story-within-a-story.

When I get down to the root of the plot, this was actually very interesting and unique. However, the writing style was lost on me, and I found myself feeling somewhat annoyed by how wordy it was.

This book really had me hooked, staying up late to read. It’s a very timely look at society’s current obsession with beauty and power. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hope readers give this story a shot. This dives deep into why people work in the beauty industry. On one hand, the story is beautiful on what a woman wants to do and give to other woman, on the other, it is tragic for what her life has become. I really enjoyed the writing & story from the perspective of the journalist.

A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

Amazing debut!

Loved the Medical Noir vibes in this was, a gripping thrillers that put you on the edge of your seat. this is an amazing ride.

I went into this blind, on purpose. I really enjoyed it! I liked the multiple viewpoints and some of the comments/thoughts about what beauty is and how it is valued in society were very thought-provoking. I would read more by this author in this style.

In Pursuit of Beauty centers around a plastic surgeon who has fallen from grace and the writer who is interviewing her. Her rise and fall is detailed in cutting prose, interspersed with the writer's narrative as he fact checks her account and interviews her family. The premise is oddly ridiculous - a plastic surgeon who views herself as a Robin Hood figure, committing medical fraud to bring the gift of plastic surgery to the masses.

I really enjoyed this story, though I can't stand Roya. Her views on plastic surgery as a wholly positive and transformative experience that should be freely available to all is fascinating if somewhat delusional and I wasn't a fan of how sexualized she was. Baum excels at developing his characters and Roya is a testament to this - the layers of her character are fascinating. I find myself not liking Roya as a person rather than as a character which is always a mark of a well written character.

Overall, this was a wonderful read that I would recommend to anyone interested in challenging characters and unconventional storytelling. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone for the ARC!

I truly enjoyed this book. Well-written and wonderfully developed characters

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a stunning book. I feel like it really reflects our times and our pursuit of beauty. Dr. Roya and Wes Easton were both well developed characters that I wanted to read about. This book was fascinating and really a great look at power and obsession. This book really delivers.

This novel is a mesmerizing dive into the world of vanity, ambition, and the high cost of reinvention. Dr. Roya Delshad is a fascinating protagonist—brilliant, enigmatic, and utterly self-made, both in her career as a top Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and in the literal sense, having sculpted herself into her own ideal. But when her generosity earns her notoriety instead of praise, she finds herself behind bars, desperate to reclaim control of her story.

Enter Wes Easton, a struggling journalist-turned-ghostwriter, who quickly learns that unraveling Roya’s truth is far more dangerous than expected. Their cat-and-mouse dynamic is electric, filled with razor-sharp dialogue and psychological tension as Wes separates fact from Roya’s carefully curated fiction.

With writing as sleek and cutting as its protagonist’s scalpel, this novel is a gripping exploration of obsession, power, and the illusions we create—about ourselves and for others.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.