Beautiful Nights is the story of Claire, a middle aged, (if we still think the mid-forties are middle aged,) esteemed professor of human behavior in Paris. From the outside, Claire has success, a happy marriage, a grown son and a good life. Internally though, she is trapped, by expectations, achievements, status and the very things that are supposed to make her happy. She is aware of her husband’s many affairs, and her answer is not to confront him, but to lose her inhibitions in one-night stands where she doesn’t even know the name of her partner.
Her grandmother, Jeanne, has left a large vacation home on the coast of Breton to Claire, and as they have every year of her marriage, the family travels there for the summer holidays. The only difference is that this year, Claire’s son brings along his 19-year-old girlfriend, Julie, who he wants to marry.
Julie is another very well-developed character, trapped in a world of working menial jobs to get by when what she really wants is to sing, which she never does in public. Clair and Julie’s relationship is strained at first, but after Claire teaches Julie to swim, they recognize kindred spirits in one another and pursue a relationship that gives each of them the courage to seek her true happiness.
The writing is gorgeous, and it made me wish I spoke French so I could read it in the original. The sentiments of femininity and the place of women in the world reminded me of 1899 novel by Kate Chopin, The Awakening, condemned at first for its depiction of female sexuality. Both heroines want more… fulfillment, expression of their own opinions and desires in a male dominated world, and acceptance of their sexuality. While Edna, in The Awakening, walks into the sea and never returns, Claire swims so far out she might be expected to be lost, but using her own strength, returns, to claim what she desires. While Edna pursues men, Claire’s object is Julie. The development of their passion, and the differences between them create a sensitive story of the choices, given time, space, and freedom, maturity lets Claire, and women for that matter, develop healthy and balanced lives.
I loved the writing, particularly the descriptions and, as a swimmer, the sea. I found the story to drag a bit though, with repetition and changing viewpoints that detracted from its strength. I’d recommend this book for mature readers who are not disturbed or embarrassed by same sex relationships, and who can appreciate the confused thoughts of a woman in this age.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for the review copy of Beautiful Nights. The book was published July 25, 2025.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars cause I still finished it and I only give 1 star to really terrible books, but I just didn't like this one. There is straight up no way anyone in real life acts like the people in this book- the characters were all so self-centered and the situation was super unrealistic. Both Claire and Julie made choices that were just unfathomable to me (lusting after your son's girlfriend?!?) and they lacked any depth at all despite talking nonstop in a cringey "deep" way. It felt like watching a more boring version of the White Lotus, just rich people doing insane things and thinking they are super wise and important.

Honestly though if you like Call Me By Your Name (I did not at all, sorry) then you might like this because it has a similar vibe to me. Set in the summer on a sleepy French seaside, with a forbidden age-difference queer romance, family drama, pretentiousness galore- you get it. Some might also find the writing lyrical or beautiful- I am not one of those people but maybe you are!

Claire seemingly had her professional life under control as a renowned behavioral biologist. Her personal life, especially her marriage, was another story. Claire was frustrated with her husband’s multiple affairs. As she and her family set to begin their annual summer vacation to the Brittany coast, her son, Nico, wants his new girlfriend, Julie, to come along. Unbeknownst to the others, Julie and Claire share the small secret of meeting before. Both at wanting more in life and don’t seem to know in which direction to go for that more. Those weeks in Brittany change everything for the four of them. No one will leave the coast as the same person who arrived.

This one took a bit to get through. If I DNF’d books, this would have been one. I struggled to get this one read and by the time I did finish, I just found it be very flat and unfinished. The idea of being who you want to be was genuine, but the storylines didn’t convince me.

Thank you Net Galley, Ballantine Books & Nina George for the advanced copy for my honest review.

Did not finish. I got through 25% of the book, but it didn’t capture my interest. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy for review.

Beautiful Nights by Nina George is a well written book. I did find it difficult to get into. The lyrical writing and portrayal of an unlikable main character did not endear me to this book. If you are in the right headspace, you may enjoy this book but it was not for me at this time

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Beautiful Nights. I will not be leaving public comments about this book.

Interesting story of a Woman-Claire with a stranger relationship with her Husband, they plan a trip away and invite their son and his girlfriend with whom Claire can't seem to bond with even though they unknowingly in the beginning share a secret. This book has a surprise twist awaiting! Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Ballantine and the Author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The beginning of this book was really nice. I liked the sensuality, the way it tried to pull me into the moments. I could feel the intention behind it, and part of me enjoyed that.
But as it went on, I started to get annoyed. Everything was explained so much that I couldn’t imagine it in my own head—it felt too guided, too obvious. I wanted to feel it for myself, to experience it without being told exactly what was happening.
Even though it was written well, by the end I felt frustrated. The story didn’t feel believable, and I couldn’t connect the way I wanted. It had potential, and parts of it were enjoyable, but it left me disappointed in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Beautiful Nights.
I have to say I don’t think the blurb about the book is really accurate. The affair isn’t really an affair and there really isn’t much to it. This story is about this 45 year old woman who has put herself on hold to take on many traditional roles. She is having a bit of midlife crisis. But she has hardened herself against the world and herself. I know someone like this who, after getting married and having kids decided she needed something more for herself. She went back to school when her kids did. Got a degree, made friends, and while not forgetting her family, she made more of a life that she wanted for herself. Moms often lose themselves when the biggest focus is on everyone else around them. It’s easy to get lost when there’s babies all over!
“How many women is a woman?
And how many years ebb away until a woman finds her true self? And will time still have a place by then for the person she truly is, for her plans, her ideas, the wealth of her abilities—or is it already bricked in with all her day-to-day activities and obligations? With little chance of escaping the daily grind, that jailer of the inwardly free but effectively shackled woman who cleans, works, cooks, shops, organizes? An eternal Sisiphyna?”

The writing was beautiful and lyrical. The setting was gorgeous. I recommend this one!

I, unfortunately, really struggled to get through this book. The writing was gorgeous and it’s definitely a good mood read if you are feeling it, but I struggled to relate to the main character and the plot just doesn’t don’t unfold in a way that pulled me in. It really was beautifully written though. I think others will enjoy it.

Beautiful Nights is a very poetic and philosophical book, it is more about the writing than the plot at times, although the plot does move forward. It was easy to get lost in the descriptions of the Breton region of France, the food, drink, music and dancing. But this is also a book about Claire, a middle-aged married professor, who is having feelings for her son's 19-year old girlfriend. And the girlfriend Julie, who is trying to find herself. I liked the plot in the end, but mostly enjoyed all the feelings.

This is the story of a 40-something successful woman who is struggling with getting older, feeling unattractive, and irrelevant. Her husband has affairs; she has one-night stands with anonymous men. They've grown apart and sleep in separate bedrooms. It isn't until she meets her grown son's 19 year old girlfriend that she realizes how unsatisfactory her life is. Translated impeccably from French, the gorgeous narrative is mostly introspective and moody. The setting at the sea in Brittany, the French countryside, and the descriptions of the food and drink--oh, do they drink!-- made me want to pack my bags and go. But it's Claire's journey, her need to be free to be herself, that will appeal to women of a certain age. I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but the author nails what it's like to be a woman in a man's world.

This one was just ok, I would recommend reading it but it’s definitely a mood book and you have to be in the right head space for it.

Beautiful Nights has been praised as beautifully written, lyrical, by many reviewers. I found that to be true, but the book did not inspire me. It focuses on a cold middle-aged woman who is unhappy with her life, her wandering husband and her son as he is about to leave the nest. A summer in Brittany is set—a chance to unwind by the sea.
I was perplexed by the turn of events that followed. George has all the usual tropes in this novel: infidelity, an unhappy marriage, middle-aged angst, bisexuality, and lack of judgement. I found it to be too much! The relationship that George pursues between the mother and the son’s girlfriend is not credible for this reader.
My thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an advanced copy of this book. My opinions are my own.
2.5 stars

Beautiful nights is a story of family betrayal as a result of an extra marital relationship and fall out that the relationship has caused.

very hard to get through this book as the Main character was unlikeable.

I was looking forward to reading another book by Nina George, but sadly this latest book was not for me. I had so much trouble relating to the main character, and for much of the first portion of the novel, I struggled to stay interested. Also, I found it a bit unbelievable that a young woman would risk a future marriage by getting involved with a much older woman, who was her boyfriend's mother! Needless to say, this story was not for me.

So many words. So little plot. That’s the only way I know to describe this. It was a push to get through it and a lot of it was scanning to try and get to the main plot points. The premise was good - the execution was not.

📜Quick Summary: What happens when you are at a crossroad in your life? Claire, a married woman, is cheating on her husband. She knows of his affairs as well, but yet, still they’re together. When her family vacations to the Brittany coast, her son Nico brings his girlfriend Julie, someone Claire has had a run in with before. Will the women find what they want? Will this six week trip be exactly what each woman needs?

❣️Initial Feels: Cheating novels are not my favorite type of topic to read about, so I am hoping that it turns around.

👀Trigger Warnings: cheating

🌶️Spice Level: 🌶️

📖Read if you want: discovery of finding yourself, motherhood, entering middle aged discovery, character driven story

🗨️Thoughtful Words: “It’s a privelege to know you’re losing someone. That way you can remember the moment.”

“We’re never ready for life and do it anyway.”

“Whereas time and the world go on forever, you strive for completion, and usually you don’t make it in time. We all drop out of the stream of life unfinished.”

“Love is a true miracle, but it can also be the worst prison.”

💡Final Sentiments: This piece of literary fiction was well written, but I fear it will be either a huge hit or a huge miss for many readers. This story is finding who you are, after you have given your life to someone else…your children, your husband, your family, or career. I think if I picked this up on a cozy night, and not at the beach, I may have been more into it. It didn’t keep pulling me in, which is what I was hoping for. As a mom myself, some of the questions Claire asked herself resonated deeply…and then at other times, I was asking myself, What is she thinking!? How is she behaving that way with someone in a situation that will ultimately affect her son!? Although the coastal setting is perfect for a beachy read, the content is heavy and thought provoking.

🌟Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

🔉Special thanks to Nina George, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for this arc of Beautiful Nights.

📘Grab yourself a copy on July 29, 2025!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. I enjoyed this book, it was very insightful and I read it in one day. It was really moving following the wife on her story of a cheating husband and how she dealt with it. I would definitely recommend this book.

Beautiful Nights is POWEFUL novel about self discovery and empowerment of woman among other things. This book was lyrical but very heavy. I was swept up reading it and before I knew it I had already hit the 45% mark without a break. It's very thought provoking. Nina did an amazing job and her writing style is absolutely beautiful! This novel will definitely be stuck with me for awhile!

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book on NetGalley. This review is honest, unbiased, and completely my own.

This book was a interesting take on finding yourself. One perspective from a woman in her 40s facing her struggling marriage and her leaving the nest. The other perspective was from a young woman just heading out into the world to start her life on her own. These two women meet in a unique way and help each other achieve some goals and explore what their next steps together or apart might entail.

I really loved the ending of this book. I thought the time frame of the husband and wife's journey was beneficial to both characters. I would have liked to seen what happened to their son after he met with a life altering challenge.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the ARC of this ebook. All opinions expressed are my own.