Book Review: The Beautiful Ones

Historical fiction novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, published 2021

Not What I Was Hoping For

After reading Moreno-Garcia's previous novel, Mexican Gothic, I was really excited to pick this one up; however, I was definitely disappointed. Incorrectly I had assumed that this would be another mystery/horror that was both unique and extremely well written. Neither mystery nor horror, this book straddles the line of romance and historical fiction, with a touch of the fantastical thrown in.

Centered around three main characters when are in a love triangle of sorts, the story has the ebbs and flows reminiscent of both Jane Austen and Gabriel García Márquez. Each character is portrayed with certain traits that almost become unrealistically defining at times. An example of this is Valerie's harshness throughout that so rarely bends, it borders on insincere.

2 out of 5 Stars

Albeit, her descriptive writing was as captivating as ever. Quotes such as “A sea roared inside her and made demands, but she waded it, she bobbed up, took a breath, and opened her eyes to the cold winter morning. Then she rose because the day was there, the world was there, and she wanted to be part of it" kept me from putting the book down completely.

Ultimately I felt that this story, at least for me, just didn't hold up against Mexican Gothic. But if you are more of a fan of predictable romantic tales, than this is absolutely worth your time.