Book Blurb
Caitlyn Shaw had it all. Surrounded by loving friends and family, on the cusp of landing her dream job. When Caitlyn suffers a traumatic event, her idyllic life is shattered. She finds herself spiralling into an abyss of terror and despair which manifests as a psychotic break. Subsequently hospitalised in a psychiatric unit, Caitlyn sees her future slowly slipping away from her. Desperately ill and refusing to accept her condition, she rebels against the hospital staff. As battle of wills ensues, Caitlyn begins her fight back to sanity, standing up and challenging the many stigmas attached to women like her. Can Caitlyn drag herself back from the brink to fulfil her dreams? Come and walk for a while with The Beautiful Ones.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Beautiful Ones' by Julia Sutton.
Read and reviewed for ZooLoos Book Tours, Julia Sutton and Spellbound Books.
Publication date 10th May 2022.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Spellbound Books. I have yet to read a book published by Spellbound Books that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue and 31 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in England 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧 . The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Caitlyn Shaw. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them.
'The Beautiful Ones' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Julia discusses/includes mental health.
This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that really set the scene and put you in the storyline. The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.
The storyline was captivating from the first page until the last and I was completely invested in it. It was absolutely rammed full of romance, deceit, heartbreak, tension, loss, love, family and everything you could ask for in a page turner. I just could not put this book down and finished it in one sitting. The storyline is sadly very realistic, I won't go into it in too much detail as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. Julia has very clearly done her research into mental health and this fact shines through. She has done a fantastic job or weaving a serious topic into an unputdownable storyline which engages the reader throughout while not taking away the importance of mental health. It is an absolute rollercoaster ride of raw emotions from extreme highs to extreme lows and it goes to show how life can change in the click of a finger and how one event can completely change someone's life. It also shows that stories don't always have happy endings which is realistic to life. However devastated I was that what I was hoping for didn't happen it makes the storyline better in a way as it is a true portrayal of what is realistic. I am a huge believer that more books should be written about mental health along with other subjects such as rape and domestic violence as, although they can be a hard read, I truly think that if someone who is going through these experiences reads a book like this and relates to what is going on it may give them the push needed to talk to somebody and seek help. The way it was written genuinely felt like I was siting next to Caitlyn while she was telling me her story over a cup of tea. This book is advertised as a young adult but I am 35 years old and personally, although the protagonist is a young adult, think it is suited to both a young adult and an adult fiction. I know some people are out off by the young adult genre but do not let that be the reason you don't pick this up as it is definitely a must read. I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie. This may be the first book I have read by Julia but it most certainly won't be my last!!!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
Do not start this book until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!
The characters were all realistic and strong and I was completely invested in Caitlyn throughout. My heart went out to her time after time as she went through so much tragedy and heartbreak and I really hope that she finally finds happiness. However, there were several points in the book where I also wanted to scream and shout at her for some of the things that she did. Caitlyn goes from a young girl whose life is full of promises, she knows what she wants and works hard to get it to one event absolutely capsizing her plans and sending her into a spiral of destruction, depression and more. My heart completely went out to Declan throughout and you couldn't get a nicer guy than him. Matt is the complete opposite of Declan and I could not stand him at all. Regardless of what I thought about who, each character worked perfectly to make this book an addictive page turner!!!
Congratulations Julia on a huge success, I am looking forward to reading more of your work!
Overall an absolutely unputdownable emotional rollercoaster ride that will make you appreciate what you have.
Genres covered in this book include Children & Young Adult Fiction, Teen & Young Adult Self-esteem Fiction, Teen & Young Adult Fiction On Depression, Teen & Young Adult Mental Illness Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of books that will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions while keeping you hooked.
275 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio Hello I’m Julia Sutton, born and raised in Wolverhampton, I love it so much I still live here. 😊 I’m fifty at the end of May and have been married for 24 years with two grown up children. I’ve had a variety of careers – I started out as a sales assistant in a newsagents and have worked as a secretary, a teaching assistant and most recently a lunchtime supervisor in a primary school. I’m now happily retired but am studying for a Masters in Creative Writing. I’m also a part time author who has written and published 9 adult fiction novels. I’m an avid reader who also loves drawing, walking, listening to music and spending time with my family and friends. Follow her at: Facebook :
https://www.facebook.com/booksbyjulia1972/
Instagram :
https://www.instagram.com/booksbyjulia72/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sparklyauthor
TikTok : @sparklyauthor
Buy Links
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beautiful-Ones-Stunningly-haunting-fiction-ebook/dp/B09VCXCP98/
Thank you so much for taking part in the tour and sharing this fab review x