Money and power can buy you anything. Even silence.
When Victoria escapes her broken home for university in London, she is determined to reinvent herself and make a fresh start. She falls in love with Nick, who welcomes her into his privileged circle of friends, opening her eyes to a world she only ever dreamt of.
But things don’t go to plan and life takes a darker turn.
Twenty-five years later, the circle is reunited alongside a host of glittering guests to celebrate the wedding of Hollywood darling Ingrid Olsson to ruthlessly well-connected Julian Draper. Victoria has spent years trying to forget Nick and put the horror of what happened behind her. Now she has to face the past she tried so hard to bury.
As the champagne flows and painful memories resurface, Victoria can’t shake the feeling that some people seem to get away with everything.
But maybe not this time.
Maybe this time, someone will pay the ultimate price.
Book Info: Print length: 361 pages. Publisher: HQ. Publication Date: 7 Nov 2024

My Thoughts:
If you are looking for a book oozing with luxury and wealth, this is the one. Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings features powerful and entitled characters who may be glamorous and gorgeous on the outside but are deeply dysfunctional on the inside.
This is a character-driven, slow burner of a story which takes a deep and uncomfortable look at power dynamics and privilege among the elite.
Victoria (Vix) is our main character and the story begins with the death of somebody at a wedding. We don’t know who is dead or why, but instantly the reader needs to know more.
With a dual timeframe, the story flits between Victoria in 2024 and Vix in 1999.
In 2024, Victoria is a successful artist now living in France. Victoria has just finished a commission portrait for the film star Ingrid Olsson. Ingrid will be marrying Julian Draper shortly at a lavish and no-expense spared wedding. Despite having known Julian at University and successfully avoiding him for over 20 years, Victoria is invited to attend.
In 1999, Vix attended University in London after fleeing Manchester and a violent and dysfunctional family. Her flat mate Nick introduces her to his group of friends a close circle of privileged students. In order to fit in, she reinvents herself by changing her accent, hair colour and clothing and quickly develops obsessive feelings towards Nick which are not reciprocated.
Slowly, the reader finds out more about what happened to Vix at University and why she has avoided those “friends” for so long.
If you enjoy character driven, subtle and slow burning stories, you will love Beautiful People. This story explore themes of grief and shame, especially Victoria who’s past traumas still impact her today. They also delve into family and friendships, self-discovery and redemption leaving the reader emotionally drained.