Erik Eckel

There is no question Marie-Helene Bertino is a talented author who writes compelling novels. She’s a gifted writer.

Despite reading several impressive reviews before I purchased the book, however, I found Beautyland turned suddenly from a quirky, intriguing read into a deeply dark and depressing story. Specifically, three shocking events that occur in quick succession maybe three-quarters of the way through ruined the book for me and left me feeling the protagonist changed in a way that wasn’t true to her character.

Subsequently, I did not enjoy this book. I rate it one star.