The Last Beautiful Girl

The Last Beautiful Girl

Nina Laurin

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

BLACK MIRROR meets Darcy Coates in this exploration of the dangerous, dark side of beauty in the digital age, with a gothic, haunted-house setting. When Izzy is dragged from Brooklyn to a tiny town for her parents' new job, she's not thrilled. The silver lining is the gorgeous old mansion she's moved into: the former home of an artist's muse who died tragically in a fire. But the house has its quirks: whole floors are closed off, paintings are covered up, and cell reception is nonexistent. Izzy throws herself into starting an Instagram fashion account using the gowns and jewelry she finds hidden away in the house. She looks perfect in the photos--almost unnaturally perfect--and they quickly go viral. Soon she's got a new best friend, a potential boyfriend, and is surrounded by a group of girls who want the photoshoots and fame for themselves. But there's a darkness in the house, and a darkness growing in Izzy, too. When girls start dying, it's clear that something--or someone--in the house is growing in power, with deadly intentions.

Publication Year: 2021


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  • Dec 17, 2024
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    Nina Laurin's nouveau gothic novel takes on social media, art & beauty, and the quest for perfection in this modern haunted house story that's distinctly (and deliberately) reminiscent of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

    The message and themes of the book could be more subtly delivered, but all the ingredients for a solid, if not groundbreaking, eerie light-horror novel are present in The Last Beautiful Girl. The ending is somewhat abrupt, and Isa's descent a touch rocky, but neither of those things really substantially took away from my enjoyment of what is, ultimately, a fast, enjoyable read perfect for a digital age spooky season.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the advance review copy!

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