Beautiful Wild

Oh! How happy I was to see historical fiction not set in WWII. That, and the wonderful past tense, earn three stars.

Bad, BAD historical fiction. The hero’s name is Fitzhugh Farrar. “Fitz” was the prefix given to bastard sons of royalty (think of Henry VII’s illegitimate son Henry FitzRoy) and although we may not be aware of that very much in 2021, they were certainly aware of this in the late 1800s, when this boy would have been born. A reporter shouting to Vidalia calls out, “Vida!” in a time a man would never use a first name of someone he did not know very well already. The young lady winks frequently–not in 1905 she doesn’t. Later on a character notices she is wearing “no makeup.” Well, yeah. They would have called it “painting” in that time and only women of easy virtue did so.

You will like this book if you like predictable romances and if you like the language of luxury. So there is an audience for it–but this audience is not historical fiction buffs.

Vida Hazzard dazzles in every ballroom she steps foot in, much to the delight of gossip columnists and the chagrin of her parents. A young woman that knows what she wants, who isn’t afraid of a little impropriety, and who loves a challenge, Vida finds herself chasing down the most eligible, adventurous bachelor she meets: Fitzhugh Farrar. When the two meet up on the maiden voyage of one of Fitz’s ships, disaster threatens to undo all of Vida’s carefully laid plans.

Overall, I’d give this book a 3.5, but I rounded up since half stars really aren’t allowed. In the beginning of the story I could barely tolerate Vida, but I did grow to like her in the end. She is set in the early 20th century, yet she has inklings of feminism that are admirable to see. If you want a more classic love story with the modern thread of not needing to be a damsel in distress, Beautiful Wild does fit the bill. My problem is that sooo many other YA books also do this, and I feel that Beautiful Wild doesn’t do this as well as other stories. I was interested, but I also wasn’t ever truly surprised by the plot or Vida’s inner dialogue. This is a quick, fun read, but I don’t see myself picking it up again.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ive been a huge fan of Anna Godbersen since I discovered the Luxe series and fell in love. Through the years, Ive moved away from historical fiction, but I still love the royalty and the fancy dresses and the balls and so I still get a kick out of her workespecially now that shes focusing on stand-alones! Her latest one, Beautiful Wild, is quite the adventure. From the deck of a giant ship to an island to the ballrooms of NYC, the story of Vida Hazzard is one historical fiction lovers wont want to miss.

After a raging good night in San Francisco, Vida Hazzard, up and comer, board the SS Princess, a new top-of-the-line decadent ship found for Hawaii and then Australiawith her parents in towwith the express goal of bagging the second son of the ships owner as her husband. Her flirtation with Fitzhugh Farrar goes swimmingly, but she cant help but be intrigued by his assistant, Sal, too. But when the beautiful ship gets hit by another vessel, it becomes clear that this fairy tale will not have its perfect ending. Stranded on an island while they wait for rescue, Vida, Fitz, Hugh, and a cast of characters from the ship will have to learn to survive and figure out what life will be like when they eventually return home.

This is a sweeping romance, a shipwreck, a deserted island, and a society story all rolled up. Its a pretty quick read, and really the only fleshed-out characters were Fitz, Vida, and Sal, so you dont have to worry (or enjoy, I guess) being bogged down with other people. The descriptions are gorgeous as always, the female characters are wiley, and this is a classically good Anna Godbersen book. Not something that will stick with me forever, but an enjoyable read for a couple days.

Thank you HarperCollins for the free arc via edelweiss. At first as I started reading I thought this was going to be a parody of The Titanic. Thankfully it was not, Vida is one of the survivors stranded on an island waiting rescue where a love triangle between her, a shipping magnate, and his best friend Sal forms. Will she do what society norms would tell her to do or will she follow her heart? So glad not to have lived during these times.

I can guarantee that most readers will find the way this story shifts early on to be as much a surprise as it was for me. Vida can come across as headstrong and selfish at times, but underneath that lies the heart of a feminist at a time when they were rare. She also has an itch, one she can’t define until it’s nearly too late. It’s a dandy yarn, one deserving a spot in libraries where adventure with a heady dash of romance is popular.

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