First of all, I would just like to thank NetGalley, Marie-Helene Bertino and Vintage for an ARC of “Beautyland” in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this really wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get past the writing style and the overall prose- I didn’t understand half of it, or what the author was actually trying to insinuate.

I am autistic- so it is likely that some of the hidden meanings went over my head, but the structure of the book really didn’t help. Not for me, I’m afraid.

(3.5)

I wasn't 100% about this one just because fantasy/magical realism books aren't usually my cup of tea, but I was pleasantly surprised. I think the element of Adina being an alien and learning how humans work on Earth as a metaphor for girlhood and coming of age, learning to fit in in a very rigid socially constructed society is a cute one, and definitely relevant. There was just something about the narrative that didn't fully keep me engaged, or caring about the characters with any real emotion; we were almost kept at slightly too much of a distance with Adina's odd, aloof narrative voice.

I can see this being a real success and very popular in the social media world which I can see is fair, just not my favourite one ever.

cw// some sexual content, terminal illness, death

This is exactly the kind of genre I enjoy- bound in a bit of fantasy and reality, altogether plausible but probably not, whimsical and thoughtful. It was a controlled, gentle, calm coming of age story (with a difference), and I wish I had reviewed immediately, but already 2 weeks later I struggle to remember any exact details which have been overpowered by more chaotic plots. I was left with the overall impression of a sweet, brave attempt and enjoyable enough. Not easy to differentiate between "alien" and "neurodiverse".

Adina belongs to an alien race. She has been sent to Earth to gather observations for her dying world. She is able to communicate with the conscious beings of her world when she sleeps. She is both a consequence of nature and nurture, adopting many human mannerisms and ways of life, but clearly is not the same. She is caught between two worlds, but faces the same challenges of growing up and discovering who you are.

(3,5 stars if possible)

I went into this pretty blind, having only seen a few reviews (albeit positive ones!). This book really struggled to hold my attention from the offset and I probably should’ve DNFed it, but I kept reading. It’s not bad, don’t get me wrong, just not my type of thing. I did like the message though, and I know this will be loved by many!

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino is a uniquely imaginative and tender novel that explores the themes of alienation, belonging, and the fragility of life on Earth. The story follows Adina Giorno, a baby born with an unusual perception that allows her to perceive a faraway planet. As she grows, Adina realizes that she is different from other humans and has an extraordinary connection to extraterrestrial beings. She is, in fact, part of an ongoing mission to report on the strange ways of Earthlings.

Adina’s childhood is marked by her ability to communicate with her extraterrestrial relatives, sending transmissions about the oddities of human existence via a fax machine. As she matures, she navigates life on Earth, still an outsider, but learning to navigate the joys and terrors of being human. Her journey takes a poignant turn when a dear friend encourages her to share her transmissions with the world, sparking a deeper questioning of her identity and the possibility that she may not be as alone as she thought.

Bertino’s writing is both captivating and lyrical, with Beautyland offering readers a fresh perspective on humanity through the eyes of a gentle, yet deeply perceptive, alien. The novel presents a quiet exploration of the human experience, emphasizing how we all often feel like strangers in our own lives, while also revealing the wonder of life on Earth in unexpected ways. It is a thought-provoking meditation on what it means to belong, to observe, and to be part of something greater than ourselves.

Through the unique premise and unforgettable character of Adina, Beautyland invites readers to reconsider their views on humanity and the universe, making it a truly remarkable and surprising read.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Sweet and tender, but outstays its welcome through the extra-terrestrial whimsicality 3.5/3

I started this with high hopes, appreciating the fine writing and quirky viewpoint, using the feeling of alienation ‘what on earth am I doing in this world, where I feel so at odds with it’ which is surely part of the human condition for everyone, at least at times, even though this is more acute for some than others.

Adina, born in September 1977, on the precise day and time when Voyager 1 was launched, to send out signals of our existence to whoever might be listening, is, or believes she is, an extraterrestrial from another planet. She has been (or believes she has been) sent to this one to relay information about Earth, Earthlings, and whether this planet would be suitable for them. So of course Adina doesn’t feel she fits in, and finds humans hard to understand.

Looked at another way, from the viewpoint of what human ‘normality’ might be supposed to be, and from our current understanding, Adina might be described as neurodiverse, possibly on the high end of the autistic spectrum. She is highly intelligent, synaesthetic, extremely sensitive to sensory overload, particularly to sounds, (misophonic) and, particularly as she approaches adolescence, her unusualness, her eccentricity falls foul of the instincts of the common – and often, brutal – herd mentality.

So far so good, I appreciated this look at ourselves, our culture and norms, from an outside viewpoint. The problem though is that there is a lack of variety in tone, pace, quality or language, so that after a while, a lack of development becomes obvious, as does the sections of communication by fax machine, as she attempts to reach the beings who inhabit her home planet, wherever than may be. The metaphor just began to wear rather thin, and perhaps made this more ‘whimsical’ and prone to sentimentality.

Having said all this, I know a couple of good friends who will absolutely love this!

I’m not exaggerating when I say Beautyland might be one of the best books I’ve ever read.

The story follows Adina through her life, navigating a world she doesn’t feel she belongs to. I don’t think I’ve ever related to a character more. I really enjoyed her observations, shared through faxes to her alien “superiors,” giving a deadpan, honest insight into the absurdity of human nature. It’s such a rich, multilayered story that touches on so many important themes, including identity, grief, poverty, loneliness, and human connection.

The relationships in this book are so well done - her sometimes complex bond with her mother, her friendships, and the connection she shares with her dog. It’s a deep look at what it means to love and be loved, and how that shapes who we are.

The writing is incredible - witty, honest, and so full of heart. I cried through the last 50 or so pages, and then again when I finished because I didn’t want it to end. This book is absolutely remarkable and has left such an impact on me. 5 stars!

This book is about an alien arriving on earth, or is it about someone who feels alienated.
Lots of good aspects to the story.
I guess that if you are an American in New York you have a chance of getting a lot more out of this story than I did.
The characters are good, parts of the storyline are good.
It is easy to read.
I enjoyed reading the book, but it will not stay with me.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What is the Book about?
(spoiler-free)
1977, September. Northeast Philadelphia Regional. Her name is Adina and she is just about to be born. Her mother’s name is Térèse and she is on the verge of dying. At the same moment Voyager 1 is launched in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on its lonely journey through the cosmos.
Adina is born pre-maturely, a little bean, a little alien.

Adina knows she is not a human. She talks with her superiors through a decommissioned fax machine, and reports on her human observations. This relation will accompany through her childhood, teenage and adult years. Born to Italian immigrant parents, to a single mom who is trying her hardest to put her in private schools, where social and racial inequity and institutional biases are regular experiences for her.

Adina wants to connect to people, including her mom or her best friend, but at the same time she is also an alien, a remote individual who prefers to be alone.

A calling that is impossible to refuse or even mute
(may contain spoilers!)
Mother-daughter relationship, friendships across all the spectrum, alienation, a sense of belonging and connectedness, father figure and her calling to be a writer.
If I could list all the things that made this book a 5-star emotional rollercoaster for me, I would probably list the above.
On a deeper level, the reason why I gave 5-stars was because I felt incredibly related and connected to Adina. Maybe not in the sense of being an Italian immigrant in the US, although I am a Hungarian in the UK, but more in her way-of-being. Su forma de ser, as the Spanish would say. Especially her experiences in elementary school and high school were eerily familiar.
Therefore, it was hard to look at this book from an unbiased point of view, as it felt that Beautyland was written by someone who belongs to the same ‘species’ as me.

The Prose
Beautyland is 336 pages long, a perfectly sized novel with an easy-reading experience. We could say that the novel is mainly character-focused rather than plot focused, but it would sound the same if I was to write about my life experiences or anyone’s for that matter. I have found the novel medium-paced with not one boring page. The constant mystery about Adina’s alien origins and the urge to uncover her life alongside her is what makes this novel a page-turner without an emphasis on a plot-driven nature.

I would like to praise the inner monologues of Adina and the narrator, which has been clearly distinguished and highlighted by the tilted text in the novel. Each paragraph could give hours of material for conversations for a book club. Hence, I think Beautyland is an excellent choice for anyone who has a book or any form of social club. From the mother’s role as the SHE in her daughter’s life through Why do teachers think their average student cheats when they write an excellent test all the way down to Carl Sagan as father figure. And this is barely scratching the surface.

The book was inspirational on a level that I can only feel with female writers. A beautiful, fragile thread of connectedness that I cherish and hold close to my heart. I loved each and every one of the characters, which is a rare thing to encounter and not necessarily what authors usually aim for.

There is a part in the book where a character says to Adina that even though she would like to connect to other people, there is a bigger part in her that just wants to be alone. I felt this very close to my way of being as well. Although, I think maybe, just maybe, there are things to write about. To create. And that is a solitary pull of the Universe. And maybe, there are people who feel more strongly more aggressively this connection than others. A calling that is impossible to refuse or even mute.

There is comfort. There is connectedness and relation and belonging through the pages, through Adina. And I cherish it and celebrate it. I keep this fluttering close to my heart. So I won’t forget this feeling when it's my time to start to connect.

p.s. Thank you for my NetGalley copy and please see the full review on my website

For a book about a girl who thinks she’s an alien, this is shockingly relatable!

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.

This book manages to be simultaneously strange and still quite slice of life. We follow the life of a girl who is convinced she is an alien and communicates with her real family and planet via a fax machine.

While sometimes there are undercurrents that makes you question if the alien piece is real, this is primarily about the confusion of existence, not feeling like you fit in, sense of belonging and what makes us human? We see our main character pondering and reporting back on the strange behaviour of humans through her fax machine. Her observations are often wry, sometimes bewildered. Human behaviour often baffling when viewed from outside the herd.

I found this book so touching and relatable. If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t fit in, if you’ve felt like an outsider, if you’ve felt bewildered by the behaviour of other humans then this book is beautifully observational, heart warming and heart wrenching in equal measure and will make you feel not quite so alone.

I went into this book blind and spent most of my time confused - it was a strange one! It was, however, very well written. A complex yet entertaining read.

This is a coming of age narrative with overarching theme that she’s an alien reporting on earth/humans. From this perspective we get someone who always feels like an outsider narrating upon human life and how it feels to grow up.

There was some perfect insights into themes such as growing up in a low income single parent household, forming friendships and trying to find out who ‘you’ are. Set in the backdrop of some major historical events.

Whilst the prose was seemingly complex, there was so much emotion and humour intertwined within it that this made for an enjoyable read.

ARC copy provided by Random House UK/Vintage & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Adina is born when Voyager 1 launches. Her birth connects her to an alien civilisation and she reports back to them about life on Earth and how humans cope with it. The novel follows her through life, love and loss.

The best books I read last year (The Ministry Of Time, The Husbands, Rare Singles) all had a relatively simple idea, but had rich, mysterious depths. Beautyland is in that class. It’s a strangely beautiful, beautifully strange book. It’s expansive enough to have a neat framing structure (Adina’s life is structured alongside the life cycle of a star), but tricky enough to have some original ideas - Adina reports back to her masters using a second-hand fax machine for example.

Plus, this is a novel that lives in the last half century of American history, but is not a nostalgia trip. Overriding it all is something genuinely brave. The concept that the aliens - a hive mind of souls - actually exist, or it is all a paracosm. And although it is strongly suggested that both Adina is neurodiverse and asexual, Bertino does enough to suggest she is genuinely not of this earth.

A light, yet nourishing and incredibly moving read. It’s published by Random House on 27th March and I sincerely thank them for making me cry.

Marie-Helene Bertino’s novel is a heart-warming and heartbreaking delight. Adina is an alien, or at least completely believes she is an alien, sent to earth to report on human beings. The substance of the book is Adina’s astute yet often baffled observation of people, as someone who never quite fits in, as she lives her life a little on the outside. She faxes her findings to her home planet, a planet she knows from night time “waking”, even though it is so different from earth that it is hard to comprehend. The alien aspect of the book is a subtle underscore of Adina’s difference, as the narrative moves through Adina’s life. We experience her friendships, her relationship with her mother, her attempts at sexual relationships, her joys and her losses. It is beautifully written and I really recommend it as something that celebrates difference and, ultimately, the good things about being human.

Absolutely beautifully written. I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book with how captivating it was! No notes to the author on this one 👏🏻

A brilliantly creative exploration of a neurodiverse experience of life on Earth, Beautyland is the story of a girl who believes she is an alien sent to report on Earth in order to save her race.

Throughout her childhood, adolescence and adulthood Adina shares her unique observations of humanity which are at times humorous and others deeply lonely.

Written from the perspective and perceptions of an alien born,
seemingly, into American society. Thought provoking and relatable as Adina grows into adulthood.

Don't let the title deter you in reading this wonderful book.

Adina is an alien. This is her story of growing up in America and trying to fit in. The planet she comes from is in danger and she's sent to collect information - all sent back via a fax machine. Mundane information about everyday life.

Her descriptions of growing up in America made me realise just how different life is there to the UK - very alien in fact.

She lives a quiet life, making a few friends, becoming famous when her best friend persuades her to publish her notes that she sends back to her planet.

Other worldly but utterly believable. I read this book quickly and enjoyed every moment.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this but there was something about Adina that I couldn't help but feel was too relatable. Despite it all, I couldn't help but wish that she'd stay.

Am I an alien or merely human? Extraterrestrial or alienated? E.T. or lonely?

This is a tender coming-of-age story of Adina, an alien sent to be born as a human girl in the USA. We follow Adina from childhood to adulthood, as she navigates and reports on the oddities of Earthlings. And there’s a lot.

Adina is relatable, honest, to the point, odd.
This makes her quips blunt. Her observations so obvious that you can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of humanity.

<b>Human beings, she faxes, use makeup to feel great about themselves. After dinner, a slip of paper is waiting in the fax machine’s tray. ACTIVATE IRONY.

Death’s biggest surprise is that it does not end the conversation.
</b>
There is stream of consciousness, fragments of time, more introspective than plot focused. It is also very 80s nostalgia, but then we see her becoming an adult during 9/11 into 2015.

This isn’t really sci fi. This is a heart warming lit fic that is very accessible.

Beautyland follows Adina, a girl who believes she is an alien sent to observe humans and report back via a fax machine.

The story is told in what I would possibly describe as short, abstract snapshots of time - which was a bit confusing and made it a bit of a challenging read.

I do believe that this will be the marmite read of 2025, I feel that some will love its originality, while others may find it too abstract. I found the premise intriguing but I’m not 100% sure if Adina was an alien, on the spectrum or just didn’t feel she belonged but maybe that was the point 🤷🏻‍♀️