Description
Sometimes you need to clash to make an impact.
Bianca Bridge is like an eyeshadow palette. She's a vibrant kaleidoscope of big personality and even bigger dreams, with a tendency towards messiness and fallout. Case in point: ruining her career prospects and hopes of becoming a writer by having an affair with a married government minister.
Fiercely confident and uncompromising, her tyrannical new boss Obadiah Cortland - makeup artist and legend in Trinidad's beauty scene - is like a statement red lipstick. 'The God of Good Looks' is a facade he has perfected over years of slipping through the island's rigid class barriers, and he knows as well as Bianca that the tiniest smudge can ruin your image.
When Bianca's ex threatens both their futures, this clashing combination must find a way to work together to save everything they care about. But might they actually bring out the best in each other?
Sparkling, big-hearted and life-affirming, The God of Good Looks is a story about prejudice and pride, the masks we wear and who we can become if we dare to take them off.
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'Phenomenal! A book worthy of a standing ovation. I will never forget how this novel made me feel' LIZZIE DAMILOLA BLACKBURN, author of Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband?
'A dazzling delight ... I didn't want it to end!' COCO MELLORS, author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein
'A glittering will-they, won't-they Bridget Jones re-boot' NIKKI MAY, author of Wahala
About the Author
Breanne Mc Ivor is an award-winning writer. Her short story collection, Where There Are Monsters, was published in 2019. Mc Ivor holds degrees in English from the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh and has a certificate in Advanced Professional Makeup Artistry. She lives in her home country of Trinidad and Tobago. The God of Good Looks is her debut novel.
Reviews
Bianca Bridge is a heroine to root for ... A punchy romance with plenty to say about Caribbean class, poverty and sexism * Observer *
A glittering will-they, won't-they Bridget Jones re-boot * Nikki May, author of Wahala *
I loved it * India Knight, Sunday Times Style *
A will-they-won't-they tension ensues as Mc Ivor uses the metaphor of make-up (there's an awful lot of it) to examine privilege, corruption and truth. It's wickedly funny ... Bianca is a hugely endearing heroine * Daily Mail *
McIvor shines in this pitch-perfect narrative of power imbalances ... McIvor combines tight plotting and strong character development ... This makes for a winning story of comeuppance * Publishers Weekly *
Likened to Bridget Jones.... It does have that same kind of wonderfully comic voice, as well as a protagonist to adore and root for * Anna Bonnet, Three Books to Read in June *
After an affair with a married government official ruins her prospects of becoming a writer, Bianca takes a job with an infamous make-up artist in this warm, Trinidad-set novel * The i Paper, Best Books to Read in June *
Mc Ivor uses Bianca's attempt to rebuild her life to examine issues surrounding the beauty industry and the poverty, violence and corruption blighting life in Trinidad . . . There's lots to enjoy, particularly a more authentic picture of Caribbean life than the postcard fantasy * The Times *
Part feminist tract, part love letter to an island . . . A self-aware, modern, female-centered novel out of Trinidad which breaks new ground * Monique Roffey, author of Costa Book of the Year, The Mermaid of Black Conch *
Full of characters whose struggles you feel to your bones - and will be rooting for all the way through. Bianca might just be one of my all-time favourite heroines. Fresh, smart, and packed with razor-sharp social commentary-a perfect blend of page-turning and thought-provoking * Caroline Mackenzie, author of One Year of Ugly *
Phenomenal! A book worthy of a standing ovation. I will never forget how this novel made me feel. It's effortlessly beautiful * Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? *
A dazzling delight of a debut. The God of Good Looks is a captivating portrait of contemporary Trinidadian culture, a canny exploration of makeup's power as artifice and art, and a tender celebration of unexpected connections and the human need to love and be loved. I gasped, I laughed, I cried - I didn't want it to end! * Coco Mellors, author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein *
Mc Ivor's debut novel ... effectively captures a surprising and evolving relationship in a mix of humor and drama ... A tale that tracks the universal theme of female agency in familial, professional, and social settings ... Memorable characters, evocative descriptions, and a well-paced story make this an eminently enjoyable novel * Booklist *
Get ready for the summer of love as intelligent romcoms take centre stage * Stylist, Why it's the summer of the romcom bestseller *
Book Information
ISBN 9780241616710
Author Breanne Mc Ivor
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Fig Tree
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 463g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 153mm * 27mm