Cover Image: The Beauty of Fragile Things

The Beauty of Fragile Things

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

An okay story that had some slow parts throughout the book. It lost my interest in some parts. I did like the main character but wish we had gotten to know them better.

Was this review helpful?

It took me a while to get into this book but once i did my goodness what an amazing masterpiece. I love how Margot and Chase's story was beautifully interwoven and the untold beauty of pain even if we don't see it at the moment and moving forward after it better

Was this review helpful?

The Beauty of Fragile Things is the story of Margot and Chase. Both are grieving, but they are in different stages of their losses. There were some very real and emotional moments, but overall this was a hard sell for me.

Was this review helpful?

Almost every person reading this novel will idenitify. We have almost all of us faced devastating challenges, loss of love, life and ambition. Going from happy and full filled to sad and empty. Even though this is fiction, Ms Hartley has written this story with empathy around events that can happen to any of us. The growth and rebuilding of this woman's confidence and sense of self is such a resounding message to anyone who has lost and needs to rebuild their life.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this copy.. The review is my own personal opinion.

Was this review helpful?

The Beauty of Fragile Things is the story of Margot and Chase. Both are grieving, but they are in different stages of their losses. There were some very real and emotional moments, but overall this was a hard sell for me. I couldn't identify with Margot and it seemed like Margot couldn't identify with herself either. She was very wishy-washy with her feelings, her actions, even her personality! It made her difficult for me to like.
Chase on the other hand was just lovely. He was the perfect tough exterior, teddy bear kind of character. The dialogue in the book felt forced and often very formal but without much substance. The use of grandiose adjectives took away from the flow of the story. While I understand that each person's grief journey is different and there is no "right" way to grieve, it seemed as though Margot never really got a grasp on how to process everything she was going through and instead was constantly up and down, hot and cold.
Overall a nice idea, but the "spark" just wasn't there for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Melange Books, Satin Romance for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A great book about love, and grief. Great dialogue characters were excellent great book with so much depth.

Was this review helpful?

The story of Chase and Margot is a complex one. It deals with a lot of grief and how to navigate it all. The emotions felt real and they felt raw. I liked the connection between them and how they grew together. Even with all that I didn’t completely love the book. First off there were lots of big words that took away from the flow instead of adding to it. It seemed more evident at first and settled as the story went along. Margot was a tough sell for me. She seemed like an oxymoron and I had a hard time connecting to her and rooting for her. The romance between Chase and Margot was sweet but I wasn’t invested. I wanted more from them. I do think a lot of people will enjoy this book and will appreciate it so check it out for yourself.

Thank you Melange Books for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

A beautiful heart-wrenching story lyrically written. The Beauty of Fragile Things reminds us of exactly that. Emma Hartley has a strong sense of who the characters need to be for their fans.

Was this review helpful?

This is such a good book I think it deals heavily with serious matters and problems such as mental health, decease of love ones, etc.
Overall I really like how the main character became more herself and strong through the history. I gave 3 stars because I have a problem with the slow pace and it was so much for me.

Was this review helpful?

A beautiful heart-wrenching story that ultimately left me full of hope and gratitude. I loved Margot and felt her pain. I’ve never read anything by this author but I am looking forward to seeing what else is out there

Was this review helpful?

Thanks NetGalley, Melange Books and Emma Hartley for a copy to review.
Like Margot's delicate beloved lace came this enchanting book. Woven feelings of grief, loss, Heartbreak, despair and hope constructs the fabric of Margot's journey from darkness to light.
An emotional read that I absolutely loved and would seek out the author's other work.

Was this review helpful?

This is more of a romance novel than I normally read so not particularly my taste in genres.

Chase and Margot have a chance meeting and are drawn to each other, both have suffered losses….honestly,who hasn’t? Chase seems like a likable guy, he’s an artist, a musician, he cooks and knits. He’s a tattoo artist who Margot hires to tattoo.

Margot was hard to like….she’s hot and cold, wishy-washy….sometimes leading Chase on then backing away and i got tired of hearing how “slight” and slender she is. Margot was basically annoying.

Without giving anything away, the ending felt rushed or disjointed to me. Again, romance is not typically my genre so I’m giving it 3 stars but if you like that sort of thing you might enjoy more than i did.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Was this review helpful?

Margot DeWitt had it all—a gorgeous home, a lucrative career, and the love of her sweet, handsome husband, a renowned heart surgeon. When everything she’s taken for granted as a solid foundation in her life is destroyed in a single instant, Margot comes undone. Nearly a year later, although her physical wounds have healed, Margot’s heart is still broken. She is a ghost, mired in grief, questioning the purpose of her life.



Chase Goodwin owns the tattoo shop next door to the bar Margot has begun to frequent. After their volatile introduction, Chase and Margot embark on a tenuous working relationship. Intuitively, Chase understands Margot’s fragility, for he’s experienced a devastating loss of his own. As their relationship deepens, Margot slowly begins to reclaim her identity as a creative, strong, resilient woman.



When Margot is ultimately confronted by the full extent of her loss, something she has subconsciously buried in order to protect her own sanity, she faces her hardest test yet. Can Margot honor her lost loved ones by embracing her own survival or will her heart remain paralyzed, bound to her past?
First read by this author and I throughly enjoyed it. I’m going to look forward to reading more by this author. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Was this review helpful?

Between 2 1/2 and 3.

I haven't read this author before. It's a story about a widow who lost her husband in a car accident that also hurt her. It's been a year and she's still struggling a lot. She meets Chase, a tattoo artist, and hires him to tattoo the lace pattern of her bridal veil onto her body.
Chase feels an immediate pull to Margot, but she has to learn to let go of her pain and be happy again.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

WoW! What an engaging, beautiful, book! I just loved Emma's writing first of all! Simply mesmerizing.
This book is full of things, loss, grief, hope, a strong resilient lady! I'm adored it all.
You won't wasn't to miss this this great read!
I'm beyond thankful to NetGalley and Melange Books for this ebook copy!

Was this review helpful?