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Reviews of The Witches of Bellinas by J. Jones

The Witches of Bellinas

A Novel

by J. Nicole Jones

The Witches of Bellinas by J. Nicole Jones X
The Witches of Bellinas by J. Nicole Jones
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  • Published:
    May 14, 2024, 240 pages

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Book Summary

A dreamy California Gothic about a woman who moves to the mysterious town of Bellinas to save her marriage, only to be swept up in a hedonistic cult that isn't what it seems

Tansy and her husband Guy are the newest arrivals in Bellinas, a lush oasis tucked into the coast of northern California where a reclusive, creative community is beginning to take shape. Helmed by Guy's cousin Mia, a famous model -turned -wellness -luminary, and her tech mogul husband, the group renounces the outside world in pursuit of purity, fashioning their own rules about what to eat and how to live.

Everything seems perfect in Bellinas: food is abundant, flowers are always in bloom, and nearby wildfires leave the town remarkably unscathed. While Guy is happy in their new lives, Tansy becomes more and more suspicious of the community and increasingly desperate to save her already-fragile marriage. And as lonely women have throughout the ages, she wants to believe in what may only be a beautiful lie.

The Witches of Bellinas unfolds as a confession from Tansy, filled with anguish over the life, and sense of self, she's surrendered in her desperation to belong. In J. Nicole Jones's clever reimagining of cult power and groupthink, the question isn't why join, but rather, what happens when you understand the danger, but can't conceive of a way out?

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Bustle
Scintillating.

Debutiful
[A] brilliant writer.

Shelf Awareness
At the intersection of the supernatural and simple human ugliness, The Witches of Bellinas gives its readers chills and thrills along with a profound sense of wrongs done, but no heroes or villains. This is a novel for anyone who's wondered if the picturesque might be too good to be true.

Kirkus Reviews
Jones has authored a fierce, timely indictment of movements masquerading as enlightenment, cautioning women especially against things that seem too good to be true. A rich, piercing novel that cries out for women to trust themselves above all others.

Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Jones's lyrical yet ominous prose affects a bewitching vibe of its own ('Don't believe those who say that the fog is just fog ... that the thunderheads worn by nearby mountain peaks are merely weather'). Readers will find this haunting tale is tough to shake.

Booklist
The novel establishes a sense of urgency up front ... Fans of Kate Weinberg's The Truants (2020) and Swan Huntley's The Goddesses (2017) will enjoy Jones' deliberate pacing, lyrical style, and appreciation for many kinds of inspiration.

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