Book cover of Going to Beautiful

Book description

International chef Jake Hardy has it all. Celebrity, thriving career, plenty of friends, a happy family and faithful dog. Until one day when a tragic accident tears it all apart. Struggling to recover, Hardy finds himself in a strange new world—a snow-swept prairie town that time forgot—a place where nothing…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Going to Beautiful as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Diverse characters who feel like friends; a picturesque town that will have you checking Google maps for your next road trip; a murder; an unexpected love story; what is not to love about this book?

This is my favorite read of the year. I still envision the characters months after reading, as if I visited “Beautiful” on a wild adventure to solve a mystery and met an eclectic bunch of new travel mates along the way. The ending will surprise you in more ways than one. An easy, solid 5+ stars for this one.

Going to Beautiful is a murder mystery and a love story. When Jake Hardy’s husband Eddie falls to his death from the balcony of their Toronto condo, Jake is beyond devastated. His journey of healing takes him to Beautiful, a Ukrainian village on the Saskatchewan prairies where he meets Eddie’s family and learns their secrets. Touching, intriguing, with utterly believable characters, Going to Beautiful is a page-turner set in a part of Canada that many Canadians have never visited. And it’s the best book I’ve read this year! 

From Rosemary's list on Canadian mysteries.

If you love Going to Beautiful...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Going to Beautiful?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Going to Beautiful.

Browse books like Going to Beautiful

Book cover of Still Life
Book cover of The Suicide Murders
Book cover of The Water Rat of Wanchai

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,395

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Going to Beautiful, you might also like...

Book cover of Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence

Need to Know by Nicholas Reynolds,

The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.

Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…

Book cover of Tsunami

Tsunami by LeeAnn Pickrell,

On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…

5 book lists we think you will like!