Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor

21 reviews

delvie's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

It's a feminist revenge fantasy retelling of the Great Gatsby. I don't mind the concept in theory, but in practice, it felt a little on the nose. Every female main character was a victim and every male main character was a villain, and there was very little nuance between those two extremes throughout the book. It's Gatsby meets Chicago with dogmatic characterization.

The voice actresses did a phenomenal job, but it felt like they were telling me they were characters from the 1920's (by referencing legislation and necessary historic cornerstones) instead of showing me (via vernacular, relevant furniture, architecture, etc.). 

As a Gatsby fan, I don't feel better for having read this book. It felt like a weird satire of "let's tell HERstory instead of HIStory," and it didn't do it for me. I'll just watch the movie instead next time. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kprouse13's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

machenn's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

katisreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I loved seeing this story from the different women’s perspectives. It added in the little bit of murder mystery that kept you guessing which woman killed Gatsby, every time I thought I had put the puzzle pieces together, something new would get revealed. I also really enjoyed seeing all of the main plot points from the actual Great Gatsby book pop up in this story and how they fit together with this version of the narrative. All around a very enjoyable read!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

serenas_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tanjalunney's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hazelgirl21's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kamin8882's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.5

"I hope she'll be a fool--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."  Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby.

When I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy!! The Great Gatsby mixed with Big Little Lies, sign me up please !! Thank you so much to Netgalley, Harper Perennial and Jillian Cantor for an ARC of this amazingly brilliant book!

I have always loved The Great Gatsby, the book and the movie (especially with Leo <3) so I was super excited to read this book from the ladies POV!! Jillian Cantor did an amazing job diving us into the whole stories of Daisy, Jordan, Myrtle and her sister Catherine, while also giving us a little mystery. Who really killed Jay Gatsby? Was it George, the grieving husband? Or was it one of the many women Jay had hurt in his long and selfish journey to win Daisy back ??

What I loved the most about this book was that you got to see why and how everything ended up the way they did.... the events and feelings leading up to Jay Gatsby's murder, made everything make sense. In fact, it made me love the female characters more, unlike the original where I was  left thinking the women of the story are selfish and flashy. I loved all the details Jillian Cantor added to this story to make us really understand what life was like for the leading ladies, and make them completely more relatable, vulnerable and human. Even the detective, investigating Gatsby's death just to earn a buck to spoil his lady, added such a unique spin on this amazing story. I loved it !!!

"I always thought it was us women who were the fools... but I was wrong, it's been the men all along, hasn't it?" 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

leah_152's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

Loved this book! I don't read many retellings or reimaginings but this one was exceptional 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cait_reads_and_drinks's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Expand filter menu Content Warnings