maria1085's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
“the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”
Fans of The Great Gatsby will love this story told from the perspective of three women. We read this for book club and we all really loved the writing, and the women’s individual stories. We felt that it stayed true to the original Great Gatsby. I really liked the strong female characters and friendships between them. I loved the time period of the early 1920s in this book. Now I need to go back and reread The Great Gatsby. This book reminded me how much I liked that original story. Beautiful Little Fools gives a voice to the women in Gatsby’s life and moved seamlessly through each POV. If you want a spin on a classic story then this book won’t disappoint!
Fans of The Great Gatsby will love this story told from the perspective of three women. We read this for book club and we all really loved the writing, and the women’s individual stories. We felt that it stayed true to the original Great Gatsby. I really liked the strong female characters and friendships between them. I loved the time period of the early 1920s in this book. Now I need to go back and reread The Great Gatsby. This book reminded me how much I liked that original story. Beautiful Little Fools gives a voice to the women in Gatsby’s life and moved seamlessly through each POV. If you want a spin on a classic story then this book won’t disappoint!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Murder
delvie's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia
serenas_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Injury/injury detail, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Rape and Adult/minor relationship
audge's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
idk, i just ate it up. this is now included in the Good For Her universe.
thought this retelling stayed true to the original source but has expanded the gatsby world in a great way. i just find all the women's perspective interesting. the chapters aren't that long so that made me more intrigued. there were some little things from the original story that was twisted and i was into it. not perfect but i thoroughly enjoyed it.
thought this retelling stayed true to the original source but has expanded the gatsby world in a great way. i just find all the women's perspective interesting. the chapters aren't that long so that made me more intrigued. there were some little things from the original story that was twisted and i was into it. not perfect but i thoroughly enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, and Murder
bookswithmegan's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I absolutely adored this book! The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time, so when I heard about this book I was immediately sold. This book turns the story of the Great Gatsby into a murder mystery focusing on Daisy, Jordan, and Catherine (Myrtle's sister). The book does an amazing job of adding depth and complexity to all of the women in the story, which was so fascinating and refreshing to read. Also, Jordan Baker is now officially one of my favorite characters of all time.
TW: Sexual assault, alcohol use, violence, death of a family member, homophobia, cheating
TW: Sexual assault, alcohol use, violence, death of a family member, homophobia, cheating
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol
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