I can definitely see how the audience for this book would be but it was not me. I will likely recommend it to Book Riot readers, though.

I enjoyed the new perspective on the familiar story of Gatsby. The character development seemed flawed at times. Additionally, I found the men were one-dimensional.

This story was such a treat! I like everyone else came for the Gatsby references but boy there was so much more. All three of the main POVs (Daisy, Jordan, and Catherine) are wonderful to read. I connected with each woman, understood why she did what she did (not that I agreed!), and felt strongly for each of them by the end of the story. There was never a moment when I was bummed to move into the next POV because they're equally awesome.

The prose is enjoyable to read and the pacing is absolute perfection, neither too fast or too slow, the whole way through. I had such a hard time putting it down because it was just a solidly good read. I *loved* the ending for each POV. It fit the circumstances and the characters' journeys so well.

I'd absolutely recommend this book to any reader. You don't even need to have read The Great Gatsby; it's been decades since I have and I don't feel like I missed out on anything. If I'm completely honest, I enjoyed this novel more than the original Gatsby. It's just a really good story, through and through, and I think anyone would like it though historical fiction fans will really dig it.


Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

In Beautiful Little Fools, Jillian Cantor provides an imaginative back-story and alternative view to The Great Gatsby. This novel was a pleasure to read and Cantor does a wonderful job capturing the voices and personalities of the classic characters from Fitzgerald's masterpiece. This novel demonstrates the power of a narrative and the effect it has on a reader's sympathies and views. I appreciated the creativity of Cantor and the female driven perspectives of this novel. Anyone who loves The Great Gatsby would appreciate this well-researched and cleverly told tale.

I'm a fan of Jillian Cantor so when I read the synopsis of this book I knew she would be sensitive about writing about the women of The Great Gatsby. I was so happily not disappointed. Learning more about Daisy, Jordan and the practically unknown character of Catherine, the sister of Myrtle Wilson was a wonderful look into what many of us wanted to know. I love the respectful way that Cantor did this, appreciating Fitzgerald's work, and yet imagining what these women would have been thinking.
I liked their stories, the look into their pasts and what they felt. I believe Jordan's story was my favorite, such a striking woman playing golf and so ahead of her time as a feminist and much more. Catherine's past gave us as much insight into her and a young Jay Gatsby. This was a brilliant plot line to the book. I still love Daisy, have always felt she was misunderstood and so much more.
Reading Beautiful Little Fools prompted me to do a quick re-read of The Great Gatsby, never a bad thing.
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Perennial for the early copy of this book.

A rich read and I loved this additional look at a classic novel. The author was very adept at taking these characters and adding to their stories. I did not want to reach the end as I was so lost in the pages.
Many thanks to Harper Perennial and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

It takes a lot of confidence to tackle such a well-known classic, and to believe that your spin on it is going to live up to the high bar that has already been set, but the author didn’t disappoint! Beautiful Little Fools is the story of The Great Gatsby but from the women’s alternating points of view. It was fun to dive into their heads and understand their decisions more. A fun read!

What a wonderfully refreshing and ambitious take on THE GREAT GATSBY! In BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS, Jillian Cantor elects to retell the classic story from the point of view of the women in Jay Gatsby's life--and, in the process, spins a tale of mystery which intrigues from first to last. The pacing suffers a little occasionally, but the rich and surprising characterizations are more than worth it.

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity and pleasure of the read.

I listened to The Great Gatsby (loved it) and read a retelling last year (meh), so I was both excited and apprehensive about this book with the gorgeous cover.

Told in alternating views of 3 women and the detective, we get the story leading up to and after Jay's death. Since everyone has a reason to want him dead, it really is a mystery.

I can't stop thinking about it, so I'm rounding my 4.5 stars up.

I wanted to love this, but I just couldn't get into it. I think that in the end, I'd like to imagine the women of The Great Gatsby in my own way. Such an interesting concept but it dragged.

I tried to get into this two times and just couldn't. I'm sure it's a hit with others and am not sure what it is... perhaps the style. I'm going to try to come back to it again, because I love reading about this era and it's hard to resist a Gatsby retelling.

The Great Gatsby was one of the only classics I remember liking from high school and I loved Cantor's re-interpretation of that story from the perspectives of three central female characters (Daisy Buchanan, her best friend Jordan Baker, and Myrtle Wilson's sister, Catherine). Cantor’s take is about the power and control the men had over the women…and the women's effort to take back that control. She puts forth an alternate theory of who killed Jay Gatsby that sometimes mind-tricked me into feeling like I was reading a behind-the-scenes account of something that really happened. I loved her feminist spin on things and the story she plotted is intricate and well-thought out. Her writing is simple (maybe too simple), but it also enabled me to fly through this book. I read a detailed plot summary of The Great Gatsby before diving in and I'm glad I did.

•Book Review•

Beautiful Little Fools • Jillian Cantor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read this if:
Like me, you’ve read The Great Gatsby about 20 times and fallen in love with the tragedy and social commentary of it.
You read The Great Gatsby in high school or some other time and thought it was overrated/boring/terrible/etc.
You’ve never read The Great Gatsby and enjoy a good whodunit with some strong lady leads.

Beautiful Little Fools was so much more than I anticipated. You know how we read books and sometimes accept the story as it’s written without questioning the spaces between the plot? I’m not talking plot holes, but the gaps in perspective that we don’t see due to the narrator’s point of view or our limited visibility as a reader. Beautiful Little Fools tells the story of The Great Gatsby through the eyes of Jordan, Daisy, Catherine, and Myrtle, women who are central to the tale but whose voices are missing from Fitzgerald’s work. After learning about their backstories and motivations, we get to see the familiar story unfold through pieces we didn’t see in the original. It’s an artful exercise in perspective that leads us to question every assumption we made after reading The Great Gatsby.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the complimentary advance copy of this work!

CW: Domestic Violence

I loved Beautiful Little Fools. This story about the woman of Gatsby was mesmerizing. I enjoyed the way the story was written from Daisy, Jordan, Catherine, Detective Frank Charles and Myrtle's perspective. It was quite thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the ending and the outcome of Detective Frank Charles investigation. I'm looking forward to reading more of this Authors work.
#BeautifulLittleFools #NetGalley

I give Beautiful Little Fools 5 stars for its intriguing read.
I would recommend this book to Historical Fiction fans.

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor was quite a read- fresh points of view on an old classic, a historical fiction, and a mystery all meshed up into one story. There were times it was a bit of a slog but I'm so glad I pushed through because it was such an interesting story. I read The Great Gatsby a month or so before reading this one and I was grateful for the refresh on the classic. Beautiful Little Fools added a lot of intrigue to the old story and really made me think back on The Great Gatsby from the other points of view. This is a wonderful story for historical fiction readers who want something a bit different within their genre.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Perennial for the e-arc!

A fun read on a potential back story to the Great Gatsby. Makes me want to reread Gatsby to see how well the pieces fit.

I can't care how cliche my answer is but ever since I was 16, The Great Gatsby has been one of my favorite books. It’s one of the few books that I have read and re-read again and again.

The characters and the allegories in the book kept me coming back. Each time I read it I'm in a different part of my life and connect with different characters, plot points, or I find a new symbol to love.

In 2021, Fitzgerald’s work entered the public domain meaning people could reimagine his work and I was equal parts nervous and excited. It felt like when they make a movie of your favorite book but change the POV.

In comes, Beautiful Little Fools by the incredible Jillian Cantor. Let me tell you all. this lived up to the hype. It follows the women in the Great Gatsby: Daisy, Jordan, Catherine, and even Myrtle, weeks before Jay’s death. Think Big Little Lies vibes.

In the author's note, Jillian Cantor talked about her love of Gatsby and how she uses stories to relate to other women but also how she works through her own feelings and emotions. I kept thinking- "yes this right here is exactly why I love reading."

If you’re a Great Gatsby fan, you need to check this one out.

Loved the retelling of The Great Gatsby from the viewpoint of the woman. Made me go back to read The Great Gatsby, Jillian Cantor did a fabulous job.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- {BEAUTIFUL LITTLE FOOLS- Jillian Cantor}

Fun, fast and female forward! The women of the infamous Great Gatsby are center stage and telling their side of the story in this entertaining take on the classic. Jillian Cantor gives background and depth to Daisy, Jordan and Catherine and shows the reader that just because they aren’t as rich as the men surrounding them, their richness in character and determination make them forces to be reckoned with.

They all have found themselves entangled with Jay Gatsby at some time or another, and when he’s found floating dead in his pool their relationships with the green eyed Gatsby come under scrutiny. They all have a juicy motive, but who actually pulled the trigger?

I love a good murder mystery, and the fact that it was tied to such a glamorous classic with all female leads made it a no brainer for me! I don’t know if it was a good or bad thing that I haven’t read Gatsby in awhile, some reviews had people really dissing this one in comparison and I agree they are VERY different but shes not trying to match the original shes giving the women a voice! And I’m rooting for anyone that gives us women a voice 👍🏼😁

I’ve always loved the Great Gatsby and historical fiction about this time period. I loved the way the author wove together the narratives of three very different women, all connected to Jay Gatsby. I would definitely recommend refreshing yourself on the story, but I really loved this book! I’m a big fan of Jillian Cantor and she did not disappoint with this one! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.