Cantor has presented a different perspective on the Great Gatsby as she looks at the story through the eyes of Daisy, and other women connected to Jay Gatsby’s life. The story revolves around who really killed Jay Gatsby. A detective has bee hired by a friend of Jay’s who doesn’t believe the real killer has been found. While F. Scott Fitzgerald may have portrayed the women as fools, Cantor sets out to prove there was much more than beauty to Gatsby’s women. Seeing Daisy’s loveless marriage to Tom Buchanan from Daisy’s eyes is an eye-opener. Cantor proves that girls are not the “ beautiful little fools” portrayed in the Fitzgerald’s novel.

5⭐
I don’t know how I haven’t read a book by Jillian Cantor before. But wow. Her writing is rich and beautiful, and I just loved this book. I was required to read The Great Gatsby in high school, and I absolutely loved it. I was intrigued by the idea of a retelling of the story from a different perspective (in this book, the female characters’ perspectives), and this book did not disappoint.

Despite the “Roaring ‘20s” as a time (for some) of excess and “anything goes,” women were at a crossroads. They were gaining the right to vote, were going to college in increasing numbers, etc., but were still expected to play traditional roles at home. Beautiful Little Fools gives insight to Daisy, Jordan, and Catherine as strong female characters with different secrets, desires, motivations, etc. When Jay Gatsby is found dead, these women (no fools!) have motives. There’s love, romance, cheating, scandal, and lots of intrigue.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @harperperennial @harpercollins for the advanced copy of this book for my honest review. I’m a new fan/reader, @jilliancantor!

This book is for anyone who has ever wished The Great Gatsby had a few hundred more pages. I have read Gatsby multiple times, love the movie versions, love all of it. I was both cautious and excited to see this book... it's risky to mess with a classic. But Jillian Cantor did an amazing job!
This is kind of a Great Gatsby prequel that also overlaps into the storyline of The Great Gatsby, and gives the events of the classic from the POV of the multiple women involved. Beautiful Little Fools gives full life to each of the women, from Daisy and Jordan to Catherine and Myrtle. I loved seeing some of the exact events from Gatsby replayed from the other side of the room so to speak.
As more of the classics start coming into public domain we need more stories like this one!

A very unique look at the Great Gatsby women told in the voices of the 3 women in the life of Jay Gatsby..
"Daisy Buchanan once thought she might marry Gatsby—before her family was torn apart by an unspeakable tragedy that sent her into the arms of the philandering Tom Buchanan.
Jordan Baker, Daisy’s best friend, guards a secret that derailed her promising golf career and threatens to ruin her friendship with Daisy as well.
Catherine McCoy, a suffragette, fights for women’s freedom and independence, and especially for her sister, Myrtle Wilson, who’s trapped in a terrible marriage."
I think anyone that enjoy The Great Gatsby will be drawn to this book.

I absolutely loved reading this. Gatsby is a favorite and getting to enjoy it all over again, from the women that made this novel so beautiful the first time around.

This is a women focused retelling of The Great Gatsby.

Jay has been killed and we are following along with the detective to find out who did it. All the women in Jay's life his neighour, everyone is a suspect.

Along with that, there are flashbacks spread throughout. The mystery and the investigations pulled me in. I was less invested in the lives of the women. Something was missing in their plotline for me.

It's an otherwise good book. I thank the publisher for the chance to read the eARC and #netgalley

Beautiful Little Fools



Author: Jillian Cantor

Pg: 336

Genre: Historical mystery, classic retelling

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Harper Perennial



I have to say this is the first The Great Gatsby retelling that I have actually enjoyed. Though I've only read three this one being the third one. I didn't finish one and I muddled through the other one only to be disappointed. But Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor was everything I wanted in a Gatsby retelling. Including the title being taken from my favorite line in the book. And being told from the point of view of the women in the novel. Daisy, Jordan, Catherine, and Myrtle.

The Great Gatsby has been one of my favorite books since I first read it as high school junior sitting in classroom in the same town Daisy and Jordan grow up in. Heck I even had my senior prom at the hotel were Daisy gets married in the book. After reading Gatsby I wanted more about Daisy I wanted her backstory. And Jillian Cantor gave me that even though I'm pretty sure it's not the backstory that Fitzgerald would have given her, but I loved it. Though I will admit it doesn't change the opinion my sixteen-year-old self had of Daisy but It did help me understand her.



I hope Beautiful Little Fools is just a taste of The Great Gatsby retellings we have to look forward to. Since this is a mainstream historical fiction there is language and some steamy scenes.



I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. What a good story that weaves the viewpoints of three women and the classic story of Great Gatsby. It is set before, during and after the murder of Jay Gatsby. I really liked the background of the characters and the different viewpoints! If you liked the Great Gatsby, this is a must!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with this electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review. I thought this was a wonderful book and I could not put it down. Three women have their lives impacted by Jay Gatsby. We meet Daisy, who he meets as a young soldier headed off to war, Jordan, Daisy’s best friend, gifted golfer and confidante, and Catherine, who meets him on the rebound. The book opens with a crime scene and as the book moves along, the reader is artfully invited to solve who did it. Besides the mystery element, there is also romance, and plenty of deception, lies and secrets. Being a woman in the early decades of the 20th century isn’t easy, and the reader gets a window into the history of the times, as well. Jill Cantor does a good job of exploring the social classes and how money, or lack of it, affects choices and the quality of life, especially for women. YEach chapter focuses on a particular character, and despite a good number of supporting characters, the book is not hard to follow. This was my first book by Jill Cantor, and it whet my appetite for more.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Being a huge Great Gatsby fan, I was ecstatic when I was approved to read an eARC of Beautiful Little Fools. I've read a couple books involving characters from Gatsby and this was, by far, the best one I have read to date. Beautiful Little Fools was one of those books I just didn't want to put down. When I had to, I found myself hating real life because I just wanted to keep going.

The reader gets to experience so many different and new sides to each character that personally made me more empathetic to some that I originally disliked. The addition of Myrtle's sister, Catherine, in the mix was also an interesting twist that surprisingly fit in extremely well. Overall, even with new characters in the mix, I felt the author did an excellent job keeping the integrity of each of the originals created by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I could easily see this having been Fitzgerald's own idea of what came before his classic tale.

Instant favorite that I will recommend to anyone who mentions they love Gatsby!

Even if you aren’t familiar with The Great Gatsby - and it’s hard to imagine there is a reader around who hasn’t read Fitzgerald’s - you will enjoy this book. But, because you know The Great Gatsby, you will love this book. It’s Gatsby written from the perspective of the women. And, it’s terrific.

The Great Gatsby is a book I have read at least 3 times in my life. This new release from the perspective of the women in the story grabbed my attention immediately. I was sucked into the book from the start and loved getting to know these characters in a new way. Some plot points are reminiscent of Big Little Lies. And the author tackles a few important issues of the time that we still talk and debate today, like womens’ rights and LGBTQ rights, for example. Reading Beautiful Little Fools definitely made me want to go back and read The Great Gatsby again with this new POV in mind.

I’m not usually a fan of retellings, especially of classics as excellent as The Great Gatsby. But this one caught my interest and I was happy to receive a copy to review. I reread Gatsby in the fall when my 16 year old son read it in his Honors English class. I was thrilled I still loved it so many years after my first reading.

In this version, the story remains the same but it is told by the women. Nick Carroway takes a back seat allowing Daisy, Jordan, Catherine, and Myrtle tell their versions of what happened. It was so fun to read about their perspective and experiences that led up to the summer of 1922 when Jay Gatsby is found dead.

Author Jillian Cantor has obviously done her homework. I really enjoyed her essay at the end of the book describing her relationship with the book The Great Gatsby. I felt like she took great care in maintaining the integrity of the story but added her own spin with the narrators. Fantastic job!

Many times after reading a book I have thought about what if events were a different way or what happens after? Jillian Cantor took her questions about "The Great Gatsby" and re-imagined the story. With staying true to the characters, the story unfolds throughout three points of view. Each point of view puts the women of the story in the forefront and demonstrates their individual strengths. There is a non-linear timeline but it is seamlessly done and easy to follow. I enjoyed this story and re-living the Gatsby era! Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

This is an enjoyable little mystery wrapped around some love trysts with dual timelines. An interesting plot, although the time switches and character switches made it confusing and difficult to follow at times. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys historical fiction or mysteries and has the time and mindset to concentrate on the book. If you're only going to read a chapter of two in each sitting, it may be harder to follow.

I admit it: At first, I wasn't sure I was on board with the idea of reimagining the women of The Great Gatsby--it's one of my favorite classics, just as it is. But boy, did Jillian Cantor prove me wrong. I was immediately engrossed in the backstories of Daisy and Jordan from page one--when they were young best friends in Kentucky who had yet to lay eyes on a handsome soldier named Jay. Imagining how they might have become the women they were by the time they reached East Egg was by turns fun, wistful, sympathetic, and heartbreaking, immersing us in the less glamorous reality of being a woman a hundred years ago. You didn't have to buy into every single reimagined character (Nick being quite so dull, for instance, or Gatsby being such a thorough creep) to enjoy this story for what it was -- it stands on its beautiful own while opening a side door to new possibilities and perspectives on the original. A gutsy, gorgeous book.

I always enjoy the work of Jillian Cantor and enjoyed Beautiful Little Fools very much. recommended by me.

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor. Pub Date: February 1, 2022. Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. A re-telling of The Great Gatsy through the eyes of the women is no small feat to take on, but boy did Cantor deliver. I’ve always loved reading The Great Gatsby, so I was immediately drawn to the premise of this book. With the glitz, glamour and vibes of the 1920s, this book takes the reader to a time of mystery and intrigue. I loved the flow of the book and how each woman’s story was intricately weaved into the novel. A must read! Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #harperperennial #beautifullittlefools #jilliancantor #bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #bookworm

Title: Beautiful Little Fools
Author: Jillian Cantor
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Genre: Historical Fiction

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for honoring my request to read and review this title. I apologize for being behind on my reviews, but sometimes I find that the hardest reviews for me to write, are for the books I really love. And was one of them.

You.guys. I devoured this book! And thus far, it’s been one of my favorite reads this month. Author, Jillian Cantor, was bold & brave to tackle the famous Great Gatsby and do a retelling from the three female characters prospective, but she absolutely nailed it! This book was sexy and mysterious, but above all had strong female characters to root for and love.

“And I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

Beautiful Little Fools opens up with Jay Gatsby shot dead in his swimming pool. The case appears to be an open and shut murder-suicide when the body of a vengeful man is also at the scene. However, Detective Frank Charles is not so convinced. Especially after he finds a diamond hair clip at the scene. He believes there is more to the story. So he begins interviewing the three woman tangled up in Gatsby life - Daisy, Jordan, and Catherine.

“He loved me; he needed me. And that made me more than a fool, didn’t it? That in itself, gave me all the power.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved this book! The 1920s and the Jazz Age is always fun to read about. I love multiple timelines and prespectives, so this was right up my alley. This one was extra fun with prespectives of three females, plus the detective.