A captivating story that combines the elements of sexism, racism, romance, friendship, and tension. I loved it!
Many thanks to Black Rose Writing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I teach The Great Gatsby in my AP Literature & Composition class, so I was excited to take a look at this adaptation. I feel that adaptations are hard to nail--the source material already has so much clout (problematic or not). This was a fine read, though I don't think I'll bring it into the classroom as I had originally considered.

3.5 stars. This novel’s premise was very intriguing to me, being a former high school AP English teacher and a person who loves The Great Gatsby: Hazel, a high school teacher who discusses The Great Gatsby with her class and her fiance/co-worker Vance are involved in an awful automobile accident from which Hazel has a serious brain injury and amnesia regarding the accident. The plot progresses as Hazel works to regain her memory. There are some good twists and turns along the way, although quite a few are pretty predictable, as well as some eye-rolling incidents that somewhat strain the willing suspension of disbelief. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this read, particularly the incorporation of literature into the storyline.

Thank you to @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Beautiful Little Furies by Laurel Osterkamp. Hazel is a high school teacher in Minneapolis. She loves the Great Gatsby and teaching it to her AP English students. But she gets in a car accident, and suffers a brain injury, and everything gets weird. Did she really break up with her boyfriend before the accident? What is her favorite student trying to tell her? How does she handle life now, and who does she believe? This is a quick read and fairly light even though the subject matter is dark. #beautifullittlefuries #laurelosterkamp #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookstagram #booklover #reader #bookblog #lovetoread #fictionreader #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #readallthebooks #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #booknerd #whattoread #readingtime #bookaddict #ilovetoread #ilovebooks #needtoread #readallday

Intrigue turns into predictability in Laurel Osterkamp's "Beautiful Little Furies." While the initial amnesia-fueled mystery hooks readers, the plot becomes almost boring leaving little room for surprise. The "Gatsby"-inspired themes of reinvention and female empowerment are a stretch.

The characters, unfortunately, are not very interesting. They fall into traditional roles - the troubled student, the supportive best friend, the enigmatic love interest. Their motivations and emotions often feel melodramatic, reminiscent of a soap opera.

As an educator I strongly question many of Hazel's actions. Some of her choices are not only questionable but potentially reckless, jeopardizing not only her own safety but also that of her students. Her relationship with Febe is completely inappropriate and approaches criminal.

While the ending delivers a twist, its overly dramatic execution may leave readers unsatisfied. The resolution feels rushed, glossing over significant details and consequences. This undermines the emotional impact the author strives for.

While this book was not for me, its fast pace and intriguing central mystery might appeal to readers seeking a light, albeit predictable, escape. However, those seeking deeper character development, complex themes, and realistic portrayals of educators might be disappointed.

I don't think this book was for me. The plot was far fetched, predictable, and hard to believe. The main character was unlikable: Insecure, needy, clingy, obsessive. Actually, none of the characters were likeable. I also found it weird how obsessed she was with a one night stand that had happened years prior. I didn't find this interesting or entertaining at all and was very close to DNFing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Overall, this book just wasn't for me. I almost DNF'ed it at 43%, but I was curious enough about the ending to continue. I skimmed the book's second half and could pick up on what was going on by reading the dialogue. By the end, the book seemed a little far-fetched for my liking.

This book was difficult for me, as I'm in the same career as the author. The adults in this novel were immature and made decisions that had me questioning their professionalism. I also struggled to follow the different perspectives we were provided because it wasn't always clear who was narrating the chapter.

In general, I think this book had potential, and it did have dramatic aspects that some people may enjoy, but I didn't care for it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this, it had a great overall feel to the story, I wanted to find out what happened in the accident and why Hazel and Vance had broken up just before it. It had a great suspenseful atmosphere and I really didn’t know why. Laurel Osterkamp does a great job in writing this and left me wanting more.

The cover drew me to this book and the mention of The Great Gatsby. I wanted to like this one but I struggled with it. Thanks for the review copy.

I figured out the villain of the piece from their first sentence. From there it was easy to see where the story was going. By no means was this a fault of the author. The writing and structure of this book are quite good.
Thank you Black Rose Writing, Laurel Osterkamp and Net Galley for an advanced copy of Beautiful Little Furies.
#BeautifulLittleFuries#NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

To say I am not a fan would be an understatement. As a high school English teacher, I had such high hopes for a book about a high school English teacher WRITTEN by a high school English teacher. Unfortunately, this book fell short in so many ways.

1. The writing was CLUNKY. The golden rule of "show don't tell" felt completely ignored. I was told every. single, little. thing. This was especially apparent in the first few chapters. They felt like the biggest infodump and I seriously thought about putting the book down as early as chapter 2. Unfortunately, this didn't get much better.

2. The plot twists were gimmicky, obvious, and made me want to scream with how unrealistic they felt. I know books require some suspension of disbelief, but as a trained teacher, Hazel's actions "for the sake of the students" were incomprehensible. The publishing of the school magazine with a wildly risky story? The going to a students' house to check up on her? The telling the office secretary to basically fuck off? WHAT??Not only this, but the big reveal about Vance's affair partner was something I saw coming a mile away, and I don't consider myself particularly good at spotting plot twists either.

3. The story screams white saviorism. It is over the top and sickly how Hazel talks about her minority students as if they are incapable of taking care of themselves. It is important to give a voice to minority students, but talking about it in front of them CONSTANTLY and making comments about protecting them is so icky and feels very performative. Not to mention the whole Febe situation at the end of the book.

4. Related to point 1, but slightly different: the dialogue felt overly dramatic and like nothing actual people would say. Having taught AP English, I can pretty much guarantee that most of the kiddos are NOT going to make such insightful comments, but somehow most of the AP Lit kids in this book understood the book to the same level as their teacher? Wild. The weird stuck-in literary references (by students, nonetheless) didn't help the dialogue at all.

All this to say, I disliked this book from both the perspective of a reader and as a teacher. The writing was not fun to read and I couldn't suspend my disbelief about the main character's actions because they go against so many things teachers know to do. It made this book so hard and frustrating to read, and I leave it incredibly disappointed.

Publication date: Dec 20, 2023

I loved reading 'Beautiful Little Furies'. It's about high school students dealing with big issues like sexism and racism. The author mixes in mythology and classic literature in a cool way. I related to the characters' struggles and feelings. The book made me think about my own beliefs and past experiences. It's a powerful and memorable story that stays with you.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.
I liked this book better at first than as I got further in. It was fun seeing the literary references and connections and how the author wove them through. I even enjoyed the podcast aspect and the students search for the truth. Initially, the descriptions of teaching high school kids seemed pretty much what I'd experienced in my 30+ years of teaching in a public school, and the author herself was apparently also an English teacher, but apparently she decided to let her character ignore rules teachers MUST follow regarding reports of students in danger, appropriate interactions with students and so much more. It's not a bad who dunnit, but even beyond the false image of school, the main character is so clearly stalking her ex, that it was hard to find much sympathy for her. Also puzzling as to why no one will actually tell her why he doesn't want contact with her.

Author Laurel Osterkamp brings together three new high school teachers who mask their poor decisions and messy personal lives around the struggles of a female Muslim student in St. Paul, MN. Hazel is in a car accident and does not remember why the accident happened. Instead of asking her doctors or the police for details, Hazel decides to return to her teaching job after ten days of rest and piece together this new puzzle in her life, creating drama in the school and suspense for the reader. Had readers been told early on that there was a hit and run accident on an icy road that causes Hazel's memory loss and Vance's facial disfiguration and the novel centered on uncovering who caused the accident, it would have been a more believable read.

After suffering a brain injury from a car accident she can’t remember, Hazel returns to the high school she teaches at, with the intention of trying to repair herself. But with her fiancé disappearing from her life without explanation, and the people around her telling her different versions of what happened to her, she doesn’t know who or what to believe.
Some of the plot points were a little over the top, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.
Thanks to #netgalley and #blackrosewriting for this #arc of #beautifullittlefuries in exchange for an honest review.

Initially I was drawn in by the prospect of lots of Gatsby references. There were some, but not as many as I had hoped for (my expectations were set by the cover and the MC job). I still really enjoyed this book and trying to figure out the mystery as it unfolded.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this title.

Okay, so I was given an ARC to review and I think it’s important that review reflects my experience of the story, and isn’t just flattering because I got a free book. So let’s do it.

Subjectively, this book was not for me at all. I didn’t buy the stakes at all- the situation they were all in was made to seem critical, but they could have all just gotten another job. The main character is unhinged, but not in a way that makes interesting literature - she is weirdly obsessive and basically harasses the men in her life and this is treated as an entirely normal thing to do. Nobody comments on the utter delulu needed to continually email a man who you’re broken up with or how she went off the deep end after she envisioned her entire life with a one night stand. Girl.

Objectively, this book wasn’t great. The twist was very, very predictable, the dialogue was pulled straight from a bad telenovela and the characters were just plot devices. There was also a LOT of awkward and over the top white saviourism. You can imagine my complete lack of surprise when I googled the author to find she was a white woman working in the same job as the main character. Shock. It’s 2024, we can probably do better.

Altogether, not the best. May make a good beach read if you’re looking for something that won’t take up too much brain space. Otherwise, I’d swerve it.

I enjoyed this book. There were a lot of important topics including friendship, sexism, and racism. Sometimes I feel that it can be too much for a book to cover with authenticity, but I felt like it was balanced and clear.
I thought the story was pretty heavy but I liked the parallels to The great gatsby (one of my fav books).

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the ebook.

I loved this debut novel. The protagonist has temporary memory loss from an accident but she needs to remember what happened. The world continues around her as if she knows the missing time. I enjoyed the characters and the surprises they threw at the reader.

A good read and well thought plot!

The plot twist was amazing and very surprising. I loved the storyline and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.