I just finished this and it is so good! I started last night and couldn't stop until it was done. I enjoyed the rediscovered romance and the supernatural elements. There's a lot of good balance as well, with likeable, well written and varied side characters- Daisy's cousin, Nick, being my personal fav. A lovely, spicy sweet read. Great Gasby with vampires is a good mix!! I was so happy to get the ARC for this and definitely recommend it!

A fresh take on 2 old premises, but without the character development or plot to follow through. The introduction to our characters and the mystery of Jay was enticing, but this tension was very short lived. Ultimately, the conflict was either never brought to fruition, with several woven threads planted that never pay off, or solved immediately. After the anticlimactic reveal of Jay as a vampire, (there was an unrealistically calm and easy acceptance of all of the magic elements by all characters) only poor dialogue and back to back sex scenes carry you through to the final conflict. It felt slow and repetitive, and the development of Daisy and Jay’s romance wasn’t substantial enough to carry it through. Jay’s red flags of possessiveness and his drive for more money and power are particularly uncomfortable considering Daisy’s past in an abusive relationship. His anger at her losing her virginity in the 7 years he was gone, when he has slept with multiple partners? Gross. Her adapting from arguing this point to him, to feeling guilty and apologizing? Reminiscent of the emotional abuse she already endured and refuses to actually deal with. This ex comes up in a few scenes as a subplot of conflict, but it is one that is never paid off. The inclusion of his character and his girlfriend didn’t really add anything to the plot beyond setting up an illusion to the pool scene in the OG Gatsby, and reveal that none of Daisy’s support system knows her or is willing to get her the help she needs. A subplot with her Dad and their own family’s powers was similarly introduced only for immediate conclusion. Ultimately, the only real conflict comes in the last 20% of the book, and feels both unearned for several reasons. The older first generation vampire has been established as having issues with Jay’s methods; however, Daisy also has ethical concerns with Jay’s methods that she just brushes off because she’s so infatuated- again, toxicity has entered the chat. But more importantly, the villain’s threat is meant to be beyond a threat to Jay, extending to all of his created vampires. They are referenced as “his people” repeatedly in the last 20% of the book, though they are never really mentioned as people he cares about or shown to be important to him or Daisy prior to this. In fact, Jay has really only shown jealous anger, or disdain for the other vampires outside of Jordan and Cody. So Daisy becomes this biggest weapon in a fight she doesn’t have any reason to support outside of protecting Gatsby, who alternatingly wants to protect her and puts he in massive danger.

Other oddities:
-Jay’s insistence that Daisy’s parent should have adopted him is bizarre and completely illogical.
-Daisy has had family money since she was 13 but talks as though she grew up poor. She has had money most of her life.

Overall, the plot development (namely too many low stakes conflicts that don’t pay off or are resolved too quickly) and some cheesy dialogue took too much away from the fun premise to recommend this read.

This was fantastic!! A Great Gatsby retelling but make Gatsby a vampire. The love between Jay and Daisy was soooo pure and sweet and Tom is just as nasty and vindictive as the original. I loved this paranormal/sci-fi twist on such a great original story. This retelling was done so well, as all of Rebecca’s retellings go. I can’t wait for the next one.

Great Gatsby retelling with vampires!! I absolutely love this author and always really enjoy everything she writes. This wasn’t my favorite book of hers though. I felt like her characters fell a little flat. I’m used to amazing banter and smoldering tension when reading her books but this story lacked that. It seemed rushed and lacked passion. I wish I had enjoyed this more but I just couldn’t find anything about this I really loved. Even the spice wasn’t what I have come to expect of this author. I think if you read this for the first time, without reading anything else from Rebecca Kenney it would probably be really enjoyable. I have read a lot by her and feel like I’m comparing it to those other works and this just lacked the same quality she usually brings to her story telling.
What I did enjoy was how creative it was- what an interesting interpretation of The Great Gatsby. Like the good structure was there, this had all the components of an amazing story but the execution was just lacking. If you love vampires reads definitely give this a shot though!
Thank you to NetGalley & the author for my e-ARC.

Home for the summer after another semester at her university, Daisy is feeling depressed and taken for granted after breaking up with her cheating ex-boyfriend, Tom. Determined to get her out of her funk, her friends and family encourage her to get out of the house. When she goes to a themed party at an elaborate mansion with her friends, she finds herself reunited with her childhood sweetheart, the true one that got away, the mysteriously captivating Jay Gatsby! Oh yes, Gatsby is back alright, and this time, with a lot more bite!

This new take on the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald tale was both ingenious and refreshing! Ms. Kenney does an excellent job of channeling and transitioning the 1920's backdrop from “The Great Gatsby” setting to a modern-day, 2020's setting. The world-building also incorporates a unique spin on Vampire lore! The characters surrounding the story are not only fleshed out in its homage to the original characters on which they are based on, but the chemistry between Jay and Daisy provokes a powerful message. Daisy as a main character goes through a powerful arc as she, with the help of Gatsby and her friends, learns to find her inner voice and stand up to herself when faced with the lingering remnants of her past that was the toxic relationship she had with Tom.

Gatsby is a well crafted, multidimensional character. While he's portrayed as a suave, billionaire vampire with the fighting style of Sebastian Michaelis from “Kuroshitsuji”, he also struggles with perfectionism and feels he needs to be perfect in order to be worthy of love. Daisy and Gatsby balance each other out as they both teach one another the importance of self love and the true meaning of what it is to love unconditionally. If you’re looking for a unique, paranormal spin on a classic literary tale, don't miss out on this book when it hits online shelves July 16, 2024!

Rating: 5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Meter: 4/5🌶🌶🌶🌶

-Tropes to Expect: Second Chance, New Adult, Childhood Friends-to-Lovers, Paranormal Romance, Vampires, 1920's Throwback, Themed Parties, and Secret Society.

-Trigger Warnings: Discussions of Infidelity, Discussions of Toxic Relationships, Relationship Anxiety, Manipulation and Emotional Abuse, Harassment, and Explicit Death.

I am incredibly thankful to the publisher and netgalley for an e-arc copy. That being said, I knew I’d love this book. I love Rebecca’s other books, and as soon as she said she was writing about vampires agains, I was excited.

This book lived up to the hype I had expected from it. While I had never read The Great Gatsby (only know the parks notes version), I feel like there was a great blend of vampirism, romance, and Great Gatsby incorporation.

Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a delightfully entertaining, mystery filled, romantic journey. And if you enjoy this book too, check out the author’s other books!

The book is fine. I didn’t find myself engaged and stopped after chapter 2 (6%) but overall, it’s accessible and easy to follow and should be three to four stars with the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

I had a fun time reading Beautiful Villain! I was super interested in this because it’s a modern retelling of The Great Gatsby. I do think it was odd that all the characters names were the same but I got used to it. This was fast paced & I loved the paranormal twist! The romance was very cute! This was my first book by this author and I will definitely be reading more!

Dark romance Beautiful Villain by Rebecca Kenney centers on vampire Jay Gatsby and recent graduate Daisy Finnegan.

I was surprised that the character names in this modern-day Gatsby retelling matched those in the Great Gatsby novel and movie. Though I was eager to read this, the exact names simply didn't sit well with me.

Also, based on the summary, I had assumed that Daisy would discover that Jay was a vampire when Nick, her cousin, went missing and it was her responsibility to track him down. However, Nick was discovered after being gone for only a few hours and the way she discovered Jay was a vampire was so anticlimatic. So, the book's plot was actually not really there.

The fact that the entire book contained several references to modern stuff was another thing I found annoying. There was talk of apps like YouTube and TikTok. Worse, vampire movies like Twilight were mentioned as well.

Because of its synopsis and cliches, I had high expectations for this novel, but it lacked a real plot and drama.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and to the author, Rebecca Kenney, for providng me with this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.*

Personally, I rate this book two stars because I don’t like contemporary or billionaire romance. However, I’m giving it three stars because I assume people who like those genres will like it more than I did.

Rebecca F Kenney is literally one of my favorite authors and I was so disappointed by this book. I hated the fact that it was set in present day. The writing style was completely different than her other books. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s her first trad published book or what. I’ve rated several of her other books five stars but this was just not it.

Literally none of the characters were likable. I hated almost everyone. I didn’t like the concept for the vampires. So many of the ideas were not fleshed out at all.

Like I said, this is not what I was expecting but I do hope the book does well, because I like her other work. It’s just not for me.

Another masterpiece by Rebecca Kenney! I devoured this book in one sitting and have not stopped thinking about it since. I love Daisy and Jay their story will have you swooning in no time. This story is written magnificently and the spice plot balance is perfect. I loved it was a modern twist on Gatsby with vampires.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved that it had vampires and was a remake of Gatsby. The book kept Gatsby's extravagances but with a new and modern twist. Along with this, Daisy rediscovers herself and becomes the heroine. The spice was the right amount. It's worth the read if you love the supernatural, spiciness, and a bit of conflict. I read this as an ARC from Netgalley.

I think this book has a lot of potential, I think the idea is really fun, but I do believe the stakes could be a lot higher. It seems like there's no real conflict in this book that isn't easily resolved. The HEA is obviously the point of the book, but it would be good to dig more into the consequences of things like Jay becoming a vampire for Daisy

I have never read The Great Gatsby but I love this retelling.
The childhood-friends-to-lovers romance is perfectly painted in a world of opulence, secrets and paranormal.
Characters are well written and their development is visible. Starting from the first pages I had a few characters I hated from the bottom of my heart but the author is nicer than I could be with some fictive people. I am happy my favorites remained nice people until the end 🤭.

Oof. I really didn't enjoy this book, and I'm so sad to say that, because I was really looking forward to it and so excited when I got approved! I was expecting more lushness and complexity and mood, but somehow everything felt a bit flat, and I just wasn't feeling the sparks between Daisy and Gatsby. Some of the plot devices felt a bit forced, like the bracelets Daisy notices on party guests, and the 'mysterious' wound on Nick. Obviously I'm in the minority and others are absolutely loving this book! It just wasn't for me, but I definitely wish this author all the success.

Words cannot describe how much I love Rebecca Kenney's writing. Her traditional publishing debut does not disappoint. Gilded monsters indeed.
Now I could be wrong, but you would have a hard time convincing me that adding vampires into literally all the classics would not make them all infinitely better. So when I heard The Great Gatsby meets Vampires, I was already all in.
I loved the characters and the world-building, the storyline was spectacular and I liked the supernatural spin on the classic tale (obviously).
If you like:
Second chance romance
Spice
Vampires
He fell first (and hard)
Then you will absolutely adore this book. I could quite literally not put it down and I will be over here not so patiently waiting for the next instalment.

This is my first ARC, and I was so excited to receive it! Rebecca Kenney NEVER disappoints. I devoured “Beautiful Villain.” It is a unique take on “The Great Gatsby” and every bit as enjoyable. I loved all of the spice, the rediscovered love, the vampire aspects and the characters. I loved Jay & Daisy, but Nick is definitely one of my favorites too. Such a fun read! Highly recommend. I can’t wait to see what other stores Kenney comes up with!

Fantastic and addictive Gatsby retelling with modern and supernatural flare!
I just couldn't put this down after I got into it. The characters, the drama, and the depth of feelings expressed painted a beautiful story.

Definitely a new favorite from Rebecca. Daisy is a wonderfully reimagined character whose fears, doubts, insecurities and drive for strength and understanding are extremely relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available on July 16,2024!

A Great Gatsby inspired vampire spicy romance? Hell yes gimme!!! This was a wickedly fun read that sucks you in and will not let you go! The plot was great. The spice was spicing. The characters are memorable and dig into your psyche.

"You have the loveliest skin"
"Says the guy who's trying not to be creepy"


Kenney truelly is the queen of retellings and once again she has knocked it out of the park with Beautiful Villian a modern take on Gatsby.

Now I was unsure going into this whether I would enjoy this story from Daisy's pov. In the original there was nothing I wanted more than to smack Daisy in the face with a shovel. Thankfully new modern Daisy is fun likeable and for once I actually was rooting for her.

Kenney still manages to make this story original and her own while retaining some key aspects of the original. We still have green lights, extravagant parties, asshole Tom and gluttonous wealth.

Thankfully we don't have to contend with Nick as an unreliable narrator and can just enjoy the events unfolding from daisys first hand perspective. The supernatural twist is folded seamlessly into the story and helps elevate the sensual aspects to a new level.

The only thing I believe this retelling lacks is the meaningful imagery of the original, but that's OK because that's not the story Kenney is trying to tell here.