Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Beautiful Villain by Rebecca Kenney!

this as a steamy paranormal romence. not my best read rom the auuthor but it was a good escape into romntic fantasy

A Gatsby retelling with paranormal vibes, vampires, and spice? SAY LESS !

I’ve enjoyed several of Rebecca’s retellings, and this one definitely delivered. The world-building was on point and the character development was fantastic. Absolutely loved this read and would highly recommend it!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

I got a little ARC happy and applied for this title based upon the cover. Unfortunately, this book is not for me and I am no longer interested in reading this title. Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader!

This was my first book by Rebecca Kenney, but it definitely won’t be my last.

It's an amazing retelling with a fantasty twist to it that I loved. I've never been too interested in Gatsby, so I can’t explain quite what drew me to this book in the first place, but after reading this, I'm very intrigued and will definitely have to add it to my TBR.

I loved how the fantastical elements had scientific explanations. I liked how the spice wasn’t the main focus, like so many fantasy romance books these days (don't get me wrong, I love me some spice, but sometimes it's nice to read something with more focus on plot and fantasy elements).

Another 5 star read from Rebecca!! Really enjoyed this!

I've never read about vampires before and I absolutely got such a thrill from the biting!!

Also that VR room scene will forever live in my head ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

What a fun retelling of a classic.

While the characters absolutely drove me nuts, the plot was enjoyable and I was still able to enjoy this one even with its flaws. This was a quick, easy read that didn’t require a whole lot.

This was a fun, sexy read and I truly did love Daisy’s glow up as a whole. She just came off annoying as all hell to me, and Gatsby was over the top. Though — given the loose retelling it did make some sense.

Loved this one!!! Such a fun retelling of a classic. This was my biggest surprise this fall, I truly loved it so much.

The cover of this one sucked me in. It's so beautiful. Unfortunately, the story just wasn't for me as a reader. I wish I had liked it more for sure!

“Beautiful Villain” was mildly entertaining but not necessarily in a good way. FMC Daisy is annoying and MMC Gatsby was too over the top in his simpness. There are many MANY pop culture references, and the plot pacing felt off to me. The book had moments where it truly caught my interest, but they were few and far between. It really lost me when Gatsby and Daisy tell her parents that she plans to become a vampire and they had no protest. It was just too much. I do think this book will have an audience, I am simply not among it.

2 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

I love Rebecca’s books. They’re easy to read and highly addicting. Like my favorite candy! This one was no different, and I ate it upppp in less than 24 hours. It had me in every single feeling and if you read it you know exactly what I mean. I was in tears a couple times and I laughed out loud many times too. I love how she can blend a little comedic lines into the story.
For anyone who loves The Great Gatsby but wants a spicy dark fantasy twist with VAMPS. (It is not the original but it is still based off of it and it’s obvious). The FMCs (Daisy) growth and glow up throughout the book is something I absolutely loved. We get to see her blossom and become so much stronger. I don’t want to ruin the story but it’s fun, it’s sexy, it’s SO enjoyable (especially as something to break up those heavy fantasy reads)!

when i saw that one of my fav indie authors was traditionally publishing a gatsby vampire retelling i was absolutely ecstatic. that’s like my dream come true. and this was beautiful. kenney writes in a way that is both sassy and modern but also intensely lyrical and romantic. i also loved the vampires! they were not supernatural, but the result of scientific advancements in medicine. i thought this was a very unique spin on vampirism and i enjoyed the prospect of it thoroughly.

that being said, this lacked something for me that i can’t quite put my finger on. at times the dialogue was weird and the modern references lost me. maybe i’m too used to her high fantasy fairy tale retellings so it was jarring in that regard. i also wasn’t a huge fan of how good the characters of daisy and jay were. it seemed there was a moral justification for their every decision and i just wasn’t vibing with that always heroic thing. i like the great gatsby for its flawed characters. and i know kenney can write some seriously morally gray characters, its a big part of her other books. maybe i just didn’t get it. that being said it was very enjoyable. i will read the next one when it comes out too, since it’s a dorian gray retelling (my fav book ever!).

i’d say this is worth your time if you are like me, a vampire connoisseur!

As a fan of Rebecca since before she was picked up by a publisher I've got to say she absolutely killed it with Beautiful Gillian!! How can you not love the Great Gatsby vibes with vampires?! This book was EVERYTHING andi cannot wait for the rest of the guilded monsters.

When I heard this was a paranormal Great Gatsby retelling I was so excited and couldn't get my hands on a copy soon enough!! Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. The fantasy elements weren't as exciting as I wanted them to be and they seem to be few and far between... With it only coming into play around the 50% mark. I also didn't love the writing. I can't really put my finger on what exactly I didn't like, but it came across as more YA than adult.

Overall, I just didn't vibe with the writing style, the characters, of the modern day setting.

As always, give it a go if it interests you! Vampires, modern day Great Gatsby, and spicy! I didn't vibe with it, but you may :)

2.5 stars rounded up

3.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

One of Kenney’s strongest re-imaginings! With the inclusion of vampires, Kenney took this modern Gatsby retelling from average to thrilling. This book had a great balance of tension, passion, and action. I look forward to the next installment of the Gilded Monsters.

I absolutely loved this. Really, I love everything Rebecca F Kenney writes, but this was no exception. Daisy made for wonderfully unflinching FMC and Jay....well, he was a morally gray vampire. Do I need to say more? The mystery sucked me in from the first page, and the spice, as usual, was HOT. Basically I will inhale anything this woman writes ❤️

I have to go and throw in the towel on this one. This didn’t work for me for many reasons. Mainly, the writing and overall vibe of this book was quite young and also made everything very obvious. Too many pop culture scenes and there was no way I could take the vampirism seriously. I liked the concept, but the execution was disappointing.

This book is so beautiful and the sketches inside? Perfect!
And this is a retelling of the Great Gatsby, a paranormal one at that! What more do you even want?

I enjoyed it, but some things damped my mood like the dialogues werent really that good in my opinion but I still loved this book.

Spicy, enthralling and everything I enjoy by this author. This book kept me flipping the pages as the MCs evolved, grew and put me through hate an love.

Great Gatsby retelling with magic? I'm so here for it. And this was just as compelling and romantic as I thought it would be.