In the aftermath of an accident, Hazel Ford struggles to put her life back in order along with her memories which are still as lost as she feels. Hazel is a dedicated high school teacher. Even though she’s still recovering from a traumatic brain injury, she promptly returns to educate a class of Advanced Placement students. There are several hard lessons ahead for all involved.

I enjoyed revisiting the themes spurred by references to The Great Gatsby and the spirit of reinvention and redemption. I also felt it was over the top at times with a few plot holes that were patched together with spit and glue. I still recommend this novel if you like stories that contain many worthwhile references to art, literature, self-discovery, and female empowerment.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Beautiful Little Furies for my unbiased evaluation.  3 stars

Beautiful Little Furies by Laurel Osterkamp.
It's 2004 in Minneapolis, and Hazel Ford is an English teacher at a diverse urban high school, where she loves discussing The Great Gatsby with her Advanced Placement students. Plus, she's crazy about her fiancé/fellow high school teacher, Vance. But when the two of them are involved in a horrific car accident, everything comes crashing down, leaving Hazel with a traumatic brain injury and no memory of the accident - or of her supposed breakup with Vance.
When Hazel's brilliant but troubled student Febe reveals dark secrets about Vance, Hazel must navigate through the twists and turns of self-discovery, risking everything - even her own safety - to protect those she loves most and uncover disturbing truths that were buried deep.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Hazel. Beautifully written. 5*.

A character towards the end says the occurrence is like a TV show. And that's at the core of my three star review. O Laurel Osterkamp had not attempted to combine so many genres and plot points, this novel would have been so much better. In thickening the plot, the author has made it confusing with too many unnecessary characters with similar names (Lucas, Cyrus) and too many women with long, dark hair.

It's pretty easy to see who is lying and who is not. Osterkamp's writing would have been much better off had she concentrated on the things she obviously knows best: Teaching High School AP English and school administration politics. (Her HR representative was a gem.) Also well done was her depiction of Febe, an Iranian girl and her centrality of depiction of racism.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC copy to read pre-publication.

Thanks to Black Rose Writing and NetGalley for the ARC. The book was well done, The literary parts were well written and the author was in the know. Although it was not one of the great mysteries of all time it was still a good read with some heavy and important problems that we face today. Would make a great book club choice to open dialogue

I am a lover of all things Gatsby. I was expecting a little more of a tie-in based on the title and synopsis, but enjoyed the eggs, very much #iykyk. The parts where the main character interacted with her students about the book made my heart sing, as I remember having similar conversations in my high school literature class. Overall I enjoyed the plot and the ending was alright. I would have liked more organization about the POV, as it switches. It took some time to orient to who was speaking.

Hazel Ford is a dedicated teacher of Advanced Placement students in a high school with a diverse student body that includes Muslim, hijab-wearing students like the very bright Febe.

It is 2004 and the US is still very much dealing with the aftermath of 9/11. The book addresses many issues still pertinent today, including racism, sexism and stereotyping.

Hazel is very happy with her life, her friendships, her classes teaching The Great Gatsby to her students, and her relationship with her boyfriend Vance.

But everything changes after she and Vance are involved in a serious accident which leaves Hazel with a dramatic brain injury and limited memories of what happened. To make matters worse, Vance leaves his job, disappears from Hazel's life, and refuses to answer her messages.

Now Hazel needs to figure out what really took place between them. But can she handle knowing? There are hints of a darker side to events that may require her to face up to uncomfortable truths if she is to move on with her life. And Febe holds part of the key...

This is an intelligent and provocative story that effortlessly holds the reader's attention. Hazel is a relatable and immensely likeable MC and you find yourself empathizing with the challenges she faces.

Delving into the complications that sometimes lie under the surface of romantic relationships, the ties that bind and break female friendships, and the truths that we hide - even from ourselves - the book takes us on a memorable journey that includes Hazel's gradual (re)discovery of her own recent past. It gets 3.5 stars.

The premise of Laurel Osterkamp’s “Beautiful Little Furies,” with its suggestion of a probing examination of identity, was intriguing enough that it overrode my usual disaffection for mysteries, with their artifice and contrivance.
A high school English teacher, Hazel Ford, has no memory of an automobile accident that she was involved in and no notion of why her fiance, who was in the car with her, has simply disappeared and won’t answer her emails. And certain people at the school, including her best friend and a female Muslim student, seem to know more about the accident than they’re letting on. Further, the student is in the crosshairs of strong anti-Muslim sentiment after 9/11 and looks to have been the victim of some sort of assault.
Heady stuff just at that literal level, the novel, but references to the themes of illusion vs. reality and the American Dream in “The Great Gatsby,” as well as references to the Greek play “Eumenides” (hence the furies of the title), point to the novel having greater things on its mind in the way that John Knowles’ renowned “A Separate Peace” used its school setting as a microcosm of war and evil.
But in the end to my mind Osterkamp’s book proved to be pretty standard mystery fare, albeit better written than most. Plus I had my usual gripe with the depiction of high school life, which to my mind authors never seem to get right. For one thing, the teachers in some of their actions seemed to me almost as immature as their students.
Still, the novel was not without appeal to me, with my having been an English major and always appreciative of any attempt at literary fiction. I just wish that an editor had pressed the author on ways in which the novel’s greater philosophical possibilities could have been better realized.

I could not put this book down and read it in one evening! So happy I got to read an ARC.

There is mystery, heartbreak, work drama, and more, all done in a tasteful and wonderfully written way. My heart broke for Hazel to have lost her memories and was dealing with the sudden shock of losing her partner and betrayal.

Don't miss out on this book, coming out 12/21/2023.

A mash-up of The Great Gatsby and Greek mythology, set in a diverse Minnesota high school in 2004, Beautiful Little Furies addresses sexism and racism, romance and friendship and intergenerational tension. That's a lot of weight for one story, but Osterkamp carries it well. The writing is vivid, the characters are memorable, and the pages are compulsively readable even when the subject matter is serious. An absorbing, provocative, and memorable story, worth dropping everything to gulp down in a few days.

As a retired high school English teacher (and having grown up in Minnesota, I knew I'd love this one! Teachers Hazel and Vance have been in a horrific car accident that leaves Hazel with amnesia and headaches. Vance is on leave but Hazel returns to school to discover she broke up with Vance but can't remember any details, Best friend Olivia is there to take care of her as she attempts to regain her memory and help Muslim student Febe as she recognizes her talents. But things get crazy as we are never quite sure what's true and what isn't as the book vacillates between past and present and there are surprises around every corner!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Great read and great book!

For fans of Lisa Jewell you will love this. The plot and twists will keep you wanting to read past your bedtime!

The character build will keep you thinking of them after you read this book!

Thanks NetGalley fir allowing Mr to read snd review