Just Daisy

by Deborah Linn

Daisy Fay always strives to live up to her parents’ expectations, and Daisy’s parents expect the best. The best school, the best clothes, and the best life. But how do you decide who is the best boyfriend? Ever since she fell hard for Jamie Gatsby on her summer beach vacation, Daisy can’t decide what to do. She wants to be with Jamie, but he’s on the east coast, and she’s back in Chicago at school. Her long-term boyfriend, Tom, is popular and athletic and secures her place in the social hierarchy. Plus, if she dumps Tom, that won’t bring Jamie to her doorstep, it will just leave her alone. She’d rather be anything than alone.

Daisy resigns herself to following everyone’s expectations as usual, but when Jamie shows up at East Eggerton Academy, she realizes that he has expectations, too. She learns quickly that even romantic love can be controlling and betrayed hearts can be violent. In the end, the choice becomes not which guy she’ll choose to love, but what she’ll risk to choose herself.

269 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2021

Reviews

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start off by saying that I think the idea of using a modern day high school as the setting for this novel was genius. Several of the themes examined in the original book, especially abuse of both the physical and psychological variety, translate well to this setting. Linn handles both in a thoughtful and realistic way which was great to see as these themes were not explored in depth in the original story.

I also loved that Daisy, perhaps the most disliked and misunderstood of all the original characters takes center stage here. Linn doesn’t try to make her into a completely new and likeable character, but rather gives more insight into her motivations and feelings so that the reader comes away with a sense of understanding and empathy for her.
Overall, I enjoyed this retelling and found a lot of merit in it. I think it could be used as a great teaching tool to be read in conjunction with the original novel for younger readers and would invite great discussions. And I won’t give anything away, but by the end I was cheering Daisy on!

[Carmen | majormotionbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Daisy by Deborah Linn was a book I finished last year. I am not typically a reader who leans toward a retelling of a known story. However, this one might just have changed my mind!

Ever wonder what would happen if your favorite characters existed in a different time and place? Just Daisy is just that! This Gatsby retelling takes place in modern time, in high school, and from Daisy’s perspective.

Just Daisy seeks to redeem the titular character. Daisy is given the stage to express her side of the story. Does it absolve her of all of her sins? No. Is she still slightly annoying and out of touch? In my opinion, yes.

However, Linn does a fantastic job of showing how physical, emotional abuse and manipulation can cause individuals to do things they thought they might never do.

I definitely recommend, it is definitely worth the read!

[Melissa Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the different perspective on Daisy. The story does a great job of showing struggles teens go through.

[Abby Coble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had honestly never read The Great Gatsby when I first read Just Daisy, I have since read it. I much prefer the story line and characterization in Just Daisy. I love that the retelling is from Daisy’s point of view and while she is still indecisive through most of the book, there is a good resolution at the end with hope for Daisy’s future. The twists and turns vary a good amount from the original but are a nice modern spin on a classic story. Overall, if you are (or aren’t) a fan of The Great Gatsby, this is a good retelling and a quick read.

[Courtney Ast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up having read The Great Gatsby in school, I came to love the characters and the time period. This book brings it all back. I love seeing things from a different perspective, and this is exactly what Just Daisy did for me. Please do yourself a favor and read this book!

[Jenna Hainke · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you loved The Great Gatsby, you need to read this book.
If you hated The Great Gatsby, you need to read this book.

Deborah Linn took on the bold and intensely clever task of retelling the classic Gatsby. Not only did Linn decide to place the story in modern day (an incredibly creative concept), but she also made the decision to write from the point of view of a character who was the most controversial and misunderstood in the original - Daisy. She is incredibly successful at paying homage to the aspects of the novel that make the original Gatsby what it is, while also challenging and shedding light on certain aspects that were not a topic of conversation at the time it was written, or when many students (like myself) read it.

So how does she do it?

The novel begins with teenage Daisy spending her summer vacation in Tybee Island where she meets the charming and irresistible Jamie Gatsby. The two fall in love and spend a breathlessly perfect summer together, before Daisy is ripped away to return to her real world in Chicago as cheerleading captain with her best friend Jordan, cousin Nick and quarterback boyfriend Tom. But, in a very Grease-like fashion, Jamie surprises Daisy by showing up to her high school claiming they are soulmates and meant to be together. Suddenly, Daisy finds herself in a love triangle with her abusive boyfriend Tom - who exemplifies everything she believed her parents taught her to want - and the elusive Jamie.

Linn intentionally stays true to the original in many ways, giving modernized references to the character’s backgrounds (Jamie’s dad, Daisy’s dead parents, Jordan’s golf scandal, Jamie gifting Daisy an emerald-green necklace, etc.) She also mirrors the wistful, dreamy tone that Fitzgerald uses throughout the story but this time, through the eyes of a young girl who wants to be loved - by everyone, it seems. “Cotton candy clouds rest in the soft sky. Heat flushes into my cheeks, but it’s not from the sun. It’s from a memory of his kisses, his hands, his ocean blue eyes that saw everything in me that I never even knew was there.” Linn also transforms the American dream that felt to be sought after in the original and transforms it into Daisy’s version of a “Teenage Dream” - which is also the reason that she has such a hard time separating from Tom: “I really have missed this. This crowd, they are my people. As they quiet their chant to hear Tom’s pep talk, I’m reminded of my place in East Eggerton world. There’s a symmetry to it, a balance.”

*SPOILERS BEGIN HERE*

However, Linn doesn’t shy away from using her retelling to call attention to the odd or problematic themes that were somewhat glossed over in the original. We finally get to see Daisy overlook the romance long enough to question Jamie’s obsessive behavior and, most of all, his compulsive dishonesty. Tom’s blatant abuse (both physically and verbally) and gaslighting is actually more obvious to the kids rather than the adults ironically, and we get to see him face the consequences of those actions which I selfishly found incredibly satisfying. Calling to light the abusive nature of the relationship between Daisy and Tom, along with the toxic and misleading lessons that were passed onto Daisy by her parents (such as picking the “Top Guy”), gives enormous amounts of insight into Daisy’s character and why she thinks the way she does, which allows readers to show her character more grace and understanding.

Along that note, the thing that made this book the most special to me was the way it further defined, explained, or in some cases, redeemed many of the characters. I actually feel as if the focus was shifted off of Jamie and we got to learn more about characters like Jordan, Nick, and most of all Daisy which I found quite refreshing.

Nick, in the original, was seen as judgmental and whiney by many. However I think this retelling portrays Nick as incredibly gentle and kind. He shows more maturity than is normal for his age, and he understands a lot more than he lets on. Jordan actually became my favorite character as she exemplified everything I wish for women to be: bold, confident, and unapologetically herself. The friendship between her and Daisy, and how she championed Daisy throughout the whole length of the novel, was my favorite relationship in the story. It was a clever and understated way for Linn to slip in the lesson that sometimes the most special types of love is nonromantic, especially for teenagers.

But the character that received the most retribution in this retelling is by far Daisy, of course. Many readers of the original harshly critiqued Daisy for being whiny, toxic, materialistic etc. And while Linn doesn’t shy from those aspects of Daisy (because we do see them present in this version as well) - she does take the time to explain them. We see that Daisy sees the world through the lens of what she was taught to want or to go after, not necessarily what she wants. We understand her indecisiveness really comes from the intense codependency that comes from being in an abusive relationship. We learn that she was a product of what was passed onto her from her parents. But Linn truly does something magical with Daisy’s character arc. While I was sitting and waiting to see who Daisy chooses, my heart swelled with pride when she finally chose herself and broke the generational curse that she was on track to continue. The title truly came full circle - it’s not Daisy and Tom, or Daisy and Jamie, just Daisy. It had me audibly saying, “You go girl!”

In conclusion, I think this is a book that everyone should read, regardless of your feelings for the original. I think it should also be taught alongside the original in schools, as it takes many aspects a step further while also elevating others. I only wish Fitzgerald could read it himself!

[Theresa Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book ! Wow! This book took me back in an instant .Deborah Linn has created characters that I felt like I knew from my own experience in high school. All the emotion and drama and lessons were brought right to the surface. I felt the tug of a first love even though it was unhealthy. I felt the desire to do something different but also felt the lack of confidence required to make the changes necessary to steer your life the way you want it to go. I felt the pressure of not doing what you knew was right just because of your position. This book is such a great story of all the lessons we should have learned ! Fantastic !

[Hannah]

DNF around 30%. Everyone is an insufferable twit and it was miserable to slog through the ten chapters I managed to read.

[Kelly]

I finished the book. This definitely speaks to the idea of breaking with tradition. Young women should read this and realize their own choices.

[Bayley Vang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that while reading “The Great Gatsby” we all wondered what Daisy had running through her mind while the story unfolded. With this book, now we have that urge fulfilled. I am typically a suspense book lover, but this novel had me reading at warp speed because I wanted to know what happened next and I simply could not put it down. I told my mom to read it and she finished it in a couple days and loved it just as much as I did!