I first fell in love with the cover of this book and then immediately after, the concept. This is a retelling of The Great Gatbsy and I was ready for this book to make me love it! I have a fascination with this time period! In this twist, our main protagonist is Jordan Baker, a queer Vietnamese adoptee with magic and navigating 1920’s American society but never somehow fitting in.

While I found this book interesting at times, it overall fell flat for me. I was expecting the magic element to play a more prominent role and it felt like an afterthought. Jordan was certainly the most interesting character of the lot, this is a story that deals with her struggles with heritage, culture and sexuality. Finding her identity. And those are the parts of this story that I liked. I would’ve liked to see even more of that. But I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the setting that Nghi Vo brought to life quite well. I have a fascination with this time period!

THE CHOSEN AND THE BEAUTIFUL is a book of subtleties and I think if you love the classic, you’ll probably love this one. While it represents the era well and it stays true to the original, I wasn’t captivated by the characters or the story enough to fall in love. Then again, maybe that’s my original feeling on The Great Gatsby as well that plays a role in that.

I really enjoyed the narrator, but the story not so much. I'm not sure what I was expecting with the whole sell as a Great Gatsby inspired book, but I wasn't feeling it. I guess I just found the characters fairly shallow and didn't really care what happened to them. I felt the story moved very slowly and not much happened.

This book description had me so ready to read this book. I saw it on Netgalley and had to have it. I was wrong. So very wrong. First, no where in the description does it say it's a retelling of The Great Gatsby. I read it in high school, was not a fan. Second, we were promised magic and the little parlor tricks that were preformed hardly satisfy the appetite. Third, Daisy. Just Daisy. I did appreciate the queer rep all around. The book was crazy wordy and honestly I felt there was no actual plot. There was no end game. It was people living lives for the summer and then they go back home. It was one of the reasons I didn't like TGG. It took me a ridiculous amount of time to read it and even then I couldn't get through the text and had to borrow the audio. The audio was much better than reading it but I still couldn't get past the lack of it.

The concept of a magical Great Gatsby was so intriguing. I do wish that the magic system was more flushed out.
The story also was a bit predictable as it did closely follow The Great Gatsby. I thought it would have more twists and turns than it did.

☆☆☆☆,5 /5

C’est le troisième livre audio que j’écoute et le premier en anglais. Je n’ai pas choisi le plus facile car l’histoire reste complexe et pourtant, j’ai écouté ce roman d’une traite en voiture en étant emportée par l’intrigue.
¤
Immigration. Société mondaine. Magie.

Jordan Baker grandit dans les cercles les plus raréfiés de la société américaine des années 1920 -elle a de l'argent, une éducation et des invitations à certaines des soirées les plus exclusives de l'ère du jazz. Elle est aussi queer, asiatique, adoptée et traitée comme une attraction exotique par ses pairs, tandis que les portes les plus importantes lui restent fermées.

Mais le monde regorge de merveilles : pactes infernaux et illusions fulgurantes, fantômes perdus et mystères élémentaires. Dans tout papier, il y a du feu, et Jordan peut brûler le cœur de papier découpé d'un homme. Elle doit juste apprendre comment.
¤
Cette lecture fut totalement enchantante. Parlons tout d’abord de l’intrigue. Ce roman est une réécriture de Gatsby Le Magnifique, dont l’histoire se déroule du point de vue du personnage de Jordan Baker, un personnage qui est plutôt secondaire dans la version originale. Mais l’autrice a ajouté des petites touches en plus qui ont rendu ce roman plus engagé, porteur de messages importants. Jordan Baker est queer et asiatique, adoptée dans une société américaine. C’était incroyable et en même temps rageant de voir la manière dont elle était traitée par les autres autour d’elle sous prétexte qu’elle a des caractéristiques physiques différents. Après tout, elle a grandi dans le même monde qu’eux. Également, Jordan possède des pouvoirs qu’elle va apprendre à utiliser au fil des pages.
Alors, voilà, on a de la diversité et de la magie, au sein d’une société mondaine et via la réécriture d’une histoire que j’ai beaucoup aimé par le passé.
¤
En plus de l’histoire, la narratrice a énormément contribué à la plénitude que j’ai ressenti pendant ma lecture. J’ai beaucoup aimé le ton de voix qu’elle prenait lors de la narration et particulièrement, lorsqu’elle s’efforçait de changer de voix afin de jouer chaque personnage. Ce dernier point m’a aidé déjà à reconnaître chaque personnage, à différencier la narration des dialogues… En fait, j’ai eu l’impression d’écouter un film. La base de la voix restait la même, je savais que c’était une seule personne qui narrait l’histoire mais le changement de ton était si naturel que c’est passé tout seul.
¤
En bref, une réécriture enchantante de Gatsby Le Magnifique avec une protagoniste queer, asiatique et qui a des pouvoirs, durant les années 1920. Ce n’était pas facile au début au niveau compréhension à l’audio, mais franchement, ce qu’offrent l’autrice et la narratrice dans cette histoire m’a complètement fait voyager.

-------
ENGLISH REVIEW:

This is the third audiobook I am listening to and the first in English. I didn’t choose the easiest because the story is complex and yet I listened to this book in one go in the car while being carried away by the intrigue.
¤
Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.

Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.

But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.
¤
This reading was totally enchanting. Let's talk about the plot first. This book is a retelling of The Great Gatsby, whose story unfolds from the perspective of the character of Jordan Baker, a character who is rather secondary in the original version. But the author added little extra touches that made this story more engaged, carrying important messages. Jordan Baker is queer and Asian, adopted into an American society. It was amazing and at the same time infuriating to see how she was treated by others around her on the pretext that she had different physical characteristics. After all, she grew up in the same world as them. Also, Jordan has powers that she will learn to use as the pages go by.
So there you have it, there is diversity and magic, within a mundane society and through rewriting a story that I have loved very much in the past.
¤
Moreover, the narrator contributed immensely to the fullness that I felt during my reading. I really liked the tone of voice she used when narrating and especially when trying to change voices in order to play each character. This last point has already helped me to recognize each character, to differentiate the narration from the dialogues… In fact, I had the impression of listening to a movie. The base of the voice was still the same, I knew it was one person telling the story but the change in tone was so natural that it happened on its own.
¤
Finally, this is an enchanting retelling of The Great Gatsby with a queer, Asian, and empowered protagonist during the 1920s. It wasn't easy at first in terms of audio comprehension, but honestly, what offers the author and the narrator in this story completely took me on a journey.

This is an odd one to rate.
The writing was gorgeous, but I couldnt get over all of the similarities and thought the fantastical elements were a bit… odd?

The Chosen and the Beautiful was one of my most anticipated reads of late spring/early summer 2021 and while it didn't live up to my hopes, I still enjoyed it.
Told from the point of view of an adopted Vietnamese socialite who is friends with Daisy, this book follows The Great Gatsby very closely. There's a bit of the fantastic, with soul selling and drinking of demon blood/liqueur, but it reads so much like Gatsby that I almost didn't notice when something not from reality was incorporated.
The story progresses slowly, with a lot of drinking and partying but not much in the way of plot and conflict until the very end (much like the source material).
Nghi Vo puts GG in context, however. Two of the four main characters are people of color, three are queer, and there's an abortion on page. Even just the fact that there's a woman telling the story and her friendship(?) with Daisy takes up so much space is a dramatic departure. Like GG, this has an Eat the Rich vibe, not because the characters feel that way but because the reader will end up wanting to get out the guillotine. The characters are vapid and selfish and exactly as one would expect from GG. But there's something extra in enough places that I appreciated the freshening up.
If you're a fan of The Great Gatsby and want it to be... more, I recommend The Chosen and the Beautiful. If you don't like the original, you will not enjoy this.

Audio Notes: Natalie Naudus does a fantastic job capturing the characters and mood of this book. Just excellent. I am positive I wouldn't have finished this book in print, but this audiobook was a great option.

I/m going to be honest, I was a bit skeptical going into this because Gatsby was one of my least favorite classics I had to read in high school.. But Nghi Vo's writing and view point elevated the story and brought focus to underserved characters and gave the story a new kind of life.

This magical Gatsby retelling held me captivated. While some parts of the plot were undeveloped, the story overall was great. I would have loved this book more if the magical side of the plot was explored more throughout the story and was not only merely mentioned from time to time rather vaguely.

As someone who loves THE GREAT GATSBY, I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling from Jordan Baker's perspective. Natalie Naudus was an excellent narrator choice for the voice of Jordan Baker and gave a phenomenal performance.

I found Nghi's version to be just as compelling and heart-wrenching as the original.

The added BIPOC, queer and magical elements felt like they fell easily in line with the dreamy, enchanting quality that is evoked in F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing and storytelling style. Would have loved to seen even more of it, especially the magical aspect. Very intriguing.

It's been well over a decade since my last re-read of GATSBY, but so looking forward to diving into it after being swept up into the world again.

***Thank you to Macmillian Audio for providing me with a copy of the audiobook for free via NetGalley for an unbiased review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Chosen and the Beautiful was kind of fun to dive into. It's a retelling of The Great Gatsby which I honestly haven't read in forever. Or watched if I think about it. It was definitely interesting to see what was going to happen to the characters this time around. Especially when there's a fantasy/magical element to it all.

It's safe to say that this took me on an unplanned adventure. Which I ended up loving every second of it. The LGBTQIA+ representation was done pretty well and definitely gave me new characters to fall in love with. Mostly because I don't even remember if I had a favorite when I read the original version back in High School.

In the end, I think this followed the original more than I thought it would. So I wouldn't necessarily call this a retelling because I feel like those don't always follow the original.. but I could be completely wrong over here. I haven't had a sip of coffee yet so I'm bound to be wrong about a lot of things today.

Definitely happy that I got the chance to dive into this and I look forward to the next book the Nghi writes!

This was such a fantastic listen with so much nostalgia, yet a very interesting new twist on a classic. I loved how familiar this story felt, with just enough new details to keep it interesting and make it a whole new story in itself. The narrator is amazing and I love how calming her voice is.

I was never a huge fan of the book 'The Great Gatsby,' however, the premise of this retelling is amazing if only because the narrator is Asian, queer, and magical. However, I wanted more from this book. The non-magical parts read too closely too the original tone of Gatsby which I always found uninteresting. More magic, more new story.

I really wanted to like this book,. The idea of a urban fantasy style Great Gatsby with magic realism woven throughout the storyline was captivating. For a YA book, The 1920s era is already enticing, but woven with fantasy and magic the idea is a genre breaking concept.

However, I just didn’t feel like I ever connected with the characters. I felt the emotions forced between this This version of Daisy and Gatsby. And as Jordan, the main character unfolds the storyline, I couldn’t help but feel a slight equilibrium between liking her, and yet being annoyed at the same time.

I appreciate what the author did with mixing classic Fitzgerald storyline with a more modern contemporary appeal. My favorite part was that it was good writing. I thought the dialogue was witty, and engaging. However this one was probably just not the one for me. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the classics and feel like they should be left alone.

Literally, this was my most anticipated book of the summer, and while the narrator was fantastic, I didn't love it how I wanted to. The prose is still gorgeous, but I ended up not connecting to it very well.

It may have its problems but The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite 20th century classics. So, when I heard a new retelling of Great Gatsby was being published with an LGBTQ+ and Asian-American spin, I was THERE. It's the 1920's and Jordan Baker runs with a glamorous and wealthy crowd. As the adopted daughter of a connected family she has her way into society and the party circuit that she otherwise would be excluded from as an LGBTQ Asian woman. Even though she is allowed to join this crowd she is never quite fully accepted due to her Vietnamese background. Jordan is best friends with Daisy Buchanan and a companion of Nick. Through Jordan's eyes we see a different side of the story told in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Jordan also has the mystical ability to spark flames from paper.

I really enjoyed this one and don't think that you need to be a Great Gatsby fan girl to like this one. Nghi Vo did a great job inserting an #ownvoices POV into a classic well known story. There is also a twist of fantasy in the tale to make it that much more impactful. The writing was lovely and I am definitely going to check out more of Vo's writing.

I thought the narrator was great by Natalie Naudus. She really captured the atmosphere of the story.
The story itself was entertaining but somewhat disappointing. I enjoyed the magical aspects that made this retelling of The Great Gatsby unique. My issue was the basic story was too similar to the original. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the author had been more adventurous with the plot and even the characters names. It took some of the unique quality away by actually naming all the characters from Gatsby exactly the original way. This was a bit of an eye roll for me.
For Gatsby lovers who want a twist without a complete departure from the original, this is for you.
#TheChosenAndTheBeautiful #Netgalley #MacmillanAudio

I was very excited for this one because I loved Vo’s writing in her Singing Hills series and I knew this would be awesome too. Turns out this wasn’t exactly what I expected. The story sticks too close to The Great Gatsby which was not one of my favorites in the first place, so I felt like the author’s gorgeous writing couldn’t make up for some of the boring parts. The magical elements were also too few and I guess I just wasn’t that much into more of a historical fiction story. But I can’t deny that both the writing and the audiobook narration are very good and definitely what enabled me to finish it.

This was such a refreshing take on the original Great Gatsby. While the story is still a tragic love story that also shows the overindulgence of the rich, I love that this story took place through a different character lens: Jordan Baker.

Jordan Baker is a Vietnamese adoptee and queer. Even though she's wealthy, educated, and is a phenomenal golf player, that doesn't protect her from the ignorant "exotic beauty" comments. Jordan was a great contrast to Daisy. I will say, I did enjoy that Daisy was not the quintessential untarnished southern beauty that she was in the original.

While I didn't think that anything new was added to the tragic Daisy/Gatsby love story, I still appreciated watching the story unfold. In addition to enjoying Jordan, I also really enjoyed Nick Carraway (also queer!) and the chemistry he shared with Jordan.

If you're looking for a complete revamp of the original story, I think you'll be disappointed in this one. But if you enjoyed Gatsby but wanted more diversity and depth from the characters then this will definitely be up your alley.

The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo is from a genre I have never read before, with tones of The Great Gatsby and other summer in the Hamptons feel. It had tones of the supernatural thrown in, which is what peaked my interest. Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a very unique and intriguing and. I loved the main character, Jordan Baker and all of her idiosyncrasies. I could picture her and her adventures in my mind while I was listening and found it to be a wonderful distraction.