What an absolutely beautiful reimagining of The Great Gatsby. I am actually beside myself with this one. It’s been a very long time since I read a book in a single night but here I am, I couldn’t stop myself from turning every page.

This was easily my favorite read of the year thus far. I feel like my thoughts are a whirlwind right now because there’s just so much to say but long story short the writing was stunning, it’s the kind of writing that just makes you appreciate words. I literally teared up over every queer aspect of this story and how deeply rooted it was and how it just sort of seemed like it should have always belonged in the world of The Great Gatsby.

The romance and the mystery and the queerness of it all. I want to tattoo it to the inside of my brain where I can reread it forever. That’s how I feel.

I genuinely have no words to express how much I love this book. I’m so grateful to have been provided an arc of it because now I can scream my love of it from the rooftops.

As a Great Gatsby enthusiast, a firm believer in the fact that Nick and Gatsby were very much in love, a writer, and a trans masc person, I’ve always wanted to write a queer retelling of this story, but now all of my whims (and more) have been satisfied by this book. It was literally like it was taken from my brain and put into a book. I love everything about it and all I want is to permanently etch it on the back of my eyelids.

When I first heard this was gonna be a t4t retelling of one of my favorite classics, I was over the moon and I’m so glad it exceeded my expectations in the way it did. The references to the source material, the changes in character, the development of the story line, they were all amazing and lovely and just the best things ever.

And at the risk of spoiling everything in this book because all I want to do ir infodump about it now, I’ll leave you with this: if you like The Great Gatsby as much as I do, especially if you’re queer, trans, or latine, and ever wonder what if would be like if the story was as queer as humanly possible, please pick up this book when it comes out in September. You won’t regret it.

(oh also they turned Meyer Wolfsheim into the coolest lesbian ever and if that doesn’t get you to read it idk what will)

A queer retelling of <i>The Great Gatsby</i>? By THEE Anna-Marie McLemore? Sign me right up!

I'll admit the last time I read the source material I was in high school, and aside from a few key scenes, I can't tell you how well this actually sticks to the original book. That being said, McLemore does a great job of not expecting the reader to know where things are going while also throwing in bits and pieces that will be recognizable for those who do. I was finding myself remembering what I'd read years ago and being able to pick out things that had stuck out to me as a teenager, all while making the story not feel like a carbon copy of the original. McLemore's Jay, Nick, and Daisy are built on the strong foundation of Fitzgerald's versions that made the book a classic, but feel more organic here - as if these are the versions of the characters that were begging to be told.

My only complaint is that the plot felt a little convoluted at the end in order to tie up the loose threads and connect it back to the source material. However, this seems par for the course for retellings and something that at times can't be avoided - it doesn't really affect my feelings on the rest of the book or the characters, but it does have an effect on the way the ending feels.

I highly recommend this book to any fans of queer YA lit, historical fiction romances, retellings of classic stories, or those who are McLemore devotees like myself.

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

I fell so deeply in love with this book, but I've never read The Great Gatsby. In many ways, this was the exact book I needed right now as well as the perfect rewrite of an American classic. The original story presented boys chasing the American dream, and I believe Mclemore took that story and beautifully melded it with a story about the transgender and Mexican-American identity. I saw myself in these characters in more ways than one, and it only made me excited to read more by Mclemore.

I loved this book. Absolutely genius reinvention of the original story that elevates it to a new level. Fantastic. This would be great to pair with the original text in a classroom!

<I>"Gatsby loved Daisy. I was Nick. I wasn't the distant allure of a green light. I was close. I existed in the play script of Gatsby's life for no reason except to facilitate his reunion with the girl he loved."

"Maybe the word doesn't matter so much,'Martha said. 'Maybe the person does. The person you are. The person you love."

"Gatsby and I may have been nothing to men like Tom Buchanan, but men like that did not know that we were as divine as the heavens. We were boys who had created ourselves. We had formed our own bodies, our own lives, from the ribs of the girls we were once assumed to be."</I>

TL;DR: READ THIS BOOK. TEACH THIS BOOK.
I just want to scream that from the rooftops.
This book, IMHO, *needs* to be taught in conjunction with Fitzgerald's original text.
I have never been quiet about my love of Anna-Marie McLemore's writing or storytelling, but here they deftly update Fitzgerald's classic, keeping the scaffolding of the original story in place, and remaining true to the thematic highlights -- but fixing the faults (re: Anti-semitism) of the original novel, and empowering characters in a way that seems both modern and appropriate for the 1920s, as well as giving voice to communities who are all too often silenced, both then and now.
<b><I>I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></I>

Vibes: <I>The Great Gatsby</I> but make it queer and empowered and JOYFUL.

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/ifY68xd8NDMjtGJ9PY/giphy.gif"/>

Genre: Remixed Classic

Romance Meter: ❤️🧡💛💚💙
Chock full of romance. Yeah, yeah -- there's the backstory of the other Gatsby stuff, but at its heart, this is a love story. And I am HERE FOR IT.

Character MVP: Legitimately a toss-up between Jordan Baker -- remixed as a lesbian in love with the color violet, but retaining the best qualities of Fitzgerald's Jordan (witty, dry, smart, bad-ass golfer, DGAF about anything) -- and Martha Wolf -- remixed as considerably less-shady and significantly less caricaturized version of Myer Wolfsheim, a wise & witty lesbian fairy godmother of sorts.

Verdict: 5 Stars. Hands down. I read this book in 2 days and couldn't put it down.

First -- I stan Anna-Marie McLemore. I will read anything and everything they wrote, simply because they wrote it.

Second -- I also love Great Gatsby. Its one of my favorite classics, namely because of how accessible it is to high school readers. (I'm looking at you Faulkner.)

Third -- I fully believe that if you're going to insist on canonical (re: written by Dead White Men) texts in High School English, then you absolutely need to pair them with contemporary texts written for YA audiences. Not only because they're more accessible -- since they're written for YA audiences -- but because they open up lines of conversation about the thematic connections between the two texts. What may seem "outdated" or "hard to understand" in the classic text is usually more profound and relatable in the contemporary text.

But I digress a bit. The point is, McLemore's book would pair EXCELLENTLY with Fitzgerald's original text.

✔️ -- The basic scaffolding of Fitzgerald's text is all there:
Nick is still a related to Daisy (although not distantly), and he still moves from the MidWest (Wisconsin, here) to NY to get a finance-y job. He still lives in the cottage across the sound; there's still a green light on the dock. Daisy is still with Tom (although not married), who is still having an affair with Myrtle (who is also not married). There are still lavish parties by Gatsby, who is still regarded as a nouveau-riche enigma. There are still flirty scenes at hotels, still lots of drunken drives, and a climactic poolside scene.
But how McLemore connects & updates it...

<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/3bnlchNmAsiS61KPW2/giphy.gif"/>

✔️ -- Daisy. Oh, Daisy. Daisy Buchanan has become an iconic literary character who, much like Amy March is both (1) a product of her time and (2) somewhat hated and vilified because of it. Daisy in particular stays with Tom in Fitzgerald's original story because what else is she to do? She's shallow and vapid, yes, but she's also trapped in the stuffy societal maneuverings, and Tom gives her what she craves most: security. But McLemore's Daisy...oh, she's smart and confident and uses the system to get what she wants. And even though McLemore keeps Nick as the narrator (and a much more reliable one at that), we get letters from Daisy's POV which help give her a voice that wasn't in the original story.
One of my favorite bits (this whole scene, actually, but I can't type the whole passage):
<I>"Then you don't know anything," I [Nick] said.
"Of course not," she [Daisy] said. "Why would I? I'm not supposed to know a thing for myself." She leaned forward, her skirt lapping at the night. "Men love beautiful, useless, expensive things. So I'm meant to be one. I'm not supposed to be anything but a beautiful little fool."</I>

Oh, and this one:
<I>"And do you know what he [Gatsby] told me [Daisy]? He said, 'Yes, of course. No matter your age you'll still be a dream to me.'
I think he meant this to be sweet, but all I could think was, my goodness, I'd still be a dream at that point? I wouldn't be a fulfillment yet? That sounds exhausting. Does he have any idea how tiring it is to be someone else's dream?"</I>

✔️ -- Like most of McLemore's books, most of the characters represent marginalized communities in some way, and their stories give voice to people normally silenced or ignored. There are very few straight, cis-white-characters in their stories, and they're not always cast in the best of lights (here, deservedly so, Tom Buchanan *finally* gets a schadenfreude treatment). Both Nick and Gatsby are trans boys, and one of the most wonderful scenes in the book is when Gatsby takes Nick to a sort of speak-easy safe-haven for queer people. I'm not sure about the research McLemore did for this book, but I can very much imagine that spaces such as the one they describe -- a hidden entrance behind a flower shop, with purple flowers marking your belonging. (Which gives me <a href="https://daily.jstor.org/four-flowering-plants-decidedly-queered/">MAJOR Oscar Wilde / green carnation vibes</a>.)

I just...loved this book. I did read an ARC, but I've already Pre-Ordered a copy so that when the book is released in September I can re-read the physical copy and mark all my favorite passages/lines.

This is everything you've always wished The Great Gatsby would be. More interesting/likeable characters, better plot, better social commentary. I definitely will be recommending it.

What a beautiful and fascinating retelling of The Great Gatsby. As someone who wasn’t enchanted with the classic as a young college stuse by, McLemore’s retelling helped me develop a new appreciation for it. I also appreciate the ways the author reinvented the characters while staying truthful to the original novel. It is heartbreaking yet also incredibly hopeful. I love historical fiction, and would highly recommend this book to teens and adults alike!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “Self-Made Boys” in exchange for an honest review. I thought this was delightful. It’s been years since I have read or taught Gatsby, but I loved this retelling. The way that race, class, gender, and sexuality were woven through the retelling with complexity and care was great. The characters were people who I cared about and for whom I worried. This was great.

Thank you, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, for allowing me to read Self-Made Boys early.

As a teacher, I’m just saying one thing. From now on, I’m asking my students to read this gem instead of its original. This tenderly written and achingly beautiful book needs a permanent place in every classroom in the world!

This book was so good. While I don't remember much about the original Great Gatsby (other than the vaguely bloody and slightly downer ending), it was obvious this book took it as inspiration and the author did a great job of adding to the plot to make it more appealing. Where I think this book truly shined was in the characters, the author has created a lot of depth and added nuance to these characters, making some, like Daisy (who I greatly disliked in the original) feel much more real and complex. There's also the increased diversity, with both Nick and Jay being trans, and Nick and Daisy being Latino. The way race was handled (Nick being immediately clocked as nonwhite and having to deal with casual racism and being othered vs. his cousin Daisy, who is passing for white and has invented a whole upper class backstory for herself) was wonderful and interesting, adding even more to the story. I was interested to see how the ending would be handled, and while it wasn't what I expected, it worked for the story and was a great way to end the book. Absolutely a fantastic read.

The Great Gatsby meets A Lady for a Duke. Okay, I hear you think. What does a YA retelling of Gatsby have to do with Alexis Hall’s book?

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. That’s what I wrote multiple times in my review of A Lady for a Duke. And it’s also what that story has in common with Self-Made Boys. Love for a classical romance. Love for queer people. Love that just splashes off the pages.

When I start reading a story and immediately root for the main character, I know it’s good. When I start reading and don’t want to stop, I know it’s excellent. When I start reading and am flabbergasted by the descriptive writing, I know it’s stunning.

I didn’t know what to expect from a Great Gatsby’s remix, but the moment Nick started telling his story, warmth ran through my chest. The tenderness of Nick’s and Jay’s relationship let my heart grow bigger, filling it with love. I could gush over them for hours. Whenever I looked at the flowers in my garden, smiles immediately danced on my face. All those roses, and hyacinths, and daffodils in this book added so much to the romantic atmosphere.

Self-Made Boys embodies an enormous beauty and acceptance, and felt like a warm blanket hugging and keeping me safe. I believe this book belongs in English classrooms, next to its original. It tackles so many great topics. Just that title alone, Self-Made Boys. Two boys who had created themselves and so much more.

I have a confession to make. This is the first book by Anne-Marie McLemore that I’ve ever read. But I’m definitely going to read the other ones because their writing is mesmerizing!

The moment I finished Self-Made Boys, I wished I could read it again for the first time. This is truly an incredible book that I won’t be able to stop thinking about. When The Great Gatsby became public domain, I knew we would be getting some amazing reimaginings. Self-Made Boys is That Book. It adds so much to the original story while making you love (mostly) every character even more. (I mean, be honest, there are some characters in The Great Gatsby that are irredeemable.) Anna-Marie McLemore has captured so much of what I loved in the original book and added everything I ever wanted. (And things I didn’t even know to ask for.) Please read this book. As I finish this review I think back on a note one of our teens left in their returned library book: “Nick is gay.” To that student (and everyone who needed more representation in their assigned class readings), this book is for you.

As someone who loves The Great Gatsby and has so enjoyed the twists and retellings in recent years, I found this one to be one of the most original, inventive, and fun. Young adults who pick this up will be able to enjoy it whether or not they've read the source material, and the themes are reworked in really interesting ways. And of course, with any Anna-Marie McLemore book, you're going to get beautiful, romantic prose and great representation. I basically consumed this in a day! Would definitely recommend to teen readers looking for approachable historical fiction that doesn't skimp on queer characters and racial diversity.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

What do you even say after reading a book like this? It’s uniquely hard to describe how I feel about books like SELF-MADE BOYS, but what I can say is that I loved it, that it saw me, that it’s hard to imagine loving it any more than I do, and that I absolutely need everyone to read it.

SELF-MADE BOYS is the Great Gatsby retelling that I have always wanted, a tender and queer retelling of a classic story, of a storyline as old as time and boys that are entirely new. It tells the story of trans Mexican-American Nick going to New York, where his cousin Daisy lives in an almost engagement to one Tom Buchanan, spending her days with Jordan Baker. And one Jay Gatsby, a trans boy, seemingly self-made in every way. It takes the bones of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story and makes it something entirely new, fresh, and utterly heartfelt.

The Great Gatsby is the epitome of the story about the American Dream. A critique into it, and a look at being self-made. McLemore adds yet another layer, critique and all. All of them are made within a queer community. The queer community within SELF-MADE BOYS is incredibly intimate, from the casual ways in which Nick and Gatsby reveal themselves to one another, to lavender marriages, to queer love that was there all along. Anna-Marie McLemore’s books are always an intensely heartfelt love letter to queer people, and to queer communities, and I could not have enjoyed this one more. These characters couldn’t help but feel real, that made their love stories with themselves and one another all the more genuine.

Like the best of stories, the smallest moments of this book are threaded into a larger plot. It has plenty of nods to the plot of the original Gatsby, and takes liberties to make this uniquely SELF-MADE BOYS. The story of two self-made boys, in the way that they are, but it’s also the story of what brought them to that point, the lengths that they and the ones they hold dear. It’s not a mystery, but it has plot lines that kept me guessing, and that only made the book better as I kept reading.

Truly, it is so hard to express my feelings for this book and its story. I have so much love for Nick, for Gatsby, for Daisy and Jordan. It is an exploration of identities, of self, of being queer and all different kinds of love in the wake of that. SELF-MADE BOYS has a piece of my heart, one that I would gladly give it to it again and again. I could not recommend this book enough.