Anna Marie McLemore, I love you. Thank you for writing a book like this. When I first started reading I wasn’t sure if I had to like The Great Gatsby to like this or this would make me like The Great Gatsby and definitely the later. Thank you thank you

This book was spectacular. I only had vague recollections of my high school read of Gatsby (including that Nick was in love with him!!), but it was impressive how much this telling recalled details for me while at the same time feeling so fresh and original. The prose is absolutely stunning - several lines made my jaw literally drop. The weaving of race, gender, sexuality, and class was beautifully done, along with the implications of those intersectional identities. At the same time, I loved that a period book didn't focus so intensely on homophobia and transphobia. While definitely present, many characters are accepting and/or queer/trans themselves, so this feels much more like a celebration of the community and identities we get to build for ourselves than a heavy focus on oppression and marginalization. That's what I need right now, so this came at a perfect time! Love love loved it and will recommend it to everyone I know. Enjoyed the narration too. Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

I wasn't much of a Gatsby fan, from what I remember of it anyway, but this was easily miles above and beyond.

I think i liked this book better than the original Great Gatsby--which okay i didn't remember a lot of details of FSF's version but making it aggressively queer and trans REALLY helps it make a lot more sense to me, and making it talk about race and power in addition to class really is more understandable also. The narration was not my favorite but i didn't hate it (if we have so many queer and trans theater kids could we MAYBE get more transmasc audiobook narrators???). This is the second book i have read in this series (the other one was Bethany C. Morrow's Little Women redux), and i have enjoyed both, so i think that's enough to make me search out the other ones. I really appreciated this rewrite overall!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

Note: I think this book was just not my genre that I typically vibe with, but it did have some really amazing and important lessons and topics that everyone should read about, learn about, think about.

I really enjoyed the way that the characters grew and came to learn to embrace themselves. Just like in the original, Daisy really grated on me, but even by the end she had grown on me in that she became more of who she wanted to be and learned to love herself. The fact that all of these characters found self love despite the world around them teaching them that they shouldn't love themselves was super heartwarming and endeared me to all of them. It's something that so many people struggle with, especially in the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, and this story of healing and love is so important.

I also did enjoy the extra parts of the plot that were re-imagined. There's a slight bit of a "who done it" and there are a few plot twists that did keep me interested in the story. It just took me way too long to read a book of this length, and I think I just wasn't a huge fan of the writing itself. The narrator also wasn't my favorite in that the dialogue was often made to sound slightly awkward to me, even listening at 2x speed.

If you're a classics fan, definitely check this story of healing out!

First I’ll say I’ve never read the Greats Gatsby, only seen the movie. This book was really good through. There were some parts that dragged out for me, also I am not a big fan of the miscommunication trope. However the story kept me interested and wanting to find out more about the characters and their outcomes. Daisy was a frustrating character in the beginning but I understood a lot of why she did what she did with being white passing. Not my own personal history but just through other people I love having to do similar things in America. Nick’s character frustrated me at times too but again I understood why he did what he did. Overall good read and I love the narrator who also has voiced a few other Trans rep books I love. Thank you to the publisher and the author for the chance to read this book and give an honest review.

This book has a fantastic narrator, gorgeous writing and a story that hooks you from the very first paragraph. One of the best retellings of anything I’ve read in a while, and absolutely the best Gatsby retelling I’ve ever read

The story captivating and a wonderful reimagining of Gatbsy
The narration was music to my ears
The representation, spot on.

This was as such a phenomenal reimagining of Gatsby. It was a coming of the age story and about embracing your culture and who you are even when white culture tells you not to. The rewording of the “Beautiful little fool” quote was perfection! The reworking of the green glow across the lake was fantastic. I really enjoyed the ending changes it feels like a better ending overall than how the original ends in my opinion. It was just soooooo well done and everything I could want in a reimagining of Gatsby. Please be sure to read the authors note it is just fantastic! Everything about this book was 5/5 stars

Rep
Trans rep both Gatsby and Nicholas
Latinx rep
Skin lightening of latinx women
Jewish
Sapphic

Cw
Colorism
Transphobia
Classism
Racism
Colonization
Ptsd
gun violence
infidelity
homophobia




Spoiler

JORDAN AND DASIY TOGETHER GIVES ME LIFE

I have been loving the remixed classics and this was another great addition to the collection. A queer trans retelling of Great Gatsby was something I never knew I needed but now I am so happy that it does.
I read this book all in one day. It was so beautiful and lyrical in its writing. Even knowing the way the story was going didn't make this book any less pleasurable to read. Overall this was just a really good book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free advanced listening copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I am a big fan of the "remixed classics" series, and this retelling of Gatsby did not disappoint. It's a tenderly-written, unapologetically queer answer to my homophobic 11th grade English teacher who berated us for talking about the gay subtext between Nick and Gatsby in the original novel.

As soon as I saw this Gatsby retelling featuring both Nick and Gatsby as trans men where Nick is in love with Gatsby, I knew I had to read it. I really enjoyed it. I loved the lavender wedding plot point, the inclusion of so many queer characters, and how Nick and Gatsby's trans identities weren't called into question at all. I also thought the latinx POV of this retelling was really well-done. My only complaint is that the characters besides Nick felt flat to me, and I wished we had seen more development of them and their relationships.

If you're looking for a great queer Gatsby retelling, look no further!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, Anna-Marie McLemore, Avi Roque (narrator), and Kyla Garcia (narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start off with: This book is brilliant! Not only is The Great Gatsby a literary classic still often taught in 11th grade, but this reimagining is to the details a retelling with all the perfect twists. While it may sound like a fan-fic, bear with me, as this book is quite a treat with exquisite craft.

As per the original, this book is told from the perspective of Nick, though here is the first twist: His name is Nicolàs Caraveo, and as his name tells, he is of Hispanic heritage. The second twist: He is also a self-made boy, as it were, as he is transgender.

Enter Nick's cousin, Daisy. She has done everything she can to remove her Hispanic heritage to fit into the the masses of the rich white society in New York. She tends to brush off her relation to Nick, not wanting to have anything to do with her culture, as being Hispanic in 1920's New York makes for a minority and a group of people seen only as low-end laborers. Nick is in New York to establish himself as a business man, but it's hard with all the hidden truths surrounding him.

Of course Nick has a mysterious neighbor who throws lavish parties: Jay Gatsby. Through the friendship of Jordan (lesbian) and Jay himself, Nick learns of Jay's past and his love for Daisy. He also learns that Jay, too, is transgender! 

Every few chapters, the reader gets to see a letter from Daisy to Nick, which adds to the structure and makes for some interesting plot elements. There is so much going on in this novel, but just as the original, it reads like you, the reader, are part of the lavish party. The narrators for the audiobook are absolutely brilliant and perfect for the parts of Nick and Daisy. The plot mostly follows the structure of the original novel, which I really appreciated as I am familiar with the novel having both read it in high school and taught it to juniors. It made for an extra element of entertainment guessing and seeing how McLemore makes changes for this reimagined cast of characters to weave their own tale.

I highly recommend this novel to a teen audience, though especially lovers of LGBTQ as this novel has such high representation. For those who want a different edge on the Gatsby classic, give this one a try!

This is the queer Gatsby retelling of your dreams. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald is a timeless classic and author Anna-Marie McLemore follows the path of the original characters well. The storytelling is intriguing and the audiobook is well read by one of my favorite audiobook narrators.

I LOVED THIS. This book really spoke to the queer elements that my high school teachers avoided talking about with The Great Gatsby. This is such a clever retelling, and the trans and latinx representations are woven in so well with the classic plot. The character development was done well, and I liked the dual narration with Nick as the main character and the hints into Daisy's character.

When the transgender Nicholas‘s parents finally allow him to move to New York from Wisconsin is kind cousin Daisy arranges for him to live in a cottage close to her home, but when he starts off the train and is greeted by the “white“ Daisy he is happy to see her but surprised that her skin looks bleached in her hair is the color of wheat. She doesn’t look anything like the Latino cousin he knew and he has even more surprised which he tells her fiancé that Nikki is the sun of a maid and not her cousin. I mean she can’t possibly be related to a Latino right? All he wanted to do was move to New York be a financial analyst and make money for his parents. Things get even more complicated when he meets his neighbor Jay Gatsby, Daisy‘s fiancé Warned him about his strange neighbor but after meeting him he is more curious than anything. This book was so good in the fact that Nicholas his parents were A-OK with him wanting to be a boy in the 1920s when that wouldn’t even fly in some household in the 2020s was totally put to the side because this book was so freaking good! If you love the Classics or you just love love you’ll love this book. As the mother of a queer daughter I love reading books on The topic and “self made boys” is a great example of why. I listen to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a good job with a great story. This is a total five star listen. I received this book from NetGalleyShelf and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes I am blind and dictate most of my review.

This book was good! I thought it was a very creative take on great gatsby. I thought the tension and miscommunication was just ultimately unnecessary. I didn't like how repetitive some cringe parts were, like the amount of times Nick said "we're self-made boys" was just too much for me. I thought after they got together they didn't even really have a conversation on the page which was a little annoying considering the build-up to the relationship between them took forever.

ahhh where do I even start with this book?
I honestly didn't like the OG The Great Gatsby much or at all. This retelling I read earlier in the year, though gender-bend and more obviously queer, didn't exactly cross the mark either. So of course, I was a bit doubtful about whether I would like this book or not.
BUT I did. I loved it in fact and now I'm here to get y'all to read it.
From the self-evident title, this is a retelling of The Great Gatsby which is not only very diverse but also, in my most humble opinion, so much better than the OG The Great Gatsby. I said what I said.
No, seriously, this book was amazing!!!!! So amazing that it is not only in my all-time top-10 favorites but I also reread it the very next day!! And yes, there are definitely many more rereads in the future <3
The themes handled in the book are friendship, colorism, classism, racism and so many more. There are a lot of TWs like queerphobia, racism, colorism etc so please check them on Storygraph or on booktriggerwarnings. com before you read <3
Representation: Trans, gay MC, and LI, lesbian SCs, and latinx characters.
The writing was great. it made me feel everything the characters were feeling, it made me cry with joy and happiness and also shake with rage at times. It was also very beautiful too, ah I had such a great time with this book. The narrator was also very good <3 Loved the Spanish!!
The characters? Chef's kiss every single one of them. Okay, obviously not Tom, Tom can go eff himself for all I care. As a brown queer person, eff you very much, Tom Buchanan.
The rest though? AH, such wonderful people, I'll give them the world if I could *cries*. Nick was of course my favorite but I also liked Jordan a lot <3 I really liked Jay too and Daisy as well but by the end.
The plot while still loosely sticking to the OG The Great Gatsby, still had its own twists and turns and I adored each one of them, obviously. <3 The storytelling is what I probably liked the most after the representation. The themes that are executed and discussed were very close to my heart and I just fell in love with Anna-Marie through this book. Gotta go read all their backlist now!!
Highly recommend it to everyone, it is a great book! Read it even if you haven't read The Great Gatsby, doesn't really matter at all if I do say so myself ;)

Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore - 4/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for access to an advance copy of this audio book. I am leaving this review freely and independently.

I'll be the first to say I HATED The Great Gatsby. However, because of the re-imagining or Nick and Jay as transmen, I decided to give this book a chance. I am incredibly glad that I did. McLemore did a wonderful job of taking the story originally on the page and breathing glorious new life into it. I also loved seeing the relationship of Nick and Jordan as a gay man and a lesbian told, as that's how I've always seen it in the original book as well.

Whether or like the original story or not, give this own voices retelling a chance.

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite classic novels, so I was thrilled to came across this LGBTQ retelling.

I listened to the audiobook ARC, and the narrator did a wonderful job with these characters. Prepare for the writing to transport you to the glitz and glamor of the Roaring 20s in a setting of extravagant parties and mansions in East Egg. The author states that she always felt like Nick was in love with Jay, and I also got the same vibes when I read the original Gatsby many years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed her queer and more diverse version of this classic. I also appreciated the content warnings and context notes she gives before the story begins.

Some of these characters are struggling with 20s perceptions of race, sexuality, and status. Nick, a trans Latinx boy, continually has to prove himself in the business world where he’s judged by the color of his skin. When he arrives in New York he discovers that Daisy, his Latinx cousin, has changed her last name and now passes for white. I was never a fan of Daisy in the original version and found her shallow and frustrating. She has her moments in this retelling, but I was in her corner by the end.

The story sticks to much of the original structure – until around the last twenty percent. And I have to say I greatly prefer this ending, but no spoilers here. If you’re a fan of retellings and are looking for a new spin on a classic, you can’t go wrong with Self-Made Boys. It’s a beautiful story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you so much to Anna-Marie McLemore, MacMillan Audio, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

CW: misogyny, infidelity, racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, slurs, car accident, gaslighting, alcohol, classism

Ever since The Great Gatsby entered public domain, it's been exciting to see authors have new takes on the classic. Especially queer versions that give the characters new life. I feel like this book is written for the queer kids who first read Gatsby's Nick Carroway as queer. But it's more than that, too. I really appreciated the representation and twist on a classic. Even the play on words with the title, great detail! I'm glad I got the audiobook, sometimes I struggled to pay attention with so much of the highly detailed descriptions. But I really appreciated getting the chance to listen to this and it turned me onto the author. I look forward to exploring their other works!
3.5-4 stars

One of the books I have wanted the most for years was a retelling of The Great Gatsby where Nick and Gatsby fell in love. I'm happy to say that this beauty came out after nine years of this hope. The Great Gatsby is one of my all-time favorite stories, and as Anna-Marie McLemore says in her author's note, I always believed that Nick loved Jay. I have wanted a story like this ever since I first read the original.

This story was so beautiful, and I loved the audiobook narration. It was narrated by two different people, Avi Roque and Kyla Garcia. They both did an incredible job and helped draw me even more into the story. It was great having both narrators and getting Nick's and Daisy's distinct voices. Daisy's letters to various people throughout the book gave me even more insight into this character and made me love her.

The romance was beautiful and sweet. I loved getting so much of Gatsby and Nick spending time together throughout the novel. Also, the representation in this book was phenomenal. We had so many queer and Latinx characters. Nick's search for his identity as a Latinx trans man was so important to the overall story. It was so special seeing how many people accepted him in this version of 1920s New York and the community that he was able to form with these people. Especially at the club behind the shop, on Nick's birthday. Those scenes were great. I'm glad he was able to connect with Jay, who was also a transgender man, and how Jay helped him learn about New York society.

I have never been a fan of Daisy's character in the original novel, but I loved her in this book. Her letters to her family back home and other characters were some of the best parts of this entire novel. They gave a look into this character that is unexpected at times. She is a character trying hard to make her way in a society she knows will not accept her for who she is. It's wonderful to see where Anna-Marie takes this storyline with her. Also, I want to touch on Jordan. She was a wonderful character I adored from her introduction in this story until the end. The Jordan in the original novel will never have anything on this Jordan.

I could gush about this book for days, and I'm glad that we get to have a book like this for teens to be able to read. Gatsby is one of my favorite stories, but I have got to say that this version makes me so happy, and I know I will read it over and over again.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own*