My Dear Henry is such a good gothic twist on the original Jekyll and Hyde story - this time set in London in 1885. Gabriel is new to town and wants to study to become a Doctor, a job that's barred to him as a Black man - but with his studies he meets Henry Jekyll, another young black man in which the two of them begin a hidden relationship full of yearning. But this scandal breaks and Henry's father is kicked out as a teacher and Henry expelled. Gabriel is forced to go work in law under a cruel man and they are seperated.

With only letters to keep in touch, Gabriel grows concerned as Henry's letters become more and more sparse and on his return to London, Henry starts to avoid seeing him all together, acting as if he doesn't know him. On the flip side, Gabriel meets Hyde, a man that claims to be close to Henry and the obsession grows - who is this man and why does he seem to know so much?

I love retellings and this one was no exception - the best retellings tale the core principles and add new twists to them, and I loved how making this an all Black and queer moment worked SO well. This really is a new take on the old story while still keeping the gothic vibes alive. I loved all the yearning present in this book too and it broke my heart to see how Henry was hurting himself for the sake of society's approval.

Also when you read this book make sure you check out the acknowledgements page for more reasoning on this story - I loved the added context.

rep// Black MC, MLM

cw// attempted rape, sexual assault, homophobia, queerphobia and racism

I really love what the author did with the Jekyl & Hyde story here! My Dear Henry remixes this classic Victorian gothic as a way of talking about the rampant racism and homophobia of the time, and what young men who were queer and Black might have faced.

While I did find the prose to be occasionally overwritten or even a little cringey- such as the overuse of the titular phrase My Dear Henry or (perhaps the worst offender) the line "If he was Hyde, than I would be Seek"- overall I really liked what this book was doing and was invested in the story. It's clear the author is very familiar with the source material and uses some of that subtext to offer a fresh take on an old story.

Young Gabriel Utterson arrives in London to attend medical school per the wishes of his father, despite the dearth of opportunities for educated Black men as medical professionals. While there, he meets and falls in love with Henry Jekyl. But whispers about their relationship result in the boys expulsion and the firing of Henry's scientist father Dr. Jekyl. Henry grows distant and a strange young man is seen entering the Jekyl residence...

While the writing isn't perfect, I think this is well worth a read and a strong entry in the Remixed Classics collection. I really hope people don't use some of the prose quirks as an excuse to discount what this novel accomplishes. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

MDH had a curious reading pace but was ultimately slow-moving for me. I feel like I didn't get to know who Gabriel and Henry were as people and to each other. We missed a crucial development trying to piece together their relationship with each other while trying to discover the mystery of Henry's sudden personality transformation. I also thought it took too long to reveal the mystery behind Henry's behavior change.

What I did like was the imagery Bayron litter throughout the text. My favorite part of the story was the reveal of why Henry became the monster. It's saddening what we do for others to please them, and it almost destroyed Henry in the process.

Overall I rated this book 3-stars. The concept attempt impressed me the most about this series, but it was almost a DNF.

Two years ago, Gabriel Utterson met Henry Jekyll at medical school, but the two boy’s dalliances forced them both to leave the school. Now a law clerk, Utterson is determined to reconnect with Jekyll after months of quiet. But then, he finds Jekyll acting out of character and a strange man slipping in and out of the Jekyll home. Gabriel is determined to figure out what’s going on with Jekyll, but is he prepared for what he’ll find out?
First of all, I have to commend the author for tackling a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde retelling. I feel like it’s a very hard retelling to pull off because through cultural osmosis, we all know the twist. That being said, Bayron really did well with this one!
The atmosphere of smoky, foggy London was well set up. And the addition of the gothic medical aspect a la Anatomy really fit the setting and direction the retelling took.
This retelling really focuses on the “otherness” and “respectability” aspects of the original. The author discusses it more in her author’s note, but I just wanted to comment on it as I felt it was done very well.
What I really wanted was more focus on establishing characters and relationships in the start. I wanted more of Gabriel and Henry and the few side characters in the Before so we could see how they changed in the two years.
I’m going to keep this review short because the book itself is short. I rated this book 3.5 stars! Another great book in this Remixed Classics series!

Kalynn Bayron does it again! Her stories and writing style proves once again why she’s become one of my instant read authors. Her mastery on the young adult fiction genre with rich black and queer characters proves my point.

My Dear Henry takes you on the journey of Gabriel, a black and queer young man, as he goes through medical school, meets Henry and falls in love in 1880’s London. Societal pressures separates them and when they meet again, Gabriel notices a huge change on Henry, while also getting to know the new and mysterious guy in town, Hyde.

The book perfectly captures the “other” and “monster within us” concept from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde while putting it on it’s head and highlights the racism and homophobia of the period in a very clever a nuanced way.

If there is one thing that would have benefited more this book, it would be the length. While it was well paced for a fast-paced book, the story could have been better developed if it would have been longer.

Bottom line, the book was full of mystery and intrigue, while giving a moody and dark vibe. The characters were interesting and well written. The societal commentary was Chef’s kiss and the love story was heartwarming. I just wanted more of this, even if it was satisfying.

A delightfully dark, gorgeously told YA Gothic remix of a story we are rather familiar with. Makes for a wonderful audibook!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

It's been a long time since I've read Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", but I do remember most of the lyrics from 1990 musical, Jekyll & Hyde, which I think counts for something (though to be fair, most is just Lucy's song, "Bring On the Men"). I reeeeaaalllllyyyy wanted to love this one, but unfortunately the narrative didn't grab me like Bayron's THIS POISON HEART did.

The relationship between Gabriel and Henry is good and adds another level to potential reasons why Henry has distanced himself from Gabriel that would be realistic given the era and who they are. I honestly wish we were given more of Hyde (though understand why readers only get glimpses and brief moments of him). The reveal (and motivations) was interesting and I was happy with the conclusion. Bayron does a great job with instilling a late 1800s atmosphere to the page, and even the writing style felt like it could have been written by an author of Stevenson's era rather than something being published in 2023.

Overall I enjoyed this remix, but I feel like this one lands more on the side of adults that read YA than being one for teen readers.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.

When Gabriel, a Black medical student, has the opportunity to attend medical school in the city, he leaves his home and lodges at a boarding house, where he meets another Black medical student named Henry Jekyll. Henry's father is a professor in a world where Black graduates might never find a job practicing medicine due to their skin color. When Dr. Jekyll is fired from the college, Henry is also cast out, and Gabriel is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Henry. With his own future in question, Gabriel goes to work for a lawyer, but his relationship with Henry has suffered. Now there's a suspicious fellow in town by the name of Hyde, and Gabriel is worried that he has his hooks in Henry.

This retelling of the classic Jekyll & Hyde explores both race and homosexuality in a historical context. Kalynn Bayron's writing is easy to read while still conveying a historical tone. Even though I'd read the original Robert Louis Stevenson novel, I couldn't recall quite how it ended, which helped the ending feel surprising. Gabriel had more personality than the original narrator of the tale, and I also really liked both his relationship with Henry and how he reacts to Hyde. Overall this was a fast-paced read that kept the same spirit as the original while adding some nuance that helped the story even better.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
My Dear Henry is Kalynn Bayron’s reimagining of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and it’s rooted in the intriguing concept of taking the queer subtext of the classic and bringing it to the forefront. The result is a nuanced exploration of how, both then and now, queerness is often viewed as deviant and seen by some as something to be “fixed,” even if it requires truly inhumane measures in the process.
This is Bayron’s first foray into historical fiction, and while there are a few little things that aren’t 100% accurate (although that could change between the proof and final copy), Bayron captured the Victorian era pretty well, including the climate that Black and queer people had to navigate. Race is a motivating factor in some of the characters’ decisions, and I like how this story highlights the issue of being doubly marginalized in an oppressive society, without the story being focused solely on trauma.
Not having read the original, I didn’t know much about Gabriel Utterson’s importance to the plot, other than being an outside observer to the strangeness going on with Jekyll and Hyde, but I think that helped me to appreciate Bayron’s iteration for its own sake.I like how he’s trying to make his way as a Black boy in society, avoid scrutiny, and is navigating the struggles of his medical education in hopes of making something of himself. Ironically, it’s meeting Henry that awakens him to the idea of more, and I like that that dynamic is established, as the later part of the book is Gabriel ultimately coming to rescue Henry from an oppressive situation and bring him back to the person he was initially drawn to.
The twist on the dual personality of Jekyll and Hyde, and its ties to conversion therapy are truly harrowing, but poignantly done. And while this isn’t the first modern retelling to give new dimensions to the Hyde persona, making him more complex than the evil archetype he was originally, there’s extra significance due to Bayron’s desire to tell an explicitly queer story vs. the queer subtext given to the original and the criminalization of being queer during the Victorian era.
The Remixed Classics have been getting better and better, and I’d recommend this one to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with queer and Black protagonists, regardless of whether you’ve read the original or not.

This was another one of those 2023 releases that I was SO hyped for as soon as I saw it announced. Jekyll and Hyde, but make it black and queer? Sign me up. Bayron does a masterful job of taking an old, predictable story that we all know even if we haven't read the original Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and turning it on its head into something newer and fresher.

In Victorian London, Gabriel Utterson meets Henry Jekyll during their time at London Medical School. What starts is an intense, passionate friendship that blossoms into love. But the odds are already stacked against them as two black teenagers in a world built for white men, and when rumors start to spread about the nature of their relationship, they find themselves expelled. Henry withdraws to his father's mysterious mansion laboratory, while Gabriel tries to muddle through as a law clerk for an entirely intolerable man with too much power and influence. When Henry's letters become colder and more distant, and then stop entirely, Gabriel is determined to figure out what has happened to his beloved. What he finds is an odd young man named Hyde, who is fascinating and friendly while his Henry continues to stay withdrawn - and a mystery hidden in the laboratory.

The queer longing that Bayron has managed to infuse into every page of this book. It just makes you want to clutch your heart at times it's so painfully present. She has done such a wonderful job of portraying the struggles (and community!) of being a queer person in Victorian times. This also ties in wonderfully to her depiction of race and privilege, and what it meant to be black in 1800s London, as well as the layers of classism that were present even there. The shame that Gabriel, Henry, and their families dealt with for their identities was palpable throughout the book.
Bayron does a lovely job of describing London itself, making it at once an appealing, atmospheric place, and a place I'd never have any interest in visiting - which, I suppose, is a perfect summary of Victorian London. Gabriel's journey and growth are well-written, if at times painful to follow; from a teenager going along with his father's wishes and content to go with what he has been told, to a young man who has found his place in life and is willing to do what he needs to achieve it. Henry is more complicated to summarize for obvious reasons, but his story is a fascinating and heart-breaking one to read: he genuinely just wants to make life easier for everyone around him because the odds are stacked so high against them. Then, to compare him to Hyde, who is so genuinely charismatic and open...

The only real downside to the story was the almost insta-love feeling to the story of Gabriel and Henry, and then the quick wrap-up. Another early chapter or two of their story would have been perfect to make their love really believable, and then one more chapter at the end to wrap things up. It all just felt kind of cramped. Otherwise, though, this was a great story and another winner in this Remix series!

My Dear Henry is a quick read, easy to finish in a day. It is a retelling of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with Dr. Jekyll as a black man, and his son as queer as well. Henry Jekyll and Gabriel Utterson meet at the medical college they attend. As black men, they are allowed to study medicine, for a hefty cost, but are told they will never get a job as a doctor in the city. Henry's father works for the college, but is treated horribly.

Henry and Gabriel fall in love, and Henry's father doesn't approve. Neither does the school, who fires the elder Jekyll, expels Henry, and allows Gabriel to unenroll, if he goes to work for Sir Carew, a lawyer. The next time Gabriel sees Henry, he has changed. He speaks of things his father is doing to change the world, but he doesn't seem happy. He breaks up with Gabriel and says he wants them to be friends. Gabriel doesn't understand, and is even more confused when a young man named Hyde is seen going in and out of the Jekyll's home. Who is this Hyde and how is he suddenly pay off the Jekyll household?

This book gets 4 stars because it makes sense to recast the characters as black and queer. I haven't read the original book, and perhaps it too is short and choppy. I would have liked more story, but I enjoyed reading this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

DNF'd @ 43%

I can tell you the exact line that made me decide to stop reading this book:

If he was Hyde, then I would be Seek.

The writing style was my biggest problem, and that will be a matter of personal taste. I thought the author overused the phrase "my dear Henry" within the prose, to the extent that it irked me. The pacing was really uneven as well—I'm supposed to be invested in the relationship between Henry and Gabriel, but the entire development of it gets glossed over so that it feels like insta-love. It's a shame, because based on the content warnings at the beginning of the book, I actually thought the author was doing some interesting things with this retelling.

My Dear Henry was an unexpected twist on one of my favorite classics, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Set in Victorian London, which was a frightful place and a hotbed of racism, classicism and bigotry, a beautiful love story begins. Henry and Gabriel’s relationship is my favorite part of this book. It was lovely in its simplicity and tragedy.

The villains were grand (society and it’s perpetual evil) and also close to home (Dr. Jekyll and his obsessive need to control and mold Henry into the perfect society son). But there were also great hero’s! Mrs. Jekyll would do anything to help her son and guarantee his happiness with Gabriel.

Loved the book! Am going to read more remixes and more from Kalynn Bayron.

I read Cinderella is Dead and knew I needed more books from Kalynn and when I saw this was another retelling I was so excited.
This book was so so so good. I love the LGBTQ rep and seeing POC main characters. Even in a time when both things were not welcome Kaylynn writes such a great story and characters you still love the book.
Just like Cinderella is Dead Kalynn did a good job retelling to the main sorry enough but changing it up in the best ways. It keeps you wondering where she might go with a story you know and love. Yet you you love her sorry just as much as the original.
Kalynn has now become an author I plan on reading and buying all her books.

This is my first Remixed Classics book, but not my first Kalynn Bayron so I was really hype to read this book. I love the concept of a Black queer Jekyll and Hyde retelling and I thought this book had some great moments. I think Bayron has a way of drawing in a reader and getting them invested in the lives of the characters she creates. As invested as I was, it did feel like the romance between Gabriel, the main character, and Henry was really rushed. Not only that, but with some of the twists and turns this book took seemed as if Gabriel was just handed all the answers by side characters with very little depth. I did enjoy some of the interactions Henry and Gabriel had early on and when Hyde entered the mix it was definitely interesting to see Gabriel's response to him.

If you're a fan of character driven stories, Black queer historical romances, or looking for new take on the original Jekyll and Hyde tale I recommend this book.

Kalynn Bayron has reimagined "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and made it more complex and poignant when exploring themes of identity and repression. I loved that she made Gabriel (the narrator from the original tale) and Henry younger, queer, and Black, and how these identities in Victorian London made them more vulnerable to the bigotry of greater society, and how that could drive someone to want to repress that in the way that Jekyll seeks out the whole 'Hyde' angle in the first place. It makes for a topical and nuanced tale that brings in more tragedy than the original material, while still following the story and being able to adapt it to fit that vision. It's a great way to explore a classic tale while bringing in more diverse perspectives and themes, and "Jekyll and Hyde" is ripe for the picking. Bayron succeeds in the reimagining of it, and makes it feel fresh.

MY DEAR HENRY is another successful Remix in the series. I really enjoyed my time with it.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is not one of my favorite books, but Kalynn Bayron is one of my favorite authors, so when I heard she was writing a retelling, called My Dear Henry, I was excited! Not only did she write an amazing retelling, she highlighted queer, Black voices in her reimagining! I definitely enjoyed My Dear Henry more than I did the original story of Jekyll and Hyde, and it is certainly a retelling that will stay with me for a long time to come!

Gabriel wants to be a lawyer, but being Black in 1885 London, that is not an option for him. Instead, his father urges him to study medicine, where he meets Henry. The two quickly become close friends, and while they can’t openly share it, they develop deeper feelings for one another. After Henry’s father, who is a professor at the medical school, is fired, Gabriel is left lost and confused when Henry suddenly starts giving him the cold shoulder.

I adored so many aspects of this book! As usual, Bayron focused her story around the main character’s Blackness and queerness, which added so much depth to the book! In a painfully real way, Bayron confronted the obstacles relating to intersectionality. She told Gabriel’s story in such an authentic way. I felt my heart break with his at certain points throughout the book.

Furthermore, I think Bayron did a fantastic job of incorporating aspects of the original story while adding her own spin to the retelling. I love that My Dear Henry is not so much about the duality of human nature, but about accepting every part of who you are. Including some of the more nefarious traits of Jekyll in Henry’s father was absolute genius!

The one thing I didn’t enjoy was the relationship between Gabriel and Henry. While it developed a little more as the story progressed, I would have like to read more about them falling in love.

As a whole, My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron is one of the best retellings I’ve ever read! Whether you’re a fan of the original story or not, I highly recommend this book!

DNF at 15%

I really love the entire gothic vibe of Jekyll and Hyde and the Remixed Classics series has been such a hit for me. Therefore, picking up Kalynn Bayron's My Dear Henry seemed like an absolute nobrainer.

Unfortunately, what I read of this book fell completely flat for me on pretty much every level. The prose gives you the bare minimum of plot and setting, but there is no sense of the gothic atmosphere that was promised by virtue of the source material and by the blurb. The blurb also made it seem like we were going to jump into this book immediately with Jekyll's disappearance, so I was surprised to find that the first 33% of the book is the exposition of them being in school. I did enjoy the framing of the story with both Utterson and Jekyll being black and gay in Victorian England, but everything else surrounding that was so bland that I ultimately decided to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thanks to the publishers for sending me this book!

Queer retellings of classics? Sign me up! This was a truly sweet and heartbreaking read, and I found myself screaming and laughing and wanting to punch the wall or hug Gabriel in equal measure at every page. Gabriel was an absolutely lovely protagonist to read about, and I felt myself feeling his pain and confusion with every page, even though I had more of a knowledge of the events simply because, well, this is a retelling. My heart broke for Henry, and I genuinely wanted to murder a certain someone by the end of the book for touching a HAIR on his face. Henry and Gabriel's love was heartwarming, and part of the reason i had to give it 3/5 stars was because I wanted more of it - part of me wishes we got to read more of how they fell in love and how they fit together before, excuse my language, shit hit the fan. Because of that the middle section felt like it dragged a little bit and I found myself wanting to read more of their story. I honestly wouldn't have minded if the book was a bit longer, or if the middle part was a bit shorter to leave more space for everything else. Still, a lovely book about love at a time where queerness was looked down upon, and fighting for it despite hardships.

This book is a retelling of Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde
Our main character Gabriel is going to med school in London, where he meets Henry and they fall in love
but once word gets out about their relationship, they are both expelled from the school
Henry then cuts himself out of Gabriel’s life. But Gabriel notices a new guy living in the Jeckyll house.

This was a short and interesting retelling of the book. Knowing the original story helped me anticipate what was going to happen, but following Gabriel as he figures it out is sometimes a bit clunky. However, the ambiance and gothic vibes were on point.