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.

Clifford Samuel does a good job with the audiobook narration and his tone fits the genre, but I couldn't help but feel like his voice was lulling me to sleep at times.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Young Listeners in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful, beautifully written remix to a classic we all know (and love depending on whether horror is your thing). I was lucky to receive an early release copy of the audiobook via NetGalley. The narrators voice was sooooo nice in the ears. He played a major part in immersing myself into the mc. I couldn’t stop listening from the start to the finish. I loved how much representation was in this retelling. We need more stories like this.
The horror elements did well in creeping me the heck out on many occasions. As a horror lover, I thought those elements were well written.
This was my first remix and it won’t be my last. Keep them coming!

I liked it. It was a nice and dark twist. It was long in places but it speed up which balances it overall.

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for the advanced listener copy. For me, I would instantly recommend the physical copy of this book and not the audiobook. I did not feel like the audiobook narrator changed voices enough, I found myself confused over who was talking, and that took away from the experience. If you are considering reading this, I would not recommend the audiobook.

HOWEVER, I would recommend this story overall. Kalynn was masterful in her retelling and that kept me listening to the story. This is a retelling of the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but as a queer, bipoc romance (at least, that is what I got out of it.)

We follow Gabriel Utterson, who in this story is a boy we follow from ages 15-17 as he studies in London, first in medicine then in law. Gabriel becomes enamored with Henry Jekyll, a boy he meets in school and in his boarding house. However, after an incident in the medical school that causes Gabriel to switch to law, Henry disappears and strange occurrences begin to happen, including a person named Hyde appearing to come and go from the Jekyll house as he pleases.

I loved the ending, but this was pretty slow paced in the middle. I would give the audiobook a 3/5 stars, but would recommend the physical copy of this book.

I'll be the first to admit I never read the original Jeckyll and Hyde. But I love the Remix series so much, this was the first in the series that I read, and I'm glad for it because it's still the strongest of the bunch.

Gabriel is a newly arrived medical student in 1885 London. A black student can't actually amount to more than an assistant on good days, his father is still hopeful that that may change if the right people are curried to enough. He soon bonds with fellow student Henry, son of Dr. Jeckyll a black man allowed to teach at the university for a pittance and no title. Their friendship quickly turns to more, but then the scandal breaks and both boys are forced to leave school. Henry soon vanishes and the mysterious Hyde enters Gabriel's life. When Henry is seen again, he is distant, robotic, and adamant that their relationship should remain friends at best. But Gabriel knows something is wrong, and when a man is murdered, he begins to doubt Henry's safety.

I'm obsessed with this series as a whole, but this book in particular broke me. The way the original elements are reworked to be a story about the harm of conversion therapy, the inclusion of black medical students at a time most people think black people just worked as elevated slaves. It was just such an important read in more ways than one.

From the jump, the racism and otherdness of the students and professors is on prominent display. The blatant way some white characters talk about the black students is infuriating and disgusting. Bayron's writing instilled such strong emotion in me, I was getting angry at a bus stop. The way it hindered how Gabriel was allowed to react, the pressure all the characters felt from society and how it influenced the increasingly hurtful or dangerous choices they made. In addition to the issues of class that allow some of the men to get away with the same things they are punishing the main characters for, and the mentions made of how suddenly their relationship is wrong, but when male students break morality clauses to chase female students there's nothing wrong there. It was just so perfectly scathing and truthful. I out loud said "YEA!" more than once. There was also the way that all of that made the story make sense. The progression of the plot and the actions of the characters were all within the confines of what they would be allowed to do at that time in that city. It was so realistic and never forgot for the sake of the story.

The way homophobia in particular is handled is so raw and it broke my heart. The way Henry just wanted his dad to be proud of him, the way so many people loved him the way he was, but it wasn't enough. The way he was willing to go that far to hide that part of himself was so painful to read. But his realization was equally beautiful. I'm so glad they got the happy ending they deserved, and that change from the original ending not only made sense, but it felt earned by the changes made to the story. Sometimes retellings try to avoid the sad endings, but do the story a disservice in doing so. This was different. The changes made to the story were perfect and fully encapsulated the need for a happy ending.

Overall- big time enjoyment, fully recommend.

A queer-retelling that asks, to what lengths would we go to “save” our loved ones from the pressures and biases of society?

It has been quite a long time since I last read the classic Jekyll and Hyde, but this story’s remix feels far more meaningful while still keeping true to the elements of the gothic original. Race, class, and sexuality test the strength of true love in a society that can be so cruel. This story is a good reminder that there will be downright deplorable individuals in this world, but there is also hope for those in our lives who will always support and love us unconditionally for who we are.

While beautifully written, the pacing of the story was off for me. Timeframes speed up and slow down and we missed what felt like important moments, such as the kindling of our main characters love being rushed into just a few short chapters over a years time. I can appreciate that this book isn’t a true romance novel, but building that relationship in the readers mind brings more meaning to the remainder of the story.

Kudos also to Clifford Samuel, the narrator that brought the audio book to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for my advanced copy.

I've really been enjoying the Remixed Classics series, and this is a wonderful addition. Gabriel Utterson and Henry Jekyll are young, black, queer men beginning their studies of medicine. The story maintains all it's Victorian horror, while exploring modern ideas of self. It was a great read with a satisfying ending.

Dare I say I liked this more than the original? Is that blasphemy? I mean, Kalynn took a creepy horror and made it gave it much more representation. What’s not to like?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

There are those that love a fairytale retelling. I LOVE a classic monster retelling!!

A Hyde retelling with an LGBTQ+ twist? I needed to investigate!!

I don’t want to give the story away so you’ll need to RAFO but Gabriel & Henry meet in school in Victorian London where the nature of their relationship is taboo. They pay the price and shortly thereafter Henry disappears from school and Gabriel’s life.

This doesn’t sit well with Gabriel so he starts lurking outside the Jekyll home trying to get a glimpse of his dear friend. Is this Hyde’s origin story …

I’m going to go back and read more of these books. Also a POC/YA book an it has a great narrator!

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio. More Classic Monsters! Fun book! Sweet.

My Dear Henry is a dark and atmospheric tale of love and adversity, close to the story that inspired it. Henry Jekyll and his closest friend and partner, Gabriel, are young black men just trying to find their way in the world while trying to remain together. But not everyone wants them or their love to succeed, and enemies may be closer than they think.
This remix follows the original tale of Dr. Jekyll with an original spin by a wonderful and talented author who has made the story all her own and written it perfectly for today's audiences. Perfect for fans of the original classic, or fans of the young adult mystery genre in general. This remix is spooky and enthralling, giving readers a glimpse into the world of the past.

First, I must say that I have not read the source material so I do not know how true to the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde this retelling is, but it bears a remarkable similarity to the sparknotes summery with the acceptations of being YA and queer. On its own merit, I think it was a great book. I'm sure many of the teens who pick up this retelling won't have read the original either and I think this will be a great entry point to the story of a mad scientist in Victorian London experimenting with humanity and causing a single person to be able to turn into two different people. While the original seems to have a theme of human duality with each us being both an angel and a fiend, I really liked the theme that Bayron chose to use of what makes a man and a man and a monster a monster.

I thought Bayron's ability to create the setting of Victorian London was really well done. Not only did she create a world that looked like Victorian London, but she kept a dark and suspenseful mood, and consistently wrote of the struggles of being queer and black during the time period. Between the writing and the wonderful audiobook narrator, I felt thoroughly emersed.

This is the first book in the remix series that I have read. It definitely has me interested in checking out more!

This is everything!!! Queer retelling a of classic books should be on everyone’s to-do list. Charming imagery and immersive storytelling had me right next to Gabriel the whole time. If you love the original story or want to read about Jekyll and Hyde without stuffy 1880s English, you will love this book!

I always love a good retelling. This is one of my favorite stories. It's so foggy and sinister. This retelling is a little less foggy and descriptive, but the twist is great! Gabriel is at a really elite school that his dad got him into so he could become a doctor in a time when people with his skin color did not rise that far up. Gabriel can't mess up this opportunity even though he wants to be a lawyer and not a doctor. He meets Henry Jekyll at a lecture and the two hit it off and become friends. They start a correspondence and a secret relationship... which when exposed leads to them both being expelled for immoral character (we are in 1885 and it is simply not done).

As Gabriel scrambles to re-orientate himself after being expelled and (basically) sold into the employment of a dark and brooding lawyer (as a clerk), Henry becomes more and more distant. When a new character enters the scene, Henry burns with jealousy. Can Gabriel find out what's going on with Henry and this new Hyde person? Can he salvage their relationship?

Read on to find out!

What I loved: the Gothic horror vibes, the classic Gothic twist at the end - this one made my blood boil (the reason why Hyde exists should make everyone's blood boil, the continuation of the classic theme: humans are the monsters, the narrator's voice was perfect for this story!

It was a little slow going at times, but overall, it was a medium paced novel.

Highly recommend for anyone who liked the original, Gothic horror fans, LGBT+

To be fair I haven’t read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde since high school but I still think this retelling had the eerie-ness and grit of the original but with more depth to the characters and was absolutely captivating. I loved Henry and Gabriel so much. Kalynn Bayron’s writing style is so lovely. Huge fan.

The narration was excellent as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this book

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was an interesting take on Jekyll & Hyde. Overall an enjoyable story although I would have like a little more of a build up of the main characters relationship. It just felt too rushed in the beginning. Very engrossing other than that though, and the narrator was good!

It's definitely a different take on the Jekyll and Hyde relationship. It's a very good book, and I was interested right away. There are some parts where I just couldn't believe how people acted and treated others. There were parts where I needed to just know more and wanted to get further in the book to know what happened next. I love how the ending turned out.

Ok, first off I would like to say that I think this is one of my favorite books that I have read by Kalynn Bayron. I love her others, but this one just really connected with me. This was also the second retelling that I read in this retold classics series .

This retelling was very dark and told in a time period where being not only LGBTQ+ was considered wrong, but also the color of both the main protagonists skin. Using both of those factors worked well in telling the story and the why the Jekyll/Hyde character was subject to what they were in the story.

I honestly never thought a love between this story would be as intense as it was. I was hooked from the very beginning.

The narrator did an outstanding job of encompassing the characters, and their tone and delivery was chefs kiss. I would absolutely read future works read by them, and I will absolutely be reading the next retold classic in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Kalynn Bayron, and Clifford Samuel (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix, I am fully invested in the Remix line of classic literature retellings. They have excellent novel choices with amazing authors tackling these epic novels, shaping retellings for a more modern audience, including a multitude of cultural diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion.

In 1885, Gabriel Utterson, a 17-year-old law clerk, has returned to London after being expelled from the London Medical School. He and his dear friend Henry Jekyll had been involved in a scandal that has followed them for two years. Now that Gabriel has returned, he wants to start anew, but he can't move on without Henry. As he tries to reconnect with his friend, he discovers that Henry has become distant and cold. His letters have stopped, and Gabriel is desperate to find out what has happened to him.

To uncover the truth, Gabriel begins to watch the Jekyll house. During his surveillance, he meets a young man named Hyde. Hyde is strangely familiar, with white hair and magnetic charisma. He claims to be friends with Henry, which makes Gabriel jealous. But as he grows closer to Hyde, Gabriel begins to realize that there is more to the story than what meets the eye.

As Gabriel delves deeper into the mystery, he discovers that the London fog is hiding many secrets. Monsters of all kinds are lurking in the shadows, and they are not all out for blood. Gabriel must unravel the truth behind Henry's indifference and the strange behavior of Hyde to uncover the truth and save his friend from a fate worse than death.

For those familiar with the original classic, The Strange Tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, readers will certainly see the connections in this remix. While the lens of the retelling offers a different view, the mystery of the gothic horror lingers in this remixed version. An excellent retelling of a classic for a modern audience full of dark mystery and passion.

If you haven't yet picked up a book from The Remixed Classics Series, please do yourself a favor and do so! It's two for two and I am ready for the next one! These classics retellings are an exciting and fun way for a teen audience to be exposed to, and even become excited about, literary classics. They are also a fun-filled read for an older audience having have read many of the classics through their time in school, opening up a new appreciation for these novels.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Kalynn Bayron for allowing me to listen to this beautiful remix of Jekyll and Hyde for an honest review. Shout out to the audiobook's narrator, Clifford Samuel, who I could listen to all day, every day.

I freaking love stories set in Victorian times. I ESPECIALLY love when they have diverse characters; more of this PLEASE. I actually had no idea, initially, that this was just one book in a series of retellings of the classics by amazing and diverse authors. I, of course, must go read all of them now. I MUST HAVE THEM ALL.

This is the story of two teenage black boys who meet at a primarily white school. Despite the weight of their fathers' expectations, the school's horrible racism, and the fear of being exposed for who they are, these two slowly begin to fall in love. When Henry is suddenly expelled from school after his father is accused of theft, the two are heartbroken as their burgeoning relationship is wrenched apart. As the two grow apart and Henry's personality begins to shift in strange ways, Gabriel grows concerned for his friend and suspicious of a new boy named Hyde lurking around the Jekyll home.

This was really an unexpected read with such a soft, sweet romance at its core. A beautiful retelling that turns a classic story on its head. Masterfully done.

Kalynn Bayron's writing style is so beautiful and I really loved the world she built here! She captured the Victorian era in such a lush, darkly mysterious way. The setting was perfection!

That being said, I wish we were given a bit more time with Gabriel and Henry. The story just moved too fast for me and I felt like we weren't shown enough of their romance to fully fall for the relationship. The queer longing was there and it was beautifully written. But the romance sparked so fast that I didn't feel as invested in Gabriel's pain.

Jekyll & Hyde is such a familiar story and I think Bayron honored it well, I just wish the story had taken its time and let us really connect to the relationship so the twists and turns punched us harder in the gut. 3.5/5 stars