Reviews

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore

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ulrikemaria's review against another edition

0.5

picked up from library at random bc i wanted something light as a break from all the nonfiction ive been reading recently.... do not do this. i just hate books where they transplant modern ideas about queerness into a historical setting. at the end of the day i was just not the audience for this. also gatsby didn't say old sport even once???

i will be going back to my books about westminster system politics.

daizie's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a super cute and fresh take on a classic. I think it could've benefitted from including more elements of the original, like

Gatsby being in love with Daisy

, for one! That would've helped give it some more tension and depth. The things that were giving it tension - the stuff with the lost necklace, Tom, etc. - just didn't hit very hard and I didn't care about them.

cat_lover_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

3.0

moonflower97's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

samjoc's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Content Warnings

rookthomas's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Having just come off reading the original, I'm not quite sure what I was expecting from this retelling--but it gave that an more. The writing was splendid and the characters were engaging and endearing (and at times relatably oblivious). The plot was similar enough that it didn't feel entirely removed from the world of the original, but different enough that it wasn't like rereading the classic but with a more diverse cast this time. I couldn’t put it down!!

Content Warnings

mirandyli's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a cute retelling of the Great Gatsby with queer and trans main characters. Sort of slow at times and not as good as the other books in this series.

Content Warnings

ezrasupremacy's review against another edition

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3.0

I gave this three stars because I think it’s very cute and does well if you ignore everything you know about The Great Gatsby or preferably if you have never read it.

I genuinely don’t think I have anything to criticise about this book that doesn’t boil down to “It felt entirely removed from what’s great about the original work”.

If you treat this like it’s an AU fanfic that for some reason plays in the exact same universe (well, ish) it’s super fun and a lovely soft little story that gives you a lot of qtpoc representation.

(Also, Spoiler I guess, but I have to agree with another reviewer - making Nick predict the Great Depression was so ridiculous that it’s just funny)

ktv's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

on the nose in some parts and thats saying a lot coming from me. but overall a fun read. reads like/has the same voice as cemetery boys by aiden thomas

Content Warnings

carpenterbeeoli's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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