What a fantastic take on a classic tale! I love how Mr Hyde is everything Jekyll hates about himself and wants to hide from society. I also like that the entire story is told from the perspective of the boy who loves him. I do think, again, that she uses way too many adjectives, and the narrator of the book kept mispronouncing common words which was irritating, but I liked it overall. I would say my biggest complaint is that the identity of Hyde was hinted at way too early, but then again, it’s a retelling of Jekyll and Hyde, so maybe it’s just obvious bc we all know the story.

I noticed that everything Jekyll hates about himself, he tries to erase, almost like conversion therapy. It’s very sad to watch him try to eradicate that which he hates when it’s exactly what Gabriel loves. The issues of acceptance and self-love and personal exploration are well handled here. I also felt a little bit of an Elijah McClain vibe when Hyde is arrested for dancing in the park, which was a very sad bridge into real life.

Of all the classic remixes, My Dear Henry is the one I thought would work the best for me. I love anything spooky, and anything queer. However, this didn’t totally work for me. I think Bayron is a super talented writer but in this I think she sometimes struggled to balance the original work with her own unique vision. There’s some lines from the original that throw off the whole story, tonally. Still, this was well done and I love that young readers can now read this story with diverse representation. This is a great pick for students who want something spooky and Victorian, but are sick of the often white and straight stories they are given. It’s also a fast and action packed read, making it much more accessible than the original. Ultimately, I think most of these remixed classics should be kept in all teen libraries. They provide valuable representation while exposing teens to the classics that shaped the stories we love today.

A retelling of the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde following two young men named Gabriel and Henry who both attend medical school in London. The two grow close, and whispers about their relationship follow them everywhere. When Henry is expelled after 2 years, Gabriel is devastated. Then Henry grows distant, and Gabriel doesn't understand why until he meets Hyde, another boy who he sees entering the Jekyll residence.

I want to say I loved this, but honestly I was a bit disappointed. Although I enjoyed the story enough, I really could not connect with either Gabriel or Henry. I think the development of the relationship was almost too quick, we never really got to see it be established or grow. I almost wish we got more than just Gabriel's POV, maybe if we had chapters from Henry and Hyde I would have felt more connection to them. I did love that Bayron chose to make the story my diverse by making the characters black and gay, especially in Victorian London. I liked the exploration of internal and external homophobia, racism, sexual assault and power imbalances in this time period and think the author did a great job with those discussions.

Overall, it was a decent read, but I didn't LOVE it like I wanted to.

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.

We often think of self-acceptance as the key to happiness, but the Feiwel & Friends’ Remixed Classic series demonstrates again and again that self-acceptance is not merely the key to happiness, it is essential to survival. The sixth book in this series, My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix, captures the critical nature of self-acceptance in the face of systematic oppression. Author Kalynn Bayron’s reimagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tells the story of two young, Black medical students, Gabriel Utterson and Henry Jekyll. These brilliant, energetic pupils at the London School of Medicine form an inseparable bond as they navigate the hostility of their white classmates and professors.

Undaunted by the brutal realities of Victorian England, the pair excels, each striving to make their unyielding fathers proud. However, the teens’ professors perceive their happiness and success as a threat. They are expelled, separated, and forced into dangerous circumstances by the fathers they worked so hard to please.

This remix has all the jump scares and grotesque settings of the original. It is a fast-paced race to find a killer. But while evil may lurk on the foggy London streets, the most malevolent forces in the book are those of rejection and conformity. As Gabriel searches for the truth, he reveals the devastating impacts racism and homophobia have on families. Gabriel and Henry can only find safety and happiness when they choose acceptance. Highly recommended for ages 13 and up.

A dark queer retelling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that delves into racism and homophobia, this book captures the angsty vibes that I feel the original story does not follow through on. This is a true gothic novel, and readers who are looking for an intense read will be happy.

I was not my cup of tea, but I think the author did a wonderful job establishing the tone and delivering on the expectations of the classic counterpart.

I absolutely love the Classic Remix series and was thrilled to hear that Kalynn Bayron had been tapped to do one!
Bayron absolutely nails the eerie nineteenth century London atmosphere. The writing is immersive and beautifully cinematic.

Unfortunately, this was not my cup of tea, I have never been a fan of the original source material, and should have guessed that I would struggle quite a bit with this. The world of My Dear Henry is DARK, both physically, due to the pollutive fog that we now know was due in large part to the noxious smoke of coal burning homes and factories, and tonally. The themes and characters of this story are complex, desperate, violent, and heartbreaking. If you're a fan of the original Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde or any of its many other retellings this may be a better fit for you!

Thank you to Kalynn Bayron, Fiewell & Friends, and MacMillan Children's Publishing, and Netgalley for the E-ARC.

Kalynn Bayron has done it again. My Dear Henry is beautifully written.

This is the first physical novel I’ve read since July. I’ve been in the deepest reading slump and only Kalynn Bayron could pull me out of it. Perfectly gothic and bleak, My Dear Henry was unlike any book I’ve ever read. Baryon is brilliant at taking an old tale or piece of mythology and giving it a fresh spin. You probably know the story of Jekyll and Hyde, but you don’t know the story of Henry and Gabriel.

The Victorian Era has always enticed me (largely due to the fact that I spent the majority of my teen years being obsessed with the Bronte sisters). Bayron’s Victorian London was everything I desired. The atmosphere was gorgeous. Bayron weaves darkness masterfully. Everything was so thrilling. Bayron made me want to immediately step into Victorian London… and also not. I enjoyed the first part of the story because I got to follow Gabriel through his everyday life as he navigated a very bleak world. It is incredibly evident that Bayron thoroughly researched the period and I found no faults with the accuracy of the world-building. The atmosphere complimented Gabriel’s journey and was a brilliant vessel for exploring the intense themes of the novel.

The aspect that stood out to me the most was the yearning. Bayron’s portrayal of queer longing is effortless. I felt every inch of Gabriel’s yearning for Henry. There were passages that literally made my heart clench in sympathy. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to live as a queer person in the Victorian era. Apparently Bayron can, because her portrayal of queerness felt so fitting. Both Henry and Gabriel struggled within a very homophobic and racist society. I appreciated the nuanced portrayal of class, and how merely existing as Black and queer people in this period made their lives so dangerous. Bayron’s exploration of shame was masterful. Though this was set in Victorian England, shame is a feeling that a lot of queer readers will understand. It’s something I completely resonate with. It was wonderful to see pockets of bravery expressed by Gabriel as he fought to be with Henry whilst grappling with his own identity. Shame is so difficult to overcome and Gabriel’s struggle was so palpable.

Another Kalynn Bayron masterpiece!!! She can do no wrong, I swear. I loved these characters a lot and the Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde vibes were very much present throughout. It was so much fun especially since that's one of my favorite classics. I think it's not my favorite book from Kalynn, but it's definitely still a great one to read. As with most historical fiction featuring Black characters, there is some racism on page that is tough to read, but I wasn't surprised by that, however I wish it could've been left out and this could've been more of an alternate history type of historical fiction, but I still really enjoyed it!

I liked this, but I didn't love it. I was probably at a bit of a disadvantage because I'd never read the original Jekyll and Hyde. I do still like the premise of these where they take a classic and diversify the characters and circumstances. While this may not have been the book for me, I still think others will really enjoy it.

Kalynn Bayron does it again!!! THIS TIME THOUGH...She completely flips the script and makes this classic Jekyll and Hyde story become a completely original, queer story of it's own. I was like...drooling while reading this book because of how good it was. It was everything I could want in a YA novel, a queer novel, a retelling, OR a book in general!!! It was THAT good. Kudos to Bayron for this fantastic story!

I like that this one does more than just change the race of the characters to "remix" the familiar plot. It changes plenty of superficial details but all of those changes bring new intent to the plot. This goes beyond the intellectual curiosity and hubris of the original. Here we have intensity and lack of compassion driven by desperation and the desire for a better life when society is determined to keep one down. We can actually understand the motivation for these experiments far more than in the original book. This is one of the better, more compelling, retellings I've encountered and one I would easily recommend.

I've read everything Kalynn has written before and love them, so I was naturally excited for this one. And it was as wonderful as I expected. The atmosphere of Victorian London that she manages to create, the longing and yearning between the characters, the portrayal of being queer at a time when homophobia was the norm, add to that the compounded effects of racism, it all made for a very impactful read.

I've been really loving these Remixed Classics books and have read most of them, and this book is a wonderful addition to the collection.

This book is a gothic, creepy and very atmospheric slow burn that is great perfect for spooky season. I would have liked if Henry and Gabriel’s relationship was showed to me instead of being told to me.
It was hard to feel the connection between the two when it felt like the relationship wasn’t fully developed. Despite that minor issue this was a good story and the ending was fast paced and held my attention. The narrator did a great job as well.

A delightful remix of Jekyll and Hyde! The pacing and length of this book was perfectly snack-sized, and I loved the writing style so much; a nice emulation of the Victorian style without being too outdated. I only wish that we had gotten to see more of Henry and Gabriel's relationship as it developed, since the early chapters have months-long gaps in between them and most of their relationship happens off-screen. There was a lot of "telling" surrounding their relationship, and not much showing. I still loved the moments they had together, and I loved seeing Gabriel piece together the mystery surrounding Henry and Hyde.

Trigger Warnings: homophobia, racism, attempted SA, off-screen murder, side character with terminal illness, elements resembling conversion therapy

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends for an eARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

I'm seriously in love with the YA Remix series that have been done by Macmillan. My latest is a Jekyll and Hyde queer gothic horror/romance set in the late 1800s, London.

During a time when color, status and representation are still scrutinized and ostricized, Gabriel will stop at nothing to understand the change in Henry's isolating behavior. When Hyde comes into play it's only a matter of time before secrets start to unfold.

Bayron did an excellent job tying in racism, queer prejudices and the gothic atmosphere of that time period. I especially liked how realistic the oppression from teachers, family and friends weighed on our two MCs. There is so much emotion and feeling that came from Gabriel's unstoppable push to find answers.

The audio is narrated by Clifford Samuel. I really liked his cadence and inflections for the different characters. I ended up breezing through the audio and hating it was over by the time he read the last page.

If you haven't grabbed one of these yet, I absolutely recommend them. Not only have they rekindled my love for YA and the classics but they represent authors from marginalized backgrounds. Each one expressively retells different classics from their own ethnic or cultural perspective. This was one of my faves by far.

Thank you Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for the gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. True rating 4.5/5.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of my fave classic gothic stories and I thought this was a great retelling of the story.

It begins with Gabriel going to the same college as Henry, watching their relationship grow as time goes on. Gabriel leaves for the summer and comes back with Henry inaccessible. He then finds out about Hyde and begins to question what's really going on.

CW: This book deals with deals with racism, homophobia, and attempted sexual harassment / assault.

Most of the books in the classic remix series does end a bit more hopeful than the classics for sure, My Dear Henry included.

I really enjoyed this remix of Jekyll & Hyde that imagines Jekyll and Gabriel as two Black gay boys in Victorian (I think) England. I'm not super familiar with the original tale but I thought Bayron did an excellent job at infusing this story with creepiness and questions, and it moved along so quickly.

My Dear Henry is a retelling grounded in history and friendship. Bayron describes both the racism and exploitation while also featuring these moments of comraderie and love. The ways that racism infuses their lives and decisions. But My Dear Henry is also firmly rooted in our family. What we will do in our desire for pride and acceptance. The relationships we have to our fathers.

MY DEAR HENRY by Kalynn Bayron is the Black queer Jekyll and Hyde retelling I didn’t know I needed. This YA gothic novel kept me wanting to know what’s going to happen next. It’s atmospheric, eerie, and chilling. MY DEAR HENRY deals with the issues of respectability politics in marginalized communities, survival, and self-worth vs. self-hate.