DNF 25%

This is a million times my own fault and no fault of the book. I just really hate The Great Gatsby and I really hoped Anna-Marie McLemore’s writing and story telling would make for a perfect rendition because I always love their stories. But this is still Great Gatsby and I am bored, though I do think the way they’ve remixed the characters and the story is fascinating and making for a good story. I may give this another shot at another date, but as much as I want to read this in theory, I’m not actually hooked on these characters.

I'm absolutely loving the trend of people rewriting Gatsby to be queerer and more inclusive—it truly fuels my little soul. Self-Made Boys largely follows the same overarching story, but there are intersections of race, gender, and sexuality that change the story in both delightful and honest ways. Nick and Daisy are Mexican Americans that grew up in Wisconsin, and the book wrestles well with the American theft of Mexican land from the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, as well as the ability for some people—Daisy included—to pass as white in America. McLemore doesn't shy away from the honesty of racism in the 1920s, but does it in such a way that is more about the impact on the characters & story and far less about using brutal slurs to make a point. Nick and Gatsby's transness is also integral to the story, particularly in their motivations and Nick's intersection between race, gender, and sexuality. Overall I think McLemore handled all of these things beautifully, which is a hard needle to thread sometimes. The only thing I wasn't super into was aging down the characters to be in their late teens, which I thought took me out of the story at times. Of course, late teens were well considered adults in the 20s, but part of why I love Gatsby is that they are adults making these awful, messy decisions and makes the wealth more believable. Still, it's more of a personal preference than anything, and their age does have a purpose in the story. Overall, I thought it was a great, quick read and hope to pick up a physical copy soon!

“The world may look at you and see a pawn, but that just means they’ll never see your next move coming.”

In Anna-Marie McLemore’s remix of The Great Gatsby, Self-Made Boys, we follow three teens who are chasing the American Dream in the Roaring 20s. Nicolás, a 17-year old transgender boy from Minnesota, has no interest in the glitz and glamour of the big city but has to New York to establish himself as a young professional to benefit his family. Renting a small house in West Egg thanks to his cousin Daisy Fabrega who lives in the fashionable East Egg near her wealthy fiancé Tom, Nick is shocked to learn that his cousin now goes by Daisy Fay, completely erasing all signs of her Latina heritage and passing as white to fit into society. Then there’s also Nick’s mysterious neighbour, young Jay Gatsby whose mansion is the stage for extravagant and over-the-top parties that all seem to be hosted to impress a girl from Jay’s past—Daisy. As Nick is pulled deeper into the intricate web of the past between Daisy and Jay, he cannot help but get closer to Jay and what starts as a mutual agreement to reconnect the two lost souls ends in Nick falling for the charming boy who confesses he’s also transgender. But with the unfounded faith in the American Dream and jealous men claiming Daisy, Nick’s life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.

I don’t know whether I devoured this book or this book devoured me. Self-Made Boys was the Great Gatsby retelling of my dreams, I kid you not. Two trans leads and a Latina lesbian Daisy? This book was made for me. Granted, I’ve read this book over twenty times (you wouldn’t believe how many university courses use this as a staple to talk about anything from the American Dream to racism and inequality) but I was still overwhelmed with how much I loved Self-Made Boys.

I was mesmerised by how clever this retelling was. McLemore makes excellent choices when it comes to drawing from the source material yet adds so many layers of depth that the story feels as fresh and reinvented as Gatsby hopes he was. McLemore’s Latinx lens turned Gatsby and Nick’s story even more intense when it comes to themes of equality, racism and freedom. Everything felt so organic—McLemore really added to the original characters instead of taking their traits away from them. Daisy, especially, gets her time to shine in this retelling, and we finally see behind the curtains on her sometimes naïve, childlike behaviour. I loved how Daisy’s frustrations and compulsion to fit in drove much of the narrative. Similarly, McLemore manages to capture the glamour (yet dark, seedy underbelly) of the Roaring 20s and really connected the impending Great Depression to the way the characters behaved. And the writing, oh the writing. Nick as the spectator that sees everything but always feels like there’s a distance between him and everyone else that he can’t cross only to then be taken in by Daisy and later on Jay was so compelling. Somehow McLemore managed to take Nick’s voice in The Great Gatsby and make it better tenfold in their retelling.

While we all know how the original story goes, I don’t want to take away too much from readers who go into this story blindly. What I will say is that Nick and Jay are fully fleshed out in this novel and together with Daisy, they create a wholly nuanced story that feels almost spellbinding. There is a certain kind of tenderness to their friendship and Nick and Jay’s eventual romance that is so beautiful to witness, but there is also old pain and grief like you wouldn’t believe. Yet above all is this feeling of comfort and acceptance that made it hard to put this book down. Though I’ve always been a huge fan of the author, this story might just be my new favourite.

McLemore creates a heady cocktail of identity, acceptance and comfort in Self-Made Boys. Featuring tons of nuance when it comes to racism, colourism and equality, characterisations that echo the source material yet add layers upon layers of depth together with a dash of the iconic Roaring 20s vibes, this wonderfully queer The Great Gatsby retelling will leave you mesmerised!

McLemore cleverly reimagines The Great Gatsby with characters from underrepresented groups (LGBTQ and Latinx) in a tale that is part historical fiction and part romance with a dash of mystery added in. Nick, a transgender Latino, leaves his home in Wisconsin to go to New York, where his cousin Daisy lives. Daisy, a young woman from a very modest background, is dating a wealthy young (white) man and is "passing" for white herself. Therefore, she introduces Nick as the son of her family's maid. Although taken aback by Daisy's lies, Nick keeps his cousin's secrets.

Nick lives in rented cottage next door to Jay Gatsby, a successful newcomer to the local social scene. When Jay invites Nick to a lavish party at his house, Nick discovers that Jay is also transgender. This creates a bond between the two young men, and soon Nick develops romantic feelings for Jay. However, Nick knows that Jay has feelings for Daisy, who is almost engaged to beau Tom Buchanan. Tom has the wealth Daisy desires, but his character is lacking, a fact that bothers Nick and Jay. The believe Daisy deserves someone better.

The mystery (which I really enjoyed) involves a $350,000 necklace that Daisy lost when she fell off a yacht. (Such a necklace would be worth over $5 million today -- I looked it up.) She was intoxicated, of course, and doesn't remember much about that night. Could Tom have pushed her overboard after removing the necklace from her neck? Nick thinks so. However, the insurance investigator thinks Nick had something to do with the necklace's disappearance even though the incident on the yacht happened before Nick left Wisconsin.

There are a few minor problems. For example, the use of the word "Ms." to address Daisy on the first page threw me as no one used that term in 1920s. Gatsby's service in WWI strains credibility as his biological gender would have been hard to hide in the close quarters of the trenches. Finally, the book is a little slow in the middle where it gets bogged down in details of the glitz and glamour of the social scene, but there are several twist and turns that will keep readers engaged.

To be fair to this book I feel like its important to share that this is the second Great Gatsby retelling I have read this year and my second favorite behind the adult fantasy retelling my Nghi Vo. Now with that out of the way I really enjoyed this book and definitely enjoyed it more then the original. Anna-Marie McLemore states in the afterward of this book that when she read the Great Gatsby she knew it wasn't done with her and when she was offered to reimagine it she decided to create a queer, transgender and Latine inclusive version. The ways in which queer, trans and Latine characters and stories fit so neatly within the themes of the original make it feel almost perfect.

This book is a fairly quick read and addresses the pacing issues with the original that is its biggest structural issue. The prose is engaging and McLemore managed to create versions of Gatsby, Nick, Jordan and Daisy that you can actually really like and root for. This book also shines in the ways that it is willing to face the racism of the past without causing further harm in the present, and celebrate queer community that existed long before stonewall and the visibility that it enjoys today. People of marginalized identities have always found each other and created community and it can some times be hard to picture that when there are so few records.

Overall I would highly recommend this book and think it is a great addition to the queer YA cannon. I believe that the ending was the thing that held me back from being able to give it five stars but also recognize that what for me didn't work might be a point in its favor to others. so I encourage you to read it and decide for yourselves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warnings: Racism, colorism, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, war, past coming out, alcohol, classism, gun, blood, past boat accident, violence, lavender marriage, coming out, cheating/affair, gambling/debt

Representation: Transgender, Latine, binding, Jewish, Lesbian, Gay, Mexican-American

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix is a YA historical fiction retelling of The Great Gatsby. Nicolás Caraveo moves to the big city to be with his cousin Daisy. While there, he meets Jay Gatsby, the mysterious next door neighbor known for throwing lavish parties at his mansion. Learning they have more in common than they thought, the men grow closer over a common goal.

I haven’t read the Great Gatsby in 16 years but this story was a fantastic reminder and made it queer! This story was the perfect mix of a queer Great Gatsby and Ocean’s 8! I absolutely loved that movie so this spin-off type story was amazing! I also loved the Latinx influence that occurred in the book.

This book was such a nice queer story. While similar to the original, the queer “history” felt like learning more about our elders and provided a beautiful sense of community. I loved all of the characters, especially the depth they had. The book was an enjoyable read and the audiobook was fantastic! I would definitely recommend this story to everyone!

Everyone is queer and no one dies! All classics should be remixed like this!

If you've read Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, it's very easy to follow along with the characters and story (which align pretty closely with the original text). In this retelling, we follow Nicolás Caraveo on his journey into the lavish West and East Eggs of New York. This time, however, he is trans, queer, and Latine.

I don't want to say too much more about Nick or any of the other characters because it is just such a joy to be along for the ride and uncover all of the things that have been kept the same or made different in this adaptation. Super engaging read from start to finish!

Thanks to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm a huge fan of Anna-Marie McLemore's underrated fairytale retellings and Fierce Reads new Remix series, so OF COURSE I had to pick this one up! Great Gatsby is one of my all-time favorite classic novels, and this was so cute and perfect and I absolutely loved the twist on this tale.

*****5 Stars!

“We’ve gotten swept up in the impossible magic of so many hearts being fearlessly themselves.”

First I would like to thank Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this book. I am honored to have been given the chance to read it and give an honest review.

This story takes place in New York City, 1922. Nicolás Caraveo, a 17-year old transgender boy from Wisconsin, has no interest in the city’s glamor. For him going to New York is all about establishing himself as a young professional, which could set up his entire future--and his life as a man--and benefit his family. Nick rents a small house in West Egg from his 18-year old cousin, Daisy Fabrega, who lives in the fashionable East Egg near her wealthy fiancé, Tom Buchanan. Nick is shocked to find that his cousin is now going by Daisy Fay, and has erased all signs of her Latine heritage, and now passes seamlessly as white.

Nick’s neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious young man named Jay Gatsby, whose castle-like mansion is the stage for lavish and wild parties so extravagant they both dazzle and terrify Nick. At one of these parties, Nick learns that the spectacle is all meant to impress a girl from Jay’s past--Daisy. He also learns something else, Jay is also transgender. As Nick is pulled deeper into the glittery culture of decadence, he spends time with Jay, aiming to help his new friend reconnect with his lost love. But Nick’s feelings grow more complicated when he finds himself falling hard for Jay’s openness, idealism, and unfounded faith in the American Dream.

Words cannot express how much I adored this book! I remember reading The Great Gatsby back in high school and being absolutely dazzled by it all, and this book brought back all those feelings. I absolutely love the way the author transformed the original story into something beautiful and so thought-provoking! I love the message this reimagining brings forth to the reader; to be proud of who you are and what you bring forth to the world and the lives of those around you and never be ashamed of being who you were always meant to be.

The pacing of this story was really well done and I was quickly sucked into the story and the words used to describe the settings brought Gatsby’s world right off the page. Everything was so vivid and easy to imagine in my mind as I read, I felt like I could feel the textures of the clothes, smell the scents in the air and taste the rich flavors of the food and drinks.

I also really enjoyed the relationships set up between the characters both platonic and romantic. Nick and Jay’s relationship especially was my favorite, I loved how easily they fit together and balanced the other out. From the moment they first met in the book it became clear that they understood each other without having to speak. I loved all the changes made to the rest of the characters, Daisy and Jordan especially! The ending of this book made me so happy and satisfied! This entire book was perfect and spoke to me on so many levels!

This is a book I would highly recommend to those who love retellings with beautiful descriptions and such well done representation and diversity with LGBTQ+ and Latinx characters. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I was ecstatic to receive this book, but it didn’t grab me. Our main lead wasn’t compelling and the plot was really slow to start. I imagine it gets better. I think it would be likely to move from our libraries due to the gorgeous cover art.

Thank you for the ARC!

Self-Made Boys is a reimagining of The Great Gatsby where many of the leads are trans, queer, and/or Latinx.

The relationships between the characters, romantic, platonic, and familial, are all built up very well. So are the characters themselves- I was invested in all the protagonists, and in the side characters. The prose is lovely; some of the passages were so vivid that I swear I could taste the foods the characters were describing. That all combines to make the story very engaging- I finished this in under 24 hours- even though it is following the same beats as The Great Gastby.

But going off of that, I think the most impressive aspect of the story, though, is the way it transforms the story of The Great Gatsby by reimagining the characters. It's very thought-provoking, and it both adds some new dimensions onto the original story and allows the author to take this version of the story in new, exciting directions. I especially thought the parts about queer people living their lives in 1920s New York City were well done, as was the way McLemore reimagines (and reexamines) Daisy.

I did feel as though the end of the story wrapped up a bit too neatly- but honestly, I think that's more a matter of personal taste than a problem with the book. If anything, I think readers coming into this looking for a happier, queerer reimagining of The Great Gatsby will get exactly what they wanted, so in that way, I think it works in the book's favor.

Oh my god, I don't even know if I can form coherent thoughts about how much I adored this Great Gatsby retelling!

First of all, the representation was incredible! We have Latino, gay, trans Nick, gay and trans Gatsby, and lesbian Daisy and Jordan. I love the aesthetic and vibes of Great Gatsby, but overall disliked it because it felt like a book for white cishet men to enjoy. This took everything I loved about Great Gatsby and fixed everything I disliked, and turned it into a much more approachable version.

The writing was as gorgeous as the original, and I love the changes made to the plot (especially the end!). This one will stick with me for a while.

I was super excited to receive this ARC! I love the great Gatsby and retellings of classics are some of my favorite stories. Especially retellings that bring a lot more representation and diversity to the characters. With both LGBT plus and Latinx characters, I was so excited to start this! The author does an amazing job of creating a beautiful story that just sucks you right in. You can definitely tell the inspiration from the great Gatsby with the overall vibes that really do correlate to the original story.
Highly Recommend

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The latest installment in Macmillan's remixed classics collection, Self-Made Boys retells The Great Gatsby starring a 17-year-old trans Nicolas Caraveo, who rents a house in West Egg from his cousin, Daisy Fabrega. Nick is shocked to discover that Daisy is engaged to the wealthy Tom, and has decided to go by Daisy Fay and forego her Latina heritage in order to pass as white. Nick's new neighbor is, of course, the extravagant Jay Gatsby, a wealthy trans boy who puts on spectacle after spectacle to impress Daisy.

Of all the installments in the remixed classics so far, this is the one I was most excited for, not only because of its potential to lean into the queerness of Gatsby, but also because it's written by Anna-Marie McLemore, who can literally do no wrong. Of course this book is no exception. McLemore crafts a beautiful , romantic tale, maintains the spirit of The Great Gatsby -- its decadence, its interrogation of the American Dream -- and breathes new, diverse life into the classic. This is one of those books that I already know I will definitely be reading again (and again, and again).

This wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I ended up liking it. Given McLemore's dreamy writing style, I was expecting something that mirrored the tone and vibe of The Great Gatsby, just making the queer themes more overt and adding trans characters. Instead, Self-Made Boys reads rather like Great Gatsby fanfic, but not necessarily in a bad way.

The prose and vibe feel more straightforward than what we usually see from McLemore. It takes the plot beats from the film (this does feel more aligned with the 2013 adaptation than it does with the original text) and turns it into a queer love story that avoids the "bury your gays" trope and explores intentional white passing as well as the realities of living with a marginalized identity in the 1920's, both as a Latinx person and as a queer person.

The original was quite queer in its undertones but this is much more overt. To the point that some readers might find it abrasive. But if you go into this expecting more Gatsby fanfic and less Gatsby retelling, I think you'll have a better time with it. In this version, Jay Gatsby and Nick (Nicolás Caraveo) literalize the ideal of a "self-made man" as trans teenagers. Daisy is Nick's cousin and is passing as a white woman, engaged to a wealthy and bigoted man. The choices are really interesting and while I wasn't totally sold from the start (partly because it wasn't what I expected), I ended up really liking what McLemore did with the story and appreciated their author's note as well. The audio narration is good and has that kind of 20's vibe to it. I received an advance audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

WOW. Anna-Marie McLemore is one of my favorite writers and I didn’t think I could love anything more than their novel WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS. This remix might be my favorite McLemore so far! What a stunning take on THE GREAT GATSBY. In fact, it’s far, far superior to the original.

There’s so much to love about SELF-MADE BOYS: A GREAT GATSBY REMIX but I also have to be careful not to spoil any of the genius of this story. So… trans boys who give us an understanding of what could—and could not—be used as binding at that time; queer joy at Jay Gatsby’s parties; surprises and smart takes and fabulous reinventions of the original story’s event. The longing and unspoken desire is exquisite. This remix is exquisite!

I will be recommending this book to my students. In fact, I want to use SELF-MADE BOYS: A GREAT GATSBY REMIX as the exemplar text for a re-telling workshop. I can’t wait to talk to students and adults about this one.

Packed full with bittersweet yearning and artful prose, Anna-Marie McLemore delivers an astoundingly beautiful Gatsby retelling that I’ll hold dear to myself for a very long time.

From the moment I heard the concept of a T4T retelling of The Great Gatsby, I knew I would need to read it as soon as I could get my hands on it. I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to read an eARC of Self-Made Boys, and believe me when I say this story is exceptional in every meaning of the word.

McLemore’s spin on Gatsby introduces the reader to Nick from a new perspective: that of a transgender and latino boy. When Nick comes to New York, he finds that his cousin, Daisy, has erased all traces of her past and is passing as white. He then quickly stumbles (literally) into the life of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby, who he learns is trying to impress Daisy with his parties. He also learns that Gatsby, like him, is a ‘self-made boy’. McLemore pulls the reader along as Nick finds himself dazzled by–and falling for–Gatsby.

Nick’s latino and trans lense adds so much depth to this story and its conflicts–as things quickly grow complicated with Daisy and Tom–and McLemore is the perfect person to write this story. I found myself yearning with Nick as he slowly fell for Gatsby and audibly cheering when he finally realized that Gatsby was in love with him too. Daisy’s character is infuriating and wonderful all at once, and it was so satisfying to see the subtle ways she hinted at herself throughout the story.

It was also incredibly satisfying to read a queer story set in a historical setting written in the way that this was approached. Although the dangers of being queer were very present and not glossed over, they were never at the forefront of the narrative. We need more stories that center around queer resilience without focusing on queer pain, and I think that McLemore did a perfect job of showcasing that with Self-Made Boys.

I’m eager for this to be out in the world, and I hope that this story can find everyone who needs it. I know I certainly needed it.

The Great Gatsby has always been one of my favorites--I even have a tattoo! I was super excited when I found out about this book. I mean, read the premise and look at that cover! When I got approved for an arc copy on Netgalley I was elated! And the book didn't disappoint. It took a second for me to a get a proper feel on the world, but I loved the characters and the nods to the original. There were parts here and there that seemed to lose pacing, but it always recovered. Definitely one I'll be recommending to my friends!

Ever since The Great Gatsby came into public domain, we have gotten a surge of retellings of it and I could not be happier about that fact.

This is my first Anna-Marie McLemore book and it definitely won't be my last because the writing of this book was simply phenomenal. There were all these deceptively simple turns of phrase that really painted the image we were being presented with or dug deep at the characters' emotions.

The plot sticks to all of the main plot points of the original story but freely deviates in between those and that structure is an excellent fit for this story. I highly enjoyed the added mystery element, it enhanced the story to its magnificence.

The characters have been given a lot more depth and some have been granted more emotional significance. It could easily be said that they were improved upon -- they definitely feel more real. I loved the exploration of the themes of betrayal, belonging and forgiveness, they were all fully fleshed out and really emotionally poignant.

Overall, a wonderful read! I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought the topics of race, sexuality, and gender were handled in a really nuanced way that was very digestible yet engaging for YA readers, and I will definitely recommend this to my audience.