Books like this that are “remixes” of classics always intrigue me, so I knew I HAD to read this! I’ve always loved “The Great Gatsby”, and this book took it and gave it a really interesting and inclusive makeover. Still set in the 1920s, the story spotlights issues of race, gender, and sexual identity.

In general, I felt like parts of the plot were a bit chaotic, and I struggled to believe that these characters were 17-19 years old. HOWEVER, it was such a sweet story of self and identity, and I LOVED the nods to the original story. While there were parts of the story that were reminiscent of the original, this was still very much it’s own story, and I really enjoyed it!

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.

“…we were as divine as the heavens. We were boys who had created ourselves. We had formed our own bodies, our own lives, from the ribs of the girls we were once assumed to be.”

Trans! Queer! Latinx! Gatsby retelling! SELF-MADE BOYS: A GREAT GATSBY REMIX is a stunning, elevated twist on this classic story. In McLemore’s version, Daisy is a mixed-race Latina passing for white (and straight), Gatsby is a bi trans boy trying to forget his past and solidify his future, and Nicolás Caraveo - aka Nick - is also mixed-race, also trans, gay as hell, a total math nerd, and hopelessly in love with Gatsby. There’s so much beautiful writing here, about trans kids making themselves, about the dark underbelly of the American dream, about family and loyalty and passing, about reclaiming words used against us and our communities, about falling in love and finding the people you can be yourself around. McLemore does an incredible job of blending the realities of the time the original novel is set in with our modern language and sensibilities. It’s completely romantic, delightfully subversive, and an utter joy to read. Avi Roque performs the audiobook with Kyla Garcia and it’s so well done. Thanks to Feiwel & Friends and Macmillan Audio for the review copies!

Content warnings: period-typical racism, colorism, transphobia, queerphobia, and sexism; experiences in war and trauma responses

Like most people, I read the original Great Gatsby in school and I remember finding it very interesting. I thought it was a boring story, but one that intrigued me regardless (honestly, most classics made me feel this way to me). But reading the familiar way the Great Gatsby once intrigued me in this story was really fascinating. I found renewed interest in these characters and I genuinely cared about them. This book was so wonderfully queer in every way and it made me so happy to read it. To have a classic story told in such a way that celebrates different identities, it was amazing.

I loved the central characters in this. Even Daisy, who I simply couldn't stand in The Great Gatsby, was a character I ultimately loved in Self-Made Boys. The standout to me was Nick, who I really loved being with throughout. His perspective was soothing somehow and it made this story all the better. Not only is he trans, but he's brown living in a world that is dedicated to crushing those identities. This was my first Remix book I've read and I'm really looking forward to reading more in the "series." It was so wonderful to see these changes in a classic story and made me care so much more about what all happened. I also have to commend the writing. There were some lines that truly had me rereading them multiple times because of how brilliant they were. This is my first read from Anna-Marie McLemore and what a great first it was!

3.5 stars. I'm doing some booktalks about the American Dream soon and this I've been hearing about this one for awhile, so it seemed pretty fateful. I liked the retelling and imagining of what it might look like in this part of history for someone who was trans (also, if you didn't think Nick and Gatsby were acting a tiny bit gay for each other in the original, you arguably weren't doing it right). I liked how this one raised issues and necessities of passing and liked how it wove in and out of the original story. I guessed where the story was going way early (and that's not something that happens to me a lot) which made it a little tiresome to wait for Nick to catch up, but still glad I read it and the lens of the classic it gave me.

Okay, so, let me admit first thing that I am a failure of a literature degree-haver; I have never read The Great Gatsby. The good news is that you don't even need to know the basics of the original to enjoy the story that Anna-Marie McLemore has created in Self-Made Boys.

17-year old transgender Nicolás (Nick) Caraveo moves to New York City in early 1920 not for the glitz and glam of the city life, but with the hopes of making a name for himself and money to send make to send back to his family in Minnesota. He does so by the good will of his cousin, Daisy Fabrega (now calling herself Daisy Fay), who is living the high life in the city as a white-passing socialite with her wealthy fiancé, Tom. While he struggles with this new life, he comes to know his new neighbor through his elaborate mansion parties, Jay Gatsby, a mysterious young man with his own secrets who is intent on impressing a girl from his past - Daisy. At first, Nick is drawn to him through one marked similarity; they're both transgender. But as Nick gets to know Jay, he finds himself drawn to this boy who is so very different from himself in every way... Even if Jay is only interested in Daisy.

The beauty in this story is both in it being a love letter to 1920s New York City and in the way that it calls out everything wrong with the supposed glitz and glam of The Roaring Twenties. There is that incessant search for the American Dream, and the knowledge that it is accessible only to the most privileged among the population - a fact that Nick learns early, when he discovers that he might be able to pass as male but cannot pass as anything but Latinx, unlike his cousin. There is the search for happiness in a country that is not yet ready to accept the existence of queer people, handled so aptly and delicately by author McLemore, and what it means to be a queer person in the 1920s, from discussions of lavender marriages to safe spaces they create for themselves within the world. The very idea of "Self-Made Boys" is a repetitive theme throughout the story, in the discussion of the pursuit of the American Dream and these characters making themselves over as the boys they want the world to see them as.

Self-Made Boys is a lovely retelling of a classic story, whether you've read the original or not. It will make a lovely addition to any bookshelf - and I genuinely cannot wait for the sprayed/stenciled edge bookshops to get their hands on this one!

When they said remix, they meant REMIX! I don't know how to feel about this as a Gatsby retelling, but I loved it as a queer & trans Latinx YA historical romance. We've got a love triangle (quadrangle?) going on & this is filled with familiar young adult themes like self discovery, chasing your dreams, figuring out how to stand up for who you are and what you believe, and imagining a life for yourself beyond what society deems fit for you.

This is vastly different from the original thematically, and many of the characters are reinvented from the inside in order to be more sympathetic and deserving of a happy ending. This really changed the feel of the narrative - Gatsby's not selling counterfeit bonds, Jordan doesn't tell white lies or drive too fast or spill people's secrets, Nick and Jay don't drink, Gatsby is racially conscious and the book really play up his poor/bootstraps origins. You can tell from the synopsis that we have trans and Latinx main characters, which obviously puts the book in an position to make some interesting commentary on race and gender in 1920s America (although I found the characters had pretty modern sensibilities, at times feelings a little out of touch with the setting). I was also surprised at how making the characters younger (17-19) changed the feel of things as well. Tom is really our core villain here and the main plot is still the love triangle around Daisy, with subplots like the mystery of a missing pearl necklace and Nick's job in finance as a gay Cassandra predicting the stock market crash. Daisy gets kind of a Where the Crawdads Sing moment towards the end which was pretty baller. All this to say that Self-Made Boys is about very different things than The Great Gatsby was about!

I really appreciated the complexity added to the text regarding Daisy being a Latinx character passing as white. I would read a whole book from this Daisy's POV, and you can tell she's a favorite of the author by the way her letters are written. The romance side of things between Nick and Gatsby develops in a very sweet way which readers will love. The heart of this book really lies in Nick's love for Gatsby and in Daisy's desire to pursue her lavish life as a socialite even as it slowly erodes her identity, so the scenes between Nick and Gatsby and the scenes where we learn more about Daisy's internal world were definitely my favorites.

I'd highly recommend this if you like queer historical young adult books OR if you're someone who DIDN"T like reading The Great Gatsby in high school because you found the original characters hard to like - they're far more likable here! This definitely deserves a place in classrooms and libraries, and I hope teens are able to see themselves reflected in this book and find their way into this classic!

This is a super engaging reimagining of Gatsby.

The book is full of history: queer history, the history of New York, how we got into the Great Depression. There's also some really fantastic discussions about passing. Passing as white, straight, and CIS.

Gatsby has always felt kinda Queer (Nick is so clearly in love with Gatsby) and it's really satisfying to see all of these classic characters live full-Queer lives.

There's also some new plot points which gives a nice little twist to the story and keeps the book engaging and not just a rehashing of the original story.

I am truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to read and review this one. McLemore’s prose is fluid and lyrical, and terribly romantic. Their characters are complex, endearing, and imperfect in the most human way. Self-Made Boys is a mixture of realism and wish fulfillment that honors its source material without getting mired down by it.

I will admit that I was a little skeptical about this one going in. The Great Gatsby is a personal favorite of mine and in some ways. I feel protective of it. Through a modern lens, it has its problems, but there is a reason it’s left such a large mark on so many hearts. I was concerned because McLemore really bit off a lot here. The author weaves gender identity, racial, and sexual identity, and passing for something you are not (straight, cis, white) into their story seemlessly. I worried that all this would be too much and the story would be lost. It isn’t. McLemore uses all of these issues to give new depth to the characters and the story.

In the original Great Gatsby, Nick’s love for Jay is subtext, just below the surface. For some readers, it’s right there on the page. McLemore’s given us a world in which Nick knows and accepts that he loves Jay but still has to struggle with what that love means for him. A world in which, infuriating as she is, Daisy has depth and nuance. She is a real woman rather than Gatsby’s dream girl, and she has plans of her own. Fitzgerald’s novel is a commentary on the American Dream. I think Self-Made Boys is too, but in a very different, much more hopeful way. Jay and Nick, Daisy and Jordan exist in an America that wants to remake them in order to accept them. Instead they may find that there is space within the American Dream for everyone and that you don’t have to pass for something you’re not to find your way there.

McLemore gave me the ending for Nick and Jay that I always wanted. I will be rereading this one soon. Thank you to the publisher for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The entire time I was reading Self-Made Boys (in eARC, thank you @netgalley), I kept saying “I cannot wait to teach this someday”. It is a beautiful book— A queer retelling of Gatsby that holds on to so many of the themes of the original story (class, race, identity, etc) but does so through characters that are not just straight, cis, and white, so readers can explore the issues of the 20s and of America through perspectives beyond the one of the original book. The result is that the marginalized people who are sort of just contributing background in the original Gatsby get to be fully realized characters whose struggles are at the forefront of the narrative, which gives the whole story more sympathy, depth, and shows a much more diverse vision of the issues of the 20s.
If/when I teach an American lit class in the future, I would love to do this alongside the original text and focus on the issues that are common in Gatsby and this, but get students to dig into how differently McLemore and Fitzgerald choose to tackle these problems (and why they did so, and how those differences impact the story). Even as a lit circle option (perhaps with every group reading different adaptations of classics) or as an independent reading project, this text would be fantastic, and I imagine any US history teacher would be happy to have their English counterpart taking on a book with as many historical themes as this one.
Overall, 5/5 stars for me 🤗

Beautifully retold version of the classic with a diverse cast of characters. The author stays close to the original story with some creative changes that add depth to the characters and their relationships in a way that invites the reader to connect with each character in a new way. I loved Nick and his backstory, and while I grew frustrated with Daisy's lies, in the end I appreciated what the author did with this character.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

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

Well now THIS is a version of THE GREAT GATSBY that I can fully get behind! McLemore not only gives readers a new take on Nick, Jay, and Daisy... but we get transgender characters (Nick and Jay), we get latinx characters (Nick, Daisy, and one other main character), we get a Sapphic romance (that one you'll just have to read to find out), AND in this version we finally get Nick and Jay admitting their attraction to each other!

I will say that the only thing I felt that was missing was the 1920s feel of it - there is some with characters teaching Nick what vocabulary to use, but overall I missed the "1920s Gatsby Party" feel of other versions of this novel. But that's not to say SELF-MADE BOYS is lacking, or that it wasn't enjoyable. I really enjoyed it as it was, but was hoping that the descriptions of the decadence of Gatsby's parties would have been taken one step further.

Something McLemore does that I truly appreciated was that in this version, Daisy is still vapid and obnoxious on the surface, but instead of leaving it at that, this Daisy has depth to her and a method to her actions. Her impact on the overall story hits much harder in McLemore's version than in the original. And Daisy's story, as is Nick's, are so entwined into this idea of the "American Dream" that was so prominent in the early 1900s. As is the concept of a self-made person. Those topics are well suited to this story and will hopefully give readers something to think about along with everything else that happens.

And can we talk about the cover art?! Stunning.

5 stars

What I have loved so far about the Remix series is that they are achieving what I expect is their intended purpose: reinvigorating a love for some traditional (aka tired) works with more relatable characters. This newest piece from McLemore - a proven treasure in the YA world - is no exception, and it is also my favorite of the group thus far.

As this is a remix, the characters readers of the origin point know and have *feelings* about are all present here, but they are so much better in this version. The representation is layered and engaging in several areas that McLemore has become known for across their work: gender identity, gender expression, sexuality, and race and ethnicity. As knowing readers expect, McLemore provides a thorough content warning at the top, so all readers should take note there. Readers follow these characters on a journey of exploring and coming to terms with all of these areas, and there are some difficult moments and realities. That noted, this is a WAY more uplifting product overall than its forebearer, and that's particularly impressive with the added explicit identities McLemore introduces throughout.

I know the world is filled with die-hard Gatsby fans, but I have eternally loathed the depressing nature of that book and the horrifying symbolism that highlights it all. In a remix that could have gone much deeper into darkness, McLemore instead offers a healthy, well, MIX of realistic struggle and uplifting messaging, and I am here for all of it.

McLemore continues to be an essential voice for expansive (see what I did there?) and complex identities that mirror actual people in modern times, and I remain grateful for their prolific work, as well as thrilled to read more as soon as it's available (and before that, when possible)!

*Bonus note: the narrators of the audiobook really enhance the experience. Select that option when possible!

The Great Gatsby was one of my favorite books in high school. I'm not sure exactly what that says about me, but I could find myself discussing it easily in class. And I always enjoyed the film version starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. And I agree with the author of this remixed classic; Daisy is and was infuriating.

But this book painted all of the classic characters in a new light and I enjoyed seeing each and every way that happened. I mean, most of all having Gatsby and Nick be transmen? And and innate queerness of like, all of the other characters?? Brilliant! As I neared the end of the book, I thought of the ending to the original book and feared the worst, but without spoiling anything the author spun a number of things (as they were all along throughout the whole book) in a way that was satisfying and poignant.

SELF-MADE BOYS by Anna-Marie McLemore is the great Gatsby novel I always wanted but never knew how to ask for. I couldn't be more thrilled with the ending. I'm not crying YOU'RE crying!

10/10
thank you to netgalley and macmillan children's publishing group for the arc!

i loved reading this book! i read the original great gatsby in high school and don't remember much of it besides thinking nick was in love with gatsby, and this retelling is everything i could have hoped for. i love that both nick and gatsby are trans and none of them face homophobia or transphobia from their loved ones (or from any characters really, but it's still there bc of the time period). i love the t4t relationship. i loved the new layers of complexity added to daisy's character. i loved the writing. i thought it was wonderful, and the best thing about it is that you don't need to be familiar with the original story to understand this one, so i would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested but was hesitating because of that, and to anyone in general!

wow these YA classics remixes are KILLING IT. This was so gorgeously written and for me really enhanced the original while being its own beautiful thing. And I loved all the historical details about queer and trans lives in the 20s. I loved the depth granted to each character.

THIS IS THE GREAT GATSBY BOOK YOU NEED! If you’ve ever read the book and thought to yourself : yup Nick and Gatsby are in love, then THIS IS THE BOOK. This is a fresh and absolutely wonderful queer retelling of the Great Gatsby with the BEST AND MOST SATISFYING ENDING FOR EVERYONE. Seriously this was all I could have ever asked for and more, we get the Nick and Gatsby ship of our dreams, we actually get a more fleshed out Daisy and OH BOY DID THIS DAISY ARC WORK OUT SO MUCH BETTER, and my god, the representation in this book was everything to me. I will be forever telling people to read this book because, it just was perfection.

The story follows Nicolás Caraveo, a 17 year old transgender boy from Wisconsin who wants to establish himself as professional and make enough money to help his family. With the help of his cousin Daisy Fabrega, who lives in East Egg and her wealthy Fiance, Tom, they get him a little house in the West Egg. What Nick does not expect to find when arriving is that his cousin has erased so much of her Latin heritage and is now passing as white in order to get on in society and convince her fiancee that she is what he wants. In addition to this Nick meets his mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, a man who throws extravagant parties in the castle-like mansion next door. What Nick doesn’t expect to find is that Jay is also transgender. What begins as unlikely friendship and soon becomes a plan to help Jay get back with Daisy soon spirals out more as Nick and Jay spend more time together, and Nick’s feelings start growing... but there is more going on here than even Nick realizes and soon he’ll discover some unlikely secrets about his cousin and the man who is supposedly in love with her... with whom Nick himself is in love with.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Self-Made Boys is a Great Gatsby retelling. In which both Nick and Jay are transgender. It pretty much follows the same story as the Hemmingway version. However, the characters go through some different things and the ending is different. The characters find themselves throughout the novel and find love. Overall, a really good retelling of the classic novel.

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books ever. So I was both excited and nervous to read this one. But I really loved it. I enjoyed seeing a different side to these characters. I loved all of the LGBTQ+ representation in this book. I also liked how this was a different twist on the classic characters, but yet that did not take anything away from the original story. I think if you are a fan of the Great Gatsby this is one you should add to your list. Thank you so much NetGalley, Ann-Marie McLemore. and Macmillan for the ARC of this.

Holy!! Moly!!! I am so obsessed with SELF-MADE BOYS!!! If it could rate it 10000/5 stars, I would. I adore all the characters so much, and I just connected so well with Anna-Marie McLemore's writing. They capture the glamour and beauty of the 1920s Jazz Age, and also the seedy underbelly that lurks just underneath.

I am living proof that you DO NOT need to be familiar with the original THE GREAT GATSBY in order to fully enjoy and connect with this remix. I have very little tangential knowledge of the book and I still found the core story to be engaging, easy to read, and complete.

As for the characters and the romance, let me just say that I cried many time, for many different reasons. SELF-MADE BOYS just reached into my heart and wrapped me up in the warmest hug.

What an absolutely beautiful reimagining of The Great Gatsby. I am actually beside myself with this one. It’s been a very long time since I read a book in a single night but here I am, I couldn’t stop myself from turning every page.

This was easily my favorite read of the year thus far. I feel like my thoughts are a whirlwind right now because there’s just so much to say but long story short the writing was stunning, it’s the kind of writing that just makes you appreciate words. I literally teared up over every queer aspect of this story and how deeply rooted it was and how it just sort of seemed like it should have always belonged in the world of The Great Gatsby.

The romance and the mystery and the queerness of it all. I want to tattoo it to the inside of my brain where I can reread it forever. That’s how I feel.