3.5 stars

Hmm…complicated feelings about this one (so I wrote an essay).

So first, I did my self-imposed homework and re-read The Great Gatsby right before diving (lol) into this one. Consequently, all similarities and differences between the two narratives were immediately obvious—which led me to question: how close should a retelling be? We retell fairytales, but fairytales are archetypal and so firmly stamped in the cultural landscape that we associate crumbling towers with princesses, red cloaks with wolves, gingerbread with evil witches, and so on; they’re made to be retold. But this isn’t a fairytale. In fact, it’s the antithesis of a fairytale. Any hope to be found is in the margins, in what we take away as Nick reflects on the futility of it all, on the dreams that are always a little out of reach, but that we as humans can’t seem to stop trying to grasp.

Gatsby is a strange one. 100 years old as of 2025, and arguably Fitzgerald’s magnum opus, it marks a shift in his philosophy from his first novel This Side of Paradise. While disillusionment permeates both novels, there’s a certain maturity to Gatsby that reveals the change in his internal dilemmas, and it’s strange and beautiful to witness a century later.

Some classics hold their relevance for decades, others for centuries. It’s too soon to know for certain how long Gatsby will endure, but it’s safe to say a century on that everything Fitzgerald said (and with such brevity!) is just as important and accurate now as it was then. And in 180 pages, that disillusionment and insight wrapped in gossamer packaging is something I doubt we’ll ever see again. (I, sadly, am a cynic, but I hope to be proven wrong.)

All that to say, adapting a new version of Gatsby is a tall order to fill.

While I can’t speak for those who never read The Great Gatsby, for me Local Heavens doesn’t quite stand up as its own story simply because it leans so heavily on the original. I wonder what someone who read Local Heavens first and Gatsby second would have to say about the similarities, because to me they were at best distracting and at worst a crutch. So where do we draw the line? Where does a story become its own story, an homage to the original and not just a pale imitation? Truly, I’ve no idea. (As I’m drafting a very loose Wizard of Oz retelling, I’ve thought about this a lot.)

The prose is overall good, and I sensed the author trying to imitate Fitzgerald’s style, but unfortunately, I didn’t feel as immersed in this world as I did in Fitzgerald’s, and I attribute this to the writing not being quite as evocative or sensory, but rather flatter and more distant, though there are times when I found it very effective (mainly in scenes between Nick and Gatsby). I think also at times the metaphors felt not necessarily bad, but out of place. (I also just read some amazing prose writers on a semi-regular basis and compare everything to them, so most newer books just don’t scratch that itch, and I admit I’m super picky about it. Thy mileage will vary. This is still better writing than I’ve seen from many recently published books.) Still, it’s harder to picture this world, which feels in some ways a bit generic SF and less unique to the story than it should (I watched two episodes of Andor a day or so before starting this and felt as if I could interchange the landscapes). But then, I’m not as well-versed in Cyberpunk and my favorite SF tends to lean to the weird. (Again, thy mileage will vary.)

On setting, I didn’t get a great sense of what it was like to dive into cyberspace, or the war that apparently involved a lot of this(?), or why it’s so dangerous; glimpses, yes, but no stakes aside from one scene with Owl Eyes (a character I didn’t enjoy much here, sadly). It’s difficult at times to follow the ‘tech talk’ and to be honest, it’s probably the least interesting part of this book. I’m not sure how much of that is just me (a modest reader of this genre) or if it’s something that will be an issue for a lot of people, so…mileage. Nick is also supposed to be a corporate spy, but this storyline feels flimsy by the midway point and lacks tension for its entirety.

The dialogue is at times word for word from Gatsby, and aside from that it feels a bit mixed in how it melds with the world. Likewise, there are times when it becomes too expository. I was also surprised that certain characteristics, like Gatsby’s habit of calling everyone ‘old sport,’ were not replaced with terminology more fitting to the setting. This comes off as a missed opportunity.

There’s also a tendency in the writing to explain where no explanation is necessary, rather, to tell something that’s already been shown via subtext. I love subtext. It lets the words breathe. It pirouettes what’s said into something new and meaningful that will look just a little different to every person. Gatsby is full of it, and here we are a century later still obsessed. Subtext holds just as much power as the words themselves. Unfortunately, there were so many times where what could have been a really impactful scene ended up falling flat because of explanations tacked on.

As for characters, it’s a mixed bag. I generally enjoyed the changes here, but I had a hard time buying some of the flip-flopping that goes on in the second half of the book with who has feelings for who (also some of the behavior in general just didn’t add up to me by the last quarter). I’d say the buildup to these things is decent, but not great, and so I questioned it several times. I believe the issues I had here are a byproduct of keeping some of the same dialogue, same plot points, but making tweaks—sometimes it works smoothly, and sometimes it doesn’t. That said, the highlight of the latter half is definitely the developing relationship between Nick and Gatsby, and I’ll admit…the ending kind of got me, even if part of it felt off in the very last bit (maybe too close the original, and I think it could have bloomed into something new there; or hell, maybe I just want them to have a happier ending).

I keep thinking of this comment I read in a review (for a totally different book) about the writing being nice but lacking substance. It’s sort of how I felt about This is How You Lose the Time War, word salad thrown together to sound cool but hiding flat characters and an incredibly shallow story that mostly comes off as generic in the end. Contrast that with my favorite read this year, Roadside Picnic, which has competent, raw writing that doesn’t try to be pretty but does manage to unsettle and immerse. Not only is that book one of the best and most subtle commentaries on commodification I’ve ever read, it’s also emotionally devastating, and I still think about it almost daily months later.

For me, Local Heavens resides somewhere between Time War and RP (notably, all three novels are sci-fi) in its writing and what it seems to be trying to do. It’s more coherent and readable than TW but lacks the raw beauty and philosophical depth of RP. It suffers a bit from a trend where so much of the narrative seems to be carried by vibes and aesthetics, but doesn’t probe beyond the surface, or gives the most obvious commentary that we’ve all heard before, ad nauseum. Yes, corporations are exploitative. Yes, the rich tend to get richer at the expense of the poor. In the instances where Nick is talking with Owl Eyes the revolutionary/rebel talk felt like something I’d seen before many times. Tale as old as time, as they say. Tell me more, make it unique, make it something I haven’t seen or heard before, or at least give me a remix that I can really believe in. I admire the effort, but we’re only scratching the surface here. And I’ll say here that what I enjoyed most thematically (and imo, what carried the most depth) was the use of names (that scene!), false names and true names, and names we use like armor or cloaks to conceal our innermost selves. That aspect was lovely.

It feels like this is attempting to be in conversation with the original, but the author mentions not needing to read Gatsby to understand this. So I’m a little confused about where it all stands. Its very existence and how much it borrows from Gatsby kind of demands comparison, which is unfortunate, but even if you write the loosest retelling ever, you’re going to invite that. It’s as inevitable as taxes. And I think what it comes down to is that a lot of this feels like a futuristic aesthetic superimposed over the same story that still comes off very 1920s so that at times it’s easy to forget this is the 2070s (the last quarter was the most futuristic to me and where I felt most immersed). To bring in my handy old metaphor, it’s like the author threw Gatsby and various sci-fi elements in a blender but rather than a smooth, well-blended concoction, there are a lot of chunks floating around. People are still using the same curse words, the same mannerisms…and I guess it’s plausible, but just think how much those things change between one decade, let alone fifteen. It’s possible to look perpetually in your 30s but Alzheimer’s hasn’t been cured? Bodies are modified, but what effect does that have on hunger, on the desire for intimacy? Time and circumstances alter people on more than just the individual level. We make fun of each other by the generation for a reason, characterize ourselves by what we do or don’t care about as a collective, but that only occasionally feels touched on here.

So…I definitely didn’t dislike this book (like I said, the ending got me, and I enjoyed the name part), but I also didn’t like it as much as I wanted to, as I’m sure others will. Gatsby is one of my favorites, top 5 easily. And while fantasy and lit fic are my most-read genres, I like and occasionally love sci-fi. I was primed for this. And like I said, it’s readable, and there are some lovely lines and beautiful thoughts to be found in the pages. I just wanted more of that.

But in the end, I come away thinking just a little more about what it could have been rather than what it is, and I guess that means I’m floating in the margins, suspended by the potential.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery for the ARC

When I first came across Local Heavens via Fajardo's social media platforms I was Immediately intrigued by the pitch "a queer, cyberpunk retelling of The Great Gatsby". It promises a lot and as a lover of the classic and lover of queer media I had high hopes for the execution.

It certainly did not disappoint. Local Heavens is easily one of the best books I have read in years and an absolutely stunning debut from Fajardo.

The prose was elegant and rich and did such a great job of blending in Fitzgerald's style into the authors own voice. Overall I think the way that The Great Gatsby was honoured in this retelling was done with so much taste. The book could easily stand on its own for a reader who hasn't read the classic but adds so much depth for those who have.

I found the world building to be clear and intriguing, if i had any criticism it would be that i would have enjoyed diving a little bit deeper into it but I still felt as though it was very flushed out. I think by far my favourite part was the characters. They had such great depth, they were flawed and complicated and truly felt like real people. The way that the relationships both romantic and not were intertwined was done very successfully and were quite captivating, I only wanted to see more and more of them as I read on.

And of course the romance in the book was another main highlight. This is the unspoken tension and natural build that I want in a fictional romance. I loved how it really felt like all aspects of it were thought through with care and I wasn't just being told how they were feeling, I could see it and feel it.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Local Heavens, it will certainly have a spot as my staff pick come its release in October. I look forward to more work from Fajardo in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

First of all, thanks NetGalley for getting me this eARC!

It took me a while to get into this book due to the world-building. But, once I did, it was a great read! I read The Great Gatsby a long time ago, but I recognized the storyline and I think it's a good retelling. It's a completely different world compared to the original and that really sets it apart. K.M. Fajardo did a fantastic job with the very descriptive, immersive world-building and the characters. I can't wait to see what else she'll write!

Fantastic debut from Fajardo. I signed up for a NetGalley account specifically to request this title and I was not disappointed. I'm looking forward to the official release, and will most definitely be watching this author's career.

The Nick Carraway we know has been heavily modified, physically and spiritually -- upgraded, so to speak. From a character who needs almost as much sussing out as the titular character, Nick has been transformed for Local Heavens into a Filipino-American, unambiguously bisexual, military-veteran-turned-"net diver" just trying to get through his latest assignment. Neither his queerness nor his heritage feels tokenistic. In fact, both add dimension to the story and strengthen this retelling's ties to the original themes of classism, US imperialism, and a(n admittedly more subtextual) homoerotic kind of admiration and yearning. For all of this Nick's confusion (frustration) at being pushed and pulled by familiar (and not so familiar) forces, he remains his own man, and an empathetic one at that. It helps that we get to see him interact with more characters, and that his time with Gatsby is given more care and emotional intimacy (that middle section where they spend the evening outside rather than at Gatsby's residence is simply Magic!).

Of course, by deliberately remixing Nick's background and personal traits, we find that Gatsby himself can only be changed as well. The source material's Gatsby already appeals to the reader and to Nick for reasons other than his glamor and ostentation. This story, however, turns up Gatsby's charm and pathos, especially in his interactions with Nick. We see that, regardless of the plot reasons for their sustained contact, Nick can barely help being drawn to Gatsby, and vice versa. Each of them operates in a language different from the other, at a level that the other might not ever fully comprehend. Still, they cling to each other and bare their hearts to each other, even when it might make more sense not to, and isn't that the stuff of a classic love story? Putting aside the ethics of the business that made him a billionaire, perhaps Gatsby's greatest flaw might be the same as it was in the 1920s. As intelligent and resourceful as he is, he has learnt too little from life to know how to love without crushing everyone, even the beloved, under the weight of his feelings.

What really drew me in after learning of the initial concept was the world-building. I wouldn't consider myself well-versed on cyberpunk or on the real life tech industry, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could follow the descriptions of the tech in this universe pretty well. Perhaps the framing of certain futuristic elements through their ethics, their material impact on "our" world, helped me connect (heh) to this aspect of the story more easily. That's what intrigues me personally about technological development anyway. What is the human cost to the normalization of these glittering pieces of an infinitely malleable virtual reality, even objective reality? How does technology improve the quality of human life for some while diminishing it for others? What are the lengths to which people go to make humanity and its mysteries more bearable? The hypotheticals supplied by this book render this universe frighteningly dystopian, particularly when the lens of profit potential is forced upon the reader like an ocular modification. Nevertheless, the cynicism of the original is tamed by this new take. Local Heavens is surprisingly hopeful, and this is a good thing when the first half of the actual 2020s had been morbidly bleak.

That said, this book unfortunately might have been too hemmed in by Fitzgerald's own story beats. A crucial scene, for example, is changed by Nick's presence. It's a powerful bit of characterization for all the players and also sets off an emotionally significant chain of events past the "canon", but it otherwise sticks closely to the flow of the original. While I believe that, overall, a good balance was struck between coloring within Fitzgerald's outline and probing past it, Fajardo could've set the boundaries of this story even further. The strength of this retelling actually lies in its original elements (such as the transcripts, an effective bit of storytelling on their own) and more daring reinterpretations of the source material. The book is glorious when it feels like a speculative fix-it fic, but not so much when it feels like it could've been an alternate take left on the cutting-room floor.

Anyway, the prose is lush and beautiful, reminiscent of Fitzgerald's style in the way it can craft sparkling visions as in a Happy Sleep. It serves the purpose of laying out a future where hover technology has apparently been perfected and communication channels and youthful beauty are merely an installment away. It also reflects Nick's sensitivity, the thoughts he purposefully keeps to himself. It works as a display of fine wordsmithing. Yet the metaphorical language bogs down the storytelling at times as it overloads the senses like a hyper-realistic simulation. Nick can afford to be more direct and upfront in his own narration, even when he can't be the same in speaking.

A teeny tiny gripe of mine is that some of the Filipino/Tagalog dialogue sounds stilted. A more colloquial tone might have worked better for certain lines (See: "Nawawala ba kayo, corpos?" Consider: "Nawawala kayo, corpos?" / "Uy/Hoy, corpos! Nawawala kayo?" / Naliligaw kayo, corpos/boss/bosing?" ; See also: "Pareho kayong gwapo." Consider variations like: "Ang gagwapo niyo namang dalawa." / "On the house na! ... Tutal, gwapo naman kayong dalawa." / "Libre na 'yan. Para sa'yo at sa partner mo. Gwapo rin naman kayong dalawa."). The moments of code-switching also could've been recalibrated to better replicate real life Taglish. There are typographical issues here as well, e.g. "mag ingat" should be "mag-ingat"; a specific instance of "ng" should be "nang".

On a related note, I would have loved to have the Filipino side of Daisy's and Nick's family tree as a more palpable, even if distant, presence. Having spent about half of my life outside of the Philippines and the other half in the country, I can understand what it's like to sense a gulf between myself and my extended family, but I think there was an opportunity to give Nick stronger ties to a Filipino community (at least to his mother or any other relatives in the New Americas). Otherwise, the lack thereof could've been addressed. The original Nick's isolation has always puzzled me, so I didn't expect this Nick's intimate circle to also be limited. Maybe the author intended to make a statement about individualism and the fracturing of larger societal units through migration and other factors, but there was actually a heartening thread about friendship and community-building in the story, so I'm not sure why Nick isn't more closely connected with those who might've called him "kabayan" or "parang kamag-anak".

All in all, this is shaping up to be a strong debut. I'm glad to have been given the opportunity to read this early version of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery for the eARC!

K. M. Fajardo's debut novel is a romantic, sultry reimagining of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, set among a backdrop of cybernetic body-modification, New York's disastrous economic inequality, and the exploitation of the rich against the poor. Unusually for cyberpunk, Fajardo's Gatsby retelling - by necessity - focusses on the upper class, those being Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, the Buchanans, and Jordan Baker. Carraway, a Filipino-American netdiver, is sent to investigate an acquisition being made by Gatsby's corporation, Gen Wealth, but finds himself swept up into the wild, wealthy world of Jay Gatsby.

Anybody familiar with Fitzgerald's novel will be familiar with most of the storybeats in Fajardo's, and the class and origins theme of the original novel comes through well with the addition of Nick's mixed-race heritage and the consideration of working within the system versus overthrowing it.

While the themes of Gatsby are very relevant to today's questions of wealth and social inequality, it often feels as though Fajardo is held back by the retelling aspect of her work. Often, the characters felt not-entirely realised, with some aspects of personality and personal revelations stilted by the weight of their predetermined expectations. The cyberpunk elements of the novel feel a little underutilised, particularly in the realm of the posthuman. Despite this, there is no denying that Fajardo understands the themes of the original novel and brings them to life in imaginative ways. Nick's origins as an immigrant, for example, allow for an innovative consideration of the idea of "self-made". Likewise, Fajardo capitalises on the obvious queer undertones of the original, which she makes explicit in the relationship between Nick and Gatsby.

This is, overall, an exceptionally well written debut. The prose is lush and romantic, effortlessly enjoyable to read. Even though the cyberpunk elements leave much to be desired, Fajardo's characters are perfectly unlikeable, each believing their own possible redemption even as they steal it from themselves and those around them. The relationships between Nick, Gatsby, and Jordan are built up exceptionally well, with the major issue in character relations being, again, the limitations of the retelling format. It begs the question of what this author could do with the freedom to flex an entirely original narrative.

This is a novel worth reading for any fans of Gatsby, sci-fi, or dramatic narraties about the wealthy. A very accomplished debut with stunning prose by an author with a great handle on her craft.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bindery Books for the ARC. I wanted to like this, but unfortunately the story just kept jumping between scenes, making it hard to follow. It was also difficult to connect with the characters, making this a dry read. The setting descriptions were also quite repetitive.

I loved this near-future re-working of Fitzgerald's classic novel. It was so original and intriguing. The flowing writing style and current themes set in a somewhat futuristic setting really worked for me.

Local Heavens is a queer cyberpunk retelling of the Great Gatsby.
And quite frankly, the only part about this that intrigued me beforehand was the "cyberpunk" and the "queer". As for Gatsby, I only had watched the movies years back and only remembered not really understanding the whole vagueness of it.
I'm still not sure if I understand everything that's going on with Gatsby, but that's in no way this books' fault. The author painted a picture of exactly the feeling that Gatsby caused in me, but with more interesting characters and way more immersive setting.

K.M. Fajardo did a phenomenal job with the world building without over-explaining or info-dumping, with telling you exactly as much as you need to understand and envision it.
I also enjoyed the different character dynamics, they felt flawed, real, morally questionable.
The underlying yearning was palpable throughout the whole book and was what kept me going - despite the main plot just not being my jam (because it is so Gatsby and the stakes throughout the story aren't as high, except for the ending).

But the ending really made the book for me - It was hot and made me cry within the last 70 pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery Books for the eARC!

If you had asked me if I needed a Gatsby retelling I would have said no, but then I heard it’s a queer cyberpunk retelling and I had to know if it was as good as I was imagining it. Let me tell you, it is! I loved this book even after it broke my heart multiple times and I was yelling at everyone and their mothers. My cat thought I lost my mind multiple times, but my god was this book so fun and emotional! K.M. Fajardo did amazing with this book, I actually liked the characters more here than in the original book. I’m not going to spoil anything, but do have tissues ready. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to scream into the void and hopefully feel something! Thank you NetGalley and Bindery Books for this arc.

I am going to be honest, I did not enjoy this book.

It was very well written, I can definitely acknowledge that. I love the Great Gatsby which is why I wanted to read this, but I do not read sci fi very much and I was quite confused throughout this. The plot felt confusing and long and the characters fell flat for me.
I do believe that this is a good book, I just don't think it was the book for me.

Thank you for the ARC, I very much appreciate every opportunity to review books.

The book and its concept started out very strong for me. Taking the Great Gatsby's capitalist themes and making it futuristic in a cyberpunk world sounded interesting and I believe K.M. Fajardo did a wonderful job in that sense. Learning more about the concept of diving was fascinating and kept the sci-fi aspects of the book strong.
At times I had difficulty with the writing, for example, understanding certain descriptions of mods and technology as well as certain lines/prose that felt too out of place and trying hard to get a quotable sentence. At times the book felt very info-dumpy or just hard to understand some descriptions.
Additionally, I felt as though some characters were thrown into the story for no reason as we either never saw them again or they showed up only a couple more times in passing. I thought they would be more important to the story since their first scenes were so long. I tried not to expect the exact same from this book in comparison to the Great Gatsby, but perhaps more knowledge on the inspiration would have given me a different reading experience? Also, I was under the impression that Local Heavens would be different with Jay and Nick's relationship so I was not anticipating the switch up in relationships. It felt like nothing actually happened between Jay and Nick in comparison to Nick and Jordan and that car scene, which felt so random to me.

I honestly want to thank The Bindery for this ARC. It is K.M. Fajardo's first novel which is always exciting and I truly believe it's only up from here! I can't wait for how this book will be received and any future publications of hers!

mind is blown !!! i like the great gatsby and this futuristic retelling of it was everything i could never think of, the writing, the setting and the flow was incredible, it did take me a little time to get into it, but all it all an incredible book.

Perfect! Thank you thank you thank you so much for this book. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books, but local heavens stands completely on its own. Oh, my I’m at a lost for words. I cannot express how much I love this book without giving it away. The selling point was the book being queer, but it’s the story and landscape that keeps me hooked and loving this beautifully crafted and written book

Thank you to Netgalley & Bindery for the eArc!

A glimmering jewel of a debut novel, Local Heavens is The Great Gatsby reimagined in such a way that I often forgot it wasn't always this way. It feels so natural that these characters are in a world where technology is king, where holographic advertisements appear on every corner. I cannot wait for fellow Gatsby fans to read this and I cannot wait for Fajardo's future work.

A longer review will be provided upon publication!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bindery for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Vividly immersive, "Local Heavens" perfectly achieves the aesthetic of futuristic cyberpunk with thoughtful and comprehensive world-building. At the same time, a retelling of "The Great Gatsby" cannot subsist on aesthetic alone; the overly unsubtle analysis of the original text, the characterization/plot structure relying too strongly on the original, and the inadequate understanding of plutocracy severely weakens the overall story.

The most alluring element of K. M. Fajardo's rendition of Gatsby is the technology and cultural landscape she has crafted. The concept of net-diving and the VINEs were unique and creative, perfectly conforming into the cyberpunk landscape. From the synth-food to the self-driving cars to the towering skyscrapers, the world-building felt incredibly well thought-out across so many facets, allowing readers to fully sink into the story.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book felt immensely lacking in substance. The prose continuously produces paragraphs that summarize scenes for readers in a way that implies both a mistrust in readers to infer character motivations from the scenes and also a mistrust in one's writing being able to convey a message. For example, in the scene Nick meets Tom for the first time, Tom continuous espouses the highly intellectual literature he reads, waving away Daisy's concerns about Nick's disinterest in the subject. The prose then goes on to explain that Tom see's Nick as "one of the good [Filipinos]", which spoon-feeds the context clues from their entire interaction to readers. As another example, after Nick discovers how Gatsby has centered his life around Daisy, the text spoon feeds you a paragraph about Gatsby "fashioning a name for himself to reach for the hand of this girl!" And this pattern is constantly littered throughout the story; there is no subtlety, and for a retelling that the author wants to
"stand apart from the original text," the prose constantly reiterates SparkNotes summations of the themes and motifs of the original work.

In the same vein, for those who HAVE read "The Great Gatsby," the plot structure intensely mimics the original, in a way that makes the plot incredibly predictable. The story makes an attempt to introduce queer context by inserting the build up of a relationship between Nick and Gatsby. These moments are vignettes into character yearning, and I enjoyed seeing each respective character explore the other's world; in particular, the scene where Nick takes Gatsby to a seedy bar and immerses him in Filipino culture is my favorite part of the book, delivering cultural cyberpunk elements as well as succinct and clever character building.

However, the romance between Nick and Gatsby becomes so detached from the story once Nick discovers the history between Gatsby and Daisy. If anything, the overall story begins with 15% Gatsby retelling, inserts 40% of Nick x Gatsby, and then takes a sharp u-turn back into scene-for-scene Gatsby retelling before veering back into Nick's story at the 90% mark. The retelling doesn't feel like it stands on its own as an independent story, relying far too much on the original text as a crutch for the plot structure. And with the ending introducing a slapdash heist storyline that lazily nods at taking down rich corporations, the entire structure, both in character and plot, completely falls apart. All in all, "Local Heavens" was a story that held immense promise, but unfortunately failed to deliver.

How appropriate that this cyber-punk futuristic retelling of The Great Gatsby come out the year the famous novel turns 100 years old. The characters and world that author have built are hazy, mysterious, rich and sticky - blurring the lines between physical and virtual realities in a way that make the whole novel feel like a dream. The pages are packed with a slow burn tension that takes a long time to explode, but the meander of the first 3/4 of the novel are anything but boring as we learn what a futuristic New York might be like 50 years into the future. True to the messages and meaning of the original, Local Heavens imagines what human ambition and exploitation might look like as we fast forward through time. If you are a fan of the original Gatsby, and want to experience a familiar story in a completely wild, creative and surprising new world, Local Heavens is a must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely stunned by this polished, thoughtful and immersive retelling of The Great Gatsby, set in a near-future dystopian America. You don't need to have read the original, and if you like cyberpunk definitely pick this up. If you have read the original, think Gatsby meets Black Mirror.

I knew in the first 10% of the book that this was something special. The prose is delightful, told in first-person perspective and set in a believable near future dystopia that somehow mirrors the 1920s vibes from the original. Local Heavens touches on wealth inequality, bisexuality (LOVE to see the rep! to note there is some spice), race/name bias and code-switching related to all three of those things. The tech is also really cool and lends itself perfectly to the dystopian/social decay vibes. It's not too heavy or too dry and it's really well paced. It doesn't read like a debut at all, and I absolutely could not put this down. Author is instantly a must-read for me!

With a delicate balance of originality and faithfulness to the original, Fajardo has really outdone herself. One of the easiest 5* ratings I've ever given.

Thanks to Bindery Books (Inky Phoenix imprint) for giving me an advance copy as part of a giveaway!

I'm gonna be honest, I had my reservations going into this. I'm not much of a SciFi reader (yet) and not a fan of the Great Gatsby either but I've followed the author on youtube long before the book release so I was eager to give it a shot and man, am I glad I did it. There are so many chores that didn't get done because I was reading this book. What a wonderful concept, what a stunning writing style. The way things clicked into place until the very last page was truly *chef's kiss*. I gasped. I cried. I clutched my pearls. Please, K. M. Fajardo, write faster. I need more.

At first I was a bit skeptical about another reimaging of a classic, I was worried it would just be another morally grey retelling that I have seen all too many times before. However, Fajardo's adaptation sets a precedent! Local Heavens offers a compelling and refreshing take on The Great Gatsby that feels relevant for the world we are in now.

The world building unfolds naturally, prose is engaging and carries the story with beauty. The core themes of the original- Class, Moral ambiguity and human relationships are still present in this story. But have been twisted in a way that speaks more to the technology attuned audience.

I felt the pace needed some work, momentum would build only for it to fall a little flat.

Overall, I would give Local Heavens an easy 4.5/5. It is a thought-provoking reimagining that deserves to be studied in classrooms and discussed for years to come. I am excited to see how Fajardo continues to evolve and grow as a writer. I would not be surprised to see their name on a classics list

Thank you to Net Galley, Bindery Books and Kris for the opportunity to read this early <3

Huge thank you to the publisher for this opportunity. I’ll sadly be DNF’ing Local Heavens. I absolutely love The Great Gatsby and I have been following the author for a while, but at this point in time, this read just isn’t for me. Fajardo certainly isn’t a bad writer, however the writing style wasn’t my personal taste and sadly just didn’t pull me in from the beginning. I felt a bit lost from the start. Perhaps I’ll pick this book up once it is officially released and give it another try, but for now it is a DNF.