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.

A futuristic dystopian cyberpunk reimagining of The Great Gatsby!? Yes PLEASE! Not only does the author capture the heart of the original while making it entirely new and entirely her own, she does so with gorgeous, lyrical writing that pays homage to Fitzgerald without coming anywhere near imitation. As important as Gatsby was when it was written, Local Heavens is today, similarly calling attention to the peril of substituting shine for substance, of striving to be part of an elite never satisfied by the riches already possessed. From a massive Fitzgerald fan who doesn’t normally go for sci-fi, please hear me when I say read it! You won’t regret it!

To echo K.M. Fajardo’s Author’s Note, some may wonder ‘why’ we need another retelling of The Great Gatsby, and Fajardo’s take on the classic enthusiastically affirms that we do. Beyond the initial sells for me (queer and cyberpunk) Fajardo skillfully weaves in those elements in a profit-driven world on the precipice of an apocalypse that is entirely her own, while also inserting her Filipino heritage. What resonated most for me was Fajardo’s version of Nick Caraway, who we see struggle to come to terms with his own identity and what he stands for in a in that will never truly accept him. This retelling is not only entertaining (and very queer, yay!) but also so moving, as much of its content is topical to our current socio-political climate.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bindery Books for the ARC!

I unfortunately couldn't even make it halfway through this book. I had no idea what was going on. There was no explanation of anything, which meant I was left confused on what was happening in the plotline or with the characters. There was a lack of worldbuilding of of explaning the author's tech-infused futuristic setting.

This was a fantastic read breath of fresh air something new that it gave to this genre I loved it wow thank you so much

Unfortunately, DNFing at 50%. This one is a huge bummer to DNF. The world building was so cool, but I felt zero connection to the plot or any of the characters. I was really bored. Add in the damn love square, and I just couldn't do it.

Thank you to Bindery books for the ARC of this novel. I’m so lucky to get an early copy of one of my most anticipated books of the year. I've watched Kris' YouTube channel for quite some time now and to have the privilege of reading the finished product is an honour.

I didn’t think I’d ever read anything more beautiful than Gatsby. I was wrong. This book is divine, I have no words to describe how charming Fajardo's writing is. Right from the start, the writing is exquisite and on par with Fitzgerald himself. The lyricism had me thinking about the book at all moments, and it was so difficult to put down. I found myself highlighting so many gorgeous phrases and themes throughout the novel-some building upon the Fitzgerald's themes and others new and relevant to today's society.

First and foremost, the level of detail that went into this novel needs commending - I re-read Gatsby regularly as it’s one of my favourite books of all time and the Easter eggs, the comparisons and most importantly the differences from the original were nothing short of incredible. Fajardo is a bloody genius. Local Heavens is like a coming home to Gatsby. Fajardo soothes those gaping wounds left by the original novel whilst harnessing her own themes relevant to today’s profit driven hardships and the romanticism even still. She takes the characters in her careful grasp and guides them to be even better versions of themselves, making some decisions I had wished they had made in the original. I was nervous going into Gatsby retelling as I love the original so much but now I have two Gatsby's re-reads every year. Fajardo's work is a timeless social commentary which I cannot wait for the world to read.

This is a spectacular debut and I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work! Bring on 'The Floating House' project!

Local Heavens is a beautiful ode to the original work while still being incredibly unique and innovative all on its own. Fajardo brings a new depth and clarity to these characters, most particularly felt in her reimagination of Jordan and Wilson. There was, in my opinion, the perfect amount of cyberpunk elements to be adequate and interesting worldbuilding while still not taking away from the incredibly character driven nature of this story. I devoured this book in two days; needless to say, it was a captivating reading experience. I am looking forward to this book being on shelves later this year, and anything else to come in Fajardo's future.

Goodness me, this was such a good book. Highly entertaining. Would definitely recommend to others, that's for sure!

“A place like the valley wasn’t birthed from one legislative oversight, but from a spectacular compounding of societal failures, and, in the face of that, one spot of incidental kindness was only a bandage waiting to be bled through.”

I’ll be honest: I do not have fond memories of The Great Gatsby. I remember the characters being cruel and whiny. I was not enamored of the setting. I hesitated about reading this book. I’m so glad I did.

The prose was beautiful. The characters much more relatable. The future scene and cyberpunk setting well-done and intriguing. I constantly found myself checking the timeline and wondering if this could happen in the next 50 years.

To those who don’t have fond memories of The Great Gatsby (or haven’t read it at all): Local Heavens is a book worth reading on its own for itself. Themes of corporate control, wealth disparity, and globalization are part of the story commentary. A blending of cultures makes the story far more interesting, as well as the incorporation of Tagalog in the text (one of my favorite things in this book). And more than just commentary and dramatic “woe is me”, (some of) the characters in Local Heavens actually (attempt to) do something about it.

Would I go back and read more F. Scott Fitzgerald? Probably not. Would I read more from K.M. Fajardo? 100% yes.

This book really surprised me—it kept stopping me in my tracks with lines that just hit hard. The writing is beautiful and completely pulled me in. I felt like I was right there in the story, seeing everything through Nick Carraway’s eyes. The characters felt so real and complicated, like the author really understood them inside and out.

Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC

Fajardo's debut is a dazzling futuristic cyberpunk retelling of The Great Gatsby and it is everything retellings of classics should be. It a bsolutely honours the source material while still giving an updated and personal spin to the story. The conversations on classism, capitalist exploitation, and body modification technology are all very interesting dilemmas that build on the original story's examination of opulence and the American Dream. The themes of holding onto the past so much that you miss your future hit especially hard. Despite being very familiar with the original, I still felt myself unable to put the book down to see where the story goes. Nick is a fantastic main character and serves far more of a purpose than the original being a vessel for the reader. He is fully fleshed out, full of repression and waiting for him to finally snap was delicious. I loved all the charater dynamics and everyone felt real and messy. I cannot recommend this book enough and I cannot wait to see what else Fajardo releases.