This was an interesting and entertaining read! This is a great addition to the remix classes series!

This is my third Remixed Classic novel, and they don’t miss! This Wretched Beauty is so clearly a labor of love for the author and it shows in every single line. To be totally honest: I have never read The Picture of Dorian Gray. I knew the basic plot beats and characters, and that was enough to see me through. I enjoyed this, but I probably would like it more if I’d read the OG Oscar Wilde story (and I know, I know - that’s a me problem). Definitely recommend!

Absolutely gorgeous. I read this book on netgalley and it was very poetic. I didn't have an easy time wrapping my head through Dorian's mind, but I do feel like Grenier did Gray's story justice. The exploration of gender identity, abusive parents, and mental health were powerfully done and I was so happy when Basil came back and Dorian escaped with him. I hated the grandfather, but loved their father, and I also loved the ending when they set the house on fire with the abusive other boyfriend, Henry in it. Reminded me of the scene in Damsel when Ama ate Prince Emory's heart. Great novel overall

I want to address this book on two different levels.

First, on its own merits: I love the concept of the story, and I appreciated Elle Grenier's insight re: why so many of the events takes place off-page. I get the choice to limit how much of the darker elements of the story we see firsthand, but I wish that there had been something to fill those gaps beyond page after page of Dorian's internal reflections. There is so much telling in this book, and every few scenes. As a result, Dorian often has very little agency, and the pace of the story is glacial. Some of these passages were really lovely, and Grenier framed this story as a slow burn, plotwise. But for me? I wanted a bit more momentum. I also wish that the consequences of Dorian's actions had more impact. For the majority of the story, the stakes felt very low. Why couldn't she have just left Thornhill at any? We're meant to believe that she was trapped there to some degree, but since Henry's actions are mostly confined to the reader's imagination, I wasn't entirely sold on this,

Second, as a reimagining of Dorian Gray: I'll be honest, not a huge fan of the original. I was excited to see this title added to the Remixed Classics collection. Interestingly, while I appreciated the more overt queerness of This Wretched Beauty, I kept hoping that this Dorian would take a bit more control of her life. Original Dorian is a pretty terrible person, but he gets things done. He leans into being a villain. This Dorian is almost painfully earnest and self-aware at all times, which left very little room for her character arc. The good news is that the Remix didn't include constant jump scares in the form of sexism and antisemitism, et. al. The bad news is that Dorian as a character felt a bit static throughout the story.

All of that said, this is Elle Grenier's debut novel, and her vision for the story is lovely. Having just read Wilde's novel a few days ago in preparation for this, I appreciated the threads that Grenier chose to highlight, and how this book engages in conversation with its predecessor. As another reviewer said, the Remixed Classics project isn't about retelling the original work with a single twist. They use the classics as jumping-off points. Grenier gives several of the original characters (and perhaps Oscar Wilde himself) a happier ending in this tale, while taking the solipsism and cruelty of other characters up a notch or ten. While the pacing and prose choices of this novel didn't all work for me, I look forward to seeing what Grenier does next, and I'm glad we got a transfeminine entry into this collection at last.

Thank you to NetGalley and F&F for the ARC of this book.

This was insanely fun !!! I got a little bored in the middle but overall what a surprising read! Didn’t know I needed a Dorian greedy remix in my life

I struggled with the writing style of this one, and it felt more historical then I was expecting. I've really enjoyed other books in those YA retellings series, and I liked the queer rep, but I was bored during several chapters.

While I know the story of Dorian Gray, I haven't ever read the original story. That being said, this retelling made it easily accessible and felt as thought it breathed new life into a story that we all at least vaguely know while making it engaging for a new audience. I love the remixed classics series and this story fit into it well. It allows the audience to relate to Dorian and understand what position they're placed in while still holding onto the original setting and circumstances. This is a great retelling and a wonderful addition to the remixed classics series!

I don’t generally click with YA books but this retelling was masterful. Beautifully written and the main character felt human in a way I feel like authors don’t always manage

🕯️┊ “ i would offer my very soul, if it meant this portrait might age and i might wear its beauty forever. ”

Firstly, thank you for this ARC! I was overjoyed to see this I'd received an advanced copy of this novel.

I went into This Wretched Beauty without a clue of what I may find, and what was inside completely blew me away. The titular Dorian Grey was brought to life in an entirely new fashion, while still respecting the core themes of the original.

What really won me over was how imperfectly relatable this iteration of Dorian was. They were vain and reckless, yet had a vulnerability to them that had me hoping they would find peace, even as they spiraled further and further from it. I've noticed that in the YA genre, it is sometimes hard for authors to create a fleshed-out POV character, but Dorian felt entirely human. We unfortunately had much less time with the supporting cast (especially Basil!) but I liked what was done with them, particularly with Sybil Vance.

Overall, though, I would say this book is a wonderful retelling of the original Dorian Grey, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys deeply flawed, compelling characters.

I have been reading the Remixed Classics series since A Clash of Steel and have enjoyed how good each remix has created, so I was so excited to read the Dorian Gray remix as I really enjoyed the original book. This Wretched Beauty was so well written and was able to create a unique storyline with the original material. The characters were so well written and I enjoyed that they were so unique and well written that worked in this plot. Elle Grenier was able to create something that I was hoping for and enjoyed how it was written, I loved that this series is able to take the author's culture and make it into something new.

I have to preface this by saying that I’ve never read The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I have no idea how closely this follows the original story. However, I enjoyed myself even without having any background knowledge.

I loved Elle Grenier’s writing style and think this is a really good debut. There are so many beautiful lines throughout the entire book; I can’t even pick a favorite. It definitely became my most highlighted ebook. I think Dorian’s character arc was really well done and felt realistic. I loved reading their journey of self acceptance. I highly recommend this and am looking forward to reading whatever Grenier writes next!

A big thank you to both NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for sending me an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely love “The Picture of Dorian Grey,” so when I heard “trans femme retelling of ‘Dorian Grey’” I ran to get this book SO FAST. I did not disappoint. Grenier did an amazing job emulating Wilde’s writing style, and the general tone of the original story, while also putting her own spin on it.

I found this to be beautifully written! It has been some time since I've read the original book so I did not remember it too well but I think it built on an already queer story well and I liked the way the central character of Dorian was written.

I have to admit that I haven’t read The Picture of Dorian Gray. I’ve heard about it, many times even, but actually read it? No. So I can’t compare The Wretched Beauty to Wilde’s novel directly. But it feels like this retelling is very, very close to it, and at the same time still so distinct.

Dorian feels different. It’s not fully clear at first why. But as the story unfolds, it becomes more and more apparent that Dorian doesn’t always feel comfortable in their male body.

If I had to compare this story to another, aside from Dorian Gray itself, I’d pick Annemarie McLemore’s Self-Made Boys, another remix—this time of The Great Gatsby. It’s the lush writing, the retelling but make it queer/trans, and the way both books seem to honor the original while transforming it to a whole new story.

The reason I’m not rating this beautiful retelling five stars is because, even though the writing is gorgeous, it sometimes slips into telling rather than showing. I frequently stumbled over words like realize and wonder, filter words that weren’t necessary. But aside from that, I loved this story and that ending was just perfection!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

For those of you who know me, you would know that The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favorite classic ever written. Something about that story is always on the back of my mind, so when I saw this book coming out I knew I needed to read it. It did not disappoint. This was absolutely fantastic. This was well written, the characters were deeply flawed but fleshed out, and the parallels to the original story were perfection. This was masterful and I cannot wait to see what people think when this book is released. Please read it when given the chance- you will not regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an eARC of this book.

I liked the author's take on the tale, and I appreciated the lean into the LGBTQ+ elements that the original work hinted at. While it may not have been to my personal taste, I think works like this one are important exposure for YA audiences to have.

Overall, I thought this story was just fine, but part of that may be due to not being much a fan of YA stories anymore. The original work that this text "remixes" was much darker and sinister than this work, but given that this is meant for a younger audience, it makes sense that this story wasn't as intense.

This book was written in such a eloquent way that flows beautifully. I love this retelling, it was enough of what the original story was but told in a way unique to itself, it's very well done. It was captivating and I couldn't put it down at all till I completed it.

Dorian lives under her grandfather's thumb and has to live the way he approves to be a "worthy" heir, but when she meets a artist who paints a picture of her, she starts to come into herself while also being haunted by the perfection of the painting, but as time passes, and Dorian does things she feels guilty for, the painting grows imperfect and grotesque. Haunted by her decisions, the painting, and the people that wish to own and control her.

(I received this as a arc)

I screamed so acutely when I got approved for this, I woke up my partner during their nap. I, then, continued to (internally) scream while reading this because I just loved it so much.

Grenier's debut is a powerful retelling, and especially during these arduous times, an important book that needs to be published!

I will always only have words of praise for this novel and its author. All my most sincere compliments to Elle Grenier. You will certainly be an author to keep an eye on.

This was my first remix and I loved it!
I think it worked really well and the story was unique but familiar in that nostalgic way and I think it deserves to be on everyone's TBR!

4.25 ⭐️

I have read a few of the Remixed Classics books and I can say this has been my favorite by far! This could be because the original source material is very dear to me, but I also felt it suited the queer retelling style since the canon is so queer to begin with. I do warn with these books that they are Not retellings, as some people think. They are better thought of as “What If?”s or fanfiction— which holds no negative connotation, it’s simply true. That said, I found this book walked a wonderful line between honoring the themes of the original while creating a modern and unique work. The core tenants of The Picture of Dorian Gray are still found, but they are notably much more simple to digest thanks to the outright queerness of this story. I do think there are moments where they may have been too simplified or the plot became too glossed over, but these are easily ignorable in service of the overall story. Do not come looking for an identical story to the original, what Grenier has created here is beautiful in its own right.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

And thank you Elle Grenier for inspiring me to name my imaginary daughter Dorian!