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Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore

9 reviews

earth_to_mars's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I want to preface this review by saying that I know I am not the book's target audience. I am an adult and this is for young adults, so the simplicity of the book and blatant statements of its themes are not going to be held against it.

I also want to say that I just came off of one of the worst books I've read this year so my rating is probably skewed because this was such a breath of fresh air after The Sins on Their Bones.

That being said, I want to start off that this is actually a very well written book. The prose are flowy, descriptive but don't overstay their welcome. It's a good balance between similie, metaphor and exposition that don't feel overdone. One of my favorite lines has to be:

"We were boys who created ourselves. We had formed our own bodies, our own lives, from the ribs of the girls we were once assumed to be."

And there's many lines like that throughout the book that make me emotional. Or strike me in a way that I either really enjoyed or heavily related to.

I read The Great Gatsby in high school and I can say the themes — despite it's simplification — are still there. Gatsby still is a prick who compensates by living in excess and overspending his money until bankruptcy until he lets Nick see the unpolished parts of himself that not even Daisy knows about. AM McLemore also adds the conversation of being white passing vs. not white passing and being LGBTQ+ in an era where being a POC or LGBTQ+ person was not welcomed. I cannot speak on the race aspect, but I can say the LGBTQ+, especially the trans aspect was handled with care and respect.

I'm glad McLemore did their due diligence and did not add any harmful language that was present at the time, I feel that would take away from the message they intended here.

[From the Author's Note] As you leave West Egg, I hope you leave knowing this: You are worth being seen as you truly are. You areworth imagining your life for yourself instead of how you may have been told your life must be.

You are worth your own dreams.

I also like that the use of Symington side lacers as a stand in for binders and that McLemore does denounce binding with bandages (very unsafe!) through dialogue from Daisy and again in the author's note. It's brief, maybe a little too brief, but it's good to have regardless.

I think my only gripe with the book is there's not enough of Daisy's arc. I think it's interesting, a girl coming to terms with her sexuality, falling in love despite the world telling her she's only worth what a man says she is. I thought maybe McLemore would make some sort of statement on compulsory heterosexuality. Something I, and many others can relate to. Daisy was shunted in the original Gatsby and I feel she was a little shunted here. Not as much, as she did get her own arc and her own happy ending, but still. She has so much untapped potential and I would love to see more of her and Jordan's relationship and more of her, herself.

In the end, the chemistry between Nick and Jay is well done. Having a T4T couple at the forefront is so rare, and extra rare for them to have a happy ending. In my journal, I compare this to Heartstopper. It is sacchrine, fluffy, but in a way I don't find annoying (maybe I'm just not that cynical). I think this is a good piece of media for young people who are just learning to explore their identities and accepting themselves or for people who just want a book with a fluffy relationship and a happy ending without all the dreariness and bury your gays of it all from other pieces of media.

It's a delightful read and a good break should anyone need it.

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rory_john14's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I was SO excited when I heard that Anna-Marie McLemore wrote a Great Gatsby reimagining. Ever since I read their book When The Moon Was Ours, I was an immediate fan of the author. I think they were the perfect person to reimagine The Great Gatsby as they have an impeccable sense of language and symbolism, as well as I just love the idea of a queer author making this classic into the queer story many have always thought it was.

Now, I will be honest and say I wasn't a big fan of the original book by Fitzgerald. In addition to some bad experiences in school when I read it, I also felt like the characters were flat and unlikable, and the story boring and outdated. Now, of course, there can be many arguments that Fitzgerald purposefully wrote it this way, especially with the characters, but I am not here to critique the original story, just adding context for this review.

Self-Made Boys takes everything I disliked about The Great Gatsby and makes them great and unique. The characters were much more likable, even Daisy, who in both versions rides the line between terrible/annoying and sympathetic. I personally enjoy reading likable characters more than unlikable usually, so this was a huge plus for me. As well, the characters just felt more real, fleshed-out, and down to earth. Instead of just acting as caricatures for Fitzgerald to use as vehicles for his main message, they actually felt like they had their own wills and purposes in the narrative, especially Nick who easily could've been relegated back to the simple self-insert for the reader that he was in the original.

With these well-rounded characters, I felt much more invested in their lives and the outcome of each situation they found themselves in. I didn't even remember Jordan from the original and I don't know if Martha existed, but I loved the addition of more female characters. It was so easy to get connected to each character and the story was so much more rich and compelling for me.

The unique elements Anna-Marie McLemore added to the story, from their heritage as a Latine person to their queer identity, really made this book perfect for me. There is something to be said about using personal experience in a novel that really fleshes things out in a way no one else could. McLemore is a fantastic author who knows how to write very well, and I couldn't find a single mistake in this book when I tried. I'm glad to give this book the 5 stars it deserves.

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brianareads's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Content Warnings

kayladaila's review against another edition

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hopeful informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you to Fierce Reads and Netgalley for an ALC of this one!

Great Gatsby remix with two trans leads? Umm....yes! Written by one of my all time favorite authors, Anna-Marie McLemore? Double yes. Also includes a sapphic relationship??? YES.

I am so happy I was lucky enough to be able to listen to this in advance. I preordered this one way back before it even had a cover because I am a simp for anything McLemore writes. I was not at all disappointed with this one!

Nick and Jay are so perfect. T4T romance and discussions of race and the whole title Self-Made Boys being used for trans boys and everything everything everything about this retelling. The Great Gatsby is one of those books that I absolutely loved reading years ago but looked back on and saw all the problems with it, so it is so incredibly nice to be able to read something that takes so much of what I love from the classic and updates it in a way that is thoughtful and meaningful. McLemore's voice is beautiful and elegant as always, and I also loved the narration of the audio!

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

It's New York City in 1922 and Nicolás Caraveo, a trans boy, is making his way there to earn money for his family back in Minnesota. It's also a chance for him to completely re-invent his life as a man. At the encouragement of his cousin Daisy, he takes the leap of faith and rents a house in West Egg.

Nick's neighbor happens to be a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby, known for the elaborate parties he throws. After going to one of Gatsby's parties, Nick learns that they're just to win back Daisy. Nick also learns something else: Jay is also transgender. The two form a friendship, a friendship that eventually evolves into something more for Nick. But will Jay ever reciprocate?

Thanks to NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends for an advanced copy of Self-Made Boys to review! I love Anna-Marie McLemore as a writer, and I was excited to see what they did with the Gatsby story. So happy to say that I wasn't disappointed!

Honestly, I could take it or leave it about The Great Gatsby; read it for school, and it's fine. Not my favorite classic. But let me tell you, McLemore absolutely nails the feel of that book in this one. I read in another review that this isn't so much a Great Gatsby retelling as much as fanfiction. I'd say that's accurate. McLemore took liberties with the story, and I actually appreciated the changes that were made.

At the end of the book, McLemore does explain that they tried to be as historically accurate as possible while also allowing Nick and Jay to be themselves. Their evolving relationship was probably my favorite thing about the book. That and Nick's oblivious nature. There was so much going on under his nose that he didn't even realize. When he finally realizes it, it was great.

Daisy gets a redemption arc in this, too! the explanation for everything at end was just great. They're all supporting each other in a society that wouldn't accept them. And they all deserve their happy endings. One hundred percent.

All in all, if you're excited about diverse re-tellings of classics, definitely pick this one up in September!

Content Warnings

alyssamayreads's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“Gatsby and I may have been nothing to men like Tom Buchanan, but men like that did not know that 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.”

Did you feel like Nick was in love with Jay when you were forced to read The Great Gatsby in high school? If so, (and even if you didn’t), Anna-Marie McLemore’s Great Gatsby retelling, Self-Made Boys, is a must read. The book follows trans boy Nicolás Caraveo as he ventures to New York City to earn money to send back to his family. Along the way he finds that his cousin Daisy has turned her back on their heritage and is now passing as white, and his charming yet mysterious neighbor Jay Gatsby is a trans boy just like him. The writing is stunning, with descriptions of the clothing and gardens as extravagant as one of Gatsby’s parties. McLemore artfully balances the reality of racism, misogyny and transphobia of the 1920’s with the magic and joy that is being trans and queer. The majority queer cast of characters opens a refreshing perspective on a classic story. I’ve read over 100 LGBTQ books this year, and this ranks in the top 10! It made my queer little heart sing. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Content Warnings

patricktreads's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a great retelling of gatsby. I really appreciated the quite literal look at “self made boys” and how that and the background of the characters gave a lot to the story. I also really appreciated the authors content warnings and the context notes as both helped the reader with some of the topics discussed.

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