A queer retelling of The Great Gatsby? By THEE Anna-Marie McLemore? Sign me right up!

I’ll admit the last time I read the source material I was in high school, and aside from a few key scenes, I can’t tell you how well this actually sticks to the original book. That being said, McLemore does a great job of not expecting the reader to know where things are going while also throwing in bits and pieces that will be recognizable for those who do. I was finding myself remembering what I’d read years ago and being able to pick out things that had stuck out to me as a teenager, all while making the story not feel like a carbon copy of the original. McLemore’s Jay, Nick, and Daisy are built on the strong foundation of Fitzgerald’s versions that made the book a classic, but feel more organic here – as if these are the versions of the characters that were begging to be told.

My only complaint is that the plot felt a little convoluted at the end in order to tie up the loose threads and connect it back to the source material. However, this seems par for the course for retellings and something that at times can’t be avoided – it doesn’t really affect my feelings on the rest of the book or the characters, but it does have an effect on the way the ending feels.

I highly recommend this book to any fans of queer YA lit, historical fiction romances, retellings of classic stories, or those who are McLemore devotees like myself.

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.