Ever since The Great Gatsby came into public domain, we have gotten a surge of retellings of it and I could not be happier about that fact. 

This is my first Anna-Marie McLemore book and it definitely won't be my last because the writing of this book was simply phenomenal. There were all these deceptively simple turns of phrase that really painted the image we were being presented with or dug deep at the characters' emotions. 

The plot sticks to all of the main plot points of the original story but freely deviates in between those and that structure is an excellent fit for this story. I highly enjoyed the added mystery element, it enhanced the story to its magnificence. 

The characters have been given a lot more depth and some have been granted more emotional significance. It could easily be said that they were improved upon -- they definitely feel more real. I loved the exploration of the themes of betrayal, belonging and forgiveness, they were all fully fleshed out and really emotionally poignant. 

Overall, a wonderful read! I highly recommend it.