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Book: Self-Made Boys

Author: Anna-Marie McLemore

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Trans Latine MC, Latine Character, Trans Latine Character, Lesbian Characters, Lesbian Latine Character, Jewish Lesbian Character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, historical fiction, retelling, The Great Gatsby, LGBT, romance

Publication Date: September 6, 2022

Genre: YA Historical Fiction Retelling

Age Relevance: 15+ (colorism, racism, classism, alcohol consumption, underage alcohol consumption, romance, domestic violence, violence)

Explanation of Above: There are mentions and showings of colorism, racism, and classism. There are scenes of alcohol consumption and underage alcohol consumption. There is romance shown in the book. There are mentions of domestic violence and there is some slight violence shown.

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Pages: 336

Synopsis: New York City, 1922. Nicolás Caraveo, a 17-year-old transgender boy from Minnesota, has no interest in the city’s glamor. Going to New York is all about establishing himself as a young professional, which could set up his future—and his life as a man—and benefit his family.

Nick rents a small house in West Egg from his 18-year-old cousin, Daisy Fabrega, who lives in fashionable East Egg near her wealthy fiancé, Tom—and Nick is shocked to find that his cousin now goes by Daisy Fay, has erased all signs of her Latina heritage, and now passes seamlessly as white.

Nick’s neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious young man named Jay Gatsby, whose castle-like mansion is the stage for parties so extravagant that they both dazzle and terrify Nick. At one of these parties, Nick learns that the spectacle is all for the benefit of impressing a girl from Jay’s past—Daisy. And he learns something else: Jay is also transgender.

As Nick is pulled deeper into the glittery culture of decadence, he spends more time with Jay, aiming to help his new friend reconnect with his lost love. But Nick's feelings grow more complicated when he finds himself falling hard for Jay's openness, idealism, and unfounded faith in the American Dream.

Review: I really liked this retelling. I wasn’t ever one for the original story (this being based off of The Great Gatsby) but I do absolutely love this retelling of it. The book does so well to incorporate the trans identity to the main character and love interest, as well as effortlessly slide in other sexual orientations of other notable characters that differ from the original. I loved the details in how a trans person would be able to pass in the 1920s and I loved the dialogue between all of the characters. I also really liked the added detail of Daisy being ashamed of her family and her personal journey to come through that and all of the little things that the characters are having to change about themselves to fit into a majority white society, for example: language to fit in better with white people. This book was absolutely marvelous, the depth and characterization are amazing, and I can’t wait to reread it already.

The only things I really didn’t like about this book is that it felt a little confusing like the original and I feel like it was a bit too slow for my tastes.

Verdict: It was great! Highly recommend!