Buddy read with Alex(obscurepages)! Surprisingly contained for a novella, pretty writing(though the prose can be a little much sometimes) with some very descriptive horror and gore, morally questionable queer people…definitely captures the “twisted fairytale” feel in some parts. Was also not expecting the end to pull on my heart as much as it did. (Could that be a pun??)

anyhow I definitely had a lot of fun reading this but I don’t know if I have it in me to write a long and complicated review, bless.

I’m a little conflicted? But first of all, I just want to say that Kacen. Dude. Don’t get me with that “grumpy/sunshine, fake dating” Ao3 tag nonsense when I just read HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF TWO CHARACTERS TRYING TO HAVE THAT KIND OF TROPEY ROMANCE BEFORE REALIZING THAT THEY CAN’T BC THE TRAUMA THEY’RE ACTIVELY PROCESSING MAKES THAT IMPOSSIBLE!!?!?!?!?

Anyways! Messy gays.

I appreciate what this novel is trying to do. It shows a messy relationship where both leads can both help and hinder each other. It hooks you in with a typical romance premise, and decides to bring more depth to the emotional ethics of it. There were points where I was nervous because of the toxicity of the relationship—even though both characters were trying their best. My nerves lessened, though, once it was clear that this was not only purposeful, but Logan’s self-destructive tendencies and Mattie’s hero complex were fatal flaws that both characters would go on to realize and overcome.

But a lot of that realization happens off-page, which I thought was disappointing. Although, I still liked the results of Mattie and Logan’s development. To finally see them happy and healthier for each other after everything was a relief. (The other issue I have, though, is that the Therapy Speak was a little too strong for the last 20 or so pages.)

There are a couple other problems I had: 1.) While I appreciated the conversations on colorism and the ethics of fame, I think they could’ve been explored a little more in-depth than they were? 2.) Logan’s “give no fucks” characterization at the beginning of the novel drove me nuts because Mattie(and Logan in his POV, too) would quite literally describe him like that, and the “golden retriever” and “cinnamon roll” metaphors/descriptors for Mattie were so clichéd. I get they were included for cynicism. But it felt too Tumblr-esque for my taste?? 3.) And pun intended, I had mixed feelings about the mixed media incorporation? While interesting at times, it either felt too on-the-nose for different points of the story, or (briefly) interfered with the pacing. (God, how I wanted Angel’s account to be banned and have their last update be a very angry and upset one posted from another.)

Hesitant to say if I would recommend this or not. It’s not entirely my cup of tea, but I understand people who were more emotionally affected by this than I was, and others who didn’t mesh with the overall story. But hey, regarding messy book romances, I would much prefer to have something like “Stars In Your Eyes”—a story that still pushes healthier relationship practices and coping mechanisms—recommended on Booktok instead of the usual glamorized abuse. Maybe that can happen in an alternate reality. (But alas.)

A fun and imaginative retelling of “Alice In Wonderland”!! I liked the casual incorporation of Anishinaabe culture and language, from the occasional Anishinaabemowin word in dialogue, to all the classic Alice In Wonderland characters being remodeled after the folklore! (Well. With the exception of the Queen Of Hearts. She was based on colonizers)

And Aimée was great nonbinary rep! Unfortunately, they don’t get accepted by most of their classmates, but even though that’s shown, the story doesn’t make you personally relive that transphobia. It’s only acknowledged. Above all, the narrative affirms Aimée’s Indigenous and nonbinary identities.

I just wish we could’ve had a little time in-between chapters! There were times where the pacing was so quick I flipped back a page to see if there was anything I missed. I also just wanted to spend more time with Aimée and the rest of the cast lol

Queer librarian spies fighting fascism! What more could you want in a Western? (And it’s a little satisfying to read a premise like that in a time where book banning is at an all-time high, tbh)

I lovedd the vibes in this book, Esther’s development, and the nail-biting action!! And the Librarians’ group dynamic!! There was a stellar queer community element to it, even if I wouldn’t call the rep “casual”. It’s not supposed to be: marginalization, and having pride while living within the margins, is a part of every central character in this story. But even there was also a *lot* of tension within the group from everyone doing the (very dangerous) work they do. The grittiness in “Upright Women Wanted” made it engrossing from beginning to end. 

(Of course, though, there was still some hopefulness to it. Can’t write a book with a rebellion without including some of that)

However, I wish there was some more worldbuilding— this works decently in a novella format, but unfortunately, like many other novellas, leaves things feeling a little incomplete. The ending would be stronger, imo

REVIEW SPEEDRUN!! I’m in a crunch so idk, I might add onto this later but time will tell. Exactly 4 stars! An enjoyable reimagining, with some wonderful queer representation. Plus Remixed Classics always have the best romances in them, even if it goes against the vibes of their original stories?? (I was smiling so many times!! I love transgender people)

There were also a couple sprinklings of historical fashion, which I enjoyed! Especially the creative use of Symington Side Lacers. I’m no fashion history expert, but I still found it interesting.

I didn’t give this 5 stars though, for a few reasons. 1) my love-hate relationship with Anna-Marie McLemore’s poetic prose. There wasn’t a ton of room for that, which surprised me, but when things got a little sappy and dramatic(positive connotation) you could see it more on the pages(more negative connotation). 2) The pacing between chapters was a little weird sometimes? Mostly because of Daisy’s letters. 3) Because the characters had to be aged down for YA, the timeline gets a little funky.

Also, if you loved the original Great Gatsby, I can’t guarantee if you’ll also love this one?!? Because Nick and the rest are noticeably different from their original counterparts. (I assume so, at least, I haven’t actually read “The Great Gatsby”.) They’re written more sympathetic. While there’s the bare bones of the original story’s events, thematically, “Self-Made Boys” is definitely its own property lol.

But anyhow, this was a read for Trans Rights Readathon and it’s always lovely to come back to Anna-Marie McLemore’s queer characters. I had so much fun reading this, between the reimagined character dynamics, the drama, and the representation!

1.5 stars, which is a rating that I’ve only given once(hi, revised AROGB rating). Gabi was Theo’s punching bag for most of the book(seriously. Theo was so unnecessarily mean to him, hating him for petty reasons like being emotional or not good at soccer??), the “character development” felt like random decisions made to progress the plot and wasn’t the slightest bit subtle, the “rivalry” was really just bullying and I wasn’t sold on the chemistry, and I didn’t like either MC’s friend group. 

There’s some plot holes in Theo and Gabi’s delivery venture, too, but those feel like nitpicks in comparison to everything else so I’ll just mention that there were a couple things I found a little too convenient. (How did they even get the website up *and* link it to messaging, first of all??)

And the overuses of “the enemy” and “I rolled my eyes”. Goodness. 

.5 stars added for the fact that it had a surprisingly realistic approach to coming out, and healthily processing some of the reactions that aren’t on the extreme hate or unconditional support side of the spectrum. (It would feel a lot better though if the character supporting Gabi hadn’t bullied him for nearly half of the book!!)

I feel bad rating this lower because there’s a lot of rep important to put in a queer book, but this was a truly awful reading experience lol

While an impulse read due to wanting to read some middle grade horror, Holly Black’s work has been on my radar for years. This was cute!! Nostalgic in how it showed the kids’ imagination, a little creepy, and surprisingly grounded for an adventure story. It felt a little more contemporary than I was expecting. (And until the end, whether the doll’s ghost existed or not was kept somewhat ambiguous, which bugged me sometimes. But, it’s a horror story for kids, and I’m not in the target demographic.)

Adding a couple more points for how, like all good middle grade, it captures the mindset of a middle schooler pretty well! I especially liked how the trio’s home environments, and their reactions to both their family and friend problems, felt realistic. Also, the illustrations by Eliza Wheeler were not only pretty to look at, but fit the vibe of this story perfectly.

The trio dynamic was fun, but the bit of romance was so unnecessary lol it was only in there for the end of the story, really. And two lines before that.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but it didn’t stand out a ton to me. I really just read this because when it came out almost 11 years ago(and was the target audience), I was too freaked out by the cover to read it, and I’d been intrigued by it since. Younger Me should’ve believed his classmates when they said it wasn’t scary, lol.

I checked this out on a whim, and I don’t regret it!! (Maybe I’ll impulse buy the companion novel?) It was a cute queerplatonic Little Mermaid retelling, with a sprinkle of polyamory towards the end. Bernard and Maris’s relationship was so sweet, I loved the understanding they showed each other, and it’s just nice to see platonic love in a story like this?!?! Maris’s understanding of love, and it being different from the amanormativity and allonormativity of the rest of her human(“tall-crab”) world was not only validated, but was also written in a way where her asexuality/aromanticism wasn’t a result of her being a mermaid and was just part of her as a person(?)/character. 

While not told in the most poetic of prose, I did also like Maris’s internal conflict surrounding her deal with the witch. She finds a lot of joy in “simple” human things, and there was a quiet beauty in her holding onto that, as well as her friendship with the prince, when she was still finding out where in the human world she fits into and if she needed to give up herself. 

And I also liked how language was talked about, even if that’s a smaller theme! Maris is mute for most of the book(not for the traditional Little Mermaid reason, she still has her tongue and voice intact), so she communicates through sign language for a bulk of it, and there are a couple of lines about the slight language barrier she has when trying to learn different human terms. (Arguably, her self-expression through dance can be included in this, too.)

I wish this had been a little longer so we could see more of Maris’s human firsts, and some of the other characters in the kingdom!! And what’s going on with her sisters now? Most of the focus is on her, Bernard and Asha, so even if there are other characters it still *feels* like a very small cast. I also understand that some people might not like the emoticon use, although I thought it worked as an occasional tone tag and a way to characterize Maris’s naïveté. My last issue is that this sort of has the “Turtle Under Ice” problem where this feels more like chopped-up writing than poetry at times, but the sample I saw for the companion novel seemed to do this much less.

Honestly aromantic rep is lacking so if you want to check this out for something simple and cut that *isn’t* just arophobia and questioning for 260 pages, I’d say to give it a shot.