Author: Amy Reed
Genre: YA Thriller
Release Date: 03.09.21
Publisher: Dial Books
Source: E-Arc via NetGalley
My Rating: 1/5 stars
SYNOPSIS: “On wealthy Commodore Island, Fern is watching and waiting–for summer, for college, for her childhood best friend to decide he loves her. Then Ivy Avila lands on the island like a falling star. When Ivy shines on her, Fern feels seen. When they’re together, Fern has purpose. She glimpses the secrets Ivy hides behind her fame, her fortune, the lavish parties she throws at her great glass house, and understands that Ivy hurts in ways Fern can’t fathom. And soon, it’s clear Ivy wants someone Fern can help her get. But as the two pull closer, Fern’s cozy life on Commodore unravels: drought descends, fires burn, and a reckless night spins out of control. Everything Fern thought she understood–about her home, herself, the boy she loved, about Ivy Avila–twists and bends into something new. And Fern won’t emerge the same person she was.”
When I first read the synopsis for Tell Me My Name I was really excited to see a gender flipped Gatsby retelling! However, as seen by my one star rating, this book didn’t work for me as I hoped it would.
First, in being positive. The things I liked about this book:
- At first I really enjoyed Fern being an unreliable narrator. It made the story very intriguing and unique.
The things that I disliked about this book:
- As the story progressed it became impossible to distinguish between what was actually happening and was hallucinations.
- The lyrical and metaphorical writing style didn’t work for me, and left me feeling disconnected from the story. I also felt a lack of connection to the characters, they all felt inauthentic and glamorized.
- Vague connections for a retelling. I found it very hard to find connections between this story and Gatsby. I could locate some similarities, but it was very little considering that this is marketed as a retelling,
- The ending was confusing. While I thought it was interesting, I was also confused and it felt cut short. I would have loved more explanation.
So, overall, this wasn’t the book for me. I had really high hopes going into it and I’m sad that I didn’t enjoy it more. I think there are probably readers out there who would enjoy this book, but that wasn’t me.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an E-Arc via NetGalley!
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