Dawn Chen’s Reviews > Local Heavens > Status Update

This bi love quartet is going to be the end of me I swear. Especially Jordan my love you’re a great sapphic rep but the kind of rep we sapphics ought to stop doing aka NOT BEING OVER SOME TOXIC EX

Okay after that Jordan POV chapter there was no way this doesn’t end as a 5 stars read omfg the Great Gatsby retelling of my DREAMS

CRYING MOTHERFUCKER THE NICK x GATSBY IN THIS IS SO TENDER AND DREAMY AND CHARMING YET ACHING I AM CRYING

Daisy being at least mixed Filipino really add a layer to her character that is quite interesting and made her a lot more endearing than in the of gatsby. I think this layer of her is the side of the Asian diaspora experience I have seen in the almost need to assimilate (for Daisy that’s her marriage to Tom, and for Nick it was the last name change and serving without feeling like he had a choice)

I’m reading this pretty slow but genuinely it’s because every single detail of the world building is so unique and fascinating. I’m having such a good time

There are so many amazing details that are woven into this retelling about the Asian diaspora identity. I think the nuances of it all adds so much context that makes this simultaneously like the great gatsby but happening in space with the huge technology advancement of Asian societies that mirrors irl Asian countries are becoming a threat to the west but also the sexualization/commodification of Asian diaspora body

It’s 7% into this cyberpunk queer Great Gatsby retelling and you have Tom Buchanan sprouting very up to date racism about how the rise of technology and living standards in Asian countries is going to replace America and the West. Wayyy too accurate to white ppl talk today. THIS IS WHAT GOOD OWN VOICE RETELLING ARE FOR 😂 this will probably be guaranteed to be one of my fav books of 2026

Okay instantly falling in love with the world building and writing style

Another queer great gatsby retelling by a BIPOC author let’s goooooo i will every single one of them to ever exist