Oleander: An MM Great Expectations Reimagining: (Illustrated Version)

Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. This book moved me so much. I’ve read many MM stories but this is my all time favorite. I could not put it down. It touched on so many subjects, but it truly captured the essence of love. I know there are better reviews than mine, but if you want to read an exceptional story inspired by Charles Dickens, please read this book!

This book is intense and dark and gorgeous and deeply complicated and heartbreaking and so freaking good. Jude and Caspien met as young 15-year-olds and they probably fell in love right away. But you wouldn’t know it from the lives they lead over the 12 or so years that the novel encompasses. A decade-plus might not seem like a long time, but somehow their love story is epic and tragic and shocking. Caspien is the haughty and cool rich-kid orphan, and Jude is the naive and sweet poor-kid orphan who moves with his sister and her landscape artist husband into Caspien’s uncle’s estate’s caretaker cottage. They meet, seemingly hate each other, and spend the rest of the book hurtling into and out of each other’s lives. Their relationship is full of pain and passion and spark and sneers, and there are deep secrets that take years to be told, but Jude will never give up. (And here I must mention another Scarlett Drake film homage - MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO is the star in this one.) Ultimately, Scarlett also brings us a remarkable ending that ties the apparently bleak tale together in a series of revelations that will have you reeling and feeling. One must absolutely mind the content warnings here, but if you’re okay with them (and they are handled well, in my view), you are in for a breathtaking ride. It’s hard going, but so worth it in the end.

Hands down my favorite read of 2024, and probably the best M/M romance book I’ve ever read. It was a very well crafted retelling of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and I highly recommend this book! I can’t praise it enough. Jude and Cas changed me, and will stay with me for a long time 💖

Scarlett’s writing is always so emotional and beautiful, and that’s exactly what this story was. Jude was so relatable. His self exploration and life journey was beautiful to witness. I would have loved some Cas POVs, but that would have been so tough to read. It was hard enough to go through the heartbreak from Jude’s POV but add abuse on top of it?! My poor baby Cas. Some of these reviews ain’t it. How do y’all read 600+ pages and not realize Cas was abused and manipulated?! I can forgive Jude for not realizing it because he was also 15, but y’all are grown ass adults reading this book and hating a child for being groomed. Weird behavior. I will forever recommend Scarlett’s books to people. She’s such a rare writer with this extraordinary talent to hit you right in the soul. I knew she was special after reading Hamartia, but this was on another level.

This book will live in my soul forever. My top read of all time. If you haven’t read this what are you waiting for