The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay by Ryan Douglass (Hardback)

A powerful LGBTQ+ young adult romance where love and danger collide. This gripping and emotional reimagining of The Great Gatsby explores the pursuit of happiness and love within a world shaped by cruelty, prejudice and hidden truths.

Seventeen-year-old Nick Carrington dreams of leaving Greenwood, Oklahoma behind and building a future through his writing. He wants his name in newspapers and hopes for something bigger than the life he has always known. But after tragedy changes everything, the future he imagined begins to slip away.

A fresh start in Harlem offers another chance, and an acceptance letter to the prestigious West Egg Academy opens a door back into possibility. Yet the school’s image of progress and inclusion quickly proves more complicated than it first appears. Beneath the surface, old prejudices and divisions remain firmly in place.

Amid growing frustrations, Nick becomes drawn to Jay Gatsby Jr., the founder’s charismatic son who moves through society with confidence and ease. As their connection deepens, Nick finds himself navigating emotions and risks that carry consequences far beyond his own heart.

When Nick’s writing begins exposing dangerous truths about West Egg, the stakes grow higher. Faced with secrets, injustice and growing danger, both Nick and Jay must decide whether to keep running from trouble or finally confront the systems working against them.

Perfect for readers who enjoy LGBTQ+ romance, literary retellings, dark academia themes, social commentary, historical settings and emotional young adult stories with high stakes.