Oleander: A Great Expectations Reimagining

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars | 496 ratings

Price: 21.83

Last update: 09-10-2024


About this item

Caspien Deveraux was poison.

It took me years to realise that he hadn't been born like that. He'd been cultivated and nurtured by a careful hand and a bitter heart. When I first met him, he was a bud. One primed to bloom beautifully and deadly. One I should have torn out at the root.

I loathed him. I loved him. And until him, I hadn't known just how completely those two things could exist at once.


Top reviews from the United States

GingerMa2009
5.0 out of 5 stars could not put this book down
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
This book was an emotional roller coaster. My heart broke for Jude and Caspien over and over. It has been many years since I read Great Expectations so I couldn’t quite remember where the plot line was going to lead me, but my heart was in my throat with each encounter. The writing was stunning, the scenes laid out brilliantly, the characters rich and complex. I will admit act 1 was a bit tedious to get through. I couldn’t understand Jude’s love for Cas. It was more teenage infatuation, but act 2 was incredible and had me aching for more time in their story because the page count was dwindling and things still weren’t resolved. I wish Act 3 were longer so we could live more in their beautiful new world. Loved this book.
Nikki Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, beautiful, emotional, and so well written.
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2024
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 on GR 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 grownass 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.

I’ll never forget this book.
Bill Hayes
5.0 out of 5 stars Believe the 5* reviews - this is a masterful novel. Way above all the other m/m novels out there.
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024
Wonderfully written with complex, evolving characters. The story flows from beginning to end with no padding or dull sections and no hint of common m/m story tropes.
Mostly written as a flashback the author drops little puzzle pieces along the way giving a hint, but never a full view, of where the story might be going. And even at the end you have to think back through the story to understand how all of the pieces correctly fit together. It's so refreshing not being able to guess how the story will end.
And the bedroom scenes were neither timid nor awkward nor just inserted to add spice.
I rarely re-read books but I will this one.
I wish I could forget it all so I could read it for the first time again.
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written retelling
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2024
If you loved Song of Achilles and Great Expectations, then this is the book for you.
A raw sexual awakening and lifelong love story that is well written and more engrossing than most romance novels.
As always, be mindful of the trigger warnings.
Here they are not wrung out to up the angst, but rather flow as an integral part of the story.
Jennifer H
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! Written so well!
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2024
Beautifully written journey full of love, longing and angst. The story and characters are unforgettable. Read this book!
Caitlin
5.0 out of 5 stars How do I move on from this?
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2024
This is the kind of book that makes me never want to write again because I could never write something as beautiful.

Soaring, swoony, beautiful prose that left me speechless multiple times. This book, her writing is art to the highest degree. I highlighted more paragraphs than not, I think. You can feel the ache and sadness pouring out of the pages. This book feels like a London day, cloudy and grey (but in a good way, I can’t explain it).

Both of these boys are broken, and both make mistakes and both are hurt but the growth and development they go through over the 15 year period is amazing and every single moment brings them to their happy ending.

Anyway. I don’t know what to do with my life now. No book is going to compare to this for a long time. Ive never really understood the phrase “book hangover” but I get it now. What an absolute privilege it was to read this gorgeous story.
ATH
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating! I will read this again in the future.
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2024
It's easily the best MM book I have ever read. Strong characters, fully developed storyline, and the right amount of sexy too.
Maggie Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking and Beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2024
This book was enthralling. I fell in love with Jude and Cas. It was heart wrenching and sad but worth it in the end. I would have loved an extra chapter of them just being happy together, especially from Jude’s POV since my heart broke with him over and over. But it was still beautifully written. Best book I’ve read in a long time. Not sure what I’m supposed to do with my life now. Nicely done, Ms. Drake.

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