This is one of those times that I desperately wish GR allowed for half star ratings. If so, I would give The Great Gatsby a solid 3 and a half stars. 
 Surprisingly enough, at 24 years old, this was my first rendezvous with Gatsby. I transferred from private school before my class read it to a public school that didn't read this book in class. And so, I awarded that "school read" stigma to it and never bothered to pick it up on my own. But now my way of looking at books has done a 180, and I'm much more interested in reading the classics. Over the past couple years, especially after the divine Leo DiCaprio became Gatsby, I've been hearing great things about the book. People reminiscing about how it was their favorite book in school and whatnot. So I had high hopes for Gatsby. However, despite wanting to read more classics, I've noticed that I frequently find them less enchanting compared to all the hype around them. Much to my dismay, Gatsby fell into that same hole of being less than what I'd hoped. 
 Truly, I did like The Great Gatsby. I liked the story. I liked the idea of exploring the richest of the rich and their lifestyle. I liked exploring extramarital affairs. I liked the idea of beautiful parties that were on a level of their own, thrown by a mystery man of sorts. And I liked the infidelities of all the characters being on full display. Despite being hush-hush, everything was still out on the table. 
 But man, did I have zero emotional connection, or what?! I felt completely disconnected from every character. It was almost like being a grown adult watching 14-year-olds getting all bent out of shape over adolescent "love." I could see the characters upset, angry, lost, and confused, but I just wanted to say: "Get over it. It's not a big deal. You're dumb for thinking like that." 
 Examples:(view spoiler)[ 
 - I never understood what attracted Tom to Myrtle Wilson. That whole relationship was never developed, and it bothered me because it seemed to be rather serious. And so when she was killed, I felt nothing. And that was a big moment to not feel anything. 
 - Daisy causes all this commotion yet doesn't stand by her emotions. In fact, I don't have the slightest clue what her real emotions really were. And on top of that, we see very little into her tryst with Gatsby, which is basically the whole meat of the book. And because of the lack of detail, the whole blow up in the hotel room was just awkward for me. It wasn't passionate or emotional; it was just bizarre and uncomfortable. 
 - I also didn't really understand Jordan Baker's role. She seemed to have no point, just there. And so her fling with Nick, our narrator, seemed forced by Fitzgerald to give Nick more substance. Actually, her entire role seemed useless. An unneeded character. (hide spoiler)] 
 I think what would have helped tremendously is if the story was written in third person. The first person perspective felt really limiting to the character development, which is what helps me to connect to a story. Third person would have allowed us to look into the minds of all the main characters and understand their motives. 
 I also struggled with transitions, which had a lot to do with my inability to connect to the characters as well. I felt like the story jumped between scenes rather abruptly, which interrupted the much needed character and scene development. 
 I really wanted to like this book. I promise I did. But something was just...missing. That deeper connection was just not there, and I desperately wanted it. I will say that I loved the ending though. The ending is what had me round my half star rating up instead of down. I want to watch the movie (Leo's version, not the one from the 70s) because I feel like it really ignited this current love of Gatsby, and I want to be part of that love. And I'd like to reread this book at some point maybe 5 or 6 years from now and see if anything happens for me then.