The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees

Who hasn't heard of Romeo and Juliet?  It is one of the most enduring, and well known plays/stories of all time.  If you have any theatrical aspirations, this is the play to put on your resume.

Now, since we've established that we all know the Romeo and Juliet story, lets talk about The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees.  We've got teen drama (both in the theater and out), star-crossed lovers, spells, time travel and an awesomely supportive Mom. 

Here is the summary from Goodreads:

I’m Juliet.

At least, I wanted to be.

So I did something stupid to make it happen.

Well, stupid and wonderful.

I wanted the role of Juliet more than anything. I studied hard. I gave a great reading for it—even with Bobby checking me out the whole time. I deserved the part.

I didn’t get it. So I decided to level the playing field, though I actually might have leveled the whole play. You see, since there aren’t any Success in Getting to Be Juliet in Your High School Play spells, I thought I’d cast the next best—a Fame spell. Good idea, right?

Yeah. Instead of bringing me a little fame, it brought me someone a little famous. Shakespeare. Well, Edmund Shakespeare. William’s younger brother.

Good thing he’s sweet and enthusiastic about helping me with the play...and—ahem—maybe a little bit hot. But he’s from the past. Way past. Cars amaze him—cars! And cell phones? Ugh.

Still, there’s something about him that’s making my eyes go star-crossed....

Will Romeo steal her heart before time steals him away?

 

 My thoughts:

I loved that Rees took a story that we ALL know and transformed it into something modern.  I also liked how present and supportive Miri's mother was, they had such a wonderful, trusting relationship.

  

I do always take issue with how fast teens "fall in love" in most YA books (life just isn't like that for the most part), and while Miri fell for Edmund pretty quick, she kept it to herself rather than acting on it or acting the fool.

 

Final thoughts:

I wouldn't have any problem having this in a high school classroom library.  If there are any bad words, I don't recall.  The story is great (a great supplemental to R&J if you are reading that).  While  there is kissing and implied hanky-panky, nothing is detailed or in depth.  I would have loved this book in 8th grade (and would have been more appropriate for me than Danielle Steel!)

 

This book is scheduled for release on September 27th, 2011.

 

 

*I downloaded this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.*