"Sometimes you just need a cliche, light, short read that doesn't deal with werewolves and vampires but isn't exactly 'contemporary' either." — Miss Remmers
Release Date: September 27th, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Challenges: 2011 DAC, 100+ Reading Challenge, eBook Challenge
"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... "
"The Juliet Spell" is a light but captivatingly cliche novel. I would probably categorize it as middle grade as I'm pretty sure it's "too" cliche for my seniors and sophomores. But it's a good read regardless. Yes, everything just happens to fit together, the plot moves so smoothly and so fast, and no one seems to be surprised that William Shakespeare's brother has time traveled centuries forward — but if you can get past the lack of logic, it's a great story.
This book was just what I was needing to get out of (yet another) reading funk. It's a short read (less than 300 pages) and I was able to start on Friday and finish on Sunday. It was a light read (with obvious flaws) but it pulled me into the story to a point where I could forgive the flaws and pretend that my mom would be okay with Billy S's little brother moving in to my house. There were real moments where I "awwed!" out loud (in the presence of my in-laws — awkward) and while it tied up miraculously quick and clean, I was still a bit surprised. I really enjoyed the references to "Romeo and Juliet" and appreciated the minor details of the novel.
Over all, sometimes you just need a cliche, light, short read that doesn't deal with werewolves and vampires but isn't exactly "contemporary" either. If you're in need of a reading fix of that nature — check out "The Juliet Spell."
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