Synopsis: In this intensely romantic, modern recounting of the greatest love story ever told, Romeo’s original intended—Juliet’s cousin Rosaline—tells her side of the tale.What’s in a name, Shakespeare? I’ll tell you: Everything.Rosaline knows that she and Rob are destined to be together. Rose has been waiting for years for Rob to kiss her—and when he finally does, it’s perfect. But then Juliet moves back to town. Juliet, who used to be Rose’s best friend. Juliet, who now inexplicably hates her. Juliet, who is gorgeous, vindictive, and a little bit crazy...and who has set her sights on Rob. He doesn’t even stand a chance.
Rose is devastated over losing Rob to Juliet. This is not how the story was supposed to go. And when rumors start swirling about Juliet’s instability, her neediness, and her threats of suicide, Rose starts to fear not only for Rob’s heart, but also for his life. Because Shakespeare may have gotten the story wrong, but we all still know how it ends…
This was my first experience reading a Shakespeare retelling. I thought it sounded really cool that it would be from Rosaline's perspective. I'm sad to say I was more than a little disappointed with this one. I don't think trying to mesh a contemporary romance with one of the most iconic tragedies in history really worked out in this case.
The first thing that turned me off was the overuse of snark. It was overwhelming to me (and I usually love that kind of voice!), but I didn't want to cast it aside just for that reason. This was about a girl who had a right to be all sorts of bitter. That being said, Rosaline was not at all mad, crazy, vengeful, or anything else you might expect a high school girl to be when they are flat out dumped for their cousin. She was still upset that it seemed like Juliet didn't like her. After all that happened, she wanted to be friends with Juliet. I don't think that is realistic at all. Unless Rosaline is a robot, she should be at least a little ticked off at someone.
Another thing that actually made me upset over this book was the glorification of real-life mean girls. Rosaline and her friends (who are at times the only interesting people to really read about) were down right horrible. The girl who couldn't be mad at the guy, or her cousin who stole her guy, was surprisingly ok with seriously bashing her classmates who were less than popular. I never want to read another book that promotes, "I'm a stereotypical, pretty, mean girl high school senior, and I rule the school." That's what this one felt like to me.
The only thing I really found interesting in When You Were Mine was the explanation of the family feud. It was an interesting take, again, formatted to be contemporary.
The end left me more than upset. I can't really get into it without spoiling anything, so I'll leave out the details. I can't say whether or not liking or not liking the original Romeo and Juliet will affect how you feel about this book. I was always a little indifferent about the play, but I found myself getting pretty defensive of Juliet, hating Romeo (whose name is Rob in this book, though all the others are the same), and not being able to stand Rosaline. If you choose to read this book, let me know how it leaves you feeling.
The first thing that turned me off was the overuse of snark. It was overwhelming to me (and I usually love that kind of voice!), but I didn't want to cast it aside just for that reason. This was about a girl who had a right to be all sorts of bitter. That being said, Rosaline was not at all mad, crazy, vengeful, or anything else you might expect a high school girl to be when they are flat out dumped for their cousin. She was still upset that it seemed like Juliet didn't like her. After all that happened, she wanted to be friends with Juliet. I don't think that is realistic at all. Unless Rosaline is a robot, she should be at least a little ticked off at someone.
Another thing that actually made me upset over this book was the glorification of real-life mean girls. Rosaline and her friends (who are at times the only interesting people to really read about) were down right horrible. The girl who couldn't be mad at the guy, or her cousin who stole her guy, was surprisingly ok with seriously bashing her classmates who were less than popular. I never want to read another book that promotes, "I'm a stereotypical, pretty, mean girl high school senior, and I rule the school." That's what this one felt like to me.
The only thing I really found interesting in When You Were Mine was the explanation of the family feud. It was an interesting take, again, formatted to be contemporary.
The end left me more than upset. I can't really get into it without spoiling anything, so I'll leave out the details. I can't say whether or not liking or not liking the original Romeo and Juliet will affect how you feel about this book. I was always a little indifferent about the play, but I found myself getting pretty defensive of Juliet, hating Romeo (whose name is Rob in this book, though all the others are the same), and not being able to stand Rosaline. If you choose to read this book, let me know how it leaves you feeling.
