"3.5 out of 5 stars! I was pleasantly surprised with this novel!! At first it started off slow and the characters were very predictable, leaving me thinking I knew exactly..."

Read more of my review and TWO TEASERS here: http://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2011/08/made-grade-juliet-spell-by-dou... ( )

(A strong three-and-a-half star read, so I'll round up.) The Juliet Spell was a sweet story, if not exactly believable at times. The main characters were a bit too accepting of the fantasy stuff--Miranda and Edmund's response at the beginning was really the only one that was even remotely believable in this regard; everyone else found out and pretty much accepted it without question--but overall this didn't really affect my enjoyment of the book. Other than giving me a bit a of pause and a "really?" moment, it probably even helped a bit, since having to read over and over again as the various characters were clued in to what was happening probably would have gotten old quick and this way the story kept moving. There were a few bits that were left loose at the end (at least two people may or may not be stranded in Elizabethan England for all eternity) and the "science" of how it all worked is still a mystery to this reader at least, but I'm willing to let more than a little logic go in the name of a fun fantasy read, and this one was fun. The touches of Shakespeare throughout were entertaining, at least to an English major, and weren't written in a way that should bother those who don't know the Bard or his works well (and may even lead to a few "AHA!" moments as YA readers encounter his works later on in life). Overall, I really enjoyed this one and will be looking for more books from this author to read and add to my classroom library. ( )

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?"

I was torn between giving this book a 2.5 or 3 star rating. I wanted to love this book, really I did. It is such an interesting concept - time travelling Shakespeare? Awesome! William Shakespeare trying to figure out cars, tv and cell phones? Hilarious! Shakespeare skulking around a modern day production of Romeo & Juliet? Too funny! The problem was I really think this book could have been more. There was a lot of missed comedy between Will and his brother Edmund, who were by far the best characters in the book. The story seemed a little rushed, so I felt there was not enough development of some of the supporting characters, which would have been fun.

However, the part of the book I had the hardest time with was the believability of some characters, especially Miri’s parents. I could not suspend reality to believe that Miri’s Mom would just accept that Miri had some guy living with them that she accidentally conjured while performing a spell to make her Juliet in a play. Her Mom did not even question the story and seemingly had no problem with this boy moving into their house or the fact that the two became involved while living together. And then, when Miri’s Dad calls, he just accepts it too! I don’t know about you guys, but when I was a teenager (you know, last year), there is no way my parents would have bought that story without question, yelling and lectures on the idiocy of playing with things you did not understand.

All of that being said, I really did enjoy the book, I just did not love it and I really wanted to love it. In the end, after deliberating on it for a few days, I am going with 3 stars.

We received The Juliet Spell as an ARC from NetGalley. HarlequinTeen releases this title TODAY, September 27, 2011!

~Shel

www.bibliojunkies.blogspot.com ( )

Reviewed at http://www.mandikayereads.com/archives/122

The Juliet Spell was an entertaining, light piece of fluff reading. The general premise of the story – girl desperately wants to be Juliet in her school’s production of Romeo & Juliet so she casts a spell to make it happen and hilarity ensues when Will Shakespeare’s brother travels through time and ends up in girl’s kitchen – has potential. Unfortunately, I don’t believe Douglas Rees met that potential. There were times throughout the story where I literally had to stop reading because I found it to be absolutely ridiculous. On the plus side, it really made me want to watch William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet.

I give The Juliet Spell three out of five stars for being generally entertaining. ( )

Because I am such a sucker for books and I want my children to find the same joy and escape in them that I do, I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find books that I think they'll enjoy when I am in the bookstore. Most of the time, I fail miserably. I saw this book on the shelf and after reading the cover copy, wasn't sure my daughter would appreciate it. But the idea of a modern day reworking of the Romeo and Juliet tale caught my own fancy and I regretted not buying it for myself. I told my daughter the premise and she said she'd be willing to read it so immediately back to the bookstore we went. If I had bought it without asking her, odds are she never would have read it but because I wanted to read it too, she zipped through it, enjoyed it, and cheerfully passed it along to me. Obviously I was predisposed to like it and happily, it turned out to be a cute and fun young adult read.

Miranda is a high school theater geek who is trying out for the part of Juliet in the joint high school/community production. She desperately wants the part not only for herself but because her mother, who as an actress before she met Miranda's father, never got to play the part. Miranda thinks it would be lovely to be able to dedicate her performance to her mother, who has been a hard working single mother for the several years since Miranda's father left them to "find himself." Because Miranda wants the part so badly, she goes home and casts a spell to become famous. No, she's not a witch. She's just a teenaged girl desperately wishing, by any means possible, to be cast in the part she wants. But Miranda's spell does work. Sort of. At least when the smoke clears, it appears that Miranda has summoned a real Elizabethan actor into her kitchen. Best yet, his name is Edmund Shakeshank and he is William Shakespeare's younger brother. As Miranda helps him adjust to being plunked down in the twenty-first century, he helps her with her acting and together they run through some of the more entertaining Shakespeare plots all while the play in which they are both players runs into some significant road blocks.

The story over all is charming and fun and the Shakespeare references are entertaining. The novel is not without problems though. It is patently unbelievable and much of it was too easy. No one seems to blink much of an eye that Edmund was inadvertantly transported from his century to ours. And he, in turn, is only incredulous of a few major things rather than completely overwhelmed as any true Elizabethan would be in the same situation. Most of the plot is fairly predictable but there are a few delightful twists that keep the narrative tension from going slack. As a love story, it definitely captures immature high school relationships, as opposed to ones fully realized. The characters are pretty transparent but likable enough. The plot with Miranda's absent father is a false note and was certainly less enjoyable than the rest. While not high literature, the novel was goofy, frothy, entertaining fluff that continues to appeal despite its weaknesses; it left me smiling. ( )