Saving Juliet

by Suzanne Selfors

Seventeen-year-old Mimi Wallingford's stage fright and fight with her mother on the closing night of Romeo and Juliet are nothing compared to the troubles she faces when she and her leading man are transported to Shakespeare's Verona, where she decides to give the real Juliet a happy ending.

• ISBN10: 0802798314
• ISBN13: 9780802798312
• Publish Date: 15 April 2009 (first published 1 February 2008)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 23 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Walker & Company
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 242
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Saving Juliet is a super cute, kind of retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Mimi's family is in the theater business, which is not her dream at all. Her mother is pushing her to be the best Juliet ever and go on to study theater in college. Well, Mimi suffers from stage fright which has only gotten worse with each performance, so after a particularly bad moment back stage, she rushes out of the theater. Next thing she knows, she and her costar, Troy Summers, have been whisked away to 1594 Verona where Shakespeare's characters are real.

The tone of Saving Juliet is very light and fun. It's written as if Mimi is telling us her story, so yes, she does break the fourth wall and address the reader directly. This doesn't bother me at all, and I thought it was a cute touch, as if she's writing her own tale as well as rewriting "history." When Mimi arrives in Verona and figures out what's going on, she desperately wants to help Juliet avoid marriage to Paris as well as the tragic end to her love for Romeo. As a result, lots of hijinks ensue! Unfortunately, her and Troy's ticket home might be having the play run its course as intended, which stirs up a lot of trouble for everyone involved.

Of course, Saving Juliet has a happy ending. It's rushed, so I would have liked at least a few more pages of their escape from Shakespeare's Verona. But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this one! It was unique and funny and sweet and just a good time.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.