The Juliet Spell

by Douglas Rees

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....

• ISBN10: 0373210396
• ISBN13: 9780373210398
• Publish Date: 27 September 2011 (first published 1 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Harlequin Teen
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joni Reads]

A very cute book. I can't say much more than that. Did I enjoy it? Yes. But if you want a book that is going to make you think deeply about issues, etc, this book is not for you. It's fluff, plain and simple. A simple, easy read perfect for a lazy summer day.

Miranda's dream is to be Juliet in her school's performance of Romeo and Juliet. When she doesn't think she is going to land the role she pulls out a spellbook and decides to cast a spell to make her Juliet. Well, somehow things go awry and suddenly Shakespeare's younger brother Edmund is sitting in her kitchen.

Believable? Not in the least. But put that aside and the storyline is unique. I mean, who knew Shakespeare had a younger brother? And, in fact, he really did. Was he the same as he is portrayed in this book? Most likely not, but still. You can't say you learned nothing from this book.

Another thing I liked about this book is that instead of Miranda trying to hide Edmund from her mother she instead just lets her mother meet and talk to him. And after hearing the story and actually meeting him Miranda's mother believes her about what happened and who Edmund is. I hate books (and movies actually) where something incredible happens and the main character hides it from their parents. All the secrecy stresses me out. It made the book a much easier read for her mother to just know and accept that Edmund was in fact Shakespeare's brother, he appeared during a spell gone wrong, etc.

This book would be good for the younger side of the YA crowd as well. No sex scenes, there is a bit of cursing but nothing completely awful. I would safely hand this book to my daughter if she was 12 or 13 without thinking twice about it.

Basically, if you want a book that has true to life issues, if you lean towards a more contemporary issues type of YA, stay away from this book. If you can handle a bit of fluff now and then, give The Juliet Spell a try. After all, widely popular paranormal creatures such as werewolves and vampires are not believable at all either and those books are enjoyed. So what if the story is farfetched. It's cute, fun and a fast read.