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marieintheraw's review against another edition
2.0
Overall, this is more fun for the Shakespeare elements, not so much for everything else.
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.
merricatfromblackwood's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
vidya_is_vidya's review against another edition
2.5
i was fine with the story but i feel like all the characters were flat. the author could’ve done a better job at making them 3 dimensional
also i thought since jack was mentioned in the blurb and all that he would remain an important character throughout the story but once we finish his arc he’s almost discarded?
also charlotte was so flat as a character too. why does she like alison when they’ve barely ever spoken??? the romance element was so unnecessary and the entire plot would remain the same without it. i didn’t care when the two had conflict because their relationship wasn’t developed enough for me to care
if you want a very shallow and lighthearted read, then this book is good for you. otherwise, you won’t be missing anything by not reading it
spoiler:also i’m so mad they didn’t tell me whether alison was valedictorian or not in the end. like i get it, the point was that she doesn’t care anymore, but i still want to know
also i thought since jack was mentioned in the blurb and all that he would remain an important character throughout the story but once we finish his arc he’s almost discarded?
also charlotte was so flat as a character too. why does she like alison when they’ve barely ever spoken??? the romance element was so unnecessary and the entire plot would remain the same without it. i didn’t care when the two had conflict because their relationship wasn’t developed enough for me to care
if you want a very shallow and lighthearted read, then this book is good for you. otherwise, you won’t be missing anything by not reading it
spoiler:
sparky22's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A light fun read about a high school student producing the school play, her relationships, and the relationships of the people in the cast and crew. However, the last 20 pages or so of the book got too bogged down with minutae about the dress rehearsal and performances. The epilogue provided a better ending. While reading the book I wavered between giving it a 3 or a 4 but the ending brought it down to a 3.
shinypurplepants's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ameserole's review against another edition
3.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life was pretty interesting. In it, you will meet Alison Green. She has hopes and dreams of becoming her class valedictorian. So she honestly will say to any teacher willing to give her recommendation. It just so happens that she said yes to becoming the producer of the school's play.
Now without going into too much detail, this book was cute. I adored some of the friendships and the relationship being formed throughout it. However, I kind of feel like some were forced upon me or they just kind of fizzled out at one point. It honestly didn't matter if certain people were still together at the end or not.. things just weren't adding up for me.
I did, however, really enjoy all the LGBT representation throughout the book. There was even a point in the book where a teacher was completely ignorant and no one really did anything about it. I mean, yes, someone gave some sass.. but no one really put them in their place (in a way?). Not sure how I feel about that even now.
In the end, I am happy that I got a chance to dive into it. This book was cute and the ending was even cuter. I just feel like it was missing something for me in order to fall in love with it.
The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life was pretty interesting. In it, you will meet Alison Green. She has hopes and dreams of becoming her class valedictorian. So she honestly will say to any teacher willing to give her recommendation. It just so happens that she said yes to becoming the producer of the school's play.
Now without going into too much detail, this book was cute. I adored some of the friendships and the relationship being formed throughout it. However, I kind of feel like some were forced upon me or they just kind of fizzled out at one point. It honestly didn't matter if certain people were still together at the end or not.. things just weren't adding up for me.
I did, however, really enjoy all the LGBT representation throughout the book. There was even a point in the book where a teacher was completely ignorant and no one really did anything about it. I mean, yes, someone gave some sass.. but no one really put them in their place (in a way?). Not sure how I feel about that even now.
In the end, I am happy that I got a chance to dive into it. This book was cute and the ending was even cuter. I just feel like it was missing something for me in order to fall in love with it.
briannareadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This book was just okay, and honestly pretty forgettable.
The story is about a girl named Alison who is put in charge of her school's adaptation of a Midsummer Night's Dream and like... everything goes wrong. Plus she has a crush on the cool girl at her school named Charlotte, who stars in the play.
This was a quick, easy, and cute YA story but I don't think it was anything special. I hate saying that because it was so clearly Canadian and I love when Canadian authors get their debut but I just really didn't vibe with this--but I didn't hate it. It was mostly just okay.
I thought the Shakespeare aspect was cute, but the conflicts in the story just seem so juvenile and silly that it seems fitting for a middle-grade novel and it made me think less of the main character. Plus, there wasn't anything that stood out about this book for me, it was just about a girl putting on a school play and having a crush. Also, all the characters fell a bit flat. They were so one-dimensional that I forgot who everyone was, and I still was confused by the end of the book.
Overall, I would recommend this if you want a quick, light read, but not if you want more depth in a story.
This book was just okay, and honestly pretty forgettable.
The story is about a girl named Alison who is put in charge of her school's adaptation of a Midsummer Night's Dream and like... everything goes wrong. Plus she has a crush on the cool girl at her school named Charlotte, who stars in the play.
This was a quick, easy, and cute YA story but I don't think it was anything special. I hate saying that because it was so clearly Canadian and I love when Canadian authors get their debut but I just really didn't vibe with this--but I didn't hate it. It was mostly just okay.
I thought the Shakespeare aspect was cute, but the conflicts in the story just seem so juvenile and silly that it seems fitting for a middle-grade novel and it made me think less of the main character. Plus, there wasn't anything that stood out about this book for me, it was just about a girl putting on a school play and having a crush. Also, all the characters fell a bit flat. They were so one-dimensional that I forgot who everyone was, and I still was confused by the end of the book.
Overall, I would recommend this if you want a quick, light read, but not if you want more depth in a story.
starzyrose's review against another edition
2.0
In 'The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life', a lesbian teen ends up in charge of the school play while also trying to navigate exploring love for the first time.
Queer stories, especially those for young people, are really important but this just wasn't it for me.
This book read very young and characters often seemed much younger than they were.
We never learnt very much about characters outside of stereotypes and that they were all involved in this play which left them feeling very flat and uninteresting.
I was often frustrated by easily avoided conflicts.
Some readers, especially young ones, may not notice or be bothered by some of these elements and maybe they could enjoy it for a simple queer contemporary, but I struggled to get through it.
Queer stories, especially those for young people, are really important but this just wasn't it for me.
This book read very young and characters often seemed much younger than they were.
We never learnt very much about characters outside of stereotypes and that they were all involved in this play which left them feeling very flat and uninteresting.
I was often frustrated by easily avoided conflicts.
Some readers, especially young ones, may not notice or be bothered by some of these elements and maybe they could enjoy it for a simple queer contemporary, but I struggled to get through it.
starzy's review against another edition
2.0
In 'The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life', a lesbian teen ends up in charge of the school play while also trying to navigate exploring love for the first time.
Queer stories, especially those for young people, are really important but this just wasn't it for me.
This book read very young and characters often seemed much younger than they were.
We never learnt very much about characters outside of stereotypes and that they were all involved in this play which left them feeling very flat and uninteresting.
I was often frustrated by easily avoided conflicts.
Some readers, especially young ones, may not notice or be bothered by some of these elements and maybe they could enjoy it for a simple queer contemporary, but I struggled to get through it.
Queer stories, especially those for young people, are really important but this just wasn't it for me.
This book read very young and characters often seemed much younger than they were.
We never learnt very much about characters outside of stereotypes and that they were all involved in this play which left them feeling very flat and uninteresting.
I was often frustrated by easily avoided conflicts.
Some readers, especially young ones, may not notice or be bothered by some of these elements and maybe they could enjoy it for a simple queer contemporary, but I struggled to get through it.