Reviews

Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors

plaidpladd's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

This is the kind of plot and quality you expect from fanfiction. It would probably be a forgettable 3 out of 5 star on AO3. My main beef is with the writing style, addressing the reader directly, which comes off cringey and amateurish (ex. "Turn the page for the grand finale", an actual quote lol). The plot was mildly entertaining, and the leads had little chemistry.

reeyabeegale's review against another edition

5.0

I love this! It's a retelling with a twist, and I am a sucker for retelling. I like how the elizabethan period connects with the modern one, and how the characters were made to fit in the past period.

claudiamccarron's review against another edition

3.0

Fluffy and sweet, with a wonderful heroine. Character development wasn't as in-depth/clear as I would have liked, but it's still a great comfort read.

stephxsu's review against another edition

Silly but not in an over-the-top way. Not my type of book but nevertheless enjoyable.

elothwen's review against another edition

4.0

At first I was a little skeptical. It was choppy and hopped from one scene to the next, and I found myself glazing over paragraphs, but it definitely got better as the plot picked up. I was also weary of the names Mimi and Troy, which are totally stereotypical--a Californian named Troy?

Spoiler

(though of course, his name isn't really Troy, which is never addressed again)

--but that honestly didn't matter too much. Although it continued to be a little too fast paced, I could hardly put it down because I wanted to know what happened next, what other mishap could occur and make the story stray even further from its original ending.

I love the author's renditions of Juliet and Romeo, too, though I feel like most of the characters in this book changed their minds or made decisions a little too quickly. Also, I admit I sort of squealed when

Spoiler

Romeo saw Juliet on the balcony.

I didn't like how the women in the present-day (Clarissa, the audience girls, the women Troy dated, etc.) were sort of cast aside as *those girls*, but they weren't involved that often so I can forgive it. I liked how Mimi confessed to her flaws.

Overall, it was a great read, and I liked the power and cleverness behind

Spoiler

using the quill she wrote the letter with to get home.

The thing with the cat being named Romeo was cute, too. My one question is,

Spoiler

were Nurse and Friar Laurence married? It certainly alluded to them having been married in the past but it was never really explained if they were. Not that it really matters.

Also, the cover is really cute.

3.5/5 stars

marzia23's review against another edition

2.0

cheesy, but it’s not like I didn’t expect that. a cute, short, light hearted read.

webz's review against another edition

3.0

This really wasn't what I expected, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Now what I thought after reading the flap, summary and such was that the main character was going to be trapped in the play and try to save Juliet...
Well, that didn't exactly happen.
I don't think this is a spoiler, but stop reading if you're really like, cautious about this kinda stuff XD.
Basically, everything that happened in the play didn't happen in the book.
Like, practically everything was different.
Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
But...I don't know...I only liked this book.
Didn't REALLY like it, didn't love it.
I was kinda bored at some parts....nothing was really all that exciting *shrug*.
Like how you might stare at your computer/laptop screen, like this:

That was pretty much how I felt through 3/4s of the book.
Still, I enjoyed the characters.
I really liked how Romeo, Juliet, Juliet's mother, Friar...something, Benvolio, Troy, and Mimi all were distinct, had their own personalities and ways of reacting to things.
I just don't understand how I didn't like this more.
I guess...it must be because the things that happened just didn't really catch my attention and make me feel afraid, or entranced, or really happy.
Books should make you feel a lot of things.
This one just didn't for me.

jahoo's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

pkadams's review against another edition

3.0

A YA book that kids will love. Doesn't hold for adults as well. Intriguing premise but unfortunately the plot was too big for the author.

pussreboots's review

emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0