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valaurens's review against another edition
4.0
Es el libro que leo cuando siento que necesito un poco de drama pero, al mismo tiempo, algo fácil de leer. Es una historia simple, que, alternando entre distintos tiempos y personajes, te trae una sonrisita a la cara.
moonmama's review against another edition
5.0
I did not think this book was going to be much more than fluff, and I was pleasantly surprised. genuinely engaging.
erkadahl's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, more than I had originally expected I would. If you read The Thirteenth Tale or The Forgotten Garden and liked them, you will enjoy this book! I am not sure what genre these books belong in, but the combination of historical fiction, romance, international settings, and mystery weave a story that I want to keep reading! I highly recommend this book.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
4.0
Julie Jacobs is stunned the day she finds out that her great-aunt Rose, who raised her and her twin sister Janice, has died. She's even more surprised when she finds out at the funeral that her real name is Giulietta Tolomei and Rose wanted her to go back to Siena, where she was born, and find a treasure that her mother left for her in a safety deposit box. Of course things are never that easy in real life or in fiction. Julie is soon in the middle of a treasure hunt, being pursued by ruthless treasure hunters, and wrapped up in the long ago story of Romeo and Juliet.
Overall, I just loved this. It was full of excitement and suspense and romance and Italian scenery and Siena and gelato, and just so much Italian life. What's not to love?
There are two different storylines, that of Julie in the present and Romeo and Juliet in 1340. Shakespeare got the bare bones right, but the details are quite a bit different, let me tell you. The biggest change is that their story takes place in Siena rather than Verona. I loved the descriptions of the city, and I especially loved that the author worked in il palio, a famous, highly-competitive horse race Romeo rides in. Just so much excitement! He's a hero to win any girl's heart!
In the present day, I mostly liked Julie. She's got a spine and she's not too guilty of being the stupid girl who does everything wrong. I think there might have been one or two things that bothered me, but I can't even remember what they might have been. I was as clueless as she was about what was going on, what the treasure might be, and where it could be located. Edit: Julie in her own past was very irritating. Her sole purpose in life was to be the exact opposite of her twin, even if she managed to hurt herself in the process. She comes into her own in Italy though, and starts to finally get over it.
There's a bit of a mystical element that might bother some readers. I read lots of fantasy too, so something like that would never bother me. Anyone looking for a book set firmly in the rational world might not like this.
The big thing that bothered me is that about halfway through the book, Julie's relationship with two characters completely changes. I mean, complete 180 with absolutely no explanation given. I can sort of explain away one change to my satisfaction, but the other? It was crazy. I kept waiting on this character to show his or her true colors and go back to being a horrible person, but it never happened. So was Julie lying about her relationship initially, was she crazy? I have no idea. Thinking about it bothers me a lot, but I liked the rest of the book well enough that I made the conscious decision to just let it go.
For excitement, romance, action, and an original take on the Romeo and Juliet myth, go ahead and pick this up. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Overall, I just loved this. It was full of excitement and suspense and romance and Italian scenery and Siena and gelato, and just so much Italian life. What's not to love?
There are two different storylines, that of Julie in the present and Romeo and Juliet in 1340. Shakespeare got the bare bones right, but the details are quite a bit different, let me tell you. The biggest change is that their story takes place in Siena rather than Verona. I loved the descriptions of the city, and I especially loved that the author worked in il palio, a famous, highly-competitive horse race Romeo rides in. Just so much excitement! He's a hero to win any girl's heart!
In the present day, I mostly liked Julie. She's got a spine and she's not too guilty of being the stupid girl who does everything wrong. I think there might have been one or two things that bothered me, but I can't even remember what they might have been. I was as clueless as she was about what was going on, what the treasure might be, and where it could be located. Edit: Julie in her own past was very irritating. Her sole purpose in life was to be the exact opposite of her twin, even if she managed to hurt herself in the process. She comes into her own in Italy though, and starts to finally get over it.
There's a bit of a mystical element that might bother some readers. I read lots of fantasy too, so something like that would never bother me. Anyone looking for a book set firmly in the rational world might not like this.
The big thing that bothered me is that about halfway through the book, Julie's relationship with two characters completely changes. I mean, complete 180 with absolutely no explanation given. I can sort of explain away one change to my satisfaction, but the other? It was crazy. I kept waiting on this character to show his or her true colors and go back to being a horrible person, but it never happened. So was Julie lying about her relationship initially, was she crazy? I have no idea. Thinking about it bothers me a lot, but I liked the rest of the book well enough that I made the conscious decision to just let it go.
For excitement, romance, action, and an original take on the Romeo and Juliet myth, go ahead and pick this up. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
lovenecy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I really don’t know why I loved this book when I read it previously.
christina_likes_to_read's review against another edition
3.0
I found Juliet to be very slow in parts. I thought the plot was interesting but overly detailed at times. One of my friends mentioned that she listened to it on CD and I think that may be the perfect way to “read” this book.
jryberg's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
rebroxannape's review against another edition
3.0
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” he said, “at nine o’clock. Don’t open your door to anyone else.”
“Not even my balcony door?”
“Especially not your balcony door.”
This was well written with an intriguing premise. I love books that educate one painlessly. I learned lots about Siena, Italy, and Romeo and Juliet. Of course, I spent some time on Google Earth exploring Siena. It's bound to come in handy sometime, I hope. I was much more interested in the contemporary story rather than the concurrently running medieval story of R & J (The true story). I confess I kind of skipped through that part of the novel. Because we know that did not end well.
Dashes of humor and an engaging voice kept me going to the end, which featured several twists and revelations I didn't see coming. Good stuff for those who like good old-fashioned romantic suspense, with family drama included. I'm always a sucker for good twin/evil twin tropes and with a little redemption thrown in... well, what's not to like?
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings.com/
zybes's review against another edition
4.0
At first, it was kind of hard for me to get into this book. It had a very interesting premise but I thought the execution of it was a little slow. But then it picked up and just took off. It was a great twist on the classic Romeo and Juliet. The author also threw her audience many curveballs to keep the book intersting and the readers on their toes. Toward the end of the novel, I could NOT put the book down. It was too exciting and I had to keep reading. Sara Gruen said that she "was swept away" and I can see why she said that because I know I was too! This is a good read :)