Review by wardenred - Verona Comics

wardenred 's review for:

Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan

5.0

dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-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

How can I tell if it’s my gut talking or my myriad of anxiety disorders?

Even through a big, long reading slump, I really enjoyed this freeform retelling of Romeo & Juliet. It's a queer m/f romance (one of the leads is bi, the other still hasn't found a label that fits her) with a focus on mental health and co-dependency. I felt like both subjects were handled thoughtfully and realistically. There were a lot of familiar moments here, reminding me of the mistakes I made when I was younger.

It took me a bit to get used to Jubilee's narrator. On the other hand, Michael Crouch won my heart immediately with the way he handled Ridley's chapters. He did a great job making Ridley's anxiety and depression tangible in each line. I also really liked how the texting chapters were handled, with the audio effects and with both narrators present.

I do wish the book was presented in a way that's more compatible with its contents. The cover and the blurb both make me think I'm in for a light-hearted romcom, and this book isn't that. Yes, there are plenty of cute moments, but overall, the story is pretty heavy and involves dark subjects such as suicidal behavior and domestic abuse. I'm glad I skimmed some reviews before I read it; otherwise I would have expected something very different, and it would have impacted my perception of this overall great novel.

Content Warnings