I tried several times to get through this story and just found that I couldn't. I was mostly just annoyed by all the characters and felt like it was being dragged along by the hair.

It may just be I didn't like the writing style but it is rare for me to DNF a book.

A retelling of Romeo and Juliet told through the voice of Rosaline, Juliet's cousin, and a former lover of Romeo. I love the characterisation of Rosaline and the changes she accepts into her life in order to attempt to save the life of Juliet. Whilst the narrative stays close to the original it changes it in very interesting ways. We learn more about both the main characters and those who really only appear as grieving relatives in the original. I would love to read more abour those characters still with us at the end of this novel

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC.

I’m only basing 1 star review on the fact that I didn’t get chance to get into this and finish it due to various commitments.

I love the sound of the story it was trying to tell so I think it’ll be one I pick up in the future.

So I decided to read this because it’s sort of a retelling of Romeo & Juliet and I’m a sucker for these. It especially peaked my interest because it’s from Juliet’s cousin’s pov. And I really enjoyed it. Romeo was truly the worst and I hated him so much. The coercion and gaslighting and just conning young girls into believing they were special and then ruthlessly leaving destruction on his quest for a new victim.
Rosaline gave eldest daughter vibes trying to protect juliet and i loved seeing their relationship.
The narrator was so good at keeping me hooked even though it starts a little slow but i ended up listening to it late into the night.
I loved the ending and how it was a new beginning for them to heal and start fresh after everything they went through.

Brilliant!
I always thought Romeo was a bit of a Dandy and the tragedy of his and Juliet's 'love' story isn't played out to its fullest.

Reading this book, I knew it was fiction, but it really could have been Shakespeare's original plot.

A feisty, modern, feminine retelling of Romeo and Juliet, which really shows a darker, quite sinister side to the story we all know. Gosh what a nasty piece of work Romeo is! And what terrible norms existed back then regarding marrying off young girls in their early teens. This is almost a ‘Me Too’ version of the story, with a courageous Rosaline understanding the immorality of the situation and determining to protect her cousin. I gasped many a time throughout the book and willed good to triumph over evil. Definitely a great book to read alongside the original.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Bonnier Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

What a brilliant book retelling a classic love story. The author has the confidence and skill to take one of the most loved and referenced romances of all time- Romeo and Juliet- and rewrite it completely, taking apart what we've all taken for granted and replacing it with a modern fresh update. Loved every page.

I enjoyed previous books by this author but unfortunately this book was not for me. I didn't find the plot or the characters authentic.

I studied a lot of Shakespeare at university while I was completing my English degree and it’s safe to say that I hated Romeo and Juliet with a passion. I always thought it was a ridiculous romantic tragedy so, when I heard the concept of Fair Rosaline, I was sold. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, though the constant gaslighting filled me with anger. The novel is an ode to feminine rage, definitely proof that a woman scorned is not to be messed with. Romeo sucked, and Juliet sucked too. It was great to finally be able to read Rosaline’s perspective. I think Natasha Solomons has absolutely done her justice here - Rosaline was never the villain!

I’d definitely recommend this to people who enjoy reading twisted perspective versions of classics, and to people who just want to see vengeance enacted on sleazy boys.

Thank you to NetGalley and Natasha Solomons for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

An interesting take on a prequel to a classics this book looks at the story of Juliet’s sister giving you a different view of these 2 legendary characters. I found this book Intriguing and entertaining enough

📚 #NetGalley ARC review 📚

Title: Fair Rosaline
Author: Natasha Solomons
Release date: 31/07/23

Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the chance to read this ARC ahead of its release.

So you think you know Romeo and Juliet? Think again!

I must confess - and apologise - that this review is so incredibly late. I read, and really enjoyed, Fair Rosaline way back in August...but it's been a difficult year, and that peaked in September. Writing anything was hard.

It's too late to join the summer hype train for this wonderful book, but I can show up now to add to the voices who say: read it if you enjoy Shakespeare but also like a feisty heroine and a clever twist on an old tale. I liked it so much that despite being given the e-version, I later bought my own hardback copy.

4/5 stars

For the most part, I thought Fair Rosaline was an incredibly imaginative and fascinating reworking of a tale as old as time. We're all aware of Romeo and Juliet's story, but before Juliet there was Rosaline.

Rosaline is horrified to learn that her father wants her to enter a nunnery following the death of her mother. He has no purpose for her and Rosaline is given no choice. But she longs to live and love, and so when she meets Romeo, an older and experienced man, she is swept off her feet. Promising her marriage and elopement, she is beguiled.

But cracks soon appear and the blinkers quickly fall.

Romeo sets his sight on Juliet, a young and naive girl - and Rosaline's cousin. She will stop at nothing to prevent another girl being used and discarded.

And so a plan for revenge is made.

And it's here that things became a little laboured. I found the last third of the book a little heavy on extraneous detail and I think it could have moved forward more succinctly. Having said that, the strands of the story did come together and there was a delicious sense of justice. This is women taking back their power and it was awesome to read.

A different take on a retelling, this story follows Rosaline (Juliet’s cousin) and her love story with Romeo. A unique version of the Romeo and Juliet story which I think people will either love or hate. I enjoyed it and like to see different perspectives on stories so this worked for me.

𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿
its a nice cover, doesnt give anything away!

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀
dark
feminist
sad

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Ummmm.........

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
Well i hated everyone.
Every single person.

𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
You know what, the writing is not bad. I just absolutely hated the characters and the story

𝗔𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱?
Everything

I struggled with this book, I was looking forward another take on Romeo and Juliet especially as I’d seen & Juliet at the theatre, this seemed great but it was a difficult read and I kept losing interest then coming back to it in between other reads but I’m glad I kept going as the ending was worth it though it did seem to take along time to get there.

<i>Romeo and Juliet</i> is far from my favourite Shakespeare play, but I do like reworkings and sequels in which the women take control of their lives and get to have a suitable happy ending. This novel focuses on the romance between Romeo and Rosaline and its aftermath, following the timeline of the play, as well as previous events alluded to by various of the play’s main characters. The story opens with Rosaline Capulet and her father mourning the death of Rosaline’s mother in an outbreak of the plague and preparing to leave the city for the healthier air of the countryside. Rosaline is horrified to learn of her mother’s dying wish: that she be sent to a nunnery rather than marry. However, she is able to defer that move for a short period of time and resolves to make the most of her last few days of freedom, beginning by sneaking out of the family’s house (disguised as a boy, this being Shakespeare) to attend a ball held by the Montagues – her family’s deadly enemies.

At the ball, Rosaline meets, and is smitten with, Romeo. The two embark on a secret romance and plan to elope. However, Romeo keeps finding excuses to delay their wedding and engages in some other pieces of shitty behaviour. Eventually, Romeo meets Juliet and abandons Rosaline for her younger, fairer cousin. Meanwhile, Rosaline is making some very interesting discoveries about Romeo’s past and about goings-on in the nunnery. She realises she’s had a lucky escape with Romeo and enlists the help of the nuns to save Juliet from the fate of some of Romeo’s past loves.

I really enjoyed the unexpected detective elements of this story and how the various mysteries and secret plans were gradually revealed. Rosaline is smart and resourceful, and I particularly appreciated her cunning in getting Romeo’s friend, the friar, out of the way as part of her strategy to save Juliet. Although the author has said this is intended to take place in a fantasy Verona, as per Shakespeare’s play, I still felt slightly jarred by apparent anachronisms at times. Not my favourite reworking of the play (that honour goes to the musical & Juliet), but still a fun read.

Told through the eyes of Rosaline, Juliets cousin , this wasn’t quite the retelling that I was expecting. Rosaline meets and falls in love with Romeo who in this version is considerably older than her and is quite the ladies man. After the relationship ends and he sets his sights on the even younger Juliet. Rosaline intends to open Juliets eyes to the truth of Romeo and end the relationship. Although there are nods to the original it’s a very different feminist retelling which I found slightly awkward at times as I was not expecting a paedophile ring run by the Friar of which Romeo and many of the men of Verona are members. Initially a slow burn the novel gathers pace in its final third. Did I enjoy it? I’m still on the fence. It was a very novel retelling but I think that it took too many liberties. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ARC in return for an honest review.

Ahh, this book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. On one hand, I absolutely struggled reading it. There was some very heavy sexism within this book, that I felt wasn't needed within the story. There was a lot of unnecessary information within this book, that I felt it could have done without. However, the characters where interesting and I did like the overall premise.

Rosaline Capulet has just lost her mother and is about to be sent to live out her days in a convent, in an attempt to enjoy her last few days of freedom she sneaks into a party held by the Montague’s where she is soon under the spell of the charming and handsome Romeo.

I really enjoyed this reimagining of Rosaline’s role in the tragedy of the star struck couple. The writing transported you to a different time and I was immediately remind of Maggie O’Farrell’s most recent work, which is no bad thing! Would highly recommend to those who fancy something a bit different.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. It is well-written and well-researched, but I found it rather long, and I couldn't lose myself in it as I expected.