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Anyone who has read Romeo & Juliet will have stumbled upon Rosaline's name - it was because of her that Romeo originally attended the Capulets' ball. Only that he sees Julia there & falls in love with her. The book now tells the short but intense love sequence of Romeo & Rosaline - & how Romeo ruins Rosaline. How Romeo then falls in love with Juliet at the ball; in return, Rosaline becomes aware of his true character & now does everything in her power to spare Juliet the terrible fate that would befall her at the hands of Romeo. For me, the writing style is very similar to Shakespeare's original play - the choice of words & the paraphrases. That made the whole thing authentic for me, but it still took some time getting used to. I was able to read the book fast because the plot progressed quickly. I liked the relationship between the independent Rosaline and the warm & wild Tybald - I really found Tybald a likeable character. When Rosaline finally decides against Romeo & does everything she can to protect her beloved cousin, the story blossoms for me. How Rosaline defends herself against Romeo, the monk and the machinations of men in general was really exciting & permeated by her love for Juliet. The idea of the plot - to stage Romeo as a truly evil charlatan - was basically OK for a retelling for me, especially since the story is told from the POV of the “scorned” Rosaline. But how deep Romeo's abysses really go here in the book was unexpected
Jan 3, 2026
Anyone who has read Romeo & Juliet will have stumbled upon Rosaline's name - it was because of her that Romeo originally attended the Capulets' ball. Only that he sees Julia there & falls in love with her. The book now tells the short but intense love sequence of Romeo & Rosaline - & how Romeo ruins Rosaline. How Romeo then falls in love with Juliet at the ball; in return, Rosaline becomes aware of his true character & now does everything in her power to spare Juliet the terrible fate that would befall her at the hands of Romeo. For me, the writing style is very similar to Shakespeare's original play - the choice of words & the paraphrases. That made the whole thing authentic for me, but it still took some time getting used to. I was able to read the book fast because the plot progressed quickly. I liked the relationship between the independent Rosaline and the warm & wild Tybald - I really found Tybald a likeable character. When Rosaline finally decides against Romeo & does everything she can to protect her beloved cousin, the story blossoms for me. How Rosaline defends herself against Romeo, the monk and the machinations of men in general was really exciting & permeated by her love for Juliet. The idea of the plot - to stage Romeo as a truly evil charlatan - was basically OK for a retelling for me, especially since the story is told from the POV of the “scorned” Rosaline. But how deep Romeo's abysses really go here in the book was unexpected
Jan 3, 2026
