Guys, you know that book that had everything to work out, but is it right there on average? The book has an opening with super funny passages and a very cliché plot that could have been much more used. But from the moment the protagonist accepts the meeting with Jack (which in itself was a step bigger than her leg and totally out of the context of the author's plot), the book goes downhill until it stagnates in that limbo where readers don't they want to abandon reading, but they also don't want to finish it. The protagonist has soooo many communication problems, simple things that could be solved with a good conversation generate an unnecessary drama in Alisson's mind, and the ending is a little rushed. You look like that, like, "hmmm, I don't know what will happen to the characters, but I don't want to know either". Anyway, I believe that the author has potential and I understand that one cannot charge too much for an initial book.

This was a pretty cute book!

Alison is pretty much forced to produce her high school playing - because she aspires to be valedictorian, she doesn't push back. Between the underfunding, the difficult actors, and the immense amount of schoolwork she has, she starts to feel stressed. Her relationships suffer, her grades suffer. And somehow she has to figure it all out.

I absolutely loved the friendship Al had with her sister Annie, her friend Becca, and her friend Jack. I wish we'd seen a tad bit more of her friendship with Jack, but I enjoyed what was there.

I loved reading the drama of getting a high school play together. I wasn't involved in drama in high school, but I was in the pit orchestra a couple of times and this book took me back to those days.

Unfortunately, the romance fell a little bit flat for me. Charlotte seemed like the perfect cookie cutter, ideal, cool without trying character, which made her pretty boring. I feel like the book would have been just as good without it. Sometimes friend relationships are just as fun to read about as romantic ones.

Good debut book from a promising author. Great for upper middle/high school age ranges. Positive representation of the LGBTQ+ community.

The story and plot itself were simple, many subplots involving Allison's friends and family, and that's where this book really shined, though some of the characters delved into stereotypes. It was hard to get into Allison's head at times and be sure to suspend your disbelief because the adults in this book put a ton of responsibilities on the shoulders of a teenager (and one who has no clue about theatre, to boot).

Overall, an entertaining story. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

A huge thanks to Netgalley, Second Story Press, and Dani Jensen for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

3 stars for this one. This was a short, cute read, and I enjoyed the overall story line. Alison was an enjoyable MC, though she could have been a bit more fleshed out. In fact, despite liking the characters in this book, I didn't LOVE any of them, and they just didn't quite stand out on the page as much as they could've.

Alison gets roped into producing the school play her senior year, while vying for the Valedictorian title. Of course, things turn out to be far more difficult than she could have imagined and has to question what's important to her. She drags her best friend, Becca, and her little sister Annie into the play as well, both of whom I enjoyed for their bluntness with Alison, she needed it at times. I won't say much more on the storyline, but it was a good read.

The plot flowed well over the course of the book, and I did like seeing how the story progressed, BUT, I also feel like it was predictable. It was short, I feel like it could've been fleshed out just a little and hit some more stuff more solidly on the head. That being said, I did enjoy it and it was a cute read, it just fell a little flat for me.

First of all, I want to thank the publishers for providing me when a free copy in return for my honest review.

The premise of this novel and the cover were a huge draw in for me. I loved the idea of directing a school play mixed into a coming of age story.

I feel like most of the characters weren't really flushed out and their relationships between each other weren't as solid as I would have liked. The romance was a little unconvincing to me, they didn't seem to have much chemistry.

The plot did seem a little inconsistent to me, it was slow to get into and felt rushed towards the end. In my opinion this LGBT+ novel has been done before and it didn't really bring anything new to it.

I think I may not be the target audience for this particular book (which is in no way the authors issue). I believe that I would have devoured this if I were back in high school.

This was quite a fun read, and I really enjoyed the fact that things don't get nicely wrapped up for all involved. While the book has wacky elements, much of the story still felt grounded and real.

The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life has a very fun and interesting premise - uptight valedictorian hopeful Allison gets coerced into producing the school play (alone? A high schooler with complete control over the school play without even one single teacher advisor?), which happens to be Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Lots of things go wrong, causing Allison to rethink her perfectionist ways and learn how to go with the flow.

This young adult story is light and easy to read. That being said, most of the characterizations were pretty shallow, and while some of the plotting was interesting, the lack of much depth led to a surface-level understanding of most character's motivations and personalities. Allison's sexuality (she's gay) plays into the story without becoming the entire story, which was nice to see. There is probably a lot left on the table with this book, with more of the themes begging to be explored. Overall, a fun idea with a bit of lackluster execution.

you enjoyed reading love simon and books alike? you'll probably like this book as well.

it's alison's last year of high school and she desperately wants to be valedictorian and thus agrees to be the producer of this year's theatre production of 'a midsummer night's dream'. throw in a lovesick best friend, a younger, but helpful sister and charlotte, the pretty girl, who alison gets to know more and more throughout the course of the production.

i would have absolutely adored this book at 16, but i'm not so sure about it now. it was sweet and easy to read and of course, it was amazing to read a love story set in high school about female queer characters for once, but i still had a few issues with it: the love stories were predictable, i could tell who was going to end up with whom from the beginning on, even for the side characters. moreover, jenny, a girl who designs the art projects for their production, is described as 'goth', which would have been fine on its own, but it's done in a very stereotypical way. she doesn't take any criticism to her work, even when alison is being really nice about it and just suggests to brighten up the colours, jenny stays stubborn and it just makes her very unlikeable, which was very disappointing. at last, the queer representation felt kind of off, as a queer person myself, i couldn't really relate to the characters, since they were pretty focused on binary views still.

if you're looking for an easy, romantic read though, why don't you give it a try yourself once it's out? at least the cover is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?

The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life is a very easy enjoyable read. The plot isn't that original but it's written in a way that makes it very cute and likeable, the wonderfully diverse cast of characters are all appealing and each adds their own zest to the story.

This novel was super cute! Anything with Shakespeare in the title captures my attention, and seeing it in the context of a YA novel makes my heart soar! Navigating along with Alison as she treks through her senior year, attempting to produce a play while dealing with the drama of high school was a fun experience. The text is accessible, which make sit a great addition to any classroom library.
I wish there was a little more of a connection to Shakespearean literature. The school is putting on a production of A Midsummer's Night Dream, and by connecting the narratives, the story could have had an entirely new level of meaning. The characters and their emotions were also a bit underdeveloped. I wanted to know so much more about the characters; however, at the same time, this allowed me as the reader to create my own story. When in high school, we often do not have answers to many of our questions, which is mirrored in this story.
Lastly, the diversity in the novel was great. I wish I had characters like this to read about when I was a young adult.

Good narration
• Easy and lucid language
• Simple vocabulary
• Relatable content
• Good representation of LGBTQIA, African American people, Asian American heritage
• Sometimes it became monotonous but overall it was fun
• It was cute
• The plot was predictable but cute
• The epilogue was the best
• It was a fun read but i expected the Shakespeare aspect more because it did not justify the titleor my expectations from the book

Alison Green is a wannabe valedictorian and by somewhat accident, the producer of her high school's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's a job that is hectic, stressful and somehow rewarding, though Alison spends most of her time just hoping this show will happen at all. As a former high school theater kid, I loved the premise of this story. I also appreciated the backstage perspective of it, since many books focus on the actors and always forget all the crazy hard work that the behind-the-scenes crew puts in. I loved the lgbt+ representation, the cute romantic side-plots, and the complicated nature of high school relationships. Alison was an endearing protagonist, full of flaws but with a very clear eye on what she wants and how to get it (even if that didn't always go as planned). Ultimately though, I just wasn't a huge fan of this book. I found the writing style to be overly simplistic and I also just found the plot to be kind of boring. The story just felt super compressed where I think it could have been stretched out and developed way more. Also, while there was constantly an allusion towards Alison's character development, I never really felt like she changed very much in her narration or her behavior in a way that felt genuine. In general, there was nothing overtly wrong with the story, but it just felt rushed in all the wrong places. That being said, if you're looking for an easy read with lgbt+ rep and a cute storyline, this book fits the bill.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free digital copy of this book for exchange for an honest review.

Alison Green, a perfectionist and runner for her school's valedictorian agrees to help a teacher "co-produce" the school's production of A Midsummer's Night Dream. Alison quickly realizes that she must take on the sole role of producing the play and ropes in her best friend and sister to help her. However, as time goes on and the play nears opening night, Alison finds that producing a play is not as easy as she thought it would be. The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life is full of heartache, laughter, and rewarding outcomes.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I've found that I absolutely love stories that are either inspired by or involve Shakespeare in some way or another. The plot and characters made this story great to read and I'm glad to have read this novel. Alison was a very relatable character, a high schooler who does not know how to balance school and her first love. She is also supportive of her friends and makes sure to fix her mistakes even when that means she has to accept she screwed up. The plot mainly revolved around the production of the play but there are smaller subplots revolving around her and her friends' lives.

The story and characters were a little simple but it did not necessarily take away from the novel. At some points, the characters were a little flat and cookie-cutter-esque but at other times, they were unique to themselves. There was great representation in this novel and would be relatable those in high school, especially fellow theatre nerds. A strong debut!

Alison Green's dream is becoming her year's valedictorian. So when one of her teacher asks her to co-produce this year's school play, she immediately agrees. But when auditions start she realises the absolute mess this production is, and how much time and effort pulling this play off will take. And then there is Charlotte, the most beautiful girl in her class that surely could never like her back, right? But when Alison's thought-through plans and machinations start driving her friends away, she starts to realise that high school may not just be all about good grades and top achievements...

This is such a cute, fun book! Full of jokes, misunderstanding and awkwardness, it is a fun journey through the final year of high school, with all its ups and downs. The pages just slipped by as disaster after disaster strikes the upcoming show, forcing all crew members to improvise and work together to make it happen after all. Alison's character development is so great to read. Pick this one up for a light and funny read full of interesting characters and a Shakespeare play that starts to feel way more relatable than anyone thought.

Thanks to NetGalley and Second Story Press for providing me with an e-arc!

I loved the title to begin with, so I was very excited to read this book. Meet Alison, a teenage girl in her senior year. To add a little extra to her university applications, she volunteers / gets tricked into becoming the producer of the school play, which happens to be A midsummer nights dream by Shakespeare.

I loved the outline of the story and the general idea of it. At some points the story is a little flimsy but it holds up. It portrays the life of teenagers in high school very well. It shows how busy and stressful it can be, as well as the importance of friendship. I loved that that was the main focus of this story, and not just the fact the main character was gay. It did play a role, of course, as it would in a young girls life, but it felt like just another fact about Alison. Like it's normal. Which, obviously, it is!

Alison learns a lot about leadership and friendship in this story. I would have liked to see a little more character development in the other characters too, though. The story didn't delve all too deep into their feelings.

Overall this is a cute story with a nice bit of sarcastic humor!

rep: lesbian main character, asian side character, wlw main relationship, mlm side relationship, pansexual side character

it would have been 3 stars if jenny hadn’t done that thing at the end to show her loyalty to her newfound family. this should have been a short read but it got tiring pretty fast.
also, the way every single teacher excused ben’s blatant misogyny was really annoying. and the quick way the main couple made up at the end was so weird i barely had time to understand it and suddenly it was over.
overall a cute read but with many flaws

Our main character in this high school drama (who also happens to be producing the high school drama, or comedy in this case) is named Alison Green. Alison, Al for short to her friends is a textbook perfectionist vying for the coveted Valedictorian title. She recently came out to her family and best friend and has the full support of both. Alison gets pressured by one of her teachers to co-produce the school play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, hence the title of this book. It soon consumes her life but it brings her in contact with her crush Charlotte and the two begin dating. Meanwhile, the drama of the play begins to strain Al and her friendships, but she learns that honesty is the best route to take in leadership and through her endless internal dialogue, the reader sees her grow as a person.. This book is an easy read and includes a diverse cast of characters that I wish we had known better, many of them are not incredibly developed. However, in spite of all the high school stereotypes, the awkwardness of being a teen is captured in all its pain and glory. I recommend reading this book in August in honor of the start of a new school year.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

This was a really wholesome easy read and it was definitely something to cheer you up during these uncertain times. I found Alison's character incredibly relatable - a perfectionist here, myself! - and the struggles she encounters are both absurd and so realistic. I like the relationships in the book. While many of them are predictable, they're still really well-written and there's a comfort in knowing how things are going to pan out.

SPOILER AHEAD: I particularly like that we don't know if Alison gets valedictorian or not, whether or not she gets the scholarship, because it leaves the book open to interpretation.

SPOILER AHEAD: I enjoyed the fact that the play wasn't a massive success or that the Otters won the semi-finals. In a lot of fiction, you see everything working out in the end but this book did the exact opposite and let us know that things don't always work out the way you think or hope they will.

I was really surprised by how much I liked this book. I was interested in the YA themes and thought it'd be light and fluffy. But it had a diverse group of kids and talked about some serious issues. The ending doesn't give you the success you want for it but instead it gives a truthful view of how everything unfolds in the real world. I think that this book is a really positive ones for kids to read and I'd definitely recommend to kids in high school or to anyone who wants a YA that's easy and light but filled with good themes and messages. There use to not be a lot of LGTBQ+ books that had "happy" endings but I'm very pleased to be able to read and review one.

Oh my god, this book was so cute ! Just a little fun read with a lot of humour and a bit of representation since our character, Alison is a lesbian, anxious girl who want to produce her high school production, a midsummer night's dream (it's my absolute favorite play by shakespeare).

It was a little cheesy but not too much, just the perfect amount of cheesy.
What I liked a lot about it, it's such a fast read with a fast placed history. You don't have to wait 200 pages to become interresting.
And can we talk about the writing style ? I loved it, it's was really fun.
There"s a High School Musical vibes so... Now that I just finish it, I have to watch the movie haha
Just read it, perfect read for summer or back to school period :)