I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Second Story Press in exchange for an honest review.
There is a recurring trend I've noticed in YA fiction recently where queer female characters get involved in running plays. It's actually a really fun trend and it's one of the reasons The Year Shakespeare Ruined my Life caught my eye. Our main character is Alison, a high-achieving queer girl desperate to be valedictorian. She gets coerced into directing a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and her life gradually begins to fall apart as she juggles the stress, friend drama and a budding relationship with cool girl Charlotte.

This book was a lot of fun and there were several elements I enjoyed. The general writing was good and the plot was serviceable. Unfortunately I found the whole thing just a little bit tropey. Our main character is incredibly passive, which works for the play subplot but not for the romance. I never really bought that Alison cared for Charlotte because Charlotte was the driving force for the relationship throughout. This meant I found it a bit hard to relate to Alison as she came across as a bit flat. I did really like the sibling relationship and Alison's sister was a pretty interesting character. I just wish Alison had played a bigger role in her own story.

Having said that, this book is still a fun, light YA read. It was nice to read a queer story where the main character was already fully out and that side doesn't play a huge role in the story. Alison was also very relatable in parts, mainly when her anxiety is clearly the driving force behind her passivity. Overall, this is by no means a bad book and if you want a quick and easy read with some nice rep, look no further.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Have you ever had a big goal that you felt was attainable and you decided that one more extracurricular would look great for that goal/application?  But then everything starts to go wrong despite your best intentions and hardwork.  

As if high school isn't hard enough as a transition period in your life.  But add in navigating relationships, feelings, schoolwork, studying, friendships, influencing teachers to vote for you as valedictorian and produce a school play.

We get to watch Allison co-produce a Midsummer Night's Dream and what she thinks will be an easy addition to her application is proving to be so much more work when the other co-producer falls back leaving her in charge.

I always wanted to be in a school play but was too intimidated by our theater group, they were amazing. Getting a backstage look at productions is always fun for me, I did get into a couple of productions eventually outside of school. I was more on the jock path and those two departments weren't lenient with eachother.

I enjoyed this coming of age story of friends making mistakes, putting their foot in their mouths, flirting awkwardly, first crushes, first dates in the midst of pressure of high school of coming out and being out fully.

This was a fun little contemporary read. It had some great representation in it and was definitely cute. That being said while I do enjoy picking up some younger YA and middle-grade fantasy reads I think this one just didn't really do it for me. I think it was maybe a bit too young and that as a reader if I'm going to read contemporary I prefer a new adult age/ adult age group as its just more relatable for where I am right now in my life.

I had high hopes for this book. It didn’t really cut it for me. As a YA book I think it hit the mark. However I would maybe dive a littler deeper into the characters. I felt like I was lacking a connection.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life spoke to teenage me, as I was a theatre kid in the last two years of high school, and our class did performances of a few Shakespeare plays, including, as it happens, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It also spoke to me today on a much more personal level, in terms of figuring out how to define one’s sexuality.

I enjoyed seeing the whole technical side to being a play manager through Alison’s eyes. I loved seeing all that could go wrong, and in some ways, it did remind me of my own HS theatre experience. And the instructor, Mr. Evans was hilarious and really added to the comedic tone.

I did appreciate the way it grappled with the concept of being “out,” and that while some characters use labels, there isn’t always the need to define oneself that way. I can see why it might be an issue for some, but as someone still figuring things out myself, I appreciated seeing that spectrum and gray area.

However, while the story was great with getting concepts across, I didn’t feel really connected with the characters. Alison was annoying more times than not, and aside from her not-date, who I got the obvious impression of awkwardness, I didn’t really feel connected to anyone.

I do think it has its charm, especially in appealing to a nostalgic part of my high school experience. And I do think theatre folks will love this, if only for that reason.

Why I requested this: A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Misadventures. Crushes. It sounds like a good transition into fall type of book.

Pros:
“Ye Olde Shakespearean Disaster.” Okay, I know I took this out of the plot synopsis, but it really was a highlight of the book for me. I went into this book in part for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and this story solidly delivers on that front.

Cons:
The writing style. The story is supposed to take place in high school; however, it reads as if this is a middle school at times. It would have helped if there were more distinctions in the writing.
Our protagonist. I felt at odds with her in this. Again, this could boil down to writing, but I could not understand her at times.
The romance. Part of the reason I went into this was our protagonist’s crush and well…in the romance category this kinda feels like a flop to me.

Overall: This is more fun for the Shakespeare elements, not so much for everything else.

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This was such a fun read! I really have no other words for this book than fun haha!

I really enjoyed our main character Alison. She is doing her best to become the valedictorian, and so far it was going great. Until her Drama teacher asks her to produce this year’s school play, Midsummer Night´s Dream. She&nbsp; really wanted to do this and was very excited to start. She then realized her Drama teacher was not going to help her, and she needed to do a lot!

She now has to study for her classes, fix every thing for her school play, while also crushing hard on Charlotte. And of course keep her friends!

Besides seeing the main character struggle with all of this, I also quite enjoyed the side characters. They really added something to the story, without being annoying or anything!

I really enjoyed the authors writing, and would definitely be interested in seeing what she will write next!

I know this is a really short review, but I really recommend this book if you want a fun, queer romance!

I really enjoyed this book. It was so funny and such a light read. I enjoyed the main character and her coming of age adventure. She spent the whole year really trying to figure out who she was while being a senior in high school. The book flowed really well and kept me highly entertained. Can't wait for the release day.boo

Reading this book was really interesting for me, because so often it’s hard for me to see myself in books. It’s one of the reasons I avoid contemporary stories. But this book sounded too cute to pass up on and I’m so glad I got to read it. This is definitely a book I could have used when I was in high school.

What I like most about this book is how little drama there is when depicting the queer relationships that help shape most of this book. So often it feels like when I read queer stories, the characters have to go through some sort of drama, or pain, or heart-break, before they can be happy, before they can have their happy ending. Jansen doesn’t do that to her characters. Yes, there’s drama, but it’s not completely rooted in fear and anger. These characters simply want to be themselves, and yes coming to terms with that is hard for some of them but their experience is based on hope, and love–not overcoming some great obstacle like they have to prove they’re worthy of love and acceptance.

Jansen writes a positive, and hopeful queer experience that is exactly what I as a queer reader needed. It always wonderful to read well written queer experiences, but to read one that doesn’t involved pain and anger, was truly wonderful. I feel like as publishing continues to move forward, not only are we getting more Queer stories, but we’re also getting stories that aren’t rooted in pain and characters having to prove their worth to those around them.

The first quote I selected from this book was the moment that this book hit so close to home for me. Like the main character Alison I’m not closeted, but I’ve also never felt the need to have this big moment where I tell everyone I’m queer. And because I didn’t want that, because I just wanted to be myself and not make a big deal about my sexuality, I’ve often felt like I don’t belong in the LGBTQIA+ community. So to see a character who feels the same, who doesn’t want anyone to make a big deal about their sexuality, felt amazing.

While this wasn’t a five star read for me I have no complaints about the book either. It was well written, the characters were interesting (though not all that different from characters you’d find in any other YA book), and the plot moved along at a good pace, making this a quick, fun read. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to readers looking for a more light-hearted Queer story and those love high school theater.

A fun, quick contemporary read. I loved how diverse the main cast of characters was. Some of the plot points were a tad dramatic, but I think it fell within the bounds of the genre. I do wish we'd seen a little more of the girls interacting and their relationship rather than just Alison's worries about it. It did feel a little like the only important thing about Charlotte was that she was "cool." What we did get to see of their relationship was very cute though. (I fall 100% on the pro-corgi side of their debate.) And I liked that there was no miraculous moment in which the show magically came together.

When valedictorian-contender Alison Green agrees to produce her school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, she finds herself on a daunting path of misadventures. Alison has a full plate on her hands between meddling in her best friends’ love lives, finding herself a girlfriend, learning how to produce a doomed play, and figuring out how to balance school, the play, and her social life.

Sexuality plays a central theme throughout The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life—but not in the healthiest light. We learn that Alison only came out to her family after Becca, her straight best friend, convinced her that coming out to just her was not enough. Then, we see the play’s costume designer struggling in his relationship because his boyfriend is afraid to come out; by the end of the novel, the latter character comes out to the whole cast of the play so that the couple can reunite. Alison also grapples with her under-the-radar sexuality when she starts dating actress-slash-crush Charlotte Russel, who is more comfortable than Alison in her pansexual identity. Furthermore, Alison indirectly refers to herself as a lesbian not more than three times throughout the book, but rather constantly calls herself and other queer women characters “gay.” It’s clear that the author is attempting to explore sexuality through a young adult lens, but I’m just not sure it’s the most positive portrayal and fear what kind of message this could send to LGBTQIA+ readers.

DNF at 40%. I just couldn’t click with the characters. I feel really bad saying that. The plot is really cute and it definitely drew me to this book. It reminded me of a high school version of Well Met. However I just wasn’t getting into it. I think I’m “too old” for the target audience for this book.

I myself was a drama student who LOVES a Midsummer's Night Dream so I knew I would love this book. This book was a fun fast paced read that is perfect for someone looking for a lighthearted High School story. I love the characters individually but I had a hard time remaining interested in their relationships with each other. I personally love a character driven story, and I just felt like I didn't get too attached. That being said I would have absolutely adored this book when I was in High School and just wanting something fun to breeze through on the weekends. I rated this book 3/5 stars. Very enjoyable but lacking a bit in character development

This was a really sweet book!

Alison has one goal: become her high school’s valedictorian. She’s willing to do just about anything to get there, including produce her school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which becomes dubbed Ye Olde Shakespearean Disaster. From budget cuts to actors dropping out, as well as personal drama, no one is quite sure whether the play will truly be a Shakespearean comedy or end in a tragedy.

I really enjoyed this book. There was a lot of comedy, just enough angst and drama to add conflict but didn’t go overboard. The main characters were great, but I did find that some of the side characters could have used a bit more detail. I found myself forgetting what most of them looked like. But, overall, this was a really fun story.

Alison spends most of the book grappling with what it really means to be “out” at school, dealing with her perfectionist tendencies, and trying not to meddle in other people’s lives. I appreciated that this book had characters who were from a variety of LGBTQIA+ identities.

*Review copy provided by NetGalley*

Thank you to Second Story Press and NetGalley for providing me with an excerpt in exchange of my honest review.

Where do I start...

One of my biggest issues is definitely...something more personable but it was how little the word lesbian is used. I counted like four times in the entire book the word lesbian was used, the amount of times when the word lesbian could have been used but was replaced with the word gay? Lost count. As a lesbian, I have personal experience with struggling using the word to describe myself. I know for a fact many other lesbians struggled with using that word to describe themselves, so to have a book (and not just this one, there's many others) where you ignore to use the word lesbian in a positive manner, it just hurts to see. I would hate to see many other young lesbians (who possibly know or don't know their identity) have to go through the same ordeal with the word.

Aside from that, the fact that in multiple situations, a character is almost being forced to come out. One of the first situations was the main character, Alison recalls her coming out with her straight best friend (Becca) and her family and sister. Becca then insists that she needs to come out to her family and sister. Another situation is there's not one but two relationships where their biggest line of conflict was how one person in the relationship wasn't out/"out enough". One of them was Alison and Charlotte, Charlotte being upset with Alison cause she wasn't "out enough" instead of respecting her boundaries with coming out (she obviously wasn't comfortable holding hands or kissing in public and so on). Another was two side characters, one was dating a closeted man and they broke up temporarily, eventually leading said closeted man to come out so he could get back together with his boyfriend. And Alison mentioned how it wasn't that bad being out, even though her situation was much more different than his. Kind of spoilers but I can't help but mention how uncomfortable I felt reading it. Coming out is already a brave and courageous act (even if you know said people you're coming out to are going to accept you), it's already a very personal experience so there's no right for people forcing others to come out.
Not to mention another book but I can't help but think about I Knew Him by Abigail de Niverville where the main character isn't comfortable coming out to his gay best friend. Main character says he doesn't know how to tell said best friend, main character's boyfriend then continues to say don't, you don't owe him that. Main character says "don't i? he told me he was gay." Boyfriend says "no, you gave him safety. he doesn't do the same for you".
All of this, I feel can relate to this book in the manner of the multiple times characters feel almost forced to either come out or be more out.

Aside from that, even the main character was not a great friend nor partner for a good part. She continued to make bad decisions for other people, bad decisions that obviously would hurt people's feelings and then wondered how to make the situation better when apologizing was quite literally the only option.

Anyways, if I enjoyed any part of this it was possibly the situation of the theatre mafia, or at least just the combination of those two words.

This was a cute, light story filled with play hijinks, miscommunication, chaotic love, and a cast of characters you will really like. (I say like and not love, because while they were all great, they weren't the kinds of characters that stick with you after you've closed the book).

Allison was a fun protagonist and I liked her quest to get with her crush, Charlotte. They were cute and I liked how they were together. But Charlotte was a lot more secondary than some of the other secondary characters, and as a result, she felt like a very flat character who just existed. She was cute and sweet, but there wasn't a lot more than that to her character. But I liked getting a lesbian MC and watching that romance play out.

Ben was kind of the character who took center stage for me. I could tell from the beginning that there was something more to his story and I liked learning more about him and the friendship that formed between Allison and Ben. I liked how Ben was figuring himself out, and my heart went out to him and all the internalized homophobia he lived with.

The characters were all cute and the story was sweet and I loved all the queer rep, but it was just one of the stories that you enjoyed reading, but that you probably won't think about too much once you've finished.

3.5 Rating

In The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life we'll get to see Alison try to navigate through a new relationship with her crush Charlotte, bump heads with her sister Annie, and almost lose her best friend Becca all in the name of becoming Valedictorian. As a way to fluff up her college admission essay she agrees to produce the school play A Midsummer Nights Dream but once production starts taking place she realizes it's not going to be as easy as she thought.

Alison's character is selfish in a lot of ways and I think that is what I struggled with a bit throughout this book. It was one thing after another going wrong because she couldn't see past her own nose in some situations. It also bothered me when she spoke about how talking on the phone with someone doesn't allow you to edit yourself like texting does. I understand where she's coming from but it just seemed odd to me that it was brought up so often. People shouldn't feel like they need to edit all their conversations and I think that's why she ends up making the more human mistakes she makes when she's actually genuinely interacting with those around her.

No one is perfect and I think that's the message Alison gets out of her experiences. She has to learn to lighten up and not take everything so serious all the time. She can still achieve her goals and still enjoy life as long as she's able to find that balance.

Overall this one wasn't a bad read. I thought the relationship she had with her parents and best friend Becca made for the most enjoyable moments. I just feel like I wanted more out of it. I wanted more romance and dealing with the tougher issues.

The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life by Dani Jansen // ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
⠀
In 2020, the year where bar exam prep ruined my life, I was happy to pick up an early digital copy of The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life by Dani Jansen. This book was a cute, contemporary lgbtq+ YA romantic comedy about Alison Green’s struggle to become valedictorian, navigate the high school dating scene with her crush, and put on a class production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was more of a band geek than a theater kid in high school, but the setting was fun and relatable, as were Alison’s fears and anxieties throughout the novel. The story and the characters were all very simple and straightforward, relying on a lot of classic teen romance tropes and stock background characters. However, it was nice to see these types of characters and plot points through a queer lens, and I’m sure this book will be a favorite with a younger audience. I would recommend this book to anybody who loved theater in school, likes queer YA romance, and is looking for an easy and uncomplicated read geared towards younger readers.

I read this as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 2 stars

I was so looking forward to reading this because it sounded like it would be a very cute YA contemporary set in high school, but in the end, it just wasn't for me. This was due, in large part, to my inability to connect with and care for the MC, as well as the lack of development in the relationships and other characters, which is a shame because I do feel that this started well.

It was a pretty quick and easy read that had some funny moments, and I'm sure I could've easily finished it in one sitting. I also learned a lot about what it takes to produce a play, and you can tell it's something that the author is knowledgeable about and feels passionately about too. It takes so much work, and I give props to Alison's character for being able to handle this on top of being a "perfect valedictorian level" student. I could definitely see this playing out like a "She's All That" movie in my head because all the stereotypical characters and high school drama were there, and I think it might even be better suited to the big screen. That said, what didn't work for me outweighed what I liked.

Alison was a tough character to root for. She's self-centred, petty, selfish, and frankly, her internal dialogue was more than a little annoying. I initially liked her and thought her awkwardness was quirky/cute, plus I can relate to being socially awkward. But as the story went on and she made some pretty horrible decisions, I found it difficult to empathise with her character and by the end, neither did I want to. I think being stuck in her head (when she's as self-centred as she is) did this book a disservice because it meant that the side characters got zero development, and were merely there to prop her character up and to keep the story rolling.

Which brings me to another sticking point: there was a lot of "telling" in this book and not nearly enough showing. We're told that Becca and Jack were her best friends; we're told that Charlotte, the crush, is super amazing and wonderful; we're told that the group of actors in the play form such a close bond that someone feels comfortable enough to come out to them by the end. But I didn't feel any of that. I wish we had seen how close the friendships were through more interactions, and seen the group bonding through more than just warm-up exercises. This also made it hard to feel invested in the romance. Alison idolises Charlotte, but I didn't see any of her amazingness on-page. I was intrigued by Charlotte's character but sadly I didn't feel their chemistry.

I also experienced some uncomfortable moments while reading this, especially relating to the LGBTQ+ rep and some comments about Asian culture and cultural appropriation that was brushed off. I think the latter point was meant to be "funny", but it was just shocking (especially as it came from a teacher), and I was disappointed that the MC didn't speak up on it even as she thought it was wrong. As for the LGBTQ+ rep, I'm not OV so I feel like I can't say too much on it, but some of the discussions about the experience of coming out and being out felt off to me. I understand that the MC was questioning a lot of this herself, especially about being out; however, peoples' experiences in various situations will be different, and yet here it seemed to be presented in a "one-size box" and it felt uncomfortable.

TL;DR: While some things did work in this book, it wasn't the cute YA high school experience that I was expecting, and I was a little disappointed. I wish that Alison was a much more likeable character and that the relationships and romance were more fleshed out because it would've gone a long way in making me care about the story.

I enjoyed this book. My favorite things were that Ali learned from her previous belief that everything needs to be perfect, Ben's character arc (although I saw that coming from the introduction of his character), and the backstage drama.
I didn't like how bland Charlotte's character felt. We see everything in this book from Ali's perspective, but the only things we really see about Charlotte is how "cool" she is, her love of corgis, and her arched eyebrows. That's about it. I also really disliked Mr. Evans. He was just an annoying character.
This book was fun and entertaining, but there were a few things keeping this from being a 5-star book in my eyes.