Some of us remember reading Romeo & Juliet in high school. Most of us probably remember the movie we watched in class better than the actual play.

A fewer number of us studied the play in college, and some of us now read it every year because we teach it. (Me. That's me.)

I've never been a fan, honestly. It seems too trite to call it a love story. After all, what do we really know about Romeo? Or Juliet, for that matter? All we really know is how it ends.

This book is a commanding reality check. Rosaline makes a powerful main character, and offers a story to be reckoned with! Imagine, if you will, that Rosaline is given a bit of a Rumspringa before being sent away to a nunnery. Not in a fun-adventure way; but in a dark desire-filled desperation way.

The Montague family reminds me of the Prince Prospero in Poe's Masque of the Red Death.

"Why you would want to go to that dreadful Montague place, I cannot fathom."
Rosaline smiled. "It whispers of dark delights."

The Capulets seem incredibly shallow, overall. Juliet is sweet, but a bit vapid. The whole family, especially Rosaline's father, is so wrapped up in appearances and status and family fortune.

And Romeo? Well. "It was this dirty rotten city that allowed Romeo to rise and move unseen."

As Rosaline's story collides with Juliet's, it's possible you'll never see the Bard's original in the same way.

The remarkable thing about this book, however, is that the author manages to keep the language and cadence of Shakespeare's writing. It's incredibly clever. And, the author explains the old feud between the families, while crafting a unique story. Not only that, the author gives us fresh eyes on the time period and what life was really like for young women of the era.

This was such a great retelling! I enjoyed watching the story unfold from Rosaline's point of view as it gave a fresh perspective on the tale. All the main characters from the original are included and you get to see them from a new lens that wasn't possible in the original tale and it gives them more depth. I think this book will play well with fans of Romeo and Juliet.

Imagine taking the story of Romeo and Juliet and turned it on its head, and that Romeo wasn’t the star-crossed lover of Juliet but instead a serial predator of younger girls. That’s the underlying premise of this fresh, feminist reimagining of Shakespeare’s quintessential love story, which focuses on Rosaline Capulet instead of her younger cousin Juliet.

This is the best way for a retelling to be – faithful to the original in many ways, but completely subversive in others. Much of the framework feels familiar to the Shakespearean version, but the characterization feels fresh and relevant. Romeo is a silver-tongued hottie who takes advantage of naïve teenage girls. I wanted to yell at Rosaline and Juliet not to be taken in by his pretty lies, but of course a young woman of yesteryear likely wasn’t very worldly and would have been flattered and besotted by Romeo. It’s a treat to see Rosaline’s story in the spotlight as she develops into a loyal and fierce protector of her loved ones. The prose is lush and descriptive and totally immerses the reader in fair Verona with just a hint of modern flair.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I received an audio ARC of this book and will be leaving my full review on that copy.

The first half of this book has been incredibly interesting, I found the take to be unique and paying its due to one of the more overlooked characters in one of the most famous plays of all time. The author is fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fair Rosaline is a wild feminist romp into Romeo and Juliet's Verona.

If you ever found yourself wondering about what Rosaline ever did to deserve being such a one off couple of lines in Shakespeare's work, Solomons explores why that could have been. Through a modern feminist lens it really is an interesting idea of what we believe to be a love story and how that reality could have been a lot different.

Rosaline's mother has died and with that means that she will be sent to a convent. In her last days of freedom she finds an all consuming love that she believes will save her. When it doesn't, what can she do?

I thought Natasha Solomons added so much depth to these characters and I loved the reading journey. Rosaline gets to be our hero and I love how so many tropes and expectations were subverted. A real joy to read if you like Shakespeare and are up for a different, bold retelling!

I grew up being told that Romeo & Juliet was a love story, I think everyone was, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I actually really stopped & thought about what the play really was. It was a story about how a young girl (not even fourteen) was swept up by the words of a boy (man? Not once is Romeo’s age mentioned) that bounces from one love of his life to another in just one night.

What this book does is put the often overlooked Rosaline front and center as she see’s who Romeo truly is and attempts to save her cousin from being destroyed by this man like so many before her had been.

This book is definitely a must read.

You gotta be willing to go with the flow to enjoy this retelling of Shakespeare from the point of view of Rosaline, who was used and discarded by Romeo in favor of Juliet. Yes it's a divergence from the plot and yes Solomons has created a character out of a word (and blended in characteristics, as she says, from others in the canon with the same name) but give this one a chance and you might find yourself appreciating the fresh look. Many of Shakespeare's works have been "adapted" to modern times and this is perhaps the sharpest of those, framing Romeo as a user, the Friar as promoting, well, bad behavior, and so on but that's not an entirely bad thing. Stagings of the play have created an aura about this pair that ignores the reality of what Shakepeare actually wrote. So with that as a preface, Rosaline is an interesting character with a certain amount of backbone that the original did not give her. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Some readers will hate this but taken for what it is, it's a good read.

Unfortunately, this was DNF for me. The plot simply moved way too slow and I never was able to connect to the characters. I’m sure this will be someone else’s cup of tea! It just wasn’t mine sadly.

As I’ve mentioned in reviews before, I am a sucker for Romeo and Juliet retellings/reimaginings, particularly ones where Romeo is, for lack of a better word, a total douchebag. Fair Rosaline absolutely nailed it in many ways, but Romeo’s villainy is definitely top of the list. It did take me a little bit to hit my stride with this book, but once Rosaline met Romeo, I was pretty well hooked. I absolutely loved how Rosaline was written. She was strong and loving, but also a little naive in the ways of love which made perfect sense for a young girl in that time. Perfect prey for Solomons’ charming and predatory Romeo. However, seeing her recognize all of his little red flags, even in the height of her love for him, really demonstrated how love, especially first love, can truly blind us and we can find all sorts of excuses for bad behavior. Also, I loved the way Tybalt was written. He was still hot headed, quick to anger Tybalt, but he had a softer side, a loving nature for his family and those he cared for. Honestly, I thought this was one of the better R&J retellings I’ve ever read. It’s certainly an interesting take from Rosaline’s POV and reiterates the fact that Romeo and Juliet were never meant to be a love story, they were meant to be a tragedy.
TW: death, violence, pedophilia

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I know that I cannot resist a Romeo and Juliet-inspired novel. In her upcoming September release, Natasha Solomons gives Shakespeare fans a well-developed back story of Rosaline Capulet. You remember, right? The girl that Romeo Montague was enamored with be for falling in love with Juliet Capulet.

As the story begins, Rosaline is mourning the loss of her beloved mother, the latest victim of the plague that ravages most of Europe. On the heels of this, her father declares that Rosaline is destined for a life in the nunnery and her days at the family estate are numbered. But when Rosaline falls in love with the seductive Romeo, she wonders if she can escape her fate. But nothing can prepare Rosaline for discovering who Romeo really is.

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. Once I began this story, I became immune to all my surroundings. Breakfast dishes idled, laundry waited impatiently, and the man and dog of the house wondered what could be more important than them.

I was originally going to give this a 4 star but because of the ending of the novel I am bumping it up to a 5 star.

Expected Publication Date 12/09/23
Goodreads Review 04/09/23

4 Stars
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book going into it, but I ended up liking this book a lot. After reading this I see the story of Romeo and Juliet in a whole different light… he moved so quickly from Rosaline to Juliet and Juliet’s nurse isn’t as helpful as I thought. I loved getting to read more about characters like Rosaline and Tybalt, that you didn’t get to hear about in Romeo and Juliet… Rosaline was an icon and Tybalt was so sweet. This was a solid read and I definitely recommend this.

I'm a huge fan of retellings, especially retellings where a minor character is given a voice. I love that Rosaline is given a feminist makeover. This book is well-plotted and lushly written.

This book has a great premise, but was poorly executed. I love the idea of centering a vengeful Rosaline, but it didn’t have to villainize Romeo to do it. I can see making him a bit flippant and flaky with his affections, but not outright manipulative And to make him a pedo, when most interpretations suggest that both Romeo *and* Juliet were youthful and stupid? And the pedophile ring is taking it a step too far…although I will admit that considering what Catholic priests have gotten away with, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. The only redeeming feature is that Tybalt is interesting, and I liked his relationship with Rosaline. Shame he still had to die.

This retelling is absolutely captivating! Having studied this well known set of characters in many ways and for many years, I found this compelling as well as fascinating! I was hooked from the beginning and found myself thinking about these well-known in characters I have never considered. I cannot wait to share this with many patrons as I am sure they will absorb it fully in the manner that I did! Highly recommended...

This is such an interesting retelling of the typical Romeo and Juliet story. It has always been noted that before Juliet there was Rosaline but this gives us an interesting backstory and an unusual ending that makes you hope. It's also interesting to see societal constructs and Romeo cast as the true villains of the tale.

If you enjoy retellings and are okay with characters being vastly different than how you have previously known them, give this book a go!

I initially related to Rosaline’s character of falling head over heels for someone, willing to risk it all and being betrayed. Feeling strung along. But by the time we got around to Romeo and Juliet, I was sick to my stomach.

Such an interesting take on a story we all think we know. Definitely give this a read.

Rosalie loses her mother, but proves still to be a determined you woman who is not at all set to move forward with the life that has been planned out for her.

What was the last ARC you read? For me it was the INCREDIBLE Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons.

This book is very poignant and most certainly an untelling of the well known tale. Growing up, I always saw Romeo and Juliet as the classic case of star crossed lovers, just not fated to be, but this story throws a new, darker perspective on things.

The book starts strong at the funeral of Rosaline’s mother and really cements Rosaline’s loving, but determined, personality. She was a great character to follow and very likable.

As the tale progresses we begin to see Romeo as the villain, not the perfect, dreamy Leonardo Di Caprio esque dreamboat we all idolized as teenagers. Although surprising at first, the villain portrayal felt accurate and very believable. There is a vein of sadness and tragedy through the book as we go through heartbreak with Rosaline and the death of Tybalt. But there is joy in the ending too, despite the ominous cloud of the nunnery hanging over the book, as our heroine discovers her bravery and desire to save her family.

Ultimately it was a very cool book to read. The writing was gorgeous and there are so many romantic gems hidden in the text. The style felt true to the era while still being easy to follow and read. I loved seeing the quotes from the original play in there too and they really grounded the novel.

If you enjoyed reading Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell or Ithaca by Claire North then I think you will really enjoy this!

Fair Rosaline releases on 9/12/2023 so get it on preorder now or set up reminders on Libby!

Thanks to @netgalley , @natashasolomonsauthor and @bookmarked for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This novel explores the timeless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet with raw sincerity through the eyes of Romeo’s discarded lover Rosaline.

A willful and determined young woman in her own right, Rosaline is bound to join a convent but yearns to experience life in color. She is entranced by the older Romeo, whose grand declarations of love seem a bit too practiced. When she ultimately denies him and he turns his attentions on Juliet, Rosaline knows she must do all she can to protect her 13 year old cousin from the predatory Romeo

This novel is rich with descriptions of both setting and emotion, pulling the reader into a fictionalized Italy where the streets hum with activity and the heart aches with a forbidden love. Rosaline is plagued by her secret affection for Romeo even as pestilence haunts the city. Natasha Solomons expertly handles the complex emotions of Rosaline, the war between duty and desire.

Love is not what it seems, with Romeo’s fickle affections pulling Rosalie away from the steadfast love of her cousin Tybalt. The Capulet adults are aloof and unfeeling, more interested in profiting from their daughters than protecting them from dangerous men like Romeo

This novel is truly superb, revealing that the most well-known love story in literature is in fact a tragedy of discarded and neglected women. But with Rosaline at the helm, can this ship might steer toward a different path than what readers have come to expect from “Romeo and Juliet”

🦇 Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ "Our meeting was like lightning, so bright and sudden that the whole world was lit. But then lighting also in an instant vanishes." ❞

❓ #QOTD What story would you want to read from a female's perspective? ❓

🦇 How much of Romeo and Juliet's story was told through the eyes of men? In Rosaline's version, he's just as quick to fall in love with her. After losing her mother, Rosaline is promised not to a husband, but to a convent. She only has days to make the most of her free life. Romeo's candied words and poetic promises of a better future draw her in like a bee to pollen, but once he's ruined her and delayed their wedding, she realizes his behavior is predatory, poison. When Rosaline casts him aside, Romeo sets his pursuits on young Juliet. Can Rosaline save her fair cousin in time, or are they both ruined?

💜 Natasha Solomons' feminist untelling is a stunning, empowering, chilling accomplishment. She manages to weave a story both familiar and unwritten. In the original Romeo and Juliet, we're only told of Rosaline through the gaze of men. She's made to be a joke. Solomons' Rosaline (a lively, spirited fusion of Shakespeare's other Rosalines) refuses to be an offhand mention in someone else's story. Her version is so real and raw that, if the story were true, we'd all be inclined believe it (especially in this post-Me Too movement world). There's a dark subtext in Rosaline's version, though. If you're familiar with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Juliet's age (not yet 14) is mentioned multiple times, whereas Romeo's is not mentioned once. We imagine them as young, star-crossed lovers, but what if Romeo was 20, 30? In this version, Romeo has a history of preying on young women, ruining them, and casting them aside, only for other men to take advantage of what remains. Despite the modern subtext, Solomons does a fantastic job of maintaining Shakespeare's lyrical prose in a way that's still easy to read. The smallest details breathe the city of Verona to life, making it vivid and engaging. The metaphor of Rosaline becoming physically dirty on the outside after Romeo sullied her from within was gut-wrenching.

🦇 As well-written as this untelling is, there's a constant melancholy to the entire story as Rosaline grieves for her mother. That melancholy makes it easy for us to understand why Rosaline is so enthralled by Romeo; he becomes her escape. However, it also becomes a weight. It's also difficult to fall for Romeo the way Rosaline does. There are INSTANT red flags the moment they cross paths, and they become more obvious with every interaction. It almost takes too long for Rosaline to realize his honied words are poison. The reveal that the Friar is using Romeo to his advantage--and to the advantage of most men in Verona--felt a bit too much as well. However, Solomons excels at remaining true to the original story while posing it from a fresh lens.

🦇 Recommended to anyone who loves a good retelling. This story is empowering, thought-provoking, and a reminder that most of history was told through the lenses of men.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🌹 Speakspeare Retelling
🌹 Lyrical Prose
🌹 Feminist Revision
🌹 Not a Love Story
🌹 Vivid and Descriptive

🦇 Major thanks to the author @natashasolomonsauthor and publisher @sourcebooks / @bookmarked for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #FairRosaline #Sourcebooks #SourcebooksLandmark