Natasha Solomons' "Fair Rosaline" is a captivating retelling of the timeless love story of Romeo and Juliet that offers a fresh perspective by introducing readers to Rosaline, a solid and independent character often overlooked in the original play. The author's engaging writing style and well-paced plot keep the reader engrossed throughout. The book boasts impressive character development as Rosaline evolves from a lonely and unhappy girl to a confident and empowered young woman, and her interactions with other characters, particularly Romeo and Juliet, are complex and nuanced, adding layers to the original story. Overall, "Fair Rosaline" is a poignant and emotional tale that breathes new life into Shakespeare's classic and is highly recommended for readers of all ages and backgrounds.

***** I have received and read an advanced audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I finished it, but it was a struggle.

It's not terrible, but the book is so drawn out that I had to stop and go read something else to relieve myself of boredom.

It feels more like a third or fourth draft rather than a finished book, and I think if the editors had cut 15-20% it would have been a much more enjoyable read.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed this fascinating perspective on the Romeo & Juliet play. I really liked the development of Rosaline's character and her new backstory. It was interesting to see the take on other characters, such as Romeo and the Friar and the ultimate retelling and alternative ending. The narrator was particularly good, and she kept a good pace throughout. 3.5* rounded up to 4.

This book was wonderfully written. The narrator spoke very vividly and cleanly and I enjoyed her voice.

It was an interesting yet captivating retelling of “Romeo & Juliet”, and I had never really considered the perspective of Romeo being a predator. I’ve always found things like this interesting when it comes to older and classic media.

Overall I would definitely recommend!

I had such high expectations for this one, and was super excited to get this review copy. But honestly, it definitely fell a bit flat for me.

I thought this was an interesting take on the well known story and I enjoyed the audiobook! Thank you so much to the publisher for the ALC.

In this Romeo and Juliet retelling, Rosaline takes center stage. Don’t remember Rosaline from the original? She was the woman Romeo was enamored with before he met Juliet.

But as Rosaline tells this story, we get to know the real Romeo – and the other devious men of Verona. Don’t be fooled by the gorgeous cover of this story. Inside you’ll find a dark tale of the dangerous obsession men have with young women.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to think of Shakespeare’s most famous work without thinking of this classic book retelling as well.

This version is something that I was waiting for. This is about the well-known love story of Romeo and Juliet is a retelling, but it is presented from Rosaline's point of view instead of Romeo and Juliet's. Rosaline is a headstrong young girl who engages in negotiations with her father in an effort to dissuade him from sending her to join a convent. Things begin to turn around for her after she meets Romeo Montague, and the assurances he gives her give her the hope she has been searching for in her life until now.

Even though I have read Shakespeare's original play, Romeo and Juliet I am well familiar with the tale and how it resolves around them but what about Rosaline? I always wanted to know what happened to her? So It was fascinating to read the story from a point of view that was distinct from that of the story's primary protagonists. It was fascinating to observe how she responded and conducted herself in each of the diverse and challenging circumstances that she encountered.

Rosaline is given life, rather than being a female who hides off page, and through her insights we start to see both Romeo and Juliet for who they are, which is very different from the star-crossed and ill-fated lovers we already know them as. All characters feel far more human here and I loved this new take on such a beloved tale.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, and RB Media, Recorded Books in exchange for an honest review.

We are all likely familiar with the trendy retelling phase of publishing, and Natasha Solomons paves the way with their new untelling of the classic Romeo and Juliet. Solomons asks, what if this story isn't the love story we all were taught when we were teens?

Potential spoiler warning, but mostly if you think the ages old tale of Romeo and Juliet need a spoiler warning: In Fair Rosaline, we follow Rosaline through a whirlwind relationship with Romeo, a devastating breakup, just for him to go after her much younger cousin?! Ew.

Fair Rosaline paints Romeo as a man who takes advantage of younger girls. It shows the real pain, complexity and trauma of being a young girl and realizing that people don't always mean it when they say they love you. (Think Taylor Swifts Fifteen)

Rosaline becomes the heroine, and would do anything it takes to protect the ones she loves! I would rate this story 3.5 stars. I felt like there were parts I wanted more of, either more build up or explanation; and others where I wanted less. However; I often don't have this much to say in a review ever, so this book really did spark a lot of engagement and thought with me while reading! It is a story and a character that resonates with me & overall, I appreciate it being told.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the eaudiobook! As interesting as this sounded, I found myself frequently bored with the slow pace. Also I didn't enjoy the ending.

It was very slow paced for me and a bit too despressing than I expected. Just not in the right mindset to finish this. I DNF at 60%.

As a teenager and pre-teen, I loved Romeo & Juliet. This was the epitome of what I thought romance was. Then the Baz Luhrmann film came out, and we actually watched it as part of the study of the play in my high school. I eventually became an adult (don't recommend it), and looking back at this story, I see it as a tragedy. I mean you have this 14-year-old child falling instantly in love, with a handsome young man that shows her interest. That is where our author takes us.

In this beautifully covered novel, we follow Rosaline. The woman Romeo was so enamored with, his friends were teasing him. The woman he went to the infamous party to see and instead, fell quickly in love with our Juliet. We see the dark side of the man who is quick to fall in love, Romeo. The story uncovers the devious ways that Romeo has gone through his conquests, of very young ages, Rosaline being 15 after all. There are many lines that are familiar to us reworked to make this story that much more of an impact.

I am not the biggest fan of Shakespeare these days. However, Fair Rosaline was a treat to read. I would say the author's vision tracks in how we meet Romeo in the classic play. This story has murder, deception, romance, assertive woman power, and all the characters that you are familiar with. I enjoy retellings and untellings. It is nice to see the vision someone has for a world that they love. 

The narrator also did a superb job of bringing life to the story. As a bonus, the audiobook has an interview with the Author and Narrator. These are always delightful, and a joy to hear some insight into the world that we had just immersed ourselves in for a short while.

Thanks to RB Media, NetGalley, Natasha Solomon, and narrator Sheila Atim for this excellent advance audio copy. This unique retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story told from the perspective of Juliet’s cousin Rosaline is a refreshing twist to Shakespeare’s classic. Showing Romeo to be a bit of a cad and someone who seems to have no problem changing girls like most people change clothes. By the time I finished listening to the book I would have gladly done away with Romeo for how he treated the girls in Verona and the surrounding area. This is an entertaining story and honestly it is one that is worth reading especially if you’re looking for something to compare Romeo and Juliet to.

I liked this book and what it was trying to do, but I didn’t love it, and actually find myself bored most of the time. I think I went in expecting it to be more of a satire. Instead, the portion of the plot spent with Roseline in love with Romeo felt drawn out, and I ended up annoyed with most characters (especially the men).

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the advanced audiobook In exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure I'd like this since I'm not really big on Shakespeare retellings, but this was a really interesting take. What I didn't like about the book was how long the build was... we were over halfway through and still waiting for Romeo to shift his love to Juliet, which we know happens based on the synopsis. Was it realistic? Probably not at all, but it was pretty entertaining and I liked how it all ended. The narrator did a great job, it was easy to follow (unlike actual Shakespeare), and I liked how the original lines were interspersed throughout the book. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC!

Fair Rosaline is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Rosaline is the cousin of Juliet and is to be sent off the convent following her mother's death. Rosaline sneaks out of the mannor disguised as a man to join a party, there she meets Romeo. They soon fall in love and Romeo has aked Rosaline to marry him. Of course she says yes and then everything goes downhill from there. Roseline starts to wonder who Romeo is really. He tells her what she wants to hear and she is doubting that it is the truth. Rosaline stubbles onto a marzipan rose in a vacant room at the abby that looks just like the one that Romeo had given her. When she questions him about it he claims that she no longer loves him and leaves. Later that night she finds Romeo and Juliet embracing. Rosealine doesn't want her cousin to make the same mistakes as her so she tries to warn Juliet. Juliet will not listen and secertly marries Romeo. The friar that helps Romeo dispose of girls he is no longer interrested in gives Juliet a poison to drink when she learns that she is to wed someone else. Rosaline finds about the friars plans and with the help of the head nun switches the poison. Juliet will only sleep and not be dead from it. Once everyone thinks that she is dead and is laid to rest in the tomb, Rosaline is waiting for Romeo's return. Once he places the final kiss onto Juliet's lips he is poisoned and dies. A bit later Juliet wakes and is free to start a new life. I absolutely loved this retelling. It no longers make you want to find true love because there is no such thing.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." The narrator did a good job giving voice to Rosaline; it was exactly what it needed to be. The book overall was really in depth for a character that had such a small role in the original work. Solomons brought great depth, growth, and story to the character of Rosaline. She also managed to make me hate Romeo. He was never a favorite, but now his character has no appeal (at least in this version). I wish she hadn't altered the ending, that felt disappointing and unnecessary. I think there was a better resolution without so distorting the original work. Overall, it was an enjoyable read though and I could recommend it.

I loved revisiting the original play Romeo And Juliet while listening to and reading Fair Rosaline this week - a feminist retelling by Natasha Solomons from Rosaline's perspective. In Shakespeare's play she is just „fair" in this retelling she has her own story to tell ...
Rosaline is headstrong and independent, but also foolish and still mourning her mother's death when she is swept up by the charming and deceitful Romeo.
With her father determined that to send her to a convent after her mother's death she is easily conned into doing Romeo's bidding, including stealing from her father.
When she sees through Romeo, he has already turned his attention to her younger and fairer cousin, and Rosaline is determined to save thirteen-year-old Juliet from this serial wooer and seducer.
Fair Rosaline is a feminist revision of the well-known tale and expands to include deceitful friars and a clever Abbess. It's a brave author that gives a new take on one of the most famous stories ever told. Great writing.

DNF @ 26%
I kept zoning out of the audio of this one, unfortunately. I just don't think this one was for me.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced audio copy of this book. This book is AMAZING. Solomons takes the story of Romeo and Juliet and takes it apart and retells it. Romeo is a player, he seduces women, including fair Rosaline, Juliet’s cousin. He has a string of women in his wake. He tells them all the same story. When Rosaline comes to her senses, her number one job is to get revenge for Juliet and TIbbold. Solomons has done a fabulous job weaving in quotes of Shakespeare, just to remind you of what you think you know. You don’t know it. You will be surprised. Please listen to the author interview at the end of the book. This would be a great for book club. Too many people want to sacrifice their daughters. Enjoy