This is the first book in a new series. This is not your average retelling of Romeo and Juliet, and there is a mystery. That is about as far as I got in the synopsis before I said sign me up. This continues the story of Romeo and Juliet as a “what if “they didn’t die at the end of the play. The author does not change the events of the play. So yes, Romeo and Julite are very young when their story happens. However, this story is told from the perspective of Rose the oldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Rose is 20 years old and has no intension of marrying. After living with her parents, she is kinda jaded by the idea of falling in love. Early in the book Rose explains what actually happens at the end of the play so that you are not left wondering how this even happened, which I appreciated a lot.

The characters in this book are speaking in Elizabethan English and sometimes you have them speaking in sonnets. I will be honest, I really wasn’t sure how that was going to work out for me but I ended up enjoying it and it added another layer to the story for me. I know this is going to sound silly, but it made the story feel more real than it would have if they were speaking modern English.

I loved Rose’s character. She is so much more than what women of her time are supposed to be and she is thriving. However, her interest in Alchemy makes her the person of interest in the recent poisoning, which just so happens shortly after her betrothed is found stabbed to death. Yes, this does not look good. However, Prince Escalus is there to stand up for her family and help clear her name…

The reader can see where everything is heading but poor Rose doesn’t see what is coming at the end of the book. This book leaves off on such a huge cliff hanger and I can not wait to see what happens in the next book.

“My name is Rosie…and I’m the daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, that Romeo and Juliet.” Surprise! What you thought you knew about the star-crossed lovers is flipped on its side in this tale. While her parents fell in love as young teens, Rosie is nearly twenty and still unmarried, but not because her parents’ haven’t tried. Though presented with numerous potential suitors, Rosie has played matchmaker with the eligible men and her friends. Rosie’s luck avoiding marriage seems to be running out, until she finds the Duke, her soon-to-be betrothed, stabbed to death. On top of trying to figure out who killed the Duke, Rosie also realizes she might be falling in love with a the mysterious Lysander.

Dodd takes the well know tale of Romeo and Juliet and asks what if? She uses humor and acknowledges the problems with the original text (hello! Juliet was 13!) to provide a fun story in a historical setting. There are familiar characters beyond Romeo and Juliet, but there is enough background so one doesn’t need to be familiar with the previous text. There’s mystery, intrigue, a bit of romance, and a lot of fun in this book.

Truly enjoyed the narrator, thought she did a great job at bringing Dodd's creative imagining to life! I am such a sucker for anything Shakespeare from retellings to reimaginings so this was a DELIGHT... plus it being a mystery?!?! the cherry on top! Certainly hope to read more from Dodd and within this series in the future!

I found this reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, if they hadn't died, told by their eldest daughter, Rosie to be mostly enjoyable. I loved Rosie as a character, especially when she would break the fourth wall and talk directly to the “dear reader” Also, tossing in modern language and phrases now and then was entertaining. Rosie’s romantic adventures were fun to read.

I did not, however, find the mystery to be very interesting. It had promise but it just fell flat. There were many sections that dragged for me and I'd have to put the book down for a bit.

Overall, it was a good read. I will continue the series to see what happens to Rosie and her betrothed.

This one is between 3-4 stars but I'm rounding up because I'm a Shakespeare nerd who enjoyed the cuteness. I love that the tale of Romeo and Juliet is canon in this and that there was an explanation for her parents not actually dying like they'd planned.

I did think the whodunnit culprit and the reasoning was stupid which is why I'd consider 3 stars, but the story was fun enough and left off in a way that I'd consider continuing.

Bring on the Shakespeare fan fiction!

This was such a fun and fresh take on the classic story of Romeo and Juliet. I loved the narrator’s voices and expressions throughout the listening experience. Highly recommend.

This is going to be a hard one to recommend to the right person. For fans of Christina Dodd who are looking for something new, have at it and enjoy. Bonus if you have knowledge of Shakespeare's work as there are Easter eggs scattered throughout. For Shakespeare fans looking for a re-imagining of one of their popular works, proceed with caution. This is a very modern telling in a historical setting with lots of fart jokes (yes, I know the bard was a fan of the vulgar but this seemed excessive and detracting).

Audiobook was well narrated and the novel is well suited for audio.

3.5⭐️ This was a fun take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where in this story, Romeo and Juliet don’t die in a tragedy, but instead have a life full with seven children.

Rosalind “Rosie” is their eldest and unmarried daughter, and on her way to living a spinster life at the old age of twenty! She’s sassy and smart, and in an effort to get her married off, Rosie gets engaged to a horrible man.

When her betrothed is murdered the night of their engagement, Rosie puts her clever wit to use to find out what happened.

I listened to the audio format and enjoyed the narration performance!

*many thanks to RB media and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

What a fun imaginative retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
I never thought I would enjoy this but I delighted in it and I would highly recommend.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the audio ARC which I enjoyed in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much for allowing me to review this fun audiobook. I love everything Christina Dodd and Shakespeare, so I was so excited to listen to this unique story. I love this story so much. What if they hadn’t died and they had gotten their happy ending? What if they had a daughter? What a fun premise for a rom-com! This was a departure from other Christina Dodd books I have read, however I still really enjoyed it. She can write! Thank you so much for allowing me to review this audiobook. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Shakespeare and romance!

This book was fun, it had a nice little “who done it” mystery aspect that I enjoyed, and I liked the whole Romeo and Juliet’s grown daughter as the FMC aspect.

What I didn’t like was the ending, that cliffhanger was totally unnecessary. The story itself felt rather immature, and this read as a YA romance more than anything else.

But that being said, I did enjoy this book. I liked the plot and was intrigued the entire time. The writing was funny and there wasn’t a single point where I lost interest.

Here's what I love about this book - the fact that it is an homage to Shakespeare's most well known lovers is simply an aside. The inside jokes and allusions are clever and will appeal to fans of the Bard (yes, me!) and English teachers (yes, me, again). But you don't have to be any of those things to enjoy the story. It's a fun YA rom-com with a mystery thrown in. The characters just happen to be familiar to those "in the know," but those who aren't can still enjoy the story in and of itself. It's a fun, easy read and although I hate endings that are for the sole purpose of selling future books, this didn't bother me so much. Also, I really prefer happy endings, so to think that this entire story is based on the premise that Romeo and Juliet didn't die at the end, that there wasn't a tragic ending but instead a romantic happy one... ahhhhh, YES!!!
I would definitely include this in my classroom library and recommend it to students who like fanfic (yes, you can even fan girl Shakespeare!), sweet romance, strong female protagonists, and, yes, those who enjoyed "Romeo & Juliet."
Definitely recommend, and can't wait for the next installment!
Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books/RB Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinions.

A Daughter of Fair Verona really hit the spot, and is one of my favourite reads of 2024.

Such a witty and playful blend of romance, murder, social commentary and satire, I loved the character of Rosie. The story paid homage to Romeo and Juliet without leaning too heavily on the source material, and I loved Rosie’s initial disdain for their love story and her journey to finding her own.

Dodd did a beautiful job of blending Shakespearean and modern language in a way that allowed you to be fully immersed in the story and hijinks. It’s an eclectic mix, and won’t be for everyone but I’d highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a modern witty and self aware twist on a much loved classic. I’m so relieved to see there is a planned sequel, as I felt there is much more of Rosie’s story to be told.

It lends itself perfectly to audiobook format and the production elevated the story. The narrators brought the characters to life, and captured the true quality of Rosie’s spirit.

Thank you RB Media for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and RB Media for gifting me a copy of the audiobook!

As a Shakespeare nerd, I thoroughly enjoyed this gem of a book. Set in the universe where Romeo and Juliet lived and grew up and had a feisty daughter of their own! I loved Rosalind as our main character read by Suzy Jackson. She quick and fun and made me laugh! The Shakespeare Easter egg quotes delighted me endlessly. Plus add in some mystery and murders along with some Shakespearean drama and love?! Truly can’t go wrong!

My only qualm was with the abrupt ending. I know it’s the first in a series, but it felt more abrupt than a first book cliffhanger. However, I’ll definitely be ready and waiting for book two so I guess it did the job! Can’t wait for more from Christina Dodd!

#ADaughterofFairVerona #NetGalley

A Daughter of Fair Verona is an extension of Romeo & Juliet wherein the star-crossed lovers did not perish, but instead lived and found much happiness in their love to the point where it is the stuff of legend.

Much to Rosaline's, their eldest daughter's, dismay of course because now all love is compared to the greatest of loves. Not only that but her parents having found the love of a lifetime for themselves want nothing more than for Rosie to find it for herself. Rosie will have none of that, however, and has been successful at steering her would-be betrothed to others. Unfortunately, with her third betrothal, to an all-around detested man, Rosie has no other recourse. That is, until said man is found murdered in the Montague gardens.

Of course, Rosie becomes suspect number one. Knowing her innocence, she sets out to clear her name and find the true murderer who, it appears, is not content to kill just once.

This book really gave me a "My Lady Jane" vibe. I think it's the repositioning of a classic story, and updating it to be slightly modern and upbeat. I did think that Christina Dodd did a great homage to Shakespeare including small Easter eggs throughout for the larger Shakespeare universe - whether that is a name or a well-known turn of phrase - as well as often utilizing the same cadence and rhythm to the dialogue.

This is helped along immensely with the audiobook narration. As we know Shakespeare was always meant to be enjoyed as a performance. I think that the narrator does a great job with Rosie and imbuing equal parts impishness and a maturity that comes with being the eldest daughter (and also a supposed spinster), but still being a young person. I wish there had been better distinction between the male characters. Many of them sounded the same and I found myself briefly getting mixed up with some before it's clear whom is speaking.

With all this in mind, however, I felt like it did stand very well on it's own outside the canon of Romeo & Juliet. I liked the way it made light of how in love, and almost obsessively devoted to one another the two are, much to the chagrin of their oldest, but this really placed Rosie firmly in the spotlight without alienating the now "elder" Montagues.

I was genuinely pulled in by the mystery. It led on a few twists and turns and overall I enjoyed the way it played out.

Possibly, though, one of the most delightful aspects of the book was Rosie navigating love. While she may claim that her parents' sickly sweet love is completely overdone, really she yearns for such a love for herself. When she meets handsome Lysander, it is love at first sight and Rosie is poised to repeat her mother and father's love - without the tragedy aspect mind you. But, "The course of true love never did run smooth" and of course there's more to Rosie's potential romance than just one suitor. The way things are left at the end begs for another book. I'm interested to see how things continue and not just for Rosie but for the entire rambunctious Montague brood.

As a fan of Romeo and Juliet, the premise of this book had me hooked: Rosie, the daughter (of the not dead) Romeo and Juliet, is expected to wed soon as she's quite old in her early 20s. Rosie is much more reasonable and interesting than her parents and gets caught up in a love story/murder mystery. The story was fun and lighthearted, and I was surprised to learn who the killer was. The book ends on a cliffhanger, which is to be expected as this is the first in a series.

The book is evenly paced and was an easy listen as Suzy Jackson's narration was well done. A solid, fun story!

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and Christina Dodd for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up
This was a very enjoyable read, if you don't take it to seriously. I think this one might end up being a bit polarizing both because of the "mystery" plot and because of the writing, specifically the mix of Shakespearian-esque language and modern phrases and sentiments. Most of the time it didn't bother me but I think some people might find it jarring. On the other hand this type of mix has become popular in other media and there is no reason why it shouldn't work in this format (my lady jane, the great, six the musical etc.)
I personally didn't find the mystery element super intriguing and I'm not super sure how I feel about the reveal/ plot twist but this didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book overall.
I do think I am interested in continuing in this series, in no small part because of the cliff hanger ending of this book.
I enjoyed the narration on the audiobook and would recommend it for those that enjoy audiobooks.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a providing me with an audio- ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A story of the daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Aging into spinsterhood at age 19, Rosie finds herself betrothed … again. While she was able to deflect previous suitors by matching them with other women, the most recent mysteriously dies at their betrothal ball. More deaths soon follow as Rosie works to clear her name and find love of her own.
Really fun and active plot! This book blends callback to the original story while not leaning on it for complete structural support; it even pokes fun at it from time to time. The voice of our main character uses both Shakespeare-light and a sprinkling modern vernacular in a way that never made me cringe.
While the ending of this book would likely be unsatisfactory to most readers in terms of a standalone novel, there are hints of a forthcoming second volume.

Loved this re-imagining on if Juliet and Romeo survived. I love that this was a historical comedy too. I found myself charmed while listening to this story.

If you’re a Romeo and Juliet lover like me, you’ll enjoy this reimagining of what happens after. Romeo and Juliet live, and their daughter is now a spinster being forced to marry. It’s a fast paced listen with fun references to the original.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC.