In this queer YA Shakespeare retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, we follow Beatrice and Hero, two sisters who are navigating the throngs of Senior and Sophomore years of High School, and their childhood friend, Bennie, who is back from Boarding School.

I adored this retelling so much. Not only are the conversations around queer identities relatable but the found family the sisters find in their friend group was really comforting. What I always look for in YA contemporary stories are healthy relationships that help young readers identify what a good, strong and supporting friendship can be so that they can find and look for one it in their everyday life as well. I am confident this would make an amazing movie adaptation.

I believe this book to be a wonderful read for any teen in the verge of making big decisions regarding their future, like college applications and career choices, but also regarding romantic relationships, intimacy and bullying.

As an adult, I wish I had read this book when I was Bea's age. Navigating one's identity can be confusing and make you feel alone, having friends who are open to talk about their own experiences and sexuality is really important and this book does a wonderful job representing different identities and sharing with the reader what they might feel like...like the author said in the Author's Note and in one particular scene at the end, we live in a. world where representation matters and having these characters in this book give me hope for young readers, that they might read this book and find answers to their own questions.

Moreover, it's important to mention this book opens conversations about bullying, SA, public humiliation, lose of a parent and child neglect. I believe it important to expose young readers to these subject so, if they ever face the same or similar situations as the characters, that they know what to do or who to turn to. However, it's just as important to be aware when reading.

This book is definitely written for younger audiences, is easy to digest which would make it appealing to a nonreader and fun for an avid one. That being said, for adult audiences as myself, I felt a lack of development that could make the book longer and fuller, however, I understand I am not the intended audience. Even still, I deeply enjoyed the experience of reading this book and would, for sure, recommend to any young readers that seek book recommendations.

I am unable to give feedback on this title because the e-book formatting is distorted. I am would be happy to read and review an updated version.

4.5 stars, received ARC copy from NetGalley -

I really, really loved this. The author stayed true to the heart of Much Ado About Nothing while injecting it with her own story, and it read *true*. I normally hate recent pop culture references while I'm reading, because it can take me out of the story, but Emma did such a good job at it that it felt like it made sense.

For me, a book automatically earns a star if it brings an emotional reaction out of me, and I cried several times during this read. It's so relatable, trying to figure out your place in a family, in a friend group, in the world - especially when dealing with confusion around identity, or grief. The dialogue and actions felt authentic, and realistic, and I'm so glad I grabbed this when I did.

It’s an easy to read book. The flow is great. It focuses only on things that move the story forward instead of having fillers that ruin the pace.

The characters are not stereotypical so they feel real. I became really invested in them and wouldn’t mind having a sequel, a series even if that’s an option.

I love the modern retelling and queer perspective of Much Ado About Nothing.

My only real complaint is that I wish we learned more about the feud with Beatrice and Bennie. She only briefly talked about it and that wasn’t enough evidence to make me dislike Bennie.

I’ve made a more in depth review on my Goodreads page but that contains spoilers so I didn’t want to include that here.