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The Juliet Club: A Star-Crossed Young Adult Romance About Logic vs. Love, Shakespeare, and Summer in Verona
Kate Sanderson has been burned by love. From now on, she thinks, I will control my own destiny, and I will be reasoned and rational. But life has other things in store for Kate. Namely, a summer abroad studying Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in the very town where the star-crossed lovers met, Verona, Italy. Kate is thrown together with two other American teens and three Italians for a special seminar—and for volunteer duty at the Juliet Club, where they answer letters from the lovelorn around the world. Can Kate's cool logic withstand the most romantic summer ever? Especially when faced with the ever-so-charming Giacomo and his entrancing eyes . . . ?
416 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2008
31 people are currently reading
3821 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Harper
42 books103 followersSuzanne Harper has published two young adult novels, The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney and The Juliet Club. She is currently working on a third young adult novel and a middle-grade series.
She has also written three original novels based on the Hannah Montana TV series (Rock the Waves, In the Loop, and Swept Up) and a number of novels (under the pen name N. B. Grace) based on High School Musical.
Her nonfiction books include: Boitano’s Edge: Inside the Real World of Figure Skating (with Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano), The Real Spy's Guide to Becoming a Spy (with Peter Earnest, executive director of the International Spy Museum), Terrorists, Tornados,and Tsunamis: How to Prepare for Life’s Danger Zones (with Lt. Col. John C. Orndorff), and Hands On! 33 More Things Every Girl Should Know: Skills for Living Your Life from 33 Extraordinary Women.
She earned bachelor's degrees in journalism and English from the University of Texas-Austin and a master's degree in creative writing from the University of Southern California. She now lives in New York City.
She has also written three original novels based on the Hannah Montana TV series (Rock the Waves, In the Loop, and Swept Up) and a number of novels (under the pen name N. B. Grace) based on High School Musical.
Her nonfiction books include: Boitano’s Edge: Inside the Real World of Figure Skating (with Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano), The Real Spy's Guide to Becoming a Spy (with Peter Earnest, executive director of the International Spy Museum), Terrorists, Tornados,and Tsunamis: How to Prepare for Life’s Danger Zones (with Lt. Col. John C. Orndorff), and Hands On! 33 More Things Every Girl Should Know: Skills for Living Your Life from 33 Extraordinary Women.
She earned bachelor's degrees in journalism and English from the University of Texas-Austin and a master's degree in creative writing from the University of Southern California. She now lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 427 reviews
July 28, 2011
One of the worst YA books I have ever read. It was full of tired sexist cliches and the plot was pathetically unrealistic. Winners of a Shakespearean essay contest win a trip to Italy where they are forced to answer lame advice column letters? Wtf? There is nothing realistic about that. I really struggled to give a shit about any of these characters, because they remained bland and one-sided throughout the entire book. In fact, I struggled to keep my interest through the whole middle when nothing seemed to be happening and when the romantic drama among the characters was dull and stilted. The plot was so thin and the 'advice column letters that conveniently taught characters very important lessons about their own lives' were terrible. The Shakespeare references and plot copies were incongruous with the terrible writing.
This book also takes all the horrid and offensive cliches that we have come to expect from bad romantic comedy films and repackages them for the teen set. The last 20 pages are full of some of the most sexist and ridiculous romantic cliches I've ever seen - hey did you know that intelligent articulate young women are just faking it because they are just waiting for the right man to command them or literally chase them down and force/convince them that they really are in love? Gag me. It was like watching preliminary rape culture at work. I tend to prefer my romances without the assumption that love=submission for women.
I found absolutely nothing redeeming about this book.
This book also takes all the horrid and offensive cliches that we have come to expect from bad romantic comedy films and repackages them for the teen set. The last 20 pages are full of some of the most sexist and ridiculous romantic cliches I've ever seen - hey did you know that intelligent articulate young women are just faking it because they are just waiting for the right man to command them or literally chase them down and force/convince them that they really are in love? Gag me. It was like watching preliminary rape culture at work. I tend to prefer my romances without the assumption that love=submission for women.
I found absolutely nothing redeeming about this book.
May 6, 2023
05/01/23 Update: I need to stop rereading books. They just never hold up the second time around, although I do appreciate that this is loosely inspired by Much Ado About Nothing which is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.
This book is fluffy, light, and a little cheesy. I don't know why I like it so much, but I do. I've reread it countless times, and it just makes me smile every time I do. There isn't a lot of depth to this book, but it is a perfect summer read, and definitely a book that will get you out of a reading slump.
This book is fluffy, light, and a little cheesy. I don't know why I like it so much, but I do. I've reread it countless times, and it just makes me smile every time I do. There isn't a lot of depth to this book, but it is a perfect summer read, and definitely a book that will get you out of a reading slump.
October 6, 2020
2020 Review
Things I discovered during this re-read:
1. I still know this book almost by heart. I totally did not expect the wave of familiarity that came over me during this re-read. These aren't just characters. These are my friends.
2. Even in high school I knew none of these couples would actually last so I created multiple scenarios in my head where somehow they did. My favorite was my daydream where Giacomo moved to Kansas for his final year of high school and flirted with Kate in front of Jerome. Because romance.
3. These couples seriously are doomed. High schoolers from different countries? Yeah, no.
4. I basically just wanted a friend group like Kate's growing up and that is why I will always be down to bad-talk your ex if you need it.
5. I started out as Kate but somehow grew up to have the personality of Lucy and the soul of Silvia.
6. Even though this novel is frothy and utterly ridiculous, I still love it.
7. Basically anything I know about Shakespeare I got from this book.
Original Review But, Ugh, You Can Basically Ignore It
Kate Sanderson is the perfect balance of her parents. Her mother is a practical, organized, and sensible law professor, her Dad is a romantic, flamboyant Shakespeare scholar. When her boyfriend Jerome suddenly dumps her for the shallow beauty of the school, Kate is determined to control her own destiny and never fall in love again. The opportunity to study Shakespeare in Verona, Italy, seems like a great opportunity to completely forget about Jerome, romance, and bury herself in the beauty of the Bard...
What she doesn't expect is Giacomo. Flirtatious, flippant, and a heartbreaker, he is everything Kate isn't. They instantly clash, but when Kate overhears the other scholars scheming to set them up like Beatrice and Benedict, they decide to 'pretend' to fall in love in order to fool them all and have the last laugh....
Life, though, is never quite what it seems....
My brother refered to this book as a 'fluffy romance novel.' That is not only untrue, but unfair as he hasn't read it xD I don't know why I love this book so much. Maybe because a secret part of me can relate to Kate, the super brainiac, plus...I take an evil pleasure in the self-absorbed guy getting his heart broken.
The writing is great, the characters are fun, and...I love Shakespeare!
I've often wondered what it was about this book that appeals to me. I'm not a Hallmark movie person. I like romances, but filled with lots of adventure. At first, the Juliet Club looks like just another one of those glib teen romances that irriate me so. But its more than that. The plot is well structured, the characters defined. Its funny, filled with hidden yet totally obvious twists, and you can't help but love Giacomo. Its probably my sixth favorite book.
If you liked the movie Letters to Juliet, you'll love The Juliet Club. There are so many great lines, delightful settings, awesome characters! For example, Giacomo's grandmother, whose prophecies of doom and gloom will leave you falling over with laughter.
Did I mention I love the writing? Its clear, well conducted, and gives delightful descriptions. I've read it over and over and still take pleasure in it.
Is the book kind of shallow? mmm, yeah. Its really a mindless book, perfect when you need to relax and de-stress. Its a little deeper than your usual teen fair, charming and funny and, much to my family's amusment, one of my favorite books.
Things I discovered during this re-read:
1. I still know this book almost by heart. I totally did not expect the wave of familiarity that came over me during this re-read. These aren't just characters. These are my friends.
2. Even in high school I knew none of these couples would actually last so I created multiple scenarios in my head where somehow they did. My favorite was my daydream where Giacomo moved to Kansas for his final year of high school and flirted with Kate in front of Jerome. Because romance.
3. These couples seriously are doomed. High schoolers from different countries? Yeah, no.
4. I basically just wanted a friend group like Kate's growing up and that is why I will always be down to bad-talk your ex if you need it.
5. I started out as Kate but somehow grew up to have the personality of Lucy and the soul of Silvia.
6. Even though this novel is frothy and utterly ridiculous, I still love it.
7. Basically anything I know about Shakespeare I got from this book.
Original Review But, Ugh, You Can Basically Ignore It
Kate Sanderson is the perfect balance of her parents. Her mother is a practical, organized, and sensible law professor, her Dad is a romantic, flamboyant Shakespeare scholar. When her boyfriend Jerome suddenly dumps her for the shallow beauty of the school, Kate is determined to control her own destiny and never fall in love again. The opportunity to study Shakespeare in Verona, Italy, seems like a great opportunity to completely forget about Jerome, romance, and bury herself in the beauty of the Bard...
What she doesn't expect is Giacomo. Flirtatious, flippant, and a heartbreaker, he is everything Kate isn't. They instantly clash, but when Kate overhears the other scholars scheming to set them up like Beatrice and Benedict, they decide to 'pretend' to fall in love in order to fool them all and have the last laugh....
Life, though, is never quite what it seems....
My brother refered to this book as a 'fluffy romance novel.' That is not only untrue, but unfair as he hasn't read it xD I don't know why I love this book so much. Maybe because a secret part of me can relate to Kate, the super brainiac, plus...I take an evil pleasure in the self-absorbed guy getting his heart broken.
The writing is great, the characters are fun, and...I love Shakespeare!
I've often wondered what it was about this book that appeals to me. I'm not a Hallmark movie person. I like romances, but filled with lots of adventure. At first, the Juliet Club looks like just another one of those glib teen romances that irriate me so. But its more than that. The plot is well structured, the characters defined. Its funny, filled with hidden yet totally obvious twists, and you can't help but love Giacomo. Its probably my sixth favorite book.
If you liked the movie Letters to Juliet, you'll love The Juliet Club. There are so many great lines, delightful settings, awesome characters! For example, Giacomo's grandmother, whose prophecies of doom and gloom will leave you falling over with laughter.
Did I mention I love the writing? Its clear, well conducted, and gives delightful descriptions. I've read it over and over and still take pleasure in it.
Is the book kind of shallow? mmm, yeah. Its really a mindless book, perfect when you need to relax and de-stress. Its a little deeper than your usual teen fair, charming and funny and, much to my family's amusment, one of my favorite books.
July 16, 2019
Just couldn’t stick with this one. Got about a fourth of the way through and lost interest.
Read
March 6, 2022DNF @ 30%
The writing was flat and it easily fell into the tropes that we used to see back in the days. I also feel like this didn't have any plot? This should have been interesting, but the author kept skipping over interesting events to give us more insight into the main character, who I didn't like at all.
The writing was flat and it easily fell into the tropes that we used to see back in the days. I also feel like this didn't have any plot? This should have been interesting, but the author kept skipping over interesting events to give us more insight into the main character, who I didn't like at all.
December 6, 2008
Harmless fluff. Comedy of manners-ish teenage romance in Italy, with Romeo and Juliet as an excuse. For teen girls only. Kate wins an essay contest to attend a Shakespeare class in Verona, Italy, to the delight of her Shakespeare scholar father.
Her friends are delighted, too, and hope that this will be the cure for Kate's romantic slump. But Kate, having been disillusioned in love by her cool, yet nerdy ex-boyfriend, is determined never to fall for the trap of love again. She is determined to remain rational and logical, and remain unmoved by the handsome Giacomo, the cute Italian guy she first sees at "Juliet's House" in Verona.
But Giacomo is attending the Shakespeare class, too. He and Kate are thrown together both by circumstance, and by the machinations of the other students, who plot to make the pair fall in love. Kate overhears the plot, and with Giacomo, they decide to "play along". You know how that is going to go...
The other students eventually discover they are in love as well, with some missteps along the way.
Readable, but not essential. The attractive cover will appeal to the book's intended audience.
Her friends are delighted, too, and hope that this will be the cure for Kate's romantic slump. But Kate, having been disillusioned in love by her cool, yet nerdy ex-boyfriend, is determined never to fall for the trap of love again. She is determined to remain rational and logical, and remain unmoved by the handsome Giacomo, the cute Italian guy she first sees at "Juliet's House" in Verona.
But Giacomo is attending the Shakespeare class, too. He and Kate are thrown together both by circumstance, and by the machinations of the other students, who plot to make the pair fall in love. Kate overhears the plot, and with Giacomo, they decide to "play along". You know how that is going to go...
The other students eventually discover they are in love as well, with some missteps along the way.
Readable, but not essential. The attractive cover will appeal to the book's intended audience.
October 16, 2010
I just read this book,and Suzanne Harper is a phenomenal writer in that she takes the most basic romance line forbidden star-crossed lovers a stubborn girl who doesn't believe in true love,and a handsome charming boy who believes in the joy of love,and the ladies,and she runs with it changing the characteristic bore most of us get after we've seen this theme in SO MANY BOOKS. I thought I was done with romance but she managed to catch the little girl inside me,and hook me onto this romance,it was a overdone theme,but she managed to spice it up with her poetic,and easy to understand writing. Rarely do I after reading a romance novel feel inspired,and romantic,and so absolutely happy that the main characters experienced love. Most likely I sigh,and say well that was nice,not too believable to be fiction but of course in real life it wouldn't turn out that way,and my thoughts turn logical,and scientific. But after reading her book I was acting like a hopeless romantic,it doesn't matter if the love ends, after you leave,or the other person leaves. All that matters is that you experienced it,having a person you love die doesn't make the love less real,that is what one of the characters Lucy said,and I know strongly agree with it. This kept me smiling,and humming through the whole book. A great way to feel the romance and love,especially if you love Shakespeare,and poetry,and classic teenage romance. This has to be the best romance book I have ever read in its genre. This was a top-k notch job. It is a must-read for every romantic,and lover of romance books. I am so excited about it I can't even begun to express in more expressive words how much i loved this book. To the author thank you for all the time you've put into this book. It was worth it all. I am secretly hoping for there one day to be a movie for this. Only if it is very accurate,I can see it now. I am going to go buy my own copy,so I can read it over,and over again whenever I want. This book,and Eclipse by Stephanie Meyers are my two favorite teen-romance novels. If you haven't read it,I hope I have convinced you to read it,IT IS AN EXPERIENCE.
December 23, 2023
This book just wasn't for me, BUT Im also a 34 year old woman, so Im not the target audience. This is about a girl who is a little more serious than the other girls in her friend group, her parents are polar opposites and don't always jive, etc. She gets the opportunity to spend a month in Paris studying Shakespeare with her father's lifelong rival so she jumps on it. When she gets there, she meets a boy (who happens to be the father's rival's son) and they enter into a fake dating relationship that of course turns into more. They also join the Juliet Club where they respond to love letters which I thought was dumb. They're Romeo and Juliet enthusiasts, but they're teenagers. Why are they giving love advice? I guess they feel the angst and can be relatable. Honestly, there are just too many really weak characters and I was bored. I read 100 pages and could sum up what happened in 2-3 sentences. Meh. Just not interesting or good to me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2023
This was super cute! Cheesy and often unrealistic, but escapism for sure. I read this at the perfect time because I’m currently planning my own next trip to Verona. This was a very quick read and would be appropriate for middle grade readers as well.
July 15, 2018
This was so cute!! I wish it would have focused more on the main characters and their story, but overall, this was a cute, R+J story! Very fun read
April 22, 2020
I really really debated the one star rating. I don't think I've ever rated a book one star before. Normally if I don't like it I just DNF. This was a quick read and I was sticking it out because I love Shakespeare, and then I got to a point where I might as well finish it, but boy was it painful. There are things other people complained about that I could look past. The cheesy tropes and everyone falling in love at the end? That's classic Shakespeare comedy and so I could justify those things. But there were too many other things that were just bad. The way the point of view was a third person limited that constantly jumped around. Not even with page breaks, sometimes just from one paragraph to another. That drove me crazy. There were too many plots and none of them were well developed, not even the supposed main one. They go in fake dates a few times, and later Giocommo says he loves her. We don't really get to see why or how he starts to fall for her. Same with Kate. Heck, we don't even get to see Kate's inner revelation. Just all of a sudden she is upset that Giocommo sent a letter to Lucy as if he's betrayed her, when we the readers had no reason to believe this was a rational reaction. There was this whole thing thrown in with Silvia and her home life that never really got resolved. Kate's dad has a fued with professoressa Marchese which the last few pages implies has become resolved? Maybe they fell in love? In which came then it would be weird for Kate and Giocommo to be dating. Speaking of Kate's dad, he's very prominent in the first half of the book and then he just...disappears.
And then, straight up the writing was bad. The tone was detached and disingenuous, the descriptions were poor. If a book is going to take place in Italy, I want to really feel like I'm in Italy thank you very much. I did not feel compelled enough by the main romance. It was just overall a mess.
And then, straight up the writing was bad. The tone was detached and disingenuous, the descriptions were poor. If a book is going to take place in Italy, I want to really feel like I'm in Italy thank you very much. I did not feel compelled enough by the main romance. It was just overall a mess.
April 27, 2012
I wavered a bit between giving 3 or 4 stars, but could change my mind again. The book reminded me a bit of the movie Letters to Juliet only because the story wound up taking place entirely in Italy. The premise to get to Italy, a well written essay in a contest that happened to be a trip to Italy to participate in a Shakespeare seminar, was pretty far fetched but I looked past that. There was a great deal of emphasis on Shakespeare and a twist and retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story within the plot of this story that it could turn some people off. It worked for me though..
So of course touching on the story of Romeo and Juliet, OF COURSE our lead character Kate HAD to fall for the SON of her (divorced) father's arch rival of the academia world Professoressa Francesca Marchese. You know the whole family feud thing. For and added twist....her father just so happens to fall for his rival in the end. Because given time the impossible is possible.
The characters are likable enough. Another similarity to the movie Letters to Juliet is the fact that these characters deal with the actual letters that are written to Juliet. The young teens are given letters that are also written by teens and are asked to write back answers in the way in which Juliet is thought to have responded. I enjoyed this concept. There wasn't a lot done with it and I wish more focus could have been put on it.
All in all I enjoyed the book and would re-read it if I were to have a copy of it. I'd find it as a used copy and buy it but I don't think I would purposely search for a new copy. I recommend to any Shakespeare fans and anyone who likes an innocent love story.
So of course touching on the story of Romeo and Juliet, OF COURSE our lead character Kate HAD to fall for the SON of her (divorced) father's arch rival of the academia world Professoressa Francesca Marchese. You know the whole family feud thing. For and added twist....her father just so happens to fall for his rival in the end. Because given time the impossible is possible.
The characters are likable enough. Another similarity to the movie Letters to Juliet is the fact that these characters deal with the actual letters that are written to Juliet. The young teens are given letters that are also written by teens and are asked to write back answers in the way in which Juliet is thought to have responded. I enjoyed this concept. There wasn't a lot done with it and I wish more focus could have been put on it.
All in all I enjoyed the book and would re-read it if I were to have a copy of it. I'd find it as a used copy and buy it but I don't think I would purposely search for a new copy. I recommend to any Shakespeare fans and anyone who likes an innocent love story.
Read
February 3, 2009You win a Shakespeare essay contest in high school. The prize? A month-long summer trip to Verona, Italy, to study Romeo and Juliet. But under the sporadic direction of Professoressa Francesca Marchese, this is no ordinary seminar spent annotating and dissecting Shakespearean text, to which Kate Sanderson is accustomed. Instead, the six teen winners (3 American and 3 Italian) are tasked with answering letters written to Juliet and sent to The Juliet Club (a club in Verona that receives and responds to contemporary letters).* That means offering advice on matters of the heart, and they’re supposed to work together. Which means Kate has to work with Giacamo, whom she can’t stand, or can she? After all, she’s sworn off love after being dumped by her first, and she proclaims, last, love interest for a long time.
The seminar participants also have to perform Romeo and Juliet as their culminating event, complete with swordfighting and Elizabethan dancing. What’s a summer in Verona, Italy, in the land of Romeo and Juliet without devious matchmaking plots, romantic leads and comic mishaps? Star-crossed lovers, witty dialog, and allusions to Shakespeare’s plays (Much Ado About Nothing and others) pepper the narrative with enough spice to keep the action moving in the somewhat predictable, but delightfully fun story. If you have to read Romeo and Juliet for school, read this for sheer pleasure. Familiarity with Shakespeare’s plays isn’t necessary to enjoy this story
The seminar participants also have to perform Romeo and Juliet as their culminating event, complete with swordfighting and Elizabethan dancing. What’s a summer in Verona, Italy, in the land of Romeo and Juliet without devious matchmaking plots, romantic leads and comic mishaps? Star-crossed lovers, witty dialog, and allusions to Shakespeare’s plays (Much Ado About Nothing and others) pepper the narrative with enough spice to keep the action moving in the somewhat predictable, but delightfully fun story. If you have to read Romeo and Juliet for school, read this for sheer pleasure. Familiarity with Shakespeare’s plays isn’t necessary to enjoy this story
August 29, 2022
4,25 stars- English Ebook
Quote: "Given enough time, the impossible becomes possible, the possible probable, and the probable virtually certain."
Belissimo, lovely romance. With a surtain depth if you read the book a second time.
Quote: "Given enough time, the impossible becomes possible, the possible probable, and the probable virtually certain."
Belissimo, lovely romance. With a surtain depth if you read the book a second time.
January 20, 2023
read this in like 6th grade pls don’t read it DNF
July 11, 2023
It's a really nice palate cleanser in between heavy reads. It's cute, its sweet, and it's the perfect amount of cheesy that helps you keep reading.
March 31, 2018
I really enjoyed it. Super fluffy and cute. Take it for what it is and have fun.
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May 23, 2010
Italy . . . Shakespeare . . . but no romance?
Kate Sanderson inherited her good sense from her mother, a disciplined law professor, and her admiration for the Bard from her father, a passionate Shakespeare scholar. When she gets dumped, out of the blue, for the Practically Perfect Ashley Lawson, she vows never to fall in love again. From now on she will control her own destiny, and every decision she makes will be highly reasoned and rational. She thinks Shakespeare would have approved.
So when she is accepted to a summer Shakespeare symposium in Verona, Italy, Kate sees it as the ideal way to get over her heartbreak once and for all. She'll lose herself in her studies, explore ancient architecture, and eat plenty of pasta and gelato. (Plus, she'll be getting college credit for it—another goal accomplished!) But can even completely logical Kate resist the romance of living in a beautiful villa in the city where those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet met and died for each other? Especially when the other Shakespeare Scholars—in particular Giacomo, with his tousled brown hair, expressive dark eyes, and charming ways—try hard to break her protective shell?
"In fair Verona, where we lay our scene . . . "
While this sounds like a lot of fun, and it is, I do think that perhaps Suzanne Harper has taken on too much with this novel. There are six main characters, but I don’t really think we get to know any of them. Kate is in the spotlight more than the rest, but still not very much. Because Harper has to divide the story between all six of them, their motivations and personalities, everything that makes a character seem real, is just explained rather than really shown–she takes the easy way out. As a reader, I didn’t feel close to any of the characters, and didn’t feel like I knew them well. They were not well-developed.
There’s some potential in this story, certainly. I do love books with fun settings, so a summer in Italy is perfect! However, this would have been a much better book if the author had focused on one of the couples, rather than all six characters, and let the reader really get to know them, switching viewpoints. This is making me wish for what might have been! With some changes, this could have been a great book rather than a mediocre one. Especially if the ending had been less tidy. Real life is rarely tidy.
The Juliet Club is enjoyable, but it could have been so much better.
Kate Sanderson inherited her good sense from her mother, a disciplined law professor, and her admiration for the Bard from her father, a passionate Shakespeare scholar. When she gets dumped, out of the blue, for the Practically Perfect Ashley Lawson, she vows never to fall in love again. From now on she will control her own destiny, and every decision she makes will be highly reasoned and rational. She thinks Shakespeare would have approved.
So when she is accepted to a summer Shakespeare symposium in Verona, Italy, Kate sees it as the ideal way to get over her heartbreak once and for all. She'll lose herself in her studies, explore ancient architecture, and eat plenty of pasta and gelato. (Plus, she'll be getting college credit for it—another goal accomplished!) But can even completely logical Kate resist the romance of living in a beautiful villa in the city where those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet met and died for each other? Especially when the other Shakespeare Scholars—in particular Giacomo, with his tousled brown hair, expressive dark eyes, and charming ways—try hard to break her protective shell?
"In fair Verona, where we lay our scene . . . "
While this sounds like a lot of fun, and it is, I do think that perhaps Suzanne Harper has taken on too much with this novel. There are six main characters, but I don’t really think we get to know any of them. Kate is in the spotlight more than the rest, but still not very much. Because Harper has to divide the story between all six of them, their motivations and personalities, everything that makes a character seem real, is just explained rather than really shown–she takes the easy way out. As a reader, I didn’t feel close to any of the characters, and didn’t feel like I knew them well. They were not well-developed.
There’s some potential in this story, certainly. I do love books with fun settings, so a summer in Italy is perfect! However, this would have been a much better book if the author had focused on one of the couples, rather than all six characters, and let the reader really get to know them, switching viewpoints. This is making me wish for what might have been! With some changes, this could have been a great book rather than a mediocre one. Especially if the ending had been less tidy. Real life is rarely tidy.
The Juliet Club is enjoyable, but it could have been so much better.
November 24, 2014
In order to take a break from reading nonfiction on Stalin's GULAGs, a friend loaned me a copy of the young adult novel, Juliet's Club. It's a fun summer read, but it's not complete fluff. It's fluff for young teens with a passion for the Bard.
The book follows the serious, bookish American teen, Kate, as she spends a few weeks in Verona, attending a seminar on Romeo and Juliet. She forms frienships with two other Americans and three teens who are from Verona. The book's chapters are organized into scenes from five "acts." But that's not the only influence from Shakespeare. We get plot points from some of his plays including Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado about Nothing, and Midsummer's Night Dream. But we also get some direct quoting of play lines and sonnets. Readers either need to have background in Shakespeare or a great curiosity for the topic or they'll find these literary-rich passages distracting from the teenage romances struggling to bloom.
This YA novel is not just instructive on the works of Shakespeare. It actually serves as a "How To" guide for the socially awkward. Many scenes depict teens teaching each other how to flirt more effectively. I admit that I could have used such a guide during high school since I was too clueless to figure this out by direct observation.
It was fun but not too light. The romance is definitely rated G. I was a bit too old for the target audience, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The book follows the serious, bookish American teen, Kate, as she spends a few weeks in Verona, attending a seminar on Romeo and Juliet. She forms frienships with two other Americans and three teens who are from Verona. The book's chapters are organized into scenes from five "acts." But that's not the only influence from Shakespeare. We get plot points from some of his plays including Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado about Nothing, and Midsummer's Night Dream. But we also get some direct quoting of play lines and sonnets. Readers either need to have background in Shakespeare or a great curiosity for the topic or they'll find these literary-rich passages distracting from the teenage romances struggling to bloom.
This YA novel is not just instructive on the works of Shakespeare. It actually serves as a "How To" guide for the socially awkward. Many scenes depict teens teaching each other how to flirt more effectively. I admit that I could have used such a guide during high school since I was too clueless to figure this out by direct observation.
It was fun but not too light. The romance is definitely rated G. I was a bit too old for the target audience, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
May 7, 2015
Completely and utterly perfect in every way. I really loved how the author incorporated Romeo and Juliet into the story, and how she talked about the Juliet Club. I thought it was quite interesting on how many people wrote to Juliet for advice on romance. I loved how the characters grew from the beginning to how they ended up. I mean Giacomo was cocky and a little self absorbed, but as the story progressed he turned into a guy who is caring and true. I loved Kate!!! I loved how she was annoyed by everyone but then grew to sort of accept people as not completely annoying. I wept with joy when Kate and Giacomo's plan of them faking being in love turned into them really being in love! I simply loved it! I thought the ending was perfect, I don't think it gets much better than all the characters living happily ever after. I loved how everyone was sort of a FOIL for each other. Kate was a little shy, but she knew what she was doing. Benny was sweet, but a little jealous. Giacomo was cocky, but a little sweet as well. Silvia was scary and brooding on the outside, but was brilliant and kind on the inside. Tom was pretty quiet on the outside, but he was heartfelt on the inside. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a love story that doesn't end in a huge tragedy, but it ends pretty well. Please read, you won't regret it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2014
I think I bought this over my Spring Break back in March and I just now got around to reading it. It's actually kind of cool leaving unread books on my shelf. I like knowing there's a treasure there, lurking in the shadows of my favorite books.
Kate's heart has been broken before, so now she knows love is a folly and utterly useless. She's heading to Italy to spend a month in a Shakespeare Seminar on Romeo and Juliet, taught by her dad's arch-nemesis. Kate knows better than to fall for the charms of fellow classmate Giacomo, a boy as arrogant as he is handsome. But when a planned prank by the others in the class goes awry, Kate begins to see that maybe Giacomo isn't as bad as she originally thought.
The pages flew beneath my fingers. I like The Bard, don't get me wrong, but I can't quote his plays as flawlessly as these kids could. I'm lucky if I get the famous lines right.
I can completely see Kate's side the argument most of the time, but I think she can be quite wrong too. And by "argument", I suppose I mean her general love life outlook.
I thought it was cute. A little fluffy, but that doesn't hurt anyone. It was just a fun summer read. And quite a lot like the movie Letters To Juliet.
Kate's heart has been broken before, so now she knows love is a folly and utterly useless. She's heading to Italy to spend a month in a Shakespeare Seminar on Romeo and Juliet, taught by her dad's arch-nemesis. Kate knows better than to fall for the charms of fellow classmate Giacomo, a boy as arrogant as he is handsome. But when a planned prank by the others in the class goes awry, Kate begins to see that maybe Giacomo isn't as bad as she originally thought.
The pages flew beneath my fingers. I like The Bard, don't get me wrong, but I can't quote his plays as flawlessly as these kids could. I'm lucky if I get the famous lines right.
I can completely see Kate's side the argument most of the time, but I think she can be quite wrong too. And by "argument", I suppose I mean her general love life outlook.
I thought it was cute. A little fluffy, but that doesn't hurt anyone. It was just a fun summer read. And quite a lot like the movie Letters To Juliet.
February 22, 2011
Lovely is a word that describes this book the best. Lovely and cheesy with romance. A perfect mixture for a book like this one. It wasn't fantastic, yet it wasn't bad. Suzanne Harper never crossed the line with the romantic scenes, and no language that I can remember ever crossed the pages. Suzanne did a great job with description, describing Italy like a fairytale with a dreamy like atmosphere that even made me feel like it was spring with flowers blooming and the sun shining *sigh*. AGH! I want to go to Italy so bad now!
Anyways.
It was a refreshing read...even though I really disliked the ending.
I'm definitely going to read Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare really soon ;)
Anyways.
It was a refreshing read...even though I really disliked the ending.
I'm definitely going to read Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare really soon ;)
July 8, 2009
Did you know that Il Club di Giuletta (the Juliet Club) which dispenses love advice was founded in Verona in 1972? I thought this novel was hokey at first, but I grew to like it. Sixteen-year-old Kate Sanderson has been dumped by her boyfriend and is therefore resigned to forever forego romance, and so when she finds out that she has won a contest to particpate in Shakespeare seminars on "Romeo and Juliet" in Verona, she jumps at the opportunity to forget her feckless boyfriend and embark on serious academic study of the Bard. Her expectations for a logical and romance-free summer are dashed when she discovers that her symposium will be comprised of writing back to the lovelorn in the Juliet Club, comprised of beside herself: Benno and Giacomo, two Italian boys the opposite of each other, the former plain and clumsy, and the latter handsome and arrogant; Silvia, Verona Goth; Tom, California Golden Boy; and Lucy, Southern Belle. Each member of the club, however, breaks out of stereotype--Italians become infatuated with their fellow Americans and vice versa.
February 26, 2009
This book is great. Suzanne Harper does a fantastic job in my opinion, by distinguishing each character with their own unique personality, therefore making each character seem realistic. You also encounter tons of imagery in her writing as you continue on in the book. You learn a lot of information regarding Shakespeare and his poetry. After reading this book you'd be very interested in him and and you'd also be hungry for more of his pieces. If you're also into romantic books, this book will be a great choice. The protagonist Kate has had horrible luck with romance but when she arrives in Italy everything changes.
September 26, 2011
I really enjoyed how the book mimicked the actual play of Romeo and Juliet. I only wish there had been a little more of the book; it ended too soon! Ever since seeing the movie "Letters to Juliet" (which I loved ;) ) I have kind of developed an obsession for all things Italian; and all things Romeo and Juliet! I have a few more books on my shelf that follow these requirments...
Now I want to go to Verona! A very fun read!
Now I want to go to Verona! A very fun read!
November 29, 2011
I loved this story. So much that I want to read it all again, just so I can spend more time with the characters and live through them vicariously in arguably one of the most beautiful countries on earth--Italy.
Set in Verona, the birthplace of my beloved Romeo and Juliet, the novel follows three young couples as they learn about Shakespeare and fall in love. Fans of the classic tragedy/love story and the movie Letters to Juliet will not be disappointed.
Set in Verona, the birthplace of my beloved Romeo and Juliet, the novel follows three young couples as they learn about Shakespeare and fall in love. Fans of the classic tragedy/love story and the movie Letters to Juliet will not be disappointed.
April 19, 2015
I have trouble believing that some people actually disliked this book. From the moment I read the summary I was entranced. I knew I wanted to read this. I loved the book and couldn't put it down. While some people believed I shouldn't have liked this book, I did. I am a massive fan of young adult fluff and this was right up my alley. I loved the characters, the plot, and found every aspect of the book wonderful. Perhaps I should consider the Juliet club for my own romance related problems.
November 17, 2015
I absolutely adored this book! O, how I long for a sequel! It was so cute, clever, well-written, and fluffy but not-too-fluffy. It had superb vocabulary, and great Shakespeare quotes all over the pages. So delightful! This turned out to be a pleasant surprise - I thought it was going to simply be a fluffy, pleasure read, but it ended up being much higher quality! I loved it! :D
September 24, 2011
Loved loved loved this book! If you want a cute and clean romance check this book out.
Clean Teen Fiction's review of The Juliet club
Clean Teen Fiction's review of The Juliet club
July 22, 2010
I don't really have much to say about this book. It was pretty good, nothing amazing. I did enjoy it but also found it pretty boring, it took me super long to read because I kept putting it on hold. Didn't really care that much about the characters, but it was alright.
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