Juliet

Juliet by Anne Fortier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD!!

A fascinating premise - what if Juliet and Romeo were real people, and those real families involved in the tragedy were truly cursed. And what if the only way to break that curse was for a Juliet and a Romeo in our time to fall in love and fulfill theirs and their ancestors destinies?

I really enjoyed how this book was written, jumping back and forth between the past and present. As I followed along with Guilietta's research, it felt like I was there with her, learning the true story, and falling in love. You can also tell that this book was well-researched, and it made me want to learn more about Siena and it's history. I also loved the author's note at the end when she mentioned all her mom's research. So sweet!

So was there anything I didn't like? This is where we enter the spoiler zone. Probably my least favorite part of this story was the mafia element. I get that there needs to be a villain element to explain the twins' parents' deaths, but we spent so long thinking Luciano was the villain that it seemed like an odd switch at the end to see he had been threatened and coerced all along. It would have been nice if they had at least mentioned the real bad guy (whose name I don't even remember) at some point before he appeared. As is was, I was left with a, "wait what??" when they suddenly showed up at the house.

Also, I couldn't figure out Luciano. Did he really die? Or escape with the jewels? You'd think he'd want to be with his girls, but I guess he was still a wanted man. Plus, did he just really not like Janice? Even though she seemed horrendous at the beginning, she kind of grew on me at the end, and I'm sure she was disappointed when she learned who her real father was, considering how he treated her all her life. Probably my least favorite part of this story was the mafia element. I get that there needs to be a villain element to explain the twins' parents' deaths, but we spent so long thinking Luciano was the villain that it seemed like an odd switch at the end to see he had been threatened and coerced all along. It would have been nice if they had at least mentioned the real bad guy (whose name I don't even remember) at some point before he appeared. As is was, I was left with a, "wait what??" when they suddenly showed up at the house. Also, I couldn't figure out Luciano. Did he really die? Or escape with the jewels? You'd think he'd want to be with his girls, but I guess he was still a wanted man. Plus, did he just really not like Janice? Even though she seemed horrendous at the beginning, she kind of grew on me at the end, and I'm sure she was disappointed when she learned who her real father was, considering how he treated her all her life.

The other issue I had was, did there really have to be so much secrecy? I mean, I get that it makes for a more exciting book, when you don't know who is out to harm you, but if the Alessandro and Eva Marie had been honest with Guillietta when she first showed up, even if it was after they did the DNA test and realized she was telling the truth, she's such a trusting person that she would have helped them and saved everyone a world of trouble.

The other issue I had was, did there really have to be so much secrecy? I mean, I get that it makes for a more exciting book, when you don't know who is out to harm you, but if the Alessandro and Eva Marie had been honest with Guillietta when she first showed up, even if it was after they did the DNA test and realized she was telling the truth, she's such a trusting person that she would have helped them and saved everyone a world of trouble.

Overall, I'm happy to have read this, and am already researching a trip to Siena. :)

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