This Romeo & Juliet remix does not just retell the story - it blends it up and spits it back out in a very pleasant way. Good writing, dialogue that seems suitable to the period but is not unreadable, and fleshed out characters make the book a pleasure to read. There's excellent queer rep - including ace rep! - and the pining is fantastic. I like how the author handles character growth for characters that are firm in the culturaly mindest without changing them too much, and it does not fall to the tropes of some retellings - the original couple hates each other, the only support comes from newly introduced characters, etc. Teens who do not already have an interest in Romeo & Juliet might not pick it up based on the merits of the book alone.

i genuinely have nothing negative to say about this book. i got it as an ARC after seeing ‘My Dear Henry’ from the same collection come in at work- and noticed that the Romeo & Juliet remix was available to get.

i absolutely ADORE the writing style & prose of this book, it’s gorgeous & lovely & i was able to love & be attached to each and every ( good ) character. it was definitely like a week or two in terms of total length, which i would normally be opposed with in terms of a relationship moving super fast- but the way it was worked through and described- i genuinely could not be happier with how rewarding & slow-burning-ish this felt, even though it was incredibly fast paced!

i was a lit kid & theatre kid all throughout high school, but reading shakespeare was always hard for me & i never remember details from them- so this, while knowing the main points- still felt like an entirely new & still edge-of-your-seat story. it was gripping & i was still waiting with bated breath every new chapter to see what would happen of our lovely little ot3 ( heh ) & the amazing and fantastic friends of romeo himself.

truly a lovely book, fantastic writing. i have not a single thing negative to say- and honestly would love to explore more of Caleb Roehrig’s work!!!

I was very attracted to the idea of a retelling of the classic story from a queer perspective. I found the narrative quite uneven. It started out with a lot of words that did not engage me or connect me with what I expected would be the main filament of the story. For the rest of the narrative of the story alternated back and forth between verbose language and interesting / engaging story telling. I found myself occasionally lost as to the family connections and connections to the characters in the traditional story. Wanted more meat and less words. Part of may disappointment comes from expecting an adult reimagining of the story and getting a young adult story full of teen angst. Yes, teen angst if a core part of the story of a romance between two teenagers. It was the deep dive into that angst that got in the way of my full enjoyment of the text. The deviations from the original thread of the story were also uneven. Some made the narrative more interesting. Others broke the link to the traditional telling and did not add value.
Maybe a young adult reader would be more the audience for this telling.

Romeo & Juliet -- a tale as old as time. This tragedy follows the life and death of two children who are barely older than the high school freshman forced to choke down this saccharine 'love story' in their English 101 class. Many consider Shakespeare's tale to be one of the star-crossed lovers, a romance that is ill-fated from the start. So when I began reading Caleb Roehrig's "Teach the Torches to Burn," I did so with skepticism that this story would be much of the same, with only a new queer aspect to the ancient plot.

Boy, am I glad that I picked up this ARC. I was never a big fan of Shakespeare's play, and I found myself relating more to Romeo than Juliet (for reasons that would become apparent to me much later in life), so I often wondered what would happen if Romeo fell for Mercutio versus Juliet. And though that wasn't the exact romantic subplot of this retelling, Roehrig was able to give me exactly what 14-year-old me needed. Romeo's life is fraught with parental expectations, fear of where his romantic interests lie, and the general drama stirred up by the ever-present epitome of toxic masculinity, Tybalt Capulet.

Without giving away too much of the plot, because believe me, you'll want to go into this blind, I can say that the blossoming friendship between Juliet and Romeo and the burgeoning love between Romeo and Valentine gave me that giggly, feet-kicking happiness as I read this, curled up in bed and unable to put my phone down even when my hand started to cramp.

In fact, when I started this book, I fully expected not to finish it, believing that nothing could really be done to make Shakespeare's plot appealing. Cut to me a few hours later when I had absolutely devoured this book, shouting at my other queer friends that they absolutely, unequivocally had to add this to the TBR pile. I strongly suggest that you add it to yours as well!

Bonus points, if I didn't already grab your attention: there's a cat!

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the eGalley!

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THIS WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED IT TO BE!!

Thank you net galley for the arc!

i enjoyed this queer retelling of romeo and juliet, and much appreciated the happy ending. It was an easy, sweet read that I would have gobbled up as a teenager but still enjoyed as an adult!

You can never go wrong with a (queer) Romeo and Juliet story, and this book hit all the right elements. Especially because of the happy ending. I adored the platonic bond Romeo and Juliet created during their few interactions, both of them struggling with being different in different ways and having to deal with society’s expectations. Also, since I had not expected to see it, I really loved the aro/ace rep with Friar Laurence and Juliet as well (though, part of me did wish Juliet was a lesbian).

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan for the E-arc
I adore the books in this series, and this edition was no exception! This whole line is focused on reimaging classic stories, usually making them more diverse and exciting. I haven't read Romeo and Juliet entirely, but this book chaptered my attention instantly. The author does a fantastic job of taking a classic story and adding to it without suffocating the original vibes.

A clever, thoughtful reimagining that goes so far beyond simply making Romeo and Juliet gay (as laudable a project as that is). This book sparkles with wit and verve, the characters feel real, both familiar and developed, and the dialogue flows beautifully. Romeo and Valentine’s love story is utterly compelling while also feeling grounded in its historical and literary setting. The true themes of the original play, the vicious cycle of violence, the dire effects of parental neglect, and the senselessness of avoidable loss, all shine through here. Juliet and her unwanted marriage to count Paris don’t get overshadowed even though the main story is about two boys falling in love; indeed, the Juliet of this adaptation is lively, resourceful, and as cunning as any Shakespearean character ever was. It was a pleasure to read from start to finish and I also appreciated the impressive number of Shakespeare references the author was able to work in (“claim his pound of flesh”, “ghost at the banquet” etc.). This is book is a great example of the wonderful, high quality, gay fiction I wish had been more prevalent when I was a teenager.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this incredible book early! This is the first of the Classic Remix novels that I’ve read and I cannot wait to read more. The queering of Romeo and Juliet is not something I knew I needed, but now this extra layer, this extra tension, that has been added to this classic tale is not one that I’m going to let go of easily. Not only does this story deal with the pressures of familial loyalty, but those of identity and masculinity as well. It reminded me of another classic, one of the four Chinese classics, ‘The Dream of the Red Chamber’, where the main character is pressured to let go of his ‘womanly’ pursuits and interests and find a wife. Just as in Romeo and Juliet, this story does not end happily either. Outside pressure to change who you are, who you love, and who want to be never ends well, it can only end in tragedy. I loved how this remix added these extra layers and while the story remains in its historical setting, it makes the story feel that much more modern. I absolutely loved this and I hope more people who question the relevance of classic stories like Romeo and Juliet, decide to pick this up.

Very lovely retelling that changed the plot enough to keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. The romance was sweet and compelling, and the characters you know from the classic Romeo and Juliet are compelling in their changes. I finished this all in one sitting, unable to put it down.

The only thing that disappointed me was the somewhat abrupt ending, but isn’t that sometimes the sign of a really enjoyable story? Being upset that it doesn’t just keep going?

I’m sad this will take so long to properly be released, because I already know I will be telling everyone I know go read it.

A sweet and easy to read little romance. Nothing super special, but I didn't regret the time I spent reading it. I like that the author didn't just rehash Romeo and Juliet, but put a new spin on their story. Lots of people come in to the bookstore I work at looking for lgbt books for teenagers, and this will definitely join my list of recommendations.

A wonderful read. I loved the story's language and approach while still guessing how true this would stay to the classic.

I actually really liked our main character. Although his main problem is his love life, and I think he could've been expanded on beyond that, I guess that is the whole point of this story.

I love how the author approaches retackling this classic. As he says, the original Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, but not because of the inst-love story. It is a tragedy of teenagers having to deal with their parents' poor choices and pointless rivalries. I'd have to agree; very well said.

I really liked what Roehrig did with Mercutio and Juliet in this story, and I really liked the new character Valentine. Valentine and Mercutio's brother relationship definitely stood out the most, and I love the aro/ace rep that was Juliet. She was one of my favorite characters.

Now, this story is still insta-love, and I get why it would be. Like, it's Romeo and Juliet, for crying out loud. However, the love story was not expanded time-wise, which is my only complaint. If it could have been a little less insta-love, I may have given it five stars. I love what was done with the rest of the story however, and I think this was a very enjoyable read, used good language that felt true to the time, and still like teenagers at the same time, and is a story that will stick with me for a while.

Dear Netgalley and Publisher,
Thank you so much for letting me read this book.

Let me say this first :
I hated Romeo and Juliet!! So much!!

But...

Turned out I enjoyed Romeo and Juliet if they didn't up together! Yeay!!
I enjoyed Romeo and Valentine so much in this book. And definitely love the ending.
However, the writing style of Caleb Roehrig was so so. It wasn't beautifully prose like how I Imagined, since this book was retelling from Shakespeare's famous work.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't really special in my heart.

“Something I have learned, both through observation and personal experience, is that happiness is not guaranteed to anyone. If it finds you, if it seeks you out, it is best to revel in it for as long as you can. It is perhaps the greatest gift fate has to offer.”

This book was so lovely and beautiful!! It was definitely insta-lovey, which I didn’t have a problem with. I really enjoyed the spin on Romeo and Juliet, especially seeing so many different characters shine. The plot resolved fairly quickly, and the pacing of the book was well done!

I love all of these remixes, I find them clever and I can see teen readers getting inspiration from them and seeing themselves in literature that previously excluded most groups. I especially loved Juliet not as some shrinking violet, but as a woman who wanted more out of life than what everyone wanted to give her. The romance between Romeo and Valentine was fine--appropriately insta-love, and I maybe would have liked more in Valentine's POV, but otherwise, I flew through this and I enjoyed it.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. It has a pretty cover. I love Romeo and Juliet and have been teaching it for 20+ years, so I am quite familiar with the play. But this. I'm not sure what this is. It's not a remix that I expected. Romeo isn't likeable. No one really is. There is no flowery language. And Act 3 scene 1 of the play? With Tybalt and Mercutio dueling? It doesn't happen. After the first 40 pages or so, I really didn't care what happened. Romeo was ridiculous. And they just ruined Benvolio here. Juliet was a bit interesting. Really, this whole story was disappointing. Maybe for someone who doesn;t know the play, this might make sense. But when they changed around people's personalities and family lineage, I just found it confusing.

Romeo and Juliet is one of those stories that is so well known in western literature, that you almost can't escape it. If you're like me, there's a strong chance that you probably read it during a high school literature class. So, when I saw this book available in Netgalley, I thought I'd request a copy and see if I could give it a try. And for the first few pages or so, it was an enjoyable read. But, after a while, I found myself slowly losing interest in the story. I don't think I can point to any one aspect in the story that made me lose interest. I think it was one of those things where I found that the book just wasn't for me. However, if you happen to be a fan of Romeo and Juliet, or even a fan of Shakespeare himself, I would suggest giving this book a try when it's published later this year.

I thought I'd love this book because it had everything I enjoy, Shakespeare retellings and queer characters, but sadly I didn't. There was just something off about the writing and I felt like it was really weak.

Oh. My. Gosh. I read this book alongside Romeo & Juliet and found myself resenting every page I read that wasn't from this book. I absolutely adore this romance and it will be well used at Emerson.